Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or anything related to it. I make no money from this story.
AN: I've had this idea more than once. It's time to see if it takes off for once.

Summary: Five years after the decision to give up their son, a woman comes knocking on Hermione's door and tells her that she can either take him back, or he can go to an orphanage. It's been years since Hermione has seen or spoken to Harry after the choice left her unable to face him. Now she has to figure out what she's going to do with her second chance.

Twist of Fate

Prologue

Harry sighed as he stared at the locket in his hands. The S glittered up at him and he could swear that he felt its pulse beat through the chain. He wondered, as he had before, if his connection to Voldemort was anything like the connection between Voldemort and the locket. If so, he wondered what that would mean for the end of the fight. Would he have to die to save the ones he loved?

The thought moved Harry's gaze from the locket to the sleeping young woman just a few feet away from him. She lay on the bottom bunk with a look of peace on her face. Harry wondered what she was dreaming about and how disappointed she would be when she woke to realize it wasn't real. He sighed heavily and set the locket down on the table before he finally stood and stretched.

It had been just the two of them for a few weeks now. Harry knew that she missed Ron, but he couldn't help but feel joy at the fact that Ron was no longer with them. He wondered, not for the first time, how simple life could be without the redhead around. There would be no one to argue with or to whine about how things weren't going as quickly as he had hoped. Harry could still hear his own voice asking Ron if he actually thought that this would be easy and if they would be back by Christmas. His voice echoing through his memories actually made him feel ashamed of himself. Hermione had quickly realized the problem and had Ron take off the locket. Harry, on the other hand, had been looking for a fight.

Harry and Hermione both knew that the locket didn't make him wish to start a fight with Ron. In fact, Hermione knew that Harry was happy that Ron had abandoned them. Ron's words, accusing them of an affair, had not been entirely false. While they had never physically bridged the gap between friends and lovers, it was obvious to the two of them that they wanted it.

Harry sighed and walked over to Hermione. He knelt down beside her and brushed some of her hair away from her face. "One day, I hope I can tell you how much I love you," Harry whispered in her ear before he kissed her cheek. Hermione moved as if in response to Harry's touch. She smiled and rolled onto her back and Harry couldn't help it as his eyes traveled downward to her ample breasts. Teenage hormones made him want to reach out and touch her, but he wouldn't do that to her without her permission.

Harry didn't notice Hermione's eyes open. He didn't notice as she inhaled deeply on purpose, just to see Harry's reaction. She smiled as she reached her hand up and cupped his cheek with the palm of her hand. "Next time, tell me when I'm awake," she said softly.

Harry blushed. "I didn't realize you heard me," he said softly.

Hermione smiled. "I didn't realize you felt so strongly," she said. "I thought I was alone…"

Harry's eyes widened behind his glasses. "You feel the same?" he asked.

Hermione nodded. "Yes," she said softly. She smiled up at him. "Harry, you can't tell me that you didn't know," she continued. "Ron may have been my boyfriend, but my loyalties have always been with you. I've loved you for years, Harry Potter. Ron just happened to ask me first."

"Will you be with me then?" Harry asked. "I mean, I know it's dangerous given everything that's going on, but I'd like the chance to make you happy. I'd like to be the one who catches you when you fall and picks you up when you're down. It's not going to be perfect, but I want to have the chance. I want to be with you for the rest of my life."

Hermione's hand moved to Harry's neck. She pulled him in close and placed a kiss on his lips. "As much as you want to be with me, Harry, I want to be with you. Come here," she said as she scooted toward the opposite edge of the bed. Harry took the hint and climbed into the bunk with her, laying out next to her the way he had always dreamed.

Hermione rose up over Harry and her golden brown curls curtained them off from the rest of the world. She moved in and kissed him, chastely at first. The kiss quickly grew into something more as teenage hormones took over. Harry was able to grasp at what he had only imagined just minutes before. The smell of her skin and sound of her soft moans aroused Harry in an almost painful way. When he felt Hermione's hand grasp him, he froze. Never before had anyone else touched him there. It was a feeling so intense that Harry didn't think he could hold himself back for very long.

Hermione kissed Harry's cheek before she licked the side of his ear. "Do you want me to stop?" she whispered. Her breath sent a chill down Harry's spine and he couldn't help but shudder under her touch.

"If you don't, I won't," he panted, unable to truly speak.

"I don't want you to," Hermione confessed before she brought her mouth down over Harry's once more. She reached for Harry's hand and guided it up her shirt. When he realized what she wanted, he wasted no time at all in cupping her naked breasts in his hand. Hermione's back arched as Harry massaged the soft flesh in his hand and cried out when she felt his mouth over her nipple through her thin nightshirt. His mouth was hot and moist and made her ache between her legs.

Harry unbuckled his jeans as he rolled Hermione over. He rose up between her legs and kissed her once more as he pushed his pants down to his knees. "Are you certain?" he asked her. Hermione nodded, happy that Harry had taken the time to make sure that she was willing before he took this too far. Harry kissed her one more time as his hand moved him into position. Harry eased himself inside of her and they both took a minute to relish in the feel of their union when he was fully sheathed. "My god, Hermione," Harry whispered, his eyes closed and his heart thundering in his chest. "You feel so good…."

Hermione nodded. "You too," she whispered. "Don't stop, please," she begged. Harry happily obliged.

It was more than a month later that Hermione stared at the stick in her hands. They had stopped to rest in a Muggle inn and Hermione had slipped away to the drugstore with the purpose of getting supplies. While she was there, she saw the pregnancy tests on a shelf and knew that she needed to be certain. Before she did anything else, she bought the test and took it in the restroom. Now, a plus sign showed in the little window and Hermione's heart raced with fear. She didn't know what to do. This wasn't supposed to happen.

She threw the test away as tears flooded her vision. She didn't think she had been so careless but she remembered that first time she and Harry had been together and she knew that they hadn't thought about it then. Every time after that, Hermione had taken precautions, but she knew it only took one time. It only took one moment of forgetfulness. It only took one tiny little cell and now she was going to be a mother. She wasn't ready for it and she knew Harry wasn't either. She made the decision right then that they would be giving the baby up. There was no way they could do anything different in the middle of this war.

When Hermione returned to the inn, Harry knew that something had changed. He took the groceries from her and set them aside before he took her into his arms. He met her gaze and didn't let her look away from him. "Tell me," he said softly.

Tears fell from Hermione's eyes. "I'm pregnant," she whispered. She saw the fear instantly appear in Harry's gaze. She sighed heavily and closed her eyes for a moment before she sought comfort in Harry's embrace. "We can't raise a child right now, Harry," she said thickly. "We're too close to this war to do it. I can't kill it either, so the only thing left to do is let it go to someone else. Someone who isn't so closely tied to this war as we are…."

Harry closed his eyes and sighed heavily. "Okay," he said softly. "If you think that's what's best, that's what we'll do."

Hermione held Harry more tightly. "It's the only thing I can think to do," she said through the tightness of her throat. She let out a sob and Harry clutched her more tightly. He closed his eyes as he buried his face in her hair and wondered if their relationship would survive this. While he silently prayed that they would, Hermione wondered who would be capable of raising their child and if they would do a decent job of it.