Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Harry hit his head against the wall for the once again and this time accompanying it was a groan.
They had been at the International Law Enforcement Headquarters in New York for nearly three weeks, waiting to extradite the LeStrange brothers back to England. Both Auror's were glad that the process of moving criminals internationally was much simpler than that of the muggle world. They were expecting to be home by tomorrow and had it been the muggle world only Merlin knew how long the process would take to bring the death eaters to justice on British soil.
He looked at the clock and groaned again as they waited for the Extradition Agents to finish their work. Usually during the downtime of the process, Harry and Ron amused themselves by riling up Hermione until she threatened to remove a special part of their anatomy. He smiled to himself as he remembered the last time they were in New York, she and Harry had become lovers for the very first time, three years ago.
"Merlin, stop already, I'm begging you."
The voice pulled him out of his thoughts and he raised an eyebrow at his best friend. Ron was leaning on the column of the building, looking horribly odd in the Auror's uniform that he usually abandoned. The redhead's arms were crossed and he wore a partially annoyed glare on his face as he looked at Harry.
"Stop what? I haven't said anything, you tosspot." Harry grumbled, pulling at his tie in annoyance.
"Stop that dazed look on your face that you get when you think of Hermione. It's odd looking and people think you're staring at me with your goo-goo eyes." Ron told him, not surprising Harry that once again he took the opportunity to take the mickey out of him. The raven haired man blushed a little but shook his head with a small grin, lamely kicking his friend in the leg in return.
"Shut it. Besides, no one would ever believe that I would sully myself with you." He jabbed back, both old friends having a laugh at the joke.
At the sound of the doors opening both wizards snapped to attention looking towards the direction of the doors. Both swore under their breaths as it was one of the note takers leaving to take a leak.
"Why do we need to be here again?" Ron asked impatiently, pulling the Auror's beret off of his head in annoyance. They paused for a moment, as if they were both waiting for Hermione to answer them smartly.
"Because protocol, Ronald, is what keeps us safe and what keeps scum like that from being released on technicality." The two shared a grin, shaking their heads at one another as it seemed the rested upon the same memory unintentionally.
"Ronald, chew first, speak second." Ron said, mimicking the missing third of the trio in a horribly high pitched tone. Harry snorted and nodded his head in agreement.
"Sounds just like her. You should do that in front of her and tell me how well you fare." Harry told him, earning an incredulous look in return.
"I'd rather not have a flock of DRAGON'S thrown at me, thanks."
Again, Harry grinned. It was true that as time went on, Hermione's famous flock of birds had grown larger and seemed much faster when they were chasing you – a true testament to how creative an angry woman can be. Last time, Ron had been on the fleeing end of that spell as a group of rather malicious looking parrots swooped down on him and chased him into a lake. While the two had gotten over that last spat, Ron shivered at the idea of being chased by something even more horrendous looking.
"Do you think they're alright?" Harry asked, the joking tone of his voice had filtered out and Ron craned his neck over to the courthouse doors before shrugging his shoulders.
"They're probably just finishing up, then we can shackle the bastards and take them to-"
"Not them! I couldn't give two shites about that, I meant... Hermione and Luna." Harry told him, receiving the reaction he had been searching for the first time as the color drained out of Ron's face quickly and the worried look he usually had when he thought about his family graced his face. The two men sat in a bit of thick silence for a moment as the thought of their respective loved ones.
"They're alright. You know as well as I do that Kingsley would've came himself otherwise."
There was a hitch in Ron's tone, one that let Harry know that his friend was attempting to sound confident and landing somewhere near horribly unsure. Harry watched as his best friend reached into his pocket, pulling out a photo that had obviously been folded and carried around more than a time or two. Ron smoothed out the creases and sighed tiredly as he stared at the treasure in his hand.
"You remember the Bill and Fleur's wedding reception?" Ron asked, smirking a bit at the look on Harry's face that clearly said "how could I forget?"
"Right. Well, the day I found out Luna was pregnant again, I caught her and Cali doing that little dance...you remember? The one where they twirl in circles with their arms out as if their trying to make themselves dizzy." Ron spoke carefully, not bothering to look up to see Harry nod.
Harry pulled the photo out of his friend's grip and smiled widely at the sight of his goddaughter doing the same odd spinning dance alongside her newly pregnant mother. The two were smiling at one another as if they had a secret and occasionally Harry would see a small wave from one of them before they went back to their dance. Carefully, Harry handed the picture back, sighing guiltily and reaching into his own pocket.
Ron chuckled as Harry pulled out a similarly cared for photo that he pressed on in order to get the crinkles out. Without waiting, Ron snatched it up and rolled his eyes playfully as he glanced down at the picture before him. It was taken after the gala that celebrated Kinglsey officially taking the Minister's position, three years ago at the start of Harry and Hermione's relationship. The bookworm had fallen asleep on Harry's bed in her ball gown with both then two year old's Calista and Teddy, both snuggled up to her in their party clothes.
"That's a good one. I'm glad you kept it the muggle way." Ron complimented, handing it back with a grin. They both took a moment to stare at the pictures in their hands, the reasons why they were off scouring the world for the monsters that crept during the night. Harry ran thumb over the photo lovingly and steeled himself for what he needed to say, what he'd avoided saying during the entire mission.
"Ron, this is my last-"
"I'm going to quit the-"
They both began to ramble simultaneously and paused as they realized what was being said. Harry opened his mouth for a moment and raised a questioning eyebrow as Ron turned his head to the side curiously.
"You first." Harry said, motioning for him to continue. Ron sighed, running his hands through his hair and shrugging his shoulders before continuing.
"This is the last of the real bad ones. I mean it's been six years since the war and I only have five more years with Cali until she goes to Hogwarts…I already missed out on a lot." He told him guiltily. There had been so many firsts that he could only ever visit through Luna's memories, so many nights his wife laid alone in their bed. While Harry could only guess how hard it had been on his best friend, he couldn't fully comprehend the ache in his chest. Until Hermione had been unable to join them on their latest adventure, Harry had never truly appreciated being home the way that Ron did. A heavy silence passed between them and Harry scratched the back of his neck, a bit red-faced from being put on the spot as Ron looked at him expectantly.
"It's going to sound like a load of bollocks." Harry told him blandly, earning a pair of raised eyebrows in return. He stood up and cursed softly, immediately look apologetic as a group of old women passed them with glares in his direction. Ron snickered and slapped him on the shoulder.
"Keep it together, mate. I'm sure it's stupid but that's alright...everything you say is rather stupid anyway." He tried lightly, raising his hands in mock surrender as Harry shot him an annoyed glare. He pushed his glasses back up and ran a hand through his hair, exhaling loudly.
"My parents and I had one year together and I will never remember any of it. What if something happens to Hermione or to me or to this baby and I'm off in some shite hotel or on some shite stakeout doing something that I honestly don't like doing without Hermione there in the first place?" Ron's amused look faltered and he eyed his friend carefully before nodding his head in understanding.
"Sounds a little too familiar, honestly. I told Hermione all those things after Calista was born, the part about if something happened to me or Luna. AND..to be quite honest, I haven't really enjoyed myself either without Hermione around. No offense." He joked. Harry looked at him curiously, surprised by the unusual confession as the two still seemed to fight more than they got along. Catching the look he was receiving from Harry, Ron rolled his eyes.
"She is MY best friend too, you know. We may not finish each other's sentences and she's a pain in the arse but she's still MY pain in the arse-" At that, Harry's eyebrows raised even higher and Ron chuckled. "That's right, she still belongs to me too! I mean, I miss her yelling at us to keep clean and to pay attention and all that. It feels like there's a bit missing now that she isn't with us."
The Weasley turned red as Harry tried to not to appear amused by the new information, failing miserably. Ron narrowed his eyes at him and pointed his wand threateningly in Harry's direction.
"Don't you dare tell her I said that, either! Take it to the grave, Harry! I can just hear it now 'Oh, Ronald' before she starts that teary eyed thing that she does just before she squeezes the life out of you with her damn hugs." When Harry smiled even wider, Ron practically growled before Harry threw his arms up in surrender.
"To the grave." Harry promised between laughs, crossing his heart for good measure, eventually causing Ron to break his annoyed glare and join in.
The old friends laughed for a moment, settling into a sigh as it sunk it that they had both planned on leaving the unit they had built for so long.
"Desk job?" Harry asked, making a face as if the two words gave him a sour taste in his mouth. Ron groaned, sounding just as melodramatic as Harry had not a few moments before.
"Paperwork." They spat out simultaneously.
It seemed it didn't matter if it were a two foot essay on Transfiguration or – in Ron's case, wedding vows- both men abhorred anything having to do with an inked quill and parchment. He prayed that the baby on the way wouldn't inherit his laziness as he thought on it.
"The Quibbler always has a spot for us, so does the Joke Shop." Harry knew that Ron didn't mean to sound so reluctant but he understood why. While Ron loved his family and all of the crazy that went along with it – it just wasn't the kind of jobs you wake up and enjoy going to. He also knew that Ron would end up being the guinea pig in George's experiments, whether he wanted to be or not.
The two began tossing around ideas, some awful and some ridiculous, but both happy that they'd gotten the hard decision off their chests. They had abandoned hope of getting out of the courthouse before the hours of legal international portkey travel and slowly made themselves comfortable for the long haul of waiting for word from their embassy.
"We could make our own racing broom." Ron quipped absently, pulling at the collar of his uniform.
"Potter Brooms!" Harry added, earning an indignant glare.
"Shut your trap, it'd definitely be called Weasley Brooms."
"We'll let Hermione decide on that one. Fair is fair."
"HA, like she can be fair when you're giving her that pathetic dog look of yours."
"We can tell Hermione what we want, she can magic it out with that big beautiful brain of hers, you can sell it, I can test it. Winners all around, eh?" Harry told him, practically beaming at the idea of doing nothing but flying all day long.
"Yeah AND we'll make cheaper brooms that are actually decent for the kids that can't afford it." Ron added, imagining his eleven year old self with a rickety older broom that every one of his brothers had used before him.
"We can buy land and turn it into a big Quidditch pitch and offer lessons, show games to the muggleborns - Hermione would like that." Harry told him.
"Cor- We can even – wait, why can't we do this again?" Ron asked, confused. Harry's brow furrowed for a moment and he opened his mouth a few times as if to answer with a million reasons why it was the dumbest thing they'd ever consider doing.
"I reckon we could if we really crunched the numbers." They both shared a knowing look before Harry corrected himself.
"I mean, if Hermione crunched – Kingsley."
"If Hermione crunched Kingsley? She might be a tough one with her fist but Kingsley's a big bloke-"
"No Ron. Kingsley's here."
Harry shot up, eyes wide as he watched the Minister of Magic walking towards them, flanked by guards. He could feel Ron stand up beside him and suddenly all of the jokes, all of the complaining had disappeared. Suddenly the two tall, proud and accomplished men felt as if they were first years once more. They said it themselves not an hour ago that if anything was wrong with Hermione and Luna, Kingsley himself would come for them. They stood perfectly still as the minister's security branched out, creating a circle around the three men.
"Has something happened? Are the girls alright?" Ron spat out worriedly. Harry was thankful that Ron beat him to the punch as he couldn't seem to form a sentence in his head let alone out loud.
The older man sighed a little and Harry felt his legs grow painfully shaky.
"I got an emergency message from George about an hour ago –"
"Oh god." Ron said, gripping his abdomen as if he were about to throw up. Harry clapped him on the shoulder, hoping it seemed comforting when it was truly meant for holding himself up.
"He said that Hermione was starting to have sharp pains and that her water broke while she was at her flat with Luna. They're both in the hospital now." While Kingsley remained calm and collected, he found himself trying his hardest not to smile at the looks of absolute helplessness that graced the two faces before him.
"You mean to tell me that they're BOTH in the hospital?" Harry asked, suddenly feeling like vomiting would be best.
"That is correct."
"Auror's Donnelly and Francais have been officially assigned the remainder of this case and as Minister of Magic, I am releasing you both of active duty." Almost immediately after the bemused wizard finished, the two wizards began tossing their paperwork at their replacements. Kingsley motioned at one of his personal security auror's and the two men were unaware that he produced a small pouch for the two of them.
"This should send you to the Ministry where you can –"
It was just as he spoke that Harry grabbed Ron by the arm and in a whirlwind -not unlike the day the Minister had tried to arrest Dumbledore many years ago- the two wizards were gone. Kingsley sighed, both out of annoyance and amusement as the crackle of such immense power hummed through the air. There was a chuckle from a few of the auror's and Kinglsey shook his head as the alarms began blaring at the fact that someone had broken through the apparition ward in the lobby.
If apparition felt like being pushed through a tube, Harry was sure that side-along apparition overseas felt akin to being pushed inch by inch through a tiny crack in a wall.
It was to both of their benefit that they managed to land on soft ground when they arrived. He was still gripping on Ron's arm when he heard his best mate clearly yell.
"OI! A WARNING! A WARNING WOULD HAVE…A FUCKING WARNING HARRY!" Ron yelled, panicked. The memory of his horrifying splicing incident was making his heartbeat race as if he'd just ran a marathon. The redhead began frantically patting himself down, making sure all parts of his person were still attached while Harry removed his cracked glasses and repaired them. The two men gathered themselves up and Ron's anger nearly disappeared as he realized that Harry had apparated all the way to the field outside of his home. His knees nearly buckled under him as he saw the wonderful sight.
"I'm sorry. I just- I- Oh god-" Harry sputtered, bending over and retching into the grass that he'd been laying in only moments before. Cold sweat began beading over his forehead as his realization that Hermione was going to have their child in his very immediate future. He felt Ron clap on his back roughly, partially in payment for the apparation.
"Let it out now, mate. The nurses won't like it if you spew all over their squeaky floors." He grinned at the memory of a very annoyed nurse sending a stinging curse his way for his contribution to the hospital floor and Harry chuckled along before groaning and throwing up again.
"I'm going to muck this up." Harry moaned, gripping his stomach. "I'm going to…"
Ron watched as Harry showed him once more how to properly spew chunks. He wished Hermione was here as she knew how to handle Harry best when he became insecure and –in Ron's opinion- quite useless. It gave him a small guilty hint of pleasure to watch Harry have a breakdown over something so simple in comparison to the things they'd gone through in the past. Never being able to claim he had a way with words, Ron very roughly grabbed Harry by the collar and forced him to stand up properly. Harry pushed him back, annoyed with the redhead, and received a shove in return.
"You're not going to muck up anything, Harry! So-" Harry coughed as Ron shoved him up once more.
"I'm scared! Christ, Ron, I'm fucking scared."
Harry had practically screamed it and Ron felt as if magic was coming off the emerald-eyed wizard in waves.
"What the fuck is there to be scared of, mate? Hermione is going to be there the whole time." Harry wasn't sure if it was the blunt question or the unintentional and quite unfamiliar gentle tone in Ron's voice when he said Hermione's name that made him look up. Harry ran his hands through his hair and shook his head.
"I just, what if this baby- what if I wreck it- what if I do every possible thing wrong? What if I fucking lose this kid- HOLY shit, Ron– what if I lose my kid?" Ron grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him, trying to keep him from forming a tidal wave of 'what if's' to drown himself in.
"Listen Harry, I have no idea what to tell you other than you're my best mate and I'll help you every step of the way just like you did for me when Callie was born. I can tell you that you need to snap the hell out of it because Hermione needs you and I'm pretty sure she needs you now." He sighed, rubbing his face tiredly.
"I CAN also say that we just apparated internationally WITHIN an international criminal courthouse and without clearance. We're probably going to get arrested the moment Kingsley sorts everything out in the states because of protocol. If I don't get to Luna before that and see my daughter and this new baby, I swear, I will kill you before you can wreck anything."
Ron sighed and found himself grinning at the idea of telling Luna they'd be getting locked up shortly after catching two of Britain's Most Wanted Wizards. Harry looked at him as if he were crazy for smiling and without meaning to, he found himself sporting a grin as well. It wasn't too long before the best friends began laughing, filling the quiet countryside with echoes of their infectious laughter. When they finally quieted down, Harry nodded towards the familiar house and Ron led the way. He snorted as Ron shoved him away from the door as he got there first and couldn't help but build a grin once more as Ron's face lit up at the perfectly messy home in front of him.
It was hard not to grin or at least scratch your head in confusion when it came to the Weasley-Lovegood home. It would seem that Luna was strange in all ways of life, if not in the floating plants that littered their garden, then it was in the fact that she purposely never put two matching pieces of furniture in the same room. While Ron quickly made his way around trying to find the floo powder than Luna swore Nargles moved around daily, Harry found himself taking in the sight around him and the insecurity he was wallowing in a moment ago began to turn into a ball of excitement growing in his stomach. He wanted to come home to a house overrun with Hermione's books and muggle toys on the floor. He wanted people to think them strange for sending their hopefully magically inclined children to muggle primary school.
It was when Harry made his way over to the fireplace to help Ron in his search for floo powder that he spotted something new atop the mantle. Gingerly, he reached up and took in the sight of the lone muggle photograph. Both Hermione and Luna stood side by side, showing off their very pregnant bellies and were frozen in a laugh. Just as he was call out to Ron, he heard a yell of triumph that broke his train of thought. He could hear Ron's clumsy stomping through the house and quickly put the frame back where it belonged.
"That woman, I swear…" Ron trailed off, not looking or sounding the least bit angry.
Harry watched as even Ron's hands were slightly shaking as he grabbed a handful of powder into his hands. Not quite knowing what to say, Harry shoved him lightly, earning a look of understanding and a snort of laughter in return.
"You first, Harry."
"Right, see you there." Harry said nervously, pulling at the tie around his neck. Without another word, Harry grabbed a handful of powder and tried not to think of how much he hated flooing anywhere. He turned and faced Ron who gave him a goofy smirk before nodding his head. Clearing his throat, Harry threw the floo powder into the ground and yelled his destination.
Ron stood wide eyed as the green flames came and went in a flash, leaving him standing in his home alone.
"What the bloody hell is Samungo?"
"Fucking hell."
Harry cursed and cursed again as he found himself in some sort of dreary pub and not the bright and shiny hospital thGat his future child and hopefully future wife would be. He had no doubts that the delicate woman he was about to run off to be with was going to hex him into next month once he told her he ended up in a pub rather than next to her in the hospital.
"OI, NO FLOO ALLOWED!" A rather scruffy and drunk sounding man yelled, causing him to snap out of his thoughts for what seemed the millionth time that day.
"Right, sorry. It's an emergency-"
"NO FLOO ALLOWED IN MY PUB!" The man slurred, causing the scant others to call out cheers of kicking the 'tosser' out.
Harry narrowed his eyes in annoyance, realizing all too quickly that none of the inhabitants of the room were willing to help him. The owner of the establishment who seemed to be as drunk (if not more so) than his customers was currently staggering over to him with what appeared to be the intent to rough him up.
"Hermione is going to kill me for this."
Harry imagined St. Mungo's Visitor Check-In and hoped that he didn't send the hospital into some sort of meltdown. Just as the would be owner threw his arms out to grab onto Harry's collar, the man dropped to the floor at the now empty spot in front of the fireplace.
A sigh of relief hit him as he welcomed the sight of hospital. Harry found himself infinitely glad that he was still in his Auror robes as no one seemed to fear the fact that an Auror had quite literally popped into the hospital and past the anti-apparation wards.
"HARRY POTTER!"
His head snapped up as he saw a familiar streak of red hair before said person tackled him.
"Ginny!" He gasped, squeezing her back both out of missing her and to keep himself from completely falling on the ground.
"I'm glad you're all right!" It was about the only phrase he understood from his former girlfriend as she was muffled in his shirt. While Ginny had been horribly bitter the first year that he and Hermione had dated, she reverted back to her old self after meeting her now-husband Blaise Zabini.
"I missed you too, Gin." He told her pulling away. If he hadn't seen it himself, he wouldn't have believed that she'd been brightly smiling at him merely seconds before her face morphed into a terrifying glare reminiscent of Molly Weasley. The petite witch grabbed a hold of his tie and quite roughly pulled him into an empty hallway. Somewhere in his mind, Harry reminded himself that he could easily overpower her if he needed to but the thought of the repercussions terrified him just enough not to move.
"You realize that they sent out a call for yours and Ron's arrest. International Apparation and side-along apparation no less! Kingsley sent me a message to find you before someone like Dawlish comes barreling through here and sets off everyone we know. I'm pretty sure if he's the one to arrest you that Hermione will kill me." Ginny hissed at him, looking around to see if anyone else was still watching them. Harry chuckled a little and had the decency to blush under her disapproving look. Ginny was the executive assistant to the Minister and he should have wondered why she wasn't present in New York when Kingsley arrived.
"I'm going to go looking for you at Ron and Luna's and you'd do well to remember that I am missing out on two of my future nieces or nephews being born so that I can cover for you and my idiot brother. I won't be going up the worker's elevator at your next left to the third floor and down the hall 'til the first right to the maternity ward. I WILL, however, expect a grand gesture of appreciation in my near future when I rush your release from jail as soon as humanly possible." She made no protest and Harry fiercely held her and eventually ran in the direction she gave.
The redhead shook her head with a grin and sighed as she made her way back towards the visitor's hall. She seemed to arrive just in time as two Auror's had begun speaking to the staff in the Visitor Check-In.
A grand gesture indeed.
The last time Harry ran so quickly and with such earnest was probably when they ran from Snatchers in the forest. The feeling of despair was beginning to be overwhelming as the thought of missing the birth of his first born child crept into his head. He slammed into the wall as he made the right turn into the maternity ward and quickly picked himself up, the squeaking sound of his shoes against the cold hospital floor all he could hear. As he rushed through the doors, he grew dizzy as he was bombarded with raw magic crackling over his skin.
The maternity ward looked as if it were preparing for attack. Healers ran around quickly, wands warding off nearby rooms and barking orders down the hallway.
"Gran-gran! Uncle Harry is back!" It took all of his nerve not to crumble as he saw the worried faces of his surrogate family to his left just behind a silvery ward of protection in a sort of waiting room. His eyes grew even wider as a distraught Missus Granger was being sent out of a room down the hall. Without a second thought, he ran, ignoring the protests of the healers around him. He thought of Hermione and the first day he saw her, the moment he saw her at the Yule Ball, her falling at Dolohov's curse, and the first time he made love to her. He thought of how every story worth telling and all of the experiences in his life involved the witch he couldn't get to fast enough.
Suddenly, it didn't matter if he would mess up being a father – for he knew that Hermione was going to be there to steer him in the right direction as she always had. He could mess up because Hermione would be patient and stern. She would be loving and wonderful and that was what made their family perfect in his eyes.
When he finally made it to the door, he took in a sweet gasp for air as it felt like he hadn't breathed properly since letting Hermione out of his sight. He gripped the doorframe as he felt dizzy once more just by seeing her. Her curly hair splayed out around her and the curls that usually fell around her face were stuck to her face from sweating. He took her in, the redness or her face and the swollen belly that she gripped onto with anguish on her normally warm features. He could see sparks of blue and white being made in thin air around her and summoning up his courage he finally spoke.
"Hermione."
It was almost instantaneous that the woman he loved snapped up to see him. The air crackled again and he felt it cool the sweat that he felt drenched in. He pushed himself up from the doorframe and with hands that shook, he pushed up his infernal glasses. There was a silence in the room that had been so loud moments ago and he smiled at her as she tried her best to sit up in the hospital bed.
"Hermione."
Without thinking any further, he went to her with the feeling as if the space between them was too wide for his body to handle. He could see the healers around him in move away from them and he was only partially aware of the cries of joy coming from Missus Granger in the hall. It was when he reached out and touched her - felt her cool skin against his- that he could feel every crackle of happiness radiating from her. He brought his face to hers and began kissing the warm tears that fell off of her face and onto his. His eyes closed as she dug her nails into his neck and scalp and while he was sure it should hurt, he found that burying his face in the familiar softness of her hair was enough to keep the pain at bay.
"You're here."
He relaxed as he finally heard her voice and enjoyed the sigh of happiness that came after.
"I'm here."
There was something magical about holding your child for the first time that it made him want to get to making baby number two right away. His son had the softest hair he'd ever touched and he hoped and prayed to whoever watched down on them that he had his mother's beautiful brown eyes. He was so worried that something would go wrong and now he couldn't imagine that the bundle in his arms would ever do anything wrong as long as he lived and breathed.
"You look perfect like that, Mr. Potter."
He looked up to see the eyes he had just been imagining staring up at him warmly. After carefully sliding James into the crook of his arm, he reached over and ran his thumb against Hermione's cheek and smiled as she closed her eyes and leaned into his touch. He remembered a time when Ron would get down on himself for not being able to see and most importantly touch Luna during their missions and though he once sympathized with his friend, he never understood how deeply he yearned for the simple act of touch.
"I'm sorry I was so late, love." He told her genuinely, feeling his heart drop a little at the idea of not being there to experience the joy that had come from watching the love of his life produce the most precious thing he'd ever seen.
"You'll have to make it up to us." She told him playfully, her voice sounding a bit raw from her yelling earlier (mostly at him).
He let out a soft laugh and quietly stood up. Hermione watched him contently as he gently placed their son into the bassinet beside them and smiled as Harry looked as if he would break the baby if he didn't place him just right. He stared at the little boy for a moment as his hand slipped into his pocket, his fingers making contact with the box that he'd held on since he'd left them all those months ago. For a moment, he wished he could step outside and throw up just as he had hours earlier in Ron's yard. There was nothing she could say, he imagined, that would stop him from loving her but it didn't make it any less scary as he practically crushed the small box in his grip.
Making his way over to her, he leaned in and enjoyed the feeling of her lips against his. Their embrace, while different than before, was no less loving as she laid a gentle hand against his cheek. As he regretfully pulled away, he slowly brought the box up to her sights, being sure not to look at her as he might lose his nerve.
"Will this make up for it?" He asked nervously, unsure if he'd even strung a fully formed sentence together. His hands shook just enough to be visible and Hermione took in the sight of the ring was simple diamond ring.
"It was my mother's apparently, and I just think we should-" His eyebrows raised as she pulled him in for another kiss, one much more passionate and hungry than the soft one they shared earlier. As they broke a part, the two tried not to laugh too loud as Harry wiped the happy tears off of Hermione's face.
"I'll accept this…as long as you promise not be late for our wedding." She joked, holding her hand out happily.
"I promise." There was a sense of pride in his voice as the band magically formed to her finger. He was sure his mother was watching in, smiling amongst the three Marauders.
They sat there, smiling and kissing, lost to the world as Ginny and stepped in. They blissfully ignored her as she waved off two of the younger Auror's that stood at the door.
"Eh-hem." Ginny whispered, flicking a silencing charm on her heels to stop the loud echo it seemed to cause in the quiet room. Deciding to ignore them just as well, she strode over to the bassinet and nearly swooned over the charming bundle that slept soundly regardless of her intrusion. Wanting to share her joy with them, she scrunched her face in annoyance to see that they were still kissing one another. Grabbing her pocketbook, Ginny gently whacked Harry upside his head, causing the three of them to have to stifle their laughs almost simultaneously.
"Oh Hermione, he's perfect." Ginny whispered, pushing herself between them and squeezing the older witch with everything she had. Harry smiled and turned his attention to the fact that Ron was in handcuffs outside of their door with a rather amused look on his face.
"He asked me to marry him." Hermione whispered, her face aglow with a wide smile. It took all of Ginny's power not to squeal in girlish delight as she took in the band on her friend's finger. Just as she was about to gush over the ring and the prospect of planning a wedding, a cough from outside reminded her why she was here in the first place. The redhead turned and glared at her former lover, who looked as bashful as ever as he stood up.
"I suppose it's as good a time as ever to tell you that I have to let the auror's arrest Harry for unauthorized apparation over international waters and for illegally apparating within a secured international criminal courthouse." She said it all in one breath as every word made her feel guilty for having to do her job.
Hermione sat agape for a moment and turned her head to see Ron trying to point accusingly at Harry with his hands behind his back. She turned her eyes over to her fiancé and shook her head as he gave her the same goofy boyish grin that he always did whenever he managed to get himself in a spot of trouble.
"I suppose it's your doing that he didn't get arrested immediately after arriving here?" She asked Ginny, never taking her eyes off of the mischevious green orbs that looked at her with feigned innocence.
"I may have illegally placed confundus charms on arriving Auror's for a while." Ginny mumbled, just loudly enough for Hermione to hear. Harry grinned and quickly leaned in to kiss Hermione's cheek.
Hermione wasn't sure whether to laugh, cry or scream and settled on a shake of her head.
"Harry Potter…" She trailed off warningly, rolling her eyes as he tossed his wand onto her lap and allowed Ginny to wrap cuffs around his wrists.
"Just think, my dear-" He paused, kissing her once more.
"It will be an amazing story to tell when I marry you."
And it was.
Author's Note: I'm very slowly coming back to ! My housemate suggested that I start off with something small before I go back to Happenstance, Calypso Granger, and finally Stuck On You. A lot has happened since I left and I'm so excited to let the creative magic flow once again. I hope you all like my fluff piece and I just want to say a special thank you to Katesmom2 for being so kind in checking up on me while I was away. Let me know if you all like it =)