Hermione laughed as her nephews ran around her in circles. Albus, only three and a half, was chasing after James, who'd stolen his favorite toy. She shouldn't laugh, but she absolutely loved her nephews and they were laughing and enjoying themselves as well. The boys were close and James would inevitably return the toy, but for now the chasing was a fun game they didn't want to stop. When Albus tripped and fell, however, the game was immediately over. "Hey there," Hermione said, scooping him up and giving him a hug. "It's just a gall, you'll be okay. Can you gave me a smile?" she asked softly.

Albus sniffled and wiped his nose. "My elbow hurts though," he mumbled, tears already forming in his eyes. "James made me fall!"

"No I didn't!" James argued immediately. "You fell on your own stupid elbow!"

"Aunt 'Mione, he called me stupid!"

"Both of you need to stay calm," Hermione said, her voice gentle but firm. "Albus, James didn't want you to get hurt. And James, you need to be nicer to your brother."

"But Aunt-"

"Boys," Ginny sighed, coming into the room from the kitchen. "That's enough. Apologize to each other, now."

Hermione watched as the two kids apologized to one another. James handed Albus the toy and Albus hugged it tightly before beginning to happily dance around with his stuffed bear. Hermione hoped they would always stay close, because it would be nice if they grew to be friends as well as brothers. She stood then and followed Ginny back into the kitchen. Her friend was making soup that night, which Ginny was particularly good at making. "Can I help at all?" Hermione asked.

Ginny sent her a small smile and said, "I'm not letting you anywhere near my soup, Hermione. I love you, but I'd like to be able to eat tonight."

They both laughed at that; Hermione had never been particularly good at cooking anything, and on more than one occasion she'd ruined Ginny's perfect dish. "I'll set the table then." she said, rolling her eyes at her friend.

"Much appreciated. It's only got a few minutes left and Harry should be home by then."

Ginny went back to her soup and Hermione turned to set the table. She was glad to be able to stay with Harry and Ginny and the boys; they made her feel welcome and she genuinely enjoyed staying with them. It had been a week since she'd discovered Ron in bed with Vanessa, and she hadn't spoken to him yet. Hermione was nervous to see him, because she was confident she would abandon her principles and her wand and punch him square in the nose. "Hey," Hermione said once she'd finished putting bowls on the table. "Are you sure you're okay with me staying here? It's been longer than I intended, and I'm not sure when I'll go back home."

"Of course I don't mind," Ginny said, rolling her eyes. "We're glad you're here, Hermione. The boys adore you and you know that Harry and I do too. Besides, if I were in your situation, I wouldn't want to go home either. You can stay as long as you want, okay?"

"Thank you," Hermione said, relief washing over her at her friend's words. "I just don't want to go punching your brother, and believe me there's a good chance that I will if I have to see him before I'm ready."

Ginny laughed and said, "You're better than I am. If Harry cheated on me, I would pummel him. And to be honest, I would gladly go and pummel Ron too."

They were both laughing then, because they knew Ginny could take on Harry and probably win too. Just then there was a slight pop, and Harry appeared in the kitchen with them. "What are we laughing about?" he asked, which made them laugh harder.

Harry just looked confused and Ginny walked over to give him a quick peck. "I love you," she said. "I just love you."

Hermione smiled slightly as she watched her two friends. It sent a small pang through her heart, because part of her missed her husband and sweet moments like these. "Dad!" James yelled, running into the kitchen and breaking up the sweet moment. "Did you bring me anything from uncle George's store? Mum said you went." Albus ran in too, excitedly asking the same question.

Harry just laughed and held out small toys for the two boys. He really was a good father. Hermione knew he'd been afraid of being a bad one, since the first eleven years of his life were spent without any sort of good male role model. At Hogwarts he'd had Hagrid, Sirius, Remus, and Dumbledore, and while they were good they'd come later in his life. He'd been afraid he wouldn't take from them and would take from his uncle Vernon because he was the only male figure Harry had at a young age.

They all sat down at the table to eat soup. The meal was full of laughter and happiness, and Hermione was thrilled to be a part of the family dinner. After, the boys got ready for bed, and the three adults remained at the table. Harry had Firewhiskey in hand and Hermione had been tempted into one as well, though Ginny had chosen to drink pumpkin juice. For the third night in a row, they sat and chatted, enjoying the company of one another.

Hermione went to bed a bit tipsy that night, but happy. She didn't think about Ron, which was a big achievement considering she usually wallowed at night. But after sleeping only a few hours, Hermione woke to the sound of retching coming from the bathroom next door. She sat up, confused, and quickly climbed out of bed in case it was one of the boys. When she entered the bathroom she didn't see her nephews; she saw Ginny. "Gin?" Hermione asked, horrified. She hurried to get to her friend and gently took her hair, pulling it away from her face. "Ginny what's wrong?" Hermione asked. She pressed a hand to Ginny's forehead but it didn't feel warm, and Ginny didn't seem to be sick in any other way.

"It's fine, it's okay," Ginny said, sounding slightly exhausted. She sat back on her heels and rubbed her face with her hands, sighing softly. A moment later she sat forward and threw up a bit more; Hermione just continued to hold her hair and rub her back gently. "It's...It's just the morning sickness, it's okay. It's…"

"Morning sickness?" Hermione asked, her eyes widening slightly.

Ginny sighed and shook her head. "Damn. Damn. I wasn't supposed to tell anyone yet; I'm only six weeks along and I...I need to be careful because if...if something…" She trailed off and looked at Hermione with a bit of fear in her eyes.

"I understand," Hermione said. "My lips are sealed. But Ginny-"

She couldn't help but smile, feeling happy for her friend. Ginny had always wanted a big family, as had Harry, and they were getting that big family now. "I know," Ginny said, a smile coming over her face as well. "I know, I'm so excited. Harry's over the moon, of course. The boys...I think the boys will be happy, or at least I hope they will be. They'll get another playmate."

"I'm really happy for you," Hermione said with a small smile. "That's really exciting, and I can't wait to be an aunt to your next child. That...That is, assuming I'm…"

"Oh please," Ginny said, finally standing up. Hermione stood with her and stepped aside to let Ginny wash her hands and her mouth. "Hermione, you will always be family, whether or not you're married to Ron. Your marital status to my idiot brother doesn't determine how we view you. And even if you tried to back out, you'd have a hell of a time getting my boys to stop calling you their aunt."

A smile quickly came across her face. Hermione adored her nephews, all of them, and she hoped that others would feel the same as Ginny. She could understand why they wouldn't, because Ron was their family by blood, and she was just family by marriage, but she could always hope. "You're really a wonderful friend, Gin," Hermione said with a slight smile. "Let's get to bed though, yeah? I'm exhausted, and you must be too. If you ever need help with anything you have to let me know, okay? I'd love to help."

Ginny nodded and gave Hermione a hug before going back to her bedroom. Hermione followed suit and went back to the guest room, laying back down in the bed and smiling slightly. Ginny was going to be a mother again, and Hermione really was excited for her. Ginny was an excellent mother; she knew exactly what needed to be done, she knew when to worry and when to let things just work themselves out. She knew everything, just like Molly Weasley did. The longer she thought about that, however, Hermione could feel jealousy clawing at her heart.

If only she had known when things were okay and when they weren't. If only she'd had that natural sense that something had gone wrong. She could have protected Rose. She could have fought for her daughter. Instead, Rose was buried in the ground, nothing more than a memory and a small box. Tears started to trickle down her cheeks at the thought, and her hands wrapped around her midsection so she could hold herself. She wished Ron was there, not for the first time, because he knew how to cheer her up and make her feel like she wasn't going to die from the pain of losing Rose.

She fell asleep that way, her mind wracked with guilt and pain. She dreamed about finding Ron with Vanessa. Needless to say, the rest of her night was far less peaceful than the beginning. When she woke she felt relieved, because at least the dreams were gone. She might have had them, but at least she was finished with them now.

Hermione got dressed for work that morning and left the house before anyone else. She just needed to work for a long time, and then she could forget about all of her unpleasant memories. She could stop crying, which was something that she almost always did when it came to thoughts of Rose. "Good morning, Miss." a younger witch said as Hermione entered the Ministry of Magic. Hermione just nodded at her and smiled before heading up to her office. She couldn't bear to talk with anyone, because she was bound to let something slip and it wouldn't be good for her or Ron if she did.

She got to her office and closed the door with a relieved sigh. She was finally going to be able to focus and forget about everything that bothered her. After work that day she would run by her house and grab a few more clothes, because she didn't want to just wear the same three outfits over and over again. It wouldn't be pleasant, but she could handle herself in case Ron was there. "Hermione," a voice said quietly. She jumped and her eyes flew open, landing on the chair she left pushed out for guests. "Hermione, we need to talk."

"Get the hell out of my office," Hermione said, pleased that she'd found the strength to keep her voice from shaking. "Ronald, now."

"We need to talk." Ron said, standing up and reaching out toward her.

Hermione pulled her wand out and aimed it at him. "Stay away from me. I don't want to talk to you right now; I'll talk to you later, when I don't want to hex you."

"Hermione, please," Ron pleaded. "Hermione, I've left Vanessa. I made...I made a bloody stupid mistake. But that's all it was; it was a mistake. I love you, and only you, and I want to be with you. I messed up, I know, but we can get through this."

"Out. Now."

"Hermione-" She pulled the door open and held it for him, wanting him to leave so she could go back to focusing. "Just come home, Hermione, just come home."

He left then, and Hermione slammed the door shut and put her head in her hands. She wanted to go home, but not to Ron. She wanted to go back to Ginny and Harry and the boys, because they hadn't done anything to him, and Ron had broken her heart. "Focus," she whispered to herself. "Just focus, and forget about him." And she did; Hermione spent the rest of her day working as hard as possible to make sure she wasn't able to think about anyone else.