Thank you all for waiting for this update - I know it's been awhile. My computer issues have been sorted out so I hope to have more regular updates soon.


It was almost three a.m. when Hermione's eyes started to droop closed. Her schedule no longer accomodated late nights, and her body was unaccustomed to the disruption in routine, but something about being with Luna again made her not want to go to sleep. The idea of going to bed with her friend in the next room was thrilling, somehow Hermione felt that Luna's mere presence in the house would chase the lonely feelings away. But at the same time she feared that come morning, it would be empty again.

"Oh I've kept you up too long," Luna said with a frown as Hermione's head began to loll to the side. "Poor thing you look exhuasted, please, go to bed, I'll make myself comfy here."

Hermione nodded but made no moves to get up. "I want you to still be here in the morning."

"Where else would I be silly? Now go before I levitate you back to your room."

Begrudgingly, Hermione got up and began to saunter back to her room. Before shutting her door she paused to call out "Luna if you transfigure my couch I'll kill you."

Luna merely chuckled in response.


The sun was shining brightly when Hermione awoke the next morning. Too brightly. What time was it? She looked at her clock and groaned. She had overslept. Nobody had made Sam breakfast, and he had probably managed to wreck the house in the short amount of time she hadn't been supervising. Little boys could be funny like that. With a sigh Hermione left the warmth of her bed, pulled a terry cloth robe around her shoulders and headed out to assess the damage.

"Morning Mommy!" Sam came bounding up to Hermione as soon as she entered the living room. He was dressed - in matching clothes, none the less - his hair was combed, and he smelled like he had even brushed his teeth.

"Well good morning." Hermione leaned down to kiss the top of Sam's head, then looked back up to the couch, where Luna was smiling brightly at her.

"I helped Sam get ready, I hope you don't mind. I felt badly for keeping you up late, I thought you'd like to sleep in."

"Luna made me french toast!" Sam said excitedly. "And now we're watching T.V.. Luna's funny, she pretended she didn't know what a T.V. was!"

"An interesting contraption really," Luna said in an airy voice that brought Hermione back to their days at Hogwarts. "I don't really understand how it works, but Sam seems to really love it."

Hermione was caught off guard by the sensation of tears welling up in her eyes. Hoping to avoid embarrassment, she muttered something under her breath about making a cup of tea and ducked into the kitchen. The ruse did nothing to fool Luna, and after checking to make sure Sam was content watching his cartoons, she rushed after Hermione.

"Oh 'Mione I'm sorry. Did I do something wrong? I was really just trying to help."

"No," Hermione laughed, dabbing the tears from her eyes with a napkin. "No Luna you're absolutely wonderful. Sam seems to love you already. But of course he would, you're brilliant."

"Thank you." Luna twisted her hands together awkwardly at the stream of compliments. "So why are you crying?"

"I get so lonely," Hermione whispered. "Sam is my whole life and I love him dearly. But it's hard. He's so dependent on me, he needs so much. And now that he's started to do accidental magic I just - I don't know what to do."

Luna tilted her head, observing how broken her friend looked. She knew Hermione wouldn't like what she had to suggest, but it was still worth saying.

"Maybe this would be a good time for him to meet his grandparents."

Hermione's eyes shot up to meet Luna's. "Excuse me?"

"You were raised a Muggle. You don't have any experience with kids with magic, except yourself of coure. The Weasley's raised a whole litter. I'm sure if you just asked -"

"Luna." Hermione's voice dropped to a hoarse whisper. "I swore I would never go back there."

"I'm sure Charlie would love to meet him," Luna continued as if she hadn't heard her. "He's Charlie's, right? Harry thinks he's Ron's, but I don't think so. His eyebrows are different. Not like yours or Ron's. Thick but not bushy. I haven't seen Charlie in a couple years but I remember him having very distinctive eyebrows."

Hermione swallowed hard. "I can't go back Luna. Even if they've forgiven me for what I did all those years ago, they'll change their minds when they meet Sam."

"I'm sure they'll love him."

"But they'll hate me."

"All right," Luna nodded and pulled a small frame out of her purse. Inside the frame was a picture of her and Harry together. "I want you to put this somewhere - somewhere Sam can't see it is fine. I have the same picture in frame at home. If you need anything - anything Hermione - please. Send them after me. I'll be here in a flash."

Hermione took the photo in her shaking hand. "You're a good friend, Luna."

"And you're a good mom. Your heart is in the right place Love, I just think your head is a little confused." Luna glanced out to the living room, where Sam's giggles were coming from. "Can I say goodbye to him before I go?"

"Yeah of course you can." Luna left the kitchen and Hermione slumped back against the counter. Out of the corner of her eye she spied the plate of french toast. She took a piece and shoved it in her mouth, partly out of hunger, partly to muffle the screams that were threatening to rip out of her throat. Luna was right, of course, but she was going to put off her return to the Burrow as long as she could.


Later, Sam and Hermione sat across from each other in a booth at their favorite diner, dipping spoons into opposite sides of a giant hot fudge sundae. Hermione looked lovingly at her son as he tried to force a huge spoonful of ice cream into his proportionately small mouth, smearing fudge all over his face.

"You're making a mess there Buddy."

Sam grinned. "It's more fun that way"

Hermione sighed and took another bite herself. "So what did you think of Luna?"

"She was great!" Sam answered excitedly. "She should come visit again."

There was a pause, and the smile on Sam's face faltered.

"It's just..."

"Just what?" Hermione queried.

Sam looked up at his mother, his blue eyes shimmering with questions. "Luna says she knows my dad."

"Yes, she does."

"Could... could I visit him then? At her house?"

A knot formed in Hermione's stomach and she pushed the sundae aside. "We've talked about your dad, Sweetie. Some families don't have a Daddy and that's ok. We're ok just you and me, right?"

Sam looked down at his lap. "My friend Marcy said her Daddy went to heaven, and that's why he doesn't come home anymore. But my Daddy isn't in heaven, right? He lives where Luna lives. Why can't I see him?"

"Sam...Sometimes grown ups make messes." Hermione dipped a napkin in her water and reached across the table to wipe the chocolate off Sam's face. "And grown up messes aren't as easy to clean up as the kind of messes you make. Sometimes grown ups get mad at each other and they don't talk for a long time. Your Daddy is mad at me, he doesn't want to talk to me anymore."

"Is Daddy mad at me too?"

"No Baby," Hermione almost choked on the tears that were catching in her throat. "No one is mad at you."

"If you made Daddy mad why don't you just say you're sorry?"

"It's not that easy."

"Why not?" Sam was yelling now. Hermione looked around uncomfortably at the other patrons who were giving her sideways glances. She was less worried about what they thought, and more worried about what they might see.

"Sam sweetie you need to calm down now."

"Why can't I meet my Daddy?" Sam screamed. "Why won't you let me?" Tears streamed down his round cheeks, and Hermione felt it coming before it happened. The surge of energy came radiating off of Sam. His eyes squeezed shut, and the glass bowl that had been holding their sundae suddenly shattered. Sam gasped, and the waitress at the next booth over screamed. Before she knew what she was doing Hermione has leapt across the table and covered Sam's body with her own.

And then they were back in their flat.

Hermione stood slowly. It has been a long time since she had apparated and she felt lightheaded. When she looked down, Sam was still sitting on the floor, looking stunned, and confused. The without warning he started sobbing. Hermione guessed it was because he didn't know how else to react.

"Oh Sam." She knelt down and wrapped her arms around her child's shaking form. "Oh baby I'm so sorry." They sat there for a long time, rocking together, Hermione humming lullabyes into his hair until his breathing slowed, and he was asleep. Even then they stayed where they were, tears now streaming silently down Hermione's face as her son snored softly into her sweater.


Longer chapters to come, I'm hoping. R&R.