TRAVELING FORWARD

Hermione's POV

"Me too," I answered. It would be horrible to let these kinds of people off the hook. I turned to Ron who by my surprise was thinking about something. Finally, he glanced at me and his eyes softened.

"Yeah," he answered in defeat.

"This is just great," mumbled Ron with a pout, "just prefect."

"What is wrong with you?" I asked with annoyance. "The Minster gave us a secret mission that he can only trust us with and you are grumpy about?" Ron kept quiet and so I decided to just leave the matter for now.

We were dressed warmly with Ron's arm around me, walking down the dark street to Harry and Ginny's for dinner. I had just mentioned how excited I was to start the quest after those Death Eaters when Ron had groaned.

I didn't understand why Ron was acting the way he was. He was always hoping for action or some sort of fight since violence has been on low key this past year. He would always come by office to say he was on break since most days at the office bored him. I would yell at him for putting down the fact that it was peaceful in the world and then he would grab me with a tight hug and a passionate kiss…

"The place looks like it never changed," commented Ron. I jumped slightly from my mind wondering to see we had reached Grimmauld Place. It stuck out like any normal apartment, though to muggles it would disappear without their knowledge. We walked up to the front steps, Ron knocking loudly.

"Shhh, Ron, everyone is sleeping," I whispered with my eyes peering towards the other apartments on either side. It was rather late for a dinner, nearly ten O' clock, but Ron and I were rather…busy. Not that we did it often, but today it just took over me.

"What? The place is so big I'm surprise if they even heard that on the third floor," smiled Ron as if I missed something obvious. I smiled wicked and jabbed my elbow into Ron's side.

"Hey!" he yelled as he rubbed where I poked him. He grabbed me around the waist and touched every part of my face with kisses. I giggled in response, feeling warmth where his lips had touched. Suddenly, the door opened and standing in the small crack was little Teddy Lupin only five years old. His hair was a bright blue and his face was as silly and cute as any toddler.

"Ew, Uncle Ronnie and Aunt Hermy!" he said loudly in disgust. Ron and I laughed at his face expression and the names he always calls us since he can't say them right.

"Hey, Teddy boy," said Ron with a deeper voice. He lunged at Teddy and slung him over his shoulder, making Teddy giggle loudly. I smiled and followed them inside, shutting the door behind me.

We entered the main hall and the site of the place made me gasp. The walls had changed from a gray to a golden yellow with lights lit hanging from them. The staircase was freshly replaced with deep brown wood and the place smelled of fall leaves. Footsteps came from above and a familiar voice echoed the air.

"Ron? Hermione? Whose at the door, Teddy?"

"Ginny, its me!" I hollered up. From the top of the case, Ginny appeared with a green dress that flowed. A smile spread across her face as she descended down to me.

"Hermione, You're here!" she hugged me tightly when she reached me.

"Ginny, I saw you barely a week ago and you act as if it's been months!"

"I know, but I never see often anyway, even if you are together with my silly brother."

"Oi! I ain't silly!" spoke Ron from the living room. He stumbled in with Teddy wrapped around his leg.

"No, Ronnie, no!" he whined holding tighter.

"If that's not silly then I' Merlin," laughed Ginny.

"Thanks a lot," muttered Ron before he lost his balance and fell with a loud thud to the floor. That made Ginny and I laugh even harder.

Harry came down later, telling Ron and I that Teddy would be spending the next few weeks with him and Ginny.

"Mrs. Tonks needs a break," he said after dinner when Ginny was playing with Teddy and Ron in front of the fireplace. We were sitting at the table in the dining room and watched. Ron entertained him with a spell to turn a button into other objects, one that we were taught by McGonagall in our third year.

"That's not why is it?" I asked quietly. "Mrs. Tonks isn't that old nor that annoyed with Teddy. What's the real reason?"

Harry kept still for a long moment before answering so softly that I barely heard him.

"For Ginny."

"I don't follow."

"When we go for that mission, I don't know what will happen. You heard Kingsley, it could take weeks. I don't want Ginny to be alone for so long. I need her to be happy incase I don't…come back."

"Oh," I whispered. We both turned and watched in silence as Ron turned the button into a bug.

"Its that cool?" asked Ginny in a sweet voice. Teddy suddenly grabbed the bug and popped it into his mouth.

"Teddy!" yelled Ginny while squeezing his cheeks to pop it out. Ron boomed and rolled on the floor.

"Ginny loves him," said Harry with a smile.

"Ron too," I whispered.

"Maybe that's the other reason," said Harry. "Maybe if I die…at least she'll have a son."

"Don't say that," I told him with seriousness. But I was thinking of the same thing. What if Ron or I didn't come back? How could one live without the other? There was no little Teddy for us to rebound on.

I watched from the corner of eye as Ron tickled Teddy crazily in the stomach. What if Ron and I had a child of our own? Would that satisfy the other? But we could never do that for good reasons. First, we weren't married and it would take months before the baby was born. The mission was four days away. Second, I couldn't put that on a child. I couldn't live with myself for him to be raised without a mother or father. Or worse, both.

"Hermione?" asked Harry.

"Yes?"

"I was wondering…do you really want to do this mission?"

"What? Of course! Why would you say that? Did Ron put you up to this?" I tried hard to keep my voice down, but it wasn't easy.

"No no no, he didn't. But it would kill him if something happened to you, Hermione."

I wanted to say something, anything, but a fluttering at the window interrupted me. We all snapped our heads to the tapping, Ginny pulling Teddy close to her. Ron stood and walked cautiously to the window, opening it a crack. After a moment he opened it wider for a dusty brown owl to fly in. it landed swiftly on the table beside Harry and I, a letter closed tightly in its beak. Harry took it lightly. As he unfolded it, Ron walked over to us and the owl soundlessly fluttered back into the night.

"What is it?" asked Ron with a serious tone.

"Its from Kingsley," said Harry as he reread the words over and over. "Change of plans. We leave tomorrow."

"What? Why?" asked Ginny in shock.

"There was a murder of muggle borns. Two little boys."

"Those bloody bastards," muttered Ron angrily with a quick glance at me with sad eyes.

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