Oh my God, I am so sorry. I reached 20 reviews so long ago! The problem is, I reached 20 reviews around the same time I started school so... Yeah 6 AP/Honors classes and a major part in a school show and a job is pretty time consuming. Thankfully, I'll be on fall break soon so I might be able to write more. No promises, because we all no what happens when I promise stuff.

Chapter 4

It was several hours later, well past midnight, but Hermione Granger (apparently soon to be Weasley) had yet to move from her position in the garden. The kids had long since gone to sleep, but the young witch felt no desire to go inside. She felt terrible, walking out on her daughter like that. But what was she supposed to do? Immediately take to the role of parent as Ron had seemingly been able to do? That wasn't her. After all, Hermione was a practical and logical young woman, and there was nothing practical or logical about this situation. As long as she sat here beneath the tree she could pretend that nothing out of the ordinary had happened that night.

But it wasn't as if she was completely opposed to the little girl. Rose reminded her of everything she wanted: a family, with Ron, no less. It was simply shock, she supposed, that led her to her spot beneath the tree. She leaned her head back against the rough trunk and let out a loud sigh just as she started to here soft footsteps coming up beside her.

"Too much to handle?" Ginny asked, sitting herself down next to one of her closest friends.

"You could say that." Hermione answered back, refusing to look at her.

"Rosie was asking about you."

"Rosie?"

"That's what she likes to be called. She says you only call her Rose when you're mad."Ginny explained. Hermione remained quiet. "Look, I know it's hard, okay? I get that. You're not alone in this. I'm kind of freaking out too. Three kids that I apparently had with my ex boyfriend just showed up out of nowhere. If that's not a shock, I don't know what is. But I sucked it up for them. Because my kids are scared and Harry doesn't know what the hell he's doing. I bet you didn't think of Harry either, did you? He's never even had a real family before, now all of the sudden he's a father? He couldn't think straight the whole night! But you didn't even think of that. You're too concerned with yourself to even-"

"Ginny, will you slow down and let me get a word in? Please? I'm sorry okay. But I'd be horrible mother. You know that."

"All I know is that there is a little girl up in my room, and she's scared, and she just wants her mummy."

They sat in silence, neither really knowing what to say. Eventually, Ginny sighed and got up, deciding this was just a hopeless case. Hermione figured she should probably say something.

"You're right of course." She said. "I just got overwhelmed. I'm sorry."

"You should tell Rosie that. We just managed to get her in bed."

Hermione nodded and tentatively got up to follow Ginny. They both walked back to the Burrow in silence, neither really knowing what to say, though one last question still lingered in Hermione's head. "How's Ron with our- um, Rosie?"

Ginny giggled. "Merlin, those too are so alike. They talked Quidditch for ages! Rosie was telling Ron all about the time he took her to the World Cup which the Chudley Cannons just so happened to win. You should have seen his face! It was as if Christmas had come early or something."

Hermione allowed herself to smile. "I guess she takes after Ron then?"

"Oh, but she's absolutely brilliant! I've never seen a four year old with such a big vocabulary, using words like extrapolate and what not."

"Their conversation was cut off when Hermione stepped on a crumpled piece of paper near the front door. She bent down to pick it up and the crude lines of a child's drawing immediately caught her eye. It was the picture Rosie had drawn of their family. There was Ron and herself, smiling the toothless grins of stick figures, and standing next to Hermione was Rosie, and holding Rosie's hand was-

"That must be Hugo." Ginny said, peering over Hermione's shoulder. "He's not even two yet, according to Rosie."

"Hugo…" Hermione tried the name out, saying it slowly and precisely. "I like that name, always have."

"Well, obviously! You named your son that!"

Hermione smiled a real, genuine smile, for the first time. Ginny started to walk up the stairs and Hermione was about to follow when she stopped suddenly, stuffing the drawing of her future family into her pocket, keeping it safe and close.

Sometime later, long after Hermione had closed her eyes to go to sleep, she was prodded awake by a small voice.

"Mummy?"

Hermione took a minute to understand what was going on. "Rosie, what's wrong?"

"I'm scared Mummy."

Hermione sat up and scooted over on her makeshift bed to allow room for her daughter to climb up. "What's scaring you?"

Rosie snuggled up close to her mother. "I had a nightmare about Voldemort."

"Is he still around? Where you live I mean." Hermione asked worriedly. The thought having a family when Voldemort was still at large terrified her more than words could say. She had never allowed herself to think on it too much because the thought of it turning out anything like Harry's was just too horrible.

"No… but Daddy told me all about how you and Daddy and Uncle Harry beat him."

Hermione let out the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. "Oh, but Rosie, we win! There's nothing to be worried about."

"B- but in my nightmare he hurt you really badly! Daddy tried to help and then there was this green light and Daddy fell down. I went over to make sure he was okay and Voldemort just laughed! He just laughed! He hurt my daddy and he thought it was funny. Voldemort's just a big mean bully!" Rosie's voice started to rise with her hysteria as she started to cry. Hermione was completely at a loss of what to do so she just pulled her daughter close.

"It's okay Rosie. Daddy's just upstairs. Nothing is going to happen to him…" She continued to whisper words of comfort to her daughter, slowly rocking her back and forth, until she heard Rosie's breath even out. Hermione laid back down with Rosie still pressed against her, and allowed herself to drift back to sleep.

*wink wink nudge nudge* I get more inspired to write when people review. The only reason I wrote this chapter tonight was because I received a review on one of my other stories.