I like to think of this story as similar to the weather in Florida. It could be sunny in your front yard, raining in your backyard, and hailing at the neighbor's - things can change at any moment ;)


It was November 15, and Hermione was currently getting dressed after a quick shower before heading over to an Order meeting. She had agreed to meet with Albus beforehand to plan out the acquisition and destruction of the first two horcruxes, and wanted to make sure she got there early enough.

Stepping out of the floo at Bones Manor, she headed over to Dumbledore. Noticing her arrival, he excused himself from his conversation with Sirius Black and Marlene McKinnon and led Hermione over to an empty room. Closing the door, he set locking and silencing wards, and they discussed their plan of action.

The first horcrux to be collected was the Gaunt family ring. Dumbledore would make that journey alone, while Hermione hung back at Hogwarts and searched the Room of Requirement for Ravenclaw's diadem. They would meet back in his office once they were both successful, and then head out together to a well-secured, unused room in the dungeons to destroy the two objects.

Once they finished their planning, they set a date for the following weekend to put the plan into action, and then headed back into the sitting room to join the rest of the gathering Order. Taking his place at the front of the room, Albus called the meeting to order. "Welcome, everyone, to another meeting of the Order of the Phoenix. We have two orders of business today, but I need to start out by sharing a bit of unfortunate news. It is with the deepest regret that I must inform you of the loss of Charlus and Dorea Potter. They were defeated by the Dark Lord himself, after refusing one too many times to join his ranks. They are not our only loss, however. We have just recently learned that, as Caradoc Dearborn has been missing for three months, he has been officially declared deceased by the Ministry as of yesterday – though they have not yet found a body. Let us have a moment of silence for our fallen, and reflect on our good memories of them, and their courage, strength, and bravery in the face of evil."

Hermione looked over to see James with red-rimmed, puffy eyes, holding tightly to Lily's hand. Sirius was sitting on his other side, seeking similar comfort in the arms of his girlfriend Marlene; he had considered the Potters to be his surrogate parents after running away from home and being taken in by them when he was sixteen. Remus sat quietly beside them, cradling a sleeping Harry. He seemed to be hugging the baby a little closer to himself than he normally would, in lieu of having someone to hold him like his two friends did. While he did not have as strong a bond with the elder Potters as Sirius, he still had a good relationship with them due to his close friendship with James, and had greatly respected and admired them.

"Thank you. Always remember them as they lived, not as they died, and cherish the fond memories you have of them. Celebrate them as heroes, for they died an honourable death, fighting for a better, more peaceful world," Dumbledore concluded. "And now, for our business. We have gotten wind of a potential upcoming attack on Hogsmeade, and will need volunteers to form a team and defend the village." He observed the people that raised their hands, and selected a team he felt would be the strongest line of defence for the little town. "Second, as always, if anyone has someone in mind to be considered for the Order, please come up to me after we adjourn to discuss them. I am always accepting recommendations. And finally, for anyone wondering about the arrangements for the Potters, I will be sending out the details for the service by owl within the next few days. We will be having a small memorial service for Caradoc in the parlor after the meeting, for anyone that wants to send him off properly. If there is no other business to be discussed, this meeting is adjourned." Seeing none, he clapped his hands and stood from his seat, causing the rest of the room to start rising from their own.

Hermione made a beeline for James and Lily, sweeping the former up in a firm hug and whispering her condolences in his ear. She hugged Lily as well, and then pulled back and took a hold of her hands. "Lily, I'd like to make an offer. I don't need an answer right away, but I'd like you to think about it and let me know before you leave tonight." She nodded, and Hermione continued. "I'd like to watch Harry for a few days. Losing a family member is hard enough, but it's even harder when it's a parent. Having to care for a newborn baby in the process will make it so much more complicated; your number one priority right now should be helping your husband through his initial grief. I'd like to offer what help I can give by taking care of Harry for you so you can focus on supporting James, and helping him with the arrangements that need to be made. I know it will be hard to part with your young son for an extended period of time, but I really think it will be in your best interest to be able to put all your energy towards healing James."

Lily looked at Hermione pensively. "I appreciate your offer, Mya. Let me speak to James about it, and I'll let you know soon."

Hermione nodded her agreement, dropped Lily's hands, and went to offer her condolences to Sirius and Remus as well. After speaking with all of the present Marauders, she looked across the room to see Minerva McGonagall sitting quietly by herself, staring blankly at a spot on the wall. Hermione made her way over to her former professor and sat down beside her, placing a hand on her arm in silent comfort. Minerva placed her other hand on top of Hermione's where it rested on her arm, and a few minutes later, she spoke. "She was my dorm mate at Hogwarts," she said softly. "We were absolutely inseparable in our youth. She was a wonderful woman; a brilliant mind, and a fierce, loving friend. She deserved so many more years than she was given."

Hermione smiled sadly at the older woman and reached out to put an arm around her. Minerva leaned her head onto Hermione's shoulder in a rare display of tenderness, and held the hand Hermione had settled on her lap. The two just sat there in silence for awhile, one seeking comfort in a friend, and the other grateful to finally be able to return some of the support she'd been given by her favourite professor over the years.

"Minerva, I'm going to head back to Hogwarts for a late dinner in the kitchens. Would you care to join me?" Albus queried gently as he calmly approached his long-time coworker. Minerva sat up slowly, and turned to Hermione to hug her and whisper her thanks. She smiled warmly at the younger witch as she pulled away, took a deep breath, and assumed her normal stern stature as she accepted the hand Albus extended to her to help her stand.

Hermione got up once they'd left. She poured two cups of tea, then walked over to stand beside Gideon where she had spotted him leaning against the counter reflectively. She stood close enough for him to feel her brush up against his side, and she pushed the second cup of tea towards his hands. "Are you alright, Gid?"

He turned to look at her as he wrapped his hands around the teacup, nodding his thanks. He took a sip, and then looked down into his cup for a moment before speaking. "We grew up down the road from the Potters, you know. In Godric's Hollow. We spent a lot of afternoons running around our backyard with James, or flying our brooms around the paddock by his house. The Potters were lovely people, always taking the time to ask us how we were doing, offer tips on improving our flying, bring us biscuits and lemonade, those kinds of things. I always wondered why they were so much older than my own parents, even though we were the same age as James, but it never stopped them from engaging themselves in all sorts of different activities with us, so I wasn't really too concerned by it. It's sad to think that most of Molly's kids will grow up never having known amazing people like Charlus and Dorea."

Hermione placed her hand between his shoulder blades, and rubbed her thumb softly across his upper back. "They may not get to know the Potters, but that doesn't mean they won't experience that type of warmth and acceptance from adults other than their parents. They have you and Fabian. You're wonderful with them, you know. They absolutely adore you. You treat them kindly, you engage their creativity and imagination when you play with them, you give them a shoulder to lean on when they're down, and you help them learn about the world through a second set of eyes. You and your brother are their Charlus and Dorea, Gideon. I think they'll grow up just fine."

His eyes burned with unshed tears as he tried to hide the evidence of his emotions. He swept Hermione up into a tight hug, resting his chin on top of her head, and just held her for a moment. Pulling away, he looked her in the eyes and tried to convey his gratitude. "Thank you, Mya. That was the kindest thing anyone's ever said to me. You might be on to something; those kids do seem to like their uncles an awful lot. And if nothing else, they do have you, too. Yeah, they'll turn out alright..."

They turned back to face the counter and resumed the positions they started in, each turning their teacup around in their hands. "So, did you hear the one about the unicorn that walked into the bar?"

She laughed at the sudden topic change, bumping his shoulder as the mood lightened considerably. They stood there talking for a little while, until Lily and James approached them. "Mya," Lily said, "we discussed your offer, and if it still stands, we'd like to accept. It can't hurt to try, and if we find that we can't handle being away from him just yet, we can always come and pick him up early."

"Of course! It's no problem. I think Molly has a spare crib in the attic from when the twins were babies. I'll set it up in my room so I can keep an eye on him at night and not make him share a room with Ronnie, who tends to get fussy in his sleep."

"You are wonderful, Mya. Thank you so much," James said softly, taking her hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. "We really do appreciate you doing this."

"No need to thank me, it's what friends do. Now, how about we put together a list of things I need to know about his daily routine, and then I'll get him from Remus before I head home? I should probably head out soon anyway, I'm sure Molly could use my help getting the kids into bed," she replied.

Lily pulled a piece of parchment out of her purse and grabbed a quill off of the counter, and started writing down Harry's schedule as James talked quietly with Gideon a few feet away. Once she was finished, she handed Harry's nappy bag over to Hermione and thanked her again. "I'll put together a few days worth of clothes and supplies for Harry when I get home, and I'll floo over to the Burrow before the end of the night so I can get it to you. Our floo address is 'Potter Cottage;' don't hesitate to call on us if you need anything."

Hermione nodded her agreement, and Lily took James' hand to head home. Hermione turned to the two brothers beside her, Fabian having appeared sometime in the last few minutes. "I'm gonna go take Harry from Remus and then head back to the Burrow. Are you guys coming over to say goodnight to the boys, or just heading back to your flat?"

"We'll come with you," Fabian said, reaching over to take the nappy bag from her shoulder. "I'll carry this for you so you only have to worry about Harry when you floo."

She smiled in thanks, and went to collect Harry from Remus, the twins following close behind. Once she had the baby in her arms, the three headed to the fireplace to floo back to the Burrow.

-oOo-

Hermione climbed the stairs of the Burrow after Lily had flooed over a bag of Harry's things and, checking that all the Weasley boys were settled into bed, she climbed the rest of the way to her room. She looked in on Harry, who was watching the mobile above his head, and then flopped down on her bed to read the list of things she needed to remember for taking care of Harry. She chuckled when she reached the fifth item on the list; apparently, Harry wouldn't go to sleep without the troll she had given him. Once she had finished reading the list, she grinned as she pulled the toy out of the bag, placing it in the crib beside the baby. An adorable smile lit up his face as he saw it, and he grabbed it by the club with his tiny fist and dragged it closer to himself. She stood next to the crib and just watched Harry as he made his little baby noises and played with his own fingers, and felt more content than she had in a long time, despite the tugging feeling in her heart. When he realized she was watching him, he looked up into her eyes and smiled. In that moment, she swore to herself that she would end this war, and make sure he got the chance to grow up with his parents.

-oOo-

It was the afternoon of Christmas Eve, and Hermione was wrapping the last of her gifts before heading over to Gideon and Fabian's to finish making Molly's present. She'd realized, upon watching Molly make her annual Christmas sweaters, that she'd never seen the Weasley matriarch wear one herself, so she'd decided to make one for her this year. Because it took so much time to knit, she'd taken to working on it at the twins' flat while the younger kids took their naps to keep it a surprise.

She flooed over to their flat and announced her arrival. Gideon called out that he was in the kitchen, so she set her enchanted knitting needles to work in the sitting room before making her way in to see him. She found him attempting to bake biscuits, though all he seemed to be making was a mess.

"Thank Merlin you're here! I could use some help with this," he pleaded as he heard her walk into the room.

She set to work helping him mix the batter, and they put a successful batch in the oven before he attempted to make one on his own again, following the steps she'd shown him during the first batch. Before he'd even made it to the first step, he managed to make the flour explode all over the kitchen. "Sweet Morgana!" she shouted, blinking after the flour settled and seeing it covering the two of them from head to toe. He looked at her and laughed as he wiped his face off. "Oh you think this is funny, do you?" she asked. "Well, how funny is it now?" She brought her hands up to his hair, ruffled it a bit, and wiped all the flour that had coated her hands from it down back onto his newly-clean face. This only caused the start of an all-out food war, using all the ingredients set aside for baking (and then some!). At one point, Gideon somehow managed to get his hands on a bottle of chocolate syrup and squirted it on Hermione's head, where it dripped down onto her face and neck. She wiped some of it off with her hand, and then reached forward to run her chocolate-covered fingers across Gideon's cheek, but he was too quick for her. He grabbed her wrist, intercepting her hand, and tried to lick the chocolate off of her fingers before they could reach his face of their own accord.

He looked up into her eyes as he ate the chocolate off of her digits, and saw her staring longingly at his actions, unsure if she even realized she was doing it. Hoping he was reading her emotions clearly, he lowered their hands and leaned in to slowly lick the remaining chocolate off of her cheek. As his tongue connected with the soft skin of her face, he felt her body practically melt, and she let out a soft sigh. Encouraged, he gradually moved his ministrations closer in to her mouth as he followed the line of chocolate, and finally, reaching her lips, he kissed her.

She didn't even waste a second before she was kissing him back. The two indulged in their chocolate-flavoured first kiss as they stood in the middle of the kitchen, covered in food, until they were rudely interrupted by the arrival of Gideon's twin.

"Hey Gid, have you finished -" Fabian stopped short as he entered the kitchen, eyes widening at the scene in front of him. He started to chuckle as the two jumped apart in surprise, staring guiltily at him. "It's about damn time!" he shouted, smiling widely and throwing his hands up in the air. "I thought you two would never get your act together! So, when did this happen?"

Hermione blushed and buried her face in Gideon's shoulder. "Just now, actually. We haven't exactly had a chance to talk about it yet," he replied sheepishly.

"Oh! Well, then. I guess I'll leave you two to have your chat," Fabian said as he turned around and exited the kitchen, smiling broadly.

-oOo-

That evening, Hermione returned to the Burrow with the Prewett brothers, just in time for dinner. After coming through the floo, Fabian immediately went off to find Arthur while Gideon and Hermione entered the kitchen hand-in-hand to drop off the biscuits they had eventually finished baking. Molly greeted them without turning around to face them. Once she finally turned, she paused mid-sentence and squealed as she noticed their linked hands. "Oh! When did this happen?" she exclaimed.

"Just this afternoon," Hermione replied sheepishly. "You actually have those biscuits to thank for it..." Gideon grinned at her remark.

"How wonderful!" Molly replied. "That's the best Christmas present I've gotten in awhile."

Gideon replied with an even wider grin than before, making Hermione blush with his declaration of, "Me too." She showed her appreciation with a chaste kiss, just as Percy walked into the room.

"Mya, why'd ya kiss Uncle Gid? There's no mistletoe!" he asked innocently.

"Well, Percy, when two grown-ups really like each other, that's how they show their affection," Hermione replied kindly, with a smile.

"Like Mum and Dad?" he continued.

"Yep, just like Mum and Dad," Gideon answered.

"Oh. Are you gonna get married, then?"

Molly tried to hide her laughter behind her hand as Hermione blushed to the tips of her ears. Gideon just chuckled as he replied, "We haven't talked about that yet, kiddo. She only just agreed to be my girlfriend today, we're going to wait awhile before we talk about getting married." He ruffled his nephew's hair, passed him one of the smaller biscuits, and lightly pushed him towards the door. "Why don't you go round up your brothers and wash up for dinner while we help your mum finish up the cooking? Looks like we'll be eating soon."

Percy smiled and nodded, and then ran out the door yelling for his brothers. "CHARLIE! BILLY! GUESS WHAT I JUST FOUND OUT!" The adults all grinned, and Hermione put her hand up to her forehead.

"Well, I guess they would have found out sometime tonight anyway. Can't hurt to know earlier than planned, I suppose," she said thoughtfully, shrugging.

Molly smirked and turned towards her brother's new girlfriend. "I think you may encounter two less-than-thrilled toddlers in a few minutes, though, once they hear the news from Percy and realize they'll have to fight for your affections from now on..."

True to her word, two little ginger rockets flew into the kitchen and wrapped their arms around Hermione's legs. "MYA! You' mawwyin' Unca Gid?" Fred cried with a look of disappointment on his face.

She laughed lightly and swatted Gideon as he broke out into bellowing laughter. "No, Freddy, we're just dating right now. If we get married, it won't be for a long time."

"Good," George replied with a sigh of relief. "I kin stiw keep pwannin' how to git you ta mawwy me i'stead!" he exclaimed brightly.

"Now boys, don't you go stealing my girlfriend..."Gideon admonished, shaking his finger as he squatted down to their level, trying to hide his amusement. "We wouldn't want to have to tell Santa not to visit, would we?"

The twins' faces broke out in equal expressions of horror, and they ran off out of the kitchen muttering about staying away from Mya until after Christmas.

-oOo-

Later that night, after dinner, the Weasleys and Prewetts, along with Hermione and Emmeline, settled into the sitting room to enjoy some minty hot chocolate and family time. Everyone was lost in discussion except Fabian and Emmeline, who were quietly cuddled up on the couch, enjoying their remaining time at the Burrow as they'd be going to the Vances' for Christmas Day. Fabian sat up quickly as he realized something, and turned to his girlfriend to share his thoughts. "Emmy! Do you remember that bet we made back in July, when we were at the Grindylow?"

Emmeline thought to herself for a moment before recognition gleamed in her eyes. "I do now. And it seems you've won. We didn't ever set the terms, though, did we?"

Fabian shook his head. "No, we didn't. But I know exactly what I want for my prize," he replied, while stealthily slipping his hand into his pocket and wrapping it around something inside.

Emmeline cocked her head to the side in question. "Oh? And what's that?"

Her breath caught and the entire room went silent as he slipped off the couch and got down on one knee in front of her, taking her left hand in one of his own. "Marry me. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Emmeline Audrey Vance. Say you'll be my wife."

She threw herself at him in a tight hug, her eyes brimming with tears. "Of course I will, you great oaf!" she cried, breaking away to kiss him all over his face. He opened the box that had appeared from his pocket and pulled out a ring, took her left hand, and slid it onto her fourth finger. She looked down at it and her breath caught. "Oh Fab, it's beautiful," she breathed out quietly, and grabbed his face to kiss him fiercely.

The rest of the Burrow's occupants broke out in cheers. "Congratulations, brother!" Gideon exclaimed, getting up to clap his twin on the back and hug his future sister-in-law. "And welcome to the family, love."

Molly lifted baby Ronnie out of her arms and onto Arthur's lap, and stood quickly to engulf her little brother in one of her infamous bear hugs. "Oh Fab! First Gideon and Mya, and now this? You've made this the best Christmas ever, I'm so thrilled for you! You couldn't have picked a better woman."

Meanwhile, Hermione had gotten up to congratulate Emmeline, who pulled away from her hug quickly and held Hermione in front of her by the shoulders. "I'd like you to be in the wedding, Mya, as one of my bridesmaids. What do you say?"

Hermione grinned widely at her. "I'd be honoured!"

Arthur stood up and shifted Ronnie onto one of his hips. "I think this calls for a celebration!" He made his way over to the wireless and turned to a channel notorious for its frequent dance music, and all the kids started bouncing around the room, doing their version of dancing. The adults all joined in, grabbing the hands of one of the boys, and attempted to dance like their miniature partners. Arthur, who was doing his own version of dancing with Ronnie in his arms, went to the kitchen to get Molly's camera, and started taking photos of the joyous occasion. He knew this would be one Christmas they would always remember.


Posted: 8 April 2012
Word Count: 4,234