The next few days churned by too quickly for Ron. He was dreading the last funeral and he could tell everyone else was on edge about it too. Tonks and Lupin would be laid to rest in a double ceremony at the Brompton Cemetery in London. The entire Black family was buried in that cemetery minus Sirius who wasn't buried anywhere. According to a letter Andromeda sent to Molly, her sister Narcissa was complaining bitterly that she planned to bury a werewolf in the family plot, but given that Narcissa's clout wasn't what it once was, Andromeda had gotten her way.

Ron still couldn't believe Tonks was dead. She'd been so full of life. Since Tonks and Charlie had been such good friends, she'd been around the house a lot when they were kids. When Ron thought about it, Tonks had been his first crush. She was just so much fun and so quick to laugh. He looked across the yard to where his mother was showing Hermione some spell in the garden. He tried to think of the last time he'd seen Hermione laugh, not just a little chuckle, but a real belly laugh. He was fairly certain it was when they were still living in the tent. How was it possible he could be nostalgic for that miserable place? He sighed, and continued feeding the pig.

Today's funerals were over, and tomorrow they would be done. He'd been waiting for this day since they'd started attending all the funerals, but now he didn't feel ready to be done. After tomorrow, real life would start. He'd have to find a job, start saving his money, and figure out where he was going to live. He still hadn't talked to Harry about what his plans were. After all, Harry technically already owned two properties, Grimmauld Place and the house in Godric's Hollow. Ron wondered if he planned on moving to either one of them. The house in Godric's Hollow sounded like it was basically a burned-out ruin, but that could be cleared away and he could have a new house built there. Of course, that would require that he be able to access his Gringott's account and that still hadn't happened. He knew Bill was on the team trying to sort out negotiations between the bank and the Ministry, but so far, there had been no word on how it was going.

To make matters more confusing, Hermione had been different since their talk in the gazebo. She hadn't been standoffish exactly, more like, closed off. It was as if she'd shut down some part of herself, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. It bothered him though. Perhaps, like him, she was worried about what to do next. She'd spent a lot of time in London lately. She'd leave after the last funeral of the day and not return to the Burrow until dinner time. She said she was working in her parents' garden using some of the spells Molly had taught her, but Ron was starting to wonder if she wasn't just going there for peace and quiet. He'd argued vehemently that it was too dangerous, but she counter-argued that she only went in the daytime, never went in the house, and hadn't had any problems. What really bothered him was that she never invited him along. It would be simple enough for her to come up with some outdoor project, real or imagined, that she needed help with. It's not as though his parents would question him for going with her, and yet, she never asked. He sighed and watched her and his mother walking across the lawn. He thought about jogging over and inviting himself along to London, but his feet stayed stubbornly where they were as he watched her Disapparate. He'd talk to her after Tonks and Lupin's funeral, really talk, about next steps and all that. One more day and they'd get this sorted.

As he was putting away the slop bucket, he saw Harry and Ginny going into the orchard. They were holding hands. He sighed. Everything seemed so easy for them. The Battle of Hogwarts was two weeks ago. Two weeks that felt like two years. Two years of going backwards. He wanted to scream about the state of things between him and Hermione. Why had he been such a git in bed with her, crying like a baby, how was she supposed to respect him now? Not to mention, he'd gotten drunk several times since then and been an absolute berk to her. He'd gone over every incident in his head a million ways, but the outcome never improved. He decided to chop more wood.

xXx

Ron was outside, sitting on a bench in the garden, drinking a glass of pumpkin juice when Hermione returned. He tried to be outside as much as possible. Being inside made him feel antsy and claustrophobic. Hermione didn't see him because she popped into the garden with her back to him.

"Oi," he said.

She turned around.

"Dinner won't be ready for a few minutes. Come sit with me," that last bit had slipped out of his mouth of its own accord, but he was delighted when she sat down beside him. "Did you finish your gardening?"

She sighed. "Yes. I can't think of anything else to do."

"Good," Ron said. He wanted to tell her how much he'd missed her the last few days. He wanted to ask her what the hell she'd actually been doing because magical gardening just shouldn't take that long. Instead, he said, "Nice night."

"It is," she agreed.

"How was London?"

"Nice too, a bit warmer than here, but that's the city for you."

"Yeah," Ron said, as if he knew all about city weather, which of course, he didn't. "You like it though."

She shrugged. "I do. I mean, I grew up there."

"So, um," Ron said. "You think you'll go back there then?"

She worried her bottom lip for a moment. "I've got to decide what to do with my parents' house."

"You're not going to keep it?" Ron asked, surprised.

"I'd like to. I mean, it's a great house, but it's also worth a lot of money. I could sell it and move to a smaller place in a magical community, but then the last time I was in Hogsmeade…"

"What?" he said.

"I don't know, I felt like I was being stared at. Like people recognized me."

"Yeah," Ron said. "I've felt that too recently. It's weird, right?"

"Very," Hermione said. "But in London, well, millions of people live in London. Even Diagon Alley is more anonymous than Hogsmeade."

"Well, Hogsmeade isn't the only magical village," he said.

"No, but it's the only one I'm really familiar with," she said. "But if I go back to London, I'll have to take my parents' house off the electrical grid and make it magical and I don't know…that seems like a lot of work. On the other hand, I don't technically own it. It's not like I have the deed so I'd have to do some kind of magical deception to sell it and I'm not really comfortable with that either."

"I can understand that, seeing as how you just stopped being a criminal." He winked at her and she smiled.

"Right. Although, technically we're still criminals." She shook her head. "I don't know why I'm talking about all this, I haven't been able to bring myself to even peek in the windows yet."

"Seriously?"

She nodded. "Every time I go, I tell myself that I'll just have a look, but I never do."

"Maybe you just need someone to go with you," he said.

"Maybe, or maybe I just need more time. The Aurors haven't cleared it yet and I need the Gringott's situation to be resolved before I start making decisions about the house anyway, unless I just…"

Ron looked at her when she didn't finish the sentence. "Just what?"

She shrugged. "Live like a Muggle for a while."

"You can't do that," Ron said.

"I could. It's ironic though, isn't it?" she said picking at a loose splinter on the bench.

"What?" Ron asked, concerned that she was even considering this.

"All my parents wanted was for me to spend more time in their world. They missed me so much those last few years when I spent most of my summers with your family." She shook her head sadly. "I shouldn't have done that. I wish I hadn't. If I'd only known I'd have so little time left with them, I would've been there more. I would've been kinder, more understanding. They were frightened for me and they were right to be. They loved me so much. I wish I'd been a better daughter."

She'd said this to him before and he knew she agonized over it. "I'm sorry," he said.

Charlie stuck his head out of the kitchen door and shouted, "Oi! Soups on."

"We should probably go in," she said, standing.

He followed her into the house wishing there was something he could do to make things better.

xXx

Dinner was a somber affair. No one much felt like talking. George excused himself early and went for a walk. Ron suspected he was going up to visit Fred's grave, but no one asked him and he didn't say. Charlie also left the table early to go pack. He was planning on returning to Romania after the funeral tomorrow. Ron didn't know how to feel about that. On the one hand, it would be nice to have one less person in the house. On the other hand, Charlie had been really looking after George and now that he was leaving, Ron felt like most of that burden would fall to him, and he was worried about it. Sometimes, George seemed fine, but other times he seemed to sink into himself. He still wasn't eating normally and he had a full red beard now. Ron thought his mother would fuss about it, but all she'd done was suggest George trim it up nicer. He glanced over at Hermione, who was mostly pushing food around on her plate instead of eating. He knew he shouldn't but he couldn't help leaning over and whispering in her ear, "How about put some of that in your mouth."

She frowned but didn't look at him. She did make an effort to eat some though and he appreciated that.

It was late when dinner was over, Harry and Ginny offered to do the dishes. Molly and Arthur retired to their room, which left Ron and Hermione some precious moments alone in the parlor. To his dismay, she chose to sit in a chair instead of on the sofa. She curled up with a book on the history of magic in Devon and he could tell from the look on her face, she wasn't coming up for air anytime soon. He sighed and went outside. He sat on the same bench in the garden he'd sat on earlier and looked up at the stars. George was coming back down the path from the orchard, noticed him, and came over and sat down.

"What're you doing out here?" George asked.

Ron shrugged. "Nothing. You?"

George sighed. "Same."

"Charlie's leaving tomorrow," Ron commented.

"Yeah," George said. "I know he's got to get back to work, but I'm going to miss him."

"Me too," Ron said.

"Where's your bird tonight?" George asked.

Ron let out a soft snort. "If you mean Hermione, she's in the parlor reading."

George arched an eyebrow at him. "Who else would I mean?"

"No one," Ron said, sighing. "I just don't know that she'd appreciate being referred to as my bird."

"Which part of that would bother her?" George asked. "The bird part or the yours part."

Ron snorted again. "Probably both."

"Really?" George said. "I figured you two were—"

"I don't know what we are," Ron admitted.

"Oh," George said.

They sat in silence for a while, before Ron got up. "I'm going down to the pond. I'll be back later."

"Yeah," George said. "Goodnight."

xXx

Harry walked down to the pond. Ron had asked him if they could talk earlier, but he and Ginny had been going to toss a Quaffle around and he didn't have time. When George had come in, and said Ron was going down to the pond, Harry felt like he should take the opportunity to catch up with him. They hadn't talked much since the battle. Harry had spent most of his time with Ginny trying to make up for all those months without her. He craved time with her, not the least of which was because she, more than anyone else, knew what being entangled with Voldemort was like. Ginny understood him on a level no one else could. It was soothing to be with her.

Ron was at the water's edge tossing pebbles at the smooth surface of the pond.

"Hey," Harry said, as he walked up.

Ron turned to look at him. "Hey," he said, and resumed what he was doing.

"You said you wanted to talk earlier today," Harry ventured.

"Yeah," Ron said. He wiped his hands on his trousers and turned around. "I was just wondering what your plans were, you know, after tomorrow?"

"Plans?" Harry said.

"Yeah, what are you going to do? Get a job, get a flat? What?"

"Oh," Harry said. He cleared his throat. "Well, to be honest, I haven't thought too much about it. I mean, the whole Gringott's situation isn't resolved yet, so I don't have access to any money. Not to mention, I can't really apply for a job while we're in this criminal/not-a-criminal limbo. Once that's sorted, and I have money again, I guess I could go live at Grimmauld Place, but honestly, I was kind of hoping to spend as much time as possible with Ginny before she goes back to school."

"Right," Ron said. "So, you're just going to spend the rest of the summer here then?"

"I was planning on it," Harry said. "Unless that's not okay. I mean, I know I'm sponging off your parents. I could—"

"No," Ron said. "You should stay. They love having you here and they certainly don't think you're sponging. You just saved the whole wizarding world Harry. They're bloody honored to have you here."

Harry snorted. "Yeah, well, I don't want to take advantage. I guess I should start thinking about next steps, but…"

"What?" Ron asked.

"I don't know. Is it selfish that I want the summer?"

"Nah. I kind of want the same thing," Ron said.

"Great," Harry said. "So, what's the problem then?"

Ron hunched his shoulders and shoved his hands in his pockets.

"Oh," Harry said. "Hermione."

"She's really torn up about her parents and upset about not graduating. Being here is starting to make her crazy. It's noisy and there isn't any privacy."

Harry chuckled. "Yeah, tell me about it. That's the only problem with spending the summer here."

Ron sighed.

"What? You're not still bothered about me and Ginny."

"No. Of course not," Ron said. "You guys seem great. Really great. I just wish the same could be said for Hermione and me."

"Why?" Harry said. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing specific. I just…it's like…I don't know. We're just not on the same page or something. It's my fault. I keep bungling things. I don't understand it. At Shell Cottage, I felt like I finally had it right. I knew what to do, what to say. It felt like we were in sync and then…we got back here and somehow it all fell apart and now it feels like…I don't know…like we've gone backwards or something."

"I thought that's what you wanted," Harry said.

"What?" Ron looked confused.

"Didn't you tell Hermione that you wanted a break and to back things up?"

"Yeah, but…I didn't mean from her. I meant in general, like you were just saying about taking the summer. I want a break from all the bloody chaos of the last year. I want to back it up to a simpler time."

"But," Harry said, "In simpler times you two weren't, you know, together."

Ron's mouth dropped open. "I bloody know that, don't I? But I wasn't talking about her and me. How could she get that so wrong?"

Harry shrugged.

"I told her I loved her. She said she loved me too. How much clearer can you get?"

"That does sound pretty clear," Harry said.

"Right?" Ron said, shaking his head. "And given what we were doing at the time, I would've thought it was crystal."

Harry looked at him. "Hang on, you told her you loved her in bed."

"Course I did," Ron said.

"Right, but you have since, I mean, that's not the only time you've said it."

"Well," Ron said, clearing his throat. "I mean, no. Not as such, but she knows."

Harry shook his head slowly. "Are you sure she didn't think that was just, you know, heat of the moment?"

"No," Ron said. "Of course not. Don't be daft."

Harry scratched at his late-day stubble. "If you say so."

xXx

Hermione had been to Brompton Cemetery, which was convenient because it meant that she and Ron could Apparate right there while the rest of the family took a Portkey. Most of the funerals they attended weren't large enough for the Ministry to issue Portkeys so for most of them, they'd had to Apparate to the nearest point they knew and then take the Knight Bus to the actual location, which was more practical than flying.

When they landed, Ron was struck by the beauty of the cemetery. There was a domed building and an arch and so many elaborate headstones and mausoleums that the whole place appeared old and venerable.

Hermione looked around. "I'm not sure where to go."

"There," Ron said. At one end of a colonnade, there was a sign that said "Black Funeral" with an arrow. They walked down the colonnade and toward a group of people already gathered. Ron could feel his stomach clench as they approached Andromeda Tonks who was holding baby Teddy.

"Oh, Ron," she said. "It's so good to see you. Do you think you could take Teddy for a bit? I have so many people to greet."

"Sure," Ron said, "whatever you need." He took the squirming infant and held him in his arms. He turned around to see that Hermione had been waylaid by Luna Lovegood and her father, who looked even more out of it than usual. Ron walked toward them.

"We're still living in the tent," Luna was saying, but I'm hoping to find someone to help with the house soon. I'm not very knowledgeable when it comes to construction charms. And Daddy's not well." Xenophilius had wandered off away from the group. "Oh, sorry," Luna said. "I need to collect him."

Hermione had gone pale.

"Are you alright?" Ron asked.

"I destroyed their house," she said quietly. "They're living in a tent and it's my fault."

"No," Ron said firmly. "It's his fault for calling the bloody Death Eaters on us."

"He was only doing that to try and get Luna back."

"Right," Ron said disparagingly. "Like they were going to just give her back."

"He was desperate, Ron," Hermione argued.

"I don't care what he was," Ron said grimly. "You saved our lives and I won't feel bad about it."

"But she's our friend," Hermione said.

"Yeah," Ron softened. "I know. I'll talk to Dad and George. They both know construction spells. I know some too. We can go over there and see how bad it is. Maybe at least shore it up if we can't fix it."

She nodded. "I'll go too. Do what I can." She stroked Teddy's blue hair and noticed it had gone curly. "Isn't he the cutest thing."

Ron looked down at the baby boy in his arms. "He is pretty cute." He looked up to see that his family had arrived with Harry.

People began taking their seats. Andromeda gave the eulogy for her daughter. Harry gave the eulogy for Remus. During the rose procession, Ron noticed Charlie walk off on his own. "Hey," he said to Hermione. "Can you take Teddy?"

"Sure," she said, and took the sleeping baby.

xXx

People were milling around after the rose procession, and Hermione saw Professor McGonagall. She walked over to the older witch. "Professor?"

McGonagall turned around. "Ms. Granger," she said. "It's good to see you."

Hermione smiled. "It's good to see you too. Actually, I had a question, but if now isn't a good time, perhaps I could make an appointment—"

"No, no, I actually wanted to see you too. What do you need?"

Hermione cleared her throat. "Well, I was wondering…I mean…I know I missed last year, but…would it be possible to complete my N.E.W.T. year?"

McGonagall gave her a sympathetic smile. "There is an age restriction on residency and I'm afraid you'll have aged out by the time the castle is rebuilt."

"Oh," Hermione said, crestfallen.

"Although, I can't imagine, given your current situation, that you were interested in staying at Hogwarts anyway. You could, of course, challenge the exams, but with a new baby, it would be very difficult, to say the least."

"A new—?" Hermione looked down at Teddy asleep in her arms. His hair was now straight and ginger, the exact shade of Ron's. "He's not. No. This is Teddy Lupin."

"Oh," McGonagall said. "I thought, well—"

But Hermione ignored that. "So, you were saying I could challenge the exams."

"Yes. You'd have to arrange to meet with individual professors to schedule times but yes, it's possible to take your N.E.W.T.s as an extension student doing independent study."

"Would I still have library privileges?" Hermione asked.

"Of course, you just wouldn't be attending classes or have a place in the dorms."

Hermione nodded. "That's fine. I can't really see moving back into the dorms now anyway. Only…"

"What?" McGonagall asked.

"I'm having a bit of funding issue at the moment," Hermione said. "Tuition and books would be—"

"Covered," McGonagall said. "That's what I needed to see you about. Last year, when we sent out notices for tuition and fees, your parents paid immediately and in full, as always, which is much appreciated, I must say. You'd be amazed…well, never mind. The point is, you have an outstanding balance in your account. I see no reason why that can't be used to cover this year's expenses."

Hermione blinked back tears. "That's…that's…perfect. Thank you. Thank you so much."

McGonagall smiled kindly at her. "You were always an excellent student, Ms. Granger, I'm glad you want to do this. It would be a shame for you not to graduate."

Hermione nodded.

"Expect a letter in the next few weeks. Where are you staying now?"

"At the Burrow, for the time being, if that changes I'll be sure to let you know."

"Very well," McGonagall said. "I really should be going. I'll talk to you soon."

xXx

Harry saw Professor McGonagall walking away from Hermione, who had her head tilted back and her eyes closed. She was still holding Teddy. Harry walked over to her. "Are you alright?"

Hermione nodded. "Yes. How are you doing?"

Harry shrugged. "Alright, I guess. It's still hard to believe they're gone." He reached over and stroked Teddy's cheek. "And I'm this little guy's godfather."

"You should take him," Hermione said, holding Teddy out to him.

"Oh, I don't know. I've never held a baby. I wouldn't want to drop him."

Hermione smiled. "You won't drop him. Just support his head." She settled Teddy into Harry's arms.

"How do you know all this?" Harry asked, feeling very stiff holding the baby.

"My parents' club held a baby-sitting class and my mum made me go," Hermione said. "It's not that hard. Relax, Harry."

Teddy was starting to get fussy. Harry took a deep breath and tried to relax his arms. "You're alright, mate," he said to Teddy, who settled back down.

"See," Hermione said. "You're a natural."

"Sirius was a good godfather," Harry said, his voice catching. "I'd like to be good too."

"You will be," Hermione said, resting her hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry."

Ron approached. "Hey, mum has invited some people back to the house. We should get going."

"I should get this little guy back to his gran," Harry said, and started walking toward Andromeda.

Ron cleared his throat. "Um, so, is uh, this anywhere near your parents' place?"

Hermione looked at him. "Oh, not really. It's about ten miles north of here."

"Well, that's not far," Ron said. "If you want to stop and check on things before we head back."

She shook her head. "No, that's alright. We should get back to the Burrow and help your mum."

Ron nodded. "Alright then." He took her arm and she raised her wand and Disapparated.

xXx

Over the next half hour, Andromeda Tonks with Teddy, members of the Order of the Phoenix and several Hogwarts professors showed up at the Burrow. Everyone arrived with either food or alcohol or both. Fleur and Hermione took charge of putting out the food while the Weasley clan played host and circulated with drinks. Teddy was passed around quite a bit but ended up in Harry's arms for most of the evening. It was after eleven o'clock when Andromeda finally took Teddy and went home. Exhausted, Molly and Arthur hugged Charlie and said their goodbyes before going to bed.

Harry, Hermione, and Fleur along with Ron and his siblings were all in the back garden, enjoying their last few minutes together before Charlie returned to Romania on a midnight Portkey.

"What a bloody fortnight," Charlie said. "I can't believe you lot went to every funeral."

Harry shrugged. "Seemed the least I could do."

"Still," Percy said. "Must've been grim."

"Dunno," Ron said. "It was kind of cathartic in a way. Don't you think?" he said.

"I suppose," Hermione said.

"At least it's done," Ginny said.

"Hear, hear," Harry said, and held up a bottle of Dragon Scale. The others clinked their bottles against it.

Charlie sighed. "As grand as it's been to see everyone, I'll be glad to get back to my dragons and normal life tomorrow."

"Dragons and normal life don't seem like they belong in the same sentence," Percy said.

Charlie chuckled. "Well, they do for me."

"I don't know about dragons," Bill said, "But it was nice to get home with just Fleur and me. This place is a madhouse when we're all home."

"Tell me about it," Percy said. "I was ever so happy to get back in my flat."

"What about you, George?" Charlie asked.

George let out a big sigh. "Dunno. The Aurors haven't cleared the shop yet, and our flat is above it. I talked to Kingsley tonight though, and he thinks it should be done by the end of the week, which is good, since I'm losing money every day it stays shuttered."

"So, you're definitely reopening then?" Percy asked.

"Yeah, I think so," George said. "I mean, it was our dream and it was a successful one. I feel like I'd be failing Fred to bail on it now." He took another long drink of ale.

"I think you should do whatever is best for you," Charlie said. "I think Fred would want that too."

The others murmured their agreement.

"Yeah," George said. "Well, I've got to see the state of the place first, don't I? Before I make any decisions."

Everyone agreed with that too.

Hermione got to her feet and felt the headrush that comes from having had a bit too much ale. "It's late. I've got to go to bed. Charlie it was wonderful seeing you."

Charlie stood and gave her hug. "You too, Hermione. And thanks for the haircut." He winked at her.

She smiled and shook her head.

"G'night," Ron said.

Everyone else wished her goodnight and she made her way into the house.

"Your girl is smart," Charlie said. "Now, she gets the bathroom first."

"I keep telling you lot she's a genius," Ron said.

Harry laughed which started everyone else laughing. Charlie took his Porkey a little while later, but the others stayed up and the night wore on.

xXx

Hermione woke sometime later with Ron laying down next to her. "Ron?" she gasped. "What are you doing?"

"It's okay," he said. "It's okay. I just…I just can't make it to…fifth floor just yet. I just need to lay here for a minute. It's okay. I'm not…I'm not trying to…only need…" And then he was snoring.

Hermione sat up on one elbow. "Are you serious?" She nudged him. He didn't stir. She pushed harder and still nothing. She looked over at Ginny's bed for some support, but Ginny wasn't there. "Bloody hell, Ron." She sighed and lay back down. He was laying on top of the blanket and taking up more than half the bed. She could stay where she was until Ginny came in and could help her kick him up to his room or she could go downstairs and sleep on the sofa. She rolled over and put her back to him. She was sure to wake up when Ginny came in, so she wouldn't worry about it. That night she slept soundly and didn't have a nightmare.