Stripped Bare

Chapter Twenty-One

The Weasleys' home was in a state of chaos. Furniture was floating high above ginger heads as they attempted to clear Hermione's path. They didn't want her bumping into anything and falling. Inside the kitchen, Ginny and Molly worked on lunch. Lavender and Tonks set out plates. Sirius waited in the archway, watching the progress. His strong arms were crossed over his chest. Remus was waiting outside for Hermione and Draco.

Sirius furrowed his brows as he watched his little cousin touch her stomach again. He tilted his head and studied his cousin closer. She looked more haggard than the others. Hermione's injuries were hitting home for the pink haired woman. The only thing that confused Sirius was why it was affecting her so much. His thoughts were interrupted by the door behind him opening.

"Angel!" He greeted as he spun around to face them. Hermione smiled fondly at the nickname from her crutches. Draco simply stepped around the older man while Remus hovered behind her. Sirius had adopted the nickname for her after the Ministry incident.

"Hey, Sirius," she greeted as she pushed herself forward with the crutches. Sirius raised his eyebrows as he recognized the shirt she wore. It was same one missing from his closet. She wore a pair of dark denim jeans to match the dark purple shirt. "You'll get it back," she reassured. Behind him, Harry shook his head.

"Don't let her lie to you, Sirius," he said, "she said that about my fifth year jersey and I haven't seen it since."

"I'm more curious as to why she had your fifth year jersey…" Fred teased as he overheard the conversation. It was a joke to Fred and George, but it still caused Hermione's back to stiffen. The close friendship Harry and Hermione had was one of the major stressors when she had been with Ron. Whenever she wore one of the Order members' shirts or even Harry's, Ron would fall into a violent rage that left holes in the walls. Trying to maintain some type of normalcy, Hermione rolled her eyes.

"He ripped a hole in the shoulder of it when he was playing mock games with you two. I offered to sow it for him," she reminded the boys. Behind her, Remus frowned. He could see the muscles in her back drawn as if she were expecting something horrible. Even as she spoke with a playful tone, they didn't loosen. Remus wondered at the reason for her tension as he followed Hermione into the kitchen.

His mind floated back to two years ago, before Hermione found Ron cheating on her. They had been gathered at the table for a Weasley dinner when someone jokingly mentioned that Hermione had shirt-nabbed again. This time the shirt belonged to Charlie. Remus furrowed his brow as he recalled the darkness that had drifted over Ron's face and the tension that had pulled Hermione's smile off her lips.

Remus and Sirius glanced at one another at the sour look on Ron's face. It disappeared quickly but it seemed as though the storm still brewed in his dark blue eyes. Hermione was tense and kept picking at the bottom of the two year old shirt. A red dragon covered the middle of it-an angry splash of color against a black background. The outgoing woman suddenly seemed very shy. Before those words had been spoken, she had been leaning slightly toward Ron. Now, she leaned slightly away.

Remus and Sirius glanced at one another as they met in the arch. Both men conveyed silently their worry: Had Ron been abusive toward her? They attempted to think back to the other dinners Hermione had been at. There were no bruises on her that they could see. Sirius felt anger swell up in him. Remus laid a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"We don't know for sure…" He whispered. The low tone wasn't audible to anyone in the house. Only a dog's ear would have been capable of catching it. Sirius nodded stiffly.

"Boys?" Molly Weasley called as she set down a steaming bowl of rolls, "lunch's ready…" She had noticed the silent exchange. She may not agree with many of Sirius' views, but she did care for the both of them. She hoped that whatever it was they were speaking of, they would go about their business safely.

Stripped Bare

Spencer groaned at the knock coming from his apartment door. He rolled out of bed and moved to stand. A sharp hiss escaped his lips as his injured foot gave loud protest. He sank back down onto the bed and fought off the familiar sting. He grabbed his crutch and stood. Quietly, he cursed the body that dared knock on his door at nine a.m. The knocking became more persistent. He cautiously looked through the peep hole. Derek Morgan stood in the hallway. He leaned fully against his crutch as he unbolted both locks and opened the door. Derek smiled sheepishly at him.

"How are you feeling?" He asked. Spencer suppressed rolling his eyes.

"Not very peachy," he snapped. Derek held up his hands as Spencer hobbled to the side. Derek pushed the door open the rest of the way and stepped inside. Spencer's eyebrows furrowed as Gideon and Hotch followed him inside. "What's all this?" he asked.

The vials of dilaudid were still hidden in a drawer. He didn't know what possessed him to take them. Many times since returning, he had debated on destroying them, but he couldn't find it in himself to do it. The addict in him received that small victory. Now as he stared at the male members of his team, he knew why they were here. They knew he had taken the vials and they were making sure he didn't get the opportunity to cave to the desires that made him itch. He was overcome with both annoyance and gratefulness.

"Guys, I'm fine, really," he reassured as he hobbled toward the empty chair by his television. He attempted to keep his tone soft and pleasant. He knew by their expressions that they could tell it was forced. For a moment, he cursed his career choice. He was surrounded by the best minds in the FBI. He couldn't lie to them.

"Then you won't mind us staying a while," Gideon said as he propped his right leg over his left. Spencer felt slightly unnerved by the close attention his team was paying him. They seemed to be analyzing his every move.

"We're just worried about you, man," Derek said. Spencer fought off his annoyed retort and chose silence. He knew that they had been scared when Hankel had him. He knew that they were still worried he would disappear. He could read it in the way they seemed to unconsciously lean in his direction. "You got any good movies around here?" Spencer opened his mouth, "other than Star Trek or Star Wars?" Spencer quickly closed it again. The others chuckled slightly.

"There are a few horrors…" he stated, "And maybe one or two standup comedians." Spencer watched as the leader of his team and the members shared a look. Derek stood from the couch with a slight jump.

"Comedy it is then." Spencer fought off a sigh when it became clear that they were staying. Hotch looked over at Gideon.

"Anybody want a pizza?" He asked. "I'm paying," he offered. Derek turned toward him from where he knelt in front of the TV. The DVD tray closed with a small click at the same time a smile spread across Derek's face.

"In that case, yes," Derek said. Despite his annoyance, Spencer couldn't help but let out a small laugh.

Stripped Bare

After breakfast, Tonks, Ginny, Lavender, and Hermione were gathered in the largest room in the house: the living room. They all sat on pillows in the floor. They were arranged in a small circle. Hermione's leg was propped up on another pillow in front of her. Popcorn sat in the middle of their little circle. Molly sat in the new armchair, knitting a sweater for her only niece-Victoria. They had dedicated this day to catching up with their favorite female genius.

The men were still around somewhere. Sirius, Remus, Ron, and Harry had disappeared into the backyard. Arthur had retired to his shed. Fred and George had left to check on their joke shop with promises to return. Draco had tagged along. Each man said that they would join them later. The women knew this to be true. After all, it would only be a few days before Hermione would leave them again.

"So…" Tonks drawled, "Am I going to get details finally?" Ginny and Lavender furrowed their brows in confusion as Hermione blushed slightly.

"I suppose so!" Hermione sighed unconvincingly.

"As if you don't want to talk about him!" Tonks teased, throwing a piece of popcorn at her. Hermione's laughter turned into a surprised snort as projectile smacked her in the forehead. "Ten points!" Tonks exclaimed playfully.

"Oh ha-ha." Hermione drawled. Tonks just grinned.

"Okay, we're seriously confused. What are you two talking about?" Ginny asked.

"Granger's got a boy toy in the states," Tonks teased. Ginny and Lavender's mouth fell open in shock. The clicks from Molly's knitting stopped as she processed the statement. The Weasley mother glanced up from her inspection and stared hard at Hermione's quickly flustered face. Lavender reclined backward on her hands. From the phone call she had heard the night before the mission, it did not sound as though the man was just a boy toy. It was something more. If Lavender ever doubted Hermione's intentions, the exclamation that would come next would correct it all.

"He is not a boy toy!" Hermione exclaimed with passion. Tonks held up her hands. It would have been an effective sign of surrender if it weren't for the piece of popcorn held between her forefinger and thumb. Ginny raised her eyebrows while Lavender sat back up. All three pregnant women leaned forward.

"So, what is he?" Ginny asked.

"Is he your boyfriend?" Lavender questioned after Ginny. Hermione looked away from both girls. She fixed her eyes on the floor.

"We haven't figured that out yet," Hermione admitted. "I mean…we're close to it. I mean…I feel comfortable sharing personal things with him and dancing with him…"

"Does he have to obey that two inches rule?" Ginny asked. Lavender raised her eyebrows in confusion while Tonks just gave a loud laugh. Molly Weasley even smiled through her concentration. It was knowledge that Hermione had that rule for every guy that danced with her. She had created it after Cormac McLaggen got a little more than grabby at Slughorn's party. Hermione's face turned red.

"No," she mumbled. Ginny and Tonks wagged their eyebrows at her. Lavender simply looked at the scene in confusion. Molly didn't even look up from her knitting. She had suspected that Hermione had been closer to two inches to an unknown man when she had said something about not having a problem with the "bump and grind." Molly suppressed a small shudder.

"See, now I'm interested," Ginny teased as she leaned forward. Her crossed legs provided the right prop for her elbows. "Just how close did he get, Hermione?" Hermione's face turned bright red. Molly coughed from her position at the chair as Hermione got lost in the memory.

His arm had felt amazing around her waist. His hands were warm on her stomach as she swiveled her hips back into his. She could feel him, all of him, pressing against her with every deliberate swipe. Every now and then his thumbs would run over the skin above her navel.

"I think we've lost her," Tonks stage-whispered to Ginny. Lavender giggled behind her hand. Hermione blinked. "Welcome back!" Tonks exclaimed as the glassy appearance in her eyes vanished.

"I'm judging by that look he got less than a half an inch close," Ginny teased as she popped a piece of popcorn into her mouth. "He possibly even got a little touchy touch going on." Hermione answered her by launching a handful of popcorn at her. Ginny squealed as they smacked her hair and face.

Lavender couldn't help but be thankful for the girls. They had invited her to join this little circle when she had been intent on leaving. To her surprise, it had been Hermione that had extended the invite. She had believed that the Weasleys would hate her for breaking apart Ron and Hermione's relationship; instead, most of them had been welcoming and warm.

Lavender worried her bottom lip as she watched Ron pull his shirt over his head. They had spent the entire Saturday in bed; now, it was time to go to the Weasleys for dinner. Ron looked back at her from the edge of the bed. She hadn't moved.

"Lav?" He asked as he laid a hand on the white sheet. He twisted back to look at her. "What's wrong?"

"Do you think they'll hate me?" She asked. Ron stared at her for a moment. His blue eyes were speculative. With Ron, she never knew what to expect. He could be loving and open one minute then harsh the next. She hoped that just once he would lie to her.

"I'm sure they'll be fine," he answered. Lavender got her wish: he lied. She was sure of it.

The only Weasley that seemed to hate her was Ginny. Lavender snuck a look over at her sister-in-law. She was laughing with Hermione and Tonks still. For a moment, she wondered if the beautiful red head still held that hatred of her. She feared to know the answer.

Stripped Bare

Spencer raised his eyebrows as Derek nearly choked on the bite of pizza he had taken just as Gabriel Iglesias cracked a joke about his being hit on at an alternative night club by men. Hotch patted him on the back while Gideon shook his head and sipped his beer.

"Man, I called my girlfriend and said you better not mess up I have options!" Spencer cracked a small laugh at that. Derek snorted and bit into his pizza again. This time he was able to eat it without choking. Spencer shook his head and sipped his Coca Cola.

They didn't converse much and for that, Spencer was slightly thankful. They didn't ask if he was alright; they didn't press on his mental health. He knew that all of that would come when he came back to work. Right now, they were simply good friends watching a comedian and eating pizza.

Stripped Bare

Draco and the other men had joined the women now. They occupied varies places. Fred and George had drawn up a pillow beside Hermione. Ron, Draco, Harry, and Arthur occupied the couch and armchairs. The conversation turned from the man in Hermione's life to how she liked Virginia.

The air around Ron and Hermione crackled with tension and angry feeling. The anger was not one sided. Hermione was still enraged that Ron would attempt to ban her from returning to the states. She hoped that he wouldn't bring it up again. But Ron, being Ron, didn't know when to give up.

They were halfway through the conversation when he spoke up, interrupting Ginny's question on how Hermione's house looked.

"I don't know why you're wondering, she's going to sell it anyway," Ron stated confidently. Hermione's eye twitched. Molly set aside her knitted, prepared to give Ron an earful. Hermione continued as if she hadn't even heard him.

"Oh, Ginny, you're going to love it. It's modest, I suppose. The biggest room in it is the bathroom." The Weasleys were momentarily surprised. Usually, Hermione would rise to the argument and bury Ron. Molly felt a slight stab of worry when she realized that Hermione not only didn't acknowledge her son's statement but she also didn't acknowledge him when he first entered the home. She was acting as if Ron hadn't come in at all. Molly Weasley knew it was one of the things Ron hated most: to be ignored. "I think I did a good job on it."

"Wait, you did a good job?" Ginny questioned. Hermione smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of her neck. She knew these next words would probably anger the Weasleys.

"Yeah, I painted it and decorated it myself before I moved," Hermione admitted. "I bought it online…" The household sat in silence.

"You never were one to go into anything unprepared…" Harry admitted quietly. Ron's fingertips dug into the upholstery of the couch. She had been planning the move; it wasn't spontaneous at all. She had been planning the move and hadn't told them.

"How did you get all of your things moved from your apartment?" Ginny questioned next. Ron was amazed at his family. Not one of them seemed amazed by Hermione's behavior. It was like they had all expected it. He looked around the room. Was he the only one that had been caught by surprise?

"Remember the spell I used to deepen that beaded purse?" Harry nodded. "I applied that to a backpack and shrank the furniture. I did the same with my books, my TV, my rugs, and my pictures. Basically, everything that I owned fit in that one backpack."

"You know we would have helped you had you told us…" Draco said. "It wouldn't have been any trouble."

"I know, but I felt like it was something I had to do on my own," Hermione answered quietly. She became preoccupied with the red pillow she sat on. She didn't explain any further. Ron felt angered at her silence.

"And just what was that?" He demanded. Draco suppressed the jerk of his arm. He wanted so badly to hit the disrespectful git sitting next to him. Draco stared at Hermione's frame. She wasn't tense. She gave no signs of even acknowledging the tone Ron was using. Draco smirked.

It was a new tactic. Ron got his satisfaction out of knowing that Hermione had risen to his bait. When she refused to give him that, he grew even more aggravated. Draco looked back over at the redhead. His ears were blood red in anger; his nails were ripping the red fabric of the couch cushion. If they lived life in a cartoon, steam would be coming out of his ears.

"There's one thing I don't get," Tonks said, "you wouldn't let me lead the mission." A night that started out light and jovial was now turning into one of serious content. Tonks hoped that she could steer it back to that atmosphere after Hermione answered her question. "It was like you knew something bad was going to happen…" Hermione looked up at her slowly blackening haired friend.

"There had been reports of poisons being used in the last raid we did together…" Hermione admitted. "I gathered up what we had found in the warehouse they were using and checked the names." Hermione met Tonks' eyes. "I knew what the drugs could do when we were checking the mission." Shock read on all faces. The anger that had filled Ron's expression quickly melted into one of horror.

"You knew it could…kill you?" Tonks whispered.

"Why didn't you say anything before we went on the mission?" Harry demanded. Horror and rage ran hand and hand inside him as he realized that he could have prevented her attack. Hermione met his angry stare head on.

"You needed every hand you could get on this mission-" Harry stood up quickly. Hermione followed his action with a slight move of her head.

"We had enough explosions that-" Harry started. Remus stepped away from the wall and put himself between the quarrelling friends.

"You know that Hermione suggested those the moment we arrived at the scene, Harry," Remus rebuffed gently. "Without her, we wouldn't have gotten out as easy and there would have been many more causalities." Hermione and Tonks stayed silent as her ex-professor's brown eyes flicked toward his wife. They both knew he meant his baby could have died before it even had a chance to live. The others didn't need to know that.

"Why couldn't Tonks lead like we planned?" Ron asked, his tone was cruel and hard as he cut his blue eyes over at the witch sitting next to Hermione. Tonks hair began to turn bright red at the tone.

"Because I'm pregnant…" Tonks stated bluntly. She looked toward Remus for a brief second. He smiled in response. All argument in the room paused as the warning the doctor had given repeated through their minds: "This drug can cause a miscarriage." The women congratulated the expecting mother quietly. Harry and Ron congratulated Remus stiffly while the others did so enthusiastically.

Hermione stared at her two best friends. When they were in school, Harry and Ron would never have questioned her decision. She was their caretaker. Since the incident with Ron and Lavender, it seemed that the roles had been reversed. Harry felt the need to tend to her, to watch over her. Hermione looked away from her black headed friend and turned to her female red head. Ginny's hands were lying lightly over her flat stomach. In nine months, a baby would be coming.

Everyone in the room thought that her leaving had something to do with what happened between Ron and her, but as Hermione looked at her two best friends. She knew the reason. Harry and Ginny couldn't start a life together and be fully happy while watching over her.

Hermione looked away from her friends quickly and grabbed the crutches from beside her seat. She jumped as a pair of warm hands touched her shoulders. She looked up to see Sirius Black's serious face looking down at her. He helped her to her feet. As the room turned to look at her, Hermione faked a yawn.

"I'm going to go lay down, guys," she dismissed herself. She could feel every eye on her as she hobbled from the room. She could feel Sirius watching her as she hobbled up the steps.

Hermione suppressed the urge to slam her door shut. She turned the lock and walked on into her bedroom. The moment she sat down on the bed, she threw her crutches down and glared at them. With an aggravated huff, she flopped back onto her bed.

"I hate this…" She mumbled into her pillow. Normally, she would just heal it the minute she would out of the hospital, but because Harry had called JJ and informed them of her injury she wouldn't be able too. She was a good actress, but not that good of one.

(A/N: I'm very tempted to give my loyal reviewers a sneak peek into the next chapter as a sign of thanks. Let me know if you want the sneak peek. I don't want to ruin the next chapter for anyone.)