During dessert Hermione's curiosity got the better of her, "Are there any leads on Dolohov?"
The table was quiet at her question. Beside her Ron answered her with a stiff "No."
"We've gotten no where with Carrow either. Even with veritaserum. They seem to have kept enough private so that if one were captured their plans weren't completely sullied."
She curled an arm protectively around the babe strapped to her chest, "Do you know why he went after James?"
"Carrow thought that by taking James he could get to me and get revenge for his sister." Harry bit out.
Nodding absently she stared down at James and reached over to place a kiss on Teddy's head as silence settled on the table once more. Arthur was the one who broke the silence, "Thank you, Hermione. You saved my daughter and my grandson."
She turned to face him, "They're my family, I would have done it for any of you." Molly started to cry at her words. "Please, mum, don't cry."
"You're my daughter, Mione, what would have done if I lost you?"
"Please, please, stop. It was just a small little curse. No irreparable damage was done," Hermione lied smoothly. At her words, Ginny began to cry. "Gin, don't, please" she pleaded tears welling in her eyes.
"I'm so sorry Hermione." Ginny sobbed into Harry's arms. Getting up Hermione unraveled James from her chest and walked over to Ginny. Remus stood to allow her to sit next to her weeping best friend. "Gin, look at me. Look at James. I would have never forgiven myself if I had let that curse hit him. You would have lost him and we've lost enough."
"But what about what you lost Hermione?" Hermione gave a pained look around the room and saw everyone was watching the pair of them.
"I haven't lost anything." Her voice cracked slightly, "I have my family, we're all safe." Ginny nodded and Hermione kissed James forehead before passing him to his mother. As Ginny started to take him, Hermione almost sighed with relief having successful diverted the conversation, until she moved her hand which let James foot drop and hit her side. Unable to keep the whimper from leaving her lips she bit her lip in attempt to smother it.
Ginny swept James away completely and cried out, "Hermione!"
"Hermione are you okay?" Remus said from behind her as he placed a hand at her back.
She kept her eyes closed and tried to steady her breathing knowing that if she spoke now her voice would betray her. Instead she nodded and when the nausea passed she attempted to stand but quickly lost her balance and would have fallen back had it not been for Remus. "I've got her." Despite her protests, he scooped her up and brought her into the living room, setting her down on the couch. Sirius followed in behind them with Teddy on his hip and others started to trickle in once she was settled on the couch.
"Aunt Mini?" Teddy called in a weak voice.
"She's okay little wolf, she just got hurt is all."
"Did James hurt her?" he growled.
"Only on accident little one," Sirius chuckled, "Can you do me a favor? I need you to go get Mini's tea, can you do that for me?" With a sharp nodded Teddy ran back into the kitchen and returned a moment later, with part of the contents spilled on his shirt. Smirking at the boy Sirius cast a quick scorgify and thanked him before re-heating Hermione's tea and walking around the couch to her. Seeing her, he smiled. George had manage to convince her to let him sit down with her. He'd put her head in his lap and was running his hand through her hair.
"Kitten, I've got your pain potion. You've been avoiding it all day but I think it's time."
Reluctantly she nodded, "Do you have something to chase it with? The potion is positively foul." Grinning he showed her her tea. Taking the the potion from him she downed the contents and hastily took the tea from him. "That's awful."
"Mini! You said you loved our tea!"
"Oh no little love, I meant the potion, not your tea. Your tea is lovely."
Molly came over and draped a blanket over Hermione. "Stay put young lady. We should have waited until you were properly healed before we did this." Ginny chocked out a sob and came to kneel before Hermione, casting a quick charm to heal her lip. "Mione, than-"
"Stop! Please. I need everyone to stop thanking me. Please!" She looked at everyone in the room sternly, each one nodding as her gazed touched them.
"I have one question." Taking a deep breath she sent a exhausted look at Ron before nodding for him to continue.
"What did you lose?" Her eyes grew wide at the question.
"Ron I didn't mean anything by it. I was just being emotional." Ginny scrambled trying to cover her earlier mistake.
Ignoring his sister he asked again, "What did you lose Hermione?"
"Nothing."
"You're lying."
She lost her temper then, "So what if I am? It's none of your damned business Ron!" Tears welling in her eyes she glared at him. "Drop it."
Finally taking the hint he sat on the couch next to Lavender who looked completely out of place amongst everyone. "How are you Lavender?"
"Oh I- um I'm good."
"Has your morning sickness started?"
Lavender did a double take, as if she needed to make sure Hermione was actually talking to her. "Yes, but its light. Although smells make me more and more nauseous." She laughed nervously.
"Tonks and Gin both had severe morning sickness. It was..." she exaggerated a shiver, "You're lucky. If it gets worse Gin has a potion that worked really well for her." Giving the woman a kind smile as she noticed her relax into her seat.
"Thank you Hermione."
"Don't thank me, you'll still have to convince Gin to give it to you," she teased getting Lavender to laugh. From there Ginny started talking to her about her journey to find the right potion and Hermione let the their conversation blend into the background as she focused on the feeling of Georges hand smoothing her hair out. After a while George fell asleep and Teddy left Sirius's side and wandered over to her.
"Do you want to lay down with me little love?" With her invitation he carefully crawled onto the couch with her and snuggled into her arms. Hermione started to hum absently into his hair and within moments the boy was also asleep. She started to drift herself when she felt someone lift her legs to sit down and then start to massage her calves, looking at the couches newest occupant she smiled, "Thank you for earlier" she whispered.
Remus smirked, "It was my pleasure Hermione. How are you feeling?"
"Better now," she smiled as she looked at Teddy. "He's quite the loyal Gryffindor already."
"No wonder he gets along with you so well. You know, while heroic, what you did was very stupid."
She chuckled, Remus was the first person to attempt to reprimand her for her actions and not thank her, it was refreshing. "I know but if you had been in my place you would have done the same thing."
"I can smell it." Confused she arched a brow in his direction. "What you lost," he said in a hushed voice, "I'm sorry Hermione."
She smiled sadly and looked across the room to Sirius who was rocking James and talking to Harry. "He deserves a woman who can give him that," looking back at her old mentor, "and I don't know if I even can anymore."
"Hermione, he loves you. He may not know it yet or how to say it but he does. This won't keep him from you." He reached over and wiped a stray tear off her cheek. Hermione gave him a weak smile and turned back into Teddy's hair closing her eyes willing the tears to leave.
Hermione stood staring at her reflection in the bathroom. She wanted to finally look at the new scar disfiguring her body but so far she couldn't bring herself to look. With a huff she kicked off her shoes and shrugged out of her cardigan. Using her wand she undid her zipper, sliding the straps off her shoulders she let the dress fall to her ankles.
She let out a strangled cry when she dropped her gaze to her left hip. The scar was about an inch and a half in width, just like the one across her chest, and it ran from her bellybutton to her the side of her hip. She ran her hand along the scar and whimpered, not from pain but from loss.
Sirius walked into the bathroom and paused, he'd been changing when he'd heard her cries and he knew. "Kitten."
She turned to face him, her trembling hand still on her abdomen. "I'm broken. How could you want me?"
Stalking over, he dropped to his knees in front of her. Moving her hand he looked at her scar, placed his hands on her hips and held her in place as he put his face against her navel. Taking a deep breath he lifted his head to look up at her, his chin still resting on her stomach. "You are not broken to me. To me you are perfect." Looking down he placed a gentle kiss on the start of he scar, just below her bellybutton. Hearing her chocked cry, he kissed it again, and again, and again, until her reached her hip. When he was done he stood up to and put a hand behind her ear, thumb delicately running along her jaw, her eyes closing at his touch. "Hermione, stop trying to pushing me away. You are stuck with me. No matter how broken you think you are. No matter how much you feel like I should find someone else. I will always be here and I will always want you."
Hermione opened her eyes, molten grey meeting honey whiskey. "What if I can't give you a baby?"
"Then we will live our lives together in happiness. I don't need a baby to end up loving you, Hermione."
She waited for a moment, contemplating his words. "Make love to me?"
He didn't hesitate and he took his time because he wanted her to know that, while he couldn't bring himself to say the words yet, he did loved her.