A.N. Hello everyone. I'm sorry that this update is a few days late, but if anyone follows my Fireside Drafts, you may know that I lost someone in my family this week. He didn't die from the virus, but we couldn't even see him to say goodbye so I was in a rough headspace for a few days. I've had some time to cope and start the healing process, which actually helped me to finish this. I hope you enjoy it! Thanks as always to Rotehexe for keeping me sane.

Big thanks to xXMizz Alec VolturiXx, Sincere J. Moon, Ashes Ascending, Fast Frank, Princessa Muse is a Hufflepuff, and three guests for reviewing chapter 24!


Harry Potter existed in this world now. Not that he hadn't before, but now he was…real. He was here. There was something about the reality of his heartbeat that made her Hermione often found herself staring at Lily, either directly or out of the corner of her eye. It was true, what people said about pregnant women. Lily seemed to almost be glowing. There was a brightness to her laugh, a spring in her step.

Of course, it helped that James had quite literally dropped to his knees and sobbed against Lily's stomach when he'd been told (which had been quite embarrassing for Hermione to witness). It had been Hermione's first venture outside her house in three months and she'd been overjoyed when the red head had asked her to come over.

It was approaching Lily's birthday, and Hermione had been invited over to Potter Cottage under the guise of birthday party planning. James, who was now sporting a rather mis-advised patchy beard, hugged her so tightly that she thought she might pop and spun her around a few times.

"She's only just recovered from being broken James!" Lily sternly scolded. He stopped in his tracks and looked at her a bit like deer in the headlights (pun intended). Slowly placing Hermione back on her feet, he waddled apologetically up to his wife.

"I resent being called broken!" Hermione sighed, crossing her arms and assuming her lecture stance that she had always used with Ron and Harry when they were up to no good in school. "You get a few broken ribs and nearly die and suddenly you're damaged goods."

"Please do forgive me. I just haven't seen 'Mione in ages and I missed her so terribly." James pouted slightly and turned his hazel puppy dog eyes on the unimpressed witches.

"James you saw me yesterday. And if you call me 'Mione again, I'll make sure you never see me." Hermione bit out, trying to hide her laughter, her frown cracking as the man continued to pout at her. James was exactly like his son; she couldn't stay mad at him if she tried. Lily on the other hand began to pick at the skin around her nails, and Hermione could tell her nerves were starting to set in.

She grabbed Lily's hand, squeezing it once as a show of support. "Tell him." Hermione mouthed, and she could see the confused look spreading across James's face.

"Tell me what?" Even though he was confused, his goofy smile still stayed firmly in place. The longer Lily stayed quiet, the more James's smile began to fade. "Is something wrong?" Concern replaced confusing in the way only someone touched by the loss of war could truly understand.

"No. No!" Lily assured, rubbing her palms against her face. "Its not…I mean something is wrong but its also right…ugh I'm mucking this up, aren't I?" Her panicked green eyes locked onto Hermione's, and she had to step in.

"Deep breath. You can do this." Hermione smiled reassuringly at James, who was now in full blown freak out mode. She could tell that he was about thirty seconds from having a meltdown.

"You're right. James…urm Jamie…we're…that's to say I'm pregnant." Lily stared at him for a moment then an additional moment as he stood in place, as if frozen in a singular moment of overwhelming emotion.

"You're….really?" James picked her up, kissing her soundly. When they broke away and he put her down, he had the brightest smile Hermione had ever seen and he dropped to his knees. Planting kisses on her stomach, Hermione excused herself quietly, feeling like an intruder in such an intimate scene. James and Lily would've been such good parents to Harry, and that ball of rage that seemed to permanently reside in the pit of her stomach burned white hot as she thought of all the lost time. All the birthdays they were never able to celebrate, all the anniversaries, the first broom flight, graduating Hogwarts, becoming an Auror. The proudest moments of his life and they missed all of them.

The anger that seemed her constant companion hit her again, and she swallowed it down like she always did. Welts in her hands had become a permanent feature as she dug her fingernails into her palm. They deserved so much, but they did not deserve what had happened to them.

She slipped out through the back door, traipsing through James's garden as she went to the picket fence that led back to her home. The short walk back was brisk and uneventful, Hermione briefly waved at Bathilda Bagshot who was out watering her mums. It had taken some time for her to get the image of Nagini coming out of the woman's throat from the front of her mind to the dark recesses in the back, but when she had, she discovered that Bathilda was a lovely woman; if a bit strange.

Hermione was visited periodically over the next few days before she got cleared to go out and about by the ecstatic couple. They truly had a glow about them. Lily made her actually help with planning the birthday party, insisting that if James had his way everything would be sparkly and red and gold.

Remus and Sirius had been so overjoyed to learn the news. Even Peter had looked properly thrilled, although Hermione did have to pop round her house again to shatter some vases before she could pretend not to want to kill that traitorous bastard.

Lily's birthday party had gone off without a hitch, as both Alice and Lily announced they were pregnant then. Of course, a heavily pregnant Molly Weasley was sobbing with happiness that she blamed on her pregnancy hormones. Ron would be born in just under two months.

Mad-Eye Moody had come, apparently owing to a previously unknown affection for Lily. Hermione had been surprised when the auror popped up, as he was almost never at these things, but Remus quickly informed her that Lily was the only witch who could keep James and Sirius in line and Moody loved her for it (though he'd never admit it).

Hermione briefly spoke with Alice who seemed to glow a little less than Lily owing to the fact that she was already in the beginning stages of morning sickness (which she very vividly informed Hermione was not tied to the morning at all). Frank was equally thrilled, but also confided in her that his mother was an absolute terror when she found it. Based on the stories that Neville had always told growing up, Hermione was sure that absolutely was the case.

Everyone took their turns moving around the room, and there was an emotional moment between the expectant mothers when they asked each other to be godmothers at near the same time. Sirius and James had a similarly emotional conversation. Hermione had made sure to leave out that Sirius was Harry's godfather in her story…there were some happy memories she wanted to be entirely his own.

"You knew didn't you." The animagus found her in the kitchen, doing dishes the muggle way when the party had begun to wind down. She had insisted that Lily sit down and relax, so clean up became her job.

"Of course I did. Congratulations by the way." She smiled at him, the one corner of her lip upturned as mischief came to her mind. Hermione held out her bubble-covered hand towards him and laughed when he just blinked at her. Taking the opportunity, she swiped her hand up, placing a small spattering of bubbles on his cheek.

"Did you just?" Sirius began, his uncertainty broken by Hermione's cascading laughter. "Oh you'll regret that witch." He promised, dipping his hand into the bubbles and returning the favor. She splashed him with some of the dishwater and soon enough they were engaged in a water fight with their wands.

"What exactly is going on here?" Remus's voice was clearly identified before either of them saw him. It was a little difficult to explain away their current situation given that they were soaking wet and covered in bubbles.

"Cleaning?" Sirius offered, which only earned a raised eyebrow from the werewolf. He gave Hermione one of the signature I'm not mad just disappointed look that had plagued students when he had served as the defense against the dark arts teacher.

Searching through the mass of bubbles for her wand, Hermione cast a quick cleaning charm. She preferred to do dishes by hand, not trusting the spells to properly get in all the crannies. Sirius, who had shaken his hair out like his animagus form would've, made her laugh again and then followed her when she went to sit in the garden.

"They're gonna be great parents. I didn't…I didn't really get it before. I knew you had this whole mission thing and I'm glad you saved Reggie, but Lily and James…They deserve to have a life with their kid." Sirius looked more weighted down now than she'd ever seen him in the past. Suddenly she noticed the dark looking circles under his eyes, the obvious strain of sleepless nights on his face.

"I'm going to make sure they have just that chance." Hermione sighed, blocking out the chill. She shivered once as a cold breeze blew past, and Sirius shrugged off his leather jacket, draping the overly large fabric on her shoulders. "He looks just like James you know. Except for his eyes. Those he gets from Lily. It was so hard to look at them both when I first got here."

Sirius moved closer, shifting so she could lay her head against his shoulder. Hermione six months ago would've been chastising herself for being so close, for allowing herself a quiet moment, but Hermione now had come too close to failure…to close to death, to let a single quiet moment pass unenjoyed.

"I can't wait to buy him his first broom." Sirius's voice was soft then, and Hermione could see a shift in his eyes when she glanced up to look at him. His hair was pulled back into a loose bun around the base of his neck, so there was no mistaking the longing look he was trying to hide.

"Do you ever think about it?" Hermione wondered aloud, not needing to clarify.

"I never used to." Sirius answered, before clearing his throat and standing. "Guess I never imagined having a family. Mine sort of fucked me up." Pacing the stones that formed a path through the garden, Hermione watched him carefully.

"It's a bit wild. I used to watch James write Lily love poems in the common room. Which she of course rejected on sight. Now they're married and they have a little sprog on the way. It's strange to imagine a little baby made up of the best parts of both of them." He put his hands in his pocket, the light catching on the ink from his tattoos as they poked through where he'd pushed his jumper up to his elbows.

"For me its quite the opposite. Growing up around Harry always gave me this idea of what his parents might be like but…they're even better than I could've dreamed. I always assumed Harry got his defiant spirit from James but Lily is quite the ball of fire herself. Although his penchant for life-threatening situations most definitely comes from James." Hermione laughed to herself at that, fondly remembering when she, Harry, and Ron had gotten the Philosopher's Stone.

"Family can be something you choose Sirius. For what its worth, I think you'd make an excellent father." There was a silence then, and neither of them were willing to break it. The fragility of the moment, the rawness of it was something she was unwilling to let go. Sirius was so rarely open like this.

"I should get back to Reg." When he began to walk away, Hermione realized she still had his jacket wrapped around her. Standing as well, she went to take it off, but he shook his head. "It looks better on you."

Hermione's return to her normal life felt more jarring than she had expected. As miserable as she'd been in her isolation, it was somehow worse to go back to a plan that she was stuck with. For weeks she sat at home, desperately trying to solve the mystery of how she was meant to destroy these horcruxes. The more she tried to figure it out, the more frustrated she grew. And the more frustrated she grew, the more she threw herself into her research.

Dumbledore was probably her best chance, but she was hesitant to let the man know about the horcruxes. Had he been more forthcoming and less mysterious with his plans, then maybe all of her friends would have lived through the war. Albus Dumbledore was an excellent player of Wizard's Chess, but Hermione was unwilling to be his pawn any longer. This time she was the Queen, and she would move the pieces.

Her bishop, her knight, and her rook all falling into place, closing in on the king. But the king was still being protected by a knight, one that Hermione knew would turn against him eventually.

Her rook, her secret weapon, was Lucius Malfoy. Rich and privileged in the wizarding world, he was taking over all the responsibilities of the pureblood plant that Regulus had been. Despite his questionable loyalties, Lucius seemed like he would do anything for his son. Narcissa was showing somewhat now, the bump more rounded due to her slender figure. As long as Hermione could remind Lucius of what his son does to protect his family, she trusted that she could keep him on her side.

Her bishop, her guide, was Remus Lupin. He was the voice of reason when her mind was filled with uncertainty. Ever since she had begun brewing him wolfsbane, she had seen an incredible shift in his demeanor around the moon. He was almost always depressed around the dates of the full moon, weighed down by his own insecurity that he was a monster. Keeping his head during that time had showed him that he was more than the wolf. In every moment of doubt, of breakdown, of defeat, Remus was there to pick her back up, to remind her of the fire she carried in her soul.

Her knight, her fiercest protector, was Regulus Black. When he never returned to Grimmauld Place, Walburga held a public funeral for her son. She'd played the part of a grieving mother well, sobbing in her somber black dress robes as the pureblood elite kissed her cheeks. Reg had insisted on going, disguised with some Polyjuice that made him look like a muggle boy Hermione had run into a while back. She'd joined him, similarly, disguised and additionally hidden by her cloak. Lucius played his part perfectly, sneering and frowning when it was socially acceptable.

Lucius was a pawn in Voldemort's game but she offered him a chance to be more. She offered him a hand in destroying the man who would one day destroy his family. Hermione offered everything that Voldemort never would. The best chess masters spend their games six, eight, ten, twelve moves ahead. The bastard was in threat right now, but soon, it would be checkmate.

It was in this thorough fantasy game of chess that her mind was trapped when she was on her way home from the market. Clouds sparsely decorated the sky as the brisk early February air cut against her cheeks.

The first thing that should have alerted Hermione to the fact something was wrong was the fact that the lamp in her sitting room was on. It hadn't been on when she'd left…had it?

The next thing was that her cloak had been hung on the coat rack. She could've sworn that she'd left it draped over one of her kitchen chairs, choosing a heavier winter cloak for that day.

The last thing that Hermione should've noticed was that her wards were no longer wrapping around her like the safety blanket they had been since she had set them up.

Finally, the thing that finally alerted her to the fact that she was not alone was a scent of bicorn horn. The kind used in potion making had a very specific smell, and it was that which finally broke through Hermione's distracted and clouded mind and set her on edge. Dropping her groceries on the table, she drew her wand and wandered back towards the front of the house. Her sitting room was empty, although the unsettling feeling of being watched began to chill her deep into her bones. Assuming a defensive stance that would've made Remus Lupin proud, she wandered through the hallway, opening each door as quietly as she could manage.

Heartbeats blocked out her hearing, coursing through her skull like a river rapid. All Hermione could hear was the beating of her heart and the heft of her breath. Who could've cut through her wards?

Albus Dumbledore had done it once before but he wouldn't need to now…she had adjusted the allowance to give him access if he ever wanted it. It couldn't be any of her friends. They were all powerful witches and wizards but none of them had the skill in warding she did.

She was approaching the last room in the house, her bedroom, and Hermione felt her steps slow as she approached. It was like flipping a switch, turning back into war mode. It had been such a large part of her life for over a year, and this part of her would do what it had to to protect herself and her mission.

With a deep breath and a fire in her eyes, Hermione pushed open her door. The first thing she noticed was that the figure who had broken through her wards, who had broken into her home, was staring out the window. A scowl decorated his face and in an instant, she knew exactly what had happened.