A.N. Hello folks. I'm going to be quite honest with you, I am going to return to publishing when I finish the chapter rather than on a timeline because it was starting to make me feel anxious to have a deadline. I still have so much to do with this story, and I'm excited to share it with you, but it will need to be at my own pace. With all the craziness of the world, this is not something I want to make stressful because it is the thing I normally do to destress. I'm sorry for disappointing you all by missing two updates, but I am back and will be updating sporadically here on out. Thank you to Rotehexe who is an absolute rockstar, and thank you to all of you for supporting my story. You all mean so, so much to me and when I feel defeated you all remind me that there are people supporting me. A special thanks to everyone who reviewed chapter 26!
Hermione Granger was making progress in her mission. Snape was as unpleasant as she remembered him to be, always brooding and glancing around as if he wasn't entirely sure they were alone. He'd refused to come to the general meetings under the guise of hiding his newfound loyalty, but Hermione knew it was so he didn't have to interact with Sirius. (Who also seemed to know that he was the cause and was rather annoyingly proud of himself about it).
They met on and off in her sitting room, having awkward cups of tea while he updated her about their mission. She'd sent him to Dumbledore, so that he could begin his spy path for the Order in an official capacity.
It was in this fog of distraction that she met Ronald Bilius Weasley for the new first time. The Burrow had been a familiar locale for her in the past few weeks since her recovery. Charlie had quickly become one of Hermione's favorite distractions from the weight of all the world that seemed to be resting on her shoulders. Then when the newest Weasley came along, it was like she had to tear herself away from their house
Sometimes at night, when she was ready to shrug off that weight that like Atlus she carried, she would pop round the Burrow and just give Molly and Arthur a brief reprieve. Hermione was surprised how quickly the Weasleys had agreed to let a relative stranger watch their children, but then she imagined that after having a sixth boy under the age of 10, they would have welcomed Lord Voldemort himself offering to watch their brood.
Charlie was not yet adjusted to having another new baby in the house, which she considered to be very odd considering this was the fourth after him. Hermione smiled to herself as if she was playing a hand of poker and had pocket queens, knowing that he had a little sister to look forward to as well. Molly had at least another seven months before she had to worry about that though.
It may have seemed unimportant or selfish of her to steal even a few moments in the night to visit with her old best friend in his new form, but all of the stress in her body liquified into joy when she looked at Ron.
He wasn't a fussy child, quite surprising considering her knowledge of his demanding nature as a preteen. Of course, the one constant with him was that his stomach never seemed to be full. Molly fed him nearly every hour on the hour but he was insatiable. They were paid back for his overeating by oversleeping though, so Hermione imagined that she wouldn't hear any complaints from the Weasleys anytime soon.
In the brief moments where she got to see him between napping and eating (his two main activities), she nearly gasped to see his eyes. They were just the same as she remembered, but she hadn't seen them in nearly a year by that point. The month of March seemed to come and go in front of her as she alternated her time between endless research into methods to destroy horcruxes and drowning her sorrows in watching six radically different yet somehow related children. Ron went to sleep around 8, but the twins had an extra hour before their bedtime, and it was quite difficult to keep those budding troublemakers occupied. It helped that she had begun to form alliances.
Bill was a quiet kid, whose main interactions with Hermione consisted of helping to curtail the twins (who by some sort of cruel trick had begun to run before they even properly walked). He had been somewhat standoffish with her at first, giving off the adolescent energy of not believing he needed watching after.
What truly won him over was when Hermione arrived one night with an old curse-breaking tome she'd nicked from Grimmauld Place awhile back. Regulus had shown no need for it, and stealing from Walburga made her feel like she was sticking it to generations of blood purity. The book hadn't been particularly dark other than showing how to undo some pretty hefty enchantments. Had Bill not been a brilliant young wizard she knew would go on to be both Head Boy and collect twelve O.W.L.s, she might have hesitated with her bribery gift.
Once he had his small hands wrapped around the large red leather tome, she knew she'd won his allegiance. Suddenly he would pop up everywhere around her, helping with Charlie when he had his tantrums or when one of the twins tried to sneak a treat. It made her long for the days when they had become good friends.
Charlie…how does one even describe a young Charlie Weasley. The red-head had the deepest shade of red hair, which laid in wavy curls around his ears. Unlike Percy who, even as a three-and-a-half-year-old, insisted on having a closely cropped haircut. It made her giggle, seeing the man Percy would become in the boy he was.
"Percy, wouldn't you like to play with Charlie?" Hermione had prodded him one night, as he sat near the Burrow's fireplace and attempted to read one of Charlie's books on dragons. He was already too advanced for the dingy old copy of Beedle the Bard that the Weasleys kept on their shelf. Neither Bill nor Charlie had been big readers as children, so Percy's choice of entertainment was very limited.
He'd looked up at her, his splattering of freckles the same as they'd been when he'd grown but without the horn-rimmed spectacles she always knew him to wear. Red-hair, of a middling shade compared to his brothers, glistened in the light of the fire. "Not particularly." His little voice stumbled slightly over the large word that she was nearly certain he'd read somewhere and she frowned. The Percy she'd known spent years wishing that he hadn't pushed away his family, hadn't chosen to prioritize career over love.
When Fred had died, it had destroyed Percy and now as she held Fred in her arms while he screamed for more licorice wands, she couldn't stop herself from pushing him a little too far. Hermione sighed and rolled her eyes before crossing the small room to place Fred in the playpen with George, who was banging around a wooden spoon. Ignoring Fred's whining when he was put down (no licorice wand in sight), Hermione walked over to where Percy sat and kneeled on the floor next to him, grabbing the book out of his hands.
"Hey!" Percy harrumphed, crossing his arms and pouting at Hermione. She gave him an unapologetic shrug of her shoulders before placing a hand on his head and petting his hair with her thumb.
"I know that you love to read. I know that Charlie and Bill may be a bit more…rough around the edges than you, but there will be a time when you look back and wish you'd chosen them over a book. Trust me. I…I lost a lot of people that I loved, and I would give anything to have spent more time with them." Percy seemed to regard her with annoyance at first, but reluctantly swung his small legs off the chair where he'd been sitting and stood next to Hermione.
"Fine I'll go play. But then can I have my book back?" It was not quite what she was hoping for, but it was progress so she nodded her head.
"How about if every time I come over you spend a little bit playing with your brothers and I'll make sure to bring a brand new book to read with you?" It was a little unfair of her, to manipulate Percy using their shared favorite hobby, but making lives better didn't exclusively have to mean saving the people she lost. Maybe she could also save the people who lost themselves along the way.
The eager four-year-old's eyes grew as wide as dinner plates at the promise of new books to read and he readily agreed, brandishing his toothy grin that was missing one or two. Hermione realized with a start that this was the first time she'd ever seen Percy just…happy.
She ruffled his hair, which returned his pout as he hastened to return it to its pristine part. Trudging reluctantly towards the other room when his brother was playing with his dragon toy, Hermione returned to the twins.
Looking far more innocent than was within the realm of reasonable suspicion, Hermione stared at the twins who were now standing upright in the makeshift playpen she'd conjured to keep the twins from any and all possibilities of mischief.
"What have you done?" She asked, crossing her arms and moving her suspicious glare back and forth between the identical twins. Fred had a small scar on the right side of his chin that separated him from his brother, although they still tried to trick her. Just recently two years old and they were already little devils.
"Nothin…" George began, looking up at her and smiling. He was very cute, and suddenly Hermione understood how they always managed to get their way. Melting a bit at his bright smile, she kneeled down to be closer to their height.
"It isn't nice to lie. Tell me what you've done and I promise I won't be cross." They were saved from her false promises of leniency by the front door opening. Before she could even question who was there, Charlie sprinted out from the sitting room and towards the front door.
"Uncle Fab!" The excitable child leapt from the ground, and Hermione's breath rushed from her chest in a panic before watching as Fabian managed to catch the airborn menace.
"Charlie you can't just jump like that! What if your Uncle hadn't been ready to catch you? You could've been hurt." A worried smile placed itself on her face as Charlie pouted and looked down sadly. She knew what he was doing, sticking out his lip and pretending to look remorseful, but he was so cute she couldn't bring herself to care.
"No one cares about me then I guess?" Gideon joked as he followed behind his brother. The handsome man smirked at Hermione, winking when he caught her eye and she could feel a blush begin to creep up her neck. Gideon insisted on flirting with her every time she saw them (although it was hardly a personal problem as he was a known flirt).
Percy, who seemed to have wandered back to the front of the house after tidying the area where he and his brother had been playing, wrapped his arms lovingly around Gideon's legs. It was a shocking display of affection from the boy and Hermione had to tell herself to close her mouth that was hanging wide open.
"Uncle Fab I haven't seen you in 800 million years." Charlie whined, digging his face into his uncle's shoulder. Fabian just laughed and ruffled the boy's hair, stepping towards the kitchen.
"I saw you last Sunday. I do have to visit my godchild you know." Hermione knew that he was Charlie's godfather, but it was heartwarming to see how much he cared for the boy.
"Its nice of you to stop by. Molly and Arthur are enjoying a bit of a date night. I got them tickets to a Celestina Warbeck concert." Truthfully, Hermione had all but had to bribe Molly to leave her children that night, but she needed to see the boys, needed to be reminded that goodness and hope existed in the world. Studying horcruxes and their origins had left her haunted to the core of her very soul, so much so that the very thought made her shiver.
She now had possession of at least half of Voldemort's horcruxes and it was draining the very happiness and good from her soul. After hours of sitting in her study and reading through dark books about dark magic with a dark object, it was like the very air hung around her in a heavy fog. That was when she'd scrounged together some tickets to get Molly and Arthur out of the house.
A sad smile spread across her face as her features contorted for a moment into a haunted expression. When George's small voice began to call for her, she was brought back to the present and the warmth of the Burrow. In every way the locket had made her feel hollow and small, the Burrow made her feel shrouded in love. Moving back to the playpen, she grabbed the two toddlers who were reaching out for her and a chance to see their uncles. The twins were probably Fabian and Gideon's biggest fans, but Hermione clung to them, unwilling to part from their warmth.
As she returned to the kitchen, one twin on each hip, she watched as Gideon popped down to a squat and held out his arms to grab Percy. "Ah if it isn't may favorite little bookworm." Percy smiled coyly at him, and Hermione wondered if his Uncle's death had affected him more than anyone had ever guessed. Luckily, Hermione had no plans to let them die. Besides, she had a score to settle with Dolohov.
"Hermione….Hermione…Merlin is she alright." Fabian whispered the last bit to his brother, but Hermione shook her head, shaking away her murderous, vengeful thoughts with it.
"Oh sorry I just…." Hermione sighed heavily, letting down Fred who was now wriggling out of her grasp and towards where Bill was lurking near the entryway of the kitchen. "Its been a long day and I needed this. Truthfully, I've been chasing a lead in my mission for days and getting nowhere."
Hermione had felt for days like a towel that had been overwrung. Over the past week or so, she'd gotten maybe an hour or two of sleep every night, plagued by nightmares enduced by both the impossible task of trying to figure out how to destroy the Horcruxes of this time and the immensely distressing knowledge of exactly how one splits their soul. In all her research in the past, she'd never found out how precisely a Horcrux was made. Now…now she couldn't forget it.
"You know, there's been a ton of rumor about this secretive mission you're on. Some of my personal favorites are that you're the head of an illegal potion ingredient ring, or that you are secretly Dumbledore's long-lost love child." Gideon's tone was light and jovial, but Hermione paled at the idea of people gossiping about her life. She had tried so hard to not draw attention to herself.
Fabiyan, sensing her growing distress, placed a friendly hand on her shoulder. "I know that you have your secrets, but if you ever need anything, don't hesitate to let us know. We don't know you very well, but you have a good heart and that's enough for me." His warm smile felt unearned and cheap, and guilt began to collect in the pit of her stomach. She wished that she could tell everyone her secret, to not keep this ever-spinning web of lies, but she couldn't risk it. Too many people knew too much already.
She was saved from her sorrow by Ron's fussing setting off her watcher alarm. "Oh I best go check on him." Hermione lowered George down, who was pouting at being released from her arms. She got on her knees to be closer to him and brushed her hand against his face. "I've got to go make sure Ronald is alright. How about when I come back we get you both tucked in to bed and I'll read you Babbity Rabbity?"
It was so easy to bribe two year olds, and his pout immediately turned into a bright smile as he ran towards where his brother was playing with Bill. The three adults shared a small chuckle at his sudden turn of behavior and Hermione used her wand to wordlessly summon some milk and a burp cloth from the setup Molly had left behind.
Ron's room was what had been Ginny's in her time, although she knew that he really slept in a bassonet in his parent's room at night. It wouldn't have fit without magic, and Hermione was once again shocked by the innovation of the Weasleys. She always knew how difficult it had been for them, being poor but raising seven children, but seeing it first hand fostered a newfound respect for Arthur and Molly. The nursery had been transferred from one child to the next, meaning that Bill had been the first to sleep in the wooden crib with fading white paint.
A mobile of Quidditch brooms spun around from the ceiling, as Ron cried in his containment. He was far too small to stand yet, although that didn't stop him from trying to roll around to explore his jail. When she leaned over to grab him, she noticed that in his attempts to move around, he had pinned his arm inside his blanket. "No wonder you're crying silly boy."
He was still so small, even after having grown from his month of life. Tufts of bright red hair jutted out from his head haphazardly, looking rather odd on a baby. Ron drank the bottle quickly, hardly needing any coaxing from her, and when he finished it all, she turned him and put him near her shoulder, patting his back gently.
In the moonlight from that room, she began to reminisce about all the nights she'd spent there. Ginny had begun inviting her over for sleepovers after her fourth year, and she could still hear their girlish giggles when she closed her eyes. Ron distracted her from her memories as he began to fuss again, and Hermione sighed.
She moved quietly with him to where the old, worn, wooden rocking chair sat in the room near the window. Closing her eyes, she thought back to her mother, and what she remembered always calmed her when she was a child.
"You won't know this man. He was a very famous muggle singer. My mum used to always walk around the house and sing as loud as she could. Her voice wasn't very good but…" Hermione swallowed down a moment of sadness and waited for it to pass. "Its not the being good that matters, it's the sharing what you love with the people who matter most."
Her throat tightened as she began to sing Can't Help Falling in Love with You. It had been her mother's favorite song to sing her as a child, and just as her mother had done, she sung it for the fussing Weasley. Ron began to settle against her chest as she sang slowly, staring at him with a desperation that filled her soul.
It was so overwhelming sometimes, to see the people she was protecting. To look into Lily's eyes, to chat with Alice and Frank, to greet Fabian and Gideon when they come to see the children they never got to see grow. After allowing herself a few more moments of Ron sleeping peacefully on her chest past when he needed, she tiptoed away from him and closed the door.
By the time she got down the stairs, every inch of the kitchen was covered with flour and two very guilty looking set of twins.
"I left you alone for ten minutes!" Hermione screamed, looking around frantically as she pulled her wand from her pocket and cast a cleaning charm on the walls. "What happened?" She didn't bother to look at Fabian and Gideon or Fred and George and instead skipped straight to Bill, who had only been slightly scathed by the flour.
"Uncle Gideon said he wouldn't make cookies and then the flour exploded. George did some accidental magic!" An excited grin split his face, and he looked to be nearly jumping with happy anxiety. Hermione snapped her head to the twin on the right who was smiling, but covered in flour. With no regard for the state of her jumper, she wrapped her arms tightly around the two year old.
"You did magic?" She asked him, swinging him around her in a circle. He giggled as he turned and squealed. "What a wonderful little wizard. We'll have to tell mummy and daddy when they get home."
"Tell Mummy and Daddy what?" Arthur's voice cut in, as Molly and Arthur stepped out of the floo. Charlie, still dusted with flour despite a cleaning charm, ran up to his mother and jumped into her waiting arms.
"Georgie did magic!" Charlie insisted, pointing energetically at his younger brother in Hermione's arms. Fred burst into tears then, and Hermione watched as Fabiyan leaned down to pick up the crying toddler.
"Don't worry Freddie. You have all the time in the world to do magic. You have a long, full life ahead of you." Fred snuggled into Fabian's chest, and Hermione's breath caught in her throat.
Hermione swallowed her bitter memories of Fred's funeral as they flashed in her mind, and placed a hand on the toddler's cheek. "Yeah Fred. You're going to have a long, long life. I'll make sure of it."