Ron glared at the tiny room he'd managed to procure for them. It wasn't much. Lavender would no doubt throw a fit, but he couldn't access his vault until he got this name thing cleared up.

He frowned and rubbed at his aching chest. His magic felt off, but he didn't know why. Hermione could probably explain it. He took a deep breath and sighed. He'd burned his bridges.

Gods, she'd looked lovely while she danced. It had been too much. Her there with Malfoy. He rubbed his hands over his head and messed his hair up.

He'd truly buggered this whole situation up.

If he'd been faithful, he'd have been the one with her. Now, he had a pregnant wife and no name to give his child. He was sure to be fired. Money was going to be an issue.

Harry would probably lend him some funds until he could get his Dad talked around.

He needed to find a way to support his family. He paced and considered his options. He looked around the sad little room and felt every bit of his failure. He hated being alone.

Lavender was sobbing her eyes out at her parents' place, but their wards wouldn't permit him access anymore. A person without a name couldn't get in many places. It had something to do with the older magics.

He rubbed the back of his neck and frowned.

"Hermione married Malfoy." He looked toward the dirt streaked window and caught a bit of his reflection. "Her temper has got her on the wrong end of the wand now."

He nodded at his vague reflection and let himself fall back on the bed. A giant plume of dust rose around him and covered him in filth.


Draco helped Hermione across the room. She was exhausted, but she'd insisted on coming home. He kissed the wild curls on the side of her head. Home was their home. He had an actual home because of her. It was a place with a name. Sure. It was many things, but it was their home. That their home had somehow grown from a tower into a small fortress whole they had been out for a single day didn't need examining.

Everything was shining and the wonderful scent of a warm meal drifted from the table in the great room.

"We have to thank the elves. We have a proper guest wing now." Hermione pushed her hair back over her shoulder. "Did you know they could build things like this?"

"I didn't think it was possible to build anything this quickly." Draco stroked the side of her face.

"They're amazing." Hermione smiled. "Our elves. Didn't ever imagine saying that."

Draco watched her settle into her chair and pushed it in for her. It was probably best that he didn't tell her he wasn't talking about the elves.


Ginny stalked through her parents' orchard. All the trees were healthy. They were flowering. The scent alone was lovely. She stopped and closed her eyes against the sight.

It felt like the whole world was mocking her.

She'd underestimated Hermione.

The witch wasn't some weak little muggleborn. She was a Longbottom. She was a Malfoy. She was everyone's favorite.

Ginny plopped down on the thick grass and remembered the few times Hermione had asked her to join her friends for lunch.

It had been awful.

She'd expected it to be the two of them and the others, but it wasn't.

Hermione flitted from Susan to Hannah to Luna with ease. Each one was her friend. It had been odd to see Hermione with girls. She's thought she was Hermione's only real girlfriend.

That thought had kept her safe.

A Hermione that needed her wouldn't take Harry away, but a Hermione with all these girl friends didn't need little Ginny Weasley.

Her brother wasn't going to hold onto Hermione. She'd come to her senses, see him in all his imbecilic glory, and leave. They'd rip her family up, and Hermione would take Harry with her.

Now, her family was ripped up. Harry wasn't anywhere to be found. She'd done it all for nothing. There was no way to fix this.

Ginny curled up in the moonlight and cried.


Frank hated letting his children wander off into the world without protection. At least, his mother would look out for Neville. Hermione had left with her Malfoy husband. He took a deep breath. The boy was nice enough. His daughter was strong. He let the breath go.

"They will be here tomorrow." Alice patted the bed next to her. "They fought in the war. They aren't going to get into trouble in one night of peacetime."

"I need to know they're safe." He looked over at his wife. "I've failed you and my mother and Neville. Hermione needed us. That bitch tortured her and I was stuck in my bloody mind. What use am I?"

"You fought long enough to keep us alive." Alice pushed the blankets off her legs and padded across the room to his side. "We aren't long dead and buried because you fought. We have a chance at a life with our family around us because of you."

"Our son is a man. He's amazing." Frank pulled his wife into his arms. "And fate gave us the little girl you always wanted. It's too good. It's too much. Something is going to go wrong. Something bad will happen."

"If it does, we will fight." Alice stroked his chest with her fingertips.

"I just want them safe." He looked down into her eyes. "I want them protected."

"Let Lucius worry about it tonight." Alice smirked. "The two of you can compare notes tomorrow. The Hunt would falter at the sight of the two of you fighting together."

"I can't sleep." Frank frowned down at his wife's mischievous smile.

"I can help with that." She pulled out of his arms and grabbed his hand. She squeezed it once and led him to the bed.