Announcement: After much deliberation, I have decided to start updating this story twice a week. When I first set up my update schedule I thought it would be a cute idea to kind of mimic the length of Hermione's pregnancy. So essentially the story was going to run until around October since it's 40 chapters. But I literally cannot wait and it just seems like such a long time. So I changed my mind. Plus, I thought, considering all that is going on that readers of this story can get some respite from the real world twice a week instead of just one.
Anyway, thanks so much for tagging along with this story. I appreciate the reads, reviews, favs, and favorites. Y'all have no idea :)
So, the story will now be updated every MONDAY and THURSDAY.
Happy reading!
14 Weeks
Harry leaned against the file cabinet. It was so satisfying putting the finishing touches to a case he'd been working on for months. It's a feeling he'd never get tired off.
He snapped the file closed and walked out of the file room, heading straight for the litigation team. He dropped the file on top of the desk and strolled back to his office.
He found Ron fixing his cloak around his shoulders and double-checking his wand was still in its holster. "Going to see your girlfriend?" He teased.
A light shade of pink spread across Ron's cheeks. "Yes. You should go see yours too."
Harry frowned. "Ron, I don't have a girlfriend."
Ron groaned. "Only because you and Hermione won't get your heads out of the ground." He walked out of the office. "See you later!"
Harry tapped his fingers against his desk. He could go see if Hermione was free for lunch. It's been a while since they could have lunch during the week anyway.
He hurried to the lift before anyone had a chance to stop him, pushing the button for her floor.
He leaned against the back of the lift. How was she doing today, he wondered. She looked alright during dinner a few nights ago, but just because she looked alright didn't mean she felt alright.
The lift opened and he walked out, heading to the reception desk. "Hello, Mrs. Fawley, is Hermione in?"
Mrs. Fawley smiled at him. He was on her good side today (since he remembered to greet her). "Hello, Auror Potter. Ms. Granger is in her office."
He said thank you. He arrived at Hermione's office, relieved to see the door open. He watched her for a moment. She was bent over some paper, writing furiously.
He knocked on the doorway softly.
She sat back and looked up, smiling brilliantly. "Harry."
He sat down in the chair in front of her desk. "Have you had lunch yet?"
She pushed her paperwork aside. "No. Are you heading out to eat?"
"I am. Do you want to come with me? Or we could eat here?"
She shook her head, getting to her feet. "I need some fresh air."
"Brilliant, let's go."
They stumbled out of the office and after a quick goodbye to Mrs. Fawley, they rode the lift to the ground floor and exited the ministry. They walked out to muggle London and headed straight to their favorite cafe.
Harry took a sip of his coffee and watched Hermione push her chicken salad around on her plate. She stabbed a piece of grilled chicken with her fork before lifting it to her nose. She sniffed it and then took a bite. She relaxed.
"Any luck on finding a new place?"
She shook her head.
"Do you have a preference?"
"Well, I want to be close to my parents. But, I also just want convenience right now. Close to stores, the library, the market. And a fireplace."
Convenience. Close to everything.
"Eventually, I'll look for a more permanent place."
"What about Grimmauld Place?" Harry offered.
Her eyebrows rose. "Grimmauld Place?"
He wiped his hands on his napkin. "It has a floo connection and it's in Islington, literally in the middle of everything. It has plenty of room and it's not gloomy anymore. Remember, Sirius and Remus completely cleaned it up and redecorated."
She bit her lip. "I don't know."
"Come on, Hermione. This way you don't even have to pay rent for a flat or house. You can relax and take your time looking for another place. Or better yet, Grimmauld Place could be your place," he picked up his coffee and mumbled against the rim, "or you could live with me and Sirius. There's always that too."
She rolled her eyes. "I think Grimmauld Place is the better option."
With Harry and Ron's help and a quick sprucing, Hermione was ready to move into Grimmauld Place over the following weekend.
Hermione took a good look at her flat. The life she lived within these walls were gone and packed away, leaving behind a blank slate.
Crookshanks rubbed his head against her leg. She picked him up and placed him gently into his carrier. "Time to go, Crookshanks."
She lifted the carrier and stepped out of the flat, letting the door close behind her.
Harry walked up and took Crookshanks. "Ready?"
She nodded and followed him to her little car. Too muddled in her thoughts, she asked Harry to drive and allowed herself to stare at the scenery as they zoomed away from the little neighborhood in Brent, and off to Islington. She let herself cry some silent tears.
The ride was quiet except for the low hum of the radio playing in the background.
She jumped slightly at the feel of Harry's hand around hers. "We're here."
They had arrived already?
He pulled the car into a slow stop. He got out before her and reached for Crookshanks. She took her time stepping out.
Harry's eyes were searching the area for any onlookers. Hermione noticed they parked beneath a broken streetlight across the street from the London townhouse she'll be living in. It was one of the anchors Grimmauld Place had to the muggle world, a steady and revolving notice-me-not charm allowed for ease for any comings and goings from the former Order headquarters.
Once the car door was shut, he took her hand and walked her across the street, letting her take the steps up to the front door before him. "The door should be open."
She pressed down the antique brass doorknob and pushed the door open.
"Welcome home." Harry stepped in behind her, setting Crookshanks down and opening the carrier.
"It looks so different from the last time I was here." Hermione stepped further into the foyer. The white marble floor was polished and she noticed the dark wooden stairs and railing had been refinished. The startling difference was the larger opening into the ground floor sitting room and the fact that the walls were no longer dark, but a crisp icy white.
"Yeah," Harry gazed around the foyer, "Sirius and Remus cleaned up the place, but there was something about it that didn't settle right still so Sirius went ahead and completely changed the look of the house."
After Kreacher passed away, she knew Sirius and Harry had completely gutted the house of its previous owner's belongings and cleaned it up and erected the necessary charms to stave off magical pests. But Grimmauld Place had remained rather grim, dark colors and a foreboding air.
She set her hands on her hips. "Well, I like the change."
"Glad you think so, sweetheart," a deep voice reverberated in the foyer.
Hermione squeaked and bumped into Harry. Sirius stomped down the rest of the steps and landed with both feet on the ground. "You hungry? Remus made food." He pulled her into a hug. "How are you feeling?"
She relaxed in his hold. "Fine, just a little tired."
He rubbed her back. "Alright, you take it easy today. Let us wait on you." He spun around and headed for the basement kitchen.
She turned to Harry. "Us?"
"Mai!" Teddy came barreling down the stairs next, followed by Tonks.
"Easy, Teddy," Tonks warned.
The seven-year-old launched himself at Harry and Hermione. "Uncle Sirius and I were in the attic looking for a football but we couldn't find one. Uncle Sirius said he's going to make one out of a rock. I don't know how he's going to do that."
"First, we're going to eat. Go wash up and head to the kitchen." Tonks sighed deeply. "He has so much energy. I have no idea where it comes from." She smiled at both of them. Her bubblegum pink hair looked even brighter in the lightened foyer. "You two hungry? Remus made food."
She scrambled down the rest of the steps and gave both Harry and Hermione a hug. "This place looks so nice." She gazed around the foyer. "Sirius and Remus did a good job."
"Mum!" Teddy yelled from the kitchen.
"Coming!" Tonks scurried down to the basement.
Hermione sighed softly.
Harry touched her shoulder. "Do you want to go pick out a room?"
She nodded and went straight for the stairs. Her feet barely made a sound on the carpeted stairs. She stepped onto the first-floor landing, her hand trailing over the light blue painted walls. "Did Sirius take those posters off his bedroom wall."
Harry came up behind her, scoffing lightly. "He did actually. Apparently, he was able to take them down since he was the one who placed the charms."
She looked over her shoulder. "I noticed there wasn't a certain painting downstairs or wall."
Harry rested his hand on her lower back and carefully guided her around the stairs leading to the second floor and into a small study.
Hermione walked to the window. The window overlooked the front. She could see her little car parked out front.
Harry sat on the ledge of the window sill. "Sirius knocked down the wall," he said softly, "with a sledgehammer."
Hermione watched a couple across the street walk by. The tall dark-skinned man had some sort of harness attached to him. She squinted, trying to get a better look at what he was wearing.
Then suddenly, something bobbed on his chest. It turned. It's a baby!
Harry hummed over her shoulder. "I want something like that."
She turned to Harry and watched as his eyes followed the couple down the street.
She heard him sigh softly. He tugged at the end of his shirt. "It was the first thing he did," he said, "the sledgehammer." He turned his gaze to the ceiling. "The whole house looks and feels different now."
"Sirius hasn't thought about living here himself?"
Harry shook his head. "He's done with this place. He has been for a long time."
Their arms touched. "And he's okay with me living here?"
"More than okay. I think he'd prefer you to be somewhere familiar and safe. Just to soothe his own mind." He wiped his hands down the front of his jeans. "So, what room? The master suite is upstairs."
She followed him out of the room. "Sure, but the study is right here."
She heard him laugh. "You can turn the dressing room upstairs into another study if you'd like."
On the second floor, Hermione looked through the open doorway of the spare bedroom. This room had new wallpaper. Faint flowers surrounded the room. The ceiling to floor windows was open to the balcony.
The door to the master suite was open as well. Harry walked in and fell atop the large bed.
Hermione giggled. She took a look at the on-suite bathroom, admired the claw-foot tub for a few minutes, before turning on her heel and joining Harry on the bed.
"I think I can get used to living here."
"Yeah?" Harry nudged her. "I'm happy to hear that."
Hermione stared at the intricate designs on the ceiling. Maybe she could stay here even after the baby arrived? Whenever she thought about staying in London, she thought about her parents. She wanted to be close to them after the baby arrived. They didn't have the luxury of appearing somewhere else at a moment's notice. Maybe she should probably consider something closer to them.
Was it cheesy to want to be somewhere big and wide? Where her child could roam and run around?
Something tickled her arm. She turned and found Harry staring at her. "You're far away," he murmured.
She turned onto her side. "I'm just thinking."
He switched to his side as well, facing her. "Thinking about what?"
"The baby."
Harry rested his hand against her stomach.
A pair of feet pounded up the stairs. "Harry, Mai! Come eat! Dad made food!" Teddy burst into the room and jumped onto the bed, nestling between them. He laid on his back. "It's nice in here."
Hermione tickled his belly. "What did your dad make? I'm so hungry."
Teddy scrambled back off the bed, dragging Hermione with him. She let him lead her back down the stairs. Harry followed more slowly.
They entered the basement kitchen. Sirius, Remus, and Tonks were already sitting at the table. Hermione and Harry joined them with their own plates filled with food.
"You pick a room, Mai?" Sirius asked, his mouth full of food.
Hermione grimaced slightly. "I'm going to use the master suite."
Sirius nodded. "Good choice."
Tonks pulled Teddy around the table, wrapping her arms around him. "Have you two picked names yet?"
Harry and Hermione shared a look. "We thought about naming it after Sirius," Harry said, "but we don't think it sounds -"
"No, I hate my name," Sirius whined. "Better yet, I can name the baby for you. That way it has a little piece of me." He tapped his chin. They were all silent for a moment, watching as Sirius's eyes roamed around the room. He frowned. "I don't know, Clarissa?"
Hermione chuckled. "You don't sound so sure."
"This is harder than I thought."
"Well don't name it after me," Tonks said, "you don't want to burden another person with that damn awful name."
Teddy placed his palm on his mum's cheek. "I like your name, mama."
She kissed his forehead. "Thank you, baby."
Remus picked up his glass of water. "And the name Harry is out of the question?"
Harry groaned. "No way. We don't need another Harry Potter in the world." Both he and Hermione laughed under their breaths and missed the looks Sirius, Remus, and Tonks shared.
"I just want something simple but classy, does that make sense?" Hermione sighed, "nothing too difficult like my own name."
Harry poked her thigh. "Your name is beautiful though."
She pursed her lips, a light sheen of pink dusted her cheeks. "I suppose, but I also don't want to burden the little one with a hard name."
"Hear, hear!" Tonks exclaimed.
"What about Ash or Misty, like in Pokemon," Teddy added. He waved his hands back and forth across the table. "I like Ruby."
"Ruby?" Harry's eyes met Hermione's. "What do you think?"
She tilted her head. "I like it."
"Good!" Teddy grabbed a chip from his mum's plate. "It's my favorite Pokemon game."
Hermione and Harry both fell against their chairs. Sirius burst into laughter and Remus blinked slowly.
"Oh, sweet Godric," Tonks said under her breath.
