Note: Hellooooo people! Are you still there? I'm back. Things were just crazy and I couldn't find the time to write, but here I am!

I promise I will never leave this unfinished, and I'll try to update it weekly again. However, next update goes to my other fic, The Perfect Life.

I love all your comments, thank you so much!

And I hope you enjoy this chapter!

St. Mungo's Hospital

At the end of the day Cho never showed up. Harry can't tell if that's good or bad. Laura and Lily only left his side when Draco suggested they grabbed some ice cream with aunt Ginny. Harry took Draco's news with joy and fear. He was incredibly happy that Hermione finally ended things with Jack (and put Draco in charge of the Auror Department, his friend deserved it), but at the same time, losing tabs on your enemy is never a good thing. They can't know where Jack is or what he's doing. What he'll do from now on. That bastard.

But everything is secondary to him right now. Hermione is hiding something. And he's sure this something involves him, he felt it. She told them she would be back soon but it's 9pm already and nothing. The healer came in a few minutes ago and told him that he could leave if he wanted to, his condition is stable, there's no reason for keeping him there any longer. Harry agreed, got up, changed clothes, but they're all still there inside the room. Draco, Ginny, Luna, Ron, the girls. My girls. They fell asleep on the bed and Harry can't stop admiring them. Just to imagine Jack threatening them makes his blood boil. It's no surprise Hermione lost control. He sighs. Where is she? He stopped trying reaching her. She obviously doesn't want to talk to him… and he has no idea why.

He paces around the room. His friends are talking amenities, no one is paying attention to him. He stops at the window, the moon is beautiful. He leans against the wall, observing outside. His scar is hurting a little and he's doing his best to ignore it. He knows Hermione is right… Voldemort is gone, it wasn't him that Harry saw when analyzing the ring, but he can't shake a terrible feeling. He's scared. He remembers the day Hermione told him she was pregnant, what it meant and how he felt, what he feared.

Grimmauld Place, October, 1999

He goes inside and is taken by an emotion so intense that he drops everything - the Halloween decoration Hermione insisted he bought - on the floor and runs to the kitchen. Hermione is there staring at the floor, her hands on her lap.

"What? What? What's wrong? Are you okay?" He hugs her. Something is off. She's scared and confused and happy but he can't tell the reason. She starts crying on his shoulder. Harry soothes her, trying his best not to freak out. She needs him right now. "I'm here, I'm here." Then she starts laughing.

Harry distances himself from her a little. He frowns. It's her brightest smile. He mirrors her, not understanding.

"Okay, what is it?" He asks again. She shakes her head and kisses him. Strong and lovingly. He feels warm. To see her shining like this is all he needs in life. He tries deepening the kiss but she stops it. They gaze into each other's eyes.

"Come on, tell me."

She takes his hand and presses it against her belly. He tilts his head. Unsure. "I'm pregnant."

His mouth hangs open. He's frozen. She watches him closely. Emotions go through him in a rush. Surprise, relief, love, joy, pure happiness. And then… fear. A fear so strong it takes his breath away. He takes his hand from her belly and gets up. He's not sure what to do or what to say.

"Harry."

She sounds hurt. He doesn't want to hurt her. He's happy about it but-

"It will be fine." She says embracing him. He's shaking a little. "Look at me." He does. "It will be fine. I- I suspected it a few days ago and went to see a healer this morning. Twin girls." He smiles.

"But how? You're taking the potion and-"

"I have no idea. I think this weird connection we have might have something to do with it…"

He nods. The information sinking in his mind. Then he cries in her arms. From joy and from fear. Fear of the burden these children might carry because of him, because of who he is. "Harry…"

"What if something happens to us? What if we can't take care of them? What if-"

"Stop." He closes his eyes. "The only thing that will happen to these girls is how much they'll feel suffocated by our love and care." She nudges him. "Did you…" He opens his eyes, she's nibbing at her lower lip. "Aren't you happy? You don't want this?"

"Love." He takes her face into his hands. "I want this more than anything else in my life." He kisses her gently. "I'm just… surprised. And- scared." He lowers his head. She takes his hands and guides him through the house, going up the stairs and entering their room. They sit on their bed and Harry tries to contain his tears. He didn't want to feel like that, it's the best moment of his entire life, but he can't shake his traumas, the way he grew up without parents, the way he had to save the world being just a kid. It weights on him more than anything and to imagine this upon their daughters… It hurts him physically. Hermione hugs him, bringing his head to her chest, lulling him while they lay down.

"I understand, love." She massages his scalp. "I'm scared too. I've been scared all my life. I always felt like an outsider as a kid, always the weird, the freak. When I discovered I was a witch everything made sense inside me and I thought things would be better." She laughs a little bitterly. "It wasn't until I found you, really found you, that I found my place, Harry." She looks into his eyes and says "You." Smiling, she goes on. "A boy that had never encountered love or compassion, but didn't think twice to give it, to see a little girl suffering and save her." She puts her hand on his heart. "I don't know what to expect from this, but I know that they'll have a wonderful father. A father that will love them with his everything. And that's enough for me, love. That's enough because we have each other. We don't need anything else. Don't fear your happiness."

He tightens his embrace and kisses her. "Thank you. Thank you for being my best friend and my lover. My partner in life. You never left my side, Hermione. And I'll never leave you. Any of you." He kisses her belly and they smile. "Our daughters." His fear is leaving him in small doses. His mind racing with all the possibilities. "Should we buy a house? Or redo the bigger room? Have you thought about names? I know a few-"

Her loud laugh cuts him. "Oh? Am I funny to you, Miss Granger?" He tickles her, tears running down her face from laughter. She exclaims loudly for him to stop but for a while the sound of their laughter is everything that exists inside the house. And it's beautiful.

Potter Manor

They're laying on the floor. Harry points to the magical figures moving on the ceiling, he's telling them a story. A story of friendship and bravery. Of love and hope. Their story, his and Hermione's. The girls bask in delight when they hear it and he would never tire of telling it. It's the first time after waking up in the hospital that he truly relaxes. They laugh and help him tell the story. Every time they hug him his heart swells. So it's a surprise even to himself the fact that he misses Hermione's presence. He only notices her after minutes of her leaning on the door frame. It's actually Lily that sees her first.

She's not looking him in the eyes and he's losing his patience. There's no explanation for the way she's treating him, especially after what happened. She doesn't even glance in his direction. She kisses the girls and warn them that tomorrow morning they're going back to Hogwarts and that they should sleep. It's not a request.

Harry exits the room, giving Hermione a moment with them. He's angry. Instead of going to his room he goes to the study downstairs. He wants to drink something.

He can't be sure, but after twenty minutes or so Hermione enters the study. He's sitting on his chair, already a little drunk, glass on his hand and his eyes blazing in her direction.

"It won't help us you being angry with me." She says. He scoffs.

"If you explained why you're treating me like this I could stop being angry." He sips. The whiskey burns down his throat. She doesn't move. He can't tell what she's feeling because she keeps hiding it from him. So, he decides to do the same. Concentrating on his emotions he shuts her presence out of his magic and soul. She flinches when she feels it but she nods, agreeing with his action. He doesn't want to hear what she's about to say. He has no doubt now that it will hurt. Hurt him, hurt them.

She walks in his direction and stops in front of him, Harry doesn't move but they don't break their eye contact. There's a tension between them, something strange and electrifying. It's their magic behaving oddly, like it can tell they're about to fight. Because they are. Harry won't lie to himself. He won't like her secret. She knows it, he knows it.

"Say it." He mumbles. She sighs. Crossing her arms she starts walking from one side to another in front of him. The study is big, filled with books, a fireplace and a few comfortable chairs. He watches her. The way she's frowning tells him she doesn't know where to start. "From the beginning." He says.

"Fine, fine." She summons another chair to sit in front of him. She leans forward, elbows on her knees. Her expression telling him nothing now. "When you disappeared I had hopes of finding you on my own, I tried, I really did-"

"You already told me that." He cuts her. She purses her lips.

"Please, Harry, don't make this harder than it already is."

"If this is hard it's because you wanted it to be." She gives him a look he knows well. The last time he saw it when he decided to leave with Lily. He closes his eyes. Shit. This is big. "Sorry. Go on."

"Reaching dead end after dead end I decided to use a last resource…" She bites her lip. "I went to Marga." She looks directly into his eyes. "I've known her for a long time, even before you did." His mouth is hanging open. What? "She taught me a lot about magic, Harry. And you know how powerful she is. I knew she was the only one that could find you." Harry lowers his head and exhales loudly. Hermione continues. "She agreed on finding you. I was there the day you got to her house. I watched you sleep." She stops. Harry gets up and gives his back to her, walking to the far end of the room, away from her. He's shaking his head. She knew it, all this time. "Harry. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I wanted to bring you back home, but Marga was right… it wasn't the best choice at the time and I knew you would want to help-"

"That-" He cuts her, not sure of what he wants to say. She stays silent waiting for him to continue. "You lied." It's what he says.

"I did." She answers.

"You knew everything I went through and you acted as if… as if-" He drinks again. "Draco told me you cried every day." He scoffs. "I didn't know you were such an actress." He turns to look at her. "While I was telling you everything, you already knew!" He's shocked. He never expected this. "You lied to everyone else. To our daughters." His anger is building inside him. "You left them on the dark, believing their father was missing while you knew exactly where I was, while you knew I was alive and well. You let them suffer!" He throws his glass on the floor. The sound of it shattering enraging him further, taking over him. "They cried and thought their father would never come back, while their mother, the person they trusted the most, didn't tell them the truth!" She gets up, her face a mask of anger too.

"Don't you dare!" Her voice is a note higher than usual. "I was there for them, I did everything I could!"

"It wasn't enough!" He's almost shouting. "We promised, Hermione! We promised we wouldn't let them suffer! We promised to take care of them! You promised me it wouldn't be the same as it was for me!" He takes a step in her direction.

"You chose to stay away, you can't judge how I dealt with things, Harry." Her voice is cold. It's a slap on his face.

"It's not the same!"

"What you wanted me to do? Tell two children confidential information? I did what I had to! Of course I cried for you everyday, I knew where you were, but that doesn't change the fact that you weren't here for six fucking months!" She's breathing hard, her hands frenetic gesturing in front of her. He shakes his head ready to reply, but she's faster. "When you left ten years ago you did the same, Harry." He widens his eyes.

"What are you saying?"

"You broke us apart. You made them suffer." Her eyes are shining from unshed tears. "Or you think growing up without knowing one of your parents is okay?"

"You know I don't think that… and you know why I left." His voice is a whisper. Her words sinking in. "It isn't fair for you to bring this now."

"Maybe." She sighs. "But I did my best to understand. I hope you do the same now."

The tension in the air is heaving on them. Harry runs his hands through his hair. Hermione is petrified on the spot. "What else?" He thought this was enough but looking at her right now he can tell there's more. She closes her eyes and finally starts crying. "What Marga took from you? I know she doesn't do favors without getting something in return."

Hermione shakes her head, a humorless laugh leaving her lips. "That's not relevant." Her voice is so low he barely hears her. He squints. She doesn't want to tell me. Fine. Do as you wish.

"Is Jack going after Marga?"

She looks a little startled by his sudden change of subject. But she blinks it away. "I think so. He found out about her and the island because I was wearing the ring there. I warned her. She doesn't care."

He nods and extends his hand to the broken glass. They don't say a thing while Harry fixes it, attaching every little piece back together. In a blink the glass is perfect in his hand. He goes to the bottle of whiskey and pours himself some more. Hermione is silent watching him.

Something she said is nagging him.

"Well, I guess you'll never forgive me for leaving ten years ago." He finally says. It's a statement and a question.

She doesn't answer right away. She just looks at him. Because this conversation is about that, isn't it? Isn't everything? He drinks some more, waiting. She closes her eyes and he can see her tears. He wants to kiss them away. He doesn't move.

"I-" She purses her lips. "I don't think I will."

Her answer takes his breath away. It's a blow. Hard and fatal. He asked but he wasn't ready for her honesty. He's aware of his vision getting blurry because of his own tears now. The air is crackling around them. He nods and closes his eyes. Her voice fills the air.

"It doesn't mean I don't love you, Harry. I don't even know if I can not love you. But it hurts. Deeply. And I think it's fair for you to know that." Still with his eyes closed he knows she's coming closer to him. "It doesn't mean I don't want to try again." He opens his eyes when he feels her hand against his cheek. She's brushing his tears with tenderness.

He mirrors her action and caresses her cheek, touching their foreheads.

"It's just… I don't think we're ready to be together-"

"Don't." He pleads.

She stops talking but he feels her slipping away from him. She takes a step back. "There's a lot going on right now, Harry. All these threats… and I can tell everything is about to get worse."

"That's exactly why we should stay together!" He won't agree with her on this one.

"And there's a lot between us, unresolved feelings and problems that need time. I don't think it's wise to rush into things."

"What are you hiding from me, Hermione?"

"What makes you think I'm hiding something?"

"We were just fine not 24 hours ago. What changed?"

"You almost died, Harry. That's what changed."

"I don't care! What that has to do with anything?" He almost shouts. "I care about you, about us."

"Our daughters are being threatened." Her eyes are cold and her voice is firm. He knows there's no way to win this. "We don't know what to expect of this prophecy, it's not wise to risk everything now that Jack is missing." She walks away from him. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you I knew Marga."

"The hell with Marga."

For a moment nothing happens. And he can't take the silence. "Don't do this to us. You said to me countless times that I deserve happiness." He swallows hard. "You are my happiness, Hermione. You're my everything." She gulps, but her expression doesn't change. And he cracks again. Anger taking over. "Why are you doing this? Is it Jack?"

Now she reacts. "What?"

"Are you sad your engagement is over? Do you want to get back to him?" Stop talking.

"I'm going to ignore this nonsense." She starts walking out of the study, but Harry locks the door with wandless magic. She turns to him. And now she is truly angry. Good. "You can't be serious." She's gritting her teeth.

"Oh, believe me, I am!" He claps his hands in an ironic gesture. "You accepted his proposal way before we suspected something, so I guess you loved him at some point, didn't you?"

"Are you even hearing yourself, Harry? What do you want me to say? You want me to say that, yes, I loved him?" He flinches. "That, yes, I thought about having a family with him?" The bottle of whiskey explodes. Harry is losing control. Hermione purses her lips. And now that he wants her to stop, she goes on. "You left me, Harry. I moved on with my life and before anything happened I was happy with him. I know he lied, I know most of it was an illusion, but it doesn't change what I felt. It doesn't change the fact that he was there when you weren't!" He can see her chest rising and falling from her exasperation and she keeps talking, "And as far as I know you were doing just fine back in New York with all your girlfriends. With CHANG!" Now a book goes flying from one of the shelves and hits the wall behind Harry, zooming just an inch from his head.

Harry blinks, a little surprised. He's at a loss of words. She's there looking at him with determination, the magic around them swirling frantically. He wants to kiss her, he wants to yell at her, he wants to hold onto her forever. She opens her mouth a little but doesn't say anything. The magic around him feels good. He can't describe exactly what it is but it soothes him, it crawls under his skin and talks to him, it arouses him. He's breathing hard now. He can tell she's feeling something too. It's her magic. Her magic is there, embracing him, entering him. She's taking over him. Is my magic doing the same to her?

He takes a step towards her and she immediately takes one away from him.

"Don't." She raises one hand, warning him. He notices her voice is a little shaky. She's feeling it too. It's something he never felt before. It's like he's even more connected to her, closer to her. And he also feels stronger, sharper. He can't help opening a little smile. "Whatever this is, it doesn't change anything." She says. But the way she's almost shaking tells him something else.

He doesn't try taking another step. He just apparates behind her. He hears her breath hitching. He's close to her, he can feel the warmth of her body, but he doesn't dare touch her. They stay that way for a while. Desire is almost blinding him, the magic caressing them. It doesn't want us to fight.

She finally turns to face him. Her pupils are a shade darker. She wants him the same way he wants her. He opens himself to her, all his feelings bare to her, for her. "Take everything I am, Hermione. Take everything from me. I'm all yours. I've always been yours." He can see she's making an effort to keep her hands to herself. "I love you. The mere thought of losing you is enough to kill me." She bites hard on her lower lip. "I love the way you say my name." He laughs softly. "Angry, lovingly, caring, orgasming." She moans involuntarily, her eyes hungry, devouring him. But they don't move. "I want to make love to you." She whimpers and he can't take it anymore.

He closes the distance between them, kissing her hard. She kisses him back and the magic explodes around them. Harry is acting wild, his rationality lost. He wants to tear her clothes apart, he wants to ravish her. Hermione is trying to undo his shirt, her fingers trembling against his chest, her mouth already red and swollen from their sloppy kisses. His hands hold her ass, pressing her to him. She kisses his neck, moaning and biting him lightly. Harry can't even register the pleasure he feels. To him everything is blurry, frenetic. He's already naked from the waist up, Hermione is kissing his chest. His hand goes to her hair and pulls her head back, he blinks fast, trying to push away this sensation of… fogginess? She blinks too, watching him, her hands against his firm stomach.

They're breathing hard, evenly. She closes her mouth and her eyes, taking a deep breath. Then she murmurs something…

"Magicae dominantur."

It's like being sucked into a void, followed by bucket of cold water. Very cold. He takes a few steps back from her. All the desire and hotness gone. She's pressing her hands against her face, shaking her head in a clear sign of distress.

"What," He clears his throat, his voice strange to his ears. "What was that?"

"We lost control." She states as if obvious. "I thought it wouldn't matter, but something changed in our connection this morning." He lifts one eyebrow. "With the girls. At the hospital."

It seems so far away for him. He tucks his hands inside his pockets, a million questions burning inside him. She knows way more than she's telling me. "How did you know how to control it?" He's not an expert in Latin, but he can tell her words were close to something like 'dominating the magic'.

"I read about it in a book." He waits for her to continue. She sighs. "A book Marga gave me."

He snorts. "Of course." All his forgotten anger coming back to him. The fact that she knew everything and how she lied to everyone. Then something else comes back to him. "I want the prophecy back." He remembers very well that she took it from Hogwarts while he was gone.

"What for?" She squints. Why is she treating me like that? Suddenly it occurs to him.

"You think I'm giving it to Marga."

"Are you?"

"No."

She hesitates.

"You don't trust me, Hermione." He feels a pang in his chest.

"Of course I do." She says fast, but it's not enough. She already doubted him. "It's her I don't trust."

Harry is hurt. He thought they wouldn't go back to this spot. To this place in their relationship where they want to be together but they deny it. Where they don't trust each other, where their love is not enough to close old wounds.

"Harry-"

"No." He cuts her. "I understand." He shrugs, still naked from the waist up. "What do you want to do about everything? What's your answer, Hermione? For all of this?"

"I want to keep the girls safe, Harry."

"And to do that we have to sacrifice us? Weren't you the one that always told me we should stay together? Fight this together? Not two days ago you said I didn't fight for us, but you're the one giving up right now. You blame me for leaving while I was trying to protect us and now you don't want to be together to protect us."

He's tense. Harry can feel his body, his magic, his everything waiting for her answer. Hermione crosses her arms in front of her, bracing herself. She's thinking too much.

"Don't lie to me, Hermione, don't make up excuses. Be honest. Do you want to be apart? Really?"

"Of course I don't, Harry. But it's not that simple-"

"It is-"

"IT ISN'T!" She moves her hands, exasperate. Now it's Harry turn to cross his arms.

"Why?" He's surprised by his own calm.

"I told you, things changed. What happened to you… Jack threatening the girls… it's like the prophecy is closing in on us, Harry. We tried being together, but it doesn't work, it won't work."

"What are you saying?"

She takes a deep breath. "I'm saying that I'm afraid, Harry. I'm fucking terrified."

He blinks. Not sure what to say. Or do.

She lowers her head. "I can't lose you, any of you. I wouldn't stand it-"

"And you think I would? You think I'm not afraid? Let's face this together-"

"We can't. We can't, Harry. Don't you see?" She has tears running down her face. "We can't be this reckless. Our connection is already changing and now it involves the girls! We can't put them in the middle of this, we can't risk something happening to them, we can't-"

"YOU'RE NOT MAKING SENSE!" Harry shouts. She presses her lips together. "We can protect them! You know everything I went through to be stronger, I endured hell in Marga's hands to enhance my magic and now you say we can't-"

"I'm not saying we won't protect them, Harry. I'm saying we can't be together as a couple, as a family."

It's like falling. The floor disappearing beneath him. "No. I won't accept that."

"There's no other way."

She's pleading with her eyes for him to understand. But he only feels a cold despair, loneliness and rejection. It's like being a child again and not having anyone to hold you, to love you. It's like sleeping inside that dusty and cramped cupboard again. And Hermione is doing this to him. She doesn't want us to be a family. He lets out a humorless laugh.

"Please-" She tries.

"I shouldn't be surprised, right?" She doesn't answer, her face unsure. "Since you lied for the last six months, you lied about a lot of things… like saying that I deserved happiness and love and a family."

"Stop. Stop before you say something you'll regret later."

He snorts. "Well, I have nothing left to say. I will talk to you as normally as I can for their sake, I'll work with you to find a way to protect them and end this. But I want nothing more with you, Hermione. I swear… I don't even care if ripping my heart out is what it takes."

She's standing still, she doesn't even move to wipe her tears. He doesn't want to look at her anymore, so, collecting his shirt from the floor, he exits the study. The night so different from what he imagined. His dreams shattered and his love lost.

"Sis, are you awake?" Laura asks.

"Yes." Lily mumbles.

Their beds are next to each other and each turn to look at the other, their faces sad. "What do you think they were talking about?" Laura's words are almost a whisper.

"I don't know." Lily sniffs. "They were fighting, weren't they?"

"I think so… dad was shouting…"

They don't talk for a while, each trying to figure what happened. "They were just fine this morning…" Lily says.

"Do you…" Laura seems unsure. "Do you think it's about us?" Lily widens her eyes a little.

"Why would it be? Have we done something wrong?"

"No, I don't think so, but… I have this strange feeling of-" Laura stops talking.

"I know what you mean." Lily says. "Since this morning I feel different, like… like-"

"Like there's something connecting us."

"Yes, exactly!" Lily sits on her bed, legs crossed under her, her hands holding her face. "I mean, I can feel, actually feel, their sadness mixed to mine."

"I know, dad's angry and mum…"

"She's shattered." Lily states.

Laura agrees, lowering her eyes. "Should we do something?"

"We could try our plan to bring them together!" Lily remembers their little scheme. They thought it through before their dad went missing, but now… everything changed.

Laura sits on her bed too. "Do you think it would work?" Lily nods. "But when?" Laura grunts. "Summer is five months away!"

Lily taps her chin with one finger, thinking. "Maybe we could try coming home on our birthday?" She half asks.

"Yes! We could try it!"

"Yes! And until then we can arrange the details with aunt Luna!"

"It's perfect!"

They stare at each other, both feeling a little better. Their plan might be a little crazy, but it's everything they've got. They fall asleep with hope warming their hearts.

She's sobbing uncontrollably. The moment Harry closed the door behind him she let herself come undone. She can't stop crying. Her heart is shattered, her very soul hurts. She feels like suffocating, like drowning. With despair she inhales gulps of air, trying to control herself. It's like reliving the day he left all over again.

While flying from her house to his she thought a lot about everything, the events of the day rushing though her mind. Harry almost dying, her scar exactly like his, the connection with the girls, Jack threatening them, the fact that she would have to explain certain things to him, expose her lies… and she decided she wouldn't tell him everything, because she knew…

She knew he wouldn't understand her decision, she knew it would be hard, but she never imagined it would hurt this much, it would wreck her this much. He reacted as if she didn't want to be with him, as if she didn't think him worthy of love or a family. His habit of seeing things through the lens of his damaged childhood is something she can't control. She could explain everything to him over and over again, but still, he wouldn't see things the same way she sees. The best chance they got is apart. They need to buy time and she's sure they can do that by not being together.

What made her mind was the scar. She's afraid it might happen to the girls too, she's afraid of what it could mean. She decided not telling him about it yet, but she will… soon. She shakes her head. She needs to disappear, to leave this house, to be away from everything that is so him, from their connection - even if that's impossible. Inhaling deeply, she apparates.

Ron's apartment

"Hermione!" Ron jumps a little in place. His hand going to his chest. "Bloody hell! You scared the shit out of me! What are you doing here in my living room?" He finally looks at her a little better. She looks awful. Her makeup is a mess from tears, her hair totally disheveled. And she's sitting on the floor, leaning against his couch. An almost empty bottle of whiskey in her hand. "How long have you been here?" He looks at the watch, it's way past 4 in the morning. Ron got up because he needed to pee, but he never expected to find a drunk Hermione on the floor. She should be with Harry. Oh, no. Not again. The sight of her a clear memory of so many years ago when Harry left with Lily. She was completely broken and he's afraid she might be that way again.

She doesn't answer him, she just takes another gulp of the whiskey. Ron sighs and walks slowly to her. He looms a little over her and after a while decides to sit by her side. "Give me some of that." He extends his hand and she passes him the bottle, her movements slow. He drinks it, the whiskey burning inside him. "So, tell me."

She moves her head from one side to the other, leaning back at the couch. But she doesn't say anything. "Are you too drunk to talk?" He asks. She just blinks, and he's sure she's barely recognizing him. He huffs, a little irritated. "Where's your wand?" He wants to sober her up, but his wand is in his room and he doesn't want to go there just to fetch it, besides, he doesn't want to wake Luna. "Hand it over." He gestures with his hand. She blinks again, her mind must be a pool of mud. Ron doesn't wait anymore and tries finding her wand where he knows she keeps it, aha!

He points it at her, remembering the charm. "Noooooooooooooooooooo, pleeeeeeeeease." She mumbles.

"You'll thank me later."

He flicks the wand and in seconds she looks more aware of her surroundings. Closing her eyes she says "Who's the buzz killer now?"

"Still you." He answers and she laughs a little. "So…"

"I guess I lost Harry forever." She whispers. She lifts her eyes to him. He knows he must look skeptical. "I'm serious. I-" She presses her hand against her forehead. Headache. A little side effect from the charm.

"But how? You said you were together for good, no matter what? What has he done this time? I swear to Merlin, Harry is such a-"

"It wasn't him." Ron waits for her to continue. He feels odd. He never thought Harry and Hermione would not be together, even when Harry left, Ron always held inside him the certainty that they would find their way back to each other because… Harry did the shit back then and Hermione is way more forgiving. However, if Hermione put an end at it this time… it changes everything. "I'm scared, Ron. I'm afraid of what might happen to us, to the girls and-" She closes her eyes, it's hard for her to talk about it. "Ron, he almost died. I've been receiving threats at my own house, Jack threatened the girls and I've been under his influence for months because of the ring. Right under my nose and I couldn't tell, I was so blind."

"You can't blame yourself for trying to be happy, Hermione. Jack made you happy… he really manipulated you after the proposal, I mean, with the ring and such. But not before… in some level your feelings were true." She nods at his words.

"I wasn't wrong, was I?" She seems desperate. "Am I a terrible person?"

"Of course not." He embraces her. "You're wonderful. You're an amazing friend and an out of this world mother. Don't beat yourself up."

She sniffs a little. "Thank you." He nods, reassuring her.

"Did you had a fight about this?" He can't believe the Jack subject is still something so big between them.

"No, not exactly, but I know that me accepting to marry another man bothers Harry."

"Yeah, I imagine." Ron says. "I guess I shouldn't tell you this," She perks her ears, "But before everything, I guess before the mission he found the prophecy, we had a talk. A talk about him proposing to you." She's surprised.

"Why have I never heard about this?"

"Well, he asked me not to tell you, I know, I know… after he left I just thought it would hurt you more and then it didn't make sense for me to talk about it." He can sense she's anxious to know what they talked about. "He even showed me a ring."

"He actually bought a ring?" She's dumbfounded.

"Why are you so surprised, Hermione? I mean, you two are soul mates! You talk inside each other's heads. You have twin daughters." He states the obvious she seems unable to see.

"I never sensed his intention… I- I just thought marriage was something too big of a step for him… especially with me…"

"In a way it was. He told me so." She's visibly shaken by his words and Ron shakes his head fast enough. "No. Not in the way you're imagining. It was too much because… it was everything to him." She purses her lips, her gaze on the bottle of whiskey. "Being raised as a muggle there always were a few concepts about the wizarding world that frightened him, even after years," Ron chuckles. "The way we marry being one of them." She finally looks at him. "The day we talked he showed me the ring and I said to him, 'why don't you give her your mother's ring?' He answered that you were far too special for that. You should have your own ring, the one he chose to represent your love and the one the girls would inherit some day." Ron continues. "For him, marrying you would mean to finally have a family, his family. He wanted it badly, Hermione. But he kept talking about the way it would 'imprison' you to him for the rest of your life-"

"As if we couldn't get a divorce!"

"Yeah, yeah, I said that to him, but in his mind, if you sealed this, it would be forever. Really forever. Not the forever we talk about, not the forever I say that Luna takes in the bathtub." He raises an eyebrow to her. "He was afraid to put you in a situation you would regret. He even said to me 'what if she grows tired of me?'."

She shakes her head, Ron knows she's frustrated. "Why he's always doubting other people's love for him?"

"It wouldn't be Harry if he didn't, Hermione. You know that."

She sighs and they don't talk for a long time. Ron letting her think, then she finally speaks. "I told him we can't be together, not as lovers, not as a family." Ron scrunches his face, already imagining Harry's reaction. "I don't know if I made the right choice, Ron, I don't know if I can handle the consequences of it, but-" She takes a deep breath. "Right now I don't see another way to deal with everything. The prophecy talks about us as a family and if we're not, I think we're out of danger for the time being. And I need this time, we need it."

"Did you tell him that?"

"In a way." She mumbles. "Deep down I know he's also right. I've been blaming him for us not being together, but that was before-"

"Before what? I don't think I'm following your train of thought here. Your biggest grudge with him was the fact that he didn't stay for you to face things together and now he's here, wanting to be with you and… you don't want it?"

"When you put things like that I'm a total bitch." Ron laughs a little, she does too. "But it's not that simple. I can feel it getting closer, Ron, whatever it is. I don't want to put the girls in danger and-"

"What?"

"I guess I won't really ever forgive him for leaving." She whispers. "Not that I want to get back at him or anything with my decision, and don't get me wrong, I love him. With everything I am. But he took my heart in his hands and tore it apart. It still hurts. After a lot of thinking and feeling I realized I can't be with him if we can't find a way to overcome this… and-"

"And right now you don't have the time to try." She nods. Ron understands her. He embraces her shoulders again. "Well, Harry's thickheaded, but he'll understand you, eventually." She seems unsure of his words. "He will." She half nods. "And you're right, you have to focus on this prophecy and on finding Jack. Protecting the girls more than anything."

She hugs him, thanking his support. "Can I crash on the guest room? I don't want to go home right now."

"As you wish, madam Minister of Magic." He provokes her, they're already walking to the room. "Seriously, can I ask you a favor? I have a pendency with the law department regarding the shop and-"

Hermione closes the door on him and Ron laughs. "See? Still the buzz killer!"

He enters his room and snuggles behind his beautiful Luna. She's awake and hugs him back. "Is she alright?" She asks.

"No. But she will be." Luna nods and before they doze off to sleep, a last thought goes through Ron's mind, she has to.

Note: okay, so, don't hate me and such, there's a lot to happen yet... have pity on this poor writer.