Disclaimer: All of the characters are inspired by one J.K. Rowling. Thank you for letting us play with your wonderful world.

The song lyrics are from "Home" by the Dixie Chicks.

Part two

Somehow I saw you as a weakness, I thought I had to be strong Oh, but I was just young, I was scared, I was wrong.

"Unca Harwy!" a little voice squealed. Harry turned around just in time to be able to swoop Emily Anne Weasley up into the air. She giggled as he spun her around, making her red curls fly.

"Again! Again!" she cried, holding her arms up to her favorite uncle. Even at two, little Emily was adept at getting her many uncles to join in her games. Ron claimed she had even convinced proper Percy to join her jumping in puddles, despite the fact that he was wearing new robes.

"In a bit, little one," Harry told her as her picked her up again. "What do you say we go check on your mum?"

"Oh, there you are, Harry," Hermione said as she walked in from the hallway. Hermione's swollen belly made it hard to give her a proper hug, especially with Emily still in his arms, but Harry sensed the apprehension in his normally certain friend. An exasperated Ron followed with her bag. "Thank you so much for coming over," she said, releasing Harry and crossing the living room to straighten something on the bookshelf that didn't even seem out of place to Harry. "Emily's already had her nap. I've left a copy of her schedule on the cabinet in the kitchen. There's stew on the stove for dinner, and Emily's nightdress is laid out on her bed."

"You didn't put all that together while you waited for me, did you?" Harry asked, only half teasing, as he put Emily down. The little girl toddled over to the chest full of her playthings. "Shouldn't you be resting?"Harry asked.

"No, we should be leaving now!" Ron answered, through his teeth, trying not to show his exasperation with his overly organized wife.

Hermione huffed over to her husband. "Oh Ron, honestly. You know this could very well be a false alarm. I only want to go to St. Mungo's to be sure. Things are still quite far apart, even if they are rather strong. OH!" Hermione bent over, grabbing Ron's arm with one hand and cradling her abdomen with the other as she grimaced.

Harry looked from Hermione's pained face to Ron's concerned one. Ron picked Hermione up and carried her to the sofa. Harry watched as Ron soothed Hermione through the contraction, holding her hand and whispering in her ear. When it was over, Ron said, "I keep telling her something's not right. They're far apart enough, but it's the power in them that scares me. I don't care if it is false labor, it can't be good for things to be like this so early."

"I think Ron's right, Hermione." Harry said. "You go on to St. Mungo's and get things checked out. Emily and I will have fun, don't worry. Everything will be fine."

"Alright," Hermione answered, wincing slightly as she stood to move toward the hearth. "Just make sure Emily eats her beans with her dinner. Oh, and her rabbit is on the floor in her room!"

"Oh, no you don't," Ron said as Hermione made to go back down the hall. He gently steered her to the fireplace. "Come give Mummy a kiss, Emily."

Emily, who had been building a tower with her blocks came over to her parents and gave them each a hug and a kiss.

"Bye, love," Hermione said with resignation. "Thank you again, Harry."

"We'll be fine," he assured her. "Wave to Mummy and Daddy," he said as he picked Emily up again.

"Bye, Bye" Emily said, as her parents disappeared in the flash of the fire.

"Well, young lady, what d'you say we go check out that schedule your mum made out for us?" Harry carried Emily into the kitchen and immediately found the color coded schedule attached to the cabinet next to the pantry with spello tape. "Let's see here, tea, outdoor play, story, dinner, change into night clothes... Your mum hasn't changed a bit has she?"

Hermione just couldn't help but organize things. Ron prided himself on being able to get her to relax a little. What had been an annoying trait in their early years at Hogwarts had made life bearable in the end. Without Hermione's study schedules, Harry and Ron would never have been able to manage everything. Once school was over, and Voldemort was gone, Harry had realized that Hermione organized as a way to cope. Her tendency to research and organize seemed to allow her to get her brain around the troubling events of their years at school.

While everyone knew she had read everything written, both muggle and magical, on child rearing, Hermione remained remarkably low key when it came to little Emily. She took the ins and outs of being a mother in stride, and was positively overjoyed at the prospect of having their second child. It was only when things became stressful that she began trying to force her schedules on other people. Going into labor early must be making her very worried indeed.

"What do you say we have tea, huh, Emily?" Harry asked as he got up to carry the little girl to the table. Hermione had everything set up to make things easy for Harry. In the ice box he found some juice in a little cup, and a tiny plate with some biscuits and a pear ready to be sliced on the counter top. Harry put Emily into her booster chair, used his wand for the "bib spell" Ron had taught him, and set about cutting up the pear. Luckily, he spent enough nights helping do the dishes in this kitchen he didn't have to hunt for the utensils. He sliced the pear and set the snack down in front of the little girl.

"Now for Uncle Harry. Let's see, I know your Daddy has something good somewhere." He started opening cabinets in an attempt to find Ron's secret stash of Chocolate Frogs and Fizzing Wizzbies when he heard a pop in the living room.

"My, aren't you the domestic one?" he heard as he turned around. Ginny Weasley stood in the doorway, that teasing smirk in her eyes as she watched Harry turn red. "Caught you red handed going through my brother's kitchen, didn't I? Hello, Emily dear. Are those good biscuits?" she said stopping to give her niece a kiss on the cheek. Turning to Harry she said, "Ah, I bet I know what you're looking for. He keeps them in the hidden panel behind the bread box."

"Thanks," Harry grinned sheepishly. He'd never been able to even touch the cookie jar at the Dursley's, and he felt rather silly at being caught rummaging through his friend's kitchen. Ron just always seemed to appear with any snacks you could wish for, but only when his wife wasn't looking, of course. Hermione was still the daughter of dentists after all, and Ron closely guarded the location of his goodies. After scooting the bread box over, Harry saw what he thought was the panel in question, but hesitated when he realized he didn't know how to open it.

"Really, do I have to do everything?" Ginny came over from the table where she had been talking to Emily to the cabinet where Harry stood. "Let's see, let's try 'Cannon's Rule'" and with a flick of her wand, the panel disappeared, revealing not only a pile of sweets that would make the Grangers faint, but a bottle of Firewhiskey as well.

"How did you know how to do that?" Harry asked, impressed that Ginny had opened the vault so easily.

"Oh, posh, it's easy really. Remember, I've known him even longer than you have. That's the password he uses for everything. I've known about it since I caught him trying to put a privacy charm on his bedroom to keep Fred and George from booby trapping it."

"I forget how much dirt you have on your brothers sometimes," Harry said with a grin. He grabbed a few Frogs, and then Ginny replaced the panel. "What are you doing here anyway?"

"I got word from Neville that Ron and Hermione had come in. He was visiting his parents. He thought I'd want to know. My shift doesn't end 'til eight, but I got another mediwitch to cover for me so I could see if you needed any help taking care of the little tyke. I've got a few days off coming to me, so if you need...'

"No, I'm fine. I won't be needed back at headquarters for a few weeks. I'm not obligated to be anywhere."

Ginny chewed on her lip, thinking the situation through. "Tell you what. I'll get back to Mungo's to see if they know anything. From what I gathered, they'd just checked in, so I just came over here first. I'll come back by when my shift is over and we can figure out if we need to make some arrangements. This way, if they need to be at St. Mungo's for a few days, we can let them know we have things taken care of, and Ron and Hermione won't need worry about Emily."

"That sounds fine. Do you really think they could be there awhile?" Harry asked, trying to sound more curious than concerned.

"Well, it all depends. Six weeks is early, but not unheard of, especially with someone as small as Hermione. I just won't know 'til I get back to St. Mungo's," Ginny explained. She knew that Harry, coming from the family he did, had next to no experience when it came to delivering babies. "I'll see you around nine, then?"

"Yeah, sounds great," Harry said. Ginny took out her wand as disapparated back to work.

Harry stood there in the kitchen, telling himself that Ginny was right, there was no need to worry. This was normal, well, normal for regular people. No, it wasn't normal for a pregnancy to end this early, but this was a problem for normal people. It wasn't the same as facing down death eaters and dementors. Hermione had been in the hospital wing almost as often as he had. She had narrowly escaped when the Death Eaters had gone after her and Ron in 6th year. They, along with Ginny and Neville, had stood there with him as he had finally faced down Voldemort. Hermione had survived all of that. Surely she could handle premature labor.

Harry was brought back to awareness by the sound of a spoon hitting the floor and a rather insistent little voice saying, "All done!"

"Oh are you, missy?" Harry asked, bending down to pick up the spoon. "Want to go outside?" When Emily squealed her agreement, he lifted his goddaughter out of the booster seat. After cleaning her up a bit, he took Emily by the hand and led her out into the garden.

The garden of Avonlea was surrounded by tall hedges and edged with pretty little flower beds. Some of the flowers were planted by Hermione's students, others were Ron's doing. The little spade and bucket Emily used to help Daddy in the garden lay next to one of the beds. Ron spent many an evening digging for worms, chasing gnomes, and scooping up tadpoles to his daughter's delight.

Emily had her fair share of "brain building" toys, that was certain, but here was the proof that Emily was not just half Granger. The first Weasley grandchild was definitely loved by her many uncles. A toy broomstick, given by Uncle Bill stood on the porch next to the door. The playhouse Hermione's parents had given their granddaughter was tucked into a corner under an arbor of roses. The twins had managed to charm the house to replay their niece's favorite nursery rhymes. Emily also had a dragon swing set, built by Charlie, complete with charms to ensure that she wouldn't fall off, applied by Percy, of course.

Harry sat on the porch and watched as Emily tottered around the garden. She went from one thing to another, playing and babbling on. The summer day was warm, with just enough breeze to keep things comfortable.

Five years ago

Harry finished his cleaning assignment early and went to the kitchen to get a snack when he heard something rustle in the closet. Despite all of Mrs. Weasley's efforts to rid the house of offensive dust, doxies and boggarts, there were still a few things left lurking in the dark corners of the old mansion.

"Lord, that better not be Kreacher," Harry mumbled had he prepared to open the door quietly. Since his actions against Sirius, the mad elf had been exiled to the attic of Grimmauld place. The bond he had to Harry, the new master of the house, was strengthened by the Kreacher's betrayal of his former master. Once Harry had banished him to the attic, he was effectively captive there until Harry chose to release him. If the demented creature had found a way to sneak downstairs, there would be hell to pay. Harry grasped the doorhandle firmly and opened it slowly, the better to sneak up on the offending noise maker.

Ron and Hermione, however, did not notice the door open. They were much too focused on each other to see the gaping mouth and startled eyes of their best friend. Harry recovered from his shock and embarrassment quickly enough to close the door without their noticing anything was amiss. Harry turned and walked out of the kitchen, speechless and shaking his head at what he had just seen. He was so confounded by what was going on in that closet that he almost ran straight into Ginny.

"Oi! What out Harry! What's got you so out of place? You look like you don't know where you are or something," Ginny said as she put up her hands to keep from running straight into Harry.

"I was just going for a snack.... heard a noise.... not Kreacher....Ron...and Hermione..." Harry continued to shake his head as if he was trying to come out of a bad dream.

"Walked in on the two of them, did you? I knew their whole secrecy thing wouldn't last long. Too many blooming people in and out of here at all hours of the day and night. I mean, Hermione's smart, how long did she really think she could get away with this?" Ginny huffed.

Harry stared at Ginny, "You knew?"

"Yeah, a girl's gotta keep an eye on things around here, you know. You don't grow up with Fred and George for brothers and not start to notice subtle changes in people's behavior. How else do you think I manage to have enough material to blackmail them? I've been watching the the twins long enough to know when they're up to something and I usually find out what it is. Anyway, yeah, Ron and Hermione finally admitted that they like each other, and if you ask me, it's about time. It's tough enough being in around them all the time, but their rows were getting to be pretty fierce." "So, they're...a couple?" Harry asked, realization finally dawning on him. "But why do they want to keep it a secret? And how did you find out anyway?"

"Well, Extendable Ears helped, but like I told you, they started acting funny. No, I mean funnier than usual. They've quit picking fights, and Hermione suddenly doesn't like to read in front of the fire anymore like she usually does in the evenings. She's always having to go write a letter, or get a different book from her room. Ron's even worse. He's started having an abnormal interest in completing his summer assignments. And he's been taking even longer to help Hermione fetch or put away cleaning supplies. You know, more than when he's just trying to get out of doing some housework. Ooh!! That's where you saw them, isn't it, in the broom closet? Ugh! Well, maybe now that you know things can go back to normal and they can quit sneaking around."

Harry would never cease to be amazed at how long Ginny could talk without seeming to take a breath. He took a moment to let everything she had said sink in. Then he asked, "But why did they want to keep it a secret? I mean, we've all been expecting this to happen since the Yule Ball."

Ginny shrugged, "I can't really answer that one too well, Harry. There's obvious reasons to hide it from Mum, of course. She'd spend the rest of the summer making sure they were never alone together. It's always a good idea to keep any personal information out of the twins' hands, but they've been so busy with the shop and the Order, I don't think they really have the time to harass anyone. I just know I heard those two saying something about not wanting you to feel left out. You'll have to ask them about the rest."

"Ask who about the rest of what?" Ron asked as he joined them at the foot of the stairs. Hermione was close behind. Both of them were flushed, and their lips were slightly swollen.

"About you two, you git!" Ginny said as she pushed past Harry and poked her finger hard into her brother's chest. "Now if, you're quite done with the kitchen, I'm going to find some of those tarts Mum finished baking this morning. You better not have eaten them all!" Ginny went triumphantly through the kitchen doorway, head held high and her long, red, pony tail swishing behind her.

Ron flushed as he looked at Hermione, who was staring at a spot she was rubbing with the toe of her trainers, twirling her bushy hair and chewing on her bottom lip. Ron looked at Harry, who was beginning to see the humor in the situation. Ron opened his mouth to say something, when Harry stopped him. "I don't want the gory details. Look, I walked in on you two in the cupboard just a minute ago. Was that a surprise! When were you planning on letting me in on your little fling?"

Hermione finally finished her study of the floor with her toe and looked up at Harry. "We didn't plan on keeping it a secret for long Harry. We just wanted to make certain that you were alright. After everything that's happened, we didn't want you to worry that we wouldn't want you around or anything." "You're still my best mate, Harry," added Ron, a little over enthusiastically. "Hermione and I, we just, after what happened at the end of last term, we.."

"It's ok , Ron," Harry said. "Hey, if this means you two will spend less time arguing, I'm all for it. All I can say is, it's about jolly time you two wised up! Just try to make a little less noise from now on." He clapped Ron on the shoulder and turn back toward the kitchen. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll just go in the kitchen to see if Ginny was able to find those tarts."

That night, as the boys prepared for bed, Ron told Harry about how he and Hermione had spent hours talking in the Hospital wing at the end of last term. They hadn't really gotten together until Hermione had come to Grimmauld place when Dumbledore decided the chance of Death Eaters attacking muggle born families was too high.

"I'm glad for you, Ron," Harry assured his friend. "Maybe now things can be a little more peaceful in Gyrffindor tower."

"Ouch, were we really that bad?"

"No, not really. Hey, let's get some sleep. I think I over heard your mum say something about needing to clean out the storage closest on the third floor tomorrow."

Harry was glad for his friends. They seemed to be relieved by his reaction, too. "Am I really that bad?" he wondered. Yeah, probably. He remembered Ginny making her point last Christmas when they here after Mr. Weasley had been attacked. She had been right. He wasn't the only one who knew Voldemort first hand. But that didn't mean he had to stop trying to keep his friends safe. Too many had already been lost because of him and that prophesy.

At least Ron and Hermione were happy. It just wouldn't do for him to get involved now. There was just too big a chance he wouldn't be around to see it through. When this was all over, if he was still alive, that is, maybe he could find someone to be like that with. Cho had been a crush. She kept crying all the time. He'd ended up wondering if girls were even worth the effort. But Ron was happy with Hermione... and she was definitely worth the time.

Not that Harry had ever thought about her that way. About the time Ron was learning that all that blustering about Krum just hid his feelings for Hermione in 5th year, Harry was realizing that Hermione was like the sister he didn't have. Without her help he would never have learned summoning charms for the first task in the Tri-wizard tournament. She had pushed him to give the interview with Rita Skeeter last year, and had helped him organize the DA. Yes, Hermione was something special, but she pushed him in a nurturing sort of way, seeing the potential there and prodding Harry to act.

No Hermione belonged with Ron. She pushed Ron, too, but it was more like a challenge with the red head. Harry was the brother; Ron was the one who could light the flame. No one could push Hermione's buttons like Ron. Her eyes flashed with a passion whenever he was involved, whether it be chess, prefect duties, or a fight her was goading her into. Harry turned over and adjusted his pillow. The question was, could Harry ever find someone with the same fire...someone who would share the same passion with him?

They were standing in the hallway. Her arms were crossed over her chest defiantly while she kept her head looking down at the floor. He threw up his arms in exasperation and walked to the living room, running his hands through his already messy black hair. She followed him, intent on not losing any ground in what ever this argument was about. Her red hair was beginning to come out of the knot at the base of her neck and curled against her shoulders. She put her hand on his shoulder, demanding that he turn around and face her. He turned to her and grabbed her face in his hands and kissed her fiercely...

The kiss erupted in a flash of green light as Harry's eyes popped open. This dream had been different. Sure, he'd dreamt about his parents before, but he'd never seen them kissing. In fact, it had been a while since he'd seen them at all. Since his experience with the dementors, Harry's dreams of his parents were almost always voices.. Either the screams of the night they died, or the words of encouragement from that horrible night in Little Hangleton.

Was that their home in Godric's Hollow? Harry didn't remember anything about his life there with his parents, but he had never heard anyone mention his parents living anywhere else. He tried to think about what his parents might have been arguing about. If they were anything like his two best friends, it could have been anything. He knew, from what he had seen in Snape's pensieve that his mother could be every bit as self-righteous as Hermione. And why hadn't he been able to see their faces? It was like an important piece of information was being kept from him.

And then, of course, there was the blinding flash of green light at the end. His dreams of his parents always ended that way. And that was the reason he would never find what Ron and Hermione had. Falling in love with Harry was just too dangerous.