Author's Note: First of all I would like to thank Dramaqueen for all of her comments and input. Your reviews have really kept me going.

I don't mind writing for just you and me. Really. But if there are others reading this story please let me know. Good, bad or indifferent I'm just interested in hearing from others. I realize that there are 14,000 Harry Potter stories out there and I would be pleased to know if more then one person found this one or not. If not, well then I'm glad that at least one person seems to be enjoying it! J

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"Ron!" Hermione shouted, dropping to her knees beside him. He was on the ground twitching.

"Run," he managed to gasp.

Then disembodied voices filled the air around her.

Mudblood.

Filthy little mudblood.

Or are you a full-blown muggle now?

Hermione looked around her frantically. There were two of them, one coming from each direction, shrouded in dark cloaks, wands pointed at her.

"Run," Ron gasped again and then he bit his lip, trying not to scream, trying not to scare her.

"Like hell," she whispered. She crouched over Ron, shielding him. To the two Death Eaters it looked like she was cowering over his body.

They were wrong.

When she stood up she had Ron's wand in one hand and her own, that she'd hidden in the sleeve of her jacket, in the other.

"Petrificu Totalus!" She thundered into the night and the curse shot out like two crashing waves in both directions. Both attackers were struck simultaneously. Both went rigid and fell like plywood to the ground.

She bent back down over Ron. Their attackers weren't going anywhere but she didn't know if more would show up, so she grabbed Ron, who had stopped convulsing as soon as she disabled the one cursing him.

"Come on!" She shouted.

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Ron was having an odd dream. Hermione was there, calling his name. She sounded upset, which wasn't unusual really, but upset in a different way. There were lights flashing across his face and then there was quiet. He could feel Hermione, close to him, radiating warmth. He could smell her skin and her hair. It was like the five years they spent apart never happened and they were right where they were supposed to be. He thought he heard children laughing in the distance. He reached over to touch her when he saw Harry. He was standing above them.

"I was here first," he said simply.

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Ron woke with a start.

He sat up quickly and looked frantically around the room, his last waking memories flooding back to him. They were attacked and he couldn't help, he couldn't stop it. His eyes scanned the dark room and he found that he was tucked into a large four poster bed. There was a shimmering fabric hanging from the canopy that reminded him of the beds at Hogwarts, only his hadn't been a satiny lavender. He also realized that someone had removed his shirt and his shoes and that there was a luke warm cloth resting on his forehead.

He looked at his side and realized that Hermione really was sleeping beside him. She was still dressed in her clothes from the club, curled in a ball, snuggled up next to him. He'd never seen her sleep before. As he studied her he realized she had streaks of tearstains down her cheeks. He reached over and shook her lightly.

"Hermione?"

Her eyes popped open.

"Oh Ron!" She gasped and she lurched up and threw her arms around him. He let out a grunt of pain but she didn't seem to notice. "I was so worried! I didn't know if I did the right thing by bringing you here instead of a hospital but I thought if we went to a wizarding hospital they might find us there. But then you didn't wake up and—"

She threw her arms around him again and he ignored the sharp pain in his gut. He wouldn't give up feeling her arms around him again for anything.

"I'm fine, Hermione," he whispered into her ear, rubbing her back. "Where are we?"

"My apartment," she replied not releasing her hold on him.

"How did we get here?"

"The Knight Bus, or the American equivalent. It's really rather handy." She laughed in a watery sort of way. She pulled back and looked at him. "I brought you here instead because I have a spell on it. Like the one on Grimmauld Place. They won't find us here but—oh, Ron, I didn't know what they cursed you with, I didn't know—"

And he couldn't stand it any longer. She looked so beautiful, with her eyelashes heavy with tears, her eyes so large and full of concern for him. He put both of his hands on the sides of her face, leaned in and kissed her. She let out a little squeak and then he felt her hands run up his chest, finally circling his neck. When she pushed her hands through his hair he let out a squeak of his own. He started kissing her neck.

"God, I've missed you," he whispered into her ear.

"Then what took so long?" She said, her voice husky.

He started sliding her top off her shoulder, pressing his lips to her skin.

"I'm an idiot," he said, and she laughed even as he felt goosebumps lift on her skin.

"Ron…."

"Um hmmm," he mumbled, and he slid his hands under the bottom of her top, touching her flat stomach. Her whole body shuttered.

"Ron," she said, putting her hands over his to stop them from going any further. "Ron, I need to know…"

Not discouraged, he continued to kiss her neck.

"Ron, please, I'm having trouble thinking…"

"Then don't," he muttered. "You always did too much of that."

With a groan, she pulled away from him. She put both of her hands on the sides of his face so she could look him in the eye.

"Ron, why are you really here?"

Ron blinked.

"What?"

"In America," she said. "I've known for a while that the research you wanted me to do was bogus. Then I assumed you came because you found out about Jamie. But those were Death Eaters, Ron. You're here to protect me aren't you?"

Ron glanced down at his hands. This was so not where he wanted their conversation to go.

"Yeah," he replied. "Bang up job I've done, haven't I?"

Hermione shook her head.

"Why? I've been away from the wizarding community for five years. Why are they here now?"

Ron took a deep breath. He'd come up with the whole research for Dumbledore lie just to avoid this very conversation. He took her hands into his and he told her about the Death Eaters attacking Ginny and about the prophecy regarding Harry's son. The only thing he left out was the altercation he had with Harry afterward. He wasn't ready to deal with that part himself.

Hermione sat and listened to him and her hands started trembling in his. Finally she ripped them away and stood up.

"Where is Harry?" She said in an eerily quite voice.

Ron stiffened.

"Harry?"

"Jamie is his son, Ron!" She cried. "Why isn't he here?"

"He wanted to be," Ron said quietly. "But he got a lead on Malfoy. He thought he should follow it. If he catches Malfoy then this would be over before—" His voice trailed off.

"He is a three year old child!" She shouted. "A baby!"

"And they believe that he will someday put an end to them." He said calmly. "Harry said that even he doesn't know where Jamie is. You're the only person that can tell them where he is, that's why they came looking for you."

"Well they're wrong, because I'm the one person that will never tell them where he is!" She put her hands over her eyes and turned her back on him. Ron pulled back the covers and tried standing up. The effort was more painful then he realized but he limped over to her and put his hands on her shoulders.

"We'll protect him, no one is going to hurt him, I promise."

"How?" She sobbed.

"We'll take him home. He'll be safe at Hogwarts. Dumbledore will protect him. We can all protect him there."

"Home?" She whispered.

Ron wrapped his arms around her.

"You don't have to hide any more."

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Ron couldn't remember falling asleep but he was extremely disappointed when he woke up and found himself alone. He had held Hermione all night long. It hadn't been the passionate night he had fantasized for most of his adult life but it had been amazing. They had lain curled up on her bed, talking about everything—about Jamie, about the lives they had lived apart--until Hermione had fallen asleep. And just laying there, listening to her breathing, feeling her body pressed up to him, felt perfect. A life he'd passed on, a life, as Harry had angrily put it, he'd thrown away.

As he lay in her bed, remembering the evening, still half in a haze of sleep, he started hearing music.

When love is dead, I'm loving angels instead…

And through it all she offers me protection

When I come to call she won't forsake me

I'm loving angels instead……

He blinked and looked around. All the objects in the room were not doing anything they hadn't been doing before, but the music was coming from somewhere and it was starting to annoy him. He saw his wand laying on the nightstand and he reached for it. That's when he realized the music was louder there and that it was coming from some box that had the time displayed on it.

Well, it should dance or something so we know where it's coming from, he thought in annoyance. He started pushing buttons and twisting knobs and one of them made the music start screeching so loud that Ron had to cover his ears. He looked around in a bit of a panic and finally pointed his wand at it.

"Silenco!" he cried, but with a bit too much vigor because the radio went silent but also started smoking.

He climbed out of bed, still in quite a bit of pain, and shuffled quickly out of the room.

He found himself in the living room, which was in a strangely disarrayed state. There were half-packed boxes covering every surface except for the coffee table that had a map laying on it. Ron peered curiously into one of the boxes and found it was stacked high with photographs. They were odd, though, because none of them were moving. On top was a photo of Harry, Hermione, and Ron. He leaned down and picked it up. It was their final year at Hogwarts. Ron had his arms around Hermione's shoulders while Harry had his arms wrapped around her waist.

Ron felt a lurch of something in his stomach. But he wasn't sure what.

Then he heard Hermione's voice and he followed it into the kitchen. She was standing at the counter with her back to him talking into a telephone and cutting up an onion.

"I'm sorry we left without telling you, we just got caught up…."

She paused what she was doing.

"I was going to say "in our argument", actually."

She laughed.

"No, you kept your promise, there was no shagging."

Ron blinked at that. Had she just said what he thought she said?

"Yes," she continued a little shyly. "There was a bit of that." She turned and caught sight of Ron and she gave a startled shout. Her cheeks started burning. "Uh, no I'm fine, Amanda, I'll call you later." But apparently Amanda said something else. "Yes, he's here. Yes—I will call you later." And Hermione snapped the phone off with a little laugh. "Uh, I called Amanda to explain why we left without telling her last night."

Ron nodded. Shagging?

"What?" Hermione asked, blushing further. She turned back to cutting up an onion. "Are you hungry? I'm a horrible cook but I think I can manage an omelet."

He came up behind her and put his arms around her waist.

"Famished," he said and he felt her tremble. He loved knowing he could make her do that.

He realized he was still holding the photo and he set it down on the counter as he started kissing the back of her neck.

"Do you want to see him?" She said suddenly.

Ron pulled back.

"What?"

Hermione was looking at the photograph Ron had set down.

"Jamie," she said.

"Oh," he said, slightly confused. "Yeah."

She reached for her wand and tapped the top of the photo that Ron had set down. The images of he, Hermione and Harry parted like someone was pulling apart a curtain and what remained was the picture of a small dark haired boy. Ron picked up the photo, fascinated. The boy definitely had Harry's shock of brown hair and his eyes, but he was frowning out of the photo with such a look that it made Ron laugh out loud.

"What?" Hermione asked.

"He looks just like you," Ron replied.

"He does not," Hermione said with a frown. "He looks nothing like me."

"Please," Ron said, pointing out the rather disgusted frown on the boys face. "If that isn't a "Ron Weasley, you are a moron" look then I don't know what is."

Hermione looked down at the photo and suddenly laughed.

"He does look a bit put out doesn't he?" She smiled at the picture and then up at Ron. "I've been packing since I got up this morning. I want to leave today." She grabbed Ron's hand and dragged him into the living room. "I'll have most of it delivered and the furniture I thought I'd have Amanda donate to charity."

She sat in front of the map.

"I've also been charting our route."

"Route?"

"Well I don't think we should take a broom or any other wizard methods of transportation to pick up Jamie, the Death Eaters could be watching. So I've charted a route by car. It will take quite a bit longer but I think it's safer."

Ron looked at the map, noting where the final destination was.

"How long do you think it will take?"

"Two days," she said. "We could do it much quicker if we drove all the way through but I think we should vary our route in case we're followed."

Ron smiled. She hadn't changed at all. And being trapped for two days with her in a car actually sounded great.

"You know they don't stand a chance," he said.

"Who?"

"The Death Eaters. I thought you might be rusty after all this time but in the alley—you were brilliant."

She smiled.

"I chose to live like a Muggle, Ron. I didn't become one."

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"I thought you had some projects you wanted to finish up," Amanda said, helping to put some of Hermione's personal items into a box.

"Some things are more important." Hermione replied, casting a quick glance at Ron who was standing at the door.

Amanda glanced at Ron and then back at her friend.

"I expect you to tell me everything, you know," she whispered conspiratorially.

"I'll send you an ow---I'll send you a letter as soon as I get to where I'm going."

"Which is?"

Hermione smiled.

"Home."

Amanda helped her pack the rest of her things and then she gave her a quick hug. As she left the office she passed Ron and gave him a once over.

"Without roses or diamonds," she said. "You must be some magician."

Hermione looked at Ron.

"What did she mean by that?"

Ron took the box from Hermione and he explained to her what Amanda had said the day before in the parking lot. They were laughing about it when they stepped out into the hall. But the laughter was choked off when they turned into the two people standing in the hallway.

It was Harry and Ginny.

Ginny looked beautiful--tall and with her hair braided down her back she had grown into an rather regal look. Harry, on the other hand, looked like he hadn't slept in weeks, his skin was sallow and he looked like he had several bruises fading on his face.

"Harry!" Hermione cried in a gush of relief and delight. She took a step forward to hug him when she felt the crackle of energy. She turned her head and saw the expression on Ron's face and her blood ran cold in her veins. Even before she saw that Ron had pulled out his wand. She looked frantically back at Harry and was sickened to see that he had his wand in his hand as well.

Hermione shook her head. This couldn't be happening.

She and Ginny both screamed: "No!" at the same time and both of them reached for their wands as well.

Seconds later the roof blew off the top of the building.