((A/N: Hey guys! Woah, I did NOT expect to get any reviews this soon! I just posted earlier today, and I have reviews! WOOt! I know a lot of people (like michelleywelley, who is practically the best fan fic writer ever!) who have a lot more reviews than I do, but I feel so special when I just get one! So, to all my readers and reviewers:

THANK YOU!

I'm compelled to post this next chapter right now! I won't be updating it for at least a day (although I must say that it is so incredibly hard not to update when you have a new chapter ready) or two, but that's okay -- no way you guys can say this chapter isn't long enough! Chapter four was six pages. This one's seventeen. Tee hee, I think you'll really enjoy it. It is by far my favorite chapter (until I get to chapter eight, which is still waiting to be written. I'm about to start on chapter seven as soon as I post this. But I do have chapter seven, eight, and part of nine planned out). But before I post anything, I must thank my gracious reviewers, who, once again, I love! These aren't in any specific order, really, I'm just going to read them off randomly from my list of reviews. I love you all the same and hope that you will continue to read and review. I don't know if a lot of you will read your replies to your reviews, because you may have stopped reading (-tear!-) … These reviews range from chapters two to four.

Chapter Two Reviews:

VietNaMaEnglish: Tee hee, I like those moments, too! Thanks, and believe me, I will -- I'm addicted to writing R/Hr fics!

Concealed: I know I didn't update soon for ages, but this one's a really rapid update -- Hope you like!

Daydreamer1127: Thank you very much! Yes, I love the twins, too: Good prankers, a little devilish, and.. Oh yeah, hott!

Hpfan8888888: Was that enough 8s there! I hope so, lol… Well, I will of course keep writing. And thank you so much, I'm really flattered!

Aikenlicious: Yeah, I know, I feel bad for him, too. But I can't lie -- It's fun writing about how his siblings tease him and such, because I've been there so many times myself.

True-gryffindor: Thanks . More chapters on their way!

NetMarie:Lol, touchy big thing, eh? This next chapter's EXTREMELY big. I hope you like it! And don't worry, not everyone can stay up reading michelle's entire fic -- I mean, any chapter -- at one time. You may have to come back a few times to finish this chapter!

Also -- Thanks SO much for mentioning michelleywelley's fics! I live for them, lol, and it flatters me so much to know that someone would think of me highly like we all think highly of her. I'm sure I'm no where as good, but hey, you reviewed, and that's good enough for me! So thanks!

Magnolia Lane: Hey! When are you giving me your next chapter, eh? Tee hee, can't wait to read it! I love the part with the pillow, as well.

Shinegami's Little Sis: Hey Vanna, I'm glad you liked it! I luv yalls reviews lots -- Keep reviewing, and I'll keep writing!

MWPP Fanatic: Thanks for mentioning something specific about my writing. It makes me feel like you're focused on what you read, and that's really kool. I love the attention! Yes, poor Ron, lol! But really, I love that part. Which is odd, because usually I hate my writing. Oh, and yes, I try to make at least some of their dreams sound very realistic.

Artemisgirl: That's actually the first time someone has called my writing hysterical -- Thanks, I love comedy!

Oh, my goodness! I have to leave! I will post everyone else's reviews next chapter, in the next two days, I PROMISE!

Love yall!

Toodles,

-Starr))

Chapter Five

Fraternizing With The Friend


The Sorting ended and McGonagall rolled up her scroll and took the Sorting Hat and the stool away. Hermione was slightly aware of this, but Ron did not notice until he looked up and saw Dumbledore standing, greeting the students.

"Welcome, all, to another year at Hogwarts! I have a few start of term notices to give out. First years, please think yourself lucky. For everyone's information, next year all first years will be sorted in a more forceful manner, troll wrestling, due to the fact that you're all terribly hard to feed since you've never heard word of you having to pay tuition, and we need to shrink class size down a tad. Everyone, please venture into the Forbidden Forest. It's tons of fun. Come on, give it a shot. Oh yes, Filch figures he will never get you to stop using magic in the corridors, so he's given up." Dumbledore made a motion to sit down, but then stood up quickly and added as an after thought, "Oh and I forgot. Also, I am a pathological liar. Thank you."

Ron gave his head a little shake. Surely he didn't hear that? He must have been dreaming. After all, he seemed to be doing that a lot lately. He put that thought out of his mind as he heard gasps from the first years and excited chattering from everyone else when an abundancre of food appeared on each house table, as well as the high table.

Ron usually had an enormous appetite. He loaded his plate with the usual: roast chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, steak and kidney pie, roast beef, some ketchup and peas... However, when he took his first bite, he looked around, chewing slowly while pondering. Ususally by now he'd have been done with his first chicken leg and delving in excitedly, shoveling his mashed potatoes in to his mouth. But now, he took his time as his thoughts drifted back to Hermione.

Hermione, meanwhile, was thinking of Ron and poking her peas repeatedly with her fork without enthusiasm. They were starting to split open, and in a few moments some of them were not small spherical, slightly diluted green vegetables, but a small pile of diluted green mush.

"Er...Hermione?" Harry asked gently.

"Hmm?" Hermione's head snapped up; she seemed to come out of a trance.

"Er, may I inquire as to what the peas did to you?" Harry pointed out.

"What, Harry?" Hermione asked. She looked down at her plate. "Oh. Well, I didn't mean to, I was just thinking and eating a bit... I mean, they wouldn't stay on the fork. I mean, I wasn't very hungry."

"Right." Harry replied, raising an eyebrow.

Ron and Hermione kept up this unusual behavior all through dinner. Hermione had gone back to squashing her peas. But suddenly, when she stabbed down again and hit her plate, it brought her out of a lovely dream she had been having.

"Wha--Where'd my peas go? Where's my dinner?" Hermione asked, looking around.

"Hermione, dinner's over and we're about to start dessert." Ginny answered.

Hermione looked over at Ron. He had that crooked grin and was staring off into space, apparently under the impression that there were still mashed potatoes on his plate as he was swirling his fork around in a continuous circle. She laughed to herself and wondered what he was thinking of. She hoped that she was right in guessing what about, but for all she knew, Ron was probably thinking about Quidditch. She sighed deeply; that was the problem with Ron! He always seemed so dense, and she just couldn't figure out if he really was.

Twenty minutes later, Hermione had a very large grin on her face. You see, she had for the entire dinnertime, contemplated a situation in which Ron might get the nerve to kiss her in the Great Hall. She cupped her face in her hand as her elbow rested against the table. Very bad table manners, but for dreaming about the love of her life, Hermione Granger was quite willing indeed to sacrifice things such as table manners.

With a jerk, she realized that everyone around her was rising to go to their dormitories. She looked around and spotted Harry, Ginny, and Neville beginning to walk slowly towards the doors and she tapped Ron on the shoulder. He, too, snapped his head up and looked around.

"Wassamatta?" Ron asked frantically. "Where's the troll?"

Hermione gave him a confused look, because she wasn't aware that while Ron had been stirring his mashed potatoes (at first, of course; he later took up stirring nothing, although he did not realize this), he had been having a spectacular reverie where he saved Hermione single handedly from a ghastly troll, bigger than he'd ever imagined, which all ended in a kiss, before he and Hermione danced under the moonlight... Where the moonlight came, he didn't know, as when he dreamed it, they had been in a dungeon, but... Odd things happen in your dreams, and he wasn't about to worry about small details when he could worry over having her in his arms. He heard someone calling his name from far off once again, like he had so many times that day.

"Ron? Ron..." Hermione said, tapping his shoulder.

"Huh?" Ron asked, staring around again. "Sorry, Hermione, got caught up in thinking about... Stuff."

Hermione noted how he stared at the ground when he said this.

"Right. Well, Ron, erm, everyone's leaving and we really have to show the first years to the dormitories." Hermione said, her confused expression at Ron's words still ebbing away.

"Oh, yeah," Ron said desolately, "The little half pints."

"Ron!" Hermione shot him an angry look.

"Oh, yeah, sorry..." Ron replied. "Shouldn't call them halfpints.

"That's quite alright--" Hermione started, smiling.

"Half pints make me think of alcohol, which is quite more appealing than snooty little kids, so I'll stop insulting the firewhiskey while we look for the little munchkins--"

Hermione groaned. She wasn't even going to try to correct him lest he start apologizing for comparing munchkins with those little snot rags, and then apologizing for insulting snot rags because they were much more useful than those little--

Hermione brought herself out of her trance and called commandingly to the Gryffindor first years.

"First years, first years! Over here please!" Hermione scanned the table for first years while Ron yawned and examined his fingernails.

After a minute or so, Hermione seemed satisfied that all the first year Gryffindors had gathered around her. She spoke to them commandingly.

"Hello, I'm Hermione Granger and this is Ron Weasley--" Hermione elbowed Ron painfully in the side. "--We're Gryffindor prefects. We're going to show you where your dormitories will be, as long as some other key aspects of the school. As you already know, this is the Great Hall, where you will be eating all your meals. Now please follow me and stay close together. we don't need anyone getting lost, now."

As the group walked out of the Great Hall, Ron stared at Hermione out of the corner of his eye. He marveled at... her... her, um, well her nothing, just her. She took control of these little prats so easily, and they listened to her, raising no objections. All Ron ever got was lip back, which then resulted in him wanting nothing more to smack the little brats; he told Harry and Hermione time and time again: they had NOT been that horrible when they were first years.

Ron walked on dully in the front of the group with Hermione. He let her do all the talking as his eyelids begged to close. All he had done all day was daydream; Ron thought that actually dreaming of Hermione would be a nice change from the usual daytime reveries. Her words weaved in and out of his sleepy ambitions to reach his comforting four poster as she pointed out various sights.

"...Hogwarts has a total of 182 staircases. You want to be careful while walking around, especially in your first year as it will take you awhile to get used to everything. The staircases like to move, and some of them have trick steps halfway up that you have to remember to jump. And then there's the doors..." Hermione's soothing voice spoke to the first years about the cautions of the castle as they climbed yet another staircase.

"Here we are." Hermione said, stopping in front of the Fat Lady's portrait. "Here is the entrance to the Gryffindor common room. You need the password to enter, and make sure you can remember it, because otherwise you'll find yourself staying outside for a while until someone comes along in your house. Also, don't forget to note when the password changes, as it does quite often."

"Password?" the Fat Lady asked as Hermione turned to face her.

"Pixie dust." Hermione gave the password.

The Fat Lady nodded as her portrait swung forward, revealing a hole which they all climbed through. Ron and Hermione were quickly followed by the first years; they gathered in the center of the common room.

"This is the Gryffindor common room. You will be spending your free time here. This is also a place to read, study, and complete homework." Hermione told the small group of students.

At this time Ron had to cough into his hands to stop her from hearing him laugh. Reading, studying, and doing homework -- Of course she'd mention those things, it was so Hermione-ish. Hermione raised her eyebrow at Ron, but continued without comment.

"Let's see.. The bulletin board is over there; please check the board check the board regularly and read any notifications. I believe that's all for down here. Boys, your dormitories are up the stairs to your left. Girls, the same on your right. That's all for now, you will recieve your class schedules tomorrow morning at breakfast. Good night."

The first years nervously dispersed to find their dormitories. Hermione looked after them fonly, her eyes shone brightly as memories of first year came flooding back to her. After a moment, however, she quit reminiscing and turned to Ron.

"I'm quite tired, I think I'm going to go to bed." Hermione informed him.

"What, no catching up on your homework? No knitting shapeless clothes for elves, no arguing with me...?" Ron joked, putting a surprised and slightly hurt look on his face.

"Ron, you honestly are hopeless. Just because I want to help elves better their lives and discover their freedom and do well in school doesn't mean you have to be such an insolent prat." Hermione said narrowing her eyes and turning on her heel. In a moment, she was heading up the stairs to her dormitory.

"So we're on for the last one! Great!" Ron called after her, grinning to himself. She was so cute when she was slightly ticked.

Hermione walked into her dormitory. It's great to be back, Hermione thought as she sighed, looking around the familiar dormitory. She crossed the room to her trunk and pulled out her pajamas. As she changed, she thought of the upcoming school year, and, of course, of Ron. A smile crept upon her lips as she recalled the face he had donned when she told him she was retiring for the night. His bottom lip puffed out as he tried to look like she had made him feel badly. It was very evident, however, that he wasn't actually saddened; he wasn't very good at pretending when it came to emotions.

Hermione had finished changing and she pulled back her covers before climbing into bed. She pulled up her covers high as it was a chilly night. She rolled over on her side and gripped her pillow tightly...

Ron shook his head, laughing to himself as Hermione's robes whipped out of sight as she went to her dormitory. He looked around the common room, and, not seeing Harry, decided that he must be upstairs. So without further ado, he traipsed up the stairs to his dormitory. He quickly changed out of his robes (while trying to ignore Harry's sniggering; he was attacking Ron brutally for blushing so much on the train and suggested that if he had so much to fill up his face like that, he should donate some of it to someone) and laid down in his bed, pulling his curtains around his bed. Harry continued making fun of Ron, but luckily Ron didn't have to endure this very long as Harry had eaten quite a lot at the feast and fell asleep quickly. Sighing, Ron covered himself with his blanket and laid his head down on the pillow...

((Hermione's POV)) Hermione woke up early the next morning but did not open her eyes. She had been having a very peaceful dream. After a few minutes, however, she decided she best get up. She yawned, her eyes still closed, yet ready to open as the sunlight that apparently was streaming into the room woke her up a bit more. She rolled over, yawning once more, but she stopped (along with her heart) as she knocked into something. A warm something. Hermione's eyes snapped open and she looked at the sleeping figure next to her. It was snoring and evidently in a very deep sleep. It took Hermione a moment to register what she saw before her, and then she bolted upright in bed, screaming.

The figure which had been sleeping gave a jerk and sat up as well. They rubbed their eyes with their hands, yawned sleepily and turned to face Hermione. As they turned, Hermione's eyes widened. It was...

"Ron?" Hermione breathed disbelievingly, rubbing her eyes frantically. When she opened them back up, it was still Ron there, grinning at her, yet in a confused fashion.

"Morning, Love." Ron kissed Hermione's forhead as Hermione gaped. "Are you alright? Can I get you anything?"

"Yeah," Hermione muttered. "How about a reality check."

((Ron's POV)) Ron awoke in the early hours of the morning. The sun was very bright in his room and he could tell he had woken up just after its rise. Great, Ron thought, his eyes opened so little that he could barely see out of them; they were mere slits at the moment. However, he opened them wider and rubbed at them furiously, trying to wake himself up. He ran a hand through his hair, making it stick up and look wind blown as he sat up in his bed. As he did so, he continued on with his dismal thuoghts. Another day waking up early. I wish I would stop getting interrupted everytime I was dreaming about--

"Hermione?!" Ron nearly yelled, his eyes now fully open. Hermione sat up in his bed, smiling tiredly.

"G-g-good morning, da-dar-darling." Hermione struggled to get out while trying to supress a yawn. "Sleep well?"

"Why the -- why -- what the bloody hell are you doing in my bed? It's against the rules, we'll get -- this is er -- this is -- this is not my dormitory." Ron said, his eyes opened in shock as he looked around.

Hermione gave Ron a breathtaking smile and giggled. "You must have had some serious dreams if you awaken and can't remember your own wife."

"Wife. Er, wife? You? Wife of mine? My wife I mean?" Ron gaped, flabbergasted.

Hermione just nodded like Ron was the craziest person on the planet, including Lockhart.

"Bloody hell." Ron squeaked.

((Hermione's POV)) Hermione sat there for several moments, her face hidden in her hands, muttering words of nonbelief. Ron looked frightened and he leaned closer to look at her through her hands. Hermione backed off.

"Woah, whatcha doin' there?" Hermione asked, bewildered.

"Hermione, I think you had some seriously weird dreams. You do remember me, right?" Ron asked, a crooked smile playing upon his lips as he gently tilted her face towards his. "Maybe this will remind you."

He planted a quick, soft kiss on Hermione's lips which, despite the length of it, left quite an impression.

"Wow...." Was all Hermione could get out.

"Still got the touch," Ron said arrogantly as he grinned.

"Ron, was that the first time we -- what are you doing -- where are we?" Hermione had so many questions.

"'Mione, I'd expect you not to act so freakish towards the father of your children." Ron said, scowling slightly. Then, he chuckled a bit. "Most definitely expect this reaction about your N.E.W.T.s, but..."

"Father of my children?! N.E.W.T.s? Ron, you're mad. I don't know why we're in this room, I don't know why you look so much older, I don't know why you think we have children when that was the first time we had kissed and most importantly, our N.E.W.T.s aren't until the end of next year! I've only just started preparing so don't freak me out about that!" Hermione exclaimed, nearly working herself into hysterics.

"Hermione, I think you're--" Ron began.

But what Hermione was exactly she never found out, for at that moment, the air was punctured by a shrill scream. Hermione gasped and turned to the doorway, through which the noise had come. Then she heard footsteps, and a moment later, two small children ran into the room. Hermione gasped.

"Mum! MUM! Sean is touching me AGAIN!" A young girl screamed as she darted into the room and scrambled into bed between Hermione and Ron.

Before Hermione had much time to react, a boy ran into the room, grinning maliciously. However, he stopped as soon as he saw Ron and Hermione sitting there on the bed, the girl nestled in between them, giving the boy a stern look.

"Mummy make Sean go away, he's terribly annoying and absolutely horrid in every way imaginable! Please, mummy! He won't stop touching me and poking me and--"

The small girl screamed angrily as she turned and saw the boy mimicking her behind her back. From inside a cloak she was wearing she pulled out a very lifelike spider on a string and dangled it in front of the boy. Not only did the boy -- Sean, did the girl say? -- shriek and topple over, but when Ron saw the thing, he shrunk backward, cringing.

"Get that thing away from me, Emily!" Ron ordered sternly.

The girl turned to face Ron, her eyes widened with the look of someone who had just remembered something.

"Oh daddy, I'm sorry! I forgot that you hate spiders. It's just that -- well, it's the only way to keep him away!" The girl who Ron had called Emily turned to her mother with pleading eyes. "You understand mummy, don't you? Daddy always bugged you, didn't you ever use spiders?"

A smile pulled at Hermione's cheeks as she answered the girl nervously.

"I understand perfectly, but I never used spiders." She looked at Ron. "I just had a steady use of good vocabulary."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ron asked.

"Ron, you have the emotional range of a teaspoon and about the same vocabulary. Nobody needed things like acromantulas to keep you off their back, they just had to say a word of which you knew nothing and leave you muddled in confusion." Hermione answered smoothly.

The girl giggled and Ron scratched his head. He shrugged a moment later and addressed the kids, trying to act stern.

"Now, you two have got to quit this right now! Emily Jane, you need to stop scaring your brother -- and me -- with your things. And Sean Ronald, stop annoying your sister. Now go get dressed, the Potters will be here soon and you'll finally get to meet them." He said, grinning now.

The two children's scowls beacame smiles.

"Yes daddy!" they said, traipsing out of the door. However, Hermione could hear them start bickering right away as they walked down the hallway.

Wait a minute... Did Ron just say the Potters? As in Harry?

((Ron's POV)) Fifteen minutes later, Hermione had dragged Ron out of bed and gotten him dressed. He was still gaping at the fact that he apparently had a wife. What the bloody hell did I do last night? Ron wondered.

Hermione led him downstairs (they were living in a nice, two story house apparently in the heart of London. It was nicely sized and had a wonderful, comforting, homey feel to it. His wife sat him down at the table and brought him a glass of orange juice. She set it down and kissed him lightly on the lips. His reaction was something similar to the following: .....................................

A few minutes later Ron's mind was slightly on Hermione still, but also on food (he couldn't help it, it smelled so delicious!). He didn't have to wait long before Hermione came over to him, setting down a plate. She made several trips back to him with various pans of food: bacon, egss, sausage, a small bowl of fruit consisting of ripe strawberries, bananas, grapes, and various melons, and a slice of toast. She also brought over some grape marmalade.

"Now eat up," Hermione ordered. "The Potters will arrive shortly."

Ron chocked on the toast he he had been cramming into his mouth hungrily. He swallowed hurriedly.

"The Potters?! As in Harry?" He asked.

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "And Ginny and Sam, of course."

"GINNY?!" Ron said, after he had succeeded in spraying the entire table with orange juice.

"Yes, Ronald." Hermione answered.

"Ginny. As in my sister?! As in Harry married my sister? Ginny? When did this happen? I'll kill him! I mean I can't kill him but he can't -- he can't kiss my sister, that's gross!"

Hermione sighed. "Honestly, Ron, I swear sometimes that Sean is more mature than you. You know very well that we've been waiting ages for this, don't goof around. You know how they had to go on that dreadfully long expedition, you know that we haven't seen them in years and years, and you know that the kids have only heard of their uncle in books, so stop ruining this and stop acting so dumb. They got married three months after we did, I would expect you do have accepted that, even been happy with it by now. And if the first thing out of your mouth when they get here is to badmouth their match together, I will scream so loudly that a Howler will sound like a friendly chat about the weather." Her eyes glowered menacingly.

Ron gulped. "Yes, dear."

Hermione's expression brightened and Ron, not wanting to upset her again, swallowed his questions, including the one inquiring as to who the bloody hell Sam was. Then, as he was tucking in to his eggs, his ears picked up the sound of someone coming down the stairs. Wait, no.. Someones... He could hear the patterns of two sets of feet at least. And he was right...

"Good morning, Mummy!" A small girl called to Hermione. She was rather cheery and bouncy; her flaming red hair continued to sway as she stood still long enough to peck her mother on the cheek.

"Mornin', mum." Another voice called.

Ron's head turned again as another red haired person came down the stairs. However, this one was far from a morning person: He reminded Ron of himself. This boy was rubbing his eyes sleepily as he walked towards Hermione. He kissed her good morning and seated himself at the table before inhaling deeply.

"Mmm.. Where's breakfast?" He said hungrily, looking slightly more awake at the thought of food. Ron smirked.

Hermione fetched the other two children plates and glasses and worked on getting their breakfast. Ron noticed that while the boy had a ravenous appetite like himself, the girl's appetite was much more petite. More like Hermione's, actually. Then the girl did something that made Ron's jaw drop. She got out of her chair only a minute or so of eating, went upstairs, and came back a moment later with a large volume in her arms that she had evidently retrieved from her room. Ron dropped his fork when he looked at the title: Hogwarts, a History. The girl looked up at him and smiled.

"Daddy, no matter how many times you tell me that I should be eating, I'm not going to change. Haven't you ever heard of multitasking? I need to finish this before I get on to the train, which doesn't leave me all that long, especially since I want to read up on some more spells. I've nearly memorized my textbooks, and mum says that will be enough, but I want to be prepared. So stop gawking, and finish your breakfast." The girl gave Hermione a small wink and Hermione beamed right back at her.

"That's my girl." Hermione cooned.

They finished their breakfasts and Hermione cleared everything away ("Evanesco.") Then she looked at the clock and her eyes widened.

"Oh no! Children, go upstairs and smarten yourselves up! They'll be coming from floo powder in just a moment!" She ushered the boy and the girl upstairs.

Five minutes later, the four were standing in front of the fireplace. Hermione kept reaching over to one of the other three and smoothing out their robes. Ron was just about to tease her about it when --

Whoosh. A split second later, Ginny came out of the fireplace! She didn't stumble at all when she exited, merely shook her head and patted her robes to shake off any accumulated dust. She raised her head and looked at the four people standing in front of her.

"HERMIONE! RON!" She squealed, nearly knocking them both over as she embraced them.

Hermione was about to greet Ginny when, with another whoosh, a young boy toppled out of the fireplace, looking bewildered. He fell hard on his back and grimaced. Ginny immediately broke away from her brother and best friend and went to go help the little boy. She dusted him off best she could before she was interrupted when Harry arrived, grinning broadly.

They all stood there for a moment before Ginny and Harry stepped forward and embraced Hermione and Ron like there was no tomorrow.

"Harry," Ron gasped. "I can't breathe."

"Oh, right." Said Harry, as he and Ginny stepped back.

A moment later, they brought the young boy who had fallen from the fireplace forth, and had him stand between them.

"Guys," Harry said. "I'd like you to introduce you to our son, Sam Jamison Potter."

Ron couldn't help but stare at Harry and Sam. They looked just like Harry. He didn't really look anything like Ginny except for his smile. He was grinning (although very shyly), and the way he did it was just so.. Ginny! But everything else was Harry. Lily's eyes and James' stubborn hair. He even had the same kind of glasses as Harry. And of course, just as Harry had been when he arrived at Hogwarts, he was scrawny as hell. But Ron knew this couldn't have been the way they treated their son, for both Harry's and Ginny's eyes were full of love. He just guessed that Ginny's and Harry's genes combined to create one stick figure of a kid.

((Hermione's POV)) Hermione just stood there, gaping. A moment ago, Harry, Ginny, and their son, Sam Jamison (it transpired that his full name was actually Samuel, but he hated that), had stepped into their fireplace. She stood there, smiling nervously, not knowing what to do. She had acted like that all morning, actually. Ron had to practically shove her around the house. They had eaten cereal for breakfast (as Hermione suspected, since she doubted that Ron, no matter how old, would not bother to learn to cook, even with magic's aid) and she sat there quietly as the children bickered some more before going to brush their teeth and get ready. Now, a few minutes later, she was looking at Harry and Ginny, all grown up! Harry looked the same as ever, although he had broader shoulders and he seemed to be more muscular overall. Ginny had the same twinkle in her eyes as always, the same shriek, the same everything, but her childish appearance had grown out eventually into nice, womanly curves. She was absolutely gorgeous, and Harry looked wonderful. She couldn't move, just look at them. After a moment, however, Ron gave a small cough, and began to introduce their two children.

"Harry, Ginny, we'd like you to meet our children. This is Emily Jane Weasley," Ron said, indicating the young girl who was standing politely and attentively, "and this is Sean Ronald Weasley," He said, nudging the boy back into attention, as he had been gazing around the room with a bored expression on his face."

"Oh, twins!" Ginny said, shaking the children's hands in turned. Harry followed suit, smiling at the kids.

"Oh, Hermione, they're just gorgeous! They look just like Ron! Except they don't have his nose. Nope, they've your little petite one. And this one," Ginny said, patting Emily's head fondly, "She looks just like me! It's like gazing into the past!" Ginny laughed and leaned down to the girl's level. "You're going to grow up to be a pretty one." Ginny winked and Emily giggled.

The three children came together and introduced themselves more thoroughly.

"I'm Emily Jane Weasley," Emily stated promptly. "I'm only just about to turn eleven in a few days, I'm ever so lucky that I wasn't born after September 1st as opposed to just before then, otherwise I'd have to wait another year before starting at Hogwarts! And I'd be ever so disappointed to miss starting by just a few days, I do really love to learn. Of course, I can't wait until school starts. I know I'll miss my family terribly but I've only been able to read about school so far, in my book, Hogwarts, A History. It's over there, if you'd like to read a bit of it." she gestured to the large volume still resting upon the table. Then she continued without waiting for Sam to respond. "I suppose you've read all your textbooks as well? I've nearly memorized mine, but I'm still scared to peices. I hope it will be enough, you know, and coming from a wizarding family I don't think I shall be too far behind, but there shall be so much to learn, I'm sure, that not even I will have much of a head start." Her smile faltered at this point, and she stopped speaking for a moment, which gave everyone time to let this new information in.

"Good God, Hermione," said Harry. "What did you give this poor child to make her so like you?"

Emily looked at Harry questioningly. Then she started up agian.

"Of course, I've read all about your father, Samuel. I've read him in at least ten books, but it will be ever so nice to speak with him in person. I only just found out not too long ago that we were related! Can you imagine that! Anyway, I suppose you'll be able to tell me all about him yourself, won't you? I mean, being his son and all."

"Err..." Sam spoke up for the first time. "I don't really know much, just that--"

"Oh, you don't?" Emily asked, taken aback. "But you're his son! I'd have found out everything I could, if I were you..."

The adults smiled down at the three children as they started to converse. The talk turned to Quidditch, a sport in which Sam and Sean were both very interested in. Sean in particular was very enthusiastic, which was a nice change since he had not spoken up much before then. Emily rolled her eyes and whispered politely to her parents.

"Mummy, daddy, may I go read? You know I'm not interested in Quidditch." She pleaded.

"Alright, but don't get your nose too far into that book, or we'll never be able to pull you out." He said with a smile.

"Thanks, daddy!" Emily said. Before she left, she turned to Sam. "You've got dirt on your nose, did you know? Just there."

((Ron's POV)) Oh. My. God. I've produced a monster, Ron thought as Emily bounced happily away. No.. No, I've just produced a Hermione. Poor kid...

Over the next little while that they chatted, Ron learned a lot. He remembered his children's names, learned where Harry and Ginny had been the past several years, and so many other things (that they apprently just had to catch up on - Ron tried to keep in the conversation but as he had just been sitting with Harry at the feast in his sixth year, he hadn't wondered about this stuff at all) that his brain rattled. As he pondered what the boiling point of brain was, he concentrated on Hermione. God, she was beautiful. He couldn't believe that he had married her! Finally, one thing had gone right in his life. And the way she looked at those children... They were her world, he could see it in her eyes. He was surprised at how well he was suddenly able to read Hermione. He had been beginning to be able to read her eyes, her emotions, her thoughts and desires back at Hogwarts... And then suddenly here he was! He must've had too much to drink, because he couldn't remember all those years in between, but hopefully it'd all come back to him soon, because he wanted to know how in bloody hell he got twins with Hermione. Well, he knew how it was done, he wasn't that incredibly stupid, but...

"Ron... Ron? Ron!" Hermione shouted.

"Huh?" He jerked back to life.

"Will you please go and tend to Sam and Sean? I can hear them groaning upstairs. I just know that Sean's gotten in to the chocolate frogs again..." She said irritatedly.

"How d'ya--" Ron started out, confused.

"Because he doesn't have one bit of me in him and I couldn't count the number of times you got sick from those darned things..." Hermione said. "Now will you please go?"

"Yeah... Yeah, sure."

As Ron walked upstairs, his head ached with everything he had just experienced. With all he had seen. Those kids were wonderful, they were... They were bound to be trouble makers, they were Weasley twins after all. Ron wondered how like Fred and George they'd be; he bet that the twins spoiled his twins. Emily was just like Hermione, which was wonderful as Ron loved every bit of Hermione, and of course, he admitted, he loved every bit of himself, which was really narcissistic of him, but he was only thinking it because Sean was an exact copy of himself. He reached Sean's bright orange room and realized that he and Sean were even more alike than he had thought. There were chocolate frog card wrappers everywhere! You could barely see the floor! Ron walked over to Sean and Sam before spotting a card on the ground and looking at it curiously before swiping it up.

"YES! You got Ptolemy! I could never find this bugger!"

((Hermione's POV)) Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Harry sat at a table for a long time, eating snacks and drinking butter beer like old times, discussing so many things that Hermione's brain seemed to swell, which was quite impressive indeed considering that this was Hermione, and she often read several books in a day (how that was possible, none of her friends could ever quite fathom). She thought about everything that had recently happened until...

"Hermione...Oy, 'Mione -- Mione!" Ron's voice called.

"Huh?" Hermione asked, dazed.

"Would you go check on Emily? I just know that she's fallen asleep reading again." Ron said with a smirk.

"Sure..." She said mistily, rising from her chair and heading up the stairs.

As she did so, she thought of her children. Her children! she repeated in her head, she loved the sound of that! And they were so beautiful. They were just like... They were just like them. They were the perfect impressions of Ron and Hermione.

She had reached Emily's room and sure enough, the little girl was there doing what Hermione did countless nights in her childhood: She was there at her desk in the tidiest room Hermione had ever seen, with her lamp on and her booked open. Hermione laughed to herself as she saw that Emily was using Hogwarts, A History as a pillow. She approached the girl and gently woke her up.

"Mum?" Emily asked groggily. Hermione smiled. She liked the sound of that.

"Yes, honey. I'm here. But it's late and you need to get into bed." Hermione said soothingly.

A few minutes later, Emily was snug in her bed and nearly asleep. Hermione turned off her light and then came back a moment later.

"Sweet dreams, Emily." Hermione said, kissing Emily's forehead.

"Sweet dreams, mummy." Was Emily's sleepy reply.

Hermione walked to the door.

"And mum?" Emily stopped Hermione with a yawn.

"Yes?" Hermione replied.

"I love you." Emily sighed softly.

A small bit later, Harry, Ginny, and Sam were standing by the fireplace. Sam looked like he'd like nothing better than to sleep, which is what Sam and Sean had been doing. Well, more like passed out, after eating so many chocolate frogs. They said their goodbyes to each other and Harry and Ginny promised that they would all stop by the next day. Then, with a last few hugs, they all stepped into the Weasley's fireplace one by one and disappeared.

"Let's go to bed, Love." Ron said, kissing Hermione. Her knees shoke but she tried to not let him notice. After all, they had been married for eleven years.

"Okay." She whispered and let him lead her upstairs.

Their room was quiet and cool and Ron shut the windows before climbing into bed with Hermione. He kissed her again as they laid down on the bed. They fell asleep shortly after, with Hermione's arms contentedly around her husband's. She sighed. Her husband's... She liked the sound of that, too.

((Ron's POV)) After Harry, Ginny, and Sam had left, Hermione yawned and suggested they get to bed. Ron gladly followed, glad it was dark because even at the slight touch of her as she grabbed his hand and led him upstairs, he knew he had began to blush. They went into their room and closed their door quietly. They got into the bed and laid under the covers. Hermione was curled up snugly, right next to Ron. He had an extremely large grin on his face as her body molded against his; they must have laid like this every night. Ron couldn't wait for him to get over his ... drunkeness or amnesia bout, or whatever this was. He loved this and never wanted it to end. He loved her. And he shakily told her so. She laughed and snuggled up a bit closer.

"I love you, Ronald Weasley. And I always will." She whispered, and he felt all warm and tingly inside as she turned over to face him and kissed him deeply on the lips.

He loved his wife. He sighed. Yes, it finally had happened. Hermione Granger was his wife. His lawfully wedded wife, and she loved him and always would. He was glowing so much, he could have been a lightbulb. They fell into a slumber with their lips gently touching and Ron saying over and over again in his mind She's my wife and she loves me. He liked that thought very much.

((Hermione's POV)) Hermione's eyes opened the next day. Wait... No, it wasn't the next day! Oh my goodness! She nearly screamed as she sat up in her four poster bed. The curtains around her bed opened and she gasped. Lavender was standing by her bed with a concerned expression on her face.

"Hermione, are you alright? I heard you talking in your sleep, I think. What were you doing?" She asked.

"Oh, just.. fraternizing with a friend." Hermione answered.

Lavender left her, mumbling something about going back to bed.

Hermione mumbled under her breath, "And then some."

Hermione had to get out of that dormitory and think about this. Why was she thinking about him so much? He was supposed to be her best friend, that was it. She sighed, angry with herself, as she put on her pink dressing gown and headed downstairs.

((Ron's POV)) Ron moaned angrily as he heard giggles. He supposed it was the next day, and he guessed that it was the twins who were already up. But then he opened his eyes to give Hermione a kiss -- And met a pillow.

The giggles increased dramatically at this point. Ron sat up in bed. Oh no! He was in his dormitory! Damnit, not another dream!

"I see what Ginny and the twins meant when they were talking about your pillow snogging habit." Harry wrinkled his nose, looking very much like Ginny. "It's gross."

The Gryffindor boys continued to laugh at this point and Ron threw his slightly drooled on pillow at them. He told them to bugger off as he grabbed his dressing robe and headed down to the common room. As he stomped down the stairs, not particuarly caring who he disturbed, he cursed himself. It was another dream, Ron. Another dream about her that's never going to become true. Fan. Bloody. Tastic.

Ron and Hermione, both looking down at their feet, still mentally kicking themselves, did not see each other across the room. They knew the common room so well that even in the dark, and without looking up, they could find their way around it. They both headed to the same love seat and plopped down... They both were emmersed in their own thoughts until...

They both stretched at the same time, and opened their mouths wide, yawning, then, they both happened to look towards where the other was seated at the same time, and their yawns turned into a shriek from Hermione and a "Bloody hell!" from Ron.