Dreams
It was late and Chewie was at watch. Han was working in the central core and Leia was working on some wiring in one of the access ducts. Two days ago, the fuel monitoring system had a cascade failure that resulted in a small fire. They had all been working long hours to repair it. Leia was replacing a board for one of the microprocessors that handled fuel efficiency. She was wiring it according to a schematic Han had given her yesterday. The moment she tested it, the whole thing blew.
Han heard the pop. He lifted his head up out of the core to see Leia flat on her butt. "Are you okay?"
She shook her head to clear the shock of being knocked back. "I am, but the board is trashed now."
Han pulled himself up on to the deck. "What do you mean trashed?" He went over to look at where she'd been working. "What is this?"
"It's what's left of the board I was replacing."
Han wiped a grimy hand across his face. "This isn't the board I asked you to replace."
"What are you talking about? It most certainly is."
"I said the fuel efficiency board. This is the intake modulator!" He shouted.
"Not according to the schematic you gave me."
"Schematic! What schematic? That's a rough outline! You know the Falcon is rigged, if you weren't sure why didn't you ask me?"
"I thought I was sure." Leia was trying to stay calm, but she was starting to get angry too. How was she supposed to know all the stupid nuances of his stupid ship?
Han slammed his fist against the bulkhead over her head. "Damn it, this is going to take hours to fix."
Leia flinched at his sudden violence. The fact that he'd momentarily frightened her made her furious. "Hey, it's not my fault this ship is held together with spit and grime!"
xxx
Chewie could hear the argument from the cockpit and decided to investigate. He knew Han had been up for almost 40 hours, and his temper wasn't to be trusted when he was that tired.
Attacking the ship was a bad idea. Han saw red, which matched the color of his face. The veins in his neck were corded and stood out with fury. "Oh, yeah, well, maybe if I hadn't wasted the last two years doing charity work, I might have enough money to fix her!"
That pushed Leia's rage button. "Oh, well, I'm sorry you WASTED the last two years too, but not nearly as sorry as I am about WASTING the last week, and the next month. If this stupid ship ever worked, we wouldn't be in this mess in the first place."
"Han," Chewie said.
Han ignored him. "Yeah, well if I hadn't had to pull your sorry ass out of the command center then I could have been off that ice ball long before it would have mattered whether the hyper drive was working. I should have just left you for Vader!"
"Han!" Chewie roared.
Han spun around and shouted at the giant Wookiee, "What? This is none of your business!"
Chewie bared his teeth. "I'm making it my business. You're tired. You're saying things you don't mean."
"Just stay out of it." Han turned around to say something to Leia, but she was gone. "Shit." He pounded his fist into the bulkhead again.
"You should go talk to her, and then you should both get some sleep," Chewie growled softly.
"Don't tell me what to do. Besides I have to get this fixed. We're adding on to the trip for every day this isn't working."
"Threepio can take my watch. I'll work on this. You're too tired to be doing this, you'll start making mistakes too."
Han could see the wisdom in what his friend was saying. "Fine, I'll be in the hold."
"Han..."
"I can't talk to her right now, Chewie, and I'm too wired to sleep. Just give it a rest all right. I'll talk to her, it'll be okay, don't worry about it."
But Chewie was already worried. He'd seen the stricken look on Leia's face, which Han had missed, when he said he should have left her for Vader. Chewie knew that Han hadn't meant it, and he was pretty sure that Leia knew that too, but something about the look in her eyes told Chewie it was a very damaging remark and that Han should set about repairing their relationship as soon as possible.
xxx
Leia could feel a familiar numbness settling over her. She wasn't exactly sure what caused it, but whenever something reminded her of her time on the Death Star, the numbness came. It felt like a heavy blanket wrapped around her. It muffled the outside world, and left her in a muted, safe place by herself. The nausea that accompanied the numbness always sort of surprised her. Why she should need to empty the contents of her stomach when she felt otherwise numb to the world always befuddled her. Nonetheless, it happened every time. She flushed the toilet and moved to rinse out her mouth at the sink. She brushed her teeth mechanically after that. This was the routine, the ritual. It was like this every time. This was nothing new.
She was tired now and a little shaky. She'd had more sleep than Han but only marginally. She looked at his bed, a few minutes ago she'd thought of it as their bed. Now it was back to being his. She thought of going to the crew quarters to lie down, but she didn't feel like going that far. Besides, she told herself, he didn't mean what he said. He was just tired and angry. She went ahead and lay down on his bed; she pulled the covers over her as she was. She was asleep almost instantly.
xxx
Han stormed down to the hold, furious at Leia, more furious at himself. He stomped over to where they kept the spare parts and was confronted with her handy work. Several days ago, he'd asked her to do an inventory. He was mostly interested in food, water, and medical supplies, but she'd inventoried the spare parts as well. In the process she'd straightened them out, catalogued them and put them neatly away. Confronted with her thoughtfulness, Han was taken aback. He dropped his head into his hands and felt like an absolute jerk. An image of her flashed into his mind...her small frame beneath him, the way her skin felt, the way it felt to be inside her. Han's eyes snapped open. You've got to fix this Solo, he thought to himself. He reached into a box labeled spare boards and found the two Chewie would need to fix the fuel efficiency monitor and the intake modulator. He pulled himself from the hold feeling a lot saner than when he'd gone down there.
xxx
She wasn't in his cabin. She wasn't in the crew cabin. Han walked back out to where Chewbacca was working on the fuel monitoring system.
"Hey, have you seen Leia? She's not in my cabin and she's not in the crew cabin."
"Maybe she finally got wise, and she's in my cabin," Chewie joked.
"Yeah, and maybe gundarks can fly," Han responded sarcastically. He stuck his head in the cockpit, but only Threepio was there.
"Hello, Captain Solo," the prim droid said.
"Hey, have you seen the Princess?"
"No sir."
Han went back to his cabin. On the way, he stuck his head into Chewie's cabin just to be sure. She wasn't there. He went into his own cabin and shut the door. He decided to take a shower. She would turn up eventually, after all it's not like she could run away.
After his shower, Han felt a hundred percent better. All he wanted now was to settle this thing with Leia and then curl up in bed with her and sleep for a week. He made another trip through the ship looking for her, checking the galley and even the hold. She was nowhere to be found. Han was starting to worry. Where could she be hiding? Why would she be hiding? In a sudden flash their argument came back to him. The way he'd slammed his fist into the bulkhead, the way he'd said he should have left her for Vader. Oh man, I can't believe I said that to her. He went back to his cabin and sat down on the bed to collect his thoughts.
Surely, she didn't take me seriously. She knows I would never leave her there. Where is she? Is she holed up in an access duct somewhere? Why would she do that? Then he saw a foot poking out from beneath his desk. He leaned down for a better look, and there she was curled into a ball under his desk with her arms folded over her head. Now that he was closer he could hear her softly keening. He crawled toward her on his knees and realized she was asleep.
"Leia?" He gently touched her knee.
Her eyes snapped open, and she immediately began backing away from him, pushing herself further under the desk.
"It's okay, Sweetheart, it's just me. I'm not going to hurt you." Easy, he told himself, don't frighten her.
Leia looked at him like she didn't know him at first. Then her mind seemed to register who he was, and she relaxed.
"Are you okay?" Han asked.
"I'm fine," she said.
"Then why are you sleeping under my desk?"
"I wasn't. I mean I didn't start here. I guess I was sleepwalking."
He held his hand out to her. "Well, come out of there."
Leia took his hand. He helped her out from under the desk and pulled her to her feet. "You sure you're okay?"
"Yes, I'm fine."
Okay, he thought, don't make a big deal of this. He rested his hands on her shoulders. "Listen about before...you know I didn't mean what I said."
Leia closed her eyes for a second, and then gave him a slight smile. "I know," she said. "I'm sorry I didn't consult you about the board."
"That's not your fault. Actually, you've done a hell of a lot of work around here lately, and I haven't been as appreciative as I should be."
Leia shook her head. "You're tired. We both are. This whole thing has been very trying."
Han slid his arms around her and drew her into a hug. "Well, there is one thing about this trip that hasn't been too bad."
"Not too bad, huh?" Leia said dryly. "How flattering."
Han grinned and rested his cheek against the top of her head. "Okay, it's been amazing. You're amazing. How's that?"
She looked up at him and smiled wickedly. "Accurate." she replied.
Han laughed. He pulled her with him down on to the bed. "Well, accurate or not, would you have doubts about my manhood if I wanted to just sleep with you tonight?"
Leia slumped against him. "Thank goodness," she said. "There for a second I thought I was going to have to put my credits where my mouth is."
"Tired?" Han asked.
"Exhausted."
"Me too. Let's get out of these clothes and into this bed."
"I'm with you," Leia said, pulling her shirt off.
Han stopped her. "And no more sleeping under the desk, okay?"
Leia gave him a strange look, as though he was talking crazy. "Of course not."
xxx
She slept peacefully beside him for the next few hours. When Han's alarm came on, he shut it off, and they went back to sleep, but the sound of the alarm began racing through Leia's dreams.
She was back on Hoth in the command center. The alarms were ringing through the base. Imperial Troops have entered the base, Imperial Troops have entered the base, but this time, Han didn't come for her. Vader came into the command center followed by several snow troopers, and then she was back in her cell on the Death Star. Whereas before, she had crouched in fear, this time Leia panicked, knowing what was coming.
Her thrashing about in the bed woke Han. He dodged her flailing arms and tried to wake her.
"Leia, Leia, come on sweetheart, you're dreaming. It's okay. It's okay."
Finally she pulled herself from the dream and responded to him. "I'm okay, I'm okay. It's okay, I'm fine." She panted, holding her palm up to him, keeping him back.
Han sat against the headboard, and let her catch her breath. "You alright?" He asked when she seemed to calm down.
She took a deep breath. "Yes."
"You want to talk about it?"
"No, not really."
"You sure? It seemed pretty bad."
She frowned at him. "It was bad. That's why I don't want to talk about it."
"Sometimes talking it out helps," he said quietly.
Leia fidgeted. "I don't think so, not this time."
Han sighed, but let it go. "Well," he said. "I wasn't exactly ready to get up. You up for some more sleep, or do you want to go ahead and get up now."
She looked at him, still a little shaken from the dream. "No, we can rest some more. I'm fine." she said again, more to reassure herself than him.
Han pulled her to him and cradled her in his arms. "You deserve better than this," he said softly, and set her teeth on edge.
Leia pulled away from him. "Actually, I think I'm going to go ahead and get up."
Han looked at her. She looked panicky. He looked at the clock. "Leia, we've only had four hours of sleep, what's wrong?"
"Nothing, I just don't feel like having another nightmare."
"Well, maybe you won't. Come on, I'm right here. You'll be okay."
"You were right there a few minutes ago, it doesn't help. I'm just going to get up." She got out of the bed and began pulling on a shirt.
Han sat up. "What's triggered all this? You weren't having nightmares last week."
She didn't say anything.
"It's what I said about Vader isn't it? That's what got all this started."
Tears suddenly sprang to her eyes, but she blinked them back. She was not going to be hysterical. Despite herself she was frightened and upset, so she pulled out her best defense mechanism, a good offense. She got angry. "How could you say something like that to me?"
"Leia, I didn't mean it. I wasn't thinking."
She could feel her face getting hot. "Well, next time try to think before you open your big mouth!"
"Hey!" Han didn't understand why she was so angry all of a sudden.
Leia went to pull on the sweatpants she'd borrowed from him, but slung them back to the ground. "Damn it! I hate this. I wear your clothes. I sleep in your bed. I work on your ship, and all you do is kick me around!" She glared at him with an irrational rage.
Han threw up his hands. "All I do is kick you around? Are you crazy? Where did that come from?"
Wrong thing to say. Leia nodded her head. "Yes, I'm crazy. I mean, after all, I sleep under desks, I wake up screaming, I'm letting some smuggler fuck me. That all sounds crazy to me."
"Fuck you?" Han said, stunned. "Fuck you?" He felt as though she'd punched him. "Fine, if you think all I've been doing is fucking you for this last week, then you are crazy."
They glared at each other for a long moment. Each catching their breath, each trying to remember what brought them to this horrible point.
Han began to gather the clothes she'd been wearing off the floor. He unceremoniously dumped them into her arms. "Why don't you get out of here?" he growled.
Leia started to say something, but he stopped her with his index finger pointed in her face. "Don't. You go sleep somewhere else. I don't want you in here anymore."
He made a point to follow her to the door. "You know," he said as she stepped out of his cabin, "if this is how you're going to treat the people who love you, you've got a lot to learn about relationships."
When his words sank in, Leia turned around, but the door was already sliding shut. "You love me?" she said softly to the door. She found herself standing in the hall outside his cabin wearing nothing but a t-shirt and holding an armload clothes. She turned around and looked both ways as if to assess the situation, then she let her back fall against the wall next to his door. She found herself sliding down into a crouch. Her head fell against her knees and her arms came slowly up to cover her head, clothes still trailing from them. She didn't mean to, but she just sort of shut down, and slipped quietly into sleep.
An hour later, when Han emerged from his cabin, he almost tripped over her. "What the hell? Leia?"
She startled awake, and quickly realized what must have happened. Oh no!
Han was still hurt and angry about what she'd said before, but this behavior was just too bizarre to ignore. He reached down and grabbed her arm, pulling her to her feet. "I don't care if you want to talk or not, you're going to tell me what the hell is going on with you."
He could see her set her jaw, preparing for a fight.
"Forget it," he growled. "We can do this like nice civilized people or we can fight about it all day and all night or all week. I don't care. I'm not going to stand around pretending it's normal for you to sleep under my desk or outside my door."
"Han, I'm fine, I just-"
He cut her off. "You are not fine! None of those things indicate fine. I've never heard you use the word 'fuck' until today."
Leia shook her head. "I didn't mean that." She was self-consciously tugging the t-shirt down. She wouldn't look at him.
Han stared at her. "Go put your clothes on."
She started for the bathroom.
"And when you come back out here, you better be prepared to talk to me," he said grimly.
xxx
As the bathroom door slid shut behind her, Leia let herself fall against it. You have really lost it this time, she chided herself. He must think you're completely nuts. She looked in the mirror. Are you completely nuts? I don't know. She washed her face and then put her clothes on and straightened her hair.
xxx
Han was relieved that she looked more like herself when she came out of the bathroom than the pitiful mess that went in there.
Leia took a deep breath. "Okay," she said. "What do you want to know?"
"I just want to know what's going on."
Leia pulled the desk chair out and sat in it. She faced Han who was on the bed. Casually, she put her feet up on his mattress and crossed her legs at the ankles. "Honestly, I can't understand your morbid fascination with this. You know what I've been through. Did you think it didn't effect me?"
"Of course, I knew it effected you. That kind of thing would effect anyone...I just...I've never seen it effect you like this, that's all."
Leia frowned and began to pick at her cuticles. "Well, Han, frankly, you've never lived with me before."
"Leia, I've been on long missions with you."
"Sure, but not this long. Besides, on a mission I have things to do, ways of keeping myself occupied. I'm not usually left with so much time to myself...so much time to think."
"Leia, you were sleeping under my desk."
She shook her head. "Han, I wake up under the desk in my cabin several times a year. Once I even woke up under the desk in my office. Thank the Force, no one saw that."
"Have you seen somebody about this?"
Leia chuckled softly. "Well, let's see. The first six months after the Death Star I spent every day at the med center. Twice a week for nerve regeneration therapy and three times a week for counseling. I still go sometimes."
"Nerve regeneration therapy?" Han looked a little sick.
Leia looked at the corner where two of the walls met the ceiling as though it was the most fascinating thing she'd ever seen. "I had some loss of sensation. Some of the drugs the Imperials used...and the droid would shock me, you know, if I passed out...remember how I always used to cut myself or burn myself."
Han swallowed hard. "Yeah, I just thought you were clumsy."
Leia rolled her eyes. "You'd be clumsy too if you couldn't feel your finger tips. It was the worst, I always felt like I had on gloves."
"But you're okay now?"
"Sure. About 98 percent came back. I've still got a couple of dead spots, but they're not anywhere critical."
She was being cavalier, but Han could see how uncomfortable she was. He was pretty uncomfortable himself, but he wanted everything aired out before he let the conversation go. Who knew when he'd have this chance again?
"Is there anything else I should know about?" he asked.
Leia stared at her feet. "Well, let's see, you knew I was drugged, you knew I was beaten, raped. Now you know I have horrible nightmares and I sleep walk and that I had extensive nerve damage. I think that about wraps it up." She let her chin fall forward on to her chest.
Han exhaled a long breath. "And Vader did all of that?"
Leia sighed, and let her head fall back against the chair. She wished he hadn't asked that, but she'd promised herself to be honest with him. "Actually," she said, "no."
Somewhat surprised, Han looked at her.
"Vader came in first, with the droid." An involuntary shiver ran down her spine and goose-pimpled her flesh. "He questioned me for what felt like days. I actually don't know how long it was. I was so drugged up and there were no clocks or anything to indicate how long. Anyway, he eventually left frustrated."
"You didn't tell him anything."
Leia shook her head. "No. After he left, the storm troopers showed up. I guess they decided since I was scheduled for death anyway, they would, well, you know. I was fading in and out of consciousness then...I don't know...I'm not sure how long they were there. But then Vader came back in. He seemed very angry. All I know is that the other two went away and then the strangest thing happened."
She paused and Han waited, too caught up to say anything.
"Vader came over and lifted me up. He actually carried me over to the bench and sat down with me. I know you think I'm crazy, but I swear this is true. He cradled me, actually rocked me, and you know what he said?"
"What?" Han asked softly.
"He said, 'You deserve better than this.' I remember thinking, you've got to be kidding me. But then he asked to me to tell him where the plans were. He just asked me. He said, 'Just tell me where they are so we can end this.' But, I didn't tell him. I didn't say anything actually. I was so shocked by his behavior, I couldn't think of anything to say. After awhile he left. Then these two little old ladies came in and they cleaned me up, actually gave me a bath and did my hair. They even did my make up. I remember, because I kept thinking that the lipstick was too shiny. I know I was hallucinating, I mean I don't think there were actually little old ladies on the Death Star. I'm sure they were droids but I still remember it that way. When they left, Vader came back and escorted me to see Tarkin." Leia's voice choked. "And then they just blew up…everything..."
Han sat staring at her, feeling absolutely drained. For a long time they sat in silence.
Finally, Leia spoke again. She looked at him. "Still think you might love me?" she asked softly.
Han slid off the bed on to his knees to kneel before her. He cupped her face in his hand. "More than ever."
She smiled at him. "Am I still kicked out of your cabin?"
Han pursed his lips as though thinking about it. He grinned at her. "You were never really kicked out."
She grinned back at him.
"After all," he said, "without you here who will I fuck and kick around?"
Leia laughed out loud and went to push him over, but he grabbed her wrist and pulled her out of the chair on top of him. He tickled her and she squirmed away from him. They were both laughing like fools.
As Chewie walked by Han's cabin on the way to his own, he could hear them laughing and rolling around. It sounded like they were moving the furniture. The giant wookiee smiled and went to bed.
~finis~
Ron lay panting on the ground staring up at a cloudless blue sky. Hermione lay on top of him, and he could feel her heart beating against his chest. He was still tucked inside her. Part of him wished they never had to move, but the ground was hard and still damp with the last of the morning dew. Besides, at some point, they were supposed to take a Portkey to Paris. She shifted on top of him and made that same little hitch in her breathing that she always made when the connection between them was broken. He ran his hand up her thigh as she sat up. She smiled down at him and held her hand out and her wand flew into it. She cast a cleaning charm on both of them and reached for her bra. He watched her slip into it and wondered if he would ever tire of seeing that. He supposed, in the considerable span of a wizard's life, that he might eventually be blasé about his wife putting on her bra, but today was not that day. He grinned at her.
"What?" She was still straddling him.
"Nothing. I just like watching you get dressed."
She chuckled. "I hope you're always this easy to please."
"Me too."
She laughed in earnest at that and stood to pull on her knickers. Ron fumbled for his boxers and pulled them on. He handed Hermione her shirt and she shrugged into it. She stared at the tent as she fastened the buttons.
"I guess we should take it down. Didn't you say Harry wanted it?"
"I think Harry's probably done with it."
Ron shook his head. "Don't even tell me."
"I wasn't planning to. Let's burn it."
Ron's mouth dropped open. "It's a brand-new tent."
"You want to take it camping, do you?"
"No, of course not. I'm never going camping again."
"Right. Me neither. I'm guessing Harry feels the same way."
"I think that's a safe bet."
"So, let's burn it."
"All right," Ron pulled back the tent flap. "At least let me get my clothes."
xxx
A few minutes later, Hermione cast the spell to collapse the tent. She looked at Ron. "Together?" They both pointed their wands at it and cast Incendio. The canvas caught immediately. They stood and watched it burn. Ron put his arms around her, and she leaned back against him.
"Good riddance," he said.
"Indeed." Despite the warm day and the heat from the fire, she shivered.
Ron hugged her tighter. "Are you all right?"
She nodded. "I just want this to be the end of it."
He kissed the top of her head. "That would be nice."
"It's not though, is it? Burning her wand didn't make Bellatrix go away."
"Maybe not, but it's better without it, right?"
She sighed. "Yes."
"There's nothing wrong with a little symbolism. As long as you don't expect too much from it."
"You're wise, you know that?"
"Always the tone of surprise."
She chuckled.
When the tent had burned to ashes they cast extinguishing charms on the remains and Disapparated back to London to pick up the Portkey to Paris.
Harry was coming out of the kitchen when they popped into the foyer. "Hey. I didn't expect to see you two today."
"We're just picking up the Portkey." Hermione plucked an old pencil off of the counter. "What are you up to?"
Harry held up the box he was carrying. "Packing. I'm moving into Grimmauld Place and tomorrow the engagement announcement will run, and Gin will be moving in with me."
"Oh," Ron said, running his fingers through his hair.
"What?" Harry said.
"Nothing," Ron said. "Just, you won't be living here anymore."
"No, but I'll still see you at work."
"Right, of course, it's just, I hadn't really thought about you moving out while we're in France."
"Had to happen sometime, right?"
"Yeah," Ron said. "Course."
Hermione patted Ron's arm. "We should probably go."
"Right," Ron said.
Hermione hugged Harry. "We should all have dinner when we get back."
"That sounds great," Harry said.
Ron stuck his hand out and Harry shook it. "See you in a couple of weeks then."
They started outside when Hermione turned around. "Oh, and Harry, no need to pick up the tent."
"Oh, okay. So…?"
"It's gone," Hermione said.
Harry nodded. "All right then."
xxx
Hermione regretted getting a Portkey from the Portkey Office almost from the moment she and Ron arrived in Magical Paris. As if Portkey travel wasn't bad enough, someone in the Ministry had leaked their arrival time to The Daily Prophet and Witch Weekly. The Portkey had dropped them on to the roof of a hotel, but the moment they walked downstairs and into the lobby a couple of photographers were waiting for them.
"Seriously?" Ron grumbled as the first flashbulb went off.
Hermione sighed and looked up at him. "Let's just give them what they want and Apparate to the other hotel."
He raised his eyebrows.
"Kiss me."
He pulled her to him and leaned down and kissed her. The flashbulbs went off again and Hermione Apparated them while they were still kissing. They appeared in an alley next to the hotel they'd stayed in before.
"Impressive. Apparition while kissing. Risky."
"Not really, I know your body pretty well these days. I'm not likely to Splinch you ever again."
"That wasn't your fault," he said automatically. "And you got Harry there in one piece and that's—"
"What mattered," she finished for him. "I know. You don't always have to say it. Besides, I likely would've Splinched him then too, if I hadn't physically been him before with the Polyjuice."
"Oh," Ron said.
"Oh what?" Hermione asked.
"I guess…never mind." He started out of the alley.
"Never mind what?" Hermione asked, following him.
"It's nothing," Ron said without stopping.
"No, seriously," Hermione said, following him into the hotel lobby. "What were you going to say?"
"We need to check in," Ron said.
Hermione frowned at him, but gave the desk clerk her membership card.
"Welcome back, Miss Granger," the clerk said.
"Thank you," Hermione said.
Ron didn't give her time to say anything before he headed for the elevator. Clearly irritated, she followed him. When the elevator doors closed, she turned to him. "Now what were you saying?"
"I wasn't saying anything. Just forget it."
"Why?"
"It's no big deal."
"They why won't you tell me?"
The elevator chimed and the doors opened on to their floor.
"Let's just get in the room, okay?" Ron said.
Hermione frowned at him, but lead the way toward room 302 and swiped the card to open the door.
"Why don't they just use keys?" Ron asked.
"Because, when people lose them, they're expensive to replace. The plastic cards are a lot cheaper."
"Oh," Ron said, following her into the room.
"So, what were you saying?" Hermione asked, leaning against the dresser with her arms crossed.
Ron sighed. "Why can't you ever let anything go?"
She raised her eyebrows. "Because I can't. It's not as if you don't know that about me."
He frowned at her. "Fine. I always wondered how you managed to get Harry safely everywhere, but you Splinched me."
"Only once!" Hermione said defensively. "And out of a double jump."
"I know." Ron said. "I'm just saying, you never Splinched Harry, and now I know why. It's because you were him briefly, so that makes perfect sense. You knew his body better at the time. See, no big deal. I'm going to go take a shower."
"Right now?" Hermione said.
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because I feel like it," Ron snapped.
"Okay," Hermione said, stung.
xxx
Ron stood in the shower letting the hot water stream over him. He rested his forehead against the cool tile and tried to relax. Being in the tent had stirred up memories of the locket and he was edgy. He needed to let go of all that and enjoy their time here. It was his honeymoon. The last thing he should be thinking about was a Horcrux, but Hermione's ability to effortlessly Apparate anywhere with Harry was one of the thoughts that the Horcrux used to antagonize him. The locket had an uncanny ability to exploit the slightest little insecurity. He sighed and turned off the water. He dried off and pulled on one of the plush hotel bathrobes that was hanging on the back of the bathroom door.
When he came back into the room, Hermione was on the balcony looking at the city and smoking. Great, Ron thought. He stepped out into the warm evening air. "You're already smoking?" he said. "We haven't even been among Muggles for an hour yet. Where did you even get cigarettes?"
Hermione blew out a long stream of smoke and stubbed out the cigarette. "I nicked one from that man at the café." He looked across the street at a man drinking coffee at a bistro table on the sidewalk. He was reading a book and there was a pack of cigarettes next to him.
Ron shook his head. "And you're stealing too? What is wrong with you in the Muggle world?"
She shrugged. "I don't know. Sorry."
He sighed. "I'm sorry too, about before, I'm just tired and a little edgy. I dreamed about the locket last night and all the things it used to say have been rattling around in my head all day."
She closed her eyes. "Me too. The tent was a terrible idea. I'm so sorry."
"Don't be. You meant well. Who knew we'd react that way?"
"It was just meant to be a bit of fun, because of your list, you know."
"I know," he said. "And parts of it were definitely fun."
She smiled. "Yes."
"But I'm glad we're here now."
"Me too."
"Unless you're going to start leading a life of crime," he amended.
"I think you're safe," Hermione said dryly.
Ron leaned on the balcony railing and watched the city move beneath them. "It's nice not having any photographers lurking down there."
"Yes," Hermione agreed. "Apparently it only takes two million Muggles to get some privacy."
He chuckled. "I guess."
They stood quietly watching the hustle and bustle in the street below. After a while, Ron said quietly, "What did it say to you?"
Hermione knew he was talking about the locket. "Mean things," she said without looking at him.
"What sorts of mean things?"
She sighed. "That I was ugly, that you would never fancy me, that no one would ever love me, so there was no point in trying anymore, no point in living even. I would never be happy."
"But you must have known that stuff wasn't true," Ron said.
She frowned at him. "Oh, really?"
"Come on," he said. "You know you're pretty. Surely, by that point you knew that I fancied you, and clearly, you're lovable. Viktor showed up at Bill and Fleur's wedding hoping to get you back. So, you had good arguments against the locket."
"Is that what you did then? You argued with the locket?"
"I tried to, but it was harder for me."
"How so?"
"Well, I was injured to start with, but also, well you did kind of seem to fancy Harry sometimes. You even said he was fanciable."
"What? When?"
"When he was trying to date Cho, maybe, I can't remember exactly when, but I know you said it."
"I was just trying to boost his spirits."
"You never tried to boost my spirits. Besides, why did Harry need a boost? He's the bloody Chosen One."
"Yeah, but he was also short and scrawny."
"But nobody cared about that. He's Harry Potter."
"I know that and you know that, but Harry doesn't generally see it that way."
"Maybe not, but to me it seemed like you were always boosting him up and running me down."
"I wasn't," Hermione insisted.
"Yes, you were. You told me I had the emotional range of a teaspoon."
"I was teasing. Besides, you were being thick."
"Maybe, but you didn't believe in me the way you did Harry."
"What are you talking about?"
"You were shocked when Dumbledore made me prefect instead of him."
"So were you!" Hermione said.
"Yeah, but a little support on your end would've been nice. You didn't think I would make Keeper either."
"That's not true. You're a good Quidditch player, but you would get so nervous."
"See, there's always a 'but.' For most of school, you thought I was rubbish."
Hermione's eyes widened. "I did not!"
He frowned at her. "Come on."
"I didn't. I swear I didn't. If I made you feel that way, I'm sorry. I never meant to."
"Well, it doesn't matter now, but when I wore the locket, that's the kind of stuff that was constantly running through my head."
Hermione sighed. "Which is exactly how the locket worked. It exploited any kind of weakness or insecurity."
"Then I don't see how it had any effect on you at all," Ron grumbled.
"What are you talking about?" Hermione said. "I hated that thing."
"Oh, come on, from the time you dated Viktor you were confident. I didn't see you as insecure about anything."
She scowled at him. "Viktor did give a boost to my self-esteem, that's true, but you certainly did everything you could to undercut it."
"What?" Ron said, surprised. "I did not."
"Yes, you did. You constantly criticized me."
"What are you talking about?"
She mimicked him. "You have foam on your lip, you have toothpaste on your cheek, there's ink on your fingers, you dropped jam on your sweater, pick, pick, pick."
"I only mentioned that stuff, because I noticed, and I only noticed, because I couldn't take my eyes off you."
"That might be true, but you never said anything nice. Never, I like your hair like that or you look good today. Nothing."
"I complimented you all the time. I said you were brilliant and amazing."
"Yes. I never questioned that you thought I was smart and good at magic."
"Why is that not okay?"
"It is, but everybody knows I'm smart and good at magic, including me. I've never been insecure about that."
"You know you're pretty too. I know you know you're pretty."
She shook her head. "I'm a bit more confident about that now, but less so then, especially out in the woods. I always felt dirty and like my hair was mess. I looked pretty haggard."
"We all did."
"True, but since when do you and Harry care about that stuff?"
He shrugged. "We didn't, I guess."
"Like I said before, the locket was great at zeroing in on insecurities. I felt pretty unattractive for a long time. I was flat chested and my hair was hard to control and I had buckteeth. Those feelings didn't automatically go away just because I fixed my teeth, and filled out a bit, and Parvati finally told me how to do my hair."
"Parvati?"
"Yes. If you think about it, she and I have similar hair, although hers is black and wavy instead of brown and curly, but she's got a ton of it, and it definitely has to be tamed. It dawned on me one day to ask her how she did it and she showed me all the hair spells she knew. It was life altering."
Ron laughed. "Life altering hair, that's funny."
"You only think that because your hair always looks good."
He shrugged. "It just lays on my head."
"It's straight and shiny and silky and looks like fire. It always looks good."
He grinned at her. "You do like a ginger."
"I like you."
"You like gingers. I see you look when other gingers walk by. Even little Teddy knows."
She chuckled. "Yes, alright, I might have a thing for gingers."
"I'm probably lucky you didn't meet Charlie first."
Hermione shook her head. "Too short for me."
"What are you talking about? He's the same height as Krum."
"But I was shorter when I dated Viktor. Besides, I like tall men, or have you not noticed?"
"Oh, I've noticed. That French Muggle was pretty tall too."
Hermione blushed. "Yes."
"I'm sorry the locket said that stuff to you. I'm sure it was worse when there were only two of you left to wear it."
Hermione nodded. "It got a lot nastier after you left. I was so hurt and angry. It really latched on to that."
Ron took her hand. "I really am sorry for leaving."
"I know," she said. "You don't have to keep apologizing. Besides, you were the one that destroyed it, so you freed us all."
Ron turned his head away from her. "Yeah."
"What?" Hermione said.
He shook his head.
"Tell me," she said, resting her hand on his back.
"It fought," he said.
"Fought?"
"A lot harder than the other Horcruxes, I think because it had spent so much time with us. It didn't just hiss at me. It manifested fully formed, even Harry could see them."
"What? Monsters?"
He shook his head. "No. It was you and Harry, saying things to me, doing things to each other." He shook his head again. "It was bloody awful."
"You never said."
"No."
"Why?"
"For some reason, I didn't feel the need to say I'd seen you and Harry naked, wrapped around each other, while you told me how you would never pick me over him; that no one in their right mind would pick me over him."
Hermione's mouth dropped open. She shook her head.
"I know you don't feel that way. I know you never felt that way, or at least I do now, but at the time…it was tough."
"I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't realize. If you'd only told me, I could have helped with that."
"Well, if you'd told me what it was saying to you, I could have helped you too. But that's the thing, none of us said, so we all suffered alone."
"Stupid," she said. "Why didn't we say anything?"
"I guess none of us wanted the others to know we thought that stuff."
"I guess," she said. "I tell you what," she said tugging on the sash of his robe. "Why don't you come in here and make me feel pretty, and I'll remind you why I chose you."
He smiled at her. "Deal."
xxx
Harry had finished packing his things in Heathgate and had Kreacher take them over to Grimmauld Place. He showered and went to the Burrow for dinner.
Charlie was home for the night and Percy had come by for dinner. Molly was delighted to make an impromptu dinner for six and they sat around talking until almost midnight. Percy left, and Molly and Arthur went to bed. No one even bothered to ask where Harry was sleeping or offered to make up a bed for him. He simply slipped upstairs with Ginny. When she came in from brushing her teeth, she sat on the edge of the bed next to him. He could tell there was something on her mind, but she just sat there not saying anything.
"What's wrong?" he finally asked.
"Nothing's wrong. I just…"
He sat up. "Gin, tell me."
She closed her eyes for a moment and said. "How upset would you be if I didn't move in to Grimmauld Place tomorrow?"
"Uh," Harry said, completely surprised by the question. "Why?"
She sighed and rested her hand on his thigh. "I'm supposed to start training camp in a week and I'll be sequestered with the team for a month. After that I'll be in Wales and on the road. It's so much moving around and travel. The idea of moving to London and then to Wales…it's just so much."
"Oh," Harry said. He was already upset that she'd be gone for a month, and now she was saying she didn't want to live with him when she wasn't traveling with the team. He blinked and got out of bed.
"Harry."
He turned to look at her. "It's okay. I'm just surprised, but I get it, new job, moving, engagement announcement. It's too much. I get it."
"So, you don't mind staying here?"
He looked at her. "What?"
"You don't mind if we stay here? Just until I leave for training camp. When that's over, we can get all this sorted."
"Oh, yeah, of course," he said, relief washing over him. "I thought you meant…never mind."
She narrowed her eyes at him. "What did you think?"
He dropped to his knees in front of her and rested his head in her lap. "Nothing. I didn't think anything. Are you sure your parents won't mind?"
"Mind? They'll be thrilled."
He sat back on his heels and looked at her. "Right. Then we'll stay here."
She smiled at him and touched his cheek. "Thanks. That's going to make the next week a lot less nerve-wracking."
He nodded. "I wish I didn't have to work, but with Ron out, I can't take any time off."
"I know. But now that I don't have to worry about packing up everything I own, we can at least enjoy our evenings."
"I'd like that," he said. "Starting now?"
She nodded. "Now sounds good."
xxx
Ron and Hermione spent three days in Paris, before moving on to the club in Nice. Hermione spent a lot of time sunbathing with her head tilted back so the sun could pull away some of the dark magic from the scar on her neck. After several days of this, not only was she deeply tan, but the scar was smaller and was no longer a dark red, but instead a pale pink. She was looking at it in the mirror while Ron brushed his teeth.
"I think it's better," Hermione was saying.
Ron spit out his toothpaste and nodded. "Definitely." The contrast in their skin tones was marked now. "It's been a long time since I've seen you this tan."
"Tanning's not really good for you, but it does help the scars, which is weird, because if I was a Muggle, the reverse would be true."
"What do you mean?" Ron said.
"Muggles have to be careful with scars in the sun. Madam Pomfrey had to explain to my parents how my scars were different and needed sunshine."
"Oh," Ron said. "Well, it looks better."
She smiled. "Thanks. Are you ready?"
"Yeah, we don't want to miss the unveiling."
Hermione sighed. "I wouldn't mind missing it, but we shouldn't."
"Come on," Ron said. "Don't be like that. This is a huge honor."
"I don't mind that part," she said. "It's the painting I'm not thrilled about."
"Why? I think it's great."
"You don't think they're kind of creepy," Hermione asked as they exited the room and took the stairs to the roof.
"No. And let's face it they can be bloody useful."
"If there are multiple paintings of the same person, yes, but I don't think that's likely," Hermione said.
"I'm guessing you and Harry will both end up with multiple paintings."
"Heh, Harry maybe."
As he followed her upstairs Ron rolled his eyes. "Oh, please."
She ignored him and cast an unlocking charm on the door to the roof. She opened it and they looked around until they found a crumpled Coke can.
"Ready?" Hermione asked.
"As ready as I'll ever be. I hate these things."
She sighed. "Me too. On the count of three: one, two, three." They both grabbed the can.
A few seconds later Ron felt like he was spinning through the air by a fishhook stuck through his belly button. When they landed in their backyard in Heathgate, Hermione promptly threw up.
"You alright?" Ron asked.
"Fine," she said, wiping her mouth. "I never know if one of those things is going to make me sick."
Ron shrugged. "That's Portkeys for you. Sometimes you puke; sometimes you don't."
Hermione grimaced. "How delightfully unpredictable. How are we doing on time?"
"We've got a few minutes before we need to leave."
"Good. I'm going to go brush my teeth."
Ron followed her inside.
"Miss! Ron!" Purdy greeted them. "It is so good to be seeing you."
"Hi, Purdy," Hermione said. "It's good to see you too."
"I have the mail piled up, Miss," Purdy said.
"Thanks. I'll look at it when we get back from the unveiling. Do you want to go?"
Purdy's ears drooped. "Does Miss want me to go?"
"Not if you don't want to."
Purdy shook her head. "Then Purdy will stay here."
"Suit yourself," Hermione said. She walked upstairs with Ron following. When she reached the first landing, she stopped and walked down the hall toward the bedroom that used to be Harry's.
"What are you doing? Ron asked. He followed her into the room where she stopped and looked around.
"How would you feel if we moved down to this room?" she asked.
Ron shrugged. "Fine. But why?"
"Well," Hermione said. "This room isn't as big as the attic, but it's still big. The bathroom is a lot bigger, and the ceiling is a lot higher so you wouldn't have to duck under the eaves anymore."
Ron nodded. "That would be nice."
"Besides, Mum and Dad gave us the house and this is the main bedroom."
"Alright," Ron said. "Let's do it." He took their luggage out of his jacket pocket and cast Engorgio on it.
"We can bring the rest down later," Hermione said.
"Or Purdy can do it while we're gone," Ron said.
"Even better," Hermione said. "We should get going though. Purdy?" she called.
After she had explained to the elf that she'd like the upstairs bedroom contents, with the exception of the books, moved to the master, Hermione brushed her teeth, and then they took the Floo to the Ministry.
xxx
The main hall of the Ministry of Magic was crowded when they arrived. They had to make their way around the edges of the room to get to the front where Harry and Ginny were waiting with the Minister of Magic. Ron's whole family was also there as were what appeared to be half the wizarding world.
"Bloody hell," Ron said. "All this for a couple of paintings."
Hermione gasped. "They aren't…"
Ron glanced around to see what she was looking at and then he saw it. Two enormous paintings covered and hanging on the walls of the main hall. "Bloody hell," Ron said again.
Percy stepped up to the podium and called the room to order.
"Surely, they aren't going to leave them in the main hall," Hermione whispered to Ron.
He shook his head. "Can't be." He looked at the other paintings in the hall. The other portraits were of the most famous witches and wizards in England. "They're likely only doing the unveiling here to handle the crowds, and then they'll move them."
"Right," Hermione said, but she had a sinking sensation in the pit of her stomach that he was wrong. Shacklebolt was speaking now. He spoke of bravery and honor and of doing the right thing under trying and deadly circumstances. He spoke of destiny and what the Chosen One had meant to all of them. He repeated their names over and over and talked of the important work Ron and Harry had done since the war as Aurors, and he spoke of Hermione's work with house elves. In short, he made the three of them sound like they belonged on that wall.
"So, without further ado," Shacklebolt said. He waved his wand and the drapes that covered the paintings disappeared.
Hermione was shocked by the size of them and by how good the likenesses were. In the bigger than life-sized painting of Harry, he was seated, but the background was dark, only a hint of the chair he sat in was visible. The frame was filled with Harry's intense green-eyed stare as he leaned forward with his elbows on his knees and his hands raised with his fingers steepled and his wand hanging straight down between his fingers. The triangle of his fingers bisected by his wand with his chin behind them reminded Hermione of the Deathly Hallows symbol. She couldn't help wondering if Cartwright knew that Harry had possessed all of the Hallows, but she knew that was unlikely.
The second painting, the one of the three of them, was huge. They all appeared to be half life-sized. As they had discussed, it was a wooded scene. She and Harry were in profile. Ron was leaning against a tree on the same side of the painting as Hermione. He was the only one facing forward. They were all dressed as they often had been when they were on the run: flannel shirts, jeans, boots. Hermione's hair was in a braid down her back. Ron's sleeves were rolled up, showing the thin white scars on his arms. Hermione's neck was in profile so the scar was there but not very obvious. Harry's scar was visible, but again, not obvious, until the figures in the paintings started to move. The standard loop was that Harry and Hermione looked out at the audience as though, they'd heard something and Ron stood up straight as though he'd heard it too. When they turned, Hermione's scar as well as Harry's was much more visible. In the painting, when they turned, Hermione reached her hand back and Ron reached forward taking it. In the single painting of Harry, his loop was to lean back in the chair, his wand shifting to his right hand. Hermione had to admit, he looked like the Chosen One, like he slayed monsters for a living and enjoyed it.
The Minister had asked Harry to speak on behalf of the three of them. He thanked everyone for coming out, thanked the Ministry for the honor, and thanked Ron and Hermione for keeping him alive all those years.
When he finished speaking, Percy returned to the podium to announce the reception. The three of them stood in a receiving line with Shacklebolt and shook everyone's hand and had their picture taken what felt like a million times. Ron couldn't help wondering how many more times he'd have to stand in a line like that. He hoped it wasn't many, but he reckoned that was probably wishful thinking.
xxx
Eventually, they all ended up back at the Burrow for a celebratory dinner.
"They're not leaving them in the Great Hall though, right?" Ron said.
"Yes, they are," his father answered.
"Both of them?" Hermione asked. "I mean, I figured they'd leave the one of Harry."
"Of course, both of them," Arthur said. "Why do you think they were painted so large."
Ron sighed. "That's going to make going into work on Monday so much fun."
"You know they'll never stop taking the mickey out of us," Harry said.
"No," Hermione said. "I should think that will be endless from now on."
Ginny snorted. "Oh, no, you're heroes. What a tragedy."
George laughed so hard pumpkin juice came out of his nose.
After everyone's laughter had died down, Percy said, "You should know, McGonagall has requested smaller copies of both paintings for Hogwarts. Harry is to go in the main stairwell and the three of you into the Gryffindor common room."
"Seriously?" Ron said, smiling. "Now, that's pretty cool."
"How is that any different?" Angelina asked.
"We don't still go to school there," Hermione answered. "The ones in the main hall of the Ministry are awkward because we'll pass by them every day. Our coworkers will see them. It's weird."
"Okay," Angelina conceded. "I can see that."
Dinner continued with the usual amount of conversation and laughter.
Atypically, Harry and Ginny got up first. "We're flying out to Wales tomorrow. We really need to turn in," Ginny said.
Hermione noticed Bill scowl as Harry and Ginny went upstairs together, but he had the decency not to say anything.
Ron yawned. "I think I'm going to have to turn in too."
Hermione nodded.
"Want to just stay here?" he asked.
She shook her head. "No. I'm really looking forward to sleeping in my own bed."
Ron nodded. "Alright then. Goodnight all."
They said their goodbyes and Apparated back to London.
xxx
When they popped into the foyer, Ron said, "Did you think to ask Purdy to switch the beds?"
"They're both Queen size mattresses Ron," Hermione said, yawning.
"But Harry and Ginny have been sleeping on that one. Don't you want ours from upstairs?"
"Fine," Hermione sighed. "Purdy?"
The little elf appeared. "Yes, Miss?"
"Could you switch the mattresses in the bedrooms?"
"I already did, Miss," Purdy said.
"You did?" Hermione asked, surprised.
"I am thinking Ron would want his own mattress, Miss."
"You thought right," Ron said.
Purdy nodded.
"Thank you so much, Purdy," Hermione said. "A free elf really is the best elf."
"Yes, Miss," Purdy said.
"Goodnight," Hermione said.
As they walked upstairs, Ron said, "I don't understand what her being free has to do with it."
"She's free to think for herself. She doesn't have to receive instructions for everything. She can use her own insight, and obviously, she's very insightful."
Ron nodded. "Yes, she is."
Hermione dropped down on the bed and sighed. "This feels so good. I wish I didn't have a pile of post downstairs to go through."
"Forget the mail until tomorrow. You know what else would feel good?" he said, reaching for her.
She chuckled. "You have the best ideas."
He grinned.
xxx
The next morning, well before dawn, Harry and Ginny set off for Wales on their brooms. They didn't talk much, but they flew so close together sometimes their knees touched. Ginny was excited to be playing for the Holyhead Harpies, but she was dreading being away from Harry for a month, and a season on the road didn't seem that appealing either. Still, she loved Quidditch and the chance to play for the Harpies was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. As they approached Anglesey, the sun was just starting to peak above the horizon. They landed at the Harpies training grounds and Harry took a good look around.
"I guess no one's up yet," he said.
"Guess not," Ginny said.
"Want to go into town and get some breakfast?"
Ginny smiled at him. "I'm too nervous to eat."
Harry smiled back at her. "You're going to do great."
"Thanks, Harry." She looked around. The training facility was behind them and the practice pitch was next to it.
"I should probably go," Harry said. He didn't want her to have to deal with the team's reaction to him. Today should be about her.
She hugged him. "Thank you so much for flying out here with me. I really appreciate it."
He held her tight. "I was happy to do it. Besides, now that I've seen it, I can Apparate here."
She smiled. "Exactly."
"Thanks to being on the run for so long, I can Apparate all over Britain. Any game, anywhere. You want me, you got me."
"I always want you." She kissed him.
"I appreciate that, but if you'd prefer I come in a glamour charm, just let me know."
She chuckled. "I'll leave it up to you how much attention you feel like attracting, just don't go grabbing me if you're glamoured. I don't want security tackling you or the press reporting that I'm cheating on you."
"Right," Harry said. "I'll do my best."
She sighed and held his face in her hands. "I love you."
"I love you too."
She kissed him again.
"Now go be brilliant," he said.
She winked at him. "Will do."
He watched her walk into the building before he cast a concealment charm and took to the sky again. The flight back left him feeling empty. The idea of the next month at Grimmauld Place, without Ginny, seemed very grim. She had suggested he stay at the Burrow or go back to Heathgate, but staying with her parents without her was too weird, and he'd just moved out of Ron and Hermione's place. He could hardly ask to come back for the next month.
xxx
In the end, he didn't last two days on his own. Sunday evening, he stuck his head in the fireplace to check in on Ron and Hermione. He found them sitting in the parlor.
"…so that's why it's unforgivable," Hermione was saying. "The hole in the center of the spell has to be filled with the caster's own magic, which is why there can't be a counter curse."
"I guess that's why the strength varies too, because what Ginny and Neville described happening to students at Hogwarts, even though it was awful, didn't sound like what happened to you."
"Right," Hermione said. "I doubt many people have the zeal for Crucio that Bellatrix had."
"Hullo," Harry said.
"Harry?" Ron said. "What's up?"
"I was wondering if you two had eaten dinner yet?"
"Not yet," Hermione said. "Care to join us?"
Harry let out a relieved sigh. "Yes, please." His head disappeared and then he stepped out of the fireplace. He stood awkwardly for a moment. "Sorry to show up like this?"
"Why?" Ron asked.
"You're always welcome here, you know that."
"I know, but you two just got married. I moved out, but here I am back again."
Ron and Hermione looked at each other and then at Harry. "What difference does it make that we got married?" Ron asked.
"I don't know," Harry said. "I just figured you'd want time on your own."
They looked at each other again. "Do you feel different?" Hermione asked Ron.
"Not really," Ron said. "I do like referring to you as my wife though."
Hermione nodded. "Yes, I quite like calling you my husband as well, but other than that…"
"It's pretty much the same," Ron said.
They looked at Harry.
"I imagine Grimmauld Place is pretty lonely without Ginny," Hermione said.
Harry sat on the sofa across from them. "Yeah. The house is huge and Kreacher is great, but he doesn't want to chat or play games or anything."
"I think house elves find us annoying for the most part," Ron said.
"Why don't you just stay here until she gets back?" Hermione asked.
"Yeah, mate. There's no reason for you to rattle around in that house by yourself."
Harry sighed. "I feel like such a baby not being able to stay in my own house by myself."
"Yes, you're such a baby," Ron said.
"In much the same way that we're babies," Hermione said. "I hate sleeping on my own."
"Me too," Ron said.
"When you two did night missions, and Ginny wasn't able to be here, it was awful. I ended up staying up half the night, because I couldn't bear to go to bed."
"Really?" Ron said.
"Yes," Hermione said. "Actually, now that I'm officially part of the family, I might ask to stay at the Burrow the next time you're gone all night."
"You could've done that before," Ron said.
She shook her head. "I think that would've been weird."
"Exactly," Harry said. "That's why I'm not staying there."
"You two are barmy," Ron said.
"I just thought by now it would be different, you know?" Harry said.
"It is different," Ron said. "At least it is for me. I don't have nearly as many nightmares as I used to."
"Me neither," Hermione said.
"I don't either, but I still have them," Harry said, "so if it's okay with you, I'll just stay here until Gin gets back."
"You can stay here whenever you like, Harry," Hermione said.
"Absolutely," Ron said.
"Although," Hermione said. "We took over the master suite on the second floor, but you can have my old room in the attic."
"That's great," Harry said. "I really appreciate it. I'll just pop home and get my things then."
"We'll have dinner when you get back," Hermione said.
They watched as he stepped back into the fireplace and was swept away by the green flames of the Floo Network.
Ron smiled at Hermione. "The more things change…"
She chuckled. As they waited for Harry to return, Hermione thought about their life and decided she'd never been so happy. Finally, she felt like things were really going their way. She knew, of course, that it wouldn't always be smooth sailing. Life just wasn't like that. But for the moment, she wanted to stop and take note: this was good. This was very good, and she was going to enjoy it.
~finis~
Author's Note: Thank you for reading. You might also like my books: The Annie Fitch Mysteries: Exposed Fury and Hidden Fury (available March 2,2021) and the stand alone novel: One Big Beautiful Thing, available anywhere books are sold and on all digital platforms. Enjoy!