"How are you feeling?" Hermione asked, as she sipped the hot chocolate her children had apparently decided she desperately needed. Often.
Ginny grimaced. "Morning sickness is bloody awful. And Harry keeps hovering, everyone will know if he doesn't stop it!"
Hermione laughed at her. "Theo was the same. And then my hormones exploded and he learned to back off before I hexed him or he made me cry. Poor man. I'm sure he'll be very glad when this is over. It'll be years before he agrees to any more."
Ginny laughed at her. "Good job he adores you then."
"Isn't it just" she said with a small smile, just as Pansy Weasely bustled in.
"Sorry I'm late, Violet is a bloody nightmare at the moment and refused to stay with Molly. Arthur had to bribe her with those little muggle sweeties he keeps on hand. Buttons? Is that what they're called?"
Hermione laughed. "Yup, Cadbury's buttons. Gods now I want some! Ooh or a crunchie! After this lets go and get crunchies!"
"I have no idea what a crunchie is, Granger but if it's anywhere near as good as the look on your face suggests it is, I'm all for it." Pansy laughed.
"How's things going with the ferret?" Ginny asked before they could descend into pregnancy food whims.
Hermione grimaced. "You're going to have to stop calling him that, you know."
"Not yet I don't. I need to get it out of my system." she shrugged.
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Wonderful, sort that soon would you. You could do with meeting him properly before the twins arrive."
Pansy's eyes went wide. "You intend to introduce him to Ron and Harry?"
"Yes?" Hermione hedged.
"He really has changed then." Pansy commented lightly.
"Yes. I took him out for a mobile phone the other day, he survived an entire day in muggle London. We went to the cinema and out for lunch." she said with a shrug before she grinned, "I thought he was going to have a conniption when he came for dinner and we made him eat pizza with his hands while sitting on the floor."
"Fuck Granger!" Pansy breathed in wonder, "I'd have paid good galleons to have seen that!"
"He's really trying," Hermione responded softly, "They both are."
"Have you made a decision regarding Lucius?" Pansy probed gently.
Hermione groaned. "No. I know I need to but everytime I think about it I want to vomit. I don't know how to meet him when I keep seeing him in my nightmares."
Pansy smiled at her gently as Ginny reached for her hand. "Look Granger, you don't have to make any decisions any time soon. He was a pretty shitty excuse for a human being for a while there and you're allowed to be unsure. But, Hermione, we were all pretty shit human beings for a bit and you've managed to forgive the rest of us. Maybe don't write him off. I remember how broken he was after you disappeared. Mother says she never saw a man so besotted with a baby as Lucius was with you."
Hermione sighed at her. "I'll think about it," she finally conceded.
Pansy nodded, letting the subject of Lucius go for a moment.
"How are you doing with it all, really?"
"Alright, I guess." she said with a shrug. "They're nothing like I imagined and it's nice to have some information about those years I can't remember but it's odd, you know? I'm struggling to marry the Malfoy I knew at school with the Draco that keeps coming to visit and is willing to learn about the muggle world."
Pansy nodded. "I understand that. Do you remember how hopeless I used to be?"
Both Ginny and Hermione laughed. "I don't think we'll ever forget, Pans!"
"Yes well, I figured it out eventually." She replied slightly huffily.
"When were you thinking of introducing us to the ferret?" Ginny asked, smothering a smile. Angering a pregnant Pansy was never wise.
"I don't know. I'm sort of running out of time."
"Friday." Ginny said decisively. "We can get a takeaway at yours, he should be more comfortable there and we'll get this over with."
"You'll be nice, Gin?" Hermione asked anxiously.
Ginny smiled at her gently. "Of course I will. He's your brother. Although once he's used to us, all bets are off and he's fair game."
Hermione laughed. "Fair enough."
"When's your appointment with Andy?"
"For the glamour?"
Both women nodded. "Tomorrow. I can't decide whether to just get it over with or leave it alone."
"Does it need to be removed to get you some answers?"
Hermione shrugged. "No one knows, it's not exactly common."
"You have until tomorrow to decide. Is Theo going with you?"
She nodded. "Yes, thank Merlin." she bit her lip as she decided whether to continue speaking. "I haven't told them I'm going."
"Narcissa and Draco?"
"Yes. I...I didn't want them to take it as a rejection if I decided not to get it removed."
"Oh Hermione. I'm sure they're just glad to have you back, regardless of what you look like." Ginny said softly.
Hermione sat in the waiting area in St Mungo's waiting for Andromeda. Clutching
Theo's hand.
"You know it doesn't matter what you look like, right?" He said suddenly.
She jerked around to face him. "What?"
"You're worried about removing the glamour but it doesn't matter, not really. You're still you, regardless of what you look like."
She was saved from responding by Andromeda calling her name.
She walked into the room to find several other people already there.
"Hermione, Theo, this is Healer Greenwood. She specialises in memory retrieval, Healer Greyson works with her so will be assisting if we need them. Healers Morgan and Collins both specialise in curse removal. Healer Alexander is here to keep an eye on the babies. " She looked at her niece. "If you don't want the glamour removed, you don't have to. We're just going to begin by seeing if we can pinpoint it, alright?"
Hermione nodded, allowing Andromeda to guide her towards the bed. Theo sat in the chair beside her, holding her hand tightly as the Healers raised their wands.
It felt like hours later when she heard Andromeda speak. "We've isolated the glamour, Hermione, what do you want us to do?"
She closed her eyes briefly, making her decision. "Remove it."
Everything was tense as she heard the Healers murmuring incantations before an overwhelming pain overtook her, she vaguely registered someone was screaming before her world went black.