A/N: Here's a new chapter. I was actually supposed to post this last week but time got away from me. But then again, what else is new? However, I finally got to it and I hope you like it.

Thank you for reading this story and being so so patient with me, I appreciate it very much!

Enjoy ^^

By the time Molly came back the three Weasley children were up again, playing in the living room with the guys and Lily and Hermione had given a bottle to the twins, still keeping them in their arms.

"How is Gideon?" was the first thing that came out of Hermione's mouth.

"Nothing he can't take. He can even go home tomorrow," the matriarch told her. She didn't want to go into detail. Hermione knew of the Order's existence but the other three didn't and she'd like to keep it that way.

"That's good news."

"And how did it go today? Not too hard?"

"Same as always. It helped that the others were here. They helped a lot."

Mrs Weasley turned to the others. The two wizards sitting on the floor with her three oldest sons and the girls each holding a twin. Nothing seemed wrong, no one seemed mentally exhausted. Okay, apparently the kids had behaved. "Thank you for helping out," she told them.

"Don't worry. It was a nice opportunity to see Bill, Charlie and Percy again. And I finally got to meet Fred and George," Lily informed the matriarch.

Molly prepared dinner and insisted the other three stayed and ate with them. Her friends relented pretty easily. Dinner was a cosy affair. The twins were asleep, Bill had claimed his spot on Hermione's lap and Percy, after asking permission, had taken his spot on Lily's lap. Charlie just sitting in his own spot.

They only went back home when it was late, all the children asleep and the sky dark outside.

Hermione wrote them a couple of letters and received a few back but she didn't see them again until they went back to Hogwarts.

When Gideon was allowed to go home, Molly made him eat at the Burrow and gave him several dishes to take home. Her brothers may not live with her but sometimes it felt like they did. Not that they minded. They loved their sister, their worried mother hen sister. Hermione too, always asking whether they were okay, whether they were fine. They hadn't seen the brunette overly much but they had grown fond of her, knowing what she meant to Molly.

A few days before the students were supposed to head back to Hogwarts the Daily Prophet reported an attack on a muggle family. They suspected that Voldemort's followers had something to do with it. And seeing that the son of those muggles was a student at Hogwarts, Hermione thought their suspicion was right. Lucas was a muggleborn. No place for him or his muggle parents in Voldemort's world. Luckily, the family had gotten away alive. Admittedly, they had gotten hurt but they were still alive.

That didn't make the worry and concern leave from her almost parents when they stood on the platform, waiting for the train to leave after all the students had boarded. Hermione thought that it was half how Molly usually was and half because she had five children – two of which were still babies. Not forgetting the fact that her brother had gotten hurt recently.

"Now, promise you'll be careful, dear."

"I will." She gave them both a hug and then turned towards the five kids. First she gave a kiss to each twin. Then she gave Percy and Charlie a hug and finally she pulled Bill in a hug. She would miss them for the next couple of months.

Before she hopped on, she heard someone yelling her name. "Mione!" She looked around, finding the marauder who had called her. Sirius came towards her, greeting the Weasleys. "Mione, the train is about to leave."

"I know. I'm coming." Then she turned back to Bill. "You know what to do?" she asked him.

He nodded. "Watch my brothers and send you letters whenever I want."

"Exactly. I'll miss you, sweetie." And with one last hug and kiss on the cheek, she put him back down. She was only eighteen and hadn't known Bill for very long – almost a year now – but sometimes it felt like he was hers, like she knew what it was like to have a child. Never had she expected that he – or anyone else here for that matter – would have such an effect on her. She waved goodbye and boarded the train together with Sirius.

The moment they left the Weasleys' sight, he pulled her close and kissed her. "Merlin, I missed you."

She smiled, giving him a hug. "You haven't seen me for a week, give or take."

"And it was one of the longest weeks ever."

"You sure love to be dramatic."

"Does that mean you didn't miss me?"

"I didn't even have time for myself with all the kids, let alone time to miss you." He looked at her incredulously. A grin crossed her face. "Of course I missed you." And just before she gave him a kiss she said teasingly, "Snuffles."

He half chuckled half snorted into the kiss as he heard her say it. "It's been a while since I heard you call me that."

"I know. I probably should do it more often."

"Maybe," he said. Then he took her hand and pulled her with him, looking for an empty compartment, knowing the others would arrive later.

Once in a compartment he pulled her close. She was leaning against him, head on his shoulder and his arm around her. She looked better, less tired, not like she had been the couple of weeks before Easter break had started. Good.

"Ready for the last few months at Hogwarts?" he asked her.

"I'm not sure. It feels like yesterday when I first came here." And it did feel like she had just received her Hogwarts letter, like she had first stepped into the Great Hall, like all those years had passed by in the blink of an eye. Of course, for Sirius and the others it would seem as if she really just did came here. There was nothing she could do about that. "What about you?"

"It feels weird," he told her. "Hogwarts was the first real home I'd ever known. When I finally moved in with the Potters their home became my home, which in turn made Hogwarts my second home." She could relate. It wasn't like her parents had treated her badly or anything like that. No, they had loved her, cared for her. But she was different. And though they tried to understand and tried to help her, they weren't always able to. Hogwarts had also been her first real home once she found out that she was a witch. So yes, she could understand. Especially now.

In a different timeline with different people – some of which she knew in the future and some of which she didn't – Hogwarts had remained a constant. She knew Hogwarts, knew the professors, knew the rules, knew the passageways, knew its secrets. She knew exactly what he was talking about.

"I made friends there, pulled pranks, had fights." Then he looked at her. "I met you there." His eyes held something tender. Even if she wouldn't have been looking at him his voice was enough to know, his tone soft, fond.

"I met you there," she echoed. His arm tightened around her, wanting to pull her closer even though she was almost sitting in his lap as it was. She enjoyed this. Just the two of them, sitting together calmly, enjoying each other's company. She wished this moment could last. It felt so serene.

But the spell was eventually broken when the others started to file in. "Remus, how was your break?" she asked him.

"Good but a little tiring." Right. There had been a full moon.

"Are you alright?" She tried to keep her tone light and normal, tried to conceal any worry she was feeling.

"I'm fine," he told her.

"Peter, how was yours?" Lily asked him.

"Not much happened. I mostly helped my mom with the shop."

"As long as you weren't bored I count that as a win," James said.

"I wouldn't call it a win. I wasn't bored per se but it was not like I really enjoyed working at the shop either," he shrugged.

"Did your sister bother you a lot after you went back home?" Hermione asked.

"What do you think?" And just like that conversation flowed between them. They kept it light, talking for a bit when someone came to say hi, buying something from the trolley and snacking a little. Hermione was sure to buy a couple extra chocolate frogs and gave them to Remus.

That evening at dinner Dumbledore made another announcement. "Welcome back. I hope you all enjoyed your well-deserved Easter break." This was met with applause and a few cheers. Then he held up his hands, silencing them. "I have a couple of things that I would like to say. First, this past week there has been an attack on the family of one of our students. They were hurt but are being treated as we speak. They will recover. I would just like to say that there is danger outside of these walls and that you need to be prepared. We will help with that as much as we can." He paused for a moment, letting it sink in. "Second, the next couple of months will be the last months our seventh years will be spending here. Make it a time to remember. Now, let's eat. Enjoy."