Chapter 2:

It was the day Ron and Ginny were due to arrive at Grimmauld Place, and the musty old air was filled with a sense of excitement. Neither Harry nor Hermione had talked to any of the Weasleys in three days; giving the family the space they needed to mourn Fred's death properly. Harry and Hermione sat in the parlor trying to keep Teddy occupied with his toys…and away from anything that could have a trace of dark magic in it, when there was a pop in the foyer. Teddy looked up with his large, brown eyes, much like his father's.

"Hello? Anyone home?" Ron called.

"In here," Hermione replied. He appeared in the doorway with Ginny behind him. "Hey stranger." They both entered the room. She sat on the floor next to Harry while Ron sat on the arm of the chair Hermione was sitting in.

"Did you miss me?" Ron asked his girlfriend.

"Oh, like you wouldn't believe," she replied with sarcasm dripping form every word she said.

"Good." Ginny made a face of disgust. Harry snaked an arm around her waist and gently pulled her close against his body.

"They're just as bad as Bill and Fleur," she complained to him. He simply smiled.

"How are Bill and Fleur?" She shrugged.

"Good I guess. They left last night. They have this really nice little cottage on the sea."

"I know. We stayed there for a few weeks." She looked up at him with those captivating brown eyes of hers.

"What happened to you guys, Harry?" she asked quietly. "I've only heard rumors, and I want to know the truth." Harry kissed the top of her head softly, allowing his lips to linger for a few extra seconds.

"I promise, I will tell you; just not yet." Not in the mood to get in another argument after seeing each other for the first time in several days,

That evening, Hermione and Ginny worked together to make a simple dinner for the five of them in the under stocked kitchen.

"Where are we sleeping tonight?" Ron asked as he and Harry (who was carrying Teddy) entered the room and sat at the table.

"Hermione, Teddy and I have been camping out in the parlor. It's up to you guys as to what we do tonight."

"Could we sleep in the parlor, just for one more night?" Hermione asked as she flicked her wand, causing the dishes to fly over to their proper places on the table.

"Sure," Ron replied with surprising compassion towards his girlfriend. Ginny put the cauldron of soup on the table ad slid into the vacant seat next to Harry. Hermione took a seat in between Ron and Teddy, who was in one of the Weasley's old highchairs. The conversation at dinner was kept light and minimal.

Teddy was fast asleep by nine o'clock that night. Harry tucked him into the crib in the corner of the parlor and cast a spell over it so their talking wouldn't wake him up again. Hermione stretched out across the couch with her head in Ron's lap. Harry started a small fire in the fireplace to ward off the cool night air before taking a seat on the floor next to Ginny.

"How long do you think it'll be before things go back to normal?" she asked quietly as she settled comfortably into his strong arms.

"Probably a few months," her brother replied. "There are a lot of things to clean up. Besides, there's probably going to be a few Death Eater wanna-bes stepping up and trying to be all tough." She gave Harry a frightened look. It almost appeared as if fresh tears were about to spill down her cheeks.

"Don't worry, we'll all be fine," he assured. She still didn't look convinced.

"I wouldn't worry, Gin, the Ministry's doing massive sweeps," Hermione said sleepily. "There's nothing to really worry about." Ginny leaned against Harry's chest while fears of being found by the wrong people swarmed her already confused mind.

When Ron woke up the following morning, Hermione's hand was dangling above his head. He was laying on the floor right next to the couch she was sleeping on. He sat up and stretched. Harry and Ginny were fast asleep together a little ways off, catching his attention. She was curled up against him with her head on his chest. Even though they looked so happy and peaceful together, he couldn't help but feel protective of his younger sister. A scowl pulled across his lips.

Hermione stirred, and her eyes fluttered open. She smiled when she saw the back of Ron's head right next to her. Her gaze followed his over to their friends.

"Morning," she whispered before leaning over and kissing his cheek softly. "How did you sleep?"

"What? Huh?" She sighed. She had interrupted one of the few times Ron got lost in thought.

"Don't worry about Harry and Ginny, they're not going to do anything stupid…with you in the room," she added softly. Luckily, he didn't hear the last part.

"I know, but it's my kid sister and best friend," he argued.

"Didn't we go through the same exact thing last year?" Ron sighed.

"You're missing the point."

"No, I think you are." Her voice rose a little. "The point is that they're happy, need I say more?" His gaze drifted down to his lap in shame.

"I guess not." His stomach growled, causing Hermione to laugh.

"Come on, I'll make us some breakfast." She stood up and helped him to his feet. They walked hand in hand to the kitchen.

Shortly afterwards, Teddy's cries jolted both Harry and Ginny from their sleep and forced them to forfeit their comfortable position. He stumbled to his feet while she stretched out across the floor. She noticed that Ron and Hermione weren't in the room anymore.

"I guess Hermione and my brother are already awake," she said as she got to her feet. Harry picked Teddy up and gently bounced him in his arms to clam him down.

"Guess so. Come on, let's go." She stood up and followed him to the kitchen to get something to eat themselves.

In the kitchen, Ron was sitting on a chair with Hermione sitting sideways on his lap. Their lips were locked together in a passionate kiss. Harry and Ginny looked at each other with amused smiles on their faces. He cleared his throat, and the couple broke apart.

"Morning," Harry said.

"Morning," they mumbled in unison. Hermione got up off Ron's lap. Both their faces were bright red.

"I'm, uh, gonna go get dressed," she stammered before slipping past Harry and Ginny to go upstairs to get her clothes. Both of them still looked highly amused at catching their two best friends making out in the kitchen.

"What!?" Ron demanded when he saw their faces. He got to his feet.

"My little Ronny-kins is all grown up with a girlfriend," Ginny said in a baby-like voice as she pinched his cheeks playfully. He swatted her hand away.

"Shove off, Gin," he mumbled in obvious protest.

"No way!"

"Come on, give him a break," Harry said, earning him a scowl from her.

"You guys are no fun," she complained as if she was a small child.

"Tell us something we don't know," Ron commented. She threw him a dirty look before sauntering over to the stove to see if Hermione had gotten started on breakfast. She wasn't surprised to find that she hadn't.

Hermione finally decided to join everyone else for breakfast about twenty minutes later. She had on jeans and a plain green t-shirt. Her hair was pulled back into a messy bun on the nape of her neck.

"Ronny-kins missed you," Ginny teased mercilessly. Hermione threw her a deadly look. She and Harry couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"Okay, okay, enough. Let's eat!" Ron announced in his typical style. Ginny and Hermione rolled their eyes. Some things, like Ron's constant need for food, would never change.