Chapter Three: With Friends Again

Hermione and Harry stepped out of the fireplace into a cozy looking bedroom. They were covered in ashes and some soot, still in the air, flew into Hermione's mouth and she began to cough violently.

"God," she sputtered, "I haven't traveled this way for years," she muttered as she began to recover from the ashes in her throat.

Harry slapped her hard on the back in hopes of making her stop coughing.

"Argh. Thanks, Harry. That worked. I'd forgotten what traveling that way could be like," she said as she straightened herself out.

Hermione stood up straight and looked around the bedroom. Everything about number twelve, Grimmauld Place was the same, except it was much cleaner than before. The last time she had been there had been was three years ago when Harry decided to take it and make it his own. The setting was warmer now. It felt like a well lived in home at present, instead of the gloomy old house it was in the past.

"Um, you can follow me into the kitchen if you want. That's where Ginny is, I think," Harry said as he walked out of the bedroom into the hallway.

Hermione followed him out the doorway and into the corridor. They walked down the stairway and into the kitchen area, which she remembered was in the basement. When they arrived closer to their destination, Hermione could smell the scent of Shepherd's Pie in the air. The aroma of finely chopped onions and lamb overflowed the hall.

Harry finally pushed the door to the kitchen open and Hermione saw Ginny standing over the stove, swishing her wand about over the pots and pans. Hermione surveyed the scene more closely and realized quite quickly that Ginny looked like she had put on more weight in the stomach area. Ginny looked over from where she was standing, saw Hermione, and screamed.

"Oh my God! Hermione! Harry, you found her!" Ginny shouted as she reached out to hug Hermione.

Hermione ran over to Ginny and began to embrace her.

"Oh, careful, don't want to crush the baby before he's born!" Ginny exclaimed as she pulled away from Hermione.

"Baby?" Hermione asked as she looked at Ginny's belly. "Oh my god, you're pregnant? Can I feel him?"

"Of course," Ginny said.

Hermione put her hands on Ginny's tummy and felt a small presence within it. The last time she had felt a pregnant woman's belly was when her mother was pregnant with the younger sister she had never got to know. An unforeseeable miscarriage was what did the unfortunate infant in. Her name was to be "Athena", but Hermione's parents never got a chance to have her be alive.

Hermione removed her hands from Ginny and smiled.

"What are you going to name him, assuming it's a boy?" she asked Ginny.

Ginny looked over to Harry and nodded to him.

"James, after my father," Harry replied.

"How wonderful!" Hermione said.

Hermione felt better and more warmhearted than she had in years. Being back with Harry and Ginny was wonderful and she couldn't believe that she had stayed away from them for so long.

"Well, sit down. We have much to catch up on!" Harry said, beaming.

Hermione sat down in a wobbly chair at the head of the table and placed her bag on the surface. She couldn't remember a time when she had been so happy, well at least, not since Harry defeated Voldemort. She looked over at Ginny and saw the ecstasy in her face. It was good to be with friends again she thought to herself.

Ginny waddled over to the table and sat down with difficulty.

"God, it's been getting harder and harder to sit down these days," she said with a huff.

"I bet," Hermione said. "So what have you been up to Ginny? Not working at the Ministry currently?"

"No, they gave me maternity leave. Of course it would've been nearly impossible for me to do my job while in this condition. Traveling all over the country to undo Hexes is not easy as it is," Ginny said with a laugh.

"Yeah, and what's great is that they are still paying her full salary while she sits at home and does nothing!" Harry interjected.

"Excuse me!" Ginny retorted. "You ass! I do nothing? What do you think I am doing right now you bloody fool?"

Just then she saw Ginny's wand wielding hand fly back over her head and right at Harry. A shot of purple light went right past his head by two inches and hit a potted plant sitting on a pedestal behind him. Immediately the plant began to sprout horns and hair.

"Oy!" Harry shouted. "I was just kidding Gin! I know you've been cleaning and cooking the entire time you've been home."

Hermione suddenly felt awkward being in the middle of this marital fight. She began to recline in her chair as if doing that would make her invisible to the situation. But as soon as she did this she realized that little fights like this happened quite often and as soon as it began, it was over and Ginny was kissing Harry right on the lips.

"God, I love you," Harry said as Ginny pulled away.

"Likewise, Potter," Ginny replied. "You're lucky I missed this time."

The wobbly chair beneath Hermione squeaked as she shifted her weight. Harry and Ginny then realized that she was still there and acted as if nothing happened.

"So, you never told me what you were doing at the Ministry today, Hermione," Harry directed at her.

"Uh, it's nothing you know. Just a job," she said sheepishly.

"Just a job," Harry said, mocking her. "What could be so embarrassing that the marvelously talented Hermione Granger cannot tell us?"

Harry and Ginny stared at Hermione with a great intensity. She could tell that they would not give up until she gave up her secret.

"Oh, blast it. All right. I'm doing a potions internship for a year." She said relieved.

"Potions?" Harry questioned. "Wait a minute…SNAPE? You're working under SNAPE?"

"You don't have to shout," Hermione whispered.

"Actually I do. You? Working under Professor Snape? God, what is the world coming to?" Harry bellowed.

"Harry," Ginny spoke. "Don't forget that he is the one who worked with Dumbledore to protect your life."

"Yeah, but…He was in love with my mother for Gods sake. That was the only reason. Ugh. I don't even want to think about the nasty thoughts he had about her," Harry said with disgust.

"Harry, I was surprised too. I had no idea that he would be whom I was working under until I got there today. I didn't want to believe it. But he is a brilliant man, and I will learn so much from him in this time period and I'm not going to give all that up just because he is unpleasant," Hermione said.

"Good for you Hermione," Ginny said. "Ooh. Dinner is ready!"

Ginny jumped up and served the food onto three plates. They magically floated over to the table and plopped down right in front of the three occupied seats. Hermione was so excited to eat a real meal for once. She hadn't had a truly good home cooked meal since she lived at home with her parents.

Just as she was about to eat a bite of the delicious Shepherd's Pie in front of her, a knock at the front door was heard, followed by a doorbell ring that was quite unusual. A look of shock came over Harry and Ginny's faces as this happened, as if they all of a sudden remembered something that they had forgotten. Hermione was pondering what it could be when Harry got up and started up the stairs.

"Won't be a moment," he said as he sprinted up the stairs.

"Expecting visitors tonight?" Hermione asked Ginny.

"Erm," Ginny garbled while avoiding her eyes.

From the entrance hall Hermione could hear the faint sounds of the front door closing. She heard two male voices, one obviously Harry's and the other not quite recognizable. Hermione didn't know what to expect as she heard the pairs of footsteps coming down the stairway.

She looked to Ginny for an answer, and all Ginny could say was, "Sorry, I forgot he was visiting tonight. Please don't do anything irrational."

"Irrational? What?" Hermione didn't understand.

Just then she understood what was going on. She saw the glimmer of short ginger hair appear through the door to the kitchen. She knew at once why Ginny had been sorry. Ron was there and Hermione hadn't seen him since their falling out.

"Yum," Ron muttered. "What smells so goo…" Then he saw Hermione.

His eyes went wide and he realized that his ex-girlfriend was standing there in the room. He turned to leave when Harry stopped him.

"Don't you dare! We are not going to have our evening ruined just because you feel guilty. Stay and suck it up," Harry said to him.

"Yeah, alright," He replied.

Ron walked to the opposite side of the table and sat down. Hermione noticed that he had gotten a lot more bulked up since she had last seen him. He was quite the opposite of clean-shaven and had several ear piercings. Hermione assumed that fame had gone to his head. She wondered what compelled Ron to make such drastic changes. Surely women did not find him attractive like this.

"You look…" She tried to search for a polite way to say it. "different, Ronald."

"Yeah, what about it?" He said while picking something from under his fingernail.

Hermione stayed silent for the rest of the evening, only speaking when Harry or Ginny asked her a direct question. Every once and a while she would take a short glance over at Ron. Even though he was changed and had previously cheated on her, there was still some longing there in her heart for the man sitting across from her.

"Well," Ron announced. "I'm off. Thanks for the food Gin."

And with a kiss on Ginny's forehead, Ron was off, swiftly up the stairs and out of the house with a slam of the door.

"Well," Ginny said softly. "It could've been much worse."

"Yeah, like how?" Hermione demanded.

"Let's not dwell on this please," Harry pleaded.

"I have to go home," Hermione said. "Got to feed Crookshanks."

"Goodbye," Harry and Ginny said in unison.

"You'll come by again soon?" Ginny asked.

"Of course," Hermione said. "As long as Ronald isn't here."

"He won't be bothering you again. We promise. I'll owl you, alright?" Harry said to her as he gave her a hug.

Hermione held Harry tight, giving him a squeeze to let him know that she really cared. He reciprocated this emotion by pulling her in even tighter. They then let go and Hermione gave Ginny a quick side embrace as to not squash the baby. Hermione stepped away from both of them and gave a quick wave. She turned around and imagined in her mind her small, yet cozy apartment. She then Apparated to her door and stood there with a sigh.

It was great to have Harry and Ginny back in her life, but she was going to have to get used to Ron showing up unexpectedly. She decided then and there that the next time she saw him that she would tell him how she felt and then she would feel free of the burden that had been holding her down for two years.