ONE YEAR AFTER THE BATTLE OF HOGWARTS- 1999

"I don't know Ginny. It's only been a year. Doesn't it feel…soon…to be celebrating something that was so awful?" Hermione was trying very hard to sit still in rather uncomfortable dress robes while Fleur applied powders and creams to her face.

"You know, Harry said the same thing this morning." Ginny began, then blushed when she realized the connotations thereof. Hermione raised an eyebrow and turned to look at her friend, receiving a small smack from Fleur for moving. "But I think you're both wrong." Ginny was looking in the only mirror in the small Burrow bedroom that was still hers and appeared as though it hadn't been slept in for weeks. "Think about Fred. And Tonks. Not Lupin, maybe, but Sirius! Dumbledore! And Colin and Lavender! Wouldn't they have all been eager for a party?" Hermione frowned at this very good point, and couldn't help thinking that maybe the wrong people had…no.

"Okay. For them."

"Magnifique! You are done." Fleur kissed Hermione's hair, careful not to touch her finished makeup or hair. Hermione grimaced and Fleur rolled her eyes. "Ma chére, I know you are a…natural girl. I did not do much." Hermione and Ginny giggled.

Fleur moved out of the way so that Hermione could access the mirror.

Ginny gasped. "Oh Hermione…you look gorgeous. Ron's going to lose it."

Hermione nervously approached her own reflection. "Oh Wow. It's definitely not too much, it's perfect. Oh Fleur. Thank you. I swear I've never looked like this." She laughed. "The boys aren't going to recognize me."

All three women squished into the small space in front of the mirror so they could check their reflections before going downstairs and floo-ing to Hogwarts. They weren't supposed to be mourning anything, but Hermione was privately glad she had bought simple black dress robes and kept her hair tamed and done up in an easy bun, the most noticeable change her dark rose lipstick. Ginny had gone for sweet cream A-line robes that accented her waist and her not insignificant muscles from Quidditch training. Fleur's skin-tight pale blue set of robes made her silvery-blonde hair glow. She hadn't cut her hair during the war, too busy carrying the labor of a safehouse and fighting on missions as well, so it flowed, straight and smooth, well past her waist.

Three men, and a few extra Weasleys, gaped as the women climbed down the dangerous Burrow stairs.

"Blimey…" someone said.

Hermione was embraced by appreciative eyes from Ron, before she went over to stand next to him and he awkwardly reached over to tuck a stray curl behind her ear and run his hand down her jawline. Ginny had to walk up to Harry and physically shut his open mouth before kissing his cheek and grinning at him. Bill and Fleur hugged and whispered something to each other.

George walked by the sight, casually throwing some kind of snack into his mouth and remarking, "Well at least we know if Fred was alive, seeing you all like that might have killed him!"

"George!" Molly screamed as she rushed out of her own room, her maternal need to scold surpassing her need to primp.

But as Molly moved to run after George and smack him with anything handy, all faces turned to her, then quickly to Arthur, who had dropped a glass in the kitchen as she had gone running past. Approximately four voices said "Mum…" and a fifth, from the kitchen, "Molly…" Molly stopped, surrounded by the stunned faces, her hands anxiously smoothing down her silk, well-fitted burgundy dress robes. She wore her hair in big, loose, movie-star curls, a shining pink lipstick, and a natural blush recognizable to all who knew the Weasleys.

Then Hermione witnessed maybe her favorite moment in the rough year that had followed the war. Arthur Weasley ran to his wife and held her face, taking her in, then kissed her with as much passion and love as Hermione had ever even dreamed of. George carefully poked his head back into the crowded hall "And that, ladies and gents, is why they have a thousand children." Both Molly and Arthur forgot to scold.

"You would've thought they would've taken the reconstruction as an opportunity to improve things around here, eh?" George joked as he brushed the ash off of his arms.

"Oh Arthur, when was the last time we were in the dorms?" Molly looked almost 17 again, leaning on Arthur, who smiled and leaned in and whispered something that made her giggle.

"Dad. Ew." Bill caught the whisper and grimaced as he and Fleur crawled out of the fireplace, quickly getting out of the way. "This is the common room?" Fleur's accent didn't hide the disparaging nature of the comment. "I agree with George. It could use some…sprucing up."

Ron and Hermione stepped out of the grate next, prompting Molly to begin counting. "Percy is helping set up, Charlie isn't coming, Fred…no we're missing someone aren't we?"

Ron coughed. "Never thought she'd forget her own daughter, did you?" he addressed the room.

George laughed. "Ooh that Potter is gonna…" his fake threat was drowned out by the couple tumbling out of the Gryffindor fireplace, looking just a little rumpled, Harry wearing a bit of Ginny's lipstick. Hermione rushed over to him to attempt to casually clean him up, but Ginny just smiled triumphantly.

"Oh, you're all just jealous." She proclaimed, her hands on her hips in an almost Molly-like fashion.

George played along, biting his lip thoughtfully. "Hmm...No I don't think I've ever wanted to shag Harry." He received a smack on the head from Bill. "Ow. Since when are you the one doling out punishments?!" Bill silently pointed to the stairs to the boys' rooms, which Arthur and Molly were trying to sneak up. "Ewww" chorused everyone but Fleur.

"I think it is very sweet. Only natural. You English are such prudes. Shall we?" She grabbed Bill's arm and lead them all out of the tower, at which point she seemed to get lost and allowed Bill to lead them all to the Great Hall.

They were late. As they pushed their way into the Hall, Headmistress McGonagall was in the middle of a speech. "On this day we remember those we lost and those whose lives have forever been changed by a war that threatened our very lives, and our own school. Let us begin with a moment of silence for those that cannot be here with us today." Hermione felt her hands claimed by Ron and by Harry. The three of them had always felt like one unit when it came to talking about the war. She kept her mind blank, thinking only of Harry and Ron and their hands and their love. "Thank you. Tonight we celebrate the victory of good over evil, and the restoration of Hogwarts. All Hogwarts alumni and all veterans of the Second Wizarding War have been invited to share this space with our current students, who may or may not know the sacrifice you made for them. May you all learn from each other and enjoy yourselves." With that she clapped, waved her wand, and nodded to the band to begin. The Weasleys rushed to find a table with a golden tablecloth where they could all fit. Hermione noticed the tables were all black, gold, silver, or copper. "What a subtle choice" she said to no one. She looked to Ron but saw that there was now food on the table he was not listening to her. She smiled to herself. This was home.

"Do you think it's horrible that we kicked them out of their own Common Room?"

Ron leaned back in the overstuffed arm chair he was lounging in, stretching his arms. "Course not, Hermione. It was ours first, wasn't it?"

"And to be fair" said Harry from the floor where he sat against the couch, Ginny laying between his legs, her head on his chest. "We missed a whole year of it." Ginny nodded and grunted her agreement.

"You know, that's true for me as well." George chimed in from the couch and Harry rubbed the scar on his hand absentmindedly. "Oy, Hermione, pass another one, will you love?"

Hermione rolled her eyes and reached over to levitate another butterbeer to him. "Why are you only polite when you're drunk?"

George shrugged. "Fred was the polite one." He opened the bottle and a heavy, sad silence collapsed onto the group.

Ron's loud laughter cut through. "He was worse!" Everyone laughed with relief and Hermione hiccuped as she reached down, struggling to unstrap her uncomfortable shoes.

From the floor, Ginny laughed at her friend. "Hermione! You'll give us girls a bad name, you can't hold your liquor!"

Hermione leaned forward from her seat on the other chair. "You can't talk, your eyes are closed!" Everyone but Ginny laughed, but Harry leaned forward into Ginny's hair and whispered to her; she cuddled deeper into his arms and closed her eyes again in response.

"Hey Harry"

Harry's voice was quiet when replying to Ron's inebriated yelling. "Yes, Ron?"

"How come we never carved our names into our beds or anything? You know, make our mark on the place?"

"We destroyed nearly half the castle and it took half a year to put it back together Ron, how much of a mark did you want to make?"

Ron grumbled. "Idunno. Something for the ages though mate. Something little punks will see when we're long forgotten."

"You're going to be an answer on History of Magic tests for centuries Ron, what more do you need?" Hermione argued.

"No one pays attention in that class!"

"I did! And it saved all our arses, didn't it?" Hermione raised an eyebrow at him.

From across the room he gave her the apologetic, boyish, trouble-making smile that made her forget how to argue, sometimes how to speak. "Yes, Hermione." She blushed and bit her lip. He hardened his look, his eyes focusing on only her. She found it harder to breathe and broke the eye contact, reaching for her drink.

"We're off then." Harry and Ginny had stood, Ginny leaning her head on Harry's shoulder and holding her shoes in her hand.

George stood, then caught his balance. "I'll come back with you, make sure mum and dad aren't in a compromising position on the couch or anything." He winked at the departing couple, making Ron and Ginny groaned.

Ron and Hermione only smiled at them, glancing at each other briefly to confirm their own plans. "I think we'll have another drink" Hermione tried to sound casual, as if it made perfect sense for two of the group to stay back.

"Gross" George added before he jumped into the suddenly green flames.

Ron felt badly for the early-rising prefect who found two adults cuddled tightly around each other on the couch the next day.

TWO YEARS LATER-2000

"You're kidding!" Hermione gasped.

"Nope, just as she was getting ready. Rather pissed she didn't get to wear the new dress robes I think." Ginny laughed.

"Wow! Molly must be losing her mind."

"I don't think she's allowed anyone else into the room. Her first grandkid? She's going to be IMPOSSIBLE."

"I don't even know what's done in the wizarding world…" Hermione surprised herself, realizing she hadn't thought of this before. She breathed a silent relief that she hadn't had any scares herself which may have made this brief thought into a very real panic.

Ginny shrugged. "Not much, a few potions, a lot of breathing. Good news is Mum really knows what she's doing." They both laughed.

"What are you two talking about?" Harry and Ron, holding four bottles of Butterbeer, approached them.

"Fleur!" Ginny answered, kissing Harry's cheek as a thank you.

Ron sipped his drink. "Sometimes I really can't believe Bill just went on and got married and had a kid." He shrugged. "Suppose that's what we'll all do eventually though, isn't it?" He reached out to hold Hermione's hand, the heavy meaning of the gesture lost on him. Harry grinned at Ginny, who matched him with a giggle and a flirtatious look.

Hermione panicked. She suddenly couldn't breathe. She could feel her cheeks turning red, in a way that the Weasleys were familiar with but was not common on her skin tone. She thought fast, leaning over to Ron and kissing him on the cheek. "I'm going to go get some air…um. I just want to see um…the grounds." Ron looked at her confusedly but she tried her best to assure him with her eyes that she was fine. He nodded and she tried not to run out of the hall.

When she reached the front steps and the warm summer night air, she fought to catch her breath but couldn't. She leaned over, her hands on her knees, her head dropped. Okay I'm going to die. The war didn't kill me and this will. Okay breathe right that's what you're supposed to do just breathe okay why can't I breathe oh no what do I do I'm going to die right here and they're going to find me ouch my chest ow ow oh no it's a heart attack, do wizards even know how to deal with heart attacks ow. She felt a warm hand on her back. "Short breaths, Granger. In and out, in and out, in and out. Easy. You're going to be alright. You're way too obnoxious to die. Breathe." Her breath started to come easier, her heart slowing down, not pinching quite so much. Then she fully realized who was rubbing her back and stood up, quickly backing away. Malfoy laughed. "See? Just needed to be scared a bit."

"Malfoy-what-are-you-doing-here?" she managed to gasp out.

Malfoy raised an eyebrow, seemingly amused by her distress. "What, I don't count as alumni or a veteran?"

Hermione shook her head, "No I mean…well I didn't think you'd want to be around…?"

"Ah yes, the victorious. The Gryffindors." She rolled her eyes. "Oh Granger, isn't one of your side's…things supposed to be forgiveness and all that?"

"Harry already forgave you Malfoy. That's why you aren't in Azkaban right now."

Malfoy nodded. "Perfect Potter saves literally everyone even his bully, yes. Wasn't that the title of the Daily Prophet?"

"Don't be stupid." Malfoy shrugged. Hermione had finally caught her breath. "They would never call Harry 'perfect.'"

Malfoy laughed once. "Granger, that was actually funny."

"Well. Yes."

"Well done."

"You never answered my question Malfoy, why are you here?"

Malfoy seemed to be musing philosophically. "Mm. I've decided to re-enter the wizarding world."

"What, got tired of hiding in your Manor with Mummy and Daddy?" Hermione nearly spit the words.

He didn't acknowledge the anger. "Yes, in fact. They're not quite ready to understand that the world is a bit more complex than blood or status, so they've hidden themselves in. I've…got a life to live I suppose."

Hermione was genuinely surprised, but skeptical. "And you've started here? On the celebration of the war you were on the wrong side of?"

His eyes flashed briefly with anger, but it didn't show on his face or in his words. "I was rather side-less in the end there, wasn't I?"

"A true Slytherin."

"Indeed." He grinned.

She stepped towards him again, her hand on her wand in the pocket of her robes. "Why tonight, Malfoy?"

He stepped towards her, her eyes betraying a second of fear in response. "Why not, Granger?" They stared wordlessly for a full minute before he backed off. "McGonagall's orders, actually."

Her eyebrows came together in confusion. "What?"

He stepped further away from her and looked out towards the grounds. "I'm to start building bridges with the Hogwarts community, as to be more accepted into it, you see." She still looked confused. "Oh come now Granger you're supposed to be the brilliant one."

Her jaw dropped. "Potions."

Malfoy's smile was broad. "Slughorn recommended me, believe it or not."

She frowned. "He didn't even like you."

"No, no Granger, he didn't like my side. Pure Slytherin, that one. Smart man."

"So Professor McGonagall is going to let you teach?"

It was his turn to roll his eyes. "She isn't going to let me do anything. I'll apprentice for a year and then yes, take over." He shrugged again. "I suppose she's doing a better job in selecting and preparing qualified teachers than…anyone else… ever did."

Hermione snorted. "We'll see about that." Flatly, without any humor or kindness, she said, "Welcome to the Hogwarts community." Malfoy watched her walk back inside, her silver-gray robes making her dark skin glow.

"Hey, you okay?" Ron set down his drink and reached out his hand to Hermione as she returned to the table.

Hermione nodded and smiled, accepting his hand. She could feel that Gryffindor buzz that sometimes came on when she was about to interrupt a professor, march into a duel, or demand to see someone in a hospital bed she was being barred from. It felt good, her blood pumping harder than it had in, well, about two years. "Ron, can we talk?"

His smile killed her a little. "Can we dance and talk?" She smiled in answer and let him lead her to the floor. His arms wrapped around her comfortingly. Their bodies knew each other so well, from years of friendship and then two more years of love and partnership. They felt like one unit. As he supported her waist, she wrapped her arms around his neck and looked up at him. "What is it love?"

She smiled and looked down at her shoes, trying to remind herself what she had wanted to say. "I don't want to scare you…" His eyes encouraged her, giving her comfort. "But I need to say something."

"Okay..."

"You know what you were saying, about Bill and Fleur and how someday we'll all be like them?"

Ron tilted his head in confusion. He was slightly less sensitive than he had been as teenagers but…only slightly. "I didn't mean today, Hermione."

"Oh I know!" He relaxed. "I know. And I'm not trying to leave you" His eyes widened, she pet the back of his neck for comfort. "I love you more than anything Ron."

"I love you too Hermione!" He seemed eager to end the entire conversation there.

"Ron." She bit her lip and looked down once more. She couldn't look at him and say this. "What you were talking about. I don't want that. I will be with you as long as you want me but I don't want to get married. I don't want kids. I just…I don't."

Ron breathed out a huge sigh of relief, surprising her. "You scared me Hermione! I know you don't want to get married right now! Neither do I! And kids…you'll change your mind. I know you will, plenty of people say that. Bill and Fleur both said that!"

Hermione resisted the tremendous urge to step away, slap Ron, and yell. "No, Ron. I won't. I won't change my mind. I don't want those things. I love you but I know myself and I won't be happy being a mum. I'm not saying it's less than anything, it's totally amazing, it's just…not for me. It's like... not liking flying! I'm not saying it's bad, I just…don't want to." Ron's silence both scared her and encouraged her. "Look, I know you do want those things Ron. I know they're important to you and I just, I don't want to lead you on and ten years down the road you're angry all the time because I didn't give you what you need." She let the silence sit for longer than she was comfortable with, waiting for him to fight or argue or, hell, she'd even take a crying Ron at this point. "So you just…you just let me know. Okay?"

Ron's mouth was tight, but not angry. Resigned, maybe. Hermione was alarmed that she didn't know this expression of his. "Okay." Then, "Come here." He pulled her close and kissed her with as much this is who we are and we are us and that's all we need as he could. They danced like this for what seemed like hours, until Harry and Ginny came to pull them away.

"Want to meet your nephew?"

Eek! I haven't published in years, but I needed a little fluff in my life so I thought I'd share. I've written out ten years, and I'll publish two at a time. Reviews will really make me happy.