A/N: Thank you for everyone who've read this and left reviews, particularly pianomouse, SereniteRose and Elizabeth. Thank you for adding this story to your favorite list.
Yau Kin-bong watched the whole bar prepare for the New Year countdown. He on the other hand is only trailing a particular subject. He ordered whiskey, despite the fact that he doesn't drink. When his senior partner Lau Ching-hei came he said, "You know, ordering a drink and then not drinking it is more conspicuous than just hanging out." Bong just told his partner that he doesn't drink. "Problem in paradise?" Lau asked as he noticed that his partner had been a bit stressed out lately. Then, they had the whole conversation about how Bong doesn't see Rachel as the one for him.
Of course, it makes more sense for Bong, who is under the effects of a polyjuice potion to trail their subject. He promised Hermione some time ago to stop drinking when she told him that he drinks too much. Thus, he nursed his firewhiskey but did not drink. Lau came in; he is also under the effect of polyjuice. He signaled Aberforth for a bottle of mulled mead. "You know, ordering a drink and then not drinking it is more conspicuous than just hanging out." Lau told him. Bong had a sense of déjà vu. He took the shot of firewhiskey and gulped it down. "Problem in paradise?" Lau asked him, only this time he asked the question in English. Bong steeled himself to just finish this beat but he has a sense of foreboding of something big about to come.
Lau and the rest of the team followed the subject with Bong in the lead, as Lau sent communications from their temporary base.
Lau returned to their temporary base and started sending communications from their temporary base in an inn right across their subject's rented place. Several Aurors had slowly whittled down the security and protection charms around the property. Bong is in the lead as he followed the subject more closely. Lau figured that Bong's distraction might have something to do with the fact that he and Hermione had been staying up late nights to review for Hermione's NEWTS. It's a good thing Hermione received wonderful examination scores, otherwise she'd probably insist on retaking it. Never mind that the whole wizardry world is just on the mend from the most recent war. There were some, like this subject they've been following, who is taking advantage of the disorder and had taken to using the Imperius Curse on victims to rape them.
Bong had been the one who stepped in the moment they broke down the door of the serial rapist they've been following around. He'd been the one who pointed his gun at the man before using it to knock the man unconscious as he poised to struggle with Bong. It was a successful operation and the team couldn't have been happier with the results.
Bong allowed the subject to enter with his Imperioed victim, but he and his team followed fast. He had been the one who cast a stunning spell at the subject. He allowed the Aurors bind and then levitate the man as he reported to Lau who was sending communications from their temporary base. He quickly bid his partner good bye as he apparated home.
Bong took his time, driving leisurely home. Once he reached home, he smelt the familiar scent of acrylic paint on the canvasses Rachel had propped against the wall. He took a drink of water from the fridge before preparing for bed. Once he got to their room, he kissed Rachel. He had thought she was only sleeping only to draw back the comforter to see her slashed wrist and their bed soaked with her blood.
Bong quickly opened the front door of their secret kept apartment as they've warded their home against apparition. After quickly locking the door, he came upon a sleeping Hermione covered with a comforter lying in an uncomfortable position on their couch. He quickly removed the comforter only to be comforted by the absence of any wound or blood and her quick complaint when her covers were removed.
Hermione woke up as he was carrying her to their bed. "You're home. I was waiting for you." Hermione told him sleepily. Bong shook his head. "I told you not to wait up because I expected to be late. We've only just nabbed the guy."
She shook her head. "You know I can't sleep very well when you're not beside me. Plus, kicks keeps me up and it won't stop until you put your hand on my tummy and tell it to calm down." Hermione replied wryly. Bong smiled as he tucked her in their bed.
He then slipped out of his clothes and just left his boxers on. "Don't call her it, she doesn't like it when mommy calls her it." Bong replied as he placed his hand on Hermione's tummy. "My little angel, you can sleep now, daddy's home. He and Uncle Lau caught the bad guy." Bong told Hermione's stomach before kissing it.
"You're spoiling it before it even gets out." Hermione replied even as the baby stopped kicking. Bong smirked. "She's daddy's little girl." He answered. "What if it's a boy?" Hermione asked. Bong shrugged and said. "Still my little angel…"
Hermione smiled. "Angels… The healer confirmed they're twins although it's still too early to tell their gender." Bong stilled at that and kept quiet. Hermione looked at him, worried at his sudden silence.
"We need another crib, another stroller, another car seat and another high chair… I better go as soon as the shopping mall is open." Bong stuttered. Hermione shook her head. "You need to sleep first you big worrywart. Quit obsessing about the baby stuff too, you'll get an aneurysm." She replied as she went back to sleep. Bong laid down on his side so he could put his hand on her tummy. He was right, there was something big. But he need not have worried. He's with the woman he wants to grow old with and with babies on the way. He doesn't have to return to that nightmare anymore.
The press had a field day with what happened to the previously dubbed Golden Trio.
The wizardry world stood in disbelief when Ronald Weasley, a member of two clans known for their opposition of the Dark Lord, went and betrayed not only his family but his closest friends, including the Boy Who Lived, to become a Death Eater. His crimes and trial became public knowledge as its transcript like the other trials pertaining to the Second Wizardry War was released to the printed media.
The wizardry world was horrified with the viciousness of his crimes; some blamed his upbringing and his lack of better circumstances that led him to this route, some blamed Hermione Granger for his downfall, while there are those who blamed Harry Potter. Like other criminals the world over, Ron finally found his notoriety, as he gained fans with a number of them clamoring to give him a child before his upcoming execution. But of course, the ministry did not allow these requests.
Ron asked to see Harry and Hermione to explain his side but neither one agreed to visit him.
Another scandal regarding the Golden Trio had been Hermione Granger's out of wedlock pregnancy. Rita Skeeter ran several articles on the Daily Prophet about Hermione's whereabouts during what should have been her sixth and seventh year, of how Albus Dumbledore metaphorically peddled her to gain the interest of the son of one of the Councilmen in the Asian Enclaves and how Hermione had been underage when she first cohabited with this foreign Auror. Rita had even implied that the father of the unborn child could very well be Ron Weasley.
But an angry Bong fought back as he sought the help of the Minister for Magic to create libel and slander laws to protect people from erroneous reporting (Rita Skeeter had been their first example) but at the same time he opened their doors to counter Rita Skeeter's allegations with interviews of their own. Bong said that Hermione had been of age in the wizardry world when they started living together as Hermione is a year older than her peers given that her birth date fell on September (he had been told by Hermione not to mention the time turner she'd used).
He also angrily clarified that the babies Hermione is carrying is definitely his as they were conceived sometime after the Battle of Hogwarts. Besides, as Bong explained, their hand fasting involves fidelity vows (he did not expound on this as their family's ancient ritual can easily be misconstrued). Bong also assured the public that their children were not conceived out of wedlock as they've been in a hand fasted marriage around the time the Second Wizardry War started.
Hermione, in the same interview also stated that she and Ron were never together and that he had been dating Lavender Brown as far as she knew. She also clarified that her relationship with Harry is just platonic and even fraternal at best.
They all said that Harry had been batty since after the war, but Hermione just sees him as traumatize by everything that had happened. He took Ron's betrayal the worst and feels as if he'd lost his footing. Sirius reminded his godson that he's not the first one to be betrayed by a friend he thought he could trust as he reminisced about the friendship he and the marauders had. There had been numerous reports about Harry Potter's disappearance but none had been substantiated, there were sightings of him all over England but in reality he just went with Luna Lovegood and her boyfriend Rolf Scamander in South America to hunt for the rare and elusive Chupacabra.
There, Harry would fall in love with a native witch and decided to settle down with her, away from all the trauma and pain he'd felt in England. Of course, he'd occasionally still visit with Hermione and her family. She in turn complains how Uncle Harry kept on spoiling her twins even if she enjoys spoiling his own children as well.
Lau was easily able to convince Susan to live in the quaint cottage in Scotland. He explained that not only is their home earthquake proof, flood proof indestructible, undetected by radar and heavily warded but so is the field around it that and he hired an interior designer to design their home to the nines. Their distance is made negligible as the floo network allowed her to travel everywhere in England (he might have neglected to tell her she could travel anywhere in the world), seeing that muggles can use the floo just as long as they have floo powder. But first, he had to explain about the wizardry world. Bong and Hermione helped by simple spells and transfiguration, but it took a visit to Diagon Alley for it to really sink in.
He had expected a worse reaction but Susan took to it easier than he thought she would. She was of course forced to sign the same non-disclosure agreement he'd sign. This was just as well for Lau as his wife limited her conversations with her father over the phone for fear that she might reveal too much of the wizardry world especially in the near future when their own son turned out to be a muggleborn wizard.
He didn't know how it happened. Hermione might have saved Bong's life from the misery his friend was wallowing in, but she had also saved Lau from himself. But more than that, they became his family.
