Chapter 4:

August 7, 1999

"Oi, Ron! Over here mate!" A hand stuck out of a far cubicle and waved at the red head in the entryway of the Auror Department. He maneuvered his way over to the dark haired man and sat in a spare chair at his desk.

"Hey mate." He grinned at the bespectacled man in front of him. "How's your Monday?"

The darker man rolled his eyes, "It's Monday Ron … that's practically a definition of horrible. Bloody stupid is what the world is." He waved his hand at the stacks of paper teetering on his desk, "All this from people who can't quite grasp simple laws."

Ron snorted, "The great Harry Potter, slain by paperwork – who'd of thought it?"

Harry mock-glared at him, "Oi, I'd like to see you try and deal with all this."

Ron's smile faltered and he said softly, "I'd love to mate … but you know the thing with George. He, well he needs my help right now."

Harry ran his hand through his already mussed hair, "Ah, that was low of me, mate. Sorry."

"Nah don't worry about it. Someday it'll all work out. Hermione and I were talking about it on Friday actually." His eyes shifted around the room slightly.

Harry felt his eyebrows raise a bit, "Really? So she took it well then?"

Ron snorted, "I wouldn't say well, but she did seem to like my ideas and the goal of me working at the Ministry."

Harry rolled his eyes, "Of course she did, you dolt. She loves you! She's going to be happy for you no matter what. What were you expecting?"

Ron shrugged and looked a little sheepish.

Harry gaped at him, "Mate … you didn't." He stared at his red-headed friend hard, "You did! You idiot! Ron what were you thinking?!" He said exasperatedly.

Ron whined a little, "Harry, come on! She doesn't need to work – she's bloody smart as it is. Everyone knows that! I still have to prove myself. She didn't desert you … I .. well I did. I still feel like that side of me is going to come back – I need to fight that Harry."

Harry clapped his hand on the other man's shoulder, "Ron, mate, you came back when I needed you most. No one, least of all me, blames you for thinking about going towards death before you charged ahead. But, you can still work while Hermione does, can't you? I don't really see the problem."

Ron sighed exasperatedly, "Of course we can't both work. Who'd look after the kids or the house? Or cook? Or clean? I mean come on Harry. It's just how it is. Plus I'd be miserable as a stay-at-home Dad. Merlin Harry, I'd probably lose one!"

"Ron … if you think you're going to be a bad father … shouldn't you hold off?" Harry tried to ignore the rest of the earlier statement, giving Ron up as a lost cause.

"Well, yeah. I'm just saying even after a few years, I'm not sure how handy I'll be. I mean, you know me Harry, I love to eat and I love Hermione; I'm just not all that good at houseworky spells. Hell, I'm not good at a lot of spells. But at any rate Hermione and me have come to an agreement."

Harry raised his eyebrows, "Oh really?"

"She is going to work the next month, while I do, and we'll see where we are at the end." He nodded confidently.

Harry looked at him, "and you agreed to that? What did you do?"

With an askance look at him, Ron replied, "What d'you mean? Why would I need to have done something?!"

Harry sighed, "because you would never agree to that unless you were trying to apologize for something. What did you do Ron?"

Ron seemed to curl a little bit more into himself, "Well I might have gotten angry at Hermione and left her at the restaurant." He straightened a little, "but it's not like she didn't deserve it! Gods, she was so stubborn; so I went to the pub and had a drink … or five. And well Lavender Brown was there and we started talking about everything after the war. You know she's studying to be a Healer? Well next thing I know we're in my bed and going at it like rabbits."

He shook his head and murmured, "so damn complicated," glanced at Harry and rushed on trying to stave off the explosion. "It's not like she didn't go out either! She walked in the next morning completely rumpled and that's just not Hermione. I could tell, Harry. I wasn't the only one." His voice was almost pleading in an attempt to make Harry understand.

Harry merely crossed his arms.

"Well, Hermione came in and said we needed to chat – which I agreed with. So we talked and came up with that plan."

"And?" questioned Harry.

"And we aren't going to sleep together the whole month," said Ron rather grumpily.

Harry snorted, "I'm surprised you got off that well; especially considering that when you were going out with Lavender in 6th year, you got attacked by a flock of birds – and you two weren't even dating then."

"Yeah, well she's grown up like the rest of us, thank Merlin." Harry felt his head reel slightly at Ron's statement – out of anyone in their year, Hermione had always been the most mature. Ron kept going though, "And she wants me to talk to Lavender – which is a punishment on its own."

"Why would you sleep with her, if you don't even want to talk to her?"

"Oh! It's not that, I just don't want to have to explain why … well why everything is the way it is."

Harry glared at him slightly, "You owe her at least that much Ron, hell you're getting off easily. If I'd done half of that to Ginny, I'd have my balls hexed off by her and I'd be out on the seat of my pants in a heartbeat."

Ron growled, "You better not do anything to hurt my sister."

Harry merely looked at him for a minute. He shook his head, "Look Ron, all I'm saying is you need to treat Hermione better, hell she was our best friend for seven years and your girlfriend for one – you should at least respect her by now. But I need to get back to work. I'll talk to you later." He stood up with Ron and shook his hand firmly.

"Later mate." Ron nodded and walked briskly out of the department.

Harry only hoped that he had knocked some sense into the stubborn red head.

At about the same time, Hermione was preparing herself to enter Lucius Malfoy's office for their first of many meetings on ideation for the new laws. She didn't like to think that he had seen her in such an emotional state, when even being tortured by Bellatrix Lestrange she hadn't cracked.

She steeled herself to be cool and aloof, knowing that he would probably taunt her and attempt to use her emotions against her. After all those years of fighting, she was wary if nothing else.

She threw her shoulders back and knocked on his closed door. She heard a muffled "Enter" and turned the knob lightly. She strode in confidently and shut the door behind her.

Lucius was leaning back in his chair, legs crossed and hands on the upper thigh. He looked as though he had nothing better to do than wait for her. She nodded at him and sat across from him in the seat he indicated with a swipe of his hand.

"So," he drawled, "what are we to talk about today? Perhaps how we might go about maintaining a relationship with the werewolves we are trying to document. Or perhaps we might discuss methods of containing the fightsthat are sure to break out against our new laws."

Hermione groaned inwardly at his intonations and knew that he was subtly taking digs at her. She decided to ignore them for the moment and go after another tactic. "I thought we might discuss the actual goal of the law and procedures, so that we can, hopefully, avoid any conflict. I think that the laws are dreadfully outdated concerning werewolves, so those are certainly the first things that need to be adjusted, but that is decidedly on my end of things. I think perhaps we need to look into how other societies view the werewolves and their laws concerning them."

"Dreadfully outdated, you say," he commented drily. "Those laws were made merely twenty years ago … would you say you are outdated Ms. Granger?"

She rolled her eyes, "Merlin, no. I merely mean that they fail to take into consideration the new Wolfsbane potion or many other revelations that have occurred in the recent years. And," she added slightly sneeringly, "might I add, that those laws were passed targetingspecific werewolves – they hardly cover the entire disease."

He raised an eyebrow, "Prove it."

She grinned, "Oh I certainly can't, but it's easy enough to see how prejudiced everyone has been against them. Especially those with certain allegiances who held sway over the laws back then."

"Strange, how you talk about prejudice Miss Granger, yet you refer to the afflicted souls as either "them" or "werewolves." Does that denote a difference?"

She nodded, "You have a point, Lucius. However, I am a Muggleborn, or Mudblood, whichever you prefer – it is merely a description of one part of me. Those people are werewolves – merely another description. Remus Lupin was a kind and gentle man; however, he was a werewolf. It makes no difference what adjective we use, there will always be some that describe us."

He smirked slightly, "Well said. You do not flinch at such a vulgar term as you used earlier … it leads one to question …"

She drew herself up haughtily, "Your son endeared me to that term. I learned to ignore it and accept it – he was hardly creative in his insults."

He flinched, almost imperceptibly, at her mention of his son. "I see."

She raised an eyebrow, mimicking his earlier expression, "Trouble in paradise?"

He grew visibly stiffer, "I advise you to keep to your own affairs Miss Granger, and perhaps they wouldn't be so askew if you did."

She growled slightly, "I believe, sir, that we should adjourn to another day – when we are not perhaps so bloodthirsty."

He nodded, his face impassive and she envied him the control, "Of course, Miss Granger – I would hate to rouse your temper."

She flounced out, shutting the door rather loudly behind her.

"Andy, I just don't know how anyone could ever deal with him! Gods … he's just, just … well I haven't any idea of how I'm going to ever get through this."

"Hermione dear, you'll get through it and you'll do wonderfully. Just ignore the barbs as if they aren't there. The purebloods are raised on the belief that a good offense is the best defense. I would know dear." The older woman winked at the brown haired witch seated across the table.

Hermione bowed her head slightly and set her tea down with a sigh, "I know you're right Andy, but I'm just so frustrated in general. I simply can't figure out how to handle everything. I'm sorry for being such a baby, it's just with Ron and everything – it all seems to be coming down at once."

Andromeda nodded her head in acceptance, "It's alright dear, and you're embarking on a whole new path. It's not unusual to experience some stress, especially if other factors are unsettled."

Hermione took another slow drink of her tea, "And I wish I could talk to Ron about all this, but I know he would either blow his top at Lucius threatening me or he would simply say I told you so. You don't think I'm being selfish, do you?" She looked at Andromeda with pleading eyes.

Andromeda sat back in her chair and looked into the young hazel eyes so beseeching in their stare. She saw the early maturity that the young woman had been forced into and the almost haunted shadow, a result from months on the run and days in capture during the war. She mused in her own mind on those facts, even as she replied, "I think that everything will work out in its own time."

She pulled a hand up to stop Hermione's retort, "tut, tut. I know that doesn't help you now, but I think that you need to do what is best for you, and if Ron is that, then that is what you will work for. You're a smart woman Hermione, you know what you want – don't let others dictate that for you. You'll find your priorities, don't let your pride get in the way and you'll do fine. Ron will either step up or step aside." She set her tea down to punctuate her comment. "Now, would you like to go play some with Teddy? He's been going on about 'Niney' coming."

Hermione grinned; she loved playing with the young Lupin. She attempted to see him at least three times a week, also enjoying the talks with the elder Andromeda. It helped the young Muggleborn to have the wiser witch to go and talk to, someone who wasn't in her direct sphere of friends.

As they walked through Andromeda's cottage, Hermione glanced at all of the beloved photos and memoirs that lined the tables and walls of each room. A sad smile on her face, she glanced at a picture of a beaming Tonks and Remus just after their wedding and another, older, next to it featuring a similarly happy couple, who Hermione assumed, were Ted and Andromeda after their elopement. She sighed softly for the lovely witch who had lost almost everything in the war.

As they entered the nursery, Hermione rushed over to the pen containing the trouble-making Teddy and grabbed him up in a huge bear hug. She swung him around, making them both giggle through their dizziness.

Andromeda smiled from the doorway and backed away from the room quietly, letting the brunette play with the little boy for a while. She knew Hermione never understood all that she did for them, but both Andromeda and Teddy owed her quite a lot. After the war, Andromeda had taken over Teddy, citing that he was the last of her family and her responsibility.

Hermione had then shown up with Harry and Ron one day, saying that they were there to baby-sit so that 'Mrs. Tonks' could go have some alone time. Andy had loved her from that moment on. Harry and Ron had stopped coming after a few visits, and Andy understood, but Hermione just kept coming and Andy slowly began to rely on her.

She loved that the younger witch came to her for advice and she relied on the recent news that Hermione was always sure to bring. Andy tried hard not to think of Ted and Dora during the days, but it was hard, especially with Teddy being the troublemaker he was. Hermione brought some relief with her, allowing Andromeda to take a break from being brave for everyone and herself. Sometimes she would go and have a good cry, and sometimes she would simply go for a walk.

Today she went to spy. She wandered down Diagon Alley towards WWW, with of course no real objective. She knew that Hermione had left some parts out of her story and she was determined to discover why the poor witch was so down on herself after the row. Surely Ron just getting angry wouldn't have hurt her so much?