Disclaimer: All characters that are from the Harry Potter series, along with locations & other things recognizable to Harry Potter belong to JK Rowling.

Chapter 22

November 23rd

"Move it, Granger!" Severus was not in a good mood. They had found out late that morning that Ron would be there for Thanksgiving as well. All the Weasley children, except for Charlie, would be at the Potter house. He didn't like the fact that the owl, sent by Molly, had made his witch cry. Severus knew that Ron could be just as clueless and tactless as a dunderheaded firstie. He didn't care if it hurt Molly or Harry's feelings, he'd hex the little prat within an inch of his life if he made Hermione cry.

"Don't yell at me!" Hermione said with a sniffle. "I'm moving as fast as I can, damn it. Besides it is your fault I'm getting so fat!"

"I'm sorry, I'm not trying to yell at you. And you are not fat love. You have three babies growing in you. You look beautiful and amazing." He hugged her to him as she came up next to him in front of their fireplace. "Also, since we are leaving earlier then planned, I'd like to get your settled into our rooms so that you can take a nap before we meet your parents." He was planning on popping into the Burrow to have a word with the youngest Weasley male and his parents during her nap. He had some guidelines to agreeing to have Ronald stay in Grimmauld Place.

He took Hermione through the floo first, than went back for their luggage. The house was blessedly quiet. Kreacher came out and took the bag up to their rooms and he helped Hermione up the stairs. "Hermione, while you are napping Harry and I are going to stop in at the Burrow to talk to Molly, Arthur, and Ron. He wants Ronald to understand that there are some guidelines Ron must follow to be welcome in his home." He had a feeling that she would get scared if she woke up from her nap and he was gone. Lately she had been having nightmares of him walking out on her. Another thing to hex that boy for! Severus thought angrily.
"Just lay with me until I fall asleep. I'm less likely to have the dreams if I fall asleep in your arms." She was so quiet about it, sounding almost as she did when she was a first year and come to his classroom asking about possible extra credit work she could do. He wished she wouldn't feel so timid about asking him for such comfort. It brought him so much joy and comfort to do those things for her.

"Of course I'll lay with you." He stopped them on the stairs and took her lips passionately. "I love you."

"I love you too." She let out a contented sigh as they continued up the stairs.

They came to the second floor landing and then turned left towards the room that was once Harry's when they had stayed in the house during the Trio's fifth year. After they had graduated, Harry allowed Hermione to decorate it to her taste. It had a king size four-poster bed covered in silver sheets and a black comforter. The walls were a coffee brown and the floor was a dark cherry wood. The bed was against the left wall, set in the middle. The two six draw dressers matched the wood of the floor and where against the right wall, in the corners. The space between them was taken up by a seven-shelf bookshelf that was packed with books. On either side of the bed were black shaggy throw rugs, so that their feet wouldn't freeze the moment they got out of bed in the morning.

"Which pajamas do you want?" Severus asked as he picked up her bag from the foot of the bed. He turned to look at her while unzipping her bag, but stop midway through. Hermione had stripped down to her pink and black lace booty shorts and was just sliding off her bra.

"No pajamas." She crawled into the bed and then patted the bed. "Come hold me." Severus quickly stripped down to his black boxers and snuggled up to her, wrapping his arms around her waist as she placed her head against his chest, just above his heart.

Normally this would have led them to make love, but he knew she just needed to feel safe, wanted, and loved. Needed to hear his heart beat in time with hers. She laid her right leg between his and wrapped her arm around his waist. He could and wanted to lay this way with her forever. Soon the sound of his heart had lulled her into sleep. He stayed there holding her until he heard Harry and Ginny down stairs.

Gently settling Hermione down onto the pillow he had been on, he quickly redressed in his jeans and dark green, long sleeve sweater. As he went down the stairs he ran his fingers through his hair, not bothering to pull it back. He stood in the kitchen, waiting by the fireplace as Harry kissed Ginny goodbye and suggested that she go take a nap with Hermione.

"Is she?" Ginny asked, looking at Severus while point in the general direction of where Hermione was.

"Yes, but she won't mind if you're there. It may help keep her nightmare at bay," he answered before tossing the floo powder into the fire. The men stepped into the fire, called out for the Burrow, and where gone in a blink of the eye. Ginny quickly left the kitchen and headed to Hermione and Severus's room, she didn't want the older girl to get sucked into her nightmare. It was always so hard to wake her from it.

"Did you have to bring… him?" Ron asked snidely as he sat at the kitchen table with Molly, Arthur, and Harry. Severus was leaning against the counter, not in the mood to sit down and join the little makeshift family. As much as he respected the Weasley couple, he couldn't stand their younger son.

"Come on, Ron. You know Mia lives at Grimmauld place, which means that Severus lives there with her. So yes, I did," Harry was starting to regret letting Molly bring the younger boy over for the holiday. He always considered Ron to be his brother, but lately he just wanted to hex him and be done with him. Harry was tired of the boy acting like he had been deprived of something that was his right. "If you truly care about Mia, then you can and will show respect to Severus."

"Ron, you said that you had thought about your actions and had done the growing up you needed to do," Molly didn't like the fact that her son was still showing Severus such disrespect. If it hadn't been for the man, she could have easily lost more then just one son to the war and Tom Riddle's fanatic ways.

"I know, mum. But does it continuously need to be shoved into my face that I lost the girl?" Ron shot back.

"Watch your tone, son." Arthur snapped. He understood that his son was starting to realize that he missed out on a good thing but that didn't give him the right to be disrespectful towards the man that had eyes open enough to realize what a good woman Hermione had turned into.

"Sorry."

"The only reason I'm here is that you understand that the rules, or rather guidelines, that Harry has set up are not for my benefit but for Hermione's. This pregnancy is taking a lot out of her and starting to take a toll on her self esteem." Severus pushed off the counter and stood behind Harry, looking down at Ron. "I will not have you saying things that could upset her and in turn cause problems with our children. Be the friend you were to her in school. All I ask is that you think before you speak around her."

"Seriously Ron. She gets enough hassle from the students she teaches, she doesn't need it from a friend." Harry chimed in. He really hoped his "brother from another mother" would respect the friendship he had with the older girl and her "family".

"I won't make any promises, cause lets face it my mouth moves faster than my brain sometimes, but I will do my best." Ron offered. He still didn't like or trust Severus, but for Hermione and his family he would do what he could.

"Thank you, Ronald." Severus said, shocking the younger man by how sincere his voice was.

November 24th Thanksgiving Day

Hermione, Ginny, Molly, and Helena were busy in the kitchen preparing dinner. Hermione and her mother were showing Ginny and Molly the way muggles cooked. It took longer, but as Helena had explained to Molly, it felt more productive to do it by hand. Ginny and Hermione were in charge of the vegetable dishes and cutting and stirring. They were to stay away from the stove, which meant they weren't even allowed to get a glass of pumpkin juice from the icebox seeing as it was next to the stove.

"Really, mother? I think it is quite alright for me to get my own drink, even if the damn icebox is next to the damn stove!" Hermione snapped. She knew Helena meant well, but it was getting on her last nerve.

"Mia!" Ginny said in surprise. She'd never heard the girl swear at her mother. It may only be "damn" but still. "Why don't you and I see what the boys are doing? That way we can have a break from all this cooking."

"It's okay Ginny. She was the same way when she would get sick. Much like her father, actually." Helena said with a chuckle, turning back to the stove to stir the gravy. "And I think it's a good idea if you go check on the boys. They are too quite for my liking."

The girls found the boys in the drawing room that use to have the Black Family Tree on the wall. Harry had it removed the year before. Severus, Eric, and Neville were sitting in the armchairs in front of the fire reading. Harry and Ron were playing wizards chess while Luna watched. Arthur, Remus, Bill, George, and Percy were playing a game of poker and Teddy was sleeping in Hermione and Severus' room.

Ginny walked up behind Harry, leaning against him with her arms wrapped around his shoulders and Hermione went to Severus who, on closer inspection was dozing, and pulled the Potions book from his hands and slid on to his lap, kissing him lightly on the cheek.

"Got tired of mum kicking you away from the stove, baby girl?" Eric asked as he watching his daughter snuggle into the lap of her future husband.

"No!" Hermione lifted her chin stubbornly, but under the eye of her father she finally gave in. "Yes. She wouldn't even let me get a glass of pumpkin juice from the icebox!"

"Love, it's because she loves you." Severus said as he started to slowly wake. "When are the students supposed to be showing up with Albus and Minerva?"

"They should start showing up with in the next five or ten minutes" Ginny piped up from her spot next to Harry on the couch. "Mum said she'd floo-call about ten minutes before they would take the Turkey out of the oven."

"How are they cooking?" Arthur asked as he started listening to the conversation. He'd tried to sit in the kitchen and watch, but Molly finally kicked him out after he kept getting under foot trying to look at every possible angle of how Helena was doing something.

"Ask mum, dad. I'm too tired to explain." Ginny said, causing Hermione to agree and the rest of the men to laugh. They knew that no matter what it was, if it was muggle related, Arthur had to know what the point of it was, what it was used for, and why.

"Mia, how many students are joining us?" Bill asked.

"About ten, I believe was the last head count. So I think in all we'll be having fifteen more people coming to join us. Melissa is joining us right, love?" Hermione asked, turning her head toward Severus.

"Yes, she'll be bringing Mercia with her as well."

"Wonderful. I miss the girls." Hermione got up and headed toward the door, wanting to make sure her mother and Molly knew the head count and to make sure they had something for Mercia to eat. "Mum, just wanted to let you know the final guest count is thirty. Oh, where did you put the booster seat?"

Helena pointed up, signaling that it was in her and Eric's room, so Hermione walked back out and into the drawing room and asked her dad to bring it down for her. "Luna, Ginny, could you please help me set the table?" The girls followed behind as the boys continue on with their selected activities.

Hermione was up to something. Bill and Severus were thinking the same thing at the same moment. Bill was placed next to Melissa across from Molly and Arthur, while Mercia was placed between Hermione and Severus. Melissa was just a seat away from Severus, but he knew his witch. She had a shit-eating grin on her face, one that Ginny seemed to be wearing as well.

On the side of the table closest to the kitchen door, starting at the end next to the stove had two students from Gryffindor and a couple from Slytherin, next to them was Albus, Teddy and Remus. Then Molly and Arthur. Severus had Mercia sitting between him and Hermione. Ginny was next to Hermione at the end of the table and Harry was sitting at the other end of the table. Opposite them starting at the same end were two Hufflepuffs, Minerva, Neville and Luna, Ron, Helena and Eric, Bill and Melissa, and then George.

Ron was sending glares to Ginny and Hermione, but quickly looked away when Severus would turn his head to talk to Helena or Eric. He couldn't believe the girls felt that it was okay to try to set up his brother and ex-girlfriend. First she leaves me for that greasy git and now she's trying to set up Melissa with Bill? What the fuck? With that last thought he slammed down his glass and stormed out of the room.

"What is that all about?" Ginny asked, her innocent voice giving it away that she knew exactly why he stormed out.

"I'll be right back." Hermione got up from the table and went after him. She found him in the drawing room. "What the fuck was that?" She pointed toward the kitchen.

"What the fuck do you think you are doing? Why are you and Ginny trying to set Bill and Melissa up?" Ron didn't turn around to look at her, he was too pissed off.

"Why does it matter? You caused that break up, so it might as well have been you to call it quits. Don't be mad because she asked her friends to help her move on." Hermione snapped back. She moved to sit down; her lower back was starting to ache.

"Fuck you!" Ron spun around to face her. "What about me? Was I not your friend since our first year? Was I not there for you when you cried over your parents?"

"What about you, Ron? You've been nothing but selfish! You call yourself my friend but you call me a bitch on the day of your sisters wedding! You call my fiancé a greasy git or any other foul name you can think of! You throw your 'friendship' in my face. I could understand if you actual had feelings for Melissa, but she was your rebound girl, so you have no reason to be pissed off that she isn't mooning over you!"

"You bitch!" Ron said as he slapped her across the face.

"LEVICORPUS!" Severus shouted as he flung the door open. "You fucking coward!"

"RONALD BILIUS WEASLEY!" Shouted Molly, Ginny, and Arthur at the same time, running through the door after they heard Severus. Molly was the last through the door and was just in time to see Severus break Ron's nose for the second time.

"Get him the FUCK out of here!" Severus rounded on Molly and Arthur, "Or I swear on my babies that I will kill him. Slowly." With that he picked a crying Hermione up and carried her to their room.

"What the hell is the matter with you?" Ginny shouted at her brother, no one bothering to let him down.

"Fuck you too Ginny! If you weren't so busy trying to set up Bill with my ex-girlfriend this never would have happened!"

"Grow up, Ronald!" Melissa said as she walked up to him and punched him square in the nose causing Ron even more pain and to bleed even harder. "Bill, will you please take me home after I check on Dad and Hermione?"

"Yes."

"Dad? He's your dad? What the fuck!" Ronald managed to moan out as the pain from his broken nose made him even dizzier.

"Thank you, Bill." Melissa completely ignored Ron, hugged Molly and Arthur, quietly whispered an apology to them and anyone else that had heard the commotion and had come to the drawing room. As she walked to the stairs she noticed Remus holding back Eric while Neville and Luna tried to hold back Helena.

"What a colossal shit storm." She muttered as she went to check on Severus and Hermione.

A/N: Sorry for the late post but it just means you get 2 chapters today instead of one! Please review, thank you.