CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

Summary: Hermione's secret is discovered by The Order of the Phoenix. Before Harry is rescued, she needs to be first. But from who? With the help of Sirius she learns to put the past behind her, and with the help of two Weasleys, they show her a happy future. But Hermione isn't who she thinks she is, what she discovers will change her life for good. Rated M for a reason.

Disclaimer: All original characters and canon events belong to J.K. Rowling. Non-canon events are my own ideas. I am not making any profit from posting this fanfic.

Page count: 9

The Cottage – Wednesday July 30th 1997

Weeks had passed since Dumbledore's murder, Regulus and Orion's identities being revealed and Hermione discovering that she was pregnant. Those weeks had been blissfully calm, despite what she knew was happening outside of the protective walls of her home. But when she hadn't left the grounds protecting her since she arrived, it was easy for her to just block out everything and live in her little bubble. Well most of the time it was.

She regularly exchanged letters with Harry, speaking of only mundane things in case they were intercepted and Hermione made sure to use the twins' shop owls, a different one each time so that they couldn't be recognised, and she made sure that Harry didn't use Hedwig, instead sending a response with her owl.

She knew that the current state of the Wizarding World was playing on Harry's mind, but she was glad to hear that he had been resting and doing as she suggested and re-reading all of his charms and spell books to prepare himself for his journey. Hermione had too been preparing for it.

In the times when she wasn't able to forget what was happening outside of her bubble, Hermione was preparing for Harry and Ron's leaving, which she knew would be very soon. Hermione had found a backpack and some very handy charms which she cast over the backpack. An Enlarging Charm made the backpack a bottomless pit allowing her to fit supplies in without hassle. A Feather-Light Charm made the bag weightless and a few Protective Charms made it so only Hermione could open the backpack, but when the time came she would add Harry and Ron to the charms.

She had given Kreacher a list of imperishable foods that would be suitable for the journey and he had purchased them for her without question. She packed them away and placed them inside the backpack. She had asked Orion for help in getting a tent, he had given her a questioning look but a few days later he presented her with an old tent that would suit its purpose. With a little help from a few of the questionable books from her library, she added protective wards on the tent before placing that in the backpack, with a few thick duvets and pillows. She made copies of some of her books before also putting them away in the backpack.

To finish off her survival pack, she had the twins brew several types of healing potions –after asking Regulus for useful potions- since she couldn't do it herself with the fumes being bad for pregnant women. The twins hadn't questioned her and done it without thought. They were labelled accordingly and Hermione handwrote a manual for the use of each healing potion, including several healing charms and protective wards and the wand movements and incantations. When she was sure she had done everything she could to ensure Harry and Ron's survival on their journey, she kept the backpack nearby for when it was needed.

When she wasn't packing the backpack, she was doing research on Horcruxes with Regulus and Orion. They showed her everything they had learned over the years and explained to her the theories they had on the identity of the Horcruxes, their location and how to destroy them. Together they worked through each theory, putting some as a small possibility, discarding some entirely and putting some as likely. They had narrowed down several possibilities and now just had to prove it, so whilst Regulus and Orion weren't off busy being Unspeakables or spies, they set out to see if their theories had some merit, they had not yet found anything concrete but they weren't giving up.

When Hermione wasn't in research mode, she was outside, wandering the grounds of The Cottage in the warm summer weather. She spent hours outdoors and exercising her elemental magic. Sometimes she made plants and trees grow focusing on enhancing her earth magic, other times she sat by the lake and focused her attention on her water magic, trying to control larger bodies of water, because she knew it would come in handy. She spent time trying to summon fire from within her, rather than just controlling it from already present sources. She spent time with working on her ability to control air, but they ability she found most difficult to control was conjuring lightning, she couldn't do it unless she felt anger which annoyed her somewhat. She spent most of her time trying to control more than one element at a time, even trying to combine them, that took a lot of her magic and energy, which she supposed was a blessing in disguise; although it would leave her exhausted and in need of a five hour nap, it was helping to control her magical outbursts, she now only had three a week at most, but it also depended on her mood.

During these weeks, she also made sure to spend time with her Father and her husbands, spending one on one time with Fred and George when one of them stayed with her during the day, and then spending time with both of them when the shop closed for the day.

Hermione had a lot on her plate, especially with the pregnancy, but that didn't mean that she hadn't noticed the 'phase of bad luck' Regulus and Orion seemed to be going through. Of course she knew it wasn't bad luck, she was well aware that her husbands and Father had teamed up in order to get revenge for the hand they had in her pregnancy. They might've been happy that there was soon to be a new member of The House of Black, the twins were going to be the first in the family to be Fathers and Sirius would be a Grandfather, but that didn't mean they had forgotten how and why Hermione was pregnant in the first place.

Neither had she for that matter, and that was why she turned a blind eye and looked the other way when Regulus or Orion suddenly sprouted feathers and a beak, or found themselves stuck to the floor whilst being covered in some of the most disgusting substances Hermione had ever smelled, or even when she accidently had magical outbursts and they were directed towards them, causing her husbands and Father to smirk and smile at her proudly.

But, putting all of that aside, most of the time they got along and they had settled nicely into a routine. Hermione's pregnancy was going fairly well with the exception that the development of the baby had become somewhat worrying. It seemed that once Hermione had reached the mark of three months, the baby's development sped up. Everyone seemed to be alarmed, well, everyone except for Regulus.

Hermione was technically just a little over fourteen weeks pregnant and with that she had entered her second trimester, her sickness and mood swings had stopped, but the problem was that although Hermione was fourteen weeks pregnant, the baby's development was telling them a different story. It was telling them that rather than being fourteen weeks, it was five months, and Hermione's body definitely supported it.

Regulus was carrying out checks several times a day and assuring them all that both Hermione and the baby were completely fine. There were no underlying conditions and there was no evidence as to why the baby was developing six weeks faster than normal, all he could determine was that the baby was completely healthy and would be born six weeks prior to the original due date, putting the new due date at December 1st.

Hermione's stomach had a prominent baby bump that if anyone saw they would automatically know that she was pregnant. There also seemed to be a glow that followed her wherever she went, even when she was sleeping, it never left her, and although it was a little odd, the twins couldn't help stare at her in her literal pregnancy glow.

Hermione's craving for the twins had increased and one of them had to always be beside her otherwise she would feel the baby squirming inside of her and it not only made her uneasy, but those around her too. Her cravings for food had long since made an appearance and she had taken a liking to Kreacher's short bread covered in yoghurt and cheesy mash potato, which she ate by the bucket load.

Her sex drive had definitely made an appearance and everyone had noticed it. Knowing smirks and amused looks would be waiting for Hermione and the twins when they finally dragged themselves out of bed for breakfast, of which would promptly disappear with a glare from her, after all, they didn't want to piss off a pregnant witch, but she wasn't just any pregnant witch, now was she? Hermione couldn't hide her and the twins' sexual exploits from the other occupants of The Cottage even if she tried.

They made sure to lock their bedroom door and they put up the strongest Silencing Charms they could find. What give them away wasn't even the twins obvious exhaustion or Hermione's blissful smile and glow, it was the grounds of The Cottage and the weather.

Every morning Sirius, Regulus and Orion would emerge from their rooms to see new plant life covering the grounds, some flora that wasn't even indigenous to Britain had appeared, as well as an increase in wildlife roaming the grounds, and the weather no longer complied with the forecast weather reports either, regardless of rain, wind or cold, now it was always twenty degrees or above, the whole of England was experiencing the heat wave that Hermione couldn't control.

But now, after weeks of being under metaphorical house arrest, it was time for Hermione and Sirius to leave the confines of the grounds and immerse themselves into the world once again.

It was the day before Harry's seventeenth birthday and it was time to collect him before he was no longer protected. And in less than three days, Bill and Fleur would be getting married, that meant they were all heading to The Burrow and it was going to be busy with setting up for the wedding ceremony.

Hermione and the others had discussed revealing the pregnancy to the rest of the family and as much as they didn't want to take the attention away from Bill and Fleur, they had no choice. Hermione's prominent baby bump would be difficult to hide from every Weasley and it was better to tell them before they found out for themselves. With their decision in mind, Sirius, Hermione and the twins packed up enough clothing for a few nights and they met at the fireplace, preparing to floo to The Burrow.

Hermione was wearing a pretty blue summer dress that had to be charmed to fit her baby bump comfortably and her feet were killing her so she didn't bother putting on shoes, just walking around barefooted. Despite the hot weather she had white robes pulled on and fasted to cover her baby bump for as long as possible, they wanted to gather everyone together before they revealed the news. Hermione made sure to grab the backpack and when everyone was ready, they all looked around at The Cottage, sad that they were leaving their little bubble and one by one, they stepped into the floo as the sun began to slowly set.

~000~000~000~

The Burrow

The Burrow was a flurry of movement as Order members rushed around preparing to set the plan into motion. She saw Tonks and Mrs. Weasley conversing together in a corner of the room, Sirius immediately went over to Remus and they quickly started up a conversation with Kingsley and Made-Eye, as they looked over what seemed to be plans covering a table.

Fred and George kissed her cheeks before moving over to Bill and Charlie and striking up greetings and conversations, Hermione smiled and nodded at them and they did the same, though they looked at her with questioning eyes, they could tell there was something different about her. Suddenly Remus' eyes cut to her and they widened, she nodded with a soft smile, she knew his wolf had picked up on her new scent. His eyes shot to Sirius and he grabbed his arm and pulled him off to another corner and they began a hushed conversation.

Remus' expression turned murderous but with a few choice words from Sirius he seemed to calm somewhat and he nodded in concession. Fleur was staring out of one of the windows, Ronald was sat by the fireplace staring at the wizarding chess board that was set up on the small table and she noticed Ginny sitting on the stairs, when Hermione caught her eye, Ginny scowled at her before standing up and storming up the stairs. Hermione just shook her head and she turned and made her way over to Fleur.

"'Ermione," the part veela greeted with a smile.

"Hey, Fleur, how are you feeling?" she asked.

"Feeling?" she responded confused.

"You're getting married in a few days, cold feet?"

"Non, never," she responded, her eyes wandered over to Bill and Hermione smiled to herself. Fleur loved Bill and that was clear, that was good enough for Hermione.

"Butterflies?" Hermione said knowingly, Fleur turned back to her and nodded sheepishly. "It's okay, I felt like that too. I was a nervous wreck the week before my wedding. I had Sirius and Molly planning my wedding so that I could focus on school, even though I knew I had left everything in the hands of two very capable people, I couldn't help but be nervous, despite the fact that I knew the twins were my true mates."

"When did it stop?"

"The minute I put my dress on and looked at myself in the mirror, I knew that I was making the right decision. Tying myself to Fred and George, not only through marriage, but through our magic as well, it was..." she trailed off. "Well, I've never been happier than I am now, even with the current war raging around us, I love Fred and George so much that it affects my magic, which in turn affects the world," she smiled slightly, whilst Fleur looked a little confused. "I couldn't imagine my life without being married to Fred and George. You may be feeling nervous now, but I promise you, the moment you are done up and you have your dress on, every thought will vanish, the only thought you will have will be that you are marrying the man you love."

"Zank you, 'Ermione," Fleur spoke, "I was hoping zat you would be a bridesmaid." Hermione made to reject her offer, but couldn't quickly enough. "Non, I have already acquired you a dress, it's ze perfect size."

"Yeah, about that Fleur..."

"Alright, everyone, it's time," Moody's gruff voice interrupted. Everyone gathered together, "You all know the plan," he said to the crowd. Everyone nodded. "Let's get going, we only have a small window of time and no room for error."

"CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" The twins shouted, causing Hermione to giggle, Sirius and Remus to share smirks, Moody to growl at them and they received disappointed tuts from their Mother.

"Okay, be carefully, it's not just me that needs you now." Hermione spoke softly, after she dragged the twins off to the side, as everyone prepared to leave.

They smiled at her words.

"Of course, Love," George assured her, "We're always careful." She raised an eyebrow. "Most of the time." Her eyebrow stayed in place. "Sometimes?" Again her expression remained the same and they chuckled at her. "We'll be careful, like you said, it's not just us anymore; we have our little Henry too."

"No, not Henry," Hermione said. "Besides, we don't even know the gender and we all agreed to keep it as a surprise until the birth." They both shrugged.

"I didn't really like Henry either," Fred spoke. "How about Nathan?"

"No," both Hermione and George said.

"Why are you assuming it's a boy?" Hermione asked. They gestured around to the family of red-heads, boys out numbering girls by eight to two, and she conceded their point.

"Relax, Hermione, we're big boys and we can take care of ourselves," Fred assured her. "We'll be fine, we have to be, I would hate to think what a pregnant Blue Mage would do if her mates were injured." The twins both shivered and Hermione rolled her eyes.

"It wouldn't be that bad," she argued. They looked at her disbelievingly. "Never mind," she sighed, knowing they were right.

"We'll be back before you know it and once we've gotten Harry, we'll tell the rest of the family about the new addition," Fred smiled at her. She pulled them both to her and hugged them tightly.

"I love you," she whispered.

"Love you too," they replied, they pulled back and after a quick peck on the lips, they separated and made their way to the door.

Sirius took his chance to speak to her. "We'll watch out for them," he promised her, pulling her into a hug.

"No, look out for yourself," she told him, "If you come back with even a hair out of place neither me nor the baby will be happy."

He chuckled. "Always give a pregnant woman what she wants, that's a lesson I've learned recently."

"Whatever," she muttered childishly. "It wasn't even that bad."

"You almost flayed Reggie alive because he was eating short bread," he smirked.

"That was my short bread that Kreacher made especially for me," she defended.

He chuckled. "Didn't say it wasn't, Kitten. I have to go, we'll be back before you realise we're gone."

He kissed her forehead and then left out the door, a few seconds later she heard several cracks and she made her way out of The Burrow and into the field that was empty.

She conjured herself a chair and sat down in the clammy evening air, waiting for her family and friends to return to her safely.

~000~000~000~

Two hours Hermione had been sat outside, Mrs. Weasley had been out several times to try and coax her back inside but Hermione had stayed exactly where she was. Mrs. Weasley gave up and instead brought her out a cup of tea and she too conjured a chair. They sat together in silence waiting. It was an hour after everyone had left that Mrs. Weasley couldn't take the waiting anymore and so she left Hermione alone outside and went back into The Burrow to keep herself busy. If she was busy she wasn't worrying about her family and the danger they were facing.

Being left alone for an hour, Hermione did nothing but stare at the sky, watching the stars twinkling and with her hands covering her stomach. She could feel the baby squirming inside of her and she knew that the baby missed the presence of its Fathers just as much as she did. It was close to the three hour mark when Hermione's worry was beginning to build and she could feel her magic being to frazzle, she didn't have to look to know her hair was likely now a frizzy puff ball, or a 'lion's mane' as Sirius often referred to it as.

Thankfully, she heard the roar of an engine and she quickly stood up and her eyes searched the sky, just as a large shape appeared and was heading to the ground. The large frame of Hagrid and Harry appeared as the flying motorcycle touched down on the ground with a bump and it rolled to a stop.

"Harry!" Hermione yelled and as he climbed out of the side cart, he looked up at her. As he approached her Hermione gripped her wand in her hand and he stopped in front of her.

"May I ask you why you felt little Tiffany deserved to die?" Hermione spoke, knowing only the real Harry would know the answer.

"Well, she was the only one that actually seemed dangerous at the time, Sir," Harry stated.

Hermione pocketed her wand and flung herself at him, her arms wrapping around his shoulders.

"Err, Hermione, your stomach," he said in surprise, as he felt the bump against him.

"I'll explain when the others get back," she told him and they pulled back from each other.

"We're the first back?"

She nodded in reply. "What happened out there, Harry?" she asked as she watched as Mrs. Weasley and Hagrid conversed.

"We had barely gotten in the air when we were ambushed, they were waiting for us, Death Eaters and He was there. We had to separate, I don't know how anyone else faired but we barely made it out alive, Hedwig didn't make it," he said quietly and he saw her face pale. "Hey, I'm sure they're fine, you'd know if they were hurt, like that time they were attacked at their shop, remember?"

She forced herself to breathe and she nodded when she realised he was right. Just then a crack was heard and out from the over grown grass walked Remus and George, they looked dishevelled but neither appeared to be injured. Hermione sighed in relief and she didn't bother to question them, she knew it was George. She walked over to them as quickly as she could. She flung herself at George and breathed in his scent and she felt the baby settle down now that George was there with them again.

"I'm fine," he promised her, with his head buried against her neck and placing kisses there occasionally.

"Only Harry and Hagrid have arrived, we're still waiting," she told him. She pulled back and quickly hugged Remus.

"You have a lot of explaining to do," he told her.

"I know, It's a long story that will be told when everyone returns."

"How are you so far along?"

"Again, long story, it'll have to wait," she said. "What happened?"

"We were betrayed, they knew we were moving Harry tonight and they were waiting for us."

"Mundungus?"

"Suspect number one," he said as another crack was heard. She pulled back in time to see Kingsley appear.

"The last words Albus Dumbledore spoke to the pair of us," Kingsley demanded with his wand pointed at Remus, who in turn had his wand pointed.

"Harry is the best hope we have," Remus spoke.

Hermione blocked out any further words as her attention was on Bill and Fleur who touched down on the ground on the back of a Thestral. George was the one to intercept them and when they passed, they headed into The Burrow where Mrs. Weasley was pacing back and forth.

Tonks and Ron were next to arrive and once they had been approved, they were allowed into The Burrow, as everyone convened inside, Hermione and George stayed outside, hand in hand waiting for the others.

"Thank Merlin, Fred," Hermione sighed as he was next to arrive, along with his Father by his side and neither appeared injured. Hermione moved quickly over to him and hugged him tightly.

"See, nothing to worry about," he said quietly into her neck.

"Tell that to the baby," she muttered. "We've both been worried sick."

"Yeah, your hair gave that away."

He chuckled when she weakly hit him, they pulled back and stayed outdoors, awaiting the arrival of Sirius and Charlie and Mad-Eye and Mundungus, if he showed his face Hermione was going to kill him. It was five minutes later when Charlie and Sirius arrived; she sighed and made her way over to him.

"Your hair's out of place," she muttered and he chuckled.

"Well, I was being chased two hundred feet in the air on a flying broom, by murderous psychopaths; it was bound to get a little windswept."

"Not funny, we're only waiting for Mundungus who I will kill and Mad-Eye."

"Mundungus fled the moment he saw Him, Mad-Eye couldn't shake them, Charlie and I did our best to help him but we got separated, the last we saw of him he had fallen off his broom."

"He didn't make it?" she whispered.

"No, Kitten, he didn't make it," he said softly.

She sniffled and nodded, "Mundungus isn't coming here, everyone's back; we need to tell them about Mad-Eye and the pregnancy."

"Let's go and get this over with, the last few hours have been difficult." She nodded and pulled back from him and they made their way to The Burrow.

As she reached the doors, the twins took her hands and they stepped into The Burrow, Sirius was greeted and he quieted them down and asked everyone to sit. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Bill, Charlie, Fleur, Harry, Ron, Kingsley, Remus, Tonks and Fleur all sat down where they could and looked at Hermione, the twins and Sirius expectantly since they were stood in front of everyone.

"I take it Charlie has informed you all of Mad-Eye," Sirius spoke, everyone nodded and they allowed a moment of silence for Mad-Eye, before Sirius cleared his throat.

"Hermione and the twins have an announcement to make."

They all looked over to them.

Hermione and the twins stepped forward before she released their hands and brought them up to her robes. She unfastened them and pulled them off her, dropping them to the floor.

"We're pregnant."