SECOND CHANCES 19

Author's Note: I don't own any of the characters.

Shell Cottage

The night before she was to return to Hogwarts had found Hermione in a very tumultuous mood. There was a large part of her that was terribly excited to return to the school and try to put the horrors of the past year behind her. However was also a sizeable part of her that was terrified at the reception that she would receive throughout the year because of her pregnancy. She didn't regret or hate being pregnant however she guessed that she'd be the target of no small amount of jeers and gossiping behind her back. Some of that for her was normal as it had happened every year about her, Ron, and Harry. But this time it would be different, she would not hide her pregnancy or the fact that she and Ron were married. She would be forever glad that Draco Malfoy would not be attending with them as he and his family was still wrapped up in Ministry matters. She knew that facing his scathing comments was something that she'd rather not have to deal with. She knew that whatever happened Ron would be by her side as would Harry and Ginny.

"Something wrong," Ron wondered aloud with a curious and concerned tone to his words as he slipped back into the bedroom and spied her sitting on the bed in her nightgown staring out the window.

"Huh…oh uh no, nothing, everything's fine Ron," Hermione softly replied with a pained expression and somber tone to her words as she kept Ron from being able to see her face as she turned away from him.

"Liar, what is it, Henry will be fine with mum, she's got like a whole year of time to make up for," Ron countered with a tone that made it clear to Hermione that he knew that she was not being honest as he shut the door behind him and walked barefoot over to the bed.

"No…that's not it, I just…what happens tomorrow, it's going to be the first time that people see me," Hermione admitted with a solemn frown as she leaned back into Ron's embrace as he sat down on the bed beside her and pulled her into his arms and he rested his back up against the headboard.

"Uh Hermione, not to argue or anything but a whole lot of people have seen you," Ron commented softly with a tone of restraint as he reached a hand up and brushed some hair back off of her neck before he leaned his head down and placed a few gentle kisses up the side of her neck, earning a soft giggle from the brunette.

"You know what I mean Ron, it'll be the first time that people have seen me…pregnant, I'll be the one that everyone is staring at, and jeering at…," Hermione bemoaned with a lost look of panic in her eyes as she leaned into him and stared down sadly at her belly, viewing it just then as enormous.

"Anyone makes a crack about you I'll…," Ron started to argue as he started to ball his hands up into fists at the thought of anyone making a crack about Hermione before she grabbed his hands with her own and kept him from completely forming them into fists.

"No Ron, violence won't solve anything, I just hope that the rest of the students will just leave me be," Hermione hoped beyond hope for as she squeezed her eyes tightly shut and wanted that wish to come true but she knew that the likelihood of it becoming reality was very small indeed.

"Fat chance of that luv, you Harry and I are famous…we'd be the center of attention whether you were pregnant or not, who knows maybe our fame will help protect you, some people won't want to talk bad about the heroes of Hogwarts…or whatever," Ron offered up with an optimistic grin as he gave her a light squeeze as he was being careful not to put too much pressure on her stomach as he still found it hard to believe that they would be the parents of triplets in just a few short months.

"I've never really wanted fame but…I have it anyway, almost makes me wish that I wasn't Head Girl and you weren't Head Boy," Hermione shrugged with a bit of a sniffle at the thought of the state of her life as she was conflicted about going back to school pregnant though still very excited that she and Ron had been granted the two most powerful student positions at Hogwarts. For her at least the post of Head Girl had been her dream since she first learned of the position years earlier, but she had been surprised by Ron's story of seeing himself as Head Boy in the Mirror of Erised.

"I'm surprised that McGonagall picked us, you're her favorite that's easy…but me luv, I'm not exactly on top of her list," Ron declared with a slightly guilty look to him as it was very clear that being picked to be Head Boy had not been anything that he really gave serious consideration to that he would actually have a chance for it, telling Hermione that he was sure that Harry would have gotten it when their Hogwarts letters had come.

"Headmistress McGonagall doesn't hate you Ron, besides with Henry and me being so far along it'd only make sense for us to room together, not to mention us being married and…especially since otherwise if something happened in the middle of the night you'd have no way of getting to me in the dorms," Hermione reminded him with a clear shiver of fear at the thought of what if her words had come true the last thing that she would want was for her or the babies to be in danger and Ron unable to get to them because of a spell designed to keep them out of their current situation.

"I'd bloody well find a way Hermione, I promise you I'd…," Ron exclaimed with one of his hands clenched tightly into a fist even though in all honesty he had no clue as to how he would actually accomplish the task but that had never stopped him before and especially wouldn't now, not with Hermione and his children's good health at stake.

"I know that you would Ron, it's just easier this way, and Harry and Ginny are Gryffindor prefects so it'll all work out, it has to," Hermione reminded him with a warm smile as she managed to turn herself enough in his embrace so that they could look at each other properly without being face to face before she couldn't help but yawn.

"At least that will keep them apart at night," Ron remarked with a sly grin as he seemed to grow much happier at that thought before Hermione opened her mouth and brought him back down to Earth a bit.

"But for how long I wonder, nothing and no one ever stopped me from coming into your dorm whenever I wanted remember," Hermione interjected with a lost in thought expression before she just had to smile at the memories of sitting on the end of Ron's bed and watching him wake up, especially on Christmas mornings and his birthday.

"Oh I remember, you were just lucky that I didn't sleep in the nude," Ron replied heartily before he decided to have a little bit of fun and tease his lovely wife just a little bit.

"If you had and I would have known then I would have gone to your dorm a lot more often," Hermione snickered with a daring grin and twinkle in her eyes as she wrapped herself firmly in his arms and took a deep breath as she eagerly awaited his answer.

"Told ya you were the one with the randy thoughts," Ron muttered under his breath, his voice full of pretend venom, as he slid his hands around her stomach and threatened to send them elsewhere before she answered him.

"Oh come now, I think that we're both guilty of that Ron, which is something that I hope Henry and whoever is next do not inherit from us," Hermione shot back with a stern smile as she had to work to keep from laughing at the topic that they were discussing as she tried to keep those thoughts at bay before Ron cut in.

"Then again our children are Weasley's, and as dear old Aunt Muriel was ever so fond of saying we Weasley's breed like gnomes…thank Merlin she's not a Weasley, I don't think that I could stand it if she were," Ron let out with an impatient and clearly thankful sigh as he tilted his head back, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath at the end.

"Even so dear…she's still family," Hermione reminded him with a less than happy about it expression on her face as she didn't like Ron's great aunt in the least but had always been told to be nice to what little family she had so she had decided to do just that, no matter the cost to her patience and sanity.

"Hopefully not for much longer, don't forget she wasn't very nice to you at the wedding, bad posture and skinny ankles…," Ron admitted softly as he forced his temper back down in its place and began to softly trace circles on her baby bump with his fingertips, partially just for something to do with his hands.

"How could you possibly remember that," Hermione gasped out loud in shock and alarm as she then sat up straight in front of him so that they were face to face and she closely studied his face for any indication that he was just joking around with her, but she found none.

"Because she said it about you, daft old…," Ron grumbled unhappily as he momentarily balled his hands up into fists and then relaxed them, knowing that while his anger felt good it didn't help matters in the end.

"Member of the family who could still leave us something in her will someday so for now at least we should be as nice as possible to her, or at least as nice as we can stomach," Hermione finished off for him softly with a half-hearted shrug of her shoulders and somber pout as she didn't like the thought of having to deal with Aunt Muriel any more than Ron did, but she wasn't about to tell him that.

"Thankfully she doesn't get out much, here's to hoping that Henry and the others never have the joy of knowing her as well as we do," Ron added quickly with a large letting out of a breath of relief and wide grin as he set his chin down on her shoulder and gave her a good squeeze.

"Maybe, but honestly I'll be happy if the only time in which our children ever hear about dark witches and wizards is either from our old stories or their schoolbooks," Hermione nodded impatiently as she scowled at the thought of telling her children about Voldemort and the war before Ron cut in.

"Sadly only if our luck changes," Ron interjected with a darkly sarcastic tone of voice and grimace before the pair settled in for the night in each other's arms, hoping that Henry would actually sleep through the night.

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Platform Nine And Three Quarters

She had gone through the process before, six times before in fact. However this seventh and final time had not been like any of the others. Her pregnancy and marriage to Ron seemed to be the talk of the town after they passed through the barrier, as several conversations and lively debates had gone instantly silent the moment that the pair was spotted on the platform. No one said anything directly to them however Hermione could hear the comments muttered under people's breath and some of her fears were unfortunately justified while others were thankfully overblown. True to his word Ron had run interference the entire time, silently glaring at and threatening anyone and everyone that even looked at her funny. Harry and Ginny had done much the same, though mostly by using his fame to get people's attention to be focused on him instead of her. She and Ron had slipped into their seats as Head Boy and Head Girl as quickly as possible, knowing that would keep those that would try to get a glimpse of them to a minimum. She viewed it as a relief when the train finally started moving and she stayed in her seat the entire trip, only getting up to use the bathroom.

At the opening feast Hermione had eaten almost as much as Ron had and thankfully been surrounded by family or soon to be family. Dean hadn't said anything but simply just grinned and shook his head as they had passed by him before he had returned to the conversation that he'd been having with Seamus. Luna had walked by and congratulated them with an odd smile and a wink. Headmistress McGonagall had given a long welcome back speech that Ron had actually listened to, or at least to parts of it before Hermione had to kick him under the table to keep him from dozing off. The only words that McGonagall had spoken about the trio were a quick thank you and an admonishment to the other students to as best that they could, give the three their space. The Head Boy and Head Girl suite had been enlarged a bit since the last time that they used it. Now it resembled a very small apartment that took every spare bit of space available since it didn't have a kitchen. In place of the usual two small bedrooms was one large one with a bed large enough for two in it and a crib that looked tailor made for Henry with a note from Hagrid on it. It was an invitation to dinner with him at their earliest opportunity so that he could properly meet the newest member of the Weasley family. Henry would be coming later with Mrs. Weasley.

"Any idea when we should go and see him," Ron wondered aloud with a curious frown as he set his bags down at the foot of the bed and flopped down onto it as Hermione continued to carefully study the crib.

"I don't know, my schedule is pretty full already and I didn't really get much sleep last night," Hermione replied with a tired yawn as she set about putting some of her clothes away and kept glancing back at Ron, hoping that he'd get the idea and follow suit.

"Well we can't put it off forever, mum will see to that, especially since she'll see us every day," Ron reminded her with a less than happy about it expression as he sat up and then reluctantly stood up.

"I know, but it was what was best for everyone, your mother gets to spend time with Henry after she missed so much…and we get free daycare," Hermione admitted with a look of no small amount of relief as she hadn't known who they were going to get to take care of Henry during the day as she had doubted that either she or Ron would have been allowed to and her mother was too far away for it to be practical. Mrs. Weasley had quickly become the only viable option.

"Let's just hope that offer holds once the triplets arrive…now are you dead certain that you don't want to….," Ron added softly as he looked more than scared that his mother's offer would change with the birth of the triplets and what it could mean for them.

"No Ron, I've made up my mind, I don't want to know…I want to be surprised on the day that the they're born, besides does it really matter, would you love them any less," Hermione answered as she slowly shook her head and closed the drawer that she had just filled and started to open the next one, still finding sharing a room with Ron a bit odd.

"Of course not, I just…liked knowing with Henry is all," Ron immediately stated with supreme certainty as he walked over to her and then wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close, settling his chin on her shoulder as best that he could due to his height.

"I can understand that Ron, but this way it'll be a surprise, one that we actually like," Hermione told him with a relieved smile as she set her hands over his and leaned back into him, letting him keep her upright more than under her own power.

"Heh yeah, rather than our usual kind of surprises like Death Eaters suddenly attacking or diaries that have a piece of a dark wizards soul in them," Ron chuckled through softly as Hermione couldn't help but laugh a bit right along with him as the two stood there together for a few minutes, totally lost in the moment.

"Well thankfully all of that should be behind us and the only terrifying thing that we have to look forward to is my due date," Hermione joked softly with a very heartfelt tone to her words before she couldn't help but grin happily at the end, both looking forward to and dreading that day in the not too distant future.

"That, but at least this time Madam Pomfrey won't have to travel…and she'll be able to keep an eye on you right up until the last minute," Ron nodded back with a very large and audible swallow as he was just as in fear of the birth of their triplets as Hermione was though he knew that it'd be better for them both if he didn't show that fact any more than absolutely necessary. All that was well and good though he guessed in seconds that regardless of what he said Hermione as always could see right through him.

"Don't worry Ron, I think that pretty much every teacher will be watching me very closely as my due date approaches, by the end I don't know if I'll be happier to finally have these three be born or to have everybody stop hanging on my every waking moment," Hermione groaned softly as she was definitely not looking forward to all of her teachers watching her like a hawk and possibly treating her differently towards the end of her pregnancy, as she wanted to be viewed as just any other student in their class and no one special.

"You think that's bad luv, just wait until after they're here, then you'll have more offers to babysit than you'll know what to do with, everybody will want to see the babies," Ron commented with a nervous and unpleasant shiver as he imagined them both being bombarded by people wanting to spend a few hours with the triplets and Henry.

"Then we'll have to pick a godfather and godmother for them, but I can see that not ending well regardless of who we pick," Hermione sighed with a deliberate rolling of her eyes as the two found their way back to the bed and sat down next to each other, hand in hand.

"What if we don't, that way we just avoid the problem altogether," Ron suggested softly with a fake look of hope on his face as he tried to smile but soon found it impossible to keep it going and so let his face fall back into its previously serious tone.

"Nice try Ron, but somehow I doubt that with our luck we'll have a choice," Hermione sighed slowly as she shook her head before she leaned forward until her forehead came to rest on his chest and she was comforted by the feeling of his hands soon after on the small of her back.

"Yeah…you're right, besides Harry and Ginny will probably expect it…," Ron replied after several silent moments in the suite as he dropped his chin down lightly on the top of her head and not for the first time wondered if they had made the right choice to return to Hogwarts.

"And of course who is going to want to hire us after we graduate, being the parents of four young children and having so much baggage attached to us…I sadly could easily see if most didn't want to have anything at all to do with us," Hermione grumped out impatiently as her hands found Ron's sides as she heavily leaned against him and soaked in his support as he pulled her into a tighter embrace so that her chin was now on his shoulder and the two were facing in opposite directions on the bed.

"Meaning," Ron wondered aloud with a curious frown as his hands began to slowly and hopefully in his mind soothingly rub her back as he tried to help calm her own nerves in the hope that it would help him calm his own.

"Meaning Ron…that no matter what we say or do we're tied to the old Ministry, the ministry that was infiltrated and taken over by Voldemort and his allies, all without anyone noticing a thing, I could see Kingsley wanting to make a clean break with the past, regardless of how he personally feels about us," Hermione lamented as she pulled away from Ron just enough so that she could look him in the eye and gauge his reaction as she tried to keep from tearing up a little.

"Well…when you put it that way, maybe we should have just let the Death Eaters win," Ron grumbled angrily as he tightly clenched one of his hands into a fist for a bit before he calmed down when Hermione reached a hand up and gently laid it on his cheek, immediately snapping him back to his senses.

"What…oh, uh…sorry Ron, it's just that sometimes I wonder if we've done our part and that we won't really fit into what comes next for the wizarding world," Hermione stuttered nervously at first before she shook her head and joined Ron in having a dimmer view of their possible future after Hogwarts than most would in their situation.

"Well it's all that we've got, I'd never make it in the muggle world full time and now I don't think that you'd want to live without the wizarding world every day either, so we're pretty much stuck luv," Ron admitted while looking more than a bit guilty before as he spoke Hermione's expression quickly matched his own and she slowly and sadly nodded her head a few times before he finished and she could answer him.

"You're right…and something tells me that neither of our parents would stand for not seeing their grandchildren, not after what we did," Hermione shrugged sadly as she openly admitted the truth that they both knew to be true and they then laid down on the bed side by side and stared up at the ceiling.

"You mean…saving the entire wizarding world, yeah…bad idea, shouldn't have done that," Ron answered sarcastically as he made a mock flourish of celebration before Hermione rolled her eyes and then lightly smacked him on the arm before admonishing him.

"Stop it…you know what I meant," Hermione groaned with an impatient sigh as she started to pull her hand back before he grinned and she playfully smacked him on the arm again as best that she could.

"Unfortunately yes Hermione, I do," Ron nodded slowly as both were beginning to get more than a bit sleepy before both nodded off into their slumber, wrapped in each other's arms.

END OF CHAPTER 19

Author's Note: Thanks again to everyone for reading and reviewing this and the other chapters. As always reviews, comments, and questions are greatly appreciated. The next chapter will end the story before the epilogue chapters and there will probably be five of them that get spaced out over the years after the trio leaves Hogwarts and what happens to everyone and all of that. The start of the chapter is of Ron and Hermione the night before they leave on the train to go to Hogwarts and that both have fears and worries about it all and they voice them. The second half is more about after they get to Hogwarts and how they handle their first night being back and again their worries and concerns about the future. With some big battles the aftermath can be more hazardous than the battle itself as those that won the battle can often then be pushed out by those who don't want to think about the war on a daily basis. Thank You.