SECOND CHANCES 21-EPILOGUE 1

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

Shell Cottage-5 Years Later

Five years had changed a lot. The wizarding world had slowly started to recover from the war with Voldemort and his Death Eaters. Harry was still the boy who lived and the one that had saved the wizarding world, however Ron and Hermione's roles had been diminished by some to the point where many now thought their stories to be entirely suspect. Ron could now pass easily without being harassed by autograph seekers or those wanting to take a picture with him, which in the end suited Ron just fine. Hermione however would get the odd stares and hushed whispers behind her back by some who wondered just what the trio had truly gotten up to in their almost yearlong hunt for the horcrux's, with some wondering about the true parentage of Henry. Whenever she would hear that particular muttering Hermione would become combative and do her best to set the gossipers straight, regardless of what Ron or Harry or Ginny would say. Because of that Draco had managed to ingratiate himself back into the wizard world, saying that he had been forced into his actions. Those that had known him at Hogwarts were not swayed by any of it.

Harry had quickly become a top auror and had worked tirelessly to reform the order and do whatever he could to keep another war from ever happening again. He had done a lot however many had grown to believe that he was trying to use his status as a war hero to threaten the ministry or take the top job for himself. Hermione had of course believed none of it and had been the one to keep Ron from firing off one nasty owl after another to any newspaper that dared print such nonsense. For her part Hermione had worked at the ministry ever since she had graduated from Hogwarts, however after five long and trying years she had become to frustrated at the ingrained attitudes of those that she worked with and had just tendered her resignation shortly before Christmas. It was however definitely a surprise for Ron, as was her telling him that she was pregnant again. The morning of Christmas Eve she had awoken to three inquisitive sets of eyes staring at her, one green, one blue, and one brown.

"Mum…get up," Lexi groaned unhappily as she scrambled up onto the bed and leaned in close so that her face was almost touching Hermione's.

"Come on mum," Ana added loudly as Hermione could feel her middle daughter climb up onto the bed after her older sister and sit on her other side, all the while the brunette kept her eyes closed and wished that the three redheads would leave her alone, at least for a couple more hours.

"Food…we want food," Angie demanded with a stomp of her little foot as she crossed her arms in front of her chest and scowled over at her mother, hoping that her expression alone would get her results.

"Nnh…ask your father," Hermione groaned back while scrunching up her face and trying to pull the blankets up over her face and use both they and she arm to block the sunlight from forcing her to wake up.

"He's looking for Henry," Ana answered with a little deep breath as Hermione could tell that the young girl was not happy about the meat of her words and having to be the one to actually tell her about it.

"He's hiding again, stupid boy," Angie grumbled unhappily as she stomped her foot again before she turned and started towards the doorway on the far end of the room away from the bed before Hermione stopped her.

"He's not a stupid boy Angie, he's your big brother," Hermione declared strongly with an irritated scowl as she forced herself to open her eyes and lightly glare at the youngest of the triplets, who looked appropriately ashamed for her words.

"So, he's still stinky," Ana quipped with a sly smirk as she hopped up onto her knees and started to pull the sheets completely off of Hermione, hoping to spur her mother on just a little bit more to get up and make them breakfast.

"Anastasia Minerva Weasley, your older brother is not stinky and I won't have you saying that he is, is that clear," Hermione snapped with an angry scowl as she reluctantly slid her legs over the side of the bed and brushed some hair out of her eyes so that she could get a good and stern glare in at her middle daughter, making sure that the child knew that she was serious.

"But," Angie tried to argue with her bottom lip stuck out in a pout that she would usually use when she was trying to get her way on something, but Hermione had seen it so many times before and before she'd had her coffee was in no mood for it.

"No buts you lot, now am I making myself clear," Hermione grouched out as loudly as she dared to get her point firmly across without making her daughters feel like she was truly yelling at them, especially this early in the morning.

"Yes mum," The three replied in total unison with their bottom lips quivering a bit, their chins down to their chests, and their hands clasped together behind their backs as Lexi and Ana slid back off of the bed and joined Angie by the doorway.

"Good, now what do you mean that your father is looking for Henry, what happened," Hermione asked as she slid off of the bed and steadied herself on her own two feet and thought about pulling the top sheet around her if she had to go outside so early and look for both her husband and her son.

"Henry wanted his space…and then daddy," Lexi replied with a bored shrug of her shoulders as she leaned back up against the doorframe and then smiled sweetly up at her mother.

"Let me guess, he rushed off after Henry leaving you three still hungry," Hermione commented with a faint trace of a smile on her lips as she did a bit of stretching and then started towards the door, with her daughters eagerly awaiting her every movement.

"Yep," Ana hurriedly nodded with a wide grin, that Hermione couldn't help but admit to herself reminded her a great deal of Ron's grin when he was happy.

"Ron," Hermione grumbled with an irritated scowl as she did her best to herd her daughters down the hallway and down the stairs, glad that they used the railing that Ron had installed with Bill's help just before their birth.

"Daddy in trouble," Lexi asked softly, with a clear look of worry in her eyes, as she stopped on the bottom step and turned back around to face her mother, causing Hermione to almost trip over her eldest daughter.

"Yes Lexi, daddy is in trouble, but not as much as you're going to be if you stop on the last step like that again," Hermione explained patiently with a warm smile so that Alexandra didn't think that she was truly mad at her before she scooped her up into her arms and carried her towards the kitchen.

"Sorry," Lexi mumbled with a sad pout as she curled up in Hermione's arms while Ana and Angie just hurried off into the kitchen and pulled their chairs out to sit down.

"I know you are honey, I know that you don't mean it…and it's okay, it's high time that I got up anyway, what young mother needs more than three hours of sleep a night," Hermione said back with a quick kiss on the top of her oldest daughter's head before she pulled a chair out with her free hand and then helped Lexi to sit in it.

"I don't know," Angie offered up while looking a bit unsure of her answer, though it was clear that she was trying to help, before she got her answer.

"Easy answer dear, I do…your father kept me up till two in the bloody morning," Hermione pointed out to them with a nervous laugh as she glanced around at the state of the kitchen, being very glad that at the very least Ron hadn't made a mess before he'd rushed out to find Henry.

"Mummy," Lexi gasped out loudly as she clamped her hands to her mouth with her eyes wide before she and her sisters ducked under the table and peered out at her from there.

"Don't tell your father, now come on you three, get back in your chairs so that I can get you some breakfast before I go and bludgeon your father to death," Hermione replied with a chipper smile, one that she kept up throughout her whole answer which only belayed her true feelings, as she took a step towards the three before she turned and started to make them breakfast, ignoring their combined giggling.

"Mommy funny," Ana giggled softly to herself some more as she hopped up onto her chair and grinned at her twin sisters.

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The Burrow-Hours Later

She had finally found Ron escorting a dirty and drenched Henry back to the house along the shore after searching for what felt like hours. He had apologized profusely for it and said that in his defense he had told the girls not to bother her. That had not gone over wonderfully however if they didn't leave almost immediately thereafter for supper with at the Burrow then they would be late and Hermione simply wouldn't have that. Ron had run Henry through a bath while Hermione had managed to corral her daughters long enough to get them dressed before they had all joined Harry and Ginny and their son James at the Burrow. His birth mere months after the triplets had almost given Mrs. Weasley a heart attack, mostly because she had found out that so much had been going on without her knowledge. The pair had been married just weeks before James' birth, partially so as to not arouse suspicion of the wizarding tabloids that anything was out of the ordinary, and so that when Ginny gave birth she could do it at Saint Mungo's and all would be above board. All of the paperwork would show that Harry was Ginny's husband and the father of James, so that no one would think twice about any of it.

"What did you do this time," Harry wondered aloud with a sly grin as he lightly elbowed Ron in the side as the two stood by Fred's grave and the bespectacled man was in a desperate mood to change the subject rather than them reminiscing on some of Fred's finer pranks over the years.

"What," Ron exclaimed back with a clear look of confusion as that question had definitely not been the one that he had been expecting from his best friend.

"Hermione's mad at you, so…what did you do this time," Harry continued with a hint of amusement in his voice and the faintest traces of a smile curling up the edges of his lips as he leaned over and lightly bumped Ron again.

"Nothing, I was starting to make the girls their breakfast…and then I noticed that Henry had slipped out…so I told them to sit still and that I'd be right back after bringing Henry back, guess it took a little longer than I thought that it would," Ron finally replied after remaining silent for several moments as he slid his hands into his pockets and then loudly cleared his throat, as if saying that the idea had sounded good at the time but now he would have to admit that he would have done things differently if given another chance.

"Are we talking minutes…or hours," Harry shot back with a muffled laugh as he tried to keep from openly mocking his old friend that early in their conversation, regardless of how easy it would be.

"Hours…look, I'd just been helping George at the shop…on top of running the Hogsmeade branch all on my own by the way…and for the holiday rush no less, and I got in a bit late and wanted to talk a bit with my wife…which I think that I'm allowed…and as soon as I got up I thought about letting her sleep in…but you see how that went," Ron explained in a big hurry as he hunched his shoulders up even though it wasn't cold out and he failed to keep an unhappy scowl from dominating his features as he went.

"Look Ron, I'm sure that Hermione won't stay mad at you for too long about that, though I would advise you not to make her angry tonight if you could help it at all," Harry said softly as the two started back towards the house and only got a few steps before Ron cut back in just as the house came back into view.

"I'll try not to mate, but with those pregnancy hormones and all…," Ron groaned with an over exaggerated sigh and roll of his eyes before he pulled his hands back out of his pockets and pulled his cap down further over his ears.

"Again…Merlin, I swear have either of you ever heard of the charms that can keep that from happening unless you want it to," Harry declared angrily as he put his hands on his hips and glared over at Ron, who could only nervously blush and shrug his shoulders, giving himself enough time to think of something to say.

"Of course, it's just…it's Hermione…I can't help it…I love her and…she loves me…and…well…," Ron tried to answer as his mind suddenly went completely blank about two seconds after he started to talk and the answer that he had thought up on the spot totally evaporated from his mind in seconds before he was rescued by his better half.

"Things happen," Hermione interjected with a forced smile, one that she hoped would get her point across to Harry once he realized that she was there.

"I know Ron but…oh, Hermione…," Harry started to call out before his frown turned into a broad smile as he noticed Hermione and tried to change expressions on a dime, but didn't quite make it.

"Smooth dear, real smooth," Ginny let out with a sly but warm smirk as she sidled up to Harry and lightly poked him in the ribs just hard enough for him to get the message without the act actually hurting him.

"To answer your question Harry you can't always plan everything, and there's nothing wrong with a married couple having a healthy sexual appetite," Hermione explained slowly as she stopped walking and came to a stop directly in front of him, leaving him little to do but stand there and listen to her before a laugh from Ginny cut in.

"Hermione…I love you and all but…rabbits have a healthy sexual appetite, you and my brother are something else entirely…do either of you know the meaning of the word no," Ginny moaned back softly with a face palm into her gloves as she then let out a sigh and shook her head, lightly glaring at Hermione and Ron at the end.

"Of course, we say it to the kids often enough," Ron readily acknowledge with a scared smile as he put his hands up in a shrug that appeared to be a bit pleading before Hermione stepped in.

"Nnh, that's not what she meant Ron, but then again I'm not the only one expecting here…am I Ginny," Hermione countered with a bit of chewing her bottom lip to keep her emotions under control as she grabbed Ron by the arm and squeezed as hard as she was angry, though she was glad that Ron didn't yelp in pain as a result.

"What," Ron exclaimed angrily with a slightly pained expression before he was able to mask it better than he used to and he kept the two close before Harry responded.

"Ginny, you told her," Harry spat out in surprise as he whirled around to face Ginny, who couldn't help but blush just like Ron did when she got caught at having done something that she probably shouldn't have.

"I couldn't help it, we got to talking and…it just slipped out," Ginny nervously shrugged back as her blush started to fade a bit before she started walking back towards the house a bit faster than the others, forcing them to hurry to keep pace.

"Does mum know," Ron asked as he slowed in his walk and pulled Hermione back, fearful of what could be his little sisters response and how it could affect everyone's rest of the night. Hermione started to frown back at him before she caught on and frowned.

"I was going to tell her after supper, right before we left…a kind of early Christmas present," Ginny admitted with an answer and tone of voice that calmed all their fears as it wasn't something that was going to be sprung on the matriarch of the Weasley clan.

"Us too, that way if something came up tomorrow and I wasn't feeling well she'd understand," Hermione nodded back as she smiled weakly before pulling Ron's arm around her and huddling closer to him against the soft but cold breeze that had just picked up, huddling up closer to him for the added warmth.

"Are you sure that's the real reason Hermione, and you're not just using it so that she doesn't talk your ear off about leaving the ministry," Harry argued as he brought the quartet to a halt just outside of earshot of the house by the garden, knowing what was coming next and wanting to keep Mrs. Weasley out of it.

"Hermione…you're leaving…why," Ginny gasped out as she slipped away from Harry and then came to stand directly in front of Hermione so that her back was to the Burrow.

"It's all just become too much, it's not because I don't love the job, because I don't think that I'm doing valuable work, it's just that each and every day I deal with witches and wizards that are so set in their ways that they can't see the forest but for the trees, they're already so set in their ways that any kind of change scares them silly, it's too late for most of them, and it just…gets to you…seeing that…day after day, something needs to be done, but I just don't know what yet," Hermione replied as she did her best to explain her reasons for leaving the Ministry after only a handful of years as she tried to keep her anger at some of her former coworkers under control and to that end she began to dig her fingers into Ron's side, glad that he was wearing so many layers or else she might have drawn blood.

"I've never known you to be a quitter though," Harry admitted as he wasn't liking what he was hearing and wasn't going to be shy about anyone knowing about it as he leaned a bit closer to Ginny for warmth.

"Contrary to popular belief I'm not quitting…per se, I'm not just going to sit and home and cook and clean, on top of making absolutely sure that none of my own children end up like those that I worked with every day I'm going to continue my work for house elf rights and perhaps even write a book or two, not some frivolous thing but a book that has meaning, like what really happened on the horcrux hunt…to quash those bloody fools that call themselves journalists…or perhaps a quality textbook for the students at Hogwarts," Hermione continued her side of the argument as the more and more that she thought about it the more and more happy about her chosen course of action she became.

"Merlin knows they could use one," Harry replied through a chuckle as he put an arm around Ginny's waist and pulled her close, reveling in her summer scent in the middle of winter.

"Remember that book that Umbridge forced us to use…that one could have been written by Merlin himself it was so old," Ron added merrily in a vain attempt to change the mood of their conversation as he gave Hermione what he hoped was a comforting squeeze, and he was relieved that she smiled back at him a bit.

"Ministry control at its finest…now should we go before Victoire gets all of the cookies," Ginny declared with flare and a sly grin before she changed her tune on a dime the second that her stomach started to growl and she could just begin to smell that the food was just about ready.

"My girls would never let that happen," Hermione countered as she slid out of Ron's grasp and took his hand in hers and started to drag him towards the doorway, not that he was reluctant to follow along after her.

"James wouldn't either, Victoire might be a little bit older than him but he's never backed down from a fight," Harry agreed quickly before he and Ginny matched Ron and Hermione's headlong rush back towards the Burrow's front door.

"Even those he can't hope to win, remember when he thought that poodle was chained up and he was acting all big and tough…and then the moment that he figured out that the dog was loose…how he came crying to me, just like his daddy," Ginny reminded her husband softly with an amused smirk curling up one of the corners of her lips as she lightly poked him in the ribs before he could get a word in edgewise.

"Hey now, I have never done that," Harry announced loudly as he stopped Ginny from getting to the door in the hopes of making her see that he was right, but all that she could do was look at the expression on his face and laugh.

"Yet," Ron let out under his breath and neither Harry nor Ginny noticed until they heard Hermione laughing hard at the looks that they were giving her. True to Harry's words later on that night Mrs. Weasley would find Ron sitting on one end of the couch softly snoring away with a very peaceful and content looking Hermione following suit wrapped securely in his arms with her head on his chest. Henry was curled up at the other end of the couch with his head resting on the armrest and the triplets filled in the rest of the couch. They hadn't planned on staying over however after such a large meal, a toasty roaring fire, and plenty of conversation one thing had led to another.

END OF EPILOGUE 1

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 start of this epilogue is that often when villains lose if things don't get immediately better then public opinion can change in a hurry and rumor and speculation can rule the day. The five years later just felt like a nice time jump, especially to set up the next epilogue. I could easily see people not buying that nothing went on between Hermione and Ron and Harry during their time searching for the horcrux's, what with them being unsupervised and all. And I could see those that would want to tear the trio down, like Draco, would float rumors about what had really happened and if Henry really was Ron's son and such. Hermione and Ron both get more than upset when anyone questions who Henry's dad is or any of their kids and such for obvious reasons. Hermione may have put in her resignation from the ministry but that doesn't mean that she's just going to be a housewife. She's still going to keep up with her social causes and the schoolwork of her kids and others, which will build to something later on. I had the three girls have different eye colors as a way to differentiate between them for one thing. Ron didn't make a good call to run out after Henry by himself leaving the triplets to their own devices but again I doubt that he thought that he'd be gone for very long. In the second half it's the trio and Ginny catching up at the Burrow on Christmas right before they eat supper. Hermione gets to explain why she left the ministry and we see that both Ginny and Hermione are again pregnant. These pregnancies aren't the end of having kids for either couple, I'll just leave it at that. I didn't go into great deal about everything for obvious reasons, otherwise this epilogue would just be an update on everyone with all text and no speaking. The next epilogue will take place five years after this one, with a very big development for the family. Thank You.