Here's Chapter Three...: Whooooooops, that's what I get for trying to be quick...
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"Is everything okay?"
I nod at Malfoy- Draco, and gesture him to the couch from my Floo.
"Yeah,"I tell him, looking past him at Ciaus who is playing with blocks in front of the television. "We're both okay...but I ran into George Weasley yesterday."
"Oh?" Draco asks with a raised eyebrow.
"It was fine," I say. "But he thinks I should come back to Britain- and I think he's right."
Draco smiles. "It's about time."
I nod at him. "Yeah, I think so."
Taking a deep breath, I look at Draco. "What if I'm not ready?"
"Come here," he says, pulling me into a hug- how things have changed.
"If there's anything I learned in six years of school with you, Hermione, is that you're ready for about anything."
He pulls away and looks me in the eyes. "You'll be great."
"Yeah Mommy! You'll be great!"
Ciaus walks over to me and I pull him into my lap. "Thanks, Ci. I needed that."
Looking away from Ci I turn back to Draco. "Thank you, Draco. For everything..."
He shakes his head at me. "You helped keep me out of Azkaban- you saved my soul, Hermione- whatever you need, just ask."
I think I catch him off guard when I throw my arms around his neck, but I don't care. I just can't help myself.
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"You can do this, Hermione."
George laughs at me from my bedroom doorway. I was talking to my reflection. "This isn't funny."
"I can't help it," George says with a smile. "I'm just so...happy, to see you. And Ciaus- I mean. These three years haven't been easy, but I've gotten better, and when I poor my energy into making other people happy, I find that I'm actually happy too."
He pauses, and his eyes get sad. "But I will never get over Fred. He was my twin, and when he died...well something in me died too...but now you're here. And he's here," he says, nodding towards where Ciaus was asleep on my bed. "And it feels like a bit of Fred is here too."
"I know what you mean," I tell him, turning to where he's walked over to me. I look down at my hands, twirling the bracelet Fred once gave me. "I can't begin to tell you how nervous I am about all this...but I feel alot better with you beside me."
George pulls me into a hug before I have a chance to say anything else. "You ready?" he asks after a few moments.
I nod against his chest before pulling away. I grab my bag from the bed and sling it over my shoulder before picking up Ciaus, careful not to wake him just yet.
"We can apparate just across the street," I tell George- he had left by Floo yesterday. He follows me out of the house and across the street in silence. I lead him behind a stone wall and reach for his hand for the apparation.
Before I can ask if he wanted to lead the apparation, he leans down and places a soft kis on my cheek. I don't react as I feel my surroundings change and he apparates us to just outside the Burrow.
"Welcome home, Hermione," he says with a grin.
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George had made sure to pick a time where just Molly and Arthur would be home. I don't want to overwhelm Ciaus- or myself. We walk up to the door in silence, George still holding onto my hand in comfort.
When we reach the door, he drops my hand and takes his wand out of his pocket, tapping on the door three times before opening it, and stepping in before me.
"Mom?" he calls out
"In the kitchen, dear!" I hear Molly's voice ring out.
We walk around the corner and I take a deep breath as Molly comes into view. She turns around and our eyes meet for the first time since the Battle at Hogwarts.
"Merlin," she mutters, placing the dishes that were in her hands into the sink. She wipes here hands off onto her skirt and I can see tears forming in her eyes. "Hermione," she says as she walks over to me, giving me a sideways hug as Ciaus is still asleep in my arms.
"Molly," I say, my voice breaking in emotion.
Ciaus wakes up and looks at me, rubbing his eyes. "Mommy, where are we?"
I look away from Ciaus and look to Molly, who's looking at me questionally. I swallow before turning myself sideways so that Molly can see Ciaus' face for the first time.
"Molly," I say gently. "I'd like you to meet your grandson, Ciaus."
I wait for her to take it in as she stares at Ciaus. Suddenly she turns to George. "George?"
He shakes his head, "No mom, Fred."
Molly bursts into tears and quickly snatches Ciaus from my arms, "Oh, my baby. My grandson...we have so much time to make up."
"Grandma Molly?"
She stops crying to smile down at the two year old in her arms. "That's right, honey. I'm your grandma Molly."
Molly looks at me and smiles. "We've missed you so much, Hermione."
"I'm sorry."
She shakes her head at me. "None of that. You're here now and that's what matters now. We've got you back...and this one," she says, grinning down at Ciaus with tears in her eyes, "well he's just a little miracle now, isn't he?"
George puts his arm around my shoulder and gives me a reassuring squeeze. He leads me over to the table, and we watch as Molly begins to dote on her grandson.
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