Disclaimer: All characters belong to J.K. Rowling. I own nothing of hers!

Chapter 24

Hermione dreaded the morning. She laid in Ron's bed, watching her little girl sleep peacefully in the cot her father got for her; something she did often when she was a new mummy.

She always had a fear that this pink, fragile, tiny human they sent her home with from the hospital, was going to break. The doubt crept in that she wasn't ready to be a mum. After all, she had no idea what she was doing. She had never been around children other than a handful of times, and that was when she was practically one herself. Now, she was totally, and wholly to care for another human being. The first night was utterly terrifying. Of course, she read every maternity, breastfeeding, baby, infant, and new parenting book, both magical and muggle, that she could get her hands on. Yet, she felt unprepared for the new journey she was about to jump into.

She was worried she'd sleep through her daughter's cries, or get to her too late, or that she would stop breathing while she was sleeping. It terrified Hermione, all the things that could go wrong. So, for the first week, she would sit in the old rocking chair by the cot, and watch her daughter's chest rise and fall, only sleeping when her body couldn't process consciousness any further. The week after was better, sleeping in her bed two nights, but, waking several times, in a panic to absolute silence, and rushing to check on the small infant. All she wanted to see was that little chest moving up and down.

She glanced at the clock on the bedside table. 2:47 in the morning. She huffed and turned on her back, trying to wrap the comforter more securely around herself. Tonight, she couldn't sleep because she knew in the morning Ron would be leaving on his first mission since she had returned to his life, and Rose entered it. She was dreadfully worried about what would happen, and she tried her best not to think of it. Yet, no matter what she did, her mind always turned back on the thought. She fretted all night, and eventually fell into a restless sleep.

When the morning came, Ron had already made breakfast as he usually did, and the three ate together a bit earlier so Ron could leave at the proper time. Hermione pushed her eggs around in her plate and nibbled on her toast. Ron knew she was worried about him leaving, and wasn't sure how to comfort her. The redhead reached over and took her hand. She glanced up at the contact, and he gave her a small sad, smile.

"It's just about time, love." She nodded her head and stood to retrieve Rose from her high chair. Ron stood as well, sending the dishes to the sink. Hermione sat Rose on her hip as she adjusted the purple shirt over the tot's belly, sending all the scrambled eggs pieces her bib had missed, to the floor.

"Rosie, daddy's going on a mission," Her daughter gave her a quizzical look. Hermione wasn't exactly sure how to proceed explaining this to a two-year-old. "Daddy's going to sleep somewhere else tonight and come back when he can."

"No," She giggled. "Daddy go to work and play with Rosie when he home!" Rose laughed joyfully as she believed her mother had become confused of their daily routine. Hermione looked up to Ron and shrugged her shoulders, with a defeated look. She guessed her daughter would learn when Ron didn't return home that night.

"We tried." Hermione whispered and tucked her daughter's unruly curls behind her ear. Ron held his hands out to collect Rose.

"Now you be good for grandmum and mummy, alright?" He kissed her temple, and Hermione saw moisture accumulate in his eyes. "I will play with you as soon as I'm home." Rose nodded her head enthusiastically at that. He hugged her tightly, and whispered in her curls, "I love you Rosie, so much." Rose squeezed in close and returned the embrace.

"I love you too daddy!" Hermione swiped a tear from her eye as Ron put the tot on the ground to go play with her toys.

Ron and Hermione stood staring at each other. Hermione tried to keep her tears from showing, pressing her lips together as she felt her lip start to wobble. She ran at Ron and embraced him fiercely. She wound her arms around his neck, he bent down to get closer to her. Her cheek was pressed to his as she hugged him tightly. His arms coiled around her waist and held her just as strongly. She tried to calm her shaking body by holding him as securely as possible. They held that embrace, neither of them knowing how long until, Hermione took a deep breath and whispered in his ear.

"Come back to us Ronald. Come back to me." She felt a tear roll down her cheek as she pulled back to look at the man in her arms. His blue eyes were watery, as he nodded his head. She pushed up on her toes to kiss him securely. When the kiss broke, he rested his forehead against hers.

"I love you Mione." He nuzzled his nose against hers. She smiled at his words, and pecked him on the lips.

"I love you Ron." He dove for another firm kiss, and broke apart blinking quickly. It was obvious for Hermione that this was going to be difficult for them both. He slid his knapsack over his shoulder. He paced back to Hermione, both watching their daughter play in the den.

"I'll Floo to the Ministry, and change into my disguise there… I don't want Rosie to see me in it... Here." He held out his hand, displaying a galleon. She looked at him questioningly, slipping the coin from his hand. "In case we need to communicate while I'm away." Hermione looked carefully at the serial number surrounding the coin, remembering back to when she was at Hogwarts.

"The enchanted coins, back in Dumbledore's Army. You still use them?" She spoke quietly, very surprised to see the magical item in her hand. He chuckled.

"Yea, they work brilliantly. Not that it's unexpected; you made them after all." He smiled his crooked grin, and she blushed a bit at his compliment. "But we did make it so letters could be shown too, not just numbers. That way if something happens, we can get ahold of each other."

"It's perfect, Ron. This makes everything marginally better." He smiled, walked over to Rose to give her a final kiss on her head, and returned to Hermione, kissing her lovingly as well. He walked to the Floo, and looked back with a handful of Floo powder. Hermione stood behind Rose, still playing happily on the floor, waving and saying, "Bye daddy! I love you!"

Hermione stood with her arms crossed over her chest and looking terrified. He waved back at his daughter, gave a final look at Hermione, hoping his emotions weren't displayed on his face, and Flooed to the Ministry.

Hermione attempted to make the day as normal as possible for Rose. As she knew how Rose was with a change in schedule. She wiped her tears away and breathed deeply as she cleaned up from breakfast. She did a quick refreshing charm on herself and checked the bathroom mirror to make sure there was no sign of her tears threatening to fall. She made it through the Burrow to drop off Rose with only a few questions asked and luckily no tears.

She now sat at her desk, spinning the enchanted galleon with her fingers. It was only eleven in the morning, and she was successfully out of things to do. She had completed every assignment listed to her that day, as well as the next few days. She had even started early that morning, and worked exceptionally harder than usual so she could keep her mind from the redhead whom she didn't when she'd see again. Now that she had completed everything, it allowed her thoughts to wander. She knew she woudn't be able to handle it. She quickly penned a note to Kingsley, sending it flying out of her door, told Greta she was taking the rest of the day as personal leave, and checking she had the enchanted coin securely in her pocket, Flooed back to Ron's flat.

When she walked in, she just felt empty. She had never been in the Flat without Ron or Rose before. It felt completely unnatural. She went to the master suite to change into some more comfortable clothing. The witch chose a sports bra with a light vest and some skinny track pants. She slipped into the covers of the massive bed and laid there, still feeling completely wrong. After a few more minutes of analyzing what she should do next, she sprung up and dashed into the room where the redhead had been residing for almost the past month. She dug through his dresser, as the voice in the back of her mind scolded her for the invasion of privacy. She reasoned that he wouldn't mind as she pulled out his maroon knit jumper that his mum made every Christmas. She held it to her face and even through the freshly laundered smell, she could catch Ron's scent. She stripped her vest and replaced it with the heavy material, instantly feeling better. She began to return to her room, when after a thought, she snatched his pillow, tucked it under her arm and returned to the master bedroom. She placed the enchanted galleon on the table next to her, and made herself comfortable in the large bed. The brunette fluffed Ron's pillow, and relaxed into it, bringing with her a novel to dull her mind for a few hours.

She awoke when her name was being called. She shifted, not completely awake, when Harry appeared in the doorway with Rose on his hip.

"There you are." Harry voiced, noticing his best friend wearing Ron's jumper.

"Hey... what time is it?" She yawned and glanced at the clock.

"Almost 6:00. I went to see how you were doing after work and Greta said you took the rest of the day off. I figured I'd grab Rose so you didn't have to face Molly and her million questions. I also brought take away." He smiled, and finally let the squirming tot out of his arms. Hermione was up by this point, ready to embrace the happy girl.

"Did I ever tell you that you're the best?" Hermione offered as her stomach rumbled.

"Mummy's hungee!" Rose exclaimed as she heard Hermione's stomach. The adults both laughed as they made their way into the dining room.

"Mummy is! Is Rosie hungry?" Hermione responded, thankful she was in such a great mood.

"I hungee! Daddy hungee too!" Hermione's smile dropped at that. Harry looked cautiously at the pair, not knowing how to help in this situation. Hermione tried to hide her reaction and plastered on a fake grin.

"Knowing your daddy, he probably is, sweetheart. Now let's get some food in that tummy!" She sang and she tickled Rose's belly, the tot thrilled with laughter. The three sat and talked as they ate the food Harry grabbed from a muggle Chinese place. As the meal was wrapping up, Harry looked at Hermione's plate, which still had plenty of food on it.

"Ron would be furious if he knew I'm letting you be done with that much food still left on your plate." Harry joked, but saw the sad smile on the witch's face.

"I can't stop worrying, Harry. It's all I can think about." Hermione spoke softly, pushing her plate away from her.

"He can take care of himself. Ron has been trained and was top of the class at the Academy. Besides, he planned this mission, so that makes me even more confident he'll be fine." Hermione looked at her friend with sad eyes.

"I know he's fully capable. I guess it's..." she trailed off looking away from him. "Two things I suppose. One is you're not with him. Whenever you two would do something together, I knew you'd both succeed because, well, you were backing each other up. It was such a brotherly bond, that I knew you'd both come out of it okay." Harry smiled, remembering back to when they had some memorable adventures at Hogwarts.

"And the second reason?" He prompted her. She looked up at her daughter still eating well after Hermione and Harry had had their fill; she definitely had her father's appetite.

"There are things out of his control." Hermione put simply; Harry felt he knew all too well. "Whoever they're after will always have secrets that they're unaware of, skills that were unknown, locations that are hidden, spells that are ancient... No matter how much anyone plans, those could always happen. The war proved that..."

She wiped her eyes as tears pooled out of them. Harry completely understood his friend. It's something he often thought of when he was on the less dangerous missions. Harry placed his hand on her shoulder, glancing over at Rose who had stopped eating, and was watching her mum carefully; a worried look drawn upon her face.

"I can't lose him, Harry," Her breathing became more erratic and she swiped at more tears falling from her face. "I just got him back, I can't lose him… Rose can't lose him." She shuddered and curled her knees in front of her as she laid her head atop of them.

Harry wondered if something in his best friends' relationship had finally taken a turn for the better. He could tell the past couple weeks that there was tension between the two as Ron seemed more discouraged by Hermione's actions. Then, last night at the burrow, there was a change. He was sure he wasn't the only one who could feel it. They laughed, and enjoyed the night, working fluently to care for Rose and looking like an actual family. He reassuringly rubbed the brunette's shoulders, letting her calm while pondering what exactly to say, to his logical, yet hurting friend.

"It's part of the job. I know that's not helpful to hear, but he's doing good work out there. And we just have to trust in his abilities that he'll be okay." She rose her head as he finished and nuzzled her face into the sleeve of the jumper to remove the remaining tears. She sniffled and gave her friend a smile for his attempt at making her feel better.

"I guess I will." She tried to smile, as Harry stood from his chair and placed a hand in front of her to take. She looked at it skeptically, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm not dancing with you right now." He rolled his eyes and scoffed slightly.

"Hermione, would you just trust me?" He looked at her impatiently and with a smile. She took his hand and he helped her stand in front of him. He reached around and held her tightly in a brotherly hug. She sunk into the embrace, knowing that Harry would always be there for her, like he had always been. She hugged him back, thankful to have him there. They pulled away and Harry had a smug look on his face.

"And you don't think I can read you. I knew you needed that." His smug smile left, and he asked genuinely. "Better?"

"Yea, a bit. Thank you for coming over Harry. And you're right, I needed that." She smiled and began to clean up while Harry decided to help with Rose, who was still not her peppy self and watching her mother cautiously.

"Anytime Hermione." She finished putting the leftovers away and she turned to look at her messy daughter in Harry's arms.

"Want to stay a bit longer? You could help give Rosie a bath." Rose perked up slightly at her favorite activity.

"I'll stay as long as you'd like." He smiled at Hermione, and turned to look at Rose. "Auntie Ginny told me how much you had fun in the bath last time, Rosie."

"Play with ducky?" She asked suspiciously.

"I'm sure we could do that." Harry responded, as Rose grinned.

They enjoyed bath time as usual, although Hermione's mind was still elsewhere. She tried her best to be happy and cheerful. They dressed Rose in her nightdress and got her ready for bed. Hermione gathered her dummy, blanket, and lamb. She scooped up her sleepy daughter and laid her on the bed while she sat next to the tot. Rose sat up quickly and looked around the room.

"Where daddy?" She asked still searching for him like he was hiding from her. Harry looked uneasy and motioned to Hermione that he would be in the den, closing the door behind him. Hermione had a sick feeling in her stomach predicting what was to come.

"Rosie, love, daddy's on his mission, remember?" She gently tucked the tot's boisterous curls out of her face and slid them behind her ear. Rose looked wide eyed at her mum, and Hermione noticed how shiny they had just become. "Daddy will sleep somewhere else tonight, and be back to see us soon." Then the sniffles began.

"No. Daddy come home. I want daddy!" Rose pouted with a wobbly lip as tears began to fall. Hermione's heart clenched, she wanted Ron at home too. Somewhere in the back of her mind she wondered if that is what she looked like when she cried. Seeing her daughter this upset was never enjoyable, and she knew this was just the beginning.

"I know darling." She went to curl the young girl on her lap, holding her close to her chest. "I know Rosie. This is hard, mummy wants daddy home too." Rose's sobs continued, rumbling through Hermione's torso.

"I want daddy!" She wailed, breaking Hermione's heart further.

"He'll come back soon Rosie. He still loves you. Daddy wishes he could be home with you too, baby." She gently rocked the tot, silently crying with her. She spent the next half hour calming the child, wrapping her in her soft blanket, sticking the dummy in her mouth, and letting her cling to her lamb. She whispered reassuring words that her daddy would be back as soon as he could, and that he still loved her, and couldn't wait to play with her.

She felt as Rose's grip loosened on Hermione's body, and thought it would be a good time to continue with their routine and read her bed time story. Hermione chose a story with a bear in a red hat and blue coat, and began to read when Rose pushed herself off her mum's chest and tried to close the book, effectively pinching Hermione's fingers.

"Ouch Rosie!" Hermione slid her fingers out of the book and looked at her daughter. "What is it? You don't want this book?"

Rose shook her head and wiped her face with her arm.

"I want mummy and daddy book." She spoke through her dummy, making her words muffled. Hermione's brain raced as she tried to think of what her daughter wanted, before she made her even more upset. She had Hermione right there, and she knew she wanted her father, but she said book, not read, making Hermione assume that she wasn't stating again that she wanted both her parents there. She then went through the list of Rose's copious number of books that she might be calling the mummy and daddy book. She started listing off titles that Rose could have meant, but Rose kept denying each one, and becoming more upset the more Hermione asked.

"No!" Rose cried, her chest moving rapidly as she sniffed and sobbed.

"Love, mummy isn't sure which book it is." Hermione wiped more tears away from her face.

"Book with mummy and daddy and rose!" Hermione shook her head as she hadn't a clue what her daughter was referencing. Then it came to her. She Accioed her daughter's favorite book over to them, the only one she could think of which contained an enchanted rose. She readjusted Rose in her arms; the tot now cradled in her left arm as she held the book in her right.

"This book Rosie?" Rose looked thankful and nodded her head. She reached out and flipped through the book to the last page. The one she told her father about just a few days prior. The Beast had just transformed back into the prince and was embracing Belle in a kiss. Rose let out a relieved sigh, and placed her hand over the illustration.

"Mummy and daddy." Rose whispered, speaking almost to the book. Rose laid back into her mum's arms as she looked at the picture. Hermione watched her daughter perplexed. She had never wanted to go to bed without reading a story first. Yet, she knew she might have her hand ripped off if Hermione attempted to turn the page. Rose's glittering blue eyes were glued to that page. She knew her little girl was growing up and soon the opportunities to hold her like this, would become less and less. So, Hermione decided to continue rocking her daughter gently, quietly singing her favorite tune until the tot fell asleep.

Hermione had just laid down Rose in her cot. She watched her daughter adjust, hoping she wouldn't wake. After she settled, Hermione walked over to sit on the bed, needing a moment before she saw Harry again. The witch rubbed her eyes and wiped her face. The last hour she spent with her daughter had been exhausting, yet no matter how drained she felt, she wasn't sleepy in the slightest.

She stood, about to return to her friend, when she heard a faint vibration. She looked to the side table where the enchanted galleon, which was now glowing gently, alerting her to a change. Her heart leaped as she snatched the galleon and read it carefully.

Goodnight Mione. I love you.

She wiped a relieved tear away and searched for her wand. This was the most reassuring part of her day so far, knowing that he was at least alive. She tapped it like she had so many years ago, and whispered her response.

"Goodnight. We love you Ron." The coin glowed once more, and displayed her message. She returned the coin on the side table, and walked out to see her friend.

"That sounded horrid." Harry was sitting on the sofa sipping on some tea, as Hermione approached him. She sat down next to him, and let out a relieved sigh.

"It was. She was extremely upset about Ron not being here. Thanks." Harry handed her a cup of steaming tea. She drank from it carefully and felt even more at peace.

"Yea, I got that from her cries. It broke my heart." Harry said running his hand through his hair.

"Same here." Hermione sighed again, leaning into the back of the sofa and closer to Harry. "Ron sent me a message. So at least I know he's alright for now." Hermione said starting with a smile, then fading as she finished her sentence. Harry nudged her knee with his.

"What happened between you two? The last couple weeks you've both been distant and then last night, you two were always touching in some way or another." Harry looked questionably at his best friend. "Does it mean what I think it means?" He asked hopefully. Hermione started to smile thinking about how far the pair had come.

"We're together if that's what you're asking. We talked about a lot… after a few misunderstandings. We've decided that we both love each other, and decided to pursue a relationship. But, we're taking it slow." Hermione looked up from her tea to her longtime friend who was smiling brilliantly at her.

"I'm so glad to hear it. Merlin knows it's about time." Harry chuckled, and Hermione joined in. "Although, Ginny has been convinced that the two of you have been shagging since you've returned." Hermione scoffed, but still laughed, shaking her head.

"Well Ginny is wrong. That won't be happening for a while… we can't afford to mess things up again. Not with Rose now in our lives." Harry nodded in agreement.

"I can understand that. The two of you have never technically been in a relationship." Hermione looked at Harry surprised.

"That's precisely what I said. We spent one night together and then three years apart, before that, we were just friends with hidden affections. And no matter how unequivocally incredible that night was-"

"No need to go any further with that. I've seen enough of Ron to be scarred enough." Harry cringed, not wanting to think about his two best friends like that and how his niece was conceived.

"My point was, that we need a normal relationship. And more importantly, Rose needs her parents to be on the same page and there for her." Hermione smiled thinking about her family and back to the night she and Ron spent together.

"You know, you're the one who provoked that night." Hermione smirked, seeing Harry's surprised reaction.

"What? No I didn't." Harry looked confused at the brunette. She laughed softly and started to form her argument.

"You said, take a chance Hermione. You wanted me to tell Ron how I felt. Then you and Ginny both left, leaving Ron and I both alone. You can't tell me that you weren't thinking it would happen." She eyed Harry carefully.

"Well, if you must know, I was a bit preoccupied that night to be thinking about you and Ron…" It was Hermione's turn to push Harry playfully.

"Fine, I'll admit, I wanted the two of you to finally talk. But, I didn't think you'd go that far. I thought you didn't want to be with anyone until you were married. You told me that on the hunt." Hermione looked at Harry and thought back to when they were looking for the Horcruxes.

It was a month after Ron left. It was freezing out, and they were just trying to keep their spirits high. They talked about what they would do after the war; what they pictured their life like. Hermione never mentioned Ron's name, but when she talked of how she wanted a husband, a successful career, to live in a comfortable cottage, and a handful of kids, Harry knew who she had been picturing, and she confirmed his suspicions when she began crying, probably thinking that future was now never going to happen.

"Yea, I did say that. I thought that too, but I guess after all we've been through, I just couldn't imagine being without him." She shrugged her shoulders, looking into her now empty teacup. "I just threw my morals out the window as soon as a guy showed interest in me." She spat bitterly, shocking Harry further.

"You know that's not true Hermione. You and Ron love each other. He's not just some guy you shagged." Hermione nodded her head slowly, attempting to convince Harry that she agreed with him.

"I should probably get to bed. After all, we still have work in the morning." Hermione whispered after a few moments. She stood to hug, and thank Harry for coming and headed back to bed trying to get some form of rest before doing this all again tomorrow.

A/N: I'd love to hear your thoughts on this chapter! Thank you so much for reading!