Disclaimer: All characters and things associated with Harry Potter belong to J.K. Rowling and Warner Brothers. This writing is for pure entertainment only.

Summary: Sequel to "Law Change Lives". Hermione and Ron are settling into their new roles as parents, but nothing is ever as easy as it seems.

CHAPTER 8

Two days after Ron and Hermione's rendezvous in her office, Ron found himself in his own office, thinking about how he wanted to do nothing more then go in to Hermione's office and have another go. Since then, their sex life had taken on a new life, a bit like it had when they first got married and were forced to sleep with each other, although this time, neither of them were being forced to do anything, and they still couldn't keep their hands off each other.

It had been a good distraction from Ron's work, which had only been more stressful when he wasn't thinking about Hermione, because neither Yaxley nor Umbridge had been caught yet.

A knock on the door broke Ron from his sporadic thoughts, and he looked up to see a familiar pair of glasses and disheveled hair move into his office. Ron grinned and stood, shaking Harry's hand.

"Bloody hell, you are back! How was the trip then?" Ron smiled.

"I am, and it was brilliant. We had a great time." Harry grinned back. "And apparently I missed a lot around here?"

"The Breakout…you heard?" Ron asked.

"Bits and pieces. No one told me how bad it had been otherwise I would have come straight back." Harry admitted.

Ron shrugged. "Hardly anything you could have done."

"Heard that too…you got most of them then?" Harry asked, taking a seat across Ron's desk as Ron sank back into his own chair.

Ron nodded. "All but two…Yaxley and Umbridge are still out there."

"Of all the two…" Harry shook his head.

"I know…" Ron sighed. "I'm worried…"

"That what? We won't catch them?" Harry snorted. "Its just a matter of time."

"No…I mean, I'm sure we will catch them. I am just worried…while they are out there…I don't know. I mean…what if they go after Hermione or Rose? I reckon both of them have heard 'bout Rose. She's nearly as famous as we are…and well Yaxley was the one who was in charge of forcing Rose on us…and Umbridge has always had a bone to pick with Hermione…"

Harry seemed to think for a long moment before speaking. "I wouldn't worry about it Ron. Security is tight on Rose and Hermione…and honestly, Hermione can handle Yaxley or Umbridge with her eyes closed. She is a strong witch…I really wouldn't worry."

"I know all that…its just…" Ron shrugged, not sure how to explain how he was feeling.

"You're a dad. I think its part of the deal…you worry more now." Harry said with a small smile on his face.

"Reckon that's true." Ron laughed as well, feeling good to have Harry back and finally have someone to confide in about all of the stresses of his job. He had not realized how much he had missed having Harry around until right then.

Hermione sat at the small desk her father had got her in one of the many spare bedrooms of Grimmauld Place. Ron and her father had converted the room into a home office for Hermione to work from months ago when the Ministry had offered her the job and allowed for her condition of working from home to keep an eye on Rose.

Rose currently sat on the floor in the corner, playing with the enchanted figures of Ron's Wizarding Chest set. Hermione still thought the game was barbaric, but Rose seemed to like the pieces slicing each other up and it kept her quiet, so Hermione had allowed her to play with them that day.

Hermione poured over one of her files, though it was hard for her to concentration. For one, everytime she thought of Ron she blushed. Things had been amazing between the couple the past few days. Another thing, Hermione was still slightly worried about Umbridge and Yaxley though she did not want Ron to know that. Still, she was happy to see the Auror's still outside Grimmauld Place. Finally, the sound of the chest pieces breaking every few minutes caused Hermione to jump.

Hermione sighed as Rose giggled when the Queen crushed a Pawn.

"Rose, how about we play with something else? Or Mummy can put a movie on?" Hermione suggested, standing and moving around the desk to scoop up Rose.

"No! Ma! NO!" Rose reached for the chest pieces but they were far out of her reach as Hermione stood with her.

"Rose, I can't work with that noise." Hermione explained to the child, as if she would really understand.

Rose let out a loud cry and tensed every muscle in her little body. "NO!"

"Rose Minerva Weasley!" Hermione was shocked at her daughter's behavior. She clearly had gotten her tempter from Ron. "You stop that right now!"

"Maaaaaaa….dow…." Rose pointed to the ground, and Hermione could tell her daughter was trying her best to be asked to be placed back on the floor.

Hermione sighed, knowing that now Rose was cranky and there would be no way to get any work done. She glanced up out the window and noticed how nice it was outside. No wonder Rose was being whiny. Hermione realized the child had not been outside in almost a week aside from her trip to the Burrow.

"How about we go to the park instead, Rose?" Hermione suggested. She figured the park would wear Rose out and then she could lay her down for a nap and continue her work.

Rose knew the word park. She loved the park. Ron had taken her there at least once a week before work had gotten so hectic, and it was an easy walk for Hermione; right across the street. The Auror's watching the house would even be able to keep an eye on her and Rose without moving an inch.

Rose clapped her hands and Hermione took that as approval for the trip to the park so she quickly packed a small diaper bag and got Rose's carriage out of the closet. She then loaded her daughter in it and moved out of Grimmauld Place.

The second Hermione stepped out on the landing, one of the Aurors, a young man with dark brown curly hair, came running up.

"Let me help you, Mrs. Weasley!" The Auror said eagerly, helping Hermione life the carriage down the steps.

"Thanks." Hermione smiled gratefully when they reached the bottom.

"I'm Dan, Mrs. Weasley." The Auror smiled back.

Hermione recognized him now that she had gotten a proper look at him. He had been in Ravenclaw and was two years older then she. She laughed. "Please, call me Hermione…Mrs. Weasley sounds like my mother-in-law…and I think you are actually a bit older then me."

Dan nodded and blushed slightly. "Sure…well…I…I don't want to pry, but I have to ask…where are you going?"

"Just to the park." Hermione motioned across the street, knowing Dan was just doing his job. "Rose wants to play outside."

Rose seemed to lean forward and give Dan a disapproving look, as he was holding up her play time.

Dan smiled at Rose and then glanced at the park a few feet from them. "Well…I would say that's safe enough. We can keep an eye on you there."

"Thanks." Hermione gave Dan a small smile, though she hardly liked feeling as if she needed to be babysat. She liked the security of the Auror's, but she didn't necessary like being under their microscope.

Still she knew it was necessary and so she did not argue but instead pushed Rose's carriage over to the park where she unloaded Rose into a baby swing.

"Hold on, Rose…" Hermione smiled, giving Rose the tiniest of pushes, though the baby squealed with delight.

Hermione laughed as she continued to push a giggling Rose, and for the first time in a few weeks, she felt at ease. She knew she had work to do, but she was happy to spend time with Rose. Work could wait; hearing Rose laugh and scream "Maaa" every few minutes was enough for Hermione to make the decision that her work would never be as important as Rose was.

And then, the easy feeling fled Hermione, and the hair on the back of her neck stood up. Slowly, she turned to look over her shoulder and felt the blood drain from her face. There, across the park, stood Dolores Umbridge, in a pink jumper and her famous pink little hat.

Instantly, Hermione stopped pushing Rose and her hand went to her wand. She turned quickly to see if the Auror's who had been watching the house had indeed seen Umbridge. To her dismay, both men had not noticed the Azkaban escapee. Hermione quickly whipped her head back in the direction of Umbridge, only to find that her former teacher was nowhere in sight.

Hermione's head swirled around and, although she could not spot Umbridge anywhere, she wasted no time gathering Rose out of the swing and clutching her daughter closely as she used her other hand to push the carriage hastily out of the park, toward Grimmauld Place.

"Ma! NO!" Rose cried, trying to wiggle out of Hermione's arms.

"Play time is over, Rose." Hermione said, a hint of worry in her voice as she rushed across the street.

Once she was in view of the Auror's Hermione felt safer. Dan seemed to notice the look on her face and quickly hurried to meet her.

"Are you okay Mrs. Weasley?" Dan asked.

"Didn't you see her?" Hermione asked quickly.

"See who?" Dan straightened up. "Mrs. Weasley, we had an eye on you and Rose the whole time…"

Hermione went to speak, and then stopped herself, wondering if, in her haste, she had only thought she had seen Umbridge. After all, Umbridge was not a stupid woman. Why would she risk tracking Hermione down in broad daylight with Auror's everywhere? And why, after all the people who sat at her trial and sent her to Azkaban, would Hermione be Umbridge's first target?

"Mrs. Weasley?" Dan's voice snapped Hermione from her thoughts.

Hermione quickly looked at Dan to see he looked extremely concerned, his eyes full of the same look of worry and determination that Ron often had. She assumed it was because they shared a line of work. Instantly, she felt foolish. Dan had been trained to protect her, just as Ron had, surely he would not miss Umbridge being a few feet from her.

"Sorry…" Hermione shook her head. "I guess I am just nervous out here…"

Dan nodded and let out a sigh. "I'd imagine so. Maybe you two should head back in the house today…"

Hermione glanced at Rose and then nodded, deciding she would not raise alarm over the possibility that she had seen Umbridge. Not yet anyway. She wanted to sort through it in her own head, and decide if she would say something to Ron first.

Ron came home late that night, and found all the lights downstairs off. He sighed, wondering if Hermione was already asleep upstairs. He knew Rose would be, but he hoped Hermione wasn't. He had missed her severely at work that day, and he assumed that was because of the sudden change of direction their sex life had taken. It made him very aware that she was important to him, and he hated not being close to her.

Ron climbed the stairs and checked in on Rose, who was sound asleep in her crib, a tight fist around her blanket. Ron smiled and gently bent down, kissing Rose softly, so as not to disturb her.

Ron then moved down the hall and smiled to himself when he saw his bedroom light still on. That meant Hermione was still awake. He opened the door to find Hermione in bed, with a book. He smiled to himself; some things never changed.

Hermione glanced up at Ron with a soft smile as he closed the door behind him. "Hey…"

"Hey…sorry I missed dinner. Harry came back today…gave me something to do besides work." Ron admitted as he pulled his tie off and ripped his shirt over his head.

"How was the trip? I forgot they were back…" Hermione admitted.

"He said it was a good time." Ron nodded, moving into the bathroom.

As Hermione heard the sink turn on, her thoughts shifted to her afternoon, particularly the events at the park. She wondered if she should tell Ron what she thought she saw. She wondered if raising the alarm over Umbridge was something she should do. She knew, if what she saw had been true, she needed to tell Ron. However, the Auror's who had been watching she and Rose had not noticed Umrbidge. Hermione did not want to sound crazy to Ron, and she had to admit, she had been worried about Umbridge coming for them. As much as she didn't want to think it, maybe she had seen something that wasn't really there.

Hermione contemplated what to do, losing herself in her own thoughts, and hardly noticing Ron moving back into their bedroom before he tossed himself on the bed next to her, causing her body to jolt and the book she had been reading to fall out of her hands.

"Sorry…" Ron mumbled with a tired grin as he moved up and gave Hermione a kiss, propping himself up on his elbow.

"Its fine." Hermione smiled back at him, pushing his hair out of his eye. He would need a haircut very soon.

Ron grinned at her touch and moved up, cupping her cheek in his hand before diving in for a kiss. The kiss was vigorous, and eager, and Hermione could tell what he wanted that night.

However, she was not in the mood. Too much had happened that day; too much, that she decided, she would not tell Ron about yet. She just wanted to be close to him tonight.

Hermione broke Ron's kissing up for a moment, causing him to look slightly confused.

"Ron…I just…not tonight." Hermione tried to say gently.

"Oh…yeah…sure…no problem." Ron tried to hide his hurt. He knew, when it came to sex, he often wanted it more then Hermione, but he felt like a jerk for trying t push it on her tonight. "Sorry…"

"No…its just…I'm a bit tired." Hermione said, nuzzling close to Ron as she waved her wand and turned the lights off.

The fact that she was still close to him, and obviously wanted to be, made Ron smile a bit as he stroked her curls in the dark. He kissed the top of her head, and they sat like that for a moment.

"Are you awake?" Ron whispered after a moment.

Hermione nodded against his chest. Though she was exhausted, her thoughts kept going back to the afternoon she and Rose had in the park. She was still contemplating if she should worry him with something she wasn't even sure was true.

"Good…I've been thinking…" Ron said lightly. "We need to plan a party for Rose…her first birthday is coming up soon…only a month really…"

Hermione's eyes, which had been slowly closing, instantly flew open. She had nearly forgotten that. With her new job, and the breakout, Hermione had nearly forgotten Rose's big day. She instantly felt like an awful mother. "Yes…yes we will have to get on that in the morning."

Ron nodded, smiling against Hermione head before kissing it once more and shutting his own eyes, trying to get some sleep. However, now Hermione was wide awake with another thing to worry about.