During dessert Hermione's curiosity got the better of her, "Are there any leads on Dolohov?"

The table was quiet at her question. Beside her Ron answered her with a stiff "No."

"We've gotten no where with Carrow either. Even with veritaserum. They seem to have kept enough private so that if one were captured their plans weren't completely sullied."

She curled an arm protectively around the babe strapped to her chest, "Do you know why he went after James?"

"Carrow thought that by taking James he could get to me and get revenge for his sister." Harry bit out.

Nodding absently she stared down at James and reached over to place a kiss on Teddy's head as silence settled on the table once more. Arthur was the one who broke the silence, "Thank you, Hermione. You saved my daughter and my grandson."

She turned to face him, "They're my family, I would have done it for any of you." Molly started to cry at her words. "Please, mum, don't cry."

"You're my daughter, Mione, what would have done if I lost you?"

"Please, please, stop. It was just a small little curse. No irreparable damage was done," Hermione lied smoothly. At her words, Ginny began to cry. "Gin, don't, please" she pleaded tears welling in her eyes.

"I'm so sorry Hermione." Ginny sobbed into Harry's arms. Getting up Hermione unraveled James from her chest and walked over to Ginny. Remus stood to allow her to sit next to her weeping best friend. "Gin, look at me. Look at James. I would have never forgiven myself if I had let that curse hit him. You would have lost him and we've lost enough."

"But what about what you lost Hermione?" Hermione gave a pained look around the room and saw everyone was watching the pair of them.

"I haven't lost anything." Her voice cracked slightly, "I have my family, we're all safe." Ginny nodded and Hermione kissed James forehead before passing him to his mother. As Ginny started to take him, Hermione almost sighed with relief having successful diverted the conversation, until she moved her hand which let James foot drop and hit her side. Unable to keep the whimper from leaving her lips she bit her lip in attempt to smother it.

Ginny swept James away completely and cried out, "Hermione!"

"Hermione are you okay?" Remus said from behind her as he placed a hand at her back.

She kept her eyes closed and tried to steady her breathing knowing that if she spoke now her voice would betray her. Instead she nodded and when the nausea passed she attempted to stand but quickly lost her balance and would have fallen back had it not been for Remus. "I've got her." Despite her protests, he scooped her up and brought her into the living room, setting her down on the couch. Sirius followed in behind them with Teddy on his hip and others started to trickle in once she was settled on the couch.

"Aunt Mini?" Teddy called in a weak voice.

"She's okay little wolf, she just got hurt is all."

"Did James hurt her?" he growled.

"Only on accident little one," Sirius chuckled, "Can you do me a favor? I need you to go get Mini's tea, can you do that for me?" With a sharp nodded Teddy ran back into the kitchen and returned a moment later, with part of the contents spilled on his shirt. Smirking at the boy Sirius cast a quick scorgify and thanked him before re-heating Hermione's tea and walking around the couch to her. Seeing her, he smiled. George had manage to convince her to let him sit down with her. He'd put her head in his lap and was running his hand through her hair.

"Kitten, I've got your pain potion. You've been avoiding it all day but I think it's time."

Reluctantly she nodded, "Do you have something to chase it with? The potion is positively foul." Grinning he showed her her tea. Taking the the potion from him she downed the contents and hastily took the tea from him. "That's awful."

"Mini! You said you loved our tea!"

"Oh no little love, I meant the potion, not your tea. Your tea is lovely."

Molly came over and draped a blanket over Hermione. "Stay put young lady. We should have waited until you were properly healed before we did this." Ginny chocked out a sob and came to kneel before Hermione, casting a quick charm to heal her lip. "Mione, than-"

"Stop! Please. I need everyone to stop thanking me. Please!" She looked at everyone in the room sternly, each one nodding as her gazed touched them.

"I have one question." Taking a deep breath she sent a exhausted look at Ron before nodding for him to continue.

"What did you lose?" Her eyes grew wide at the question.

"Ron I didn't mean anything by it. I was just being emotional." Ginny scrambled trying to cover her earlier mistake.

Ignoring his sister he asked again, "What did you lose Hermione?"

"Nothing."

"You're lying."

She lost her temper then, "So what if I am? It's none of your damned business Ron!" Tears welling in her eyes she glared at him. "Drop it."

Finally taking the hint he sat on the couch next to Lavender who looked completely out of place amongst everyone. "How are you Lavender?"

"Oh I- um I'm good."

"Has your morning sickness started?"

Lavender did a double take, as if she needed to make sure Hermione was actually talking to her. "Yes, but its light. Although smells make me more and more nauseous." She laughed nervously.

"Tonks and Gin both had severe morning sickness. It was..." she exaggerated a shiver, "You're lucky. If it gets worse Gin has a potion that worked really well for her." Giving the woman a kind smile as she noticed her relax into her seat.

"Thank you Hermione."

"Don't thank me, you'll still have to convince Gin to give it to you," she teased getting Lavender to laugh. From there Ginny started talking to her about her journey to find the right potion and Hermione let the their conversation blend into the background as she focused on the feeling of Georges hand smoothing her hair out. After a while George fell asleep and Teddy left Sirius's side and wandered over to her.

"Do you want to lay down with me little love?" With her invitation he carefully crawled onto the couch with her and snuggled into her arms. Hermione started to hum absently into his hair and within moments the boy was also asleep. She started to drift herself when she felt someone lift her legs to sit down and then start to massage her calves, looking at the couches newest occupant she smiled, "Thank you for earlier" she whispered.

Remus smirked, "It was my pleasure Hermione. How are you feeling?"

"Better now," she smiled as she looked at Teddy. "He's quite the loyal Gryffindor already."

"No wonder he gets along with you so well. You know, while heroic, what you did was very stupid."

She chuckled, Remus was the first person to attempt to reprimand her for her actions and not thank her, it was refreshing. "I know but if you had been in my place you would have done the same thing."

"I can smell it." Confused she arched a brow in his direction. "What you lost," he said in a hushed voice, "I'm sorry Hermione."

She smiled sadly and looked across the room to Sirius who was rocking James and talking to Harry. "He deserves a woman who can give him that," looking back at her old mentor, "and I don't know if I even can anymore."

"Hermione, he loves you. He may not know it yet or how to say it but he does. This won't keep him from you." He reached over and wiped a stray tear off her cheek. Hermione gave him a weak smile and turned back into Teddy's hair closing her eyes willing the tears to leave.

Hermione stood staring at her reflection in the bathroom. She wanted to finally look at the new scar disfiguring her body but so far she couldn't bring herself to look. With a huff she kicked off her shoes and shrugged out of her cardigan. Using her wand she undid her zipper, sliding the straps off her shoulders she let the dress fall to her ankles.

She let out a strangled cry when she dropped her gaze to her left hip. The scar was about an inch and a half in width, just like the one across her chest, and it ran from her bellybutton to her the side of her hip. She ran her hand along the scar and whimpered, not from pain but from loss.

Sirius walked into the bathroom and paused, he'd been changing when he'd heard her cries and he knew. "Kitten."

She turned to face him, her trembling hand still on her abdomen. "I'm broken. How could you want me?"

Stalking over, he dropped to his knees in front of her. Moving her hand he looked at her scar, placed his hands on her hips and held her in place as he put his face against her navel. Taking a deep breath he lifted his head to look up at her, his chin still resting on her stomach. "You are not broken to me. To me you are perfect." Looking down he placed a gentle kiss on the start of he scar, just below her bellybutton. Hearing her chocked cry, he kissed it again, and again, and again, until her reached her hip. When he was done he stood up to and put a hand behind her ear, thumb delicately running along her jaw, her eyes closing at his touch. "Hermione, stop trying to pushing me away. You are stuck with me. No matter how broken you think you are. No matter how much you feel like I should find someone else. I will always be here and I will always want you."

Hermione opened her eyes, molten grey meeting honey whiskey. "What if I can't give you a baby?"

"Then we will live our lives together in happiness. I don't need a baby to end up loving you, Hermione."

She waited for a moment, contemplating his words. "Make love to me?"

He didn't hesitate and he took his time because he wanted her to know that, while he couldn't bring himself to say the words yet, he did loved her.

,,,

Unable to sleep, Sirius slowly pulled his arm from under Hermione and left the bed. Putting on his pajama bottoms her made his was into the library and seated himself before the fire and thought about his witch. It had been a over week since Harry's birthday and Sirius knew that the love he felt for Hermione was strong and unrelenting. There was nothing he hated more then seeing her suffer and while her spirits had lifted since returning to work he could still she the loss behind her eyes. After their last dinner at the burrow she had begun to mourn. He did what he could but he knew she needed space too. Since that night she'd started sleeping in his room on a regular basis, no longer using her room for anything other then to get dressed. She still had her nightmares but they never woke her because he was always able to help them fade as soon as he heard her whimper or felt her struggle. Sometimes it took longer then others but he never minded, he would simply pull her into him and whispered to her until she relaxed against him and drifted once more.

From his seat he could feel the floor start to shake. Utterly unbalanced Sirius ran from the library and up the stairs bounding into the room he shared with Hermione. She was crying with the sheet clinched in her fists, face contorted in pain.

"Kitten. It's okay Kitten, wake up."

"No! We didn't take anything!"

He tried to shake her but she started to scream and he was worried he'd hurt her. Is this how bad they can get without a potion? She screamed again and he did the first thing he could think of. He crawled in behind her and pulled her to his chest, swaddling her to his chest like he would James and he rocked her while whispering to her that no one would ever hurt her again and that he would protect her. Her cries were the first to stop, her trembling followed suit slowly after. Instead of laying her back down, he leaned back against the head board and pulled the covers over them letting his sudden exhaustion take him.

He woke before her and did his best to get up without waking her. It had been a long night, Hermione's nightmare resurfaced two more times and he wanted her to get as much sleep as she could. In the kitchen he waited for their tea to be done with his head in his hands. He must have dozed off for a moment because it was her hands on his chest that woke him. "You should be in bed," she whispered in his ear.

Turning to face her he smiled. "Kitten, how are you?"

"The same as you, I suspect."

Getting up he finished their tea as she propped herself on the counter. Handing her her cup he smirked, realizing for the first time that she'd put on one of his shirts and nothing else. Grinning back she sipped her tea and closed her eyes in what looked like pure bliss. Letting out a small moan she looked him in the eye, "What do you do to make this so amazing?"

Putting himself between her legs he grabbed her hips and pulled her closer so their pelvis's were barely touching. "Speaking of, 'the best you've ever had'?" He grinned. Hermione threw her head back with laughter as she recalled Teddy's words. "Were you really only talking about the tea?" he teased.

"Absolutely not." Grinning he kissed her deeply. Hermione was the one who pulled away, "Are we going to the burrow today?"

"That's up to you love."

"I'm fine with going," she paused, "I want to tell them."

"Kitten, we don't have to do that."

"You're mine and I don't care how people react anymore. I want to be able to touch you and kiss you whenever I feel like it."

Smiling at her words he pulled her face up to meet his. "Hermione I-," he paused staring into her golden whiskey eyes, "I would love that."

Kissing him lightly she whispered against his mouth, "Don't let them take this from us."

"Oh love," he whispered back, pulling her to him completely, "it would take much more than their words to take me from you." Winding a hand into her hair he pulled her to him and invaded her mouth. Drawing his tongue along her bottom lip she granted him access and started to undo his buttons. Grabbing her shirt he lifted it off her and she used her heels to push down his pajama's. Connecting them quickly he let out a rugged breath as she moaned at the friction. They continued at that pace until Hermione pushed him away gently and set her feet on the floor. Grinning at his startled expression she turned and faced the counter, pushing her back up against him. He groaned and ran his palms up her back before settling behind her. Replacing himself at her opening he slid into her slowly causing her to lean her head back in ecstasy. In this position she could feel him much deeper than before and when he rolled his hips he hit just the right spot within her. Holding on to her hips he continued to grind into her, watching her arch her back for him he pulled her up so she was flush with his front and reached around, tirelessly working her clit until she began to tremble and he felt her spasm around him, resting her head back on his shoulder as she made it through her organism. When she finished he pumped into her a few more times before reaching his own peak, pressing his palm to her navel as he finished.

They stood there for a while, her pinned between him and the counter. Turning her head she kissed his adam's apple and giggled.

"That is not the sound a man wants to hear from his witch when he's just finished ravaging her," he grumbled.

Turning in his arms, shivering slightly as he fell from her in the process, she wound her arms around him, "You are definitely the best I've ever had."

Smirking Sirius kissed her nose, "And you mine."

They arrived at the Burrow a bit earlier the usual, only Harry and Ginny were at the table with their parents. As they approached Ginny grinned seeing his arm wrapped around her shoulders, noticing her daughters sudden grin, Molly turned around and squealed, "Oh Merlin! I knew it!" Jumping up from her seat she locked the both of them into a hug before ushering them to the table. Arthur was sporting his own grin, "Congratulations".

Hermione sat down grin matching his, "You're taking this better then I expected."

"Oh dear, I had a feeling after the gala," Molly waved her off, "It was just a matter of time before you two found one another."

Hermione couldn't help it, she let her mouth fall. "Did everyone know before we did?"

Ginny laughed, "Pretty much. Well everyone but George and Ron, they're still pretty oblivious. Fleur asked Tonks and I about it after last weekend." Sirius chuckled and kissed Hermione's temple, "And you were worried."

"You're telling people now?" Tonks yelled from the doorway, Remus and Teddy coming through just behind her.

"Aunt Mini!" Catching the young boy as he catapulted himself at her causing Hermione laughed.

Sending her mock sneer Sirius teased, "It would appear so Dora."

"What happened to 'you'll be the first to know'? We're the ones who caught you snogging in the kitchen over Harry's birthday cake! I've got that picture mentally seared into my brain and I didn't even get a heads up!" Remus snorted at his wife's words and sat next to Arthur.

"What? You didn't tell me that Mione!"

"Over my birthday cake? We all ate that."

"It was just a bit of snogging," Hermione scoffed at them, "it's not like we drooled all over your cake."

"Oi! Who was Hermione snogging?" George appeared over from the house, "You're new man? Because I've been plotting quite the list to pranks to ambush him with."

Hermione blushed scarlet at the proclamation from her pseudo-brother. "Would you like to meet him?"

"Is he here?" George turned around in his seat, looking around for a new face. "Where is he? He in the house?"

"No," Ginny snickered as Tonks started to laugh.

Settling his gaze on his sister, "What am I missing?" Turning back to Hermione he gave her a questioning look. After a moment she took pity on him and looked to Sirius who in turn put his arm around her and kissed her lightly.

"Oi!" George yelled, jumping back from the table. After taking a second to recover, realization lit his eyes and he took his seat once more. Shaking his head in disbelief he laughed, "Well there goes my list."

"You can still try, pup," Sirius teased with a smug grin as everyone around them laughed.

After that everyone settled into comfortable conversations and Hermione let herself relax into Sirius with Teddy in her lap. When Molly went in to the kitchen to start lunch Teddy turned to her, "Can we go to the pond Mini?"

"Of course little love, do you want to go swimming?"

"Yes!"

"I'll join you, just let me go put James down." Getting up Ginny made her way into the house without a second look.

"Anyone else want to come swimming with us?" Teddy asked animatedly.

"No, I think we're going to play quidditch while you swim," his dad responded.

"I want to play quidditch!"

"You're too good a keeper for them, little love. When you play it's an unfair advantage." Teddy giggled at her words, "We can go swim so they can have an even game." Teddy all but scrambled out of her lap ran in the direction of the pond. Giving Sirius a quick kiss she took off after the young boy and scooped him up sending him into another round of giggles. Once they reached the water she transfigured their clothes into bathing suits and dove into the water while Teddy sat on the dock clapping. Ginny joined them shortly after, transfiguring her own clothes and bounded into the water.