A/N: Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites and follows after last chapter! We are nearing the end of this story - around ten chapters left to go. Huge thank you to lanamarymack and Angela 007 for alpha/beta reading this chapter! You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour).

Please let me know what you thought of chapter thirty-six and be on the lookout for chapter thirty-seven soon!


20 June 1953

As the summer months stretched on and Hermione found herself growing rounder and rounder, she began feeling bittersweet and as unsure of her footing as ever. Despite having a relatively uncomplicated pregnancy, she did not enjoy the lack of energy she was experiencing that left her feeling more diminished the nearer that she came to her time. She was quite looking forward to finally welcoming her baby, though a part of her mourned the life that she was leaving behind as she strode forward into motherhood. There was a strong sense of finality that seemed to take over her mind.

The same sense of foreboding filled her the nearer the election crept - the disagreement as yet unsettled between her and Tom. She knew that he couldn't win with that terrible platform of Malfoy's, and she quite hoped that the Wizengamot would reject it, but she found herself doubting what exactly Abraxas knew that she didn't. Tom was quite confident. She hated the thought of what would happen if he found his dreams dashed.

It seemed only fitting that these stirring feelings should be occurring as they prepared for Midsummer, a time when the tides shifted again and the days would grow colder and shorter.

Midsummer was to be held at Mulciber's family estate in the Lake District, not far from Troutbeck. There was an unusual veil of secrecy over the festivities that no one explained to her until she and Tom arrived for the day.

They apparated into the middle of a ceremonial fireline that Emeric and the others were busy building up with the intention to light it with fiendfyre again. The thought of being encircled by the cursed fire made Hermione's heart quicken with fear.

"Isn't that incredibly dangerous?" she asked. "What if the fire should consume us all?"

Tom gave her one of those little smiles before reminding her that they had done all of this many times before. "That's what the line is for. The fiendfyre has never jumped the line," he promised her, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. "And if it did, surely you know that there are more than enough talented wizards here that could put it out."

Hermione did feel a bit better to have Tom with her. She trusted him not to let anything happen to the mother of his child. "It just...it feels like a lot," she said, lamely.

"It's an important step to take," Alfie said sagely, joining the pair of them. "It's for our safety."

"It comes from a time when Muggles savagely burned any witches or wizards that they caught," Abraxas added, cruelly. "This is simply a means of protection and if you don't like it perhaps you should be on the other side."

Edmond, taking pity on her, chided Malfoy. "Hermione was just curious, weren't you?" he asked, giving her an encouraging look. "She understands that the protection of wizardkind is paramount."

She blinked at him owlishly, trying to determine the subtext of his words, before agreeing with him. To do otherwise seemed silly. Of course she'd learned all about the witch burnings and could understand why they did this. "Yes," she said finally. "I know that I still have a lot to learn."

As she had no further arguments and all the Knights of Walpurgis were assembled, they went about lighting the ring that was meant to keep them in and keep the Muggles out. Immediately, the temperature was sweltering and Hermione knew that it was only going to grow hotter as the day went on and the sun reached its zenith. She was grateful for the loose linen that she had chosen to wear, confident that it would keep her as cool as she could be through the day.

The real rituals would not start until much later in the night, when the sun began its pilgrimage below the Earth's horizon, so much of the day was spent feasting and playing games while they waited. The wizards all drank a thick, dark beer that had quite an effect on all of them. They were quickly laughing and pink cheeked, happy.

Tom sat next to her dutifully, keeping a hand on her leg, while he laughed at Antonin's latest escapades or Edmond's story about his father getting stuck on the continent. When his attention was on her, she leaned into him. Even while they were at odds politically, she still craved his affection and touch.

"I've just realized that this will likely be the last holiday we have before the baby is here," she said with a frown. "What will we do once she is here? Surely I can't bring her with."

Her husband gave her an indulgent smile. "I am so pleased that you've decided to continue on with the old magic, even now that your year of education is up," he said. "Don't trouble yourself. The house elf can watch her for the day. That is partly what she is there for."

Hermione bit her lip. She did not want to use a house elf, but at the same time, she didn't want to miss out on the rituals, relegated to the home like the rest of the Knights' wives. She wouldn't be locked away and forgotten like Claudia Lestrange or Aurelia Malfoy. She supposed that it would be a fair trade. "Well, I don't know if I will be up for Lughnasadh," she said with a frown, thinking about all that running when she was only a week or two removed from giving birth. "But I am sure I'll be back in time for the autumnal equinox."

"We will certainly miss you," he said, not even bothering to offer to sit one of the rituals out. "But I am certain that everyone will be excited to have you back. Last year's autumnal equinox was especially...enriching," he teased, reminding her of what they had stolen away to do in a tree grove.

She flushed at the reminder.

"But that does make me think, since you won't be joining Lughandah..." Tom said, trailing off. "I was going to ask if you wanted to be handfasted then, so that our marriage is blessed and recognized by the old magic. But Midsummer is just as auspicious of a date. Would you like to get handfasted today?"

Hermione felt her heartbeat hammering in her ribcage, thinking of the romance of an old magic ritual to recognize the love between them, despite them already being married in the eyes of the wizarding world. In some ways it almost felt more significant, seeing as Tom obviously respected the old magic more than wizarding laws. "You already have me, Tom," she said, breathlessly.

He grinned at her. "Yes, but I'm never letting you go," he answered, grabbing her hand and interweaving his fingers in hers. "Say you will?"

She laughed, suddenly giddy. "Let's go for it," she agreed brightly.

It took a little while for them to find a suitable piece of ribbon, before deciding the commander one of the ribbons from the May Crown Hermione had brought along for a later ritual. Then, they needed to suss out which of the Knights was clear headed enough to lead the ritual. That person turned out to be Evan Rosier.

With the Knights around them in a circle, Evan led Hermione and Tom through the various vows and promises that they would make to each other. The wind picked up, cooling them temporarily with the breeze, as their magic swirled around them - an occurrence only more and more common to Hermione the more rituals she participated in. At the end, Evan tied the bit of ribbon around their hands, until they were held together at the wrists, tied to one another as long as the magic would hold.

It should have been a bit unwieldy for the pair of them to be connected together for the rest of the day, but they were so in tune with one another that they didn't have any trouble as they moved around the clearing together, talking with this person and that. As the day went on and the sun began to set, they foraged around Mulciber's property together to look for rosemary that would be used in the potion, giving them a bit of time alone with one another.

Tom was quick to steal kisses from her, not caring if anyone was watching them or not. It was as if he couldn't keep his hands off of her. "You know," he whispered in her ear as they were walking back. "Edmond said that I would want you less as the pregnancy progressed, but if anything it's only made me more possessive of you."

Hermione made a face, thinking of Lestrange giving anyone sex advice, but then again he was the only other among them that had already gone through a pregnancy. "You are a brute," she teased him, though she couldn't deny that she loved how much he wanted her.

When they returned to the others Antonin was already hard at work brewing their potion, while the others were constructing a bonfire from birch branches.

"I can't imagine how much hotter it could get," Hermione said with a groan, knowing that she was more affected than the others due to the pregnancy.

"You'll be happy for it once the fiendfyre burns out," Alfie told her with a grimace. "You'd be amazed at how cold it feels after we've been living with the heat all day."

They lit the bonfire and they all formed a ring around it. Hermione stared into the flames, looking for some sort of message that she might be able to read like she had at Imbolc, only to come up empty handed. When the potion was complete and decanted into a simple copper chalice, Antonin joined the group and passed it around.

"The potion is for protection," Tom explained to her, holding her hand while they waited for their turn. "Protection of our magic."

Hermione made a little noise in the back of her throat, thinking that she would take any protection that she could, still remembering the way that Dumbledore had tried to put some sort of memory charm on her. What if he'd succeeded in doing something odious, like making her forget Tom? Not to mention, she felt she needed protection more than ever before with Malfoy lurking around.

When the chalice came to them, they had to work together to each take a drink of the liquid. For once, it was quite pleasant tasting, but Hermione could feel the dark magic settle within her immediately, cloying and seductive. She felt bolstered - as though she could take on anything.

The fiendfyre burned out soon after and Alfie was right that it became quite cold. Hermione took a step closer to the bonfire, hoping to regain a bit of warmth. But soon, that was burning down as well, leaving a more manageable flame.

Antonin brought her the May Crown and encouraged her to throw it on the bonfire. "Now that Midsummer is upon us, the light is dying," he said in his thick accent.

Hermione furrowed her eyebrows, but did as she was bade, with Tom at her side.

"You know, it's good luck if we jump over the bonfire," he suggested, watching as the dry flower petals were eaten up by the embers. "Shall we try it together?"

"I suppose we have to," Hermione said, holding up her arm that was still connected to his. "But, do you really think that I will make it? I'm not sure how well I will do with this thing," she said, patting her bump affectionately.

"I think you'll manage," Tom answered with a crooked grin. "Come on, then, running start?"

Feeling nervous, but excited, Hermione agreed, before taking a few paces back with Tom. Then, they ran side by side, hands tightly clasped, before jumping over the birch bonfire together and landing safely on the other side. She laughed as Tom caught her in his arms and spun them around in a circle, pleased that they had made it together.

With dusk upon them, it was time for another round of feasting, which lasted until the moon was round and full overhead, bathing them in its strange glow. Hermione could not possibly eat another bite towards the end of it, so she was glad when some of them decided to go for a walk on the grounds. Apparently it was good luck to see a flower bloom at midnight and Emeric claimed to know the best places to find them.

Alfie hung back and walked with Hermione and Tom, discussing all the peculiarities of the simultaneous Midsummer holidays celebrated by both Muggles and Wizards. Apparently, a crucial step to the Muggle ceremony was to capture a witch and burn her in the thoughts that it would make their crops grow and increase their harvest. To his disappointment, Hermione did not have much Muggle knowledge to add to the discussion.

"My parents weren't pagan," she said with a sad smile. "They weren't even religious. At least...I don't think they were. It's so hard to remember now."

Once it was past midnight, they were quick to give up on their hunt for the flower. Instead, they found themselves along the banks of a lake, the waves lapping against the sand even in the stillness of the night.

"Typically, we'd end the evening with a skinny dip," Tom whispered to Hermione. "But we don't have to if you don't want to."

While she didn't really fancy getting naked in front of all these wizards, Hermione knew them well enough to know that they wouldn't try anything with her. Maybe Emeric would give her a leer if he was willing to try his luck with Tom. And besides, she was still feeling so sweaty and sticky from being in the heat all day - a cool dip sounded amazing.

She drew her wand in response, before banishing her dress back to their home closet, leaving her skyclad. Pleased, Tom joined her in divesting himself of his clothing before they walked into the water together. Once they were at waist height, they both dunked themselves before coming up and facing each other.

The rest of the Knights were laughing and splashing around the lake, but Hermione and Tom only had eyes for each other. Hermione took a step closer until their chests were pressed together and looked up at him. She could feel his body's reaction to her and couldn't resist giving him a smirk.

"You know, the ceremony is over now," he said, trying to sound casual. "We can go home whenever we like."

Her smile broadened. "Maybe we could apparate home then?" she teased him.

Before she could even get the sentence out, he was side-alonging them back to their home, directly into their bedroom. Giggling, Hermione pulled Tom towards the bed, not bothering with a drying charm. It was a bit awkward, still being joined by their hands, but they were both so comfortable with each other at this point that it didn't hinder them at all.

Even though she was intimately familiar with Tom's body, Hermione did not think that making love with him would ever not fill her to the brim with excitement, knowing that she had such a powerful wizard under her spell. She loved him so much that it made her heart ache. She knew that he was possessive of her and that he wanted her and that he promised to never let her go, but a part of her hoped that he just loved her, too.

When they were finished, they laid side by side with their handfasted hands between them. The lake water that made the knot impossible to undo, but Hermione didn't want to be parted from him either. They would deal with the physical symbol in the morning, knowing that the old magic would be tying them together for a long time.