They might have one more advantage. Well… perhaps not advantage, it was more of an escape plan. The borders to the country were still on lockdown over the missing children. Though Kingsley had tried to help, the Prime Minister was not easing up. He wasn't imperiused or anything, he just wanted to convince the public that he was actually doing something about the terrorist attacks rather than sitting and twiddling his thumbs. Though she was technically dead, Hermione at least wished that the news would let her be dead rather than use her image for their conspiracies.

Yes, she was the person who kidnapped the children, but that was beside the point. They didn't have to make her into the mastermind behind all of the country's issues. The Ministry of Magic had submitted Harry's and Ron's photos as fugitives, which meant that the Death Eaters had a contact somewhere in the Muggle world. It wasn't Kingsley and he was working to sus out who it could be.

As the holidays approached, Alejandro let her know that he got the gyrosphere up and running and that he'd be able to use it to create a station in England. The gyrosphere traveled along ley lines at lightning fast speeds and didn't require crossover points to stop. Just accurate coordinates, which she was able to get from Talbott.

Assuming the gyrosphere worked and they didn't cross the territories of other troll communities, it was a way to sneak out of the country. Hermione didn't like it, but they may have to prepare for the worst. If they lost. If Voldemort grew too powerful for them to handle. This stalemate could only last so long. A failsafe was something that she wanted to keep on hand. She may not want to back down from a fight, but she'd run away before she started viewing her team as collateral damage.

Ron had moved over to Snyde Manor to work on the Hunter's circle. It had a huge, empty plot on the land where they could experiment without raising alarm to the Death Eaters. He still stopped by Rosehill for dinner almost every night. About half of the Weather members did, but Hermione didn't mind. He asked her opinion and she gave it, pulling from Hogwarts' knowledge when necessary, but being able to suppress all magic completely? It was strange and unknown territory.

So, she put her energy towards battles and getting the house ready for the holidays. It was fairly easy to keep the kids occupied, preparing for these things. To get them out of the house, she (and an armed entourage) took them all for a walk so they could pick branches for their own charamicos. Badeea volunteered to help the little ones paint theirs. The main tree in the parlor that would be the home base for presents was being constructed out of paper and wire.

Daphne managed to retrieve her family's heirloom menorah with only a short battle with the Death Eaters squatting in her family's house. Thankfully, Padma and Harry had gone with her, so she wasn't alone.

Her parents had yet to contact her, but she had hope they escaped and were biding their time to reach out.

"Hey, Nia, need some help?"

Hermione looked down the ladder at Fred. Micah, Abby, Chandra, and Bitsy had made paper stars and begged her to hang them up in their rooms, so she obliged of course. She was using yarn and hooks rather than magic. She needed to keep her magic store as full as possible, just in case.

"I thought you were watching the kids," she said.

"I was, but George and Lee took over," he said. "I think they might steal a couple of your kids from you and Cedric."

"Well, they're all our kids," she said. "We're a community and I want them to be able to look to all the adults in this household for help and guidance and comfort. Cedric and I just have the titles because we're the leaders. Pass me another star?"

He did just that and held the ladder steady.

"Nia?"

"Hm?"

"Sorry for… well… not sure what to call it. Hitting on you, I guess? Even when you said no and made it clear you weren't interested, I still…" He sighed quietly. "Especially when it was obvious you were still in love with Cedric."

"It's okay," she said. "I mean… it kinda wasn't, but you never overstepped your bounds like trying to kiss me or slip me a love potion so we're cool. I figured you were just rebounding from Angelina anyway."

"Yeah… Cedric and I have something in common. Our exes moved on to date women."

"Huh. Good for her. Who's she dating?"

"Er… your ex girlfriend. I saw them yesterday, er, some old friends set up another base and asked me to tell you."

Hermione lowered her hands. Char and Angelina? Well, she could see that. Good for Char, moving forward. There was still a small sting of hurt, but she supposed that was natural.

"What friends?" she asked.

"Oliver, Angelina, Katie, Alicia, Cho-Chang, and a couple other Quidditch players like Skye Parkin and Gwenog Jones. They're worried Death Eaters are going to start approaching them for the cause. Cause, you know, athletes."

"Yeah, I can see that," she said. "And they have a base to retreat to in that event?"

"Right. They wanted me to tell you that they want to be members of the Weather and be ready to fight on our team if necessary."

She paused. It would be hard seeing Char again, but she never turned down a helping hand.

"Well… alright," she said. "I'll add them on, but I want to talk to them with Cedric first. Make sure they're really on our side before I give them access to Rosehill."

"Sure. I'll pass it along." He was quiet for a moment. "So… who's your… what did you call it? Angelito?"

He pronounced it phonetically for British English, which made her cringe, but she didn't correct him.

"Not telling," she said. "You'll find out who your angel is on Christmas Eve like the rest of us who are participating. Besides, if you really want to know who has you, you're best asking Cedric since he's the legilimens and I'm the one who put him in charge of distributing the names."

Fred clicked his tongue in disappointment, but helped her finish hanging the stars anyway and held the ladder so she wouldn't fall climbing down.

"Where is Ced anyway?" he asked.

"Working on a present for the household," she said. "It's a television, so we can keep up with the news but also play video games and stuff. I think Badeea is helping him with it, she's really good at problem solving. Like Ron is with runes and chess."

"Who knew Ronniekins would be a scholar?" said Fred. "I bet Mum is so proud of him."

Hermione smirked and collapsed the ladder to put it back in storage. Fred followed her.

"Hey! What was that about?" he demanded.

"You act like being scholarly is lame when you and your brother are inventors who have created items that the most scholarly wixen haven't invented in all these centuries. Bruise removal cream, wearable protean charms, hats that make your head invisible so as to peer around corners without being seen. Clearly your issue with school wasn't that the course work was too difficult. You just got bored and took your own path. Just because your mum doesn't see your intelligence doesn't mean it's not there."

Fred stuffed his hands into his pockets and tipped his head. "Have you always seen the world this way?"

"What way?"

"Nothing. Never mind. What's for dinner?"

"Stewed meat and potatoes." She looked down the hall and furrowed her brow. "Since you're here, can you check to see who's on kitchen duty and have them start peeling potatoes?"

"Sir, yes sir!" he said, saluting.

Hermione went down to Hannah and Susan's room and knocked on the door. Hannah had been in there all day.

"Hannah?" she called, finding the door unlocked and poking her head in. "Hannah, you okay?"

"Erm… I'm in the bathroom." Hannah croaked, which was followed by a gag and a retch.

Oh no. Hermione cringed and stepped into the room. "Are you sick? Do you need me to get you something to help?"

"Um… maybe."

The toilet flushed and the water ran and Hannah stepped out looking pale and scared. Hermione furrowed her brow and closed the space, resting her hands on her friend's shoulders.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

Tears welled up in her eyes as her cheeks flushed with red.

"Nia… do we have any pregnancy tests?" she asked quietly.

Hermione stilled. Oh. Oh… That might explain why the curry made her nauseated the other night. She had been a bit moody, though Hermione figured everyone was moody these days.

"Yes," she said. "I accidentally bought a couple boxes when I was sweeping pads and tampons into my cart. What… er… what makes you think you're pregnant?"

Hannah blushed further. "We were careful. We… I guess the protection charm isn't a hundred percent. Anyway… I'm late and then… I started feeling sick."

Hermione hummed and nodded. "I see. Neville?"

"Y-yes. Please don't be mad."

Hermione pulled her into a hug and patted her back.

"Hey," she said. "I'm not mad, and if you don't want a baby right now our Healers have safe options to abort it and if you do want to keep it then we'll support you. Okay?"

"I… I don't know what I want to do."

"That's okay, too, but we don't know if you're pregnant yet or just stressed with a stomach virus, so let me get a test. Do you want me to get someone? Susan? Neville?"

She shook her head. "Not yet."

"Alright. I'll be right back." Hermione hurried down to the supply closet and grabbed two tests from the box before booking it back to Hannah's room.

Hannah was anxiously waiting for her to return. Hermione closed the door behind herself and cast an impenetrable charm to prevent eavesdropping.

"Hannah, time to pee on a stick!" she announced, presenting the tests.

Her friend blinked in shock, then fell into a fit of giggles.

"Do you have to say it like that?" she asked.

"Broke the tension didn't it?" Hermione grinned. "Use both just to be sure, it takes fifteen minutes for the results. And here's a ginger candy, it'll help with nausea."

She took the candy out of her pocket and pressed it into her friends hand along with the tests.

Twenty minutes later, Hannah and Hermione were looking down in the sink. Two lines per test. According to the handy little chart on the stick, she was positive for both tests.

"Shit," said Hannah, tossing them into the bin, covering them with tissues, and washing her hands thoroughly.

Hermione leaned against the wall. "What do you want to do?"

"I don't know…" she touched her stomach. "Neville and I haven't been together very long… Can't you just tell him for me?"

"You sure you want me to do that?"

Hannah burst into tears. "I can't! I don't want to see his reaction! Please, Nia, tell him for me, don't make me decide!"

"Alright, but you'll have to actually sit down and have a conversation about this," she said. "Stay put, I'll get him and if his reaction is a bad one he'll be forcibly ejected from the property. Okay?"

Hannah sniffled and nodded.

Neville was outside, so Hermione hurried through the house. Tonks, Cecilia, and Susan were prepping the potatoes like she had asked.

"I'll be getting dinner going shortly," she said. "Susan, Hannah needs you. Right now. She's in your room."

Susan's nostrils flared and she brandished the knife.

"Did Neville do something to her?!" she growled.

"… Ah…" Hermione made a face. "Ehhh? When does one plus one equal three?"

"Oh. Oh, shit." Susan set her knife down and ran upstairs.

"I never did understand maths," Tonks muttered.

Hermione went outside to see Neville looking over the trees. With some magical assistance they had grown pretty well and would no doubt start bearing fruit in the spring. He turned around and grinned.

"Hey, Nia!" he said. "Just checking on the garden. Everything okay?"

"Not sure," said Hermione. "Hannah is really scared right now."

He dropped his pruning sheers. "Why? What's wrong?"

"It's really not my place to say, but Hannah asked me to tell you because she's worried about how you'll react," she said. "She's pregnant."

Neville stared at her, open-mouthed. Hermione put her hands on her hips and raised an eyebrow. He started to faint, so she grabbed his collar and held him up.

"I assume you knew this was a possibility?" she asked.

"We were careful," he said, dazedly.

"Not everything is a hundred percent," said Hermione. "Come on, you guys need to talk this out and I need to get dinner going."

Neville was in shock, so she basically carried him through the house by his scruff. Susan was sitting with Hannah who was still sobbing uncontrollably.

"Hannah." Neville found his footing and crossed the room, embracing her tightly. In that moment, he looked strong and far from the boy who lost his toad on the train to school and was terrified of where he'd be sorted. He pressed his cheek into Hannah's hair and supported her as she cried.

Hermione sat down on Susan's bed so she could face them. Hannah's tears subsided enough for them to talk about what they were going to do.

"Here are the options," said Hermione. "Now, no matter what you decide you can still live here at Rosehill and we will support you completely. Option 1) Shotgun wedding, Kingsley is legally an officiant. Option 2) You have the baby, but don't get married just yet and see where your relationship goes from this point while maintaining joint custody of the child. My parents technically did this except my mamá never spoke to Papí again to protect him from the family curse which caused it to backfire and kill her. As neither of you are cursed, you can maintain a relationship either romantic or platonic.

"Option 3) Chiara brews a potion that will induce a miscarriage, but we're still aware of the decision. Option 4) Chiara quietly brews a potion for a miscarriage and we act like nothing happened and never discuss it again."

"Those all seem fair," said Susan. "Hannah?"

Hannah mulled it all over and looked at Neville for help.

"I love you, Hannah," he said, taking her hands and. "I have for years now and when you went to Australia I thought of you every day. I promise you, I am not going anywhere whatever you decide to do. If you want to get married tomorrow, I will happily get a ring and propose at dinner tonight. You would be the one carrying the baby, so that is your choice, but I will be happy whatever is decided."

Hannah fell into him. "I love you, too. I just… I need to think about this."

"There's time," said Hermione. "Just let me know what you decide. I'm going to go get dinner started."

"Thanks, Nia," said Susan. "We can take it from here."

~o0o~

Hannah decided to go with option one, though she was adamant it not be called a shotgun wedding. Draco, in an uncharacteristically thoughtful move, offered to switch rooms giving them his suite. He reasoned that with the two of them and a baby on the way they'll need all the room they could get in this jam-packed house.

A week after the impromptu wedding, in which Hermione was deemed Co-Maid of Honor with Susan, she heard back from Alejandro that the gyrosphere was ready, which was how she was standing outside and reinforcing protections around the house in case something went wrong.

"When are they going to be here?" Draco asked.

"Sooner than the last time you asked," she said.

He gave her a look and she pulled out the IMN. "They just left so it could be anywhere between a few seconds to a few hours. I don't trust anyone who says you can get anywhere in fifteen minutes."

Though she couldn't ordinarily see ley lines unless she was attempting to astral project, she saw one light up stopping just a few feet behind her.

"We should move," said Hermione, backing up.

Draco quickly followed. Just in the nick of time too, there was a whistle and a soft boom and the ground exploded. The animals flipped out and alarmed chatter rose up from the house as everyone crowded around the windows and doors to see the hullaballoo.

Hermione coughed and waved her hand in front of her face. For a few moments, nothing happened, but soon the ground pushed up again and Biggs crawled out followed by Bix. Bix turned around and lifted out Blaise and Alejandro like little kids.

"I'm going to be sick," said Blaise. "Nobody look."

Hermione conjured a bowl and handed it to them.

"RAGHHH!"

She flipped Biggs over her head and shook his hand.

"Good to see you," she said.

"Miss Nia," he said. "You are looking strong as ever! I was told of your victory against the Mort."

"I'd hardly call it a victory," she said. "But thanks. Looks like the gyrosphere works. That's good, that'll help a lot if we need to make a quick get away."

"Biggs and Bix will build a station to accept it," said Alejandro, looking a bit dizzy, but still managing to support Blaise. "Glad we could be of some assistance. It does have a three day turn around, so it'll take some time to test its parameters."

"Sure," said Hermione. "Any advantage is still an advantage. Now, I am sorry to make you accommodate but your full sizes won't fit inside the house. I didn't consider that when the place was rebuilt."

"It's okay, Nia," he said. "We'll manage and Biggs and Bix can always create some underground space. Need something to do while we wait for the gyrosphere to cool off."

"Well, if they want to," she said. "Until then, why don't you all come in and meet everyone? The other Weather members, the kids."

"You have children?" said Biggs, looking surprised. "Where were they grown?"

"The cabbage patch," she said, pointing to the garden.

"Aw, don't tease him, Nia," said Alejandro.

Blaise smirked, looking much less sick.

Alejandro, Biggs, and Bix all put on the necklaces to shrink their size, bringing them from their towering heights down to a more reasonable six-to-seven feet. Biggs and Bix also became more narrow, their extra appendages shifting to be out of the way.

"It must be annoying being so puny all the time," Bix muttered, working a kink out of xyr neck.

"Yeah, it can be," said Hermione. "Please, come in. Make yourselves at home."

Chandra and Abigail seemed particularly captivated by the trolls. Their uniqueness, their extra eyes and arms, their horns.

"I can tell your younglings are mighty warriors already," said Biggs. He clapped Cedric heartily on the shoulder, sending him to his knees. "You must be proud."

"Exceedingly," Cedric wheezed.

Hermione smiled slightly. "Well, let's hope this war will end soon so they have the freedom to go out and about."

"You have our assistance La Dragón," said Bix. "It is an honor to fight with you."

She nodded and rubbed her hands together. "Right… I'm going to cook something."