A/N: Awww...wont lie I'm kinda sad no reviews. But OK. Here's the next chapter. I've nearly doubled each chapter from the original ones. Next one in a few days. Its written, i just gotta check it over.

Chapter 3:

The search for Harry went on for almost a year before most of the Wizarding world gave up. News of their hero going missing shocked the Wizarding world and a full-scale investigation was started. Volunteers from all over the country came into the Ministry to be sent out for investigations. A special department was created to organize all inquiries and sightings for Harry and to organize the searches, but no trace of "The Boy Who Lived" was ever found. There were no shortages of theories of what had happened. Everything from secretly mysteriously dying to his fleeing to the Americas to escape some kind of prosecution was debated in open forums via The Daily Prophet. In the end however, after a year of speculation and searching, the whole of England seemed to have given up and labeled their hero as 'missing in action."

Those closest to him kept the search up long after the department at the Ministry was officially closed. They looked the most and furthest for him, never giving up on finding him. All but Ginny, much to Ron's annoyance. She had packed up and on September 1st went to Hogwarts, seemingly to move on with her life. She even dated someone near the end of the school year though it didn't last past graduation. Ron knew that Hermione had wanted to go with Ginny back to school, but instead she stayed at The Burrow with him. She went with him whenever a sighting would catch his attention and left to check it out.

It always ended in failure. It was never Harry. But Ron refused to give up. He would search to the ends of the earth for him and bring him back kicking and screaming if he had to. Ron felt angry all the time and took it out on those around him. He hated himself each time Hermione would give him a wounded look as he shouted sharp words at her. He hated how the whole situation seemed to have taken up his entire life, and that he let it. On the few peaceful nights they had, Ron would watch Hermione do something as simple as reading for hours and his heart would beat quickly and fill with love for the witch, and feel grateful that she was with him, and understood his drive to find their friend. Hermione knew of all the guilt he felt from his abandonment of Harry, not just during their hunt with the horcruxes but from fourth year. How he felt guilt from every second he's ever felt envious of his friend for being the center of attention, for being famous. It was in those moments of self-loathing where he would drape himself around her and hold her close, closing his eyes and just listening to her breath and turning the pages.

Time passed slowly for Ginny. She threw herself into her studies that year, playing quidditch and joined many clubs just to keep her mind off Harry. It was difficult at first but as time went on and her schedule filled it did become easier. She was thankful for her friends and housemates who seemed to know what she was doing, trying to keep busy enough to not have to think of unpleasant things and trying to help.

For the first time in centuries the walls that separated the four houses had broken down. While competition still existed between them, no longer was it an us against them mentality. Even the Slytherins were welcomed into the fold, creating a new era for the school. The older students kept the peace as they went from class to class, did their schoolwork, and ate in the great hall. The whole school was together.

Ginny wondered how long this peace would last. At some point would the Slytherins go back to being the slimy gits that the whole school hated? Would the Ravenclaws think themselves smarter than the rest of the student body? Would Hufflepuffs be bullied again for being kind and passive? And would Gryffindors do a bunch of dumb shit that could possibly get half the school killed?

She smirked at that last one.

As Christmas approached Ginny considered staying at the school. It would be the first holiday after the war and Harry wouldn't be there. She received owls from her parents every few days, and from George of course but they all seemed to be absent from news on Harry. Mostly just updating her on the family, inquiring about her studies. She hadn't received a single owl from Ron or Hermione. Ron, she had expected, knowing how angry he was at her, but not hearing from Hermione really hurt. She considered Hermione as a sister of sorts and a very close friend. She understood why Hermione would keep her distance, but it didn't stop the pain of it.

Strangely, it was Draco who convinced her to go home. The tall blonde had changed significantly, and she had become somewhat close to him. Or at least as close as one could get to Draco Malfoy. The boy was sullen and quiet most of the time. He reminded her of Harry in some ways. Sometimes she would catch him just walking around the school property lost in thought and occasionally she would join him, not saying a word the whole time.

"You have to go home." Draco had said to her when she mentioned staying. She hadn't replied and they walked in silence for a few more minutes before he stopped her by placing his hand on her shoulder to face him. "It's going to be hard. And it will be difficult for years to come. But you don't have a choice. If you don't, then you'll just be spending your life pained by memories and alone. It will never start to heal. And you'll end up alone by pushing away your family."

"Since when did you get to be so wise Malfoy?" She had asked him.

Draco shrugged at her, then turned to continue walking with Ginny following him. "I've spent my life trying to live up to the expectations of my father who was a proud pureblood in league with Voldemort. He was my idol though I was afraid of him." Draco stopped once more and turned towards her. "The past year, I lived with Voldemort in my house. Watched as my father cowed before him. I watched my mother be terrorized by her insane sister. I get the war was horrible on everyone, but few had to live in the presence day in and out of those sadistic assholes.

"Draco…" Ginny started, unsure what to say exactly.

"I don't want your pity, Weasley." He bit out angrily. "I know you're hurt and confused about Potter. But he fought like hell for us all to be able to even have the option of family. It's a poor way to repay his sacrifices by segregating yourself away from those who love you."

With those last words Draco turned back towards where they just came from and walked quickly away from her. She didn't follow this time, instead thinking of his words. She did miss her family, more than she'd admit to. Her heart still broke when she thought of Fred, and how George was managing without his twin. With that thought in mind Ginny walked up to the owlery and sent a message to her parents that she would be coming home for Christmas.

Ginny received a mostly warm welcome when she arrived home. Her mother and father met her at Kings Cross but as she walked into the house it was to the welcoming sight of her brothers, including Percy and their partners. The only ones missing were Ron and Hermione whom George told would be home later that evening. She chose to ignore the tension that filled the room at that announcement and instead reached over to hold her new niece.

It was very late when Ron and Hermione finally arrived, just past midnight. Ginny had stayed up, too wired to sleep, and read a book on the couch, though her mind wasn't fully on it as memories drifted through her head of sitting there with Harry, her fingers in his hair as they sat in a comfortable silence.

The two of them looked exhausted as they entered the house, Mrs. Weasley right there with a plate of food and some tea to warm them. Ron glanced over at Ginny once before shifting his eyes to their mother instead, obviously still angry at her. Hermione took her cup and came to join her on the couch, muttering a soft hello. They sat like that in silence, the only sounds of Ron and their mother whispering in the kitchen.

Harry's missing presence was very noticeable during the entire holiday, even more so during the Christmas celebration. Everyone was joyful of the holiday, and the first Christmas without Voldemort caused even more celebration. It was as if they were all making up for the previous years missed Christmas. But it was also somewhat subdued. The death of Fred and caused a huge chasm in the household, with George being abnormally quiet to the point of concern. Ginny tried to spend as much time as she could with him, and she was grateful he had Angelina with him. Her mere presence seemed to sooth him and she loved the woman for it.

Occasionally Ginny would hear people whispering to each other for updates on the search for Harry. She wanted desperately to join in, to actively listen, but her heart hurt, and she felt sick each time she walked in on such a discussion. She thought about Draco's words and realized he was right, that pulling away would make it harder in the long run. For now, she would just count her presence at Christmas as a first step and be happy with it. Maybe someday in the future, she won't feel so much pain. So, she always tuned them out and walked away.

Even with the pain and memories of those missing from the celebration it was difficult for the Christmas dinner to be anything but loud and exciting. They ate the great feast that Mrs. Weasley had prepared for them, and received great news from Bill and Fleur, that they were expecting their second child. Victoire was the center of attention being the first Weasley grandchild. George and Angelina announced that they were engaged. They had decided on a very small ceremony, with only immediate family and very close friends. George wasn't up for a huge celebration, always expecting Fred to be there with him.

Once the meal was consumed and the table cleared for desert Mr. Weasley raised his cup and asked for silence. All eyes were on him, he stood and cleared his throat.

"I'd like to propose a toast of good spirits to all for the coming year." He started. "This last year…these last few years in fact have been very hard. We have lost so much and lost so many. And in some ways, we have lost parts of ourselves." He paused for a moment. Ginny saw him struggle and wanted nothing more than to go stand with her father, and give him her strength, but she stayed where she was. "It has been difficult, and will continue to be difficult, to pick up the pieces of our lives. Our normality has changed, and we must change with it. But we are lucky, we are, because we have love. We have love and each other, and our family continues to grow. May good fortune and love continue to bless each of us."

"Bless" they all said, taking sips of their drinks. Mrs. Weasley raised her glass again, staying seated as she held Victoire in her arms.

"And may our missing child be safe and happy." She spoke sadly. All eyes went to the spot between Ron and Ginny. Even though Harry hadn't been seen for months, they had set a place for him. and there the seat was empty. "And may he come back to us soon."

"Bless" they all said again, more solemnly" Dessert was a quiet affair after that, the only sound was of silverware scraping plates or glasses being picked up and placed back on the table. Ginny couldn't help noticing that the desserts weren't the typical Weasley Christmas treats that her mother would make but were all of Harry's favorites, but nobody pointed that fact out.

As everyone was starting to finish up and her father started bringing out the tea, a loud tapping at the window caused several people to jump and look at the window. An owl sat on the ledge in the cold darkness tapping to be let inside, and it looked like it had a letter attached. Everyone was confused as mail wasn't normally delivered so late at night, but Hermione stood quickly and ran to the window to open it and let the bird in. The owl hooted gratefully before flying into the warm dining room and dropping the letter in front of Ginny before flying out again.

Everyone was staring at her, and she just stared at the letter. The strangely white envelope had her name on it, in script she would recognize anywhere, after memorizing the handwriting as much as possible over the months.

Ginny Weasley
The Burrow
Ottery ST. Catchpole

"Well, open it," Ron said impatiently. He knew who it was from. Ginny reached out for the letter with shaking hands and opened it slowly. Unfolding it gently, holding it like a lifeline to Harry she took note of the shaky handwriting and the blemishes on the paper from smeared ink and water. It was bleached white with soft blue lines; she had never seen such paper before. She read the letter silently to herself first, feeling her chest once again tighten.

"Well, what's it say? Is he alright? Is he coming home?" Ron persisted. Everyone held their breaths. A letter from Harry. The first news of Harry since he disappeared at the end of August.

Ginny took a deep breath, she didn't want to read it aloud, the intimacy of his few words feeling private. But seeing the eager look on her family's faces, she took a deep breath and read:

Dear Ginny,

I don't know what to write other than I'm sorry. I hope that someday you will be able to forgive me for what I've done. I hope you are well and that you are happy. I will always love you.

Harry

Silence descended the table as they thought over his words. That was it, that was all. There was nothing profound in there, nothing to indicate where he was or how he was. She was sure the others would think it a simple platitude but to Ginny it was more. To Ginny it seemed like a final goodbye, and with that her heart was officially crushed.

She sat numbly as Ron picked up the letter to examine it for anything hidden, waving his wand and muttering incantations. The rest of her family began crowding him, looking over his shoulders at the simple message as Ginny sat numbly in her chair. She couldn't help but look next to her at the empty place setting that hadn't been cleared up yet, knowing that it was left because of her mother's desperate hope that Harry would show up at the last second.

Unable to stand it any longer Ginny got up from her chair, unnoticed by the others and walked up to her bedroom. Once there she laid upon her bed, curled up tight and cried for the first time since Harry's departure. For the first time it felt as if he were truly gone. And she knew deep down that he was not going to come back.

That was the last they heard from Harry. He never sent another letter to any of them much to Ron's dismay, and Ginny's Heart. At the end of the Christmas Holidays Ginny once again packed up to return to school, and once again threw herself into her work.

Soon enough May 2nd approached, and the Wizarding world held its breath as a whole, wondering if Harry Potter, the man who conquered the Dark Lord would show up to Hogwarts for the one-year anniversary of the end of the war. Great fanfare was given to the event and everyone who was anyone and even those who were not attended the ceremony.

A stone monument with all the names of those who fell during the battle was dedicated. On the bottom of the stone were the words, "Never Forget". But much to everyone's dismay, Harry Potter didn't attend. And so it was that collectively, unspoken, the world gave in. Harry Potter was gone. And they all hoped that wherever he was, he was happy, and living.

Not long after Ginny finished school, she was at the top of her class and was recruited by the Holyhead Harpies and rose to prominence for her skills. But there was still hardly a day gone by when she didn't miss Harry.

8 years later

"Honestly, Hermione, you need to back off cause you're driving me bloody bonkers!" Ron started walking away from her. She was picking the color of wallpaper in the spare bedroom.

"Oh, come on Ron, if you would just pick one already it would be done." She insisted. She had been trying to get him to choose a pattern for the past 2 weeks and each time he just flat out refused. They had moved into this house together 2 years ago and they had yet to finish decorating it. Hermione was dedicated to getting it finished once and for all.

"I don't even see the need for a spare room. Anyone who visits can just apparate back to their houses."

"And what about my parents? They can't apparate wherever they wish." She said haughtily Ron rolled his eyes at her. Bringing up the 'my parents are Muggles argument always led to him sleeping in said spare room, so he didn't bother saying anything at all. Hermione sighed, dropping the patterns on the dining room table.

"Please Ron, just pick one." She was exasperated with the whole subject as well. She didn't even know why she cared but she also couldn't understand why he was being such a prat about picking out a pattern. Ron reached over and picked a light green one from the top of the pile and handed it to Hermione.

"Here, are you happy now?" He said, walking away from her again. She sighed and picked up the samples. Things have been tense the past few weeks for them. Easter break was coming up for Hogwarts students, which meant extra orders at work. George had offered Ron a position as a manager at the main branch of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes 7 years ago, and Ron took it up in an instant.

Ron and Hermione along with Harry had talked about the future before that, though unsure if they would ever really have one for a while and one of Ron's greatest fears was to be stuck at a dead-end position at the ministry. Both Harry and Ron had spoken about joining the Auror program after the war, but that had never come into fruition due to the decent of Harry's mental condition. And as much as others would deny the term, there was without a shred of doubt in Hermione's mind, that their friend did suffer from mental illness, and had for a very long time.

It hadn't been until halfway through third year that Hermione had figured it out. The stress of the dementors exacerbated what was already there. As a kid, even as smart as she was, she didn't know what to do to help her friend. She had put her faith in the adults around her to see the pain her friend was in and to help him and she thought they had been. With Remus teaching Harry the Patronus Charm, Hermione felt her friend was being taken care of. It wasn't until the summer after fourth year when she fully realized how much the adults in their lives, the ones who were supposed to protect and care for them, were really failing Harry.

Ron couldn't bring himself to join the program without his friend. It had been a dream the two of them had shared and it felt wrong to go it alone. So, when George offered him a position, he took it up without a second thought. It ended up being the perfect job for Ron, who, as it turned out, had a good head for business management. Hermione was proud of him; glad he had found something that he loved. It also came with some other perks such as having the ability to take off when needed when another Harry sighting came up, allowing him to go investigate. But mostly, and Ron would deny it, it allowed him to keep an eye on his brother. George had been doing well, he married Angelina, and they had a couple beautiful children, but it was a not so well-kept secret that George still struggled sometimes with the death of his twin. With the big rush at work coming up Ron's temper seemed shorter than normal with the stress of it, though she knew without a doubt that he loved his job.

She walked to the spare bedroom at the top of the stairs and pointed her wand at the sample, then pointed it at the wall, duplicating it around the room. It was a lovely shade of green, she thought to herself walking back out, ignoring the tiny voice in her head that was trying to compare it to Harry's eyes.

"Are we going to your mothers for dinner tonight, Ron?" She shouted, coming back down the stairs. Ron was sitting in front of the TV again, watching some crime show that always seemed to be playing. When they first moved in, and she bought one he was hesitant at first but quickly became enamored by all the Muggle programming. She still believes that getting cable was one of her worst ideas.

"Yeah, if you want." He replied, not taking his eyes off the TV.

"It's not what I want Ronald, it's your parents." Ron just rolled his eyes at her.

"They've practically been your parents as well for years too Hermione so don't bring that crap to me. If you want to go to Sunday dinner at their house then I will dress up like you require me to and we will go" Hermione plopped down next to him on the couch, glancing at the tv and rolling her eyes at Dr. Who.

"Fine," she said. She silently wished the rush would be done so Ron would go back to normal. "And I want you to wear the maroon shirt. You know your mother likes it."

"Yes dear." He replied. She didn't see it, but she could hear him rolling his eyes.

Mrs. Weasley hosted a giant feast on most Sundays for the family. It was a great burden, but she bore it greatly and with many smiles. She loved to have her family near and to visit her frequently.

The family was sitting at one such dinner on this day. The grownups all sat at the main dining table, laughing, and telling each other humorous stories that happened in the week while the kids ran around the table and in and out of the room. The parents of the children would shout at them to sit down and eat but of course always fall on deaf ears.

At the head of the table Mr. Weasley was sitting next to Bill and Fleur discussing their new home they recently bought in a muggle suburb. Fleur decided, after many years of talking with her father-in-law about Muggles that she wanted her children to get to know them and as such convinced her husband to move to a Muggle neighborhood and to enroll their children in a Muggle elementary school.

"The neighbors are so polite. They keep coming over to see how we are doing with the moving. And there are plenty of kids in the neighborhood for the children to play with."

"Zey are very 'appy in ze new house" Fleur added.

"And how are they adjusting to school?" Mrs. Weasley chimed in. She had been most worried about their attending a Muggle school as she educated all her children at home till they went to Hogwarts.

"They are doing great mom, Victoire seems to quite enjoy her teacher" Bill said.

"Oh, I'm so glad to hear that dear."

"What about their magic? How do you explain that away?" Ron asked, earning a glare from Hermione next to him for talking with his mouth full of mashed potatoes.

"I'm sure they do fine with it Ronald" Hermione stated.

"I'm just worried Hermione, you don't have to jump down my throat about it."

"Well, it's not as if they are brandishing wands and doing tricks, are they? There are many Muggle-Born children who do alright." She said.

"Well, we haven't had much of an incident yet" Bill cut in.

"We 'ave 'xplained to zem the 'mportance of keeping it quiet." Fleur added.

"See Ron, you should have more faith in your siblings."

"It's not that I don't have faith in them Hermione." Ron argued. "It's just a question. You get upset when you think I've forgotten you're muggle born, but really, I think you forget I'm a pureblood wizard. It's not like I grew up with muggles. I haven't a clue what they do about accidental magic."

Hermione gave him a soft look before leaning in and giving him a kiss. "I'm sorry Ron, you're right." She said, startling Ron at the admission.

"I'm right?"

"Well, it was bound to happen at some point I expect." giving a glare as if daring him to comment further.

Ginny dropped her silverware loudly on the plate next to George, spraying him with some gravy. His wife Angelina cracked up and tried helping him wipe it off.

"What's wrong Gin?" Ron asked.

"You two. Don't you guys stop fighting. Every Sunday it's the same thing. You're like an old married couple, can you cool it?" She said annoyed.

"Well, they can't be an old angry couple since they aren't married yet. There are going on… what is it again Ron? 6 years of being engaged." George laughed with the others snickering along. Their long engagement being a long running joke. Ron and Hermione weren't laughing at all, however. And neither was Ginny. "Just take the plunge and get it done already."

"I do agree, you two. You've been engaged for so long. And though I do love long engagements I'd be happier if you would just do it and not live in sin." Mrs. Weasley started gently, and she put down one of the grandkids that was in her lap. She stood up and started to clear the dishes.

"We are not having this discussion again. You know why we aren't married yet" Ron said, his voice annoyed. They've been over and over this topic since he finally plucked up courage and proposed to Hermione.

"Yes, well as much as I want him to, he's not coming back, so I don't see the point in putting your lives on a permanent hold" George stated. The entire table went silent then. All looking between Ron and Hermione and George on the other side. Ginny couldn't handle this conversation again. She got up from the table, grabbed Fred, Angelina and George's son and went into the living room.

Nobody said anything or moved. The topic of Harry had become practically a taboo in the house for the past 5 or so years. Once everyone else had given up on the search, leaving only Ron and a couple others still looking, the topic of Harry Potter had become a banned topic of conversation. Ron looked like he was about to burst but Hermione just grabbed his hand next to hers and squeezed it reassuringly.

"No." She said simply. Nobody said anything else. They all sat in silence for several minutes, looking at anything other than Ron and Hermione. Mrs. Weasley set the dishes down that she had grabbed and sat on her chair again. She put her hands together and looked intently at them.

"I know how you two feel..." She started.

"No, you don't, Mum. You don't and you can drop it" Ron stated standing up.

"He's gone Ron. and Putting your life off is just going to leave you with regret someday."

"Stop, this is not up for discussion. We are going to wait."

"Marry Hermione, have children, start a family." She said firmly. Hermione stood up next to Ron, their hands still held together.

"Molly, we are not getting married without Harry and if that means we never get married or have children then so be it." And with that she walked off to the living room dragging Ron behind her.

"This is not what Harry would want for you." Mrs. Weasley shouted, causing the two of them to pause. "Harry wouldn't want you to put off your life."

"Yeah well, we will never know what Harry would want now will we." And with that they moved to the living room.

The others stayed and helped Mrs. Weasley clean up, to give Ron and Hermione time to cool down. They've been saying the same thing for years, but Ron and Hermione had been relentless in waiting.

There had been no hide nor hair nor any sign of Harry since the letter he sent Ginny that Christmas so long ago. And Mrs. Weasley felt dismayed that her three youngest, for she thought Hermione as one of hers, had essentially given up their lives.

Her biggest concern was her fourth youngest though, or who she considered as good as hers, Harry. She had long ago got over the hurt she felt when he had run away from the Burrow, and now was just anxious to be sure he was alright and alive.

With the kitchen cleaned, everyone moved to the living room for the usual after dinner tea. Ginny was sitting on the floor in front of the fire with Georges twins Fred and Roxanne playing with some blocks while everyone else talked around them. Ron was getting bored and ready to go, trying to convey that message to Hermione by tugging on her fingers, but she ignored him, too engrossed in her conversation with Bill, Fleur and Mr. Weasley regarding the muggle area they moved to.

"It's a wonderful place really. There's a park right down the street from our house for the kids. It's very beautiful. And the school is only a few blocks away." Bill said.

"I waz 'esitent at first but I quite agree. Iz a wonderful place for ze children"

"We may have to check it out. I've been wanting to move back into the Muggle world." Hermione said.

"What?" Ron said incredulously "since when?"

"Since always Ron we've discussed this"

"When did we do this? I don't remember this" George sneaked behind his teacup, which spilled some down the front of his shirt as Angelina smacked his arm.

"I think it would be good for us. And I want our children to go to a Muggle elementary school" Hermione argued. They sat there glaring at each other for a few minutes, the whole room staring at them with hidden sad smirks. The previous conversation of their possibly never having children due to not being married all but forgotten.

Victoire looked up from where she was sitting on the floor next to her mother's feet, playing with a doll that talked and did cartwheels.

"I like my school a lot." she said. "It would be great to have a cousin go there too."

"Oh? " Said Mr. Weasley, smiling fondly down at her.

"Yeah, my teacher Mrs. Thornton is super nice! She lets us play outside and holds the jump rope and we do math and play games and such" Victoire rambled.

"That sounds like lots of fun. Do you do arts and crafts? You know your grandma loves that stuff" Mr. Weasley said, glancing over to his wife as she knitted happily in her rocking hair.

"Yeah! Lots of art stuffs. Friday, Mrs. Thornton had to leave early so Mr. Potter came in to teach us. He teaches the littler kids. And he had us take one of the little kids as a buddy and we drewed pictures and stuff! Then Mr. Potter showed us magic tricks. And taught this math card game where you take a random card out of the deck and at the end you know which it is. It was long but fun."

Ron stared at Victoire as she talked about her substitute teacher. His mind reeling on if it could be Harry. But of course, that's silly. Anytime over the past 8 years he heard the name Harry or Potter he would immediately go out and try to find this person. It always turned out to not be his best friend but he always felt he had to try.

Hermione looked at him concerned, and their eyes met. He knew she was thinking the same thing as him. He felt love for the witch and reached out to squeeze her hand.

"He also read us this wonderful story about a beanstalk and an ogre. When school was out, I went up to him and I said "Mr. Potter, those were some good magic tricks, but I've seen better ones from my uncle. He loves tricks. Mr. Potter smiled, and he said that tricks can be fun sometimes, but magic can be dangerous so be careful and then I ran out cause mom was waiting for me. He's super nice, I hope Mrs. Thornton goes out again and lets him visit, even if he does have to bring the little kids." She continued to babble on and on about this for a while longer till everyone started to get up and leave.

"I don't think it's him, Ron" Hermione said later that night. She was making tea for them while he sat on a stool at the breakfast nook in the kitchen deep in thought.

"And why can't this be him?" He asked.

"It wasn't him the hundreds of other times, so what would make this time different? You can't keep chasing him Ron" She set a cup in front of him and leaned on the table.

"I'm not giving up. Never. Not till I know he's alright" Rons temper was starting to rise. He was trying his best to keep it in check. Getting mad at Hermione wasn't going to do any good. And in any case, she was probably right. But he didn't want to give her the satisfaction of telling her that. He sacrifices a lot for this relationship, including conceding she knows everything and is always right but occasionally he needs to keep his pride.

Hermione bit her lower lip in concentration as she was apt to do. Ron found it extremely adorable and loved how she looked when her mind was at its fullest processing of information. She sighed, seeming to let go of the thought she was captivated on moments before, and he looked at her expectantly.

"I don't see how it could be him. Harry never expressed any desire to teach."

"Bollocks." Ron said. He took a sip of the tea in front of him. "In case you forgot Ms. Know-it-all, he did teach the DA in fifth year."

"Yeah, but that was under pressure from us, a desire to do something under that horrid Umbridge's nose, and in desperation to try to help his fellow students defend themselves against attacks from Voldemort. It's hardly the same as wanting to be a teacher in general, especially younger kids. And even more, especially younger kids."

"Yeah, true" Ron sighed into his tea. Hermione walked around the island and wrapped her arms around Rons neck pecking his cheek.

"He'll come back, Ron, I know he will."

"Yeah, but in the meantime what's this nonsense about living in Muggle areas?" Hermione walked away from him at this. She knew that while he had nothing against Muggles and found them almost as fascinating as his father, he really had no desire to live surrounded by them.

"I just think it would be good. Especially for the children."

"What children? We haven't got any in case you forgot."

"I know that but someday we will, won't we?" They stared at each other trying to gauge the others' reaction. It was times like this when Ron wanted to give in and just marry Hermione. He knew it wasn't just him who was holding out, it was her too, but sometimes she would say something like this, questioning their future when he would feel like saying to hell with it all and just marry her and give her the family, he knew they both wanted. Things were tense between them, and it was hard to break, but Ron knew it had to. He took a deep breath and turned away first. It took some willpower not to laugh, but he could remember a time when he would be too stubborn to do that, to let her win, to move first. But years of being with Hermione had taught him that its best to just let her be the winner.

"Yeah. We'll have kids. Someday, lots of them." Hermione smiled at him. The idea of having many red-headed book worms and brown-haired quidditch players running around brought a feeling of unimaginable happiness to her. Her smile slipped a little, however, as the dream of finally getting married and having children slipped away from her.

Both of them had agreed 5 years ago that they would not be married until they found Harry. He was their best friend, their sibling, and they missed him dearly and couldn't really imagine a future without him. But 5 years later, and nothing about Harry and they had both started to become somewhat discouraged. Whenever the subject was brought up by either of them about possibly moving on, the other one would vehemently deny it, state they can't. But as the years progressed the arguments became less passionate and more passive.

Ron stood and crossed the room over to Hermione and held her close, somehow knowing what she was thinking. She buried her face in his shoulder, attempting to hold back the tears that she desperately wanted to free but didn't feel it would be appropriate.

"Let's move" Ron said quietly in her ear. Hermione stood straight, still wrapped in his arms, and looked searchingly in his eyes.

"What do you mean?" She asked him.

"Let's move. Let's go visit Bill and Fleur next week and see where they live and look into buying a house. Let's do it."

"You're giving up on Harry?" She frowned at him. Ron gave a little smile and pressed his lips to her forehead.

"No, not yet. But I think we both know, as much as we both hate to admit it, that there's a real chance we won't find him for a very long time." Hermione gave a small sob as tears started falling down her cheek. Ron reached up and wiped them away. He could never admit, at least out loud, that he was afraid they would never find him again. Or worse, Harry was no longer able to be found.

"I think this will be a good first step to start moving on. It's big, but still small. With this house, I want you to know that I'm committed to us."

"Oh, geez Ron." She sobbed. "Where did you learn to be so sentimental? It's quite frightening I must say." Ron smiled at her.

"I've talked this over with my parents and my dad basically told me what to say." He blushed a deep red at that admission. But Hermione only laughed through the tears.

"A house then? In a Muggle area?" She said, uncertainly.

"Yeah, let's move near Bill and Fleur though so when the Muggles get on my nerves I can go over to his house and complain about them" Hermione laughed.