December 13th, 2003

Ron walks silently inside the flat. Tessa is asleep in the guest bedroom. They had a long and exhausting night. She talked and talked. He listened. He listened to her every word. He even cried with her. But they also laughed.

They talked about the two years that Tessa lived with Hermione in London. They remembered a few times they were in the same room but barely looked at each other. While talking about it, Ron couldn't believe how he wasn't mesmerized by her beauty at the time. Surely because he was madly obsessed with Hermione.

It was fun remembering those days, talking about her pregnancy and the moment when Rachel was born. Ron was there, at the Hospital. Much like Hermione, he was incredibly happy to meet Rachel. After all, she is Harry's daughter and even if their friendship is a mess at the moment, Ron always felt like Rachel's blood uncle. Harry is his brother, no matter what happens. This is a fact.

Tessa also asked him about the night of the accident. That's something Harry refuses to talk about and she didn't get a chance to ask Hermione. Ron gladly told her everything he could. He told her about the way Harry and Hermione were devastated. He told her that it was such a shock, such a terrible thing that he has no idea how Harry stood strong and also took care of Rachel. He knows he didn't behave his best when the accident happened, he knows that he abandoned Hermione because he couldn't deal with his jealousy, but mostly because he could see what was about to happen. He could see them falling in love. And he opened up about it to Tessa. She eagerly listened to every word.

Then, for a while he told her about his life. About what he did when he left London. He told her about his job and the many countries he visited, the many people he met. Ron explained that he held on to a grudge against Harry and Hermione for a long time. But when he understood that this was only hurting him, he decided he wanted to let go. And he did. And he's way happier because of it.

In silence, she nodded. Ron has no idea what she was thinking in that moment, but she began to talk about her coma. She told him that there were times that she could hear things. Feel touches and kisses. But it all felt like a dream. And she mostly forgot about it all. But the sensation lingers with her. And she hates it. While crying she said that she hates what happened to her, but when she woke up everyone was so happy that she felt like she couldn't resent the years she lost, she couldn't be sad about it or anything like that. Ron squeezed her hand and told her that she had every right to be pissed about it. He told her to scream to the world that she hated it, that she's angry.

Tessa looked at him with a funny expression then, but nonetheless, she started to scream. He kept smiling. And she also smiled after. She squeezed his hand back. And drinking wine and eating some cheese, they continued to talk.

She told him she resents her father but she can't find in herself the will to fight him. The man took care of her every day for more than two years. He gave her a roof when she woke up, he helped her get on her feet with a new job in photographing. But she confessed that it consumes her. She knows that Leonard didn't want to have anything to do with Rachel before and this is a major issue for Tessa. She hates her father for it, but she also loves him. It's hard to deal with her feelings. And she feels like she can't open up to Harry about this because she knows how much he already hates Leonard and this could blow up into a huge fight that she wants to avoid.

The more she talked, the more she changed in Ron's eyes. Everyone is so worried about Rachel and Harry and his relationship with Hermione that no one is really looking at Tessa, no one is truly listening to her.

And after he insisted, she began to talk about Harry and Hermione. She told him that when she learned about their relationship she felt like she had lost both the love of her life and the sister she never had. To know that Rachel was calling Hermione mama was another nail to the coffin. Tessa had a hard time explaining to him all her feelings. She's extremely confused and hurt. She loves Hermione but she doesn't know how to talk with her anymore, she doesn't know how to act anymore. And she opened up about the many fights she's having with Harry. They don't agree on a thing. It's like they want to fight because if they don't, they have nothing to talk about.

Ron was shocked. He never imagined things were that bad. He thought they were having a few problems, but not to this extend. Not so serious.

Tessa also opened up about the fact that Rachel is magical and how this affects her and their relationship. She said that it's not that she doesn't like that Rachel is magical, it's just that it makes things insanely harder. She has to reconnect with her daughter but she can't perform magic, she can't tell magical stories or fly on a broom. And all of this makes the wedge between them bigger.

But she was sincere with Ron. She told him that she's aware that she's acting like a bitch, but she has no idea how to stop or reset. She's angry all the time and she wants to hurt others because she doesn't know what to do with her own pain.

And when she said that maybe she should have stayed in a coma forever, Ron reacted strongly. He told her to never repeat something like that. Then, he gently hugged her. Tessa cried in his arms while squeezing him.

Ron never felt like he belonged more in his entire life. They understood each other easily. And he can't help wondering if that's how it feels like for Harry and Hermione. If it was like this for them since forever…

What he shared with Tessa was natural and peaceful. Perfect.

So, whistling to the kitchen, he prepares some coffee for both of them. Nothing physical happened between them, Tessa just slept in his arms and he took her to the guest bedroom, but, if he's honest with himself… he wants something to happen.

He wants her to want it too. And that's the thing, isn't it?

Tessa startles him. "Good morning."

Ron jumps in place, turning around to look at her. "Wow, even after crying for hours you still look as beautiful as always." He smiles at her.

She blushes, looking down. She's wearing the same clothes from yesterday and her face is a bit crumpled from sleeping, but he didn't lie. She's beautiful.

"Ron," She begins in a low voice, "Thank you so much for last night, I- I don't think I'll ever be able to do something as nice for you."

He chuckles. "That's fine, Tess. Want coffee? I could run down the street and buy us some bagels or-"

"Stop talking." She interrupts him and he frowns. She comes closer to him. Ron can almost hear his heart beating inside his chest. It's so fast and so loud. She cups his face, looking up at him. "I- I'm going to do this because I really want to, but then, I'll walk out of here and we won't talk anymore. And I really hope you don't share this conversation with Hermione, please, don't."

He's still frowning when her lips touch his. But he reacts fast. Ron slides his tongue into her mouth, eager. Tessa corresponds and he thinks he might be dreaming. She tastes like a delicacy. Like a forbidden fruit. He hoists her up and settles her on the counter. They keep kissing in a crazy rhythm. Almost as if life depends on it. He squeezes her waist, not daring to move his hands anywhere else. She caresses his neck with gentle fingers.

Ron can't think of a better kiss than this.

But Tessa pulls back. And he respects her. He stops. But their eyes are glued, they're searching for answers in silent places.

And he makes the question that's eating him alive since the wedding: "Why are you still with Harry?"

She inhales deeply and pushes on his chest for him to make room for her to climb down the counter. He obliges.

"I love Harry." She answers simply. "He's the love of my life, Ron. And I won't give up on us."

He sets his jaw. "He loves Hermione, Tessa, you know that."

She lowers her head and walks to the door. Ron doesn't move. "Yeah, but he'll forget her, because I'm sure you're going to make her incredibly happy, right? You got what you always wanted and I did too. Goodbye, Ron."

He stays there when he hears his door banging. Then, he sighs.

Well, shit.

December 20th, 2003

He's locked inside his study. He just received another letter. Only one single phrase written on it:

Your daughter shouldn't exist.

He already cried from sheer anger. But now he's a bit calmer, more controlled. And he's thinking about what to do. He needs to tell Hermione about this second threat, but he doesn't wanna see her. Each time he sees her it becomes more difficult for him to handle his feelings. When he thinks too much about Hermione, he shuts himself into a dome of self hate and it bothers Tessa. It bothers Rachel. He doesn't want that, he wants to be there for his family, he wants to make it work… He feels like he can't run away another time.

So, sighing, he sends out a patronus to Hermione. This last week she didn't see Rachel. Draco and Ginny are traveling and Harry asked if she wanted him to take Rachel to her place. But Hermione said she couldn't. He didn't ask her what was wrong, but now he feels like he should have asked. He feels like the distance between them is getting wider and wider.

But on the other hand, Tessa has been calmer since she got back from her last trip. They talked like adults and she explained to him that she has nothing against magic, just that this is another issue that separates her from Rachel. He understood her point and to his surprise they lived an amazing week.

Now, this fucking letter.

He's fed up. Tired. He needs to… change the air around him. Harry raises an eyebrow, looking at the note in front of him.

The Holidays are just around the corner and they're supposed to celebrate together, all of them. Draco, Gin, Hermione, Ron, Tessa, Rachel, him, the Weasleys. He doesn't want to, though. And he's sure Tessa doesn't either. Both for different reasons.

Sighing, he runs a hand through his hair. Maybe the answer to all their problems is a family trip. Maybe they should spend this end of the year together, just the three. Together and away from these threats, away from problems. Away from Hermione.

Her patronus invades the room as if summoned by his thoughts.

"Shit, Harry. Do keep me posted, please. Hope you're well."

He smiles at the sound of her voice. A sad smile. Harry told her that Rachel is fine and there's nothing to worry about at the moment. But he knows that if he gets another one of these maybe he'll have to reach out to the Ministry, to the Aurors. Something he would rather not.

So, still pondering about going away, he decides.

December 23rd, 2003

"You're acting strange." Hermione says to Ron while they walk along the Seine. "For a while now."

He looks at her, eating his crepe. "Strange? In what sense?"

"I don't know, it's like you're thinking a lot."

He chuckles and she follows. It's a beautiful sunny day and the city is filled with tourists. They're blending in just fine. They made an impulsive decision of walking around and eating everything they're craving. Ron agreed immediately to her idea, but Hermione knows that something is wrong.

"Maybe I am." He murmurs. She can't see his eyes because he's wearing sunglasses but she knows that he's looking at the beautiful horizon. "So, are you ready for Christmas and all that?"

"Haven't you heard?" Her tone is clipped. The matter messes with her.

"What?"

"Harry, Tessa and Rachel are going away on a family trip for the end of the year."

Ron stops walking and she stops with him. She didn't think this would shock him this much. "Oh, wow, Christmas too?"

"Yeah." They resume their walk. "I think Harry wants to be away because of the second threat. And of course, this way they'll spend time together. They don't wanna be around us. I know Tessa would rather pluck her eyes out than being in the same room as me." She makes a face.

"Speaking of which," He says naturally, "You still haven't told me what happened on the day she visited you."

Hermione exhales heavily, crossing her arms and admiring the people talking in many languages, having a blast while exploring the city.

"It's hard talking about the things I heard from her." Hermione says and ends the croissant she's eating. Harry's are better. She wonders if he still bakes them. "But maybe I'm ready to share. Not just that but there's something else that I wanna show you."

"Uh, lingerie?"

Hermione smacks his shoulder and they laugh. They keep walking until they reach the threshold that separates Muggle and Wizarding Paris. Then, in a blink they're walking amongst their fellow wizards and witches. At the distance they can already see their building. Tessa only got through that day because Hermione had allowed her - since she woke up - as a Muggle, to trespass without problems. It's quite big the number of Muggles aware of them in the city.

They start to climb the stairs inside and Ron stops at his place on the floor bellow hers to fetch a bottle of wine. Hermione keeps going to her flat and when she gets there, she goes to her room.

When she comes back to the living room, Ron is already there on her couch, eating a chocolate bar.

"Don't you ever stop eating?" She asks, amused.

"What? I need to grow my muscles." Hermione rolls her eyes. "What's that?" He points to the thick notebook she's holding. Its cover is black leather and she cherishes this immensely.

"This, Ronald Weasley, is my diary." He tilts his head, interested. "And you're getting your wish of finally reading it."

He opens his mouth, surprised. "Oh, my. What's the occasion? Why?"

"You see, since Tessa visited I've been struggling with a few things… and I talked about it with my therapist." He nods. "I- This…" She raises the diary in her hand, "I started writing this when Tessa suffered the accident." She gulps, her throat is dry. "I wrote about everything. It's like a huge letter to her. I talk about Rachel, about Harry. About how much I miss her. There are a lot of key moments here, it's practically my heart in ink and paper."

Ron moves forward on the couch. "And you want me to read it?" She nods. "Hermione." He comes to her, his hands on her shoulders. "I'm honored. Truly."

She stops a few tears. "I- The therapist said I should share, he said that I need to accept that this is part of me, part of my suffering and how things happened. He said that a friend could read it and maybe give me a different perspective on everything. Will you do it, Ron?"

He smiles and hugs her. "Of course. Hermione, of course."

She's crying now. "I don't remember everything I wrote, but I know you must be in here too, and I'm sorry if you happen to read something that-"

"Hey, it's fine." He kisses her cheek and takes the diary from her hands. "I'm sure it's going to be the most interesting thing I've read in my life."

"You barely read."

"Exactly."

They share a laugh. "Prick." Hermione observes while he sits back down on the couch, his hands treating the diary with the utmost respect. She made the right decision giving it to him, she knows she did. She can feel it.

"So, are you telling me what Tessa said?"

Hermione wets her lips and sits on an armchair in front of him, then she summons some wine to her hand. "You know… you behaved very strangely that day when you saw Tessa." She has been thinking about this. It was too odd. There's something there Ron is not telling her. She knows him too well. And right now, he's avoiding her eyes. "Come on, tell me. I know you, Ron."

He makes a face, running a hand through his hair and drinking all the wine in his glass. Hermione is curious now. This is… why is he so nervous?

"Okay. Okay." Ron says, closing his eyes. "Please, please, Hermione, don't be mad at me."

"Oh, fucking shit. What have you done?" She raises an eyebrow.

"I- I think I might feel something for Tessa!" He blurts out.

Hermione freezes. Her brain shuts down. Hearing this really didn't cross her mind. Not even for a second. She's shocked. Since Tessa woke up she's having more and more of these moments of complete confusion and surprise. Then, she-

She laughs.

"Oh, are you serious?" Hermione keeps laughing. Her body is shaking.

Ron swallows hard, he's not laughing, though. "I am, I'm sorry."

"Fuck, Ron!" She shakes her head, still laughing, "I can't believe this. I cannot believe this!" She settles down the glass of wine. "How? When? Why?" Her voice is coming out a tone higher than normal and Ron looks afraid.

"We first had a talk at the stag party and I don't know, something in her caught my eye and-" Hermione keeps shaking her head, this can't be real. "Then, we had a moment at the wedding and-"

"A moment!? What exactly is a moment? Define it, please." She's talking like a psychopath. Her question gives Ron pause and he looks down, completely ashamed. "You KISSED?" Hermione stands up. "My fucking God! What the hell is happening?" She puts both hands on her waist. "Ron, do you want Harry to murder you? Shit! If he finds out about this-"

"Then she spent the night at my place." Hermione opens her mouth, again, shocked. "Nothing happened." He says fast when he sees her expression. "On the day she came here I waited for her and then we- we talked all night, Hermione. She's also suffering a lot and things between her and Harry are terrible-"

"I don't wanna hear it." She cuts him harshly. "Fuck, Ron! Here I thought you were on my side, but you're in love with Tessa! Spending the night with her while she thinks we're together! While she's with Harry!" Hermione presses two fingers against her temple. A headache is coming.

"We talked all night and then in the morning we kissed." Hermione lets out an angry yell. She wants to kick him in the nuts. "And that's it."

"Oh, is that it? Oh, amazing. Two kisses, one night of intimate confessions, what else, right? Just that. Sure." She claps her hands ironically.

"Please, calm down."

"No! Give me a moment! I need to freak out about this!" She's walking from one end of the living room to the other. Ron is looking at the floor, he has nothing more to say now. "I'm trying to process all of this, I'm trying to understand what it all means!" She stops in front of him. "Fuck, Harry can't know, do you hear me? If he even imagines that you kissed Tessa he's going to hunt you down-"

"I think he wants to do that when he sees me kissing you, to be honest."

Hermione clicks her tongue. "This is not about me and Harry. This is about you and Tessa and the consequences-"

"There are no consequences." He's calm and it kind of calms her. Hermione sits back down on the armchair. Her mind is in a knot. "Tessa needed a friend and I listened to her. We kissed but she made it pretty clear that Harry is the love of her life. Nothing else is going to happen, Hermione. And, yeah, I might have a thing for her-"

"Are you in love?"

He makes a face. "Whatever. It'll go away. She doesn't want me." He shrugs.

Hermione leans back on the chair and looks at the ceiling. "I can't believe this." She repeats. And- "She cheated on Harry." She whispers. "I- shit." She shares a look with Ron. "Ron, she- Tessa would never cheat on Harry if…" Hermione trails, her throat is dry again. She doesn't wanna believe in what Ron said but- "She said things between them are terrible?" She asks in a low voice.

Ron nods. "She said she knows he still loves you."

She closes her eyes, both her hands over her face, covering it. Hermione wanna scream. Then, she inhales deeply.

"That's not… real." She whispers. "If he still loved me, he would have chosen me. He chose her, Ron. They're together. They're going away on a family trip. I think Tessa is just confused, I think that, yes, they're having a hard time adjusting to this new life, but I doubt, I really do, that Harry doesn't love her."

Ron sighs. "I- I don't know. But if you wanna know my opinion I do think he still loves you, Hermione. I've been repeating this for a while now. I saw the way he looks at you."

She snorts. "Doesn't matter. It doesn't matter anymore. I've moved on. Even if my feelings for him aren't totally gone, I- my life is less complicated now, you know? I- I'm happy, Ron. And, yeah, okay, let's imagine this is the case, Harry is not moving one finger to talk to me, he clearly wants to make it work with Tessa and I won't intrude, I can't."

"I know, Hermione." He nods. "I'm sorry about this mess. It was never my intention to create such a situation."

Sighing, Hermione walks to the couch and sits by his side, taking his hand. "I'm glad you told me. Thank you, for opening up and such." He bumps his shoulder on hers. "But let's leave this behind us, okay? Harry and Tessa have their lives to deal with and we have ours." She shrugs. "And that's it."

He nods.

She can't deal with this. She promised to herself that she's going to stay away from their lives and she's going to keep this promise.

And they find other things to talk about.

January 5th, 2004

They enter the house and Rachel immediately goes to her room, excited. Their trip was amazing. The best decision Harry made in a long time. He smiles at Tessa while he leaves their bags on the floor. They went to countless places on the countryside, just the three in the same room, enjoying cabins and everything else they could. Tessa took a ton of pictures. Harry calmed down his mind and Rachel is finally accepting her mother.

Tessa comes to him and they share a heated kiss. Their sex life is better too.

It almost feels like when they met in Paris. Two weeks of amazing things. Fun.

She bites on his neck and he nuzzles her hair, squeezing her in his arms.

"It's good to be back home." She whispers.

He closes his eyes. "Yeah." It's a bit odd to hear this from her, but he ignores the sensation. "So-"

A patronus invades their living room. It's Ginny's.

"Oh, good, you're back! Dinner tonight, you must come! We missed you."

Harry smiles and Tessa chuckles. "That's nice, we should go." She says and gives him a peck. "I'll take the photos upstairs."

He nods, fascinated by the way she completely loves what she does. Then, he walks to his study. He's a bit cold inside, Harry's afraid of what he might find there, the letters…

But when he looks through them, there isn't another threat. It's all good and peaceful. He sits down, his mind working slowly.

It truly was an incredible trip. It's amazing that when it's just the three of them, they understand each other perfectly. The routine kills them. It kills Tessa. She hates it. And now that they're back home, Harry wonders if things will go back to being terrible like they were or if they're going to stay the way they are now: Good.

This dinner at Ginny and Draco's is going to be nice to assess the situation. The last few times they encountered them, Tessa acted a bit aggressively, making it clear how much she didn't want to be there. But he really hopes this has changed, he really hopes the improvement in her relationship with Rachel can make everything else easier.

He's also aware that… he thought less about Hermione on this trip. And Tessa was able to tell. That's mostly why things are great, Harry's sure. But it's so hard. He's making a huge effort not to wonder what Hermione is doing, if she's with Ron or not, if she's still happy in Paris-

He lets out a groan.

All it took were five minutes inside the house for him to go back to Hermione. Fuck. Closing his eyes, he briefly hates the thought that goes through his mind: Is she going to be there? With Ron?

It's been some time since he last saw her and it's awful. There are times he catches himself only wanting to look into her eyes. He misses their warmth. But it's undeniable that the distance between them makes his life with Tessa easier, so…

If she's there at least I'll be able to look at her a bit.

When Hermione and Ron apparate inside Ginny and Draco's, they're greeted with excited yells from their friends. Hermione shares a tight hug with Ginny while Ron talks to Draco. They just saw each other at Christmas and the party was amazing. The fact that Harry and Tessa weren't there made everything easier and better. The only thing missing was Rachel, but she didn't dwell on this thought, she focused on the memories they were creating together on that night… After so many years Ron was finally there with them.

Then, she and Ron decided to stay in Paris for the New Year. She went to a party with Gustave. It was truly unforgettable. Ron also went to the party but Hermione barely saw him. He's going out with a fellow Alchemist, and, as he stated to Hermione, he's trying to forget Tessa.

So, when Ginny communicates that Harry, Tessa and Rachel are coming, Hermione stops for a second. Yes, she has made good progress with the therapist and such, and boy, she's dying to see Rachel, but… Harry and Tessa as a couple - after knowing that Tessa shared two kisses with Ron, it- there's a part of her that wants to tell Harry. Another part of her wants to confront Tessa about it.

But there's also a part of her that wants to stay out of this forever. And after everything, this part is winning. Even if it angers her a bit that Tessa cheated, Hermione decided that this is none of her business.

In honesty, Ron seems more affected by it than her. So, Hermione nudges his arm. "Hey, what do you think we should do? Pretend we're still together or tell them it's all over?"

He makes a face and gulps. "I mean, maybe we should just end our little pretend when things between you and Gustave become solid enough for you to bring him." He's provoking her.

Gustave said the words. He said 'I love you'. Hermione was unable to say them back. So, she thanked his affection with a long kiss and sex. She's not proud of her attitude, but she doesn't wanna lie to the man. When they started going out she said her heart was completely shattered and she had no idea if she was able to love again. At the time Gustave said it was no problem at all because the most difficult thing for him was falling in love. So, they were perfect for each other. But now things are changing, he said he's in love and Hermione pushed him away a bit.

She rolls her eyes at Ron. "Well, I'm not even sure my thing with Gustave will continue, but, yeah you have a point. I know it's childish to pretend, but I also know this will be a lot harder if we don't."

"Exactly." Ron agrees fast and she understands that he wants to provoke Tessa. She refrains herself from saying that he's setting himself up to disappointment. Hermione is almost sure that after this trip they must be more connected than ever.

And just then, they hear a car outside. The Muggle way. Of course Harry does everything he can to make Tessa more comfortable. As he should.

While Draco and Ginny head to the door, Hermione pulls Ron to the kitchen. "Let's drink." She says firmly. He nods, accepting the glass of wine she's offering and then they hear the loud voices in the living room. Ron and Hermione share a look, both in silence. Harry is talking loudly, and she knows that he's happy. He always is when he talks like this. Hermione exhales heavily and drinks more. Then, Tessa's voice invades the place and it's the most alive Hermione ever heard her since she woke up from the coma. Ron makes a face, probably thinking the same.

But he takes her hand and they intertwine their fingers, walking to the living room. There's a beat of hesitation when they appear. Harry's eyes immediately go to hers. Hermione feels out of breath.

Then Rachel breaks the moment when she comes running to hug her. "Mama Mi!"

Hermione opens a huge smile and releases Ron's hand to hug Rachel. "Rach, sweetie, you're so big!" She spreads kisses across the girl's face and they laugh together. She missed Rachel a lot, more than anything else in this life.

And surprisingly, the initial awkwardness is gone in a blink. Draco and Ginny are talking excitedly and Ron is hugging Rachel and Tessa is smiling with her arms around Harry. Hermione takes another sip on her wine and decides that this needs to work. They need to be able to be in the same room, regardless the situation.

Not to mention that Draco and Ginny made an effort for this dinner, it would be ridiculous of them to ruin everything. So, when she steps closer to Tessa, she smiles and gives her cousin a half hug in greeting. Tessa acts naturally and Hermione moves to greet Harry with a kiss on the cheek.

It's so fast. But so frustrating. He smiles and squeezes her waist gently, his lips on her skin, his smell taking over hers.

When she moves back Ron is already there to shake hands with Harry, his other hand on her waist, a smile on his face.

Hermione never imagined they would be able to, but the night is very pleasant. There are no sour faces around the table or provocations in any way. For the first time since Tessa woke up, Hermione is able to enjoy her cousin a bit. It's almost like nothing happened. Almost.

And it crosses her mind that… if nothing had happened, they would be exactly like this. Harry and Tessa. Draco and Ginny. She and Ron - except that she's not really with him. The only difference might be another child at the table. She's sure Tessa wants to have more kids with Harry. And maybe she would have her own with Ron.

Hermione looks at him. Ron is telling a story and she can't help admiring his profile. One of his arms is resting on the back of her chair. One of her hands is resting on his thigh. It's not hard for them to act like a couple, they were one for many years, after all. But their friendship is the true gift. Now, Hermione is sure they were never meant to be a couple. They work much better as adult best friends. Ron comforts her and she puts him in line. They banter and they love to spend time together. And since she gave him her diary… he already read everything. They cried a lot when he finished. Then, they got wasted. Ron's input in everything was these exact same words: I have no idea why you and Harry resist happiness so much, but fuck, what a beautiful story.

Then he talked about Tessa's ungratefulness and stated that if he sees Noah on the street he's punching the guy.

Hermione wets her lips, chuckling with the others when Ron ends the story. She knows the atmosphere is this nice because of Rachel. They're all making an effort for the little girl.

Then, her eyes go to Harry. He's sitting in front of her, his hand on Tessa's thigh.

But his eyes on her.

They hold their gaze.

And something that Hermione was not expecting happens. She feels his leg on hers under the table. Tessa is talking about a trip she took before the accident and no one is really paying them any attention. The distance between them is short, the table not that wide. Hermione sets her jaw, and still looking into his eyes, she moves her leg on his. Harry inhales deeply, but he doesn't move away.

She wants this. But, oh, fuck. She knows it's wrong. So wrong.

Hermione averts her eyes from his to look at Tessa. Harry looks down to his plate. But their legs are rubbing against each other slowly. She's wearing a dress - her legs bare - and he's wearing trousers, so, when it rides up, she feels the hotness from his skin on hers and Hermione has to drink some wine to stop a reaction. Harry, on the other hand is masking it perfectly. He smiles and even adds something to Tessa's story.

But their legs are still rubbing. And she's getting hotter and hotter. Inevitably, flashes of their many hot encounters go through her mind and she gulps. Their sex… no other man compares to Harry for her. None of her other experiences were as fulfilling as the ones she had with him. Her eyes go back to his and Harry moves a bit forward wanting to increase their contact. Hermione also moves discreetly on her chair. Now both their legs are touching and-

"SO!" Ginny practically yells and they jump in place. Ron squints at her, but Hermione ignores him. Tessa is staring at Harry, a question on her face. But Ginny saves him from a lie. "We have an announcement!" All eyes set on Ginny. Draco is smiling widely, they're holding their hands. Hermione immediately knows. Tessa too. "I'm pregnant!"

It's a collective joy. They all rise from their seats to congratulate Ginny and Draco. Laughter fills the room and Rachel claps her hands, also excited. When they sit back down, Hermione tucks her legs under the chair and moves a bit closer to Ron. He smiles at her, kissing her cheek, he's beaming with happiness because of the news, but he tilts his head to her. Then, he leans to speak in her ear.

"What's wrong?" He asks.

Hermione smiles and kisses his cheek in answer, her eyes telling him what she wants: later.

He nods, squeezing her shoulder. The night ends on a high note. There's only good feelings in the dinning room. And Hermione doesn't dare to glance at Harry again.

However, when they're about to leave, Rachel hugs her legs tightly and Hermione crouches to speak with the little girl. They're alone in the hallway that leads to a bathroom.

"Sweetie, what is it?"

Rachel has teary eyes. "I miss you." She mumbles, sniffing and hugging Hermione again.

Her heart squeezes inside her chest. Since she had that fight with Tessa, she didn't insist on seeing Rachel, and then, they had this trip…

Tessa comes to them, her arms crossed. Alone in the hallway she doesn't pretend that she's happy to see Hermione.

"Rach, let's go, sweetheart." She extends her arms to the girl but Rachel tightens hers around Hermione's neck. Shit. Tessa's face says it all. "Let her go." Her tone is harsh. It angers Hermione.

"Maybe if you hadn't forbidden me from seeing her, she wouldn't be like this." Hermione blames the wine for being this straightforward. Tessa scoffs and ignores her. And she takes Rachel from her arms. The girl whines a bit but goes.

"She's just sleepy." Tessa murmurs and turns to leave. "Bye."

Harry enters the hallway at this exact moment and Hermione freezes. He kisses Rachel's head and says, "I just need to use the bathroom."

"Okay," Tessa answers, "We'll be waiting in the car."

They share a peck. Hermione looks down. Tessa leaves and she's ready to follow but Harry holds her arm. Their eyes meet.

"Hermione." He whispers. "I-" His hand goes to her face and… it infuriates her.

"Don't touch me." She says through her teeth and he recoils immediately, clearly hurt. "Goodbye, Harry."

He's waiting by the car. And when Tessa comes from inside with Rachel, Ron perks up. He heard Harry saying he had to use the bathroom and he may have five minutes to speak to Tessa. But when she sees him, she lowers her head and ignores his presence while she puts Rachel in the car.

"What do you want?" She mumbles to him. Rachel is practically sleeping already.

"Don't you think we should talk? About what happened? About-"

"Ron, come on." She crosses her arms. "I made things pretty clear-"

"So, is everything like you wanted? Perfect? Have you solved all your problems with Harry?"

She clicks her tongue. "That's none of your business."

"Funny, when you were crying on my shoulder it sounded like my business." He hisses. He's angry with her. Angry that she clearly wanted to kiss him too but then dismissed it as an inconvenience.

Tessa sighs. "What's your problem? Are you in love with me or something?"

He widens his eyes and tries not to react but Tessa sees it. She sees his reaction and she blinks many times, shocked.

"Of course not!" He says fast, faking outrage.

But now she's squinting at him, her chest moving up and down fast. Something different swims in her eyes. Ron opens his mouth, but they hear the door opening. Harry's coming. He immediately apparates away.

They enter Hermione's place together. Without a word they crumble down on the couch.

"I'm so happy for my sister." Ron breaks the silence and Hermione smiles.

"Me too. She's going to be an amazing mother. And as unbelievable as it sounds I think Draco is going to be an amazing dad."

Ron snorts. "I totally agree with you." A silence takes over the room. It doesn't last long since Ron breaks it, "What was that, by the way? With you and Harry? When she told us she was pregnant?" He turns his head to look at her.

Hermione sighs, "Harry… I- We- We were rubbing our legs under the table."

Ron lets out a whistle then he chuckles. "Well, it seems like things aren't that perfect as Tessa hinted after all."

Hermione frowns. "You talked to her? When?"

He clears his throat. "When she was waiting for Harry by the car."

"Don't tell me you kissed her again."

"No. But I-"

"What?"

He groans. "I think she might suspect I'm in love with her."

Hermione closes her eyes, grunting. "Ron, you said you were not in love with her and then you hint this to her while we're pretending to be together, fucking shit." She snorts. "I mean, to her I'm the biggest idiot on the planet."

"I'm sorry." He takes her hand and kisses it. "Maybe we should stop with the pretending. For real."

"Yeah, I mean, what's the point?"

Ron's thumb goes over her hand in a caress. "Are you going to keep ignoring Gustave? I think you should give him a chance."

"You sound like my therapist." They chuckle. "But, yeah, I mean, I should give him a chance, right? He's hot."

Ron snorts. "He loves you and he's not trying to make it work with his teenage love and their daughter, I think that's about enough for you to try."

She laughs out loud. "Indeed. I'll talk to him."

He sits a bit more straight on the couch and turns to her. He's serious. "You've been avoiding it but I need to know." She frowns. "I- I heard what you said to Tessa, about her forbidding you from seeing Rachel and all that."

Hermione sighs. "Yeah, I- she came here that day to talk about this. That she didn't want me to see Rachel anymore. That she was her mother and she could do that and all."

"That's… mean." He makes a face at the word. "After everything you've done. Fucking shit, she's a bitch."

"Let it go, Ron. I- What can I do? Rachel is with her parents. She's safe and she's being taken care of. I just want her to be happy."

He's shaking his head. "What about Harry? Doesn't he has a say in all of this? I thought he would at least take your side on this!"

"Yeah, me too." And it breaks her heart. "But I don't know, maybe it's for the best. I won't push it. Maybe I owe it to Tessa."

"You owe nothing to Tessa. If anything she owes you the world."

Hermione snorts. "You're sweet." She tilts her head. "Thank you for everything." And she kisses his cheek, standing from the couch. "See you tomorrow?"

He nods. Hermione leaves him there, her heart split: happy for Gin and Draco and sad for the whole situation with Tessa and Harry.

Just another normal day, then.