All of Harry Potter and anything related to it are the sole property of J.K. Rowling.

(Each title is derived from a song that, I believe, complements the overall narrative, if not the individual chapter.)

* This Chapter contains snippets of the original chapter from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

The Burrow, 31 July 1997

Hermione's Point of View

I felt nauseous with guilt as I Apparated to the outskirts of the Burrow's protective wards and wasted no time stepping through, thankful that I had been keyed into them a few years ago. I had no doubt that Mr. Weasley knew I had arrived, but I needed a few minutes to compose myself before I faced everyone.

Leaving Draco and Aiden had been far more heart-wrenching than I had ever thought possible. Even leaving my parents had never been this hard or painful, and that made me feel guilty. I was also worried about Jomny, who I could still feel was in pain, though it had lessened considerably.

I gently set down Hedwig's cage on the gravel lane, the soft hoots from the snowy owl a stark contrast to the turmoil within me. I allowed myself a few minutes of good, hard crying. I could still hear Draco calling out to me, saying he loved me. I clutched my chest, where a searing pain tore through my heart.

I wanted nothing more than to go back to him, to hold him, and to continue making love to him until we both believed everything would be right and sane and safe in our world. But it wasn't, and so I couldn't return to him now. Protecting him from Voldemort was paramount. Ensuring a safe world for Aiden to grow up in mattered more than breaking both our hearts.

Footsteps approached, and I hastily wiped my face, hoping it wasn't too red and puffy. I turned to see Mr. Weasley's kind face observing me with compassion, his askew spectacles perched on his balding head. His short red hair and green eyes contrasted with the faded blue of his knitted jumper. Clad in brown trousers and a matching but ragged wizarding robe hanging open and loose over his clothes. In his hand, he held, oddly, a Muggle toolbox. I couldn't help but wonder if he had been tinkering in his shed; his fascination with Muggle artefacts a well-known fact. But why he carried it with him, I had no idea.

Mr. Weasley gently asked, "Are you alright, Hermione?"

"Yes," I answered, and hated the sound of my voice. Mr. Weasley gave me a sympathetic smile.

"Come on, let's go up to the house. Molly will have lunch ready, and I know everyone is looking forward to seeing you," he told me, but I didn't miss the nervous glance he cast around the area outside the wards. It was a subtle reminder of the danger that lurked just beyond the safety of the Burrow.

"Alright," I agreed, then bent down to open Hedwig's cage, the metal bars cold against my fingers despite the warmth of the day. The snowy-white owl promptly bit me, her sharp beak piercing my skin and making me yelp in response.

"I'm sorry," I apologised to the usually sweet bird. "But you are important to Harry, and we all wanted you safe." She didn't seem to care for my explanation; with a defiant hoot, she spread her wings and flew away towards the Burrow. Mr. Weasley watched the owl's antics with a smile as he came over to carry the now-empty cage for me in his free hand, the Muggle toolbox swinging slightly in his other hand.

"I dare say she won't be too thrilled when she realises Harry asked Charlie to keep an eye on her when you lot head back to Hogwarts," he said with a chuckle.

"Yes," I agreed with a touch of guilt.

He started to walk towards the house, his steps slow and measured. I was happy to keep pace with him. "I was sorry to hear about your parents' house. Is everyone alright?" He asked, his voice filled with genuine concern.

"What happened to my parents' house?" I asked, surprised, and he looked at me in confusion.

"Death Eaters attacked it, I'm afraid. They set it on fire, burning it to the ground, leaving a Dark Mark in the sky. It was in the Daily Prophet," he grimly told me, and I gasped. I remembered Jomny mentioning Death Eaters at the house, but I just assumed they would leave when they found nothing there. "I take it you have them safe somewhere?" he asked.

"I left them with someone I trust," I told him. His eyes dropped to my left hand, and it was then that I realised I had forgotten to take my wedding ring off. I wondered if it was a kind of Freudian slip. He didn't ask, though, so I didn't say anything about it. We walked silently then up to the house, and multiple red heads appeared and one black. I broke into a run and threw my arms around my two best friends at once. Harry made an oomph sound while Ron chuckled.

"Told you she missed us," the lanky red head told Harry as they both hugged me back tightly, and I felt a surge of relief and happiness. Ron was right; I had missed them a lot. I also swore Ron had grown another two inches in just the last two months since I had seen him. He towered over me and Harry. He was still not as tall as Draco, but close.

"Of course, I did," I told them. I let go of them and didn't miss the strange look in Harry's green eyes, but he blinked it away before I could question it.

"We're glad you're here," he said in a tone that didn't seem quite sure. He looked tired and tense, as if he had been through a lot, which, of course, he had. "Thank you for keeping Hedwig safe for me," he said, running his hand through his hair as he often did. Ginny came up and hugged him from the side. He wrapped an arm around her, and she beamed at me. She looked beyond happy, her long red hair shining in the sun.

"We've been worried sick about you!" Ron added, his freckled face also beaming. I fought to keep my smile in place and just hoped this was his old friendly greeting and not more flirting.

"I'm sorry I couldn't be here sooner," I apologised to everyone, even as I stepped further away from Ron. It was true that I regretted not being able to help with Harry's escape from the Dursleys, but not the reason why. I also wished I was still with my own family now. Never in my life had I truly appreciated what it meant to feel like you were being pulled in two different directions.

"About time you got here. I've been going mad with all this wedding nonsense. How about we ditch this lot and have a girls' night, just you and me?" Ginny asked me, her brown eyes sparkling with mischief. I opened my mouth to answer, but Molly hugged me tightly even as she scolded Ginny.

"Absolutely not. There's a lot of work to be done for tomorrow, and you agreed to help me charm the wedding favours," she said sternly to Ginny. Letting go of me, she turned to her husband. "Arthur, dear, please put that ridiculous thing down and wash your hands for lunch." He looked at the toolbox as if he had just noticed it in his hand.

"Of course, Molly-wobbles," he said, kissing her check, putting down Hedwig's cage, and turning back for his shed.

"I'll help," I told Ginny. She nodded but didn't look pleased. Molly took my face and studied me for a minute.

"How are you, dear? I understand you have been unwell?" She asked with motherly concern.

"I'm fine. Healthy in fact," I responded truthfully. Mrs. Weasley ran her hands down the sleeves of my blouse, covering my arms, and squeezed my hands. She looked down and saw the emerald wedding ring but didn't call attention to it.

"We'll talk later," she told me, and I just nodded. "Come on, everyone. Lunch is ready," she announced, wrapping an arm around me and leading me into the house.

"Why don't you sit with Fleur and get to know her a bit better over lunch? Ginny, you sit next to Hermione," she instructed when Ron tried to sit next to me. He rolled his eyes at me and moved to the other side of Harry, who was sitting next to Ginny. I discreetly took off my wedding ring, feeling guilty doing so, and slipped it into a small pocket in my mum's purple beaded bag.

It wasn't that I wanted to hide that I was married, but the ring was so blatant in its Slytherinness, and Draco had mentioned something about the Malfoy style when he had given it to me. I had no idea if anyone would recognise the ring as belonging to that family, but I didn't want to take the chance of that secret being let out just yet.

Late that afternoon, the Weasleys had organised a party for Harry's seventeenth birthday in the form of a dinner in the garden. There were colourful lanterns hanging from the trees, delicious smells wafting from the kitchen, and cheerful music playing in the background. The Weasleys and Delacours had all given Harry presents this morning, and he was proudly wearing the watch Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had given him. Ron wouldn't tell me what he had given him, so I thought it was probably some manly secret they were embarrassed over and dropped it.

Draco had helped me pick out the gift after laughing when I said I planned on getting Harry a new Sneakoscope. He commented that he thought Potter was paranoid enough, and he also reminded me that it would be a bad idea if I planned on keeping things secret around him as the objects were notoriously sensitive and prone to going off at the most innocuous things.

When he went to Diagon Alley (and hadn't that been stressful knowing he was in the magical world on his own), he got a pewter flask and paid for a year's supply of butterbeer. He had suggested getting firewhisky, but I had vetoed that. I didn't think Harry really needed the alcohol on the trip we were taking, and butterbeer has just enough to add a bit of warmth to a body if it was truly needed.

His flask would be ever-full of the delicious drink until his next birthday, and then he could choose what he wanted to put in it. Harry had frowned at first when looking at the gift when he unwrapped it, but had changed it to a please smile when he looked up at everyone watching. I explained how long the butterbeer would last, and he then poured glasses for everyone, who were all happy to accept the drink.

At seven o'clock, all the guests had arrived, led by Fred and George, who had waited for them at the end of the lane. I watched Hagrid exuberantly give Harry his gift and pull him into a hug that looked like it hurt, but Harry smiled up at the half-giant.

Recently wed, Remus and Tonks also arrived. And while Remus looked sick, the constant dark circles under his gold-amber eyes more pronounced than ever, Tonks looked radiant. Her pale heart-shaped face was glowing, her dark twinkling eyes were full of life, and her pink hair was brushing her shoulders as she greeted people happily.

She later whispered to me that she was pregnant, and I hugged her tightly in happiness. I wanted to tell her she had so much to look forward to, but I managed to bite my lip on what I really wanted to say, but she looked pleased by my enthusiasm.

"Oh, Tonks, that's amazing! Congratulations! I'm so happy for you!" I exclaimed and hugged her a second time, making her laugh.

"You know, you're the first person who has reacted so positively to my news. Everyone else seems to be worried or doubtful," she confided in me, sounding grateful but also a bit sad.

"Why would they be? You and Remus are wonderful people, and you deserve to be happy. You'll make great parents, I'm sure of it," I assured her.

"Well, you know how things are. The war, the prejudice, the uncertainty. Some people think it's not a good time to have a child. Some people think it's not a good idea to have a child with a werewolf. My dad has been the most supportive so far, but as a healer, he is still worried. He didn't say it, of course, but I could see it on his face. It's incredibly rare; only five documented cases, but a foetus with Lycanthropy is not a nice thing, and if the mother gets to deliver, well, the two who did didn't survive, and both babies had to be destroyed," she said, and any happiness she had been feeling faded away as she met the worried eyes of her husband across the yard.

"Hey, no, don't think like that," I said, getting her attention by taking her hand and squeezing it. "Your baby is going to be perfect. I just know it," I told her positively, and she gave me a little smile again.

"I hope you are right," she said, and rubbed her still-flat stomach as if to comfort the baby and herself. Maybe I was being overly optimistic, but it just seemed like such a miracle that Remus and Tonks had found each other and fallen in love at this time.

"You're looking well, Granger," Moody said to me a little while later as we watched Molly Weasley bring out the snitch cake she had made Harry. He had given Harry a Sneakoscope that, thankfully, hadn't done anything so far.

"I am, thank you," I told him. He grunted and nodded his head, but otherwise made no further comment on my recent health matters. I really liked that about Moody. I think he was the least intrusive person I had ever met, but I had to assume that that trait would turn right around if you were on the wrong side of the law.

"Yer've caused me a fair bit of trouble, lass, and wasted weeks of my time. Just picture my shock when Potter up and vanished from his aunt's place, mere days before we were set to whisk him away," he grumbled, his voice rough as gravel. He slammed his staff into the ground with a thud, leaning on it for support.

"I didn't mean to spoil anything for you, sir. I just know my friend well enough to know he can't stand being left out of the decisions that affect him," I explained, and he glared at me.

"Those plans were grander than just the lad. The fact that you, of all people, couldn't see that grinds my gears," Moody growled gruffly. "Not only did he risk his own neck, but he also risked the lives of all those I had to dispatch to find him. I get it, Potter's important, but there's a bigger picture here; more lives are at stake than just his," he finished, his tone stern and serious.

"I understand, sir. Truly, I do, but…"

"Save your excuses, girl. What's done is done. Just make sure to use that noggin of yours next time. Picture, if you will, if he'd vanished. I get that you trusted the plan you'd mapped out, but it was thoughtless and foolhardy to let him bolt with no means of reaching out if things went pear-shaped."

I felt awful then, knowing he was completely right, and looked over at my friend to see him grinning and joking with Ginny and Ron as they ate cake. This moment might not be happening right now if something had gone wrong, and it would have been my fault.

I might not have explicitly instructed Harry to follow my suggestion, but I was reasonably certain my friend would do precisely that. To my relief, I also learned today that his relatives had been safely evacuated soon after his disappearance was realised. Their safety had somehow never even crossed my mind when I wrote that letter to Harry.

I bit my lip in guilt and worry and wondered when I had started making so many mistakes. Moody observed my face for a moment, seemed satisfied by what he saw, and then grunted and walked away towards the cake. I couldn't blame him for being disappointed in me. I was disappointed in myself.

After the cake, Ron approached me with a nervous smile on his freckled face. "Hey, Hermione, can I talk to you for a minute?" I nodded and followed him further away from the crowd. The noise of the celebrating Weasleys and some of the others was very loud. Harry looked incredibly happy with his arms wrapped around an equally beaming Ginny.

"Everything alright?" I asked hesitantly, hoping I wasn't going to have to hurt him. He was my best friend, and I cared about him a lot. I wanted him to be happy, just not with me. He gestured for me to sit on the wooden bench that sat under the tree we had reached.

"So, erm," he said and rubbed the back of his neck nervously, his ears going pink. "I've been hanging out with Luna the last month and a bit. Well, mostly since summer break started. I came across her again one day while out flying. She said she was trying to locate the nest of some creature, but I forget what it was," he told me, but my smile was growing on my face. I hugged him suddenly, startling him, but he brought his arms up and tapped me a few times.

"Luna is brilliant," I told him happily at the confused look on his face. He beamed then.

"I really think I fancy her, Mione. I mean, I haven't even snogged her yet, but I want to, and she's fun and funny, and she makes me laugh. Even when she goes on about things that I don't have a clue about, like about Nargles or Wrackspurts, I don't mind. She's just...different, you know?" he said, looking at me with pleased blue eyes.

"I do know, Ron. And I think that's wonderful. I'm really happy for you," I said.

"Do you reckon she'd even want to snog me? I mean, a few times I thought so, but she's nothing like Lavender, and I just don't know," he said, sounding unsure.

"I honestly have no idea what Luna would allow you to do, but I believe that if you are honest with her and show her how you feel, she would appreciate that. She's a very unique and special person, and so are you. You just have to be yourself, trust me," I told him, the smile yet to leave my face.

"Thanks, Mi. You're the best," he said, and then looked embarrassed again. "I know I ah... well, I thought maybe you and I..." he started. I took his hand and squeezed it, feeling much more comfortable with him and so pleased to feel as if I had my friend back.

"I believe we were always supposed to be just best friends, though our emotions did become confused for a time. But my sincerest wish is for your happiness," I told him. I meant every word, and I hoped he could see that.

"I want you to be happy as well," he said, but his brow furrowed slightly as he stared at his shoes. I couldn't tell what was going on in his head, but I decided to lighten the mood a bit.

"I take it your mum doesn't know about you and Luna?" I asked with a playful smirk that made him look up at me with a guilty grin of his own.

"Er, no," he said, rubbing his neck again and glancing over at his overprotective mother, who was now hugging Harry warmly while chatting with him excitedly. "She gets a bit weird around the girls we fancy."

"I've noticed," I said with a laugh. "But she must still think you have a thing for me if the very unsubtle seating arrangement from earlier was anything to go by."

"I don't get how everyone knew I liked you when I wasn't really sure that was what it was," he said with genuine bewilderment.

"Maybe it was me she was reacting to?" I suggested.

"Doubt it," he said, but smiled at my attempt to take the blame.

"I genuinely wish to be your best friend, Ron. Well, one of them," I admitted.

"Me too," he agreed, and then laughed and pulled me into another hug. He laughed again when we both saw his mother frowning at us.

"She'll think I'm a scarlet woman soon, leading her baby boy on," I said to him.

"That sounds fun," he said, and I smacked his arm, making him laugh even more as he tried to dodge the blows.

"Git!" I exclaimed, but I was amused too. We were quiet for a moment of comfortable silence as we watched the joy and happiness of the party.

"Luna mentioned you've been seeing someone," he told me, looking curiously back at me. He raised his red eyebrows, and I could tell he was dying to know who it was.

"I got married," I said truthfully, and his eyes widened.

"No, you didn't," he said then, with a laugh. I laughed too, because I was just so relieved.

"Yes, I did," I said, still amused by the look on his face as he thought I was teasing him.

"But why? How? Do your parents know? Why weren't we invited?" He ended, and the last sounded hurt as well as bewildered.

"I married him because I love him, and yes, my parents know. He is with them now, and the ceremony was very small. Two other wizards, a House Elf, and my parents were the only witnesses," I told him. I was counting Aiden as a witness.

"Why didn't you bring him with you? Who is he?" He asked me. He looked strangely thoughtful as he watched me answer.

"The reason for both is the same. It isn't safe. He is in danger, and I have to make sure we all survive this war. He is taking care of my parents for me while I help you and Harry," I told him.

"You hate secrets, Mi. You're always on about Harry and me spilling our guts. And here you are, tighter than a Grindylow's grip, not sharing a peep! What's the deal, eh? Why the cloak-and-dagger routine?" He said, his voice tinged with both exasperation and affection. His colourful words hung in the air, a familiar echo from our past. I couldn't help but sigh at the truth of it. The weight of our shared history pressed down on me, and I wondered if some things ever truly changed.

"Ron," I began, my voice steady yet filled with an unspoken heaviness. "You're right. I've always valued honesty among us. But sometimes, there are things... things that are too complicated, too…" I paused to consider the word I wanted to use. "Overwhelming, to share. It's not that I don't trust you or Harry, but I have to keep my family safe." I paused, meeting his gaze with a look that I hoped conveyed my sincerity and the depth of my internal conflict. "Please understand, it's not about keeping secrets. It's about protecting the people I care about most, and that includes you and Harry, Ron."

"Does Harry know you got hitched at least?" He asked me.

"Not yet."

"Do you want me to keep it to myself for now, or am I allowed to tell him?" He asked me. He looked torn between loyalty and curiosity, and I appreciated his honesty.

"It isn't my intention to keep my marriage a secret, just certain details pertaining to it," I told him. He still had that thoughtful look on his face, but he pulled me into another hug and kissed my hair.

"It happened awful suddenly, don't you think?" He asked into my hair.

"Usually, I'd agree with you, but marrying him felt more right to me than anything I've ever done in my life," I explained. He let go of me and looked at my face, his expression slightly worried, which I thought was very sweet if unnecessary.

"I'm happy for you, Mione; I just wish Harry and I could have checked this guy out first. You know, made sure he was right for you. Threatened sensitive parts of him if he did the wrong thing," he told me, and I laughed happily as warmth spread through me, hugging him once again. It felt like we were relearning how to be each other's friend, and once I had hugged both he and Harry often and easily. The last two years had really messed that up.

"I appreciate the sentiment, but I assure you, my dad has been giving him a hard enough time. Not that he cares," I said, thinking of the interactions I had witnessed between my dad and Draco. A fond smile crossed my face as I took hold of the locket. I still hadn't had a chance to see the pictures Draco had added.

"You look happy," he told me, dragging me from my thoughts.

"I am."

We had barely finished our conversation when a silvery lion, Patronus, intruded. Arthur alerted everyone to somebody being at the wards. Tonks and Remus couldn't risk staying when an unknown person was trying to enter, so they quickly gathered their things and Disapparated, even as Moody and Arthur walked down the lane to see who the visitor was.

It was the Minister for Magic, Rufus Scrimgeour. He had come to read the contents of Albus Dumbledore's Will. The visit was not a pleasant one, but we were left with some interesting items, and another was not even brought and was supposedly missing. Apparently, Professor Dumbledore had wanted Harry to have the Sword of Gryffindor, and it didn't take a genius to figure out why.

As I exchanged glances with Harry and Ron, I wondered if they understood the significance of the sword as well as I did. Harry had never mentioned anything about it, and I had only learned about its significance to our task from my extensive research. This included exchanging letters with the Goblin of Gringotts for further corroboration of the books I had read.

I had discovered that Godric Gryffindor's sword was forged by Goblins and that Goblin steel had the unique property of absorbing only that which makes it stronger. I was certain that Professor Dumbledore had left the sword to Harry because he knew it had been imbued with the Basilisk venom that could destroy Horcruxes. But now we faced a new problem. Where was the sword, and how could we retrieve it to aid us in our task?

That night, as I lay on the cot in Ginny's room, my back to Harry and her, where they were making out on her bed, I silently cried as I looked at the pictures in my locket. The first two were still the ones of my parents, who were smiling and waving at me, while the other was of them and me as a baby.

The modifications meant the locket now folded out into five segments. The first picture he added was of Draco and me. I was lying on a pillow with my hair all wild around me and a sheet up around my naked body. My eyes are closed, and I'm smiling softly. Draco is leaning up on an elbow, his naked chest on display, and then he bends down to kiss my forehead. I open my eyes after that and look at him with so much love and happiness that it is plain to see, and Draco smiles back the same way before leaning down to kiss me thoroughly. It is a very intimate photo, and I remembered that morning and what had happened next.

The second was of Draco, Aiden and me. It looks very much like the one of my parents when I was a baby. We look happy and besotted with each other and our precious baby, who I am cradling in my arms while Draco holds a little hand tenderly.

The last was of Aiden, and Draco had had the jeweller engrave the words 'Little Fire Dragon', in the frame around the picture. In the picture, Aiden is asleep in his bassinet, looking peaceful as an angel. His face was just starting to gain a round chubbiness, and I could just make out the few strands of his white-blonde hair. He was wearing a green onesie with a golden snitch on it that Draco had bought for him. Then one of his little arms jerks, and he opens his eyes. He has a frown on his tiny, adorable face, as though he isn't pleased to be awake, but then he seems to notice something, and his little eyes are trying to follow it, making the frown smooth out.

I couldn't help but marvel at the beauty of my baby boy, and that is when I started to cry, missing him and Draco so much. I should have been being held by my husband as I fed my baby instead of being here. I hated Voldemort more than ever for making me need to leave their sides for even a moment. I don't know when I stopped crying or when Harry left the room because I fell asleep before either happened.

Authors Note:- Rkook1210, thank you for leaving a comment and thanks to everyone else who is supporting me simply by reading this story. You have no idea how much that means to me.