Mila stood in the hallway outside of late-mistress Dora's bedroom and rocked back and forth on her feet. She hummed to herself for another moment before knocking lightly on the door. She had done her best to not wake her mistress and the guest, but there was no avoiding it now. Young master Teddy had been changed and fed and was playing happily downstairs, but now there was a guest at the floo. Master Potter was downstairs, inquiring about their weekly brunch, and Mila had no answer to give him. Her ears perked up as she tried to listen for any noise coming from within the bedroom. Silence.

She sighed and tapped her foot impatiently before knocking again, this time with a little more volume. Finally, she received an answer, albeit barely more than a groan of displeasure. "Mistress Andromeda, Master Potter is downstairs requesting your presence for your weekly brunch." She toyed with the skin on her lip for a moment before continuing. "He has been waiting for nearly an hour, Mistress."

Andromeda's eyes took a moment to adjust as she peered around the room. For a moment, she had nearly forgotten where she was, but she quickly remembered. She glanced down at Hermione, trying to determine what she should do. "Mila, I suppose, tell him I am ill and cannot see him today." She hated to cancel on such short notice, but she could not betray Hermione's trust by allowing him to know that she was there. They could miss their Sunday brunch this one time. It would not hurt anyone. After all, her head was pounding after drinking with the younger witch

"Wait! Mila, wait." Hermione placed a hand over her face as she looked to Andromeda before adding, "Please, wait."

Andromeda's eyebrows knit together, causing her to look much older than her forty-five years. "Hermione, what are you doing?"

Hermione merely shook her head, disregarding Andromeda's concern. "Don't blow him off for me. I appreciate it, but he doesn't deserve that."

Andromeda met the young woman's gaze before nodding resolutely and calling out, "Mila, I am sorry for the confusion. I will be down in a few minutes."

Hermione had already extricated herself from the bed and was pulling her hair into a low ponytail. She had yet to decide what she was going to do. She could try to leave without Harry noticing, but she would definitely need Andromeda to cooperate with her. She doubted that would be an issue, but she was not sure. Andromeda might try to convince her to go downstairs, and Hermione doubted that she could face Harry. She knew that they had all looked for her without any success. It might even cause a scene, which was definitely not Hermione's intentions. She forced herself to turn around so that she could stop facing Andromeda. She could not look at her while making this decision.

There in the corner of the room sat a family portrait, and Hermione internally screamed. Why did this keep happening? Why had this happened at all? In the picture, Remus leaned over to kiss his laughing wife on the cheek before they both focused on the squirming bundle in Tonks' arms. His hair continued to change colors in the picture: chartreuse, indigo, crimson, and back to a pale shade of green.

Andromeda allowed Hermione to have the space she so desperately needed as she slipped out of the room and returned to her own bedroom. On the way, she called for Mila and was pleased to hear the soft 'pop' that signaled her arrival. "Mila, thank you for taking care of Teddy this morning and allowing me to sleep in."

Mila ran her bare toe along the edge of the carpet. "Mistress, I didn't want to interrupt you and your... uh...guest." Mila had never seen Andromeda sleep with anyone other than the late Master Tonks, and she was not sure how to classify this person.

Andromeda's eyes grew wide as the realization of Mila's insinuations hit her. "Mila! No! Oh my." She placed a hand over her heart and sat on the edge of the bed. "Hermione is not. We're not. She's younger than my daughter! She could have easily been my daughter." She shook her head as images that she did not even want to consider swam through her head.

Mila's cheeks flushed as she recognized her mistake. "My apologies, Mistress. I did not realize. Shall I go make sure that brunch is ready for everyone?"

Andromeda nodded her approval but then turned back to the small house elf. "Mila, where is my grandson?"

The house elf clapped her hands together merrily before responding. "He is playing with Master Harry. I do love when Master Harry comes over to play with young master Teddy."

Andromeda's sigh filled the room as Mila left. Teddy was safe and happy for another day. She was winning at being a grandmother for another day. "I can do this," she told herself. Her goals were simple these days. Keep Teddy breathing and happy. Make sure that he has the childhood that he deserves. She pulled on a pair of loose grey robes and exited her bedroom. On the way to the stairs, she stopped by Dora's bedroom and was surprised to find it empty. She supposed it was silly to be surprised, but she had hoped. Ignoring her disappointment, she descended into the kitchen but stopped short at what she saw.

In front of her stood Harry with his arms firmly wrapped around Hermione's waist. The woman's toes barely touched the ground from the height at which he held her. Andromeda could not believe her eyes.

Similarly, Hermione could not believe the reaction she had received from Harry. After Andromeda left the room, Hermione made a split-second decision and decided she should at least let Harry know that she was okay. As soon as he saw her, she found herself held firmly in his grasp. There was no animosity, no questions or demanding to know where she had been hiding. There was just love. It did not take more than a moment for her to begin clinging to the man who was the closest thing she had to a brother.

Eventually, Harry allowed Hermione's feet to touch the ground again and took a step back to look at her, and Hermione blushed under his inquisitorial stare. She didn't flinch when he cupped her cheek because she knew that he needed this moment.

"We looked all over for you, Hermione. We were so afraid that someone had gotten to you before us. We thought..." He choked on his words, but Hermione placed a hand on his arm.

"I know, Harry, but I'm here. I'm okay. I just needed some time to figure everything out."

The look in Hermione's eyes told Harry all that he needed to know. "I would have heard about it if you had been holed up in Hogwarts library, but I know it had something to do with books and research. Where were you, Hermione?"

She smiled and shook her head, honestly feeling a little bit in over her head. "I was at a bookstore, just helping out, but I'm here now, so why don't we eat. I can fill you in later or even over food if you and Andromeda are okay with that."

Andromeda took that as her cue to step in. "Yes, let's eat. Food is ready, I'm sure, and I would hate for it to get cold." She grabbed her wand and set the table. Andromeda sat at the head of the table with Teddy directly to her left. Harry took his normal spot to Teddy's left, which left Hermione to sit on Andromeda's right side. The house elves had made french toast with a variety of toppings from which to choose. As they all prepared their plates, Harry brought them all up to speed on his training. He had passed all of his most recent tests, but he was concerned about the written test he would have to pass in a few months.

Hermione had laughed at that, responding with, "Just make sure you study for it. You know how to write when you actually put effort into it."

Harry's laughter was music to both women's ears. None of them could believe how well this reunion was going.

Harry's smile slowly faded as he took time to notice how skinny Hermione appeared. "I've really missed you, 'Mione. I know you and Ron didn't work out, but I'm a little upset that you felt that you couldn't be with us anymore. We were a team - the golden trio. Why couldn't you at least tell us where you were going?"

Hermione tried to ignore the pain that his words caused. She understood where he was coming from, but it was still difficult to listen to him talk like that. She reached across the table and took his hand in hers. "I just need you to believe that I couldn't, Harry. I still have a lot to figure out about myself and where I'm going from here. I have no plan for my life at this point, but I also have so much to do before I can even start planning for my future. I needed some time to figure out how to balance all of that out, and honestly, I'm not there yet. I don't have it all figured out."

She looked to Andromeda for help. "Harry, she did not seek me out either. I found her by accident, and she could not stay away from Teddy once she had the option."

Harry squeezed Hermione's smaller hand in his own before offering Hermione a smile. "I know. I don't understand. I would not have made it through the last few months without the support of everyone - the Weasleys, Minerva, the other aurors, Andy, everyone really. I don't know how you made it these past few months, but if you say you had to do it, then I'll believe you, 'Mione. You're my best friend. Of course, I believe you." He laughed to himself before continuing. "I don't have to like it, but I definitely believe you."

The women took in Harry's earnest expression before sighing nearly in unison. "Thank you, Harry." Hermione pulsed her grip on his hand before returning to eating.

Again, laughing, Harry looked towards the Tonks matriarch. "I guess this explains the sudden need to drop Teddy off with me yesterday then, huh?"

Andromeda smiled at Hermione once more before looking at Harry. "Yes! I felt that it was important for me to reach out to Hermione yesterday, and then she ended up coming over for dinner. I really appreciate you taking Teddy on such short notice. Did you all have a good time with Ginny?"

Harry grinned from ear-to-ear, barely containing his excitement. "Actually, I would love to talk about that, but maybe it would be best if you came to dinner at the Burrow tonight? Ginny received permission to come home early since their holiday term starts later this week anyway, and we wanted to see about having dinner with everyone."

He was rambling. Hermione knew something was up because he was rambling. She scrutinized every aspect of his expression, trying to determine what was going on. Nothing appeared to be wrong, but he definitely seemed tense.

Harry was not comforted by the sudden silence in the kitchen. He glanced between the two women before focusing on Andromeda. "Really, we had a great time. I would so love for you to join us for dinner tonight. You're family to all of us." He then turned back to his best friend. "You, too, 'Mione. Everyone has missed you so much. Please come to dinner. Everyone will be so happy to see you. I am so happy that you will be here for this."

Biting her lip, Hermione looked to Andromeda, silently pleading for help. How could she get out of this? Harry was fine, but she did not think that she could face everyone so soon. She had barely seen anyone in months. Now, she was supposed to see everyone she cared about in one night when she hadn't even begun to figure out how to live with herself and how her life had changed.

Andromeda sighed and forced a smile. "Hermione, I don't think that it would be a bad idea to go to the Burrow tonight. You can always leave if it gets to be too much, and everyone will be excited to see you. It is your decision, however. If you don't want to go, I will not blame you. You need to do what is best for you - whatever that is."

Hermione nodded, unsure what to do. "How about this, Harry? I will consider attending, but I honestly don't know if I will go. I haven't seen anyone in quite awhile."

Harry knew he couldn't argue with Hermione. Andromeda was right. She needed to do what was best for her, and he would hate himself if he pushed her too much, causing her to disappear again. "Okay, Andromeda? Will you be there tonight?"

Finally, Andromeda could offer Harry a legitimate smile. "Of course, I will be there with Teddy. We wouldn't miss it." They tried to attend some of the Weasley dinners anyway, but they had not been as successful at attending lately. It was the least she could do.

Harry clapped his hands together and stood. "If that's settled, then I should be going to the Burrow. Molly has asked me to come help degnome the garden before everyone comes over."

At this, both women laughed before sending him off with a chorus of well-wishes.

When it was just the two of them with Teddy, Hermione turned to Andromeda. "Do you honestly think that this is something that is super important? Can I miss this dinner without hurting Harry?"

Andromeda wanted to smile at the young woman, but she could not force the muscles in her face to respond. "Come here, Hermione." She opened up her arms for the woman to come into her embrace.

Hermione was hesitant, but she walked forward and laid her forehead on the older woman's shoulder. "I do believe that this is important to Harry, and I think that you know him better than I do when it comes to how he will honestly feel. If he is hurt, however, I do not believe that those feelings will last. He loves you and is too excited about seeing you to hold a grudge, so do what you need to do, but I think it would probably make his night to have you there."

Hermione sighed, but actually wanted to scream. She did not know what to do. She twisted her fingers in the excess cloth of Andromeda's robes. "In all honesty, I can't tell him no. I don't think I have it in me to hurt him like that. You'll be there, right?"

Andromeda squeezed the young witch closer to her. "Every step of the way, my dear. I will be there, and I will field questions if you need that. I will do whatever I can to make the night go smoothly."

Hermione nodded before stepping back. "I'll go then."