01.

Wednesday, October 8, 2003.

"Mione! Mione!" cried little Teddy when he caught sight of her in the doorway of his grandmama's bungalow.

He dropped his toy sword and ran towards Hermione with a great big grin on his face.

"Teddy, darling! Look how big you're getting!" Hermione said, opening her arms in invitation.

It had been several months since she'd seen him, and at only five years old, Hermione had worried he'd forgotten her. But when she lifted him up, she took comfort in the big kiss he pressed to her cheek; a reminder that their connection remained strong.

The time she'd spent in Italy had been for a project with her company, Lux, researching the history and uses of several plants and byproducts of metabolic systems of elusive creatures. It had resulted in breakthrough findings but throughout it all, she'd missed her home, her friends, Andy, and most of all, she'd missed Teddy and his chubby little smile. And the bedtime stories. The walks in the park. The fantastical imagination games they'd play. Even just laying with him while he napped.

After Voldemort's death, the wizarding world had been in ruins with no one quite knowing how to pick up the pieces. Kingsley Shacklebolt had taken a position as Interim Minister for Magic, working with surviving Order of the Phoenix members to lead the people towards a lighter future. Hermione, of course, had been offered first pick for several interim positions in the Ministry, including an opportunity to dismantle and rebuild the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures as a department dedicated to the welfare of magical creatures, but after seven years of barely evading death, she'd had enough and respectfully declined. Kingsley had assured her several times over the last few years that should she ever want a position it would be hers, and yet she was so tired of working at the benefit of others, of learning for the benefit of others - she wanted to pursue her own desires for once.

Undoubtedly, Hermione did not escape the war unscathed: just as many, if not all, of her fellow classmates and soldiers, she consistently suffered from panic attacks and depressive episodes. That was one thing she was grateful to her company and partner for - she never had to ask for days off or disclose details of her ailments. In fact, as her own boss, Hermione thrived (and probably more than if she ever worked at the Ministry), researching for days on end, enjoying the fruits of her labour when experimentation resulted in new discoveries, and when needed, using her power, money, and influence for the benefit of others.

The only thing she had felt was missing in her fulfilling life was company. Living alone in a small apartment in Muggle London hadn't made her mental health issues much easier to deal with, but two years into post-war life, Andromeda had contacted her to ask for her help. From age and exhaustion, Andy's body had begun failing her, and her worries for Teddy's future and wellbeing pushed her to contact Hermione for help. Splitting her time between her own apartment and Andromeda's beautiful (and unplottable) bungalow on the shore of a pretty sea had slowly helped Hermione heal and face her own struggles. Being responsible for someone else seemed to be the thing that kicked her in the arse and made her want to be better, and not only that, but Andy's constant care and tenderness helped fill a void in Hermione's soul that she despaired would never heal entirely. Andromeda had known loss - had lived fiercely through each one - and with that came an inherent loving and patience that Hermione desperately needed.

So when Andromeda fell ill, like this very day, Hermione didn't mind caring for Teddy overnight. In fact, while she unpacked her small beaded bag and readjusted to being home again, she quickly got back into the routine of essentially being Teddy's nanny. They played with his toy pirate ship and his swords, and she read him marvellous tales of the sea.

"Look out, Mione!" he shouted, running about the room with a small wooden ship wheel. "There are sharks in the water! Sharks in the water!"

Laughing, she picked him up and tossed him onto the bed to attack him with kisses and tickles, crying out, "Darling, you must steer us away from those rascal pirates, you must!"

"Ahahaha, Mione, I-haha, I can't steer wif-haha, wif you tickling me!" Teddy squealed as he made for an escape, but Hermione's hold was too strong and he succumbed to the silly torture in a fit of giggles.

Hours later, after having dinner with Andromeda in her room when he became too tired to continue playing, they lay on her bed in the guest room while she whispered stories of her time spent researching in Italy. His questions were many (and sometimes strange and funny: "Mione, can you bring me merpeople food to eat next time?"), but her soft words gently lulled him to sleep. Laughing quietly at his drooling face, she carefully picked him up and walked him to his own bed, kissed his forehead, and murmured a soft I love you into his ear.

And she did.

From the very beginning, even before Andromeda contacted her, Hermione had been known to stop by for dinner once in a while to check up on her and Teddy. After asking for Hermione's help, Andromeda invited her over more often with the occasional meal turning into near weekly visits which turned into staying over on weekends which turned into staying over for the duration of Andromeda's worst sick spells. Which brought her to the present: a semi-permanent resident of the House of Tonks. And in all that time, her love for Teddy and his grandmama had increased exponentially, to the point where Hermione considered them her kin.

As his godparents, she and Harry had discussed Teddy's future with Andromeda several times, and they all agreed that, Merlin forbid, should anything happen to Andromeda, Hermione would become Teddy's primary caregiver. Harry loved him to death, but ultimately, he and Ginny were already scrambling with their two kids and a third on the way, and neither of them wanted Teddy to feel second best. They agreed that Harry would handle questions that would soon come with Teddy already being orphaned at near-birth, but Hermione would take him in and support him in all the ways an adoptive parent should. They also knew (though it was never said aloud) that Hermione would never be able to survive Andromeda's death and losing Teddy to another family.

And that future was inching ever closer. As Hermione tucked Teddy into his bed and pushed his unruly brown fringe away from his eyes, she felt the dread creeping in. Andromeda's health had been deteriorating quite rapidly over the last year, and it was now reaching a point where they both knew she didn't have much longer. Until now, Hermione refused to acknowledge it even in her own mind. However, five months away from home had given her the reality check she'd needed. Even after all this time and all this loss, Hermione was going to lose yet another person. A mother figure. A friend.

It had been only six nights since her return to the UK, her first night back at House of Tonks, when Hermione was awoken by a shuffling sound and a dull thwump, she scrambled out of bed, wand already in hand, and ran to Andromeda's room, fear in her heart. The sight of Andromeda's face pressed into the hardwood floor with what looked like a spattering of blood from a broken nose and her unnaturally contorted body was enough to make her recoil and run to the floo to send for help.

• • •

Hermione was now slumped in a chair with a whimpering Teddy trying to sleep in her arms.

When they'd arrived to St. Mungo's, Hermione had detailed Andromeda's fall and illness history as best as she could through her slight panic. She'd described Andromeda's latest symptoms - joint pain, loss of appetite, loss of bladder control - and asked how long she would need to be kept for observation. They hadn't answered her.

A telemetry nurse came bustling in to check vitals and update Andromeda's chart, all the while sneaking glances at Hermione and trying to engage her in conversation. The wizarding world considered her a war hero, and with that came strangers who felt entitled to her time and personal space, but with the stress, lack of sleep, and Teddy being woken up by the nurse, Hermione didn't have it in her to respond as politely as she normally would have. She just wanted to be left alone.

A few minutes of obvious loitering later, the nurse, looking slightly dejected, left the room. Hermione returned her attention to Teddy who she could tell was going to be exceedingly grumpy in the morning. Speaking of… Hermione sighed when she saw the time on her small, silver watch: 3.34. As she rocked him, Hermione let herself relax a bit more into Teddy's embrace. There were so many things she needed to confront, both about Andromeda's condition and her own, but there had been so much excitement and distraction in Italy, and she was so tired these days. Getting lost in her thoughts, Hermione began to hum a soft, melodic tune to coax Teddy (and hopefully herself) to sleep. She finally closed her eyes, letting the rising panic escape in deep exhales.

If given another quarter hour, she probably would have fallen asleep were it not for the door swinging open to reveal a furious Narcissa Malfoy.