.xiii.

Hermione and Harry both awoke with a shiver when Teddy's ward went off. Harry groaned and rubbed his eyes. Hermione pushed herself up onto her elbows. She waited, wondering if it was a false alarm and the little boy had only gone to the loo.

Sure enough, their bedroom door opened a second later. The tear-stained face of their ward came into the room. He had his oldest wolf plushie in his arms as he cried.

Hermione held out her hand. "Come here, sweetie." Teddy stumbled towards the bed and gratefully allowed himself to be pulled into her arms. She turned onto her side and fit the crying boy between her and Harry. "Shh… sweetie. It's okay. I've got you."

Teddy snuggled into her chest as he sobbed. It was the fourth time in the past two weeks that he'd awoken them with his nightmares. Hermione met Harry's tired eyes over Teddy's head. They had to do something about this.

Hermione pressed a kiss to Teddy's head as she soothed him back to sleep.

In the morning, Harry got up earlier than usual. His movements, although quiet, woke Teddy and the boy left to watch tele in the living room. Hermione groaned and stretched in the bed after he had left.

"This can't go on," she lamented. She frowned and pressed a hand to the ache in her stomach.

Harry sighed as he knotted his tie. "It's because of all the changes. He's having a hard time adjusting."

She turned onto her side and curled her legs up under her. "He seems fine."

Harry turned around and frowned at her position on the bed. "That's where the nightmares come in. And the random tantrums he's been having." He walked around the bed and sat down on the edge behind her. He pressed a hand to her forehead.

"Yeah, he's not very prone to them, is he?" Hermione leaned into his touch with a happy smile.

Harry shook his head. "He needs reassurance that everything is okay. He's scared of everything changing again. The more he grows to like it here, the more worried he'll be. Us talking about the new house all the time isn't helping."

She turned her head toward him. "What do you suggest?"

"I'm going to talk to him. Beyond that, let's sit down with him tonight. We can all work together to pick out colours and furniture for his new bedroom. Once he's involved, he'll feel less like we're packing up and leaving him behind."

Hermione nodded. "Okay, I like that plan."

"Are you feeling okay?" he asked, now that the situation had a future resolution.

"I have cramps," she complained with a pout. Her period had started late last night.

"You don't usually have cramps," he commented with a frown. She waved a hand, unconcerned. "Are you going to stay at home?" A light snort was his only response. Harry rolled his eyes with a small grin. "Right, stupid question. I was planning on heading in an hour early so I can pick him up from daycare. Do you think you can drop him off?"

She nodded and waved him back from the bed. "Let me just hop in the shower first. I'll be two minutes."

"Are you sure?"

"Harry," she scolded lightly.

"Sorry," he apologized, not sounding very sorry at all. She kissed him as she slipped passed and made her way into the bathroom.

:::

"Hey buddy," Harry greeted enthusiastically.

"Uncle Harry!" Teddy raced over from his colouring station. He jumped into his godfather's arms who caught him with a laugh. "You're here now?"

Harry hoisted the boy up onto his hip. "Yeah, I came early, thought maybe we could go pick up dinner and surprise Auntie 'Mione with take-out."

"Yeah!"

"Alright," he set Teddy back on his feet. "Go grab your backpack and I'll sign you out." He nodded at one of the daycare workers as he passed back to the office. Harry smiled charmingly at the woman behind the desk as he signed Teddy out. "See you tomorrow, Lucinda."

"Have a good evening, Mr. Potter," the old witch responded with a nod.

Teddy rushed into the hallway, his bright red backpack on his back. "Ready!" he called as he raced towards his uncle.

Harry took his hand and after making sure Teddy was ready, they apparated to the apparition point in downtown London. He cast a mild notice-me-not on Teddy so muggles wouldn't question his hair. It only worked for short periods of time. "What're you thinking?" he asked as they headed down the street. It was bustling with people heading home from work. "Pizza? Pasta? Indian? Burgers?"

"Burgers!" Teddy shouted enthusiastically.

"Burgers it is." They turned into Harry and Hermione's favourite burger place and Harry put in an order for them to go. They waited at a little table for two as their food was being cooked. Teddy happily told him about his day as they waited.

"Auntie Hermione and I wanted to sit down and pick colours with you tonight," Harry informed his godson when he was finished.

"Colours for what?" he asked curiously as he moved his race car back and forth on the tabletop.

"For your bedroom in the new house."

Teddy stilled in his movements. He looked up at Harry with big blue eyes. "My room?"

"Of course. We'd never leave you behind, buddy." Harry leaned forward earnestly. "We're always going to take care of you. Your aunt and I love you more than anything."

"Like Grandma?" Teddy asked quietly.

Harry nodded slowly. "Is that what your nightmares are about? That Hermione and I will have to go away like Grandma?" Teddy looked at him sadly but didn't respond.

"Look at me Teddy," he whispered seriously. "Absolutely nothing and no one could ever take me away from you. I love you, Ted. Grandma loves you just as much as she always did. So does Auntie 'Mione. I know a lot is changing, but how much we love you never will."

"I love you," he responded sweetly.

"I love you too, Ted."

Teddy smiled.

Hermione was curled up on the couch when they got home.

"How you feeling, love?" Harry greeted as he bent down to kiss her.

"Mmm… better now." She turned and smiled at Teddy. "I'd feel much better with some cuddles and kisses."

"Kisses!" Teddy cheered. He raced towards her and crawled onto the couch. Hermione pulled him in and peppered his face with kisses. Teddy laughed gleefully. Harry watched on with a smile on his face.

"I brought burgers," Harry claimed. He raised the bag as evidence but Hermione and Teddy were thoroughly distracted by their little game. Harry smiled and rolled his eyes.

He set the burgers on the counter under a warming charm before joining them on the couch. He sat at the end and pulled Hermione's feet into his lap. His fingers pressed into her soles and had her stretching out like a cat. Teddy had pulled out the remote already and was flipping through the channels on the tele.

"How was work?" he asked her.

She hummed and her lashes fluttered under his ministrations. "Good. Long. I hate getting cramps."

"Did you have some tea?" She hummed an affirmative. "Helped?"

"A bit," she replied noncommittedly. "When will we be looking at paint colours?"

"After dinner."

She pushed her foot into his stomach. "The talk?"

He shot her a grin. "Good, I think. We'll see in the next few days how he's adjusting." He leaned close and pressed a kiss to Teddy's head who was obliviously watching his show. Teddy turned to him and his hair turned unruly black. Harry pressed another kiss to his forehead.

:::

"I love it," Hermione stated. The walls were made of pristine white tiles and the floor was a clean white marble that matched the bathroom countertops. There was a double sink and two square mirrors above each.

The contractor, Sandy, had designed the master bathroom with a standing glass shower and a separate tub. Two big windows looked out over the west side of the property. A black, artistic looking chandelier hung from the centre of the bathroom.

"It's my dream bathroom," Hermione exclaimed with a bright smile.

"Sandy did a magnificent job. The others have a bit more colour, for the kids."

"Detached showers?"

"Nah," Harry wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, "that's just for us." He pressed his lips close to her ear and whispered, "I can't wait to fuck you in it."

Hermione hummed and pressed her bum back into his groin. "I know a charm so the glass won't steam up. We'll be able to see ourselves in the mirror," she whispered enticingly. Harry groaned into the side of her neck. She turned in his embrace to wrap her arms around his neck. "Let's test it out."

"Hermione…" he scolded even as his hands gripped her arse. "We're supposed to be helping."

She pouted exaggeratedly. "You're no fun."

He licked and nibbled at her earlobe. His voice was husky as he whispered, "That's not what you were saying last night." A smile stretched across Hermione's face. Last night, they had dropped Teddy off with Grams and Gramps. It was the first time they'd had the apartment to themselves since the wedding. The entire night had been spent naked and at one point, covered in chocolate sauce.

"It was like a second honeymoon," Hermione agreed with a little, happy shrug.

Harry gave her behind a little smack. "Come on, we need to pick colours for a couple more rooms before we go pick Teddy up." Harry led her out into the newly painted master bedroom. Everything was done up in tones of cream and white. Hermione preferred the clean, modern style most often found in muggle homes. They'd already ordered the furniture they wanted, which would be coming two weeks from then.

"I can't believe how fast Sandy has gotten this done."

"It's been about a month and a half," Harry reminded her.

Hermione paused and her eyes widened. "It's been a month and a half." Harry smiled and nodded. She shook her head. "It feels like we just got married." She almost sounded sad about it. "Time passes so quickly."

"And yet," Harry replied as he wrapped his arms around her again, "very little has changed." Hermione raised her eyebrows in question. "When I picked Ted up the other day, one of the girls at the daycare congratulated me on the fact that you're having a baby."

Hermione groaned loudly. "You've got to be kidding me."

He laughed at her exasperated expression. "He's relentless."

"It needs to stop."

He shrugged and shot her a wink. "Or we could have a baby. That'd shut him up." Hermione rolled her eyes and walked away. "Oh, come on! It's a joke!"

Hermione huffed and spun around. "No, it's not, because you actually mean that."

"We're not ready to have kids this second."

"But you'd be ecstatic if we did. If I got pregnant, you'd be over the moon." She didn't mean it to sound so accusing but the little smile on his face was really pissing her off.

"Can you blame me?"

"Stop it," she ordered. "Stop smiling at me." He slowly walked towards her, his smile growing. He lunged forward. Hermione jumped away. "Harry!" Hermione dashed into the next room they were planning to turn into her private office. Harry caught her around her waist and lifted her into the air. She laughed as he spun around.

Their laughter fell away when they saw what was waiting for them in the room. Two wooden, antique bassinets. One was high with four posters, decorated with carvings of the stars and moon. The second was lower and larger, as if for a toddler rather than a baby.

"Harry…"

"I didn't do it," he immediately responded.

She slowly shook her head. "Where the hell did they come from?"

Harry's brows slowly drew together. "The house?" he guessed unsurely. They still couldn't get into the attic. Sandy had told him that every time they finished renovating a room, a random piece of furniture would show up.

Hermione narrowed her eyes. She looked up at the ceiling. "Really? You're supposed to be on my side!"

Harry laughed. "Don't be mad at the old girl, she's just trying to help." He kissed her temple. "And they are rather beautiful."

She turned to him and whispered, "They look haunted."

"We don't have to use them," he whispered back.

"We won't because I'm not pregnant." She narrowed her eyes again and looked around the small room. Hermione had a sneaking suspicion that it was supposed to be a nursery. "Let's paint this room something dark. Black."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Let's move on. We'll come back to it later." He took her hand and dragged her towards the door that led out to the hallway.

Hermione turned and pointed a finger at the cribs as she allowed herself to be pulled away. "Get rid of those things!" she shouted at the house. "Absolutely ridiculous. Everyone is against me."

:::

Hermione and Teddy snuggled together on the couch in their pyjamas. She had brought her blanket from the bedroom to fight off the chills of their illness. Teddy had come home a few days ago with a slight cold that had snowballed into a full-on flu. He'd gotten Hermione sick within days and the two had ended up camped out in the living room while they wallowed.

They spent three days at home. Teddy's fever fluctuated and he spent most of his time sleeping, only eating a little and throwing most of it up. Hermione, meanwhile, was living off of crackers and Gatorade. They sat on the couch and watched movies all day.

"Alright," Harry said, announcing his presence as he stepped through the door. He kicked it closed behind him since his hands were full of groceries. "I got crackers!"

Hermione and Teddy cheered from the couch.

Harry set the groceries on the counter. He leaned forward when he heard singing from the tele. "Is that Lion King?"

Hermione got up from the couch with a groan. She came around into the kitchen to help with the groceries. "The sequel."

"1 and 1⁄2?" She nodded and he grinned. "That's the best one." Harry put away the honey and stepped up behind her. "How're you feeling?" he asked after he pressed a kiss to her head.

She shrugged glumly. "My nose is all blocked up and I can't keep anything down."

"Did you try to eat something?"

"The soup you made yesterday." She made a face. "It didn't go over well."

He wrapped an arm around her and kissed her head again. "It'll be over soon." Hermione groaned. She turned in his arms and pressed her face into his chest. He pressed his lips against her forehead and felt for her temperature. It had gone down a lot in the past 24 hours. "You seem better." He pulled back and handed her the crackers. "I'm going to check on Teddy."

"He wasn't sick all day," she told him as she opened the box. "He napped, mostly."

Harry nodded. "Good." He went and checked on Teddy while Hermione put away the rest of the groceries. She wrinkled her nose at the fruits and vegetables. Everything looked unappetizing when she was ill.

She finished putting away the groceries and picked up the stack of mail Harry had brought home. Her Aunt Sarah had travelled to Berlin for work and promised to send her a postcard. Hermione had a small collection of them from all her family's travels. She stopped when she found the cream envelope addressed to "Mr. and Mrs. Potter" in golden cursive.

Hermione flipped the envelope over and gently opened the seal. "Harry," she called.

"Yeah?"

"We just got an invite to Neville's wedding."

Harry entered the kitchen, a bemused expression on his face. "Really? Him and Susan Bones?"

"Soon to be Longbottom," she responded with a smirk. "They're so cute. I'm glad they were matched. Neville would have been heartbroken if Susie had needed to marry anyone else."

"When is it?" Harry asked. He picked up the rest of the mail and pulled out what was his own.

"February." She raised her eyebrows. "They're getting married before their deadline. Not surprising, really. They were a real couple before all this started." She opened the card and smiled brightly. "Teddy's invited too!"

"That's sweet of them," Harry responded absentmindedly. His eyebrows were drawn together and his eyes lacked their usual vibrancy. He was looking down at the letter in his hands. It was another invitation.

"What is it?"

Harry swallowed. "Ginny and Blaise's invitation." He cleared his throat and shook his head. "It's uhm… it's in early December."

Hermione munched on a cracker silently. "Are you okay?"

Harry looked up at her and blinked quickly. The sight of her seemed to bring him back to himself. "Yeah, yeah I'm good. Just… feels weird, you know?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I do."

Harry looked down at the invitation and let out a deep breath. "Teddy's not invited to this one."

Hermione snorted. "I'm not surprised."

"Auntie 'Mione…" Teddy whined from the couch.

"Duty calls. I think Ted wants grilled cheese and tomato soup tonight, by the way." Hermione touched his arm as she passed by.

"On it." He stuck a magnet to each invitation, effectively pinning them to the fridge. It was weird the way life moved on, but Harry was in a happy place. He hoped Ginny would be happy in the future as well.

:::

Hermione turned in front of the mirror as she inspected the way the black lace bra cut into her sides. It fit well enough, but there was something uncomfortable about the cups. She pouted as she took it off and put it back on the hanger. It was official, she'd gone up a size.

Harry needed to stop baking cookies on the weekend, she ate far too many of them. She was fairly positive that she ate most of them throughout the week. And he definitely needed to stop making those strawberry oat muffins. Hermione's mouth began to water just thinking about them. She thought there might have been two more in the bread box when she'd left with Teddy that morning.

The second she was done here, she was picking Teddy up from daycare and heading home for muffins and a cuppa. Merlin, that sounded like heaven. She almost groaned when she remembered she promised Grams they'd come over for dinner. All she wanted was that muffin.

She tried on the lace nude bra next. It was the usual balcony style she preferred that was low enough that it suited all her different work blouses and dresses. There was something about it that was just irritating. She needed something softer on her chest.

This was why Hermione hated bra shopping the week before her period. Her breasts hurt, she was too focused on her cravings to care really, and she was bloated. The fact that she wanted food but also felt like her stomach was a balloon was possibly the worst part.

She pressed her hand against the dressing room wall as a wave of nausea hit her. Okay, she thought, the nausea was the worst part. She took a couple of deep breaths. The nausea passed and Hermione opened her eyes.

She picked up the next bra and tried it on. It was a deep ruby red made of a silky material and lace. There was underwire, but the cups weren't structured. Hermione sighed happily when she put it on. Yes. This was exactly what she needed. She took the bra off and was only mildly annoyed when she saw that it was a whole cup size larger. Melin, she was going to kill Harry.

Hermione stuffed her old bra into her purse and ripped the tag off the new one. She refused to go home in the one she'd been wearing. She put her blouse back on and gathered her things. Once back on the floor of the shop, she picked up two more colours in the bra she was wearing and went to the cash.

"All done?" the bubbly blonde asked with a smile.

Hermione nodded. "Thanks for your help earlier. I loved the one you pointed out. I'll be getting these and I'm wearing this one out."

"Couldn't wait?"

"It's like my chest is encased in clouds, I refuse to take it off."

The shopkeeper laughed at her response. She wrapped up Hermione's purchases in a soft pink coloured tissue paper before placing them in the store's signature bag. Hermione handed the other witch her money. "Our maternity bras are the best on the line," the shopkeeper explained as she handed Hermione her change. "I wear them and I'm not even pregnant."

Hermione stilled. She looked up from her purse. "I beg your pardon?"

"The bra? It's our specialty maternity bra. We also have nursing bras you can take a look at if you like. Though I do recommend waiting until you've been nursing for a few days before buying any. Your bust will likely grow again."

Hermione blinked rapidly. She shook her head. "I'm not pregnant."

The witch's eyes widened. "You're not? But Teddy said you were!"

Hermione was momentarily speechless. "I - how… You know Teddy?"

The witch blinked in shock. "What? No, of course not." She laughed like Hermione was hilarious. Hermione fought hard not to pull her wand. "It's in Witch Weekly." The shopkeeper pulled out a copy of the magazine and handed it over.

Hermione wrinkled her nose at the cover. She never bothered to read the gossip rag and the cover clearly illustrated why. It was a photo of her walking down Diagon Alley, speculating about her 'baby bump.' Hermione rolled her eyes. What concerned her was the moving picture of Teddy smiling happily in the bottom corner.

Hermione flipped to the corresponding article and felt her entire body freeze over. It was an interview with Teddy. When had this monstrosity of a paper interviewed him? She had not okayed this and she knew Harry never would. Her eyes flickered through the article, where Teddy expounded about how happy he was to have a little brother soon. She inwardly groaned.

Then she saw it. He'd been interviewed at his daycare. His daycare. Hermione's temper shot through the roof.

"Can I have this?" she asked the startled shop keeper. The girl blinked and before she could respond, Hermione was gone. She had taken the magazine with her.

Hermione exited onto Diagon Alley before apparating directly to the daycare. Her heels clicked with a satisfying purpose as she made her way through the entrance to the main office. "Lucinda!" Hermione greeted brusquely. "Is Maria in? Yes? Good."

She stormed past the front desk and past the protesting witch to the director's office. She entered Maria's office without knocking and slammed the door shut behind her, cutting off Lucinda's protests.

"Mrs. Potter!" Maria jumped to her feet. "How can I -"

"-Is this what I think it is?" She tossed the magazine onto the desk between them. Maria's eyes widened and her cheeks flushed. "Who the hell gave you the right to let reporter's interview my son?" She continued before Maria could respond. "He is here to learn and play! You're required to teach him his ABC's. You are not his guardian. This is completely inappropriate!"

"Mrs. Granger, I'm so sorry. The reporter said you and Mr. Potter had agreed beforehand -"

"-And you actually believed that hogwash?" Hermione leaned forward. Her curls coiled tighter with her rage and pent up magic. "Did they have written consent? Did you even bother to ask or did you just take the money and turn a blind eye?"

Maria swallowed. She choked on her words.

Hermione's eyes narrowed. "How much? How much money did you take?"

"I can give it to you?"

If anything, the offer only made Hermione even angrier. "I don't want it. I just want to know how much it cost you to sell out your own respectability. You had absolutely no right to allow this. Was there even someone in the room during the interview?"

"We were all at the park!" Maria defended. "It'd - it'd already started when we noticed."

"So not only are you unethical but you're incompetent as well. Good to know." Hermione took a deep breath. She leaned forward and rested the tips of her fingers on Maria's desk. "If anything like this ever happens again, I will ruin you. Do you understand me? They will build a bloody funeral home in this building because no one will want to walk these halls but the dead. Am I making myself clear?"

"Yes, ma'am!"

Hermione straightened. She spun around and left before Maria could say another word. Her fingers shook and her heart raced inside her chest. Hermione had never been so furious with any individual. Teddy was a child. He couldn't be left alone with strangers and he certainly couldn't be interviewed alone, let alone at all.

Hermione put on a bright smile when she saw her young charge. His hair was still the bright blueberry colour he'd turned it to at breakfast that day. "Teddy!"

"Auntie 'Mione!" He dropped his crayons and raced over. "I learnt a new song today, do you want to hear?"

She smiled and hugged him close. "How about after dinner tonight? Uncle Harry can hear it then too."

"Will Uncle Harry be home for dinner?"

Hermione frowned and shook her head. "Not today. He's got to finish up some things at work. I was thinking we could have dinner with Grams and Gramps?" she suggested.

"Yeah!" he cheered.

"Alright, Teddy Bear. Go grab your backpack." Teddy raced off and Hermione stood back up. She looked down the hall to the office but didn't see or hear anything. She didn't want to see Maria again before she left. When Teddy was ready, she led him to the entrance and they apparated to the destination point closest to her grandparents' home. It was a short walk through the suburb before they reached the house.

Teddy rang the doorbell and smiled happily when a song rang out in lieu of the classic ring. The door opened a minute later and Grams greeted them both with a bright smile. "Come here, kid." She pulled Teddy into a tight hug. "Shoes on, your Gramps is in the backyard. Go right on through."

"Gramps!" Teddy yelled as he raced into the house.

Hermione snorted in amusement. She turned a happy, tired smile on her grandmother. "Hey, Grams."

"Hi, sweetheart." They hugged and Hermione followed her inside. "How was work?"

"Ugh, horrible." They went into the kitchen where Grams was making lemonade. "I told you I had to change my projects, remember?"

"With all the new rules or something?"

She rolled her eyes. "Stupid safety. Must they care about our health? It's like they don't want us to die." She picked up a cherry tomato from a platter of vegetables and popped in her mouth. She made a face and went to the fridge. "Do you have strawberries?" Damn, she'd really wanted that muffin and tea.

"Second shelf. Aren't you done fixing your projects yet?"

She gasped excitedly when she found the strawberries. She pulled them out and immediately opened the box. Grams snatched them away with a severe look before running them under the tap. She set them on the counter with a plate under them.

Hermione ate the first three strawberries in a flash. She moaned happily. Once she'd swallowed, she said, "I just finished. My boss will let me know on Friday if I can go forward. It'll take some time to prep and then I can get to work."

"Well, that's good. So what's wrong?" Grams ate a strawberry before turning back to her glass jug of lemonade. She stirred it with a long wooden spoon.

Hermione made a face. "I almost pulled Teddy out of daycare today."

"Permanently?" She nodded. "Teddy loves it there. You said it was providing stability. Do you really think -"

"- The director let him be interviewed by a reporter. Alone. It's in a bleeding magazine."

Grams' eyes darkened. "What did you do?"

"I'm pretty positive I scared her so badly she peed a bit." Grams snorted in amusement. "I also may have implied I was going to ruin her business if anything like this ever happened again. And by that I mean I outright stated it."

Grams nodded once. "Good. That's completely unethical. She can't be allowed to do that."

Hermione ate another strawberry. "I'll have to contact the Prophet and have them send out a whole 'she's not pregnant' thing." Grams snorted again. "It's not funny."

"He just wants a family."

"We're already a family."

Grams nodded. She pulled the spoon from the glass jug and placed it in the sink. "I know that. You know that. But Teddy is young and all around him are the traditional families that the Weasley's have. I'm sure he's wanted the same thing for a long time. As close as you and Harry come to that, he's fairly convinced you need a baby to make it complete. Once you're parents, you can be his parents."

Hermione nodded and sighed. "He's going to be upset, isn't he?"

Grams shrugged. "He'll get over it. Why don't you send him to school? He's old enough."

"The wizarding world doesn't have primary schools. Harry and I want to send him somewhere muggle, but we can't until…" She gestured to her hair.

Grams nodded. She smirked when she recalled Gramps' startled swear when he'd seen Teddy's hair change colour for the first time. "What does Harry think?"

Hermione's cheeks turned pink. She stuffed her mouth with a strawberry.

"Oh, Hermione."

"I was angry," she defended. "It all happened very quickly."

Grams shook her head. "Good luck, kid."

"You think he'll be mad?"

"He'd probably be angrier if you actually had pulled Teddy out without talking to him first. Just make sure you talk to him," Grams lectured with her eyebrow raised.

Hermione nodded. "I will."

"Good." Grams hefted up the tray with lemonade and glasses. "Your Gramps is barbequing, let's bring this out." Hermione took the strawberries and followed her through the house and out the backdoor.

Teddy was racing around the grass, flying his toy werewolf around Gramps' extensive garden. Every summer he grew his own fruits and vegetables. He had a fairly impressive collection of cucumber and tomato plants, a few apple trees, and even a blackberry bush climbing up the back fence.

"The garden looks beautiful this year, Gramps," Hermione complimented as she came down the porch steps and to the patio below.

"Thanks, sweetie," Gramps responded. He gave her a kiss and a hug before gesturing to the barbeque. "How's she looking?"

"Like she needs a paint job." He raised an eyebrow at her quip. "Oh! You mean the chicken." Hermione smiled cheekily. "Looks and smells great."

Grams let out a short laugh. "You're asking 'Mione's opinion on food? Wally, you should know better!"

"Hey! I've gotten better. Harry's taught me a thing or two. I can make toast without burning it." Grams did not look convinced. "Oh, whatever."

Hermione kicked off her heels and played around in the grass with Teddy for a bit. The sun slowly began to set after dinner had passed. Teddy and Gramps were playing a card game that looked suspiciously like it had no rules while Hermione and Grams gossiped about the family.

"Ding dong!" a familiar voice called.

"Uncle Harry!" Teddy cheered. He jumped up and raced towards his uncle. Harry caught him and scooped the boy up into his arms. "You missed chicken! Auntie 'Mione almost hurled."

Harry turned to his wife and raised an eyebrow. She held her bowl of fresh strawberries. "I'm good with what I have."

Harry shook his head. He was used to her weird period cravings, though usually, it was fries dipped in ice cream. At least this month it was healthy. He sat down next to her and let Teddy go back to his game with Gramps. "I thought your illness passed?"

"It has, I'm just a little extra nauseous this month." Hermione waved it off. It was a fairly common period symptom for her.

Grams smirked as she sipped her wine. "Are you sure you're not -"

"- Don't you dare finish that sentence," Hermione snapped. Grams chortled and looked away. Hermione turned back to her husband. "We need to have another talk with Teddy later."

"He's been saying you're pregnant again?" Harry guessed easily.

"We'll talk about it at home." He nodded before leaning forward and pressed a kiss to her lips. "How was work?"

"Difficult," he sighed sadly. Working in the children's ward was mostly rewarding, but some things can't be fixed and some children can't be saved. Harry tried not to take it home with him. It was still an exhausting job.

Hermione gently touched his cheek. "Do you want to head out?"

"In a bit." He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close. They settled in together and talked with Grams. Not long later, Teddy grew tired. The family of three said their goodbyes as they got their things together. Grams packed up some food for them before sending them on their way. Hermione's grandparents stood on the front porch and waved goodbye as the trio left. They didn't go back inside until Harry, Hermione, and Teddy were out of sight.

Once back at home, Harry took Teddy into the bathroom for a quick bath. Hermione puttered around the flat, cleaning up Teddy's toys and her books. Their home was far too small for all three of them.

As far as the renovations on Stinchcombe House felt like they'd gotten, they still needed to redo the front porch and the roof. Not to mention gut and rework the entire kitchen. Harry said the earliest they could move would probably be December. The contractors were working on getting the heating and cooling charms set, but it was starting to look like they would need Harry to cast them. Stinchcombe House was finicky at best and it preferred Harry's magic over anyone else's.

Hermione dropped her books off in the bedroom and read for a bit. When she heard Harry starting to put Teddy down for bed, she got up to change. Her husband entered the room as she was searching for a pyjama top.

"Is that new?"

Hermione looked up and smiled at the appreciation in Harry's stare. "You like?"

Harry pursed his lips in consideration. He closed the door behind him. A shiver of anticipation went down Hermione's spine when she felt the silencing ward fall into place. Harry stepped up to her and gently cupped her silk and lace-clad breasts. "I definitely like the colour."

"Gryffindor red," she agreed.

He hummed. His thumb stroked across her covered nipple and she arched into the action. "What's the occasion?"

Hermione laughed shortly. "The occasion is that all my weight is going to my chest and I needed new bras."

"There's more like this?" he asked, easily side-stepping her accusation. He knew her comments were mostly in jest. Even with her added weight, she was still perfectly healthy. She was only slightly annoyed by the change.

Hermione closed her eyes and hummed as he played with her breasts. "Be a good boy and I might let you see them."

His hands trailed down to her skirt. He unzipped the back and let the fabric fall to the floor. His hands gripped her behind. "How benevolent of you," he murmured against her lips. Hermione closed the distance between them. She kissed him hotly. Her arms wrapped around his neck and her body pressed against his own.

They worked together to rid Harry of his robes. Hermione's knickers were tossed over Harry's shoulder as he crawled up the bed towards her. He ravaged her mouth as his fingers played with her overly sensitive chest. Hermione moaned. She thrust her chest up into his hands, still clad in the silky red fabric.

Harry pressed a knee between her thighs. She eagerly spread her legs for his weight to settle between them. She loved the feel of how his body fit so perfectly against her own. His arms snaked under her body and he rolled onto his back. Hermione smiled when she found herself sitting atop his beautifully naked self.

Her eyes closed in bliss as she slowly slid down the length of him. Harry's fingers curled around her hips. He helped guide her through her slow rhythm. Her hands pressed against his chest. Hermione's head fell back as she let out a long moan.

"Fuck, 'Mione." Harry's hips met her own in her languid movements. "Take your hair down." Hermione pulled out the hair tie that was keeping her brown locks in a tight bun. Her curls fell around her shoulders. "You're so beautiful."

She bit her lip. Her toes curled. "H-Harry," she stuttered out. Her rhythm increased as she chased her high.

"That's it, love," he encouraged. His thumb dragged roughly against her clit. Hermione gasped and her eyes closed. Her thighs tensed. Her nails dragged across his chest as her fingers curled. Harry clenched his jaw as she climaxed. She fell forward onto his chest. He rolled them both until Hermione was on her back again. He pressed kisses to the side of her face and her neck.

Hermione moaned as he thrust deeper into her. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and her legs around his waist as he chased his own high. Hermione felt her body begin to tighten again. She closed her eyes and clenched around him. Harry swore into the side of her neck.

She released a breathy gasp as Harry came. He groaned. She kissed the side of his face. Hermione cupped his cheeks in her hands and danced kisses across his nose and cheekbones. He turned his head to meet her lips with his own and kissed her lazily. His hand snuck under her body and unclipped her bra. Hermione sighed with relief as he helped her out of her last article of clothing.

Harry tossed it to the floor.

"Well," he said at length, "I definitely approve of the new bra." Hermione laughed. His hand stroked up the side of her body. Their legs stayed tangled together. "And you were upset that you were gaining weight."

"I am upset," she corrected.

He pressed a kiss to her lips. "I'll make you a salad for lunch," he promised. Hermione rolled her eyes. She winced when she felt her insides cramp. Harry, having expected this so close to her perood, spooned her side and gently rubbed circles over her stomach. "What did you want to talk about?"

Hermione groaned loudly. "Witch Weekly released an interview with Teddy, which was facilitated by the daycare we send him to."

Harry jerked back in surprise. "What?"

"I ripped into Maria for it," Hermione assured. She took his frozen hand encouraged him to continue his soft strokes along her abdomen. "And by that I mean I put the fear of God into her and she will never cross us again."

Harry sat up. "I'm sorry, what happened?"

She sat up as well, her cramps were already lessening and she fought to ignore them in favour of the serious conversation they were having. "Maria allowed Teddy to be interviewed, during which he told Witch Weekly how I'm pregnant." She shot Harry a look. He shook his head and rubbed his forehead in response. "I saw the magazine while I was shopping."

"Should we pull him?" he asked seriously.

Hermione shook her head. "Teddy loves it there. And like I said, I terrified her. She won't dare cross us again. If she does something like this again, I'll ruin her." Hermione shrugged simply.

"We need to talk to Teddy about this baby stuff."

"We have talked to Teddy," Hermione argued. "I have a better idea." Harry raised an eyebrow in question. "We're going to get him something to distract him."

"Like?"

"You're getting a new familiar."

Harry raised his eyebrows. He looked around their bedroom. "Do we have enough space for a familiar?"

She waved her hand. "Nix is here. She hardly takes up any room."

"Only because she can teleport." Hermione snorted. "She just disappears and randomly appears when convenient. Or rather, inconvenient," he finished, disgruntled by the number of times the cat had jumped between them when they'd been otherwise engaged.

"You can go with Teddy this weekend," she said as if he hadn't spoken. Her tone was one he knew all too well. He was getting a familiar.

Who else is stuck at home with nothing else to do but read and write fanfic? Hands up! Hope everyone is staying healthy and staying safe. I ended up getting the hell out of South Korea before it completely blew up. I'm back in Canada and safely at home with my parents. My heart goes out to everyone who's been affected by everything that is going on.

I hope my story helps bring you a little joy and some much needed escapism.

For anyone hoping for more plot, I apologize but this is basically just a filler chapter. More plot in the next chapter :)

Thanks for reading!

xx