I. Hopelessly Optimistic

Hermione sat hunched over on the sofa in the sitting room at number twelve Grimmauld place, nervously chewing on her knuckles. Tonks crossed the room to give her hand a reassuring squeeze. Hermione looked up at her, only managing a half-smile. Teddy suddenly ran through the room with an excited squeal, oblivious to the precarious situation around him. Remus chased after Teddy, scooping him up with a smile.

Suddenly noticing Hermione's distress, Remus replaced Teddy back to the floor and said, "Ah, don't fret, Hermione. They'll all be fine."

"But how do you know?" she wailed. Ron, George, and Harry were on a particularly dangerous errand. It was almost two years since Voldemort had been destroyed, but now the rise of the Death Eaters was worse than ever. They were all intending to avenge their master. Unfortunately though, without an established leader, there was chaos in the streets as the Death Eaters wreaked havoc on any Muggles or Muggle-born wizards they could find. One could almost pity the struggle the Ministry was going through to keep it all under control. Almost. Number twelve Grimmauld place was one of the few safe places left, and because of this, Harry and Ron insisted that Hermione remain at the house at all times. This also meant that she was forced to sit in agony awaiting their safe return whenever they went on an "errand" without her, not having any way to tell whether or not things were going in their favor.

Mr. Weasley had gotten a lucky clue last week at the Ministry as to where the latest Malfoy hideout might be, and Harry had immediately jumped at the chance. Being that the Malfoys were considered the most powerful runner-ups to Voldemort, they had to constantly relocate in order to accommodate the remaining Death Eaters, as the Order was constantly on the lookout for them. They couldn't exactly keep their headquarters in the not-so-conspicuous Malfoy Manor. Without the protection of Voldemort, the Malfoys were becoming fast aware of their vulnerability and the lack of protection their mansion provided them. They were like cockroaches, scattering at the light and any chance of being revealed.

Remus was just about to open his mouth to answer her, no doubt with something reassuring yet misguided in her opinion, when a loud crack signaled someone Apparating into the room. Hermione leaped off the couch and rushed over to Harry, throwing her arms around him.

"Herm—" Harry choked out as the rest of his air was squeezed out of him.

The three of them weren't in the best condition, and Molly Weasley, having just emerged from the kitchen, immediately started fussing over them, handing them changes of clothes and muttering Healing spells under her breath. George seemed to have taken the most damage.

"What happened?" Remus asked, settling on the couch with Teddy in his lap.

Exhausted, Ron collapsed on the sofa next to Remus, grabbing a hold of Hermione's hand as he did so. It was a rare show of affection that Hermione wasn't sure what to think of. True, Ron had said more than once that he wanted to marry her, but she just didn't feel the passion and often felt that Ron was asking her purely out of some sort of moral obligation he felt towards her.

"It was a rubbish tip-off," Ron grumbled, releasing Hermione's hand just as quickly as he had taken it. "We were attacked as soon as we arrived. Managed to get a few stunning spells in alright before we Apparated."

Harry said nothing, only stomped up the stairs. Hermione and Mrs. Weasley exchanged glances, and Hermione began up the stairs after him.

"Harry?" she called, knocking softly on his door. When he didn't answer, she let herself in. He was sitting on the edge of his temporary bed, staring at the floor in a rather pathetic manner. She sat down next to him and placed a comforting hand on his back. "Don't tell me that you think this is somehow your fault."

"Well, if I hadn't dragged them off, George wouldn't have been hurt," he replied indignantly.

She rolled her eyes. "You were all hurt, not just George. Nothing that can't be mended. You did the right thing. No one else is going to take any action against the Death Eaters. You and I both know the Ministry is good for nothing."

Harry tried to hide his grin at the crack towards the Ministry.

"Ever since the ambush on the Manor, they all know to expect us, which makes catching them off guard impossible. I'm at my wit's end," he admitted.

"You'll catch a break. I know you will," she said, sounding surprisingly like Remus whenever he tried to assure Hermione of something. And, like Hermione, Harry was just as unconvinced as she always was. She was beginning to tire of the cheery, unrealistic, and utterly hopeless optimism.

He headed towards the bathroom to shower and change, and she went back downstairs to the kitchen, where everyone had relocated. George was in the middle of recreating his glorious moment.

"—'Stupefy!' and she just went down, the old hag!" he declared, emphasizing this with a dramatic flourish of his arms. "I'm sure she'll think twice about messing with George Weasley!"

"Mhmm," Mrs. Weasley was saying distractedly, still circling George's chair, inspecting all limbs for any other cuts she had missed. "Get your feet off the table, now."

Mrs. Weasley was obviously more protective of George now that Fred had been tragically killed in the battle at Hogwarts. It had taken George so long to be able to crack jokes and smile again, what with his other half unable to share it with him. It was hard for them all to smile, the losses at Hogwarts were all so recent.

Teddy was thoroughly enjoying the story George was telling with all his arm-sweeping movements, giggling at all the scary voices George was using to portray the Death Eaters. Hermione envied his innocence. What would it be like, she wondered, to be unaffected by the losses and death all around them? Poor Teddy only had a few more years of happiness before he started to thoroughly understand the nature of the situation. Hermione prayed that the war would be over by then.

"I think it's someone's nap time," Tonks said suddenly, much to Teddy's dismay.

"No!" he cried out, one of his favorite words in his scarce vocabulary. She scooped him up without any hesitation and carried him upstairs, blowing raspberry kisses on his cheek on the way up.

No longer having an interested audience for his story, George lifted himself up from his chair and also headed upstairs to get cleaned up. There was another crack as Ginny appeared in the kitchen, long red hair falling in a wave down her back.

"Have they arrived, then?" she asked, the question directed at no specific person.

It was Remus that nodded first. "They're upstairs getting cleaned up."

"Hermione? Might I have a word with you later?" Ginny asked warmly.

"Of course," she answered.

Obviously not going to let Harry's shower get in her way of seeing him, Ginny bounded up the stairs after stuffing a biscuit from the table into her mouth.

While tidying up the kitchen more, Mrs. Weasley asked point-blank, "Have you given any more thought to Ron's proposal?"

Hermione's mouth fell open. That was supposed to be private! And not only did Molly know apparently, she was talking about it in front of Remus as well!

As if reading her mind, Remus said, "You needn't worry. It's hard to keep a secret in this household. We all know."

He was meant to be reassuring, but this only embarrassed Hermione further. "Who's 'we'?" she managed, fearing the worst.

"Well, all of us. Tonks, Arthur, Ginny, George—"

"Ginny knows?" So that's what Ginny wanted to discuss later. She was going to grill her for all the details in a very Ginny-like fashion. "I'm never going to hear the end of it."

Apparently deciding that she wasn't going to get anywhere on this topic, she turned to Remus and changed the subject, talking instead about Teddy's future schooling.

Hermione avoided Ginny for the rest of the day, but was unable to procrastinate any longer when she cornered Hermione in the study. Hermione had, of course, been reading, and had no excuse to suddenly up and leave at that point. Ginny entered the room with two cups of tea, and Hermione knew she was done for. Accepting this, she lazily flicked her wand to relight the dying fire and set her book on the end table next to her armchair.

"So," Ginny said, sipping her tea and settling into the chair next to Hermione's, "Ron says you've been…hesitant about marrying him."

Looking at Hermione's sour face, she laughed a little. "Relax, I'm not here to scold you!" she promised. "I just wanted to know what you were thinking. I'm not going to run back to Ron and tell him what you said. I miss talking to you."

Hermione immediately felt guilty for purposely avoiding her. She had been reluctant to engage in much conversation with any of the Weasleys lately. Their red hair and freckles immediately reminded her of Ron, a topic she very much wished to avoid.

"I'm sorry, Ginny. I just never expected him to ask me." When Ginny gave her a confused look, she explained. "I…love Ron, and we've been together for a long time, but I never actually thought about marriage. My mind was elsewhere what with the war going on. It caught me completely off-guard when he was still able to think about marriage at a time like this."

"I understand," Ginny said. "But the worst part of the war is over. Now it's just a matter of pinning the Malfoys down and turning the rest of the Death Eaters over to the Ministry. It's not like we have to worry about You-Know-Who anymore."

Hermione let out a breath. "You're right. I guess I've just been frazzled."

"He loves you," Ginny urged. "Even though he isn't the best at expressing it lately. Cut him some slack."

"I'll think about what you said."

Later that night, the house was mostly empty. Molly had returned to the Burrow to get supper ready for Arthur, who would be returning home from work. Wherever Molly went, the rest of the Weasley clan also went as well, since that was the best way to get a full meal. Remus and Harry had followed Ron to the Burrow to strategize their next move, but Tonks had stayed behind to look after Teddy.

The house being mostly empty, Hermione settled at the kitchen table with a meager supper, reading The Daily Prophet.

SEARCH CONTINUES FOR REMAINING DEATH EATERS

The ministry is now increasing their reward bonus by 50 galleons for any person with information pertaining to the whereabouts of the nine known remaining Death Eaters. Sources have indicated that these offenders are more than likely being sheltered by the Malfoy family. Lucius Malfoy, for his unwillingness to cooperate with the Ministry, is now being considered a fugitive on the run. The reward extends out to the location of or information concerning Lucius Malfoy, Narcissa Malfoy, and Bellatrix Lestrange.

Hermione set down the paper, not wishing to finish the article. Odd, she thought, Draco Malfoy's name isn't among the list. She hadn't seen him since the battle at Hogwarts. Thinking back on the event, she realized how lucky they were to have suffered so few casualties. They were definitely the winning side, the death of Voldemort obviously being the determining factor. Draining her cup of tea, she left the paper on the table and retired to her room after saying goodnight to Tonks and Teddy.