The sweltering heat of the Louisiana summer hit Hermione Potter like a brick. Just 30 minutes ago she and her two companions, Remus and Teddy Lupin, had been in a reasonable cooler London summer before they had taken an International Portkey across the pond. Looking over at her older friend, the brunette sighed at the grief that she saw, and knew that her own eyes had the same grief shining from them.

It had been a month ago that both she and Remus had lost their spouses in the largest magical war since the Goblin rebellions. Voldemort had terrorised the United Kingdom for many decades, with a 13 year gap while in waif form, but that had all come to an end when her husband of less than a year, Harry, had killed the monster who had taken his parents, godfather, and mentor.

The memories were still far too fresh; they had just finished burying the fallen a week before, and when the pain hit Hermione clutched onto her lower abdomen. Remus saw this and gently placed a loving hand on her back, "Mia?"

"I'm fine Moony," the witch responded, "The baby's fine too."

Just yesterday, Hermione had learnt she was a month pregnant, and it had nearly destroyed her heart that Harry would never meet his child. That was the one thing he really wanted in life, a family and peace with that family.

Shaking off the grief, the teen walked alongside Remus, who was currently checking his sleeping 6 week old son. Teddy had lost his mother in the same battle, only hours before Harry had finished it, and Hermione knew that the fact the spell that killed her was meant for Remus tore at him. They had been keeping each other alive for the past month, that and Teddy's antics as he grew like a weed.

Finally hitting the parking lot, Hermione quickly found the 2008 Saturn Outlook that she had asked the goblins in New Orleans to purchase for her, and leave in the lot. Opening it all up, grateful for the modifications that she had paid for, the witch watched as Remus set up the car seat and strapped Teddy in. Once he was in the passenger seat, they were off.

"So you're sure that your Gran is fine with Teddy and I staying? I mean, we can always find a hotel room," Remus asked.

"My Gran wouldn't have said yes had she not wanted you there. Besides, who else will hold my hair back while I hurl every freaking morning?" The witch asked with a mixed between a grimace and a grin.

Relaxing in his seat, the werewolf questioned the witch who had been his close friend for 4 years, "When are you going to tell everyone about you being a witch?"

"As soon as I get there," Hermione easily manoeuvred her mobile phone out of her pocket and punched in the speed dial, putting it to her ear as it began to ring.

"Sookie Stackhouse," the thick Louisianan female accent answered after 4 rings.

Hermione grinned widely as she heard her cousin's voice again, the first grin for a long time, "Sookie!"

"Mia? That you? Are you here yet?"

"Yeah I'm heading over from Shreveport Regional now. Listen; think you can get Jason, Tara, and Lafayette over in 30? I have something I need to tell you all that I should have years ago."

Hearing the seriousness in her little cousin's voice, Sookie answered, "Of course sweetie, they'll all come running to see you again. I'll see you at Gran's in 30 then."

"Bye," the witch hung up her phone and sighed, "Let's hope they take the news well."

"Oh Mia, they will, they're your family," the werewolf gave the teen a careful hug; she was driving after all, and closed his eyes, "Just thump me when we get there."

Hermione rolled her eyes at the man but could feel herself getting warm on the inside once more, the light that had once shone brightly inside of her soul had been all but extinguished after Harry's death, and it had damn near gone out entirely after learning that her parents, who she had wiped their minds of her existence, had been killed in Australia just months after sending them away. That had been an awkward and depressing conversation with her Gran, asking to come stay with her in the same phone call as informing her that her daughter and son-in-law were dead.

Looking about as she drove, Hermione was amazed at the number of religious billboards, all declaring that they could save your soul from the evil that had been put on the earth. 2 years ago, all across the Muggle world, vampires had come out as being real. Now most of Africa and Asia just ignored the declarations, while most Middle Eastern countries had stated they would kill all vampires they found. As for the Western civilisations, the UK and it's commonwealths were all accepting, even putting laws in place that killing a vampire was punishable by jail, and England became the first country to allow vampires to marry.

Europe was accepting, had the laws, but didn't allow them to marry, though there were talks that that would change in a few years. But the country she was now living in, America, they didn't even have laws against killing a vampire; it was deemed as unnecessary as they were already dead. Hermione had met a few vampires over the years, and all were nice to her, though there had been some on Voldemort's side during the war, but that was to be expected.

Shaking her head in disgust, Hermione just focused on driving to her ancestral home, the place where every Stackhouse across the world had visited and nearly half had been born in.

20 minutes later, the traffic working with her for once, Hermione was pulling her red van into the dirt drive of the Stackhouse Home, sending a cloud of dust all around the car. Looking at Remus, ready to wake him up, the witch was surprised to see that he was wide awake, "Mia, where did you learn to drive?"

"Bumper cars," she joked before getting out and easily taking Teddy into her arms, "Come on Moony, let us introduce you to my family."

The werewolf just shook his head, chuckling a few times, before catching up to her and wrapping an arm around her shoulder. Around the house there were 2 other cars, the huge Dodge pickup truck that belonged to Jason, and the over 20 year old Honda Civic that Sookie had been driving for years.

Just as they stepped onto the front porch, the screen door swung open to reveal an elderly lady with salt and pepper hair, "Mia, my little girl."

"Gran," carefully moving Teddy so he didn't get hurt, Hermione nearly fell into the warm arms of her grandmother, "I've missed you so much. It's been so hard."

"Shh, I know sweetie, I know. But everything will be better now, you watch," Adele gazed into the eyes that were so much like her own, "Later on you and me will sit down like we used to and talk."

"I'd like that Gran," quickly wiping away the tears that had escaped her eyes, the witch then remembered Remus, "Oh, Gran, I'd like you to meet Remus Lupin and this little cutie is his son Teddy."

The man stepped forward and respectfully offered his hand, "It's a pleasure ma'am and thank you for letting my son and I to stay here until our house is ready."

"No bother young man, I'm just so happy to have my youngest grandchild back. Now, there are 4 certain troublemakers waiting for you inside Mia, best not to keep them waiting too long."

Hermione nervously nodded, amazed with herself at how nervous she truly was. At the battle she had literally laughed in Voldemort's face after he said he would kill her, and not even a sliver of nervousness had shone then.

Turning quickly, the witch handed Teddy over to his father, "You had best hold Teddy; chances are I'll be tackled."

"Good to know," the werewolf had badly hidden mirth shining in his eyes, intent on just standing back and watching.

Hermione rolled her eyes; she knew what he was up to and knew that he was going to get a great laugh out of what her cousins and friends would be doing to her very soon. Taking a deep breath, the brunette stepped into the lounge, "Hi."