Hermione was not annoyed at how close Ron and Heather sat next to each other on the sitting room on the couch at the burrow. And it did not bother her that Mrs. Weasley had insisted on treating the young woman to a proper meal after hearing how hard she fought to protect one of her grandchildren. She did, however, feel a bit guilty that she was happy Heather declined at first, stating that she really should be getting home. However, Molly Weasley wouldn't hear of it, she had even convinced Heather it would be best if she went home in the morning because 'it would be late by the time dinner was over.' She loved Heather and was happy she was alive, safe, and here. It was just that she was sure Mrs. Weasley's doting on Heather had more to do with annoying Hermione than Heather's heroic actions.

"And he hates being corrected." Heather was gushing to Ron about Tristan. "He thinks he's smart. Well, he is, and he knows it."

"I corrected him this morning and the look he gave me..."

"Those narrowed eyes? Yeah, I've been at the receiving end of those. If his eyes weren't such a gorgeous shade of blue it would be scary..."

Hermione rolled her eyes. Such a gorgeous shade of blue? Honestly. And Ron was just eating it up.

"Let's see, what else…" Heather grinned happily, "he's such a show off."

"Tristan is not a show off." Hermione protested.

"He's a show off." Heather countered, "Whenever he learns a new word he won't stop repeating it over and over again."

"All children do that," Ginny scoffed, "If it annoys you so much you could always walk away. That's my nephew you're calling a show off."

"Ginny," Ron gave her a stern look.

"What?"

"What's got your knickers in a twist?"

"You mean besides the fact that she's using her knowledge of Tristan to bogart your attention? Or the really bad flirting? Or the fact that she just waltzes in here acting like she knows Tristan better than any of us?"

"She does know Tristan better than us." Ron argued.

"If you would stop thinking with your dick for a moment-"

"I'm gonna go check if Tristan is up from his nap yet." Hermione interrupted and stood quickly and hurried up the steps to Percy's old room where Tristan and Jamie had both been put down for a nap.

Sure, she felt like Heather and Ron were flirting with each other, but she could just tell herself it was her imagination. But to have Ginny call it out... Ron was a handsome man, it's only natural for Heather to be attracted to him. But Heather was Hermione's best friend, she wouldn't take it past simple flirting, right?

Hermione leaned over the crib, smiling as she watched her son sleep soundly. He was the only thing in the world that mattered. If Heather and Ron wanted to start something she honestly didn't have any right or desire to speak against it. She had more important things to worry about. She only had a few of years to find a way to stop the empathic magic living within her son from taking his life.

Hermione ran a knuckle down her son's cheek, "I'll find a way, I promise you." she whispered.

Hermione turned at the sound of the door opening to find Ginny slowly closing it.

"They're still asleep."

"I came to talk to you."

"About?" Hermione asked uneasily.

"Heather. I don't trust her."

Hermione sighed, "She's a good friend, she's just... I don't know, a little star struck? She was like that with me when I first met her."

"It's more than that, she's- she's not lying, but she's not telling the truth. I don't know, I'm not Ron. He would know but he's always been distracted by a pretty face."

Hermione tried to ignore that last part, "I don't know Ginny, she's been nothing but a friend to me all these years, I trust her."

"Do you trust me?"

"I-"

"Forget about all the crap that's happened since you've been back. Do you trust me enough to know I only want what's best for Tristan?"

"What do you want me to do?"

"I don't know, Hermione... I'm not comfortable leaving you in the house alone with her."

Hermione sat down on the bed, brow furrowed, wondering if her life would ever not be complicated. She trusted Heather completely, but she's known Ginny longer. Ginny wouldn't worry if there was nothing to worry about. Also, there was the empath element that couldn't be ignored.

"Is there malice in her?" Hermione asked.

"Sorry?"

"Malice. Is she displaying any signs indicating she would want to harm me or my son?"

"No, nothing like that, just guilt... And shadiness." Ginny sat down beside her, "Like I said, I'm not Ron, and he always had a good sense of people even before empathy. He thought Krum was a prat and he ended up being one. He didn't like Michael Corner, and at first, I thought it was because I was dating him but in the end he really did turn out to be a jerk. He didn't have much of a problem with me dating Dean, and Dean's a stand up guy."

"Seems like you've thought a lot about this?"

"Engel did a lot of research on Ron, not just medical or magical either. He thinks Ron's astute has just as much to do with the person Ron is as to how much empathy he has."

"Really?"

Ginny nodded, "Yeah, and he was always obvious about whatever he was feeling."

"He didn't internalize like Harry." Hermione agreed.

"And all of that mixed with empathy makes Ron really good at figuring people out."

"Unless they have a pretty face."

"Unless they have a pretty face."

Ron stood outside the burrow smoking a cigarette, the first one of the day since Ron didn't dare smoke in front of Tristan. He was having a pretty good day until Ginny had to get all jealous over Heather. The fact of the matter was she knew Tristan better than anyone besides Hermione. Heather wasn't a bit attracted to him, and neither was he to her, he just liked the attention. It was the first time since Tristan showed up that someone didn't look at him and feel pity. Ron was sure his sister was overreacting. He wasn't an idiot, he monitored her while she told her story at the ministry. There was no guilt or lying or fear of getting caught in a lie.

"I wouldn't have pictured you a smoker." Ron turned to see Heather walking toward him.

"What are you talking about? I don't smoke." Ron took a long drag of his cigarette and blew out the smoke, "It's a nasty habit."

"Who's smoking? I don't see anyone smoking!"

Ron smiled. He liked Heather, she wasn't uptight or too serious, and he like the fact that she was an outsider. She wasn't bogged down with all the shit that had taken place in the past month, yet she still knew the story.

"Don't let my sister bother you. She just feels threatened."

"By me?"

"Yeah, she wants to be Tristan's favorite aunt, and he likes you better, so..." A wave of guilt flooded Heather. Ron stepped closer, placing his hands of her shoulders, "Listen, I fought them once, years ago, two on one just like you. They were skilled, there was nothing you could have done."

"That's what I keep telling myself."

"Keep telling yourself that until you believe it,"

"I don't think I ever will…"

Ron smiled sadly, "You won't. That day is gonna stay with you for the rest of your life." Ron took a pull of his cigarette, "You'll think about it less and less until you stop thinking about it all together, then one day you're walking in Muggle London, see a film poster for "Spiderman" and BAM, you remember, and you feel like shit for forgetting. Then it starts all over again. The 'what could I have done differently' thoughts." Ron flicked the butt of his cigarette across the yard then immediately lit a new one, "Hindsight's a real bitch though, and you start thinking about all the shit that could have been avoided if you had just told the truth and not been a proper prat."

"We're not talking hypotheticals anymore, huh?"

"Sorry."

"It's cool," Heather plopped down to the ground and waved at Ron to continue. Without hesitation, Ron joined her on the ground.

"I fucked up, I know I fucked up and treated her terribly. Her parents were murdered and I only added to the misery. I can own up to that, I HAVE owned up to that. I apologized for it and all she did was give me her reasons for leaving."

"What were you expecting?"

"For her to be sorry." He took another long pull of his cigarette and let it out heavily. "I thought she was but as it turns out all that guilt was about Tristan. She doesn't think there was anything wrong in leaving the way she did. She's sorry she hurt so many people, but she's not sorry she did what she did."

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Besides the one you just did?"

Heather smiled, "Do you still love her?"

"No," Ron said earnestly.

Heather put up her hands in surrender, "I'm just saying; of all the things you could be sitting here bitching about, erasing your memory, keeping Tristan from you, sleeping with you- knowing full well she was keeping this huge secret- and you're sitting here still pissed off she left you."

"That's what started all of this!"

"Ok, it just seems like you're not completely over it... and if you aren't completely over it, it still hurts, and if it still hurts that could mean underneath it all you might still kind of be in love with her? I mean... I get it, trust me, she gorgeous, smart, could be a little funnier... but nobody's perfect. She's generous, has a kind heart... She's the kind of girl that's hard to get over."

"I'm over her." Ron said automatically.

"If you say so."

"I am!"

"Did you know the opposite of love isn't hate, it's apathy, and you are not apathetic to her."

"Umm... maybe because I hate her?"

"You wouldn't hate her so much if you didn't once love her in equal amounts, and if that's the case, that's a LOT of love to get over."

"Yeah, well... it's been years." Ron grumbled

"Didn't you two sleep together a few weeks ago?"

The burrow's sitting room was filled with happiness and joy. A banner hung over the fireplace, bright bold green letters that read "Happy 10th Birthday Tristan". Hermione watched the children gathered around their cousin, oohing at each gift he opened. So far he had received a muggle bike from his grandparents, mostly Arthur's idea, she was sure. His uncle Bill had given him a set of ancient rune stones from Egypt, a new broom from Ron and a collection of books from Percy. Unable to read the titles from outside the Burrow window, Hermione leaned in closer knocking over a flower pot. She ducked out of view as all eyes turned to the window she was peeking in through, praying no one would come investigate the noise.

"Hermione?"

Damn it!

"What are you doing here?" Ron whispered angrily as he grabbed her arm pulling her to the side of the house. "How did you get out of St. Mungo's?"

"I came to see my son for his birthday!"

"I told you I would bring him to you!"

"You said that last year! And the year before that, the year before that! I haven't seen him since he was a baby! You have no right -"

"I have every right!"

"He's my son too!"

"Not anymore! The courts deemed you unfit."

"You lied to them! You're whole family lied to them!"

Ron shrugged, "We did whatever it took to get you out of Tristan's life."

"I'm his mother!"

"Heather's his mother now."

"I'm his mother! Heather's just the bitch you plotted your own son's kidnapping with!"

"Prove it."

Hermione wanted to smack the shit eating grin off his face.

Ron stumbled out of the floo at the Leaky Cauldron, sleep still in his eyes.

"I'm really sorry to bother you," Hannah Abbott said kindly, "but she's in quite a state."

"What happened?" Ron asked taking a seat at the bar. He could feel Hermione's distress from here, she was paranoid and panicked, but it was rapidly decreasing. Neville seemed to be calming her down and his sudden appearance would mostly likely unsettle her more than she already was.

"She showed up a little while ago asking for a room. We're all booked up but the night manager recognized her and flooed us not wanting to turn her away."

"Did she say why she needed a room?"

Hanna shook her head, "Neville took her to the back office right away, he didn't think it was wise to have them out in the open. All kinds of people come through here."

"Smart thinking."

"I was gonna floo Harry but, well, they're your responsibility, yeah?"

"Well, Tristan is."

"And Hermione's his mother so..."

Ron placed his forehead on the bar "I would rather not deal with her shit."

"Yeah, I know, but... They're a pair, you can't have one without the other. The sooner you settle yourself with that fact the better. He's adorable, Ron and worth whatever shit you have to deal with."

Ron lifted his head and smiled, "Yeah, he is isn't he."

Ron made his way to the back office, "I know, I know," he could hear Hermione saying, "It just seemed like a real possibility."

"He would never do something like that."

Ron knocked.

"Someone better be dead," Ginny grumbled as she tossed the cover off of her, accidentally smacking Harry in the face with the corner.

"It wasn't me!" He said sitting up half asleep. "What happened?"

Bang Bang Bang

"Who's at the door?" Harry asked more alert. "It's one in the morning."

Ginny rolled her eyes as she tightened her dressing gown around her waist, hurrying down the stairs to answer before the banging woke up Jamie. She swung open the door, to find Ron, Tristan, and an angry looking Hermione standing on the other side. Ginny stared at them for a moment before putting her hand on her forehead and declaring "I have so many questions."

"That makes two of us," Ron walked passed her, Tristan asleep in his arms, taking a seat on the couch, "Like why does Hermione think I'm fucking Heather?"

"I never said I thought you were shagging Heather." Hermione stormed in after him.

"Empath," Ron Replied.

"Empath, not Legilimens."

"Same thing."

"They are not the same thing-"

"What going on?" Harry asked appearing behind his wife.

"No idea."

"At least they're talking."

"-one navigates emotions the other navigates minds. Two completely different things!"

"Different approaches same results!"

"Except your results are wrong."

"They're not talking, they're arguing,"

"Same thing,"

"Arguing and talking are not the same thing."

"They're exchanging words and communicating."

"My results are never wrong!"

"There's a first time for everything."

"Can someone please-" Harry said raising his voice slightly louder "Why you are having this argument in my sitting room at one in the morning?"

Ron and Hermione looked at Harry half surprised to see him there.

"You're wife told Hermione-"

"Ginny didn't tell me anything,"

"You're wife said something to Hermione and now she thinks I'm shagging Heather,"

"Are you?" Harry asked.

"I just met her!"

"When has that ever stopped you?"

"You're not helping Harry."

"More important question; why is this happening in my sitting room now? It couldn't wait till tomorrow? And why isn't Tristan in bed?"

"Because I had to get him at the Leaky."

"Why was Tristan at the Leaky?" Harry questioned.

"He was having a pint, why the fuck do you think he was there? ...Hermione?"

All eyes turned to Hermione for explanation.

"I-" Hermione plopped down on the couch, embarrassed. "I had this dream that Heather went behind my back and told Ron about Tristan and they fell in love and sent the Sawyer's to kill me so they could have Tristan for themselves. They were behind everything that happened; Tristan thought Heather was his mother... not me. I woke up, took Tristan and left."

"On your watch," Ron injected glaring eyes at the Potters.

"Oh shut up," Hermione turned angrily to Ron, "I'm not a prisoner in this house!"

"Ok," Harry said taking a seat next to Ron, "Firstly, how about you put Tristan back to bed?"

"He's coming home with me."

"Over my dead body."

"You think I'm gonna leave him with you after the shit you just pulled? You were gonna take him to another country!"

"Neville talked me down."

"Neville shouldn't have had to talk you down! You should never have left! Whoever paid the Sawyers is still out there, do you have any idea how much danger he's still in?"

"I thought you were the danger! That's why I left! Not because I thought you were shagging Heather you egotistical arsehole!"

Tristan began to squirm in Ron's arm, Hermione took a deep breath trying to calm her nerves, "You should put Tristan to bed before he wakes up."

Ron looked like he wanted to protest but instead stood to do as he was asked. When Ron was out of the room Ginny sat next to Hermione.

"Hermione..." she said sympathetically.

"I know Gin, it just didn't seem so ridiculous when I woke up; and with you not trusting Heather..."

"So you did say something to Hermione about Heather," Harry jumped in.

"Yes, but Ron doesn't need to know that."

"That he's right?"

"Yes," Both girls answered.

"Why don't you trust Heather? Ron does."

"Ron's thinking with his dick."

"They were obviously flirting with each other last night Harry, you can't deny that."

"Even so, Ron wouldn't compromise Tristan's safety for a bird."

"I'm not saying she's dangerous, I'm saying there's something about her I don't trust."

"Don't trust who? Heather?" Ron had come back into the sitting room.

"There was something off about her," Ginny insisted, "Look, if I'm wrong rub it in my face. I don't care."

"Hermione what do you think? You know Heather best." Harry asked.

"I - I woke up thinking Ron was behind Tristan's kidnapping, everyone is suspect to me."

"Ok," Harry said rubbing his forehead, "Ok, tomorrow we'll send Jordan to check out Heather's story," He pointed at Hermione, "No more running off in the middle of the night." Then, pointed to Ron, "Ron, Next time use the floo."

Ron shook his head, "Banging on your door is more obnoxious."

Hermione loved her son dearly, from the moment he was born her entire world was Tristan. Every decision she made was centered around him; where she lived, where she worked, all meticulously planned out so that she was never more than twenty minutes distance away from her son. She made sure her work and school schedule didn't interfere with her ability to spend as much quality time with her son as possible.

Now, she wondered, if maybe deep down she somehow always knew his life would be a short one. It was so hard to sleep knowing that every hour that passed was an hour closer to his death. She guessed that was true for everyone, but their deaths were an abstract date in some year the average person would never be able to guess. Not Tristan, his days were numbered. He would die somewhere in his sixteenth year of life. She had around 5,300 days left with her son. It was nowhere near enough time. It would be impossible to show him how much she loved him in 5,300 days.

Hermione watched the light of the rising sun creep into her bedroom, another day closer to the end of her world; another day of this hellish life she lived since entering the wizarding world. And she wondered, not for the first time, what her life would be like had she never attended Hogwarts. Her parents would be alive. No physical scars of the war she was forced to fight. No emotional scars either. She would have never met Ron, but she was sure a muggle boy would have taken his place as her first love.

Ron... She had always thought the guilt of hiding his child from him would be worst guilt of her life, but it wasn't. Giving him a dying son was by far the worst thing she had ever done.

"Bad news," Ron steadied the punching bag he'd been working out on to see Harry approaching. "Ginny might be right about Heather."

That wasn't what he was expecting. "Can't be, she didn't lie."

Harry picked up the shirt Ron had discarded on the ground and tossed it to him,

"That one's all sweaty," Ron said wrinkling his nose and walking over to his work out bag to get a clean shirt.

"She didn't tell the truth either." Harry sat on the bleachers watching Ron rummage through his bag.

"Not possible, I would have known if she was lying,"

Harry shrugged, "Jordan just got back and said there's no reports, New York Muggle Police or American Ministry of her or her family being found at their diner in Tribeca and she didn't report Tristan's kidnapping until recently."

"No." Ron firmly stated as he pulled a clean t-shirt over his head, "I would know if I'm being lied to."

"Stacy managed it."

"Hermione?" When Mr. Weasley turned around, looking confused at her presence, Hermione's urge to flee was near unbearable. But she needed to do this. "Heather's not here, Luna came by to introduce herself and took her on a tour of ottery. They've been gone all morning."

"I actually came to talk to you. I'm not interrupting anything, am I? I can come back another time..."

"No," Mrs. Weasley sighed, "Now is fine, I just put Jamie down for a nap."

"Hi, Hermione!" Tori smiled prettily from her place on the sitting room floor, "Look what Grampa bought! A telly like the one Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny gots!"

"I see," She smiled back,"Mind if Tristan watches with you while you're gran and I talk?"

"Sure!"

Hermione placed Tristan down next to Tori.

"We'll be right in the other room, watch your cousin," Mrs. Weasley said to Tori then gestured with her head towards the kitchen.

They sat awkwardly at the kitchen table for a long moment before Molly asked "Was there something you needed?"

"Well, um, I guess," Hermione took a deep breath, "I guess I should start off with an apology. I did love your son, and you, and your family. I never meant to cause the profound amount of hurt I have." Hermione felt tears fill her eyes. "You opened your home to me, treated me like family... In return, I've managed to hurt each and every one of you by what I've done to Ron...keeping Tristan away. I'm truly sorry. I don't have any excuses, just reasons I don't expect you to understand. I know I'm not well." She wiped the tears that began to fall. "I know I need help. Tristan deserves a mother that's the best version of herself and I haven't been that in a long time. I just don't know where to start." Hermione dissolved into sobs, "I'm sorry to bother you.. I just... I want my mum but... " Hermione couldn't continue, but it seemed as of she didn't have too, Mrs. Weasley had gotten up from her chair and embraced Hermione in the kind of hug only a mother could give. Years of sorrow, loneliness, and regret came spilling out in the form of tears and she wasn't sure if she would ever be able to stop.

"According to Heather's statement," Kingsley said while looking for a piece of parchment. He searched around his desk for a moment or two, "Ah- Here it is. They were attacked between late July 28th and early morning 29th."

"That right there is weird don't you think?" Jordan piped up, "I mean, if you're locked up for weeks like she claims she was, you start losing track of time."

Kingsley pointed at Jordan as if to say "You have a point."

Harry began ruffling through Hermione's file. "In one of Hermione's sessions at Mungo's she said the last time she saw or spoke to Heather was the night before she went out with Ron," Harry, Jordan, and Kingsley both looked to Ron.

"What?"

"What day did you and Hermione go out?"

"Uh," Ron screwed up his face thinking, "I don't remember the exact day."

"See," Jordan said with a smile.

"Hermione was committed the day before my birthday, I remember that much. You two went out the night before that, so the 28th to the 29th sound about right for them to go missing."

"That was the truth," Ron said.

"The mystery begins at what happened after that," Kingsley remarked.

"We know the sawyers had Tristan in England. The Romanos were still in New York. The Sawyers where captured and killed before Heather and her family were allegedly rescued and Tristan being reported missing," Jordan ticked known facts off his finger.

"Heather claims she was found on the 24th, and filed a kidnapping report that same day," Ron continued, "But records show she did that on the 27th."

"The same day Hermione and I showed up at the American Ministry."

"Heather was asked to come in by two American Aurors on the 26th." Jordan added.

"Wait, what?"

Jordan handed the files he had gathered in New York over to Ron, "Says right there: Two Aurors went to her place to investigate her disappearance on the 26th, asked her to come in the next day to investigate if it was a misunderstanding or an intentional false reporting." He stated matter-of-factly. "That's why they wanted Hermione to go in. False reporting of a crime is illegal."

Ron slumped down in his seat, "How did I miss all of this?"

"Don't be so hard on yourself," Kingsley said sympathetically, "None of these are actual lies. How she was found were assumptions, she never presented it as fact."

"I still should have known something was off. Ginny picked up on it..."

"Ginny's a mind healer, you're an Auror. She's trained to find what people are hiding from themselves, you're trained to determine truth from lies."

"I guess," Ron grumbled.

"So, what does this all mean?" Jordan asked. "Do we think Heather was in on the kidnapping? Are the Romano's behind the kidnapping? There's also the possibility that the mastermind behind all this messed with the records like they did with Tristan, to make us suspicious of Heather steering us in the wrong direction."

"She did seem genuinely worried about Tristan. Made me feel like shit actually," Harry commented.

A moment passed, and Harry shook his head and said "No, we didn't just stumbled upon this, we're sitting here because Ginny sensed something was off. Even if the records were changed, that doesn't account for the fact that it was Heather herself that sparked Ginny's suspicion."

"It doesn't matter," Ron said scrubbing his face with his hands, "Innocent or not this is gonna fuck with Hermione's head."

"Concern for Hermione's well being? That's new!"

"I'm concerned with Hermione trying to run off with my son that I just found out exists."

"I have to say, I thought you had at least another month of pretending he didn't exist in you."

"Fuck off, Jordan. I'm not that much of an arsehole."

"Alright boys," Kingsley interrupted with a smile, "You can continue teasing Ron on your own time. Jordan, head back to New York and find out as much as you can about the Romanos, I'll clear it with their President. You two, bring Heather in tomorrow to use a pensive."

Ron stopped dead at the sight of Hermione sitting at the kitchen table of the burrow, she was the last person he had expected to see.

"What happened?" was his immediate question.

"Nothing?" Hermione said confused.

"Is Tristan ok?"

"He's fine."

"Where is he?"

"Napping."

"What are you doing he-?" Ron was cut off by Harry flooing in and slamming into him.

"Jesus Christ, Ron! Hermione? What are you doing here?"

"I came to talk to Mrs. Weasley?"

"Did anyone get hexed?"

"The day is still young," Ginny said something down the stairs with Jamie in her arms, walking over to her husband and giving him a kiss.

"Is Heather here?"

"No, I sent Luna over to get her out of the house while Jamie was here."

"What do you need to see Heather for?" Hermione asked.

"Yes," Ginny said with a floating hint in her voice, "What do you need to see Heather for?" Before handing Jamie to his father.

"There were a few holes in her story," Ron grumbled.

Ginny took a seat at the table a huge smile on her face then turned to Hermione, "And he's supposed to be the greatest empath in the world! My arse!"

"You're a real bitch you know that?"

"What crawled up your ass?"

"He's a little sour about not catching Heather's lies."

"Heather did lie?" Hermione asked.

"Kind of, we're not sure. And who caught it isn't as important than finding out what she knows about the kidnapping." Harry looked pointedly at Ginny.

"Of course,."

"Do you know when Luna's bringing her back?"

"No,"

They sat quietly around the kitchen table watching Jamie try to slyly steal a biscuit from the plate in the middle of the table. Harry would move it an inch further away and Jamie would scoot closer.

"So what are you doing here?" Ron asked Hermione breaking the silence. Hermione's presence was bothering him. It's not that he didn't want her there, well, he didn't, but it was mostly because she was feeling awkward and uncomfortable and it was making him feel awkward and uncomfortable.

"I came to speak to your mother,"

"Yeah, you said that. About what?"

Her eyes shot to Ginny, "Um, well you see..."

Ron did his best to not roll his eyes at Hermione's reluctance to say whatever it was she needed to say. She needed to realize not everything was going to turn into an argument. She was still walking on eggshells around him and frankly, it was becoming quite annoying. By the look on Ginny's face, she to was annoyed with Hermione's hesitation.

"She's going to start seeing Adelaide," Ginny said rolling her eyes.

"She's going to start seeing my therapist?"

"She's the best there is."

"Won't that be a conflict of interest?"

"It's better this way. We've all seen her at one point so she knows about Hermione and I'd bet my life she's all you bitched about."

"And knowing the both of us will help her figure out a way for us to co-parent Tristan without killing each other."

"Or making us want to kill ourselves." Ginny injected.

Co-Parenting. This was really happening. He was going to actually be a father. He had honestly thought when everything was said and done Hermione would want to go back to the states. When he allowed himself to think about it he envisioned only being able to see his son a few times a year, fighting with Hermione over how she was bogarting him and threats to sue for custody if she didn't let him see his son more often. But this, getting herself help here. She was really staying. Tristan was staying.

"Ok, I just don't understand what that has to do with my mother."

"Someone has to watch Tristan while I go to sessions and when I eventually get a job," Hermione said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Which it was, actually.

"Oh."

"Oh? That's all you have to say?"

"What do you want me to say?"

"We thought you would have a problem with it," Ginny said.

"Hermione needs the help, and if Tristan's here I get to see him more. What would I have a problem with?"

"Hermione invading your space."

"Don't give him ideas, Gin!" Harry spoke up.

"Right so... you're gonna be okay with running into Hermione here every now and again? In addition to Sunday dinners, Mum's invited her to those."

"That's fine."

"Okay," Ginny said impressed, "Maturity wins."

"I just have one question." Ron said and Ginny raised her eyebrows at him in response, "Tristan hates mum."

"They've made progress today."

"Your mother and I had a talk, once all the negativity between us was gone Tristan warmed up to her."

"He let her put him down for a nap, Mum was so happy she cried. Dad's up there trying to get her to stop watching him sleep." Ginny laughed.

"I know how to get her to stop." Ron stood and made his way upstairs to Percy's old room which was now a makeshift nursery.

"Maybe Minerva could set up some private classes for her so she could sit in for the NEWTS at the end of the school year? She was always so smart, if anyone can do it she can." Ron heard his mother saying.

"We'll get her to where she needs to be,"

"I guess everyone's on the 'Help Hermione Train' now?"

"Ronald!" His mother screeched placing a hand on her heart.

"She needs it, son." His father said.

"I know," Ron sighed. "What's good for Hermione is good for Tristan, yeah?"

His mother walked over to him and pulled him over to the crib, "He's such an angel, look at him."

Ron smiles down to his sleeping son, he really was a beautify baby. He couldn't wait to get to know him.

"We were thinking," His father started, "After Hermione passes her NEWTs, maybe placing her in the Empath Department at the Department of Mysteries."

"She's so clever if anyone can find a cure for his level of empathy it's Hermione." His mother said with such conviction, even he believed it.