The Law

Chapter Nine


Hermione waited by the floo as it activated and Ginny Weasley, Harry Potter, as well as Neville Longbottom came spilling out of the fireplace. Hermione was enveloped into a group hug, all of them cooing that she looked great as they gently touched her roundness.


“Where is Remus?” Harry asked, and saw her falling face. “Hermione?”


“They have him,” she whispered. “Harry, they have my mate.”


He took her into his arms and told her, “We’ll get him back. We’ll get them all back.”


“But how?” Hermione asked, looking at all of them. “You left! We all did. We were cowards. We should have stayed to find a way to correct it all from here.”


“Nonsense!” Ginny told her. “We did the only thing we could do.”


“Really?” she asked, looking to Neville. “Did you leave the school while the Death Eaters were running it? Or did you stay put and find a way to deal them the worst blows you could?” She looked to Harry. “Did we or did we not learn anything from that war or Ron?”


“Ron, as in my brother?” Ginny asked, looking to her fiancé. “What is she talking about?”


“He left for a time,” Harry said. “He was overwhelmed by…everything. He came back and just in time too.” He looked over to Hermione. “You’re right of course. It must be a bloody pain to be so all the time.”


She smiled. “Only for the people debating me.”


“What I want to know is why you had us apperate from place to place until we reached London?” Neville asked her. “Do they have tracers on us or something of the sort?”


“No,” she told him. “But as soon as I can, I’ll tell you. First thing first, we need to get who we can out of Azkaban.” She motioned to the table covered in law books. “We have a bit of reading to do, my friends.”


Draco joined them two hours later and ended up right next to them reading. Lucius had the house elves bring them food and he went over to check on them later on that day. He saw the others reading as Hermione was rubbing her back as she leaned against the wall.


He went over to her murmuring, “How are you?”


“Tired,” she breathed, resting her head on her arm as she leaned against the wall again. “I’m terrified.” Hermione looked into his steel grey eyes. “Over in Canada there was a safe house five kilometers away from where we were. They killed the old man that lived there. And for what, I ask you.”


“Because that poor bastard got into their way,” Lucius told her. “You need to rest. You have the baby to worry about.”


She nodded, as she tried to pull away from the wall, but couldn’t seem to move. Letting out a heavy sigh, he scooped her up and carried her over to the nearest guestroom.


Later on while Hermione was trying to rest, she felt someone joining her in the bed. At first she had thought it was Draco, but it turned out to be Ginny. She slipped into bed with the older witch, sliding her hand over Hermione’s pregnant belly.


“Harry wants a family,” she whispered, watching as her friend’s belly rippled. “Me, I want to wait.”


“Then wait,” she replied. “You have time. Take it. Live it. And when you’re ready, have a child. Have a pack of them if you want! But when you’re ready for them, Ginny.”


Smiling she said, “I knew you would understand.”


“Meaning?”


Swallowing thickly, she told her, “He wants them now.”


“Then tell him you’re not ready,” Hermione murmured.


Blushing hotly, she replied, “He’s done so much for me and my family…”


“You would have his children out of guilt?” The question lay between them for a moment in silence before Hermione whispered, “Talk to him. Tell him that you love him, but that you aren’t ready and that if you have children now that it wouldn’t be for the right reasons. He’ll understand. He loves you.”


Ginny ended up leaving five minutes later when Hermione drifted off to sleep. A few minutes after that Draco joined her in the bed, his hand going over to her pregnant tummy. Her eyes drifted open and she watched the young wizard looking at her with something akin to wonder.


“Does it hurt?” he asked her.


“It’s uncomfortable at times,” she said, her voice heavy with sleep. “My back and ankles ache. Remus…” Tears sprung up in her eyes and she tried to ignore them. “He-he would rub my feet and ankles. My back too.” She sniffled. “I miss him so much.”


“I know,” he breathed. “But we are going to get them back. I don’t know how, but we’ll fix this.”


“Who transformed you?” she asked him quietly.


“Fenrir,” he muttered, the anger clear in his tones. “That fucking bastard blamed me for everything going wrong. Never mind that the so called leader was a half-blood psycho and we were idiots to follow him.”


“So what are you planning on doing?” she murmured. “After it is all said and done, what are you to make of your life, Mr. Malfoy?”


He blinked at her confused. “I don’t…”


“You’re a smart man, Draco,” she told him. “You shouldn’t let what has happened in the past hold you back from doing what you wish.” She reached over and stroked his hair as a mother would. “Don’t let your fears of what you are stop you from anything, pup.”


Smiling softly, he murmured, “Yes, ma’am.”


A minute later he left, as she had once again fallen asleep. This time it wasn’t until a half an hour later that Harry came into the room and joined her on the bed. He lay there silently thinking over what he wanted to ask her.


“Yes, Harry, it’s selfish of you to ask Ginny to give up her dreams so that you can have something that you can easily wait a few years for. No, it’s not unreasonable for her not to want children so soon. This will give you time together to get to be friends as well as lovers. No, I don’t think you are being unreasonable with your request for a quick marriage, but do you want it for the right reasons? And lastly, say ‘good night, Hermione. Thank you for your sage advice.’ And now for the love of Merlin let me sleep.”


Laughing to himself, he kissed her temple. “Good night, Hermione. Thank you for your sage advice. I don’t know what I do without you.”


***

Hi everyone! I just wanted to let you know that even though I'll try to update this story as regularly as I can that I might have problems doing so. I live in Granada Hills, CA and currently there is a wild fire that has many in the area evacuating. So far all my family is safe and we haven't had to move yet, but between the hurricane strong winds and the fire we are facing rolling blackouts as well. So I need to stay off of my computer as much as I can. Like I said, I'll keep trying to update, but I cannot make promises. Take care and stay safe, Teresa