Return to Life

Ron woke up and looked around. He was surprised to find himself in the hospital. As he sat up slowly in the bed, he remembered Harry and his parents coming to see him If Harry had come, then Hermione must have finally reached him.

He looked up as the door opened and the twins walked in.

"Finally awake, Ronniekins?" George teased. "Only you would want to take a nap in the middle of a wizards war. Why didn't you just put in for vacation?"

Ron smiled. His brothers didn't have a serious bone in their bodies.

"I need your help," he said.

"Help for what?" Fred asked sitting on the side of the bed. "Does this concern official Auror business?"

"I need a distraction to get out of here. If my guess is correct, one of the Malfoys and their goons should be here shortly since I know the word is out that I'm awake."

"Distractions are our specialty. You should remember that," Fred said grinning.

"Right." Ron swung his legs around so that he could stand up.

George caught Ron before he could fall. "Whoa. Mum'll have are heads if something happens to you."

"I have to get to Harry. The Death Eaters are after him."

"What else is new?" They both answered.

"They plan on taking James. They know he's Hermione and Harry's baby. They figure if they take him now, they could train him to be stronger than Harry ever was."

"But for all they know, baby James could be a squib," Fred answered.

Ron shook his head. "You know how James' cradle is always rocking when you see him in it?"

They both nodded. "Didn't mum set that up?" George asked.

Ron shook his head. "That was James."

Harry, Hermione, and baby James traveled by floo powder to her flat in London.

"I really hate traveling by floo powder," she said brushing off her robes.

Harry stood looking around. He started having the strangest feeling. Hermione looked at Harry. "What's wrong?"

He shook his head. "I don't know, but I think we'd better go now." She started to protest, then thought better of it. "Okay." She grabbed the bag of the baby's things. "Wait a minute. Are you on the floo network?"

"No. I have a port key. Grab hold. Here, I'll hold James." They felt a pulling sensation and found themselves outside of Harry's house.

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A few moments after they left, several popping noises were heard in Hermione's flat. Draco Malfoy and his longtime cronies, Crabbe and Goyle appeared. "Damn," Draco said slapping his fist into his palm. "We had to have just missed them." He looked around. "Come on, then. Not that I relish telling my father that we missed snatching Potter's brat."

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"Welcome home," Harry said as he opened the door for her. She walked into the house and looked around. "Where is James going to sleep?" she asked. He smiled. "Believe it or not, my old room is still pretty much the way it was when I was a baby."

"You're kidding!" she said.

"Come on, I'll show you."

They climbed the stairs to the second level and walked down the hall. He opened the door. There was a rocking chair, a wooden cradle, and a dresser.

"He should just fit until we can find him a bigger one." Harry laid the now sleeping baby in the cradle and they tiptoed out of the door. Hermione looked around once she was back in the hallway.

"There're only two rooms?" she asked. Harry nodded. "You can sleep in mine. I'll sleep on the couch downstairs."

"I couldn't put you out of your bed, Harry. I can sleep in the room with the baby."

"No, really," he said. "I don't usually sleep much anyway." He started down the stairs.

She frowned at him. "Why?"

"I still see Bellatrix killing Sirius whenever I close my eyes." He sat down heavily on the couch. "She always manages to get away. One of these days, I will get her. And Malfoy."

She sat down beside him. "Harry, it's not good to keep all that bottled up inside you." She took his hand and held it between her own. "Think of James. You have so much to live for."

He took his other hand and caressed the side of her face. "When I was out chasing Death Eaters, one of the only things that kept me going was the thought of you. Do you think you could forgive me for the way I left?"

She smiled at him. "I always understood what you were going through. I decided I'd just wait until you came to your senses."

He laughed. "Oh really?"

"Yes, really."

Harry leaned forward and kissed her gently. "And if I say I've finally come to my senses?"

"I'd say it's about time," she whispered leaning forward to kiss him back.