It wasn’t long before Ginny wandered back into the living room where Holly was sitting on an armchair reading a book. The fresh air did not relax her, or calm down the millions of thoughts that were rushing throughout her head. Whoever made up the stupid rule that fresh air helps clear your head was lying, Ginny thought. She curled up on the sofa and carelessly grabbed a random book from the table. Bloody Harry Potter, Ginny thought irritably, flicking through the pages with more ferocity than needed for the book. If Madam Pince were there, Ginny would have been running out the room to avoid the violent books trying to knock her out now. Bloody feelings.

Holly sighed as she looked up from the Muggle novel that Hermione had lent her, and saw a thoroughly confused and upset Ginny trying to read. Holly was reading a book which was about a gold rind that possessed evil magic and a man that reminded her of Albus Dumbledore.  Strange what Muggles come up with, Holly thought with amusement.

After a while, Holly carefully folded down the page she was on and set it down on the table. Her was attention drawn to the red head sitting near her who was currently reading a worn out copy of ‘Quidditch Through the Ages,’ without much enthusiasm or attention. Her eyes kept on flickering away from the page as she lost concentration, her mind obviously distracted by something, or in this case someone. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what was taking up all of Ginny’s attention.

"You’re being unusually quiet," Holly said with a cheery tone as she tried to brighten the mood. Ginny jumped and looked at her lap almost guiltily, rustling the pages as if she was looking for a certain page.

"Sorry, I’ve just had quite a bit to think about…" Ginny muttered. Her voice sounded distant, and even slightly sad. Holly bit her tongue to stop herself from saying what was on her mind at that particular moment. Harry was quite a sensitive subject with the youngest Weasley. It was not a subject that you’d like to bring up when she was in a bad mood, and even more so when she was angry with him.  But maybe something else could help.

"So, is there anything that’s not too future-altering you would like to ask me? I know that you want to ask something," Holly said seriously to the brooding Ginny. At these words, Ginny turned her head towards Holly, a surprised look askew her face. Holly couldn’t believe she was voluntarily telling anyone about future events. She knew full well that terrible things might happen to those who meddled with time. However, she also knew that the only reason she came back was to meddle, and maybe telling someone else something about the future might help her to relax as well.

"This is definitely a change of attitude! I was under the impression that you were very tight lipped about future events," Ginny exclaimed, but there was a hint of mirth in her voice.

"Well, I trust you’ll ask sensible questions, unlike the boys. Don’t tell Hermione, but I think that your questions would be a bit more interesting than hers, which would probably be very logical and very boring," Holly explained, grinning as Ginny let out a short bark of laughter. Holly smiled, happy that she was achieving her goal. Ginny bit her lip and frowned as she tried to think of suitable questions. Holly watched her until her face broke out into a large smile.

"I’ve got a question about you. Did you have a boyfriend in the future?" Ginny asked, always eager to hear about such things. It was Holly’s turn to laugh as she leaned back on her armchair and reminisced.

"I had a few over the years, not too serious though…  I am quite surprised that anyone asked me out in the first place," Holly said thoughtfully. "But I didn’t leave one behind when I came here, if that’s what you mean," Holly added after a moment.

"Why not? I’m surprised that people weren’t queuing at your feet for you!" Ginny exclaimed, slightly annoyed. Holly blushed intently at the compliment.

"Thank you, but I think it was because they were scared, mostly," Holly explained.

"Scared?"

"Well, I do have quite a nasty temper when I’m in a bad mood or if someone irritates me. I was probably able to beat all the boys in school in a fight, not to mention they were pretty intimidated by my family, and my younger, yet terrifying, cousin." Holly laughed, a sudden flashback to the day she got into a punch up with one of the Slytherin school bullies, and won, washed over her. Ginny burst out laughing.

"I can imagine that would be terrifying for any teenage boy. What type of guy do you look for anyway?" Ginny asked, genuinely interested in her tastes. She knew Hermione’s taste, which was her brother. She didn’t feel very comfortable hearing about his brother’s love life.

"I’m not too fussed, as long as they’re kind and have a sense of humour," Holly said thoughtfully.

Ginny marvelled over how similar their tastes were, and then had to stop herself as the image of Harry popped into her head.

"But I don’t think I’ll be looking for anyone anytime soon," Holly said almost grimly. Ginny looked at her strangely.

"Why not? You’re young, single…what’s the harm in it?" Ginny inquired.

"I could ask you the same question, but it’s not that simple," Holly muttered, not sure whether she wanted to share that certain secret with Ginny yet; it was slightly embarrassing.

"Isn’t it? You don’t have to commit to a guy you flirt with, just find someone you enjoy spending time with and get on with," Ginny said simply, ignoring the first thing Holly said.

"Easy for you to say, you’ve got your guy," Holly muttered, then cursed herself as she realised that she had just spoken out loud. She had meant to keep that particular sentence in her head.

"What did you say?"

Holly sighed with relief, grateful that she hadn’t spoken quite loud enough for the red

head sitting next to her to hear. She had no idea how she’d get herself out of that.

"Nothing. But what about you and Harry?" Holly asked, keeping her face innocent even though she was venturing into dangerous grounds. She had always thought that the direct approach was always best, and this situation was no different. (True, she had never had to do this before with the people involved, but then again, everything she had done since she arrived in the past had been nothing like she’s ever done before.) Ginny was in a better mood now, and this could be her only chance to ask her.

"What do you mean?" Ginny asked, avoiding eye contact with Holly and acting distinctly jumpy.

"You know! He’s single, cute, brave and no longer has all those burdens he had at school," Holly said suggestively, stopping herself from flinching as she spoke those words. She never thought she’d say those words in her entire life. Ginny glared at her.

"Then why don’t you date him?" Ginny snapped, looking cross. Holly screwed up her nose and looked at Ginny strangely, at loss at what to say.

"Nah, I think he’s a bit too old, and well, he’s really not my type," Holly shrugged, trying

to sound calm. Ginny didn’t realise how much that statement actually disturbed her.

"He can be a bit of a git sometimes, can’t he?" Ginny said, slowly smiling. Holly snorted. "Even though his whole ‘destiny’ thing has gone, he still hasn’t got rid of his overbearing nobleness and his whole ‘hero complex!’"

"It’s not his fault," Holly said automatically jumping to Harry’s defence before she even realised it.

"He’s a great friend though, I know why Ron and Hermione always stuck with him at school," Ginny said, smiling slightly.

"He seems great, and oddly calm for someone who had defeated the most evil wizard in history quite recently," Holly said seriously. Ginny shrugged and looked pensive for a moment.

"I guess its because he’s known he’d have to do it for most of his life, so he’s got used to it," Ginny suggested. She paused for a minute before adding, "so why don’t you want to date anyone right now?"

Holly thought for a second on how she could say it. After she had looked at Ginny again, she knew that Ginny would understand, or at least try her hardest to.

"Well, I don’t want to date anyone because…whenever I look at any guys…. I automatically think ‘he’s as old, or older, than my father!’"

Holly bit her lip and cringed as she realised how strange it sounded.

"Oh…I understand, they’re like twenty years older than they are now in your time…" Ginny said after a minute. Holly nodded. She then voiced her real fear.

"Its not just that, I’m also scared that if I get together with someone, I might inadvertently change who he’s with in my future and effectively kill their children," Holly exclaimed.

"But the future hasn’t happened yet, so it can be changed. Look at Ron!" Ginny replied.

"It has for me, what if I stop my best friend’s parents from getting together or something, wouldn’t that mean I’m murdering her?" Holly sounded quite disgusted with herself.

"That doesn’t make you a murderer, like I said, the future can be changed, Ron’s proof of that, but sometimes, it’s for the better, not everything is ‘meant to be.’ Plus it’s not like you’re going to marry the first guy you see, will you?"

"I guess you’re right, but I’m still going to avoid any dating, it just feels wrong to me," Holly said, shuddering.

"Its up to you. It’s your life, I have no right to say what you do, I’m not your mother," Ginny said kindly. Holly smiled.

"Thanks for listening," Holly said quietly. Ginny smiled, sincerely enjoying their girly time, in spite of it getting redirected towards Harry.

"No problem."

______________________________________________________

 

Later that day, not long after Ginny had left for work, Holly jumped when she heard a loud crash coming from the kitchen. Automatically, Holly rushed to the source of the noise, her right hand unconsciously clenching round her wand that was in her pocket. When she reached the kitchen, she stopped, blinked, then laughed. Harry looked up at her helplessly from the floor.

"What happened here?" Holly asked, gesturing to the now snapped chair that was under Harry. Harry started to blush, which was quite out of character for him.

"Someone tried to attack me on the way home. Bloody stupid move if you ask me," Harry said, pointing to his torn robes. He was obviously trying to avoid the question. Holly raised an eyebrow and continued to eye the broken furniture. Harry looked down and muttered sheepishly, "then I accidentally walked into the chair and tripped over it."

Harry was now thoroughly embarrassed, Holly’s laughing did not help matters. He tried to stand up, then promptly fell back on his backside as he unintentionally stood on the hem of his robes. Holly laughed again and offered him a hand to help him up, which he took. After standing up and brushing himself off, he pulled out his wand and quickly fixed the chair.

"I can’t wait to tell everyone how clumsy you are!" Holly said teasingly, grinning.

"Don’t you dare!" Harry exclaimed, looking both shocked and embarrassed he didn’t really want the others to know he could be as clumsy as Tonks, he didn’t think he could bear the embarrassment. Holly grinned and flicked a piece of hair out of her eyes, as if to challenge him. Just as she was about to retort cheekily, they were interrupted but the loud sarcastic voice of Ron Weasley.

"Thanks for leaving me with all the paperwork mate, you’re just a great friend! I-Oh hello!"

Ron had walked into the kitchen and noticed Holly grinning at Harry. Ron was carrying a very large and boring-looking stack of papers, and what looked like a large report book. He smiled at Holly, then dumped the papers on the kitchen table.

"What are they for?" Holly asked curiously, eyeing the papers with interest.

"Oh, just some boring legal documents Ron and I have to fill in and sign, and a couple of reports the ministry wants us to look into, you know, suspicious behaviour, missing people, stuff like that," Harry explained also looking at the papers with an expression that was the opposite to Holly’s.

"So who attacked you on way home?" Holly inquired, looking a lot more serious now. Harry shrugged.

"Just some desperate criminals who probably wanted to try and catch me for to look good when I was unawares. Their plan failed spectacularly though, Ron called the Order to take them after I’d already pinned two of them to the floor and he’d stunned the other one," Harry explained lazily, scratching his nose.

"See, the training is already coming in handy! I’m glad you’re both alright though," Holly said.

"That’s nice to know. So what have you been doing today?" Harry asked.

"Not that much really, mostly I talked to Ginny and read that book Hermione lent me," Holly replied, noticing the swift glance Harry gave Ron as she mentioned Hermione.

"Well, Remus knows I’m bringing you later to see him, so you won’t need to worry about that," Harry said in a business like tone.

"Thanks," Holly replied warmly, absently picking up a paper from the pile and flicking through it. As Holly looked away from Harry and Ron for a moment, Harry mouthed

‘soon.’ Ron smiled briefly and suddenly looked quite nervous.

"You don’t mind if I have a look, it looks interesting, plus, I might recognise something or someone," Holly asked.

"Sure," Ron replied, shrugging and leaving the room. Holly smiled and picked up the reports from the top of the pile. As she looked through tone, she wandered back into the living room, followed by Harry. The boys collapsed onto the sofa.

"We make a good duo, you know that," Harry said cheerfully to Holly, who looked up from the papers with a raised eyebrow.

"You’re always looking for trouble and trouble always seems to find me," Harry said, unconsciously rubbing his old scar. Ron chuckled.

"Very funny, Harry Potter. Hey, maybe I should just stick by you all the time, seeing as you’re a trouble magnet. I’ll fight them off while you lure them in with that special charm of yours," Holly replied sarcastically.

"I’ve defeated Voldemort, I think a few bits of trouble aren’t too hard for me," Harry said waving his hand in the air dismissively.

"Defeating Voldemort doesn’t make you invincible, you know," Holly said quietly, in a tone that was almost angry. With that, she got up and left the room. Harry frowned.

"What did I do?" Harry asked, bewildered. Ron shrugged.

"She has more mood swings than you did in our fifth year. I don’t think that we’re ever going to really understand that girl though," Ron said, sighing.

__________________________________________________

 

"Calm down, Remus won’t bite!" Harry said, trying to reassure the brown haired witch

who was currently wringing her hands and biting her lip anxiously.

"Well, not when it’s not full moon," Holly replied snappishly. Harry glared at her.

"That is really not funny."

"I know, I’m really sorry, I didn’t mean it, I just get like this when I’m nervous," Holly said quietly, staring at the floor.

"It’s okay, but can we go in now, I don’t like just standing at a doorstep, it makes me feel like a salesperson."

Holly nodded slowly and swallowed. Aside from the biting comment, Harry was finding Holly’s reaction quite amusing. Usually she was so calm and in control, and Harry wondered why she was getting so nervous. Perhaps she just wanted to give a good impression. Harry smiled slightly and then opened the door. The room was filled with clutter, people and noise. Spells were soaring through the air, cries of ‘Expelliarmus’ echoed against the walls. Harry smiled again as he remembered the old DA and how much it reminded him of Remus' club, except, it wasn’t illegal and wasn’t being taught by a fifteen year old that everyone thought had lost the plot.

Adults were strolling around correcting people techniques or teaching a group new spells. A few people turned around to look at the newcomers, and many broke out in excited whispers. Harry sighed exasperatedly. No matter how many times he went to the club, or anywhere that had people for that matter, he still received the same reaction. At least Holly looks somewhat calmer, Harry thought to himself as he glanced at her.

"Do you always get such a huge reaction?" Holly asked quietly, a hint of amusement in her voice. Harry nodded, then his face broke out into a large smile as his eyes sought out his old friend. Grabbing Holly’s arm, he pulled her towards Remus.

"Hello there!" Remus said cheerfully as Harry and Holly approached him.

"Hello Remus, how have you been?" Harry asked. Remus grinned in an almost mischievous way, a way Harry had always imagined he would when he was at school and a Marauder. That smile and the twinkle in his eye had returned when he started to date Tonks.

"Everything’s great. As you can see business is still going strong," Remus replied happily.

"That’s great! I’ve brought Holly here so you could meet her and see whether she would be suitable to work here," Harry said. Remus turned to Holly, who was now looking a lot more controlled and calm; more like the Holly he knew.

"So you want to work here?" Remus asked.

Holly nodded.

"What makes you think you would work well here?" Remus asked with a tone he adopted whenever he was asking questions in an interview. Holly didn’t even skip a beat when she replied.

"Well, I’m pretty good at defence. I’ve had loads of experience with various dark forces and I would like to share my experiences, so if they are attacked, they will know what to do. I just want to help people."

"Plus, she will easily be able to control them, believe me. She kept us all in line the other day. We didn’t dare step out of line," Harry added. Remus looked thoughtful for a moment, then stuck out his hand.

"Welcome to the team."

Holly shook it, looking relieved.

"How old are you by the way?" Remus asked.

"I’m nineteen."

Remus looked surprised.

"You look older, at least your eyes do. It reminds me a bit of how Harry’s were like when he was about your age…" Remus said softly, his eyes briefly flickering over to the raven haired man who was watching Holly thoughtfully. Holly looked at the floor.

"Well, I’ve seen a lot of things that I wish I hadn’t," Holly explained quietly after a moment.

"I see... Well, I hope you’ll enjoy working here. Can you start tomorrow?"

Holly nodded, smiling.

"You’re free to have a look around if you want and I’ll see you tomorrow, first thing."

With that, Remus rushed off.

“That was a quick interview,” Holly mused as Remus disappeared from view.

“It wasn’t really gonna be an interview, I think Remus just wanted to see the person he was hiring,” Harry replied.

“Its great you’ve got that sort of trust with him…and with me. Its nice to know that you don’t think I’m dangerous or anything,” Holly said after a moment.

“Well you have saved our lived, particularly Ron’s. I’m not one to trust people quickly but I don’t know, there’s something about you…I can’t really explain…over the years, I’ve been able to sense what type of person someone is and you I feel…” Harry didn’t know why he was saying these things, the words seemed to just be coming out of his mouth.

“Familiarity?” Holly added quietly. Harry thought for a moment, then nodded.

“I know what you mean because I feel the same, I feel safe with you guys and….” Holly seemed to run out of words and so had Harry. The two of them spent a moment just watching the children and teenagers learn spells, not knowing what to do or say. Something seemed to shift between them. Finally, Harry cleared his throat.

"So do you want to have a look around?" Harry asked, still ignoring the occasional stares. He fiddled with the front of his robe, still not knowing what to say.

"Nah, I already know what the place looks like from last week. I think that if we stay any longer, you’re going to explode from all of the stares," Holly said lightly, glancing around the room, at the same time breaking the uneasy tension that had set between them. Harry chuckled. Just as they left the room, Harry spoke.

"What sort of dark forces have you faced in the past?"

Holly stiffened.

"I don’t really want to talk about it."

"Why not?"

"Because I don’t. I thought that you Harry, out of anyone, would understand that, after what you’ve been through over the years."

Just as Harry went to reply, there was a pop and she was gone.

_________________________________________

 

There was only one word that could describe how Hermione was feeling when she Flooed to Harry’s house for the weekend. Confused. Both her boyfriend and best friend were acting very oddly and she could not think why. Ginny and Holly welcomed her in their usual manner; Ginny with her squeeze-the-breath-out-of-you hug and Holly with a cheerful comment and a large smile. Although Harry acted normally, Hermione could instantly tell that he was hiding something. And Ron was just completely obvious. He had never been a good liar, especially to her; his pale face and nervous smile immediately told her that something was wrong, or at least something he was not telling her. And when Harry not so subtly dragged Holly and Ginny out of the room a few hours after her arrival her suspicions were confirmed.

"Hermione, I need to talk to you about something important," Ron said after clearing his throat for what must have been the tenth time. His voice was shaking slightly, but it was determined. She could detect the distinct, fragrance of Ron’s aftershave as he stood up and sat next to Hermione on the sofa.

"Sure, what’s the matter?" Hermione asked, keeping her voice casual even though she was anything but. She was dying to find out why Ron had been acting so oddly. Ron turned several shades lighter and he swallowed. He looked like he was about the throw up.

"I-er-I…." Ron was completely tongue tied, and his ears were turning a brilliant shade of red. Frowning, she put an arm around Ron’s shoulder.

"Are you okay? Are you ill?" Hermione asked softly, her voice filled with concern. She wasn’t used to Ron looking so ill. Ron shook his head.

"No, I’m not it’s just…" He paused again, then dug his hand into his pocket and pulled out his wand, muttering something. Nothing happened. Cursing under his breath, he repeated the spell. Hermione gasped as the lights dimmed and the whole room suddenly became a lot more formal, resembling one of the restaurants Ron had taken her to shortly after Voldemort’s downfall. She could even make out the quiet hum of romantic music. Hermione bit her lip and gazed into the relived, yet nervous eyes of the man that had captured her hearts many years ago. She recognised the song from Fleur and Bill’s wedding, when they first danced together and when Hermione had realised that Ron had finally matured. Ron had also shared that when he danced with her, it was when he truly realised how much he loved her. She smiled at the memory. Ron was also looking deeply into her eyes, as if he was looking deep into her soul.

After a moment or two, Ron seemed to have gained confidence and he sat up a bit straighter, his skin and ears slowly returning to their natural shade. He cleared his throat yet again and took her small hands in his, enveloping them.

"Y-You know I love you, don’t you?"

Hermione smiled and nodded. Ron took a deep breath in, still maintaining eye contact with her.

"For a while now I’ve been thinking about asking you something and after the fire and Holly telling us I wasn’t meant to survive, I realised something. My whole perspective of life has been changed. Between being an Auror and working for the Order, I could be dead tomorrow. I should be dead. I’ve realised that life is just too short to waste, I don’t want to waste a minute. I don’t want to spend any longer with us like this."

Hermione stifled a very shocked gasp, horror flooding her. For a moment, she was unable to breath. Is he breaking up with me? Hermione took a few deep breaths in, forcing herself to calm down and think rationally, something she was so accustomed to in all situations apart from when it involved Ron. Silently, she pushed down that line of thought, knowing she needed to hear all the facts before jumping to conclusions. But if he’s not breaking up with me then is he-

Hermione jumped as Ron went to pick up his glass from the table and his hands were shaking so badly that he accidentally knocked it all over the table. The glass rolled onto the floor, the wine staining the tablecloth and floor scarlet. Ron cursed.

“Harry’s gonna kill me…” Ron muttered, leaning forward to pick up the fallen glass. He froze when he heard a small thud not too far from his head.

“Don’t worry, a quick spell will get rid of-what was that?”

Hermione leaned forward too and suddenly saw the small velvet box.

Ron swore quietly as Hermione picked up the box. Hermione sat back up and did the same. Eyes transfixed and hands trembling, she slowly opened it. She gasped.

“Ron is this-“

"Yes, Hermione. For I while now, I’ve wanted to prove how much you mean to me, how much I love you. I don’t want to go any longer without being married to you. I want to be able to call you my wife. Will you marry me?"

Hermione gasped again as Ron got down on one knee with a small velvet box in his hand. He opened it up to reveal a stunning diamond ring sitting snugly within. Hermione doubted whether she had ever seen anything so beautiful and elegant, and so perfect for her in her entire life. Hermione grinned widely then launched herself at Ron and kissed him full on the lips.

"Yes of course! Yes!" Hermione said when she finally pulled away. Ron had a goofy sort of grin on his face and after kissing her briefly on the lips again, he slipped the ring on her finger. He may not have proposed in the way he envisioned, but it was still perfect.

"I love you Ronald Weasley," Hermione said, a few more tears of joy falling from her eyes. Ron smiled and tenderly wiped a tear from her cheek as the two of them got lost in each others eyes. Just as Ron leaned in to give his fiancée another kiss, they both jumped violently as a loud crash was emitted from the other room. It was followed by the muffled sound of Harry’s apology. Hermione giggled and Ron chuckled.

“I love you too,” Ron replied. Then he wrapped his hands around Hermione’s left one and a moment later, their lips met again, once again oblivious to all their surroundings as they both were absorbed in each other, as if there was nothing else in the universe except the two of them.

Ron didn’t even notice that his right knee was damp from kneeling in the spilt wine.