A/N: In a previous chapter, I referred to the infirmary as an apothecary. I apologize. Typos and mind-glitches happen to everyone sometimes. Thank you to the reviewer who pointed it out.

Hermione sat alone in the room she'd been sleeping in when she felt tired during her stent at Bill and Fleur's cottage, which - as of late - was quite a lot of the time, in fact. It wasn't all due to any one factor. Several things had led to it. The pregnancy was a factor, certainly, but so wasn't the fact that she'd just gone through a torrent of questionable crimes, and all while being in the stressful state of being on the run.

A knock at the door came later on in the same afternoon that had brought about the pregnancy spell, the confession, and the ensuing fight between Harry and Ron, she said nothing when she heard said knock at her door. She didn't want to be bothered with answering questions which were shot at her in such a fashion that she felt as if she were being interviewed. When she failed to respond after a few more knocks, Hermione heard Ron's voice speak.

"Maybe she's asleep again, Harry."

"Maybe," she could hear Harry answer in reply. "I hope she's okay. We were both stupid to fight in front of her like we did."

"It was stupid – that's true," Ron agreed, and then there came a sound of light thumping against the lower part of the door.

When it happened a second time, Hermione looked over toward the door's direction and felt a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. They were obviously sat against the door, waiting for her to wake up from the assumed sleep. Slipping down from the bed and tip-toeing over to the inside of the door, Hermione herself gently sat down to the carpeted floor, cautiously leaning her head back to rest against a door panel in such a quiet way that, evidently, neither Harry nor Ron picked up on it; this was evidenced by the fact that they did not pause their conversation.

"I'm sorry for punching you, Harry. I shouldn't have, I reckon. I guess it just felt like a blow in its own right, what she said to me. I mean, you convinced me that the horcrux was wrong about you and Hermione, but then you kept on answering weirdly concerning my questions about Ginny . . ."

"I felt put on the spot about it," Harry replied. "It came out of nowhere, the subject of your sister. I knew I couldn't explain about why things just weren't going to work out with Ginny unless I also explained how I feel about Hermione. I guess, to me, it seemed wrong to just blurt out that actually, yes, I do love Hermione, and not like a sister or just as a friend. I found it wrong to declare it to you and Bill both, as well, instead of telling just you first, one-on-one, or else with Hermione."

"Thank you for wanting to soften the blow, but I guess there was no real way to do that. 'I'm pregnant, Ron!' she tells me, and first I'm confused. I'm confused because she was alone with you and only you, for ages. Then it hits me: she was with you."

"So you let me it hit me, too. I can understand," Harry replied, absentmindedly rubbing at his nose as he spoke (it had since been repaired with a quick, good enough Episkey spell, but was still quite sore). "I just wish it hadn't had such an outcome – that little fight of sorts we had. Bill's off looking for Fleur now; if Griphook had wanted to come socialize with us, then I'm sure he doesn't want to now, after all that. Hermione herself now even, why she's locked herself in the room and is not letting us in at all. I feel awful about it."

"So do I," Ron agreed, before leaning his head back against the door a bit too enthusiastically. "Ow!"

"Don't shout – you're going to wake up Hermione and she needs to rest."

"All she does is rest," Ron pointed out, a sour look on his face as he rubbed at the back of his head. "She's been locked in this room all afternoon since the fight. I think she's just avoiding us."

"Well, I guess we did brawl in front of her like a pair of avoidable-at-all-cost idiots," Harry said.

"Yeah; I'm surprised Bill didn't knock our heads together for it," Ron returned.

"Eh, Fleur might have lost it and hexed us all to hell if it looked like Bill was joining in on the fight too, though, Ron."

"Fair point, Harry – fair point."

On the other side of the door, Hermione broke out into a grin when the sound of Ron and Harry bursting out into laughter filled her ears.

"Poor Bill," Ron was saying in-between laughs. "Poor guy, going around mumbling about divorces just because Fleur took off out the front door."

Also still laughing, Harry said, "Well if she needed proof that we're all barking mad, then Fleur sure got to see it firsthand tonight."

Sighing as his laughter faded away, Ron was quiet for a moment, before saying, "You know, the thing is, Harry, I don't doubt that you love Hermione. But it still feels like I was, I dunno, kicked in the chest, getting all the wind knocked out of me."

Frowning in a guilt-ridden way, Harry placed a hand on Ron's shoulder.

"Look Ron, I understand. I can't imagine how you feel. You must be so angry with me – I lied to you not all that long ago, after all. I mean, sure, I did it so you could defeat the horcrux, but I still feel bad about continuing to keep the truth about me and Hermione from you for so long. Hermione and I have been trying to think of how to tell you – honestly, we have."

"I believe you. You and Hermione are my best friends, Harry. I know no-one was trying to hurt me. Still, it kind of feels like a blow to the chest – it feels, I suppose, kind've hollow inside. It makes me think of the time I found out she'd kissed Victor Krum, only times one-hundred." After saying this, the redhead gave a wry, bitter sort of laugh. "Viktor – that all seems so silly to me, now that I think about it. Of course she'd go with you, Harry - Viktor was never a real option for her, and as for me? Maybe I always fought with her too much. Maybe I backed away when I should've stood up. Maybe . . ."

As Ron's words drifted off into nothingness, Harry said to him, "If not me, it would have been you. It just – things just happened between me and Hermione. I mean, you didn't see the fling with Lavender coming, though it had all the impact of an oncoming freight train. We made it through that in the end – through all the jealousy and mind games – we're still the best of friends, me, you and Hermione."

"That's true," Ron said. "Even if I do feel out of sorts over this whole thing - maybe even a little like I've lost my mind at the moment - nothing's coming between the three of us and our friendship ever again – not after all that we just went through. I learned my lesson finally – walking out on you both is the worst thing I could've ever done and I'm glad to be back, for good."

"For good," Harry repeated back, and on the other side of the door, nothing could've wiped away the broad and bright smile on Hermione's face.

"You guys-!" she called out through the door, loudly enough that they could hear her.

"Hermione?" they called back in unison, before moving to stand up and move away from the door as Hermione, too, stood up on the inside of the room.

Another moment later and she had pulled the door open, revealing that she seemed to be on the verge of tears as she beamed back at Ron and Harry. There was a few second's pause, and then the young woman had rushed forward, commencing a group hug with her best friends.

"I'm sorry to have put you both through another issue to work through, but I'm so glad you just worked things out in the end anyway."

"So you were eavesdropping," Ron said. "I should've guessed."

"Oh, don't be silly. I'm glad I was nosy this one time," Hermione said, the three-way hug still ongoing.

"Yes, it was quite nosy," Ron agreed, though the tone of his voice was playful.

"Ruin this moment for me and I'll hex you," Hermione replied in a sweet but calculated voice; Ron dropped the teasing at once.

"I'm glad we're all okay now, for the most part," Harry said, before flinching along with Ron and Hermione as a loud sound was heard coming from downstairs.

The hug breaking apart, Ron said, "Maybe we should go see what caused that noise."

"You just toppled ov'air 'ze 'ole refrigerator, William – 'ow clumsy!" Fleur was then heard shrieking. "Au revior, magnets!"

Second-thinking the idea to go downstairs just then, Ron stayed put and muttered, "At least she didn't say, 'Au revior, marriage.'"