Ginny

"We always knew he wasn't good enough for you," said Astoria Malfoy, Ginny's best friend, who had been married to Ginny's cousin, Draco, since she had graduated from Ilvermorny, one year after Ginny had. Astoria reached across the small table in the conservatory in the Malfoy family home in Westchester County, New York, and took Ginny by the hand. "All those double dates, and Viktor didn't even want to make the relationship public? That is such a red flag, it's downright terrible," Astoria continued to admonish, until she hissed slightly, pulling away from Ginny, and placed a hand onto her swollen belly.

"Scorpius acting up again?" Ginny queried, smiling at Astoria. "Victoire and Dominique are still asking me when they'll get to play with him," she went on, mentioning the two daughters of her oldest brother, Bill, and his wife, Fleur.

"Not soon enough," Astoria said, grinning across the table at Ginny. "And I'm sure he'll be a far more suitable companion to little Louis," she said softly, mentioning Bill and Fleur's son, whom Fleur was currently six months pregnant with. "They'll be born around the same time and all. So they'll have an instant friend..."

"Although Scorpius will sort Thunderbird, like all the Malfoys, and Louis will sort Wampus like the rest of us," Ginny mused.

Astoria smirked at Ginny. "Well, thankfully inter-house rivalries aren't as prevalent at Ilvermorny than they are at Hogwarts," she put in. "Do you realize how many scrapes the resident Healer must have to put up with whenever there's a Gryffindor and Slytherin Quidditch match?" Astoria clicked her tongue and tossed her dark red hair. "Thank Merlin when Daphne married Blaise Zabini, they moved over here, so their children will go to Ilvermorny," she said softly, smiling at the thought of her two nieces, Katrina and Katherine, and her two nephews, Thaddeus and Theodore.

"I'm just glad that the holidays have set in and I've met all my publishing goals for the second quarter," Ginny said, leaning back in the comfortable chair she was currently sat in, and snagged a cookie from the plate, summoning her hot chocolate as she went. "How are things going at the firm?" she wanted to know.

Astoria smiled knowingly; Draco had just been made partner two years previously at the firm of Riddle, Prince & Malfoy, which had been established three hundred years ago, although it was formally called Gaunt, Prince & Malfoy, and that was quite a long story. "Things are going exceptionally well," she gushed, always eager to discuss her husband; even though Draco had been arranged to marry one of the Greengrass sisters, he and Daphne, who was his age, had never taken a shine to one another, although when he had met Astoria, sparks had immediately flown, although it had taken them quite a few years to get pregnant. "I just hope that he doesn't have much case work to do over the holidays."

Ginny nodded at Astoria; although her closest friend loved Draco dearly, she had been a bit apprehensive about her pregnancy, and so Severus Snape, head of the Prince faction of the law firm, who supervised all cases pertaining to potions, had put Astoria on a strict diet, as well as a heavy flow of potions, to ensure that the forthcoming Malfoy heir was safe and sound. "I know that Narcissa and Cereus will be with you no matter what," she informed her with a quick smile, mentioning both her mother-in-law and her mother, the former of whom was Ginny's own godmother from birth.

Astoria cocked her head to one side. "And you, right, Ginny?" she asked, looking confused. "I mean, we always spend Christmas together. And, with your godson on the way," she went on, "I need you more than ever..."

Ginny gave Astoria a small smile. "I'll be here a few more days," she assured her. "But I think I want to get away for the holidays..."

Astoria's eyes widened, until she grinned. "Oh, of course!" she cried, shaking her head. "Why didn't I think of that before? Here I am, miserable and pregnant, and insisting that you stay right here and hold my hand... Merlin, what am I coming to?"

"Cousin, have you upset my wife again?" Draco asked, stepping into the conservatory, and vanishing the snow which clung to his hat, cloak, and boots.

Ginny got to her feet, clicking her tongue at him, and embraced her beloved cousin. "You're more trouble than you're worth," she scolded him lightly.

Draco smirked at her, pressing a kiss onto her cheek before he turned immediately towards his beloved wife, pressing a loving kiss onto her lips. "How are you and Scorpius today, my dearest love?" he asked her lovingly.

"He was kicking just a few short moments ago," Astoria reported as Draco sat beside her, and Ginny returned to her seat.

Draco immediately pressed a hand onto Astoria's belly, before he snagged a cookie with a free hand. "Well, hopefully he'll do it again soon," he mused, and turned to Ginny. "Are we going to keep talking trash about that idiot Krum?"

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Not you, too..."

"Yes, me too," Draco said, nodding emphatically. "Astoria and I never thought he was right for you at all, Ginny. You deserve way better than him, believe me. I listened to you when I broke off my relationship with Pansy, and now she's in England somewhere, married to that Theo Nott character..." Draco tsked and shook his head. "Good riddance..."

Ginny smirked. "Well, I would hardly demand that Viktor abandon his fiancée and his unborn child," she replied. "I'm not that cold-hearted..."

Astoria looked a bit saddened by that. "But... You don't cry, Ginny..."

Ginny blinked. "Excuse me?"

"She's right," Draco said gently. "You told us yourself, and showed us your pensive memory of your breakup with Krum. You didn't shed a tear—you were angry..."

"Of course I was angry!" Ginny cried out. "The asshole didn't even have the consideration to tell me that he was cheating on me—!"

"And you have every right to be angry at that," Astoria said quickly. "But, in my experience at the very least, people who experience breakups will cry..."

"Well, you didn't love him, did you?" Draco asked.

Ginny blinked. "What?"

"Krum," Draco elaborated. "Did you love him?"

Ginny considered it for a moment before shaking her head. "No. No, I didn't..."

"There you are," Draco said with a grin, almost as if he had solved a great mystery—which, in his line of work, was quite a feat. "That makes sense now. You didn't love Krum, therefore, it doesn't make sense for you to cry!"

"But it doesn't make sense for Ginny to never cry," Astoria put in.

Ginny rolled her eyes again. "This is one of the reasons why I need to get away..."

Draco looked surprised at that. "You want to get away?"

Ginny nodded her head. "Yes. Desperately. And for something not sports-related, thank you very much. Something exciting, where I don't have to worry about work, or any other kind of obligations, and just focus on myself for the holidays..."

Draco suddenly grinned. "Well," he said, grinning, "you remember my aunt, Dromeda?"

Ginny nodded. "Of course I do. She's another cousin. What about her?"

"She runs a travel agency out of England," Draco said happily. "Mom can get you a Floo-Call with her, and perhaps she'll find just what you're looking for."

Ginny felt her entire body relax with relief. "That is the smartest thing you've said all day, Draco Lucius Malfoy," she told her cousin with a grin, lifting her mug of hot chocolate, and cheering it with her cousin.

~*~

Hermione

Hermione secured Crookshanks to his lead before she stepped into the Floo, heading directly to the cottage that Remus and Dora shared with their children. Stepping through, she was caught immediately by Dora, who embraced her and led her through the parlor and into the kitchen. It was pleasant enough that Crooks was immediately taken off his lead and permitted to explore the house, and inevitably Teddy, Andi, and Hope found him, whilst they were watching some holiday cartoons and sipping on hot chocolate, as well as nibbling biscuits.

"Harry told us everything," Dora said softly to Hermione, whilst rolling out some pastry dough for the cottage pie she was preparing for supper, which Hermione was staying for. "Remus is over at Grimmauld with him now, giving Harry some relief from the girls."

Hermione nodded her head as she sat down at the island, and smiled when a cup of tea slid over to her, doctored just how she liked it. "Thanks," she said, relieved that she had somehow managed to stop crying. "I just can't believe I fell for it...again. Ronald Prewett is nothing but a no-good liar."

"And then some," Dora said, nodding emphatically. "I know I speak for both Remus and me when we tell you that we never liked him. He wasn't good enough for you, Hermione. You're the brightest witch of your age, and, next to you, he's lucky to reach dunderhead status, if it's a good day for him, brain-wise."

Hermione giggled into her tea, careful not to choke. "That does make me feel a bit better," she admitted after a moment.

"Good," Dora said brightly.

"Grandma, Grandpa!" cried three children's voices from the next room, and Hermione turned slightly as Dora proceeded to mutter to herself.

"Hey, kiddos!" Ted Tonks boomed from the living room, which was directly followed by squeals, which led Crookshanks to run out of there and into the kitchen, securing himself beneath the chair Hermione sat in.

Andromeda Tonks, meanwhile, chuckled slightly at her husband's antics before she swept into the kitchen herself, pressing a kiss onto Hermione's forehead. "Hello, love," she said to her, and moved on to her daughter, giving her the same treatment. "Hello, darling."

"Mum," Dora said firmly, hoping that her mother wouldn't interfere with her supper preparations, and was relieved when Andromeda merely banished her cloak, scarf, and gloves and sat herself beside Hermione. "Lots of clients today, then?" Dora continued, pleased that her mother's premier travel agency was always quite busy in the winter months.

"Naturally," Andromeda replied, nodding, as a cup of tea made itself known before her, and she sipped it carefully. "Quite an interesting case this afternoon."

"What made it interesting?" Hermione asked, always loving to hear stories about Andromeda Tonks' interesting clients.

"Well, she actually came to me via recommendation from your aunt, Cissa," Andromeda said with a smile Dora's way.

Dora blinked, placing the pastry dough into the pie tin, and proceeding to press it along the edges before she began to crimp it. "Really? Is everything all right?"

"The girl in question is Cissa and Lucius's goddaughter, although she is actually related to us through the Black side of the family. Another Pureblood," she explained to Hermione, who quickly nodded her head. "She's a year younger than Draco, and was raised as his cousin. She is also quite close to his wife, Astoria. According to Cissa, Astoria and this young woman, Ginny Weasley, are best friends," she continued. "Anyhow, Miss Weasley has decided to get out of Vermont, and the States, for Christmas. She's the Sports Writer for The Wizard's Voice, which is like our Daily Prophet... Anyhow, Ginny was apparently seeing the Bulgarian Quidditch player, Viktor Krum, for some time, although Krum, for whatever reason, never wanted to make it official, and so they were never seen in public together romantically..."

Hermione raised her eyebrows. "Harry saw just a few days ago that Krum's announced his engagement to fellow Quidditch player, Angelina Johnson, in The Prophet," she said softly, and shook her head. "Angelina's pregnant and everything... Poor Ginny," she went on. "She must be devastated..."

"Apparently not," Andromeda informed both Dora and Hermione. "According to Ginny, she wasn't in love with Krum, and was, instead, plenty angry about the prospect of being lied to all this time."

Dora nodded her head. "Naturally," she replied, going over to the stove and getting the savory-smelling mixture of beef, gravy, and vegetables, which she proceeded to ladle into the pie pastry with a flourish.

"Anyhow, Ginny said that she desperately needs to get away from Vermont, and I mentioned to her that I knew someone who was involved in the Wizarding Home Exchange scheme, and that, perhaps, they themselves would be willing to offer up their charming cottage..."

Hermione straightened up in her seat. "Dromeda, you didn't..."

Andromeda smiled at Hermione. "Look, love, you need a change of scenery just as much as Ginny Weasley does," she explained, patting her hand. "And, as far as I know, you've never been to the United States. Other than a few trips to France here and there, as well as your schooling in Scotland, you've not seen much of the world, have you?"

Hermione bit her lip; of course, the trips to France had stopped for a while, given that her Muggle parents had taken her there, but James and Lily had been sure to take both her and Harry, once she had expressed an interest. She hesitated for a moment, mulling it over, before she finally permitted herself to speak again. "Ginny lives in Vermont, you said?"

Andromeda nodded at her. "Yes. Her house is quite large, nearly three hundred years old, and equipped with the internet, television, and she has quite the library as well..."

Hermione swallowed; it was definitely a tempting prospect. "Would her family be willing to guide me...?"

"Both the Weasleys and the Malfoys, Cissa and Lucius, along with Draco and Astoria, are quite keen to meet you, Hermione," Andromeda told her enthusiastically. "Lucius and Draco are actually partners in the wizarding law firm, Riddle, Prince & Malfoy. I'm sure they would love to discuss cases with you, where it appropriate... Plus, Astoria is expecting a baby, so she would love to have another young friend around, with Ginny being out of the country and all, if you're comfortable with that sort of thing..."

Hermione bit her lip. "Does Ginny like cats?"

"She adores them," Andromeda assured her. "Her family always kept a cat while she was growing up, as a matter of fact. I mentioned to her about Crookshanks, even showed her a photograph, and she fell in love with him."

Hermione sighed, knowing it was now or never. "When did Ginny express an interest in coming over here, then?" she asked.

"By the end of this week," Andromeda told her.

Hermione nodded. "All right, then. I'll dust off the rest of my winter wardrobe and see about getting an International Portkey..."

"No need, dearie," Andromeda said, reaching into her purse and pulling out what appeared to be a battered flask. "Your Portkey leaves at noon on Friday, their time."

"Which is eight o'clock at night our time," Hermione said, taking the portkey from Andromeda, suddenly realizing just how heavy it felt in her hand. "Thank Merlin I have time to tell Harry where I'm going..."

Dora smiled across the island at her. "Tell him tonight."

The Floo flared again, and Remus and Harry's voices could be heard, and Hermione got to her feet and made her way towards the parlor.

"No girls tonight?" Hermione asked, accepting Harry's embrace.

"Kreacher has them," Harry responded, and took careful note of the battered flask Hermione was currently clutching. "Dark artifact of some kind?" he asked tentatively.

Hermione shook her head, hesitated for a moment, and pulled Harry down the hallway and into the nursery, where Andi and Hope still slept. "This is an International Portkey, Harry..."

Harry's eyebrows shot up. "Going somewhere?"

"For the holiday, yes," Hermione responded. "Remember you showed me that report in The Daily Prophet about Krum and his fiancée and upcoming child?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah, I remember."

"Well, apparently Krum was seeing someone else for years, and she only just found out about his affair with Johnson, and the baby," Hermione whispered to him.

Harry looked shocked. "Krum is scum," he whispered.

Hermione grinned at him. "Yes, apparently so," she replied. "Anyhow, Dromeda told this young woman about my cottage, and she's desperate to get away from the States. So, she's coming over here, and will be watching Crookshanks for me..."

"And you'll be...where?" Harry asked.

Hermione bit her lip. "Vermont," she replied. "I'll get to meet Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy, along with their son, Draco, and their daughter-in-law, Astoria. I've never been to the States, Harry, as you well know," she went on quickly, "and this could be just the thing to get me out of my head for a while..."

"'Mione..."

"...plus, a change of scenery would do me good. I've only ever been to France and Scotland before now, you know..."

"'Mione..."

"...not to mention the Wizarding Quarters of the States. Think of all the potential books I could find, and the things I could Owl Order for the girls..."

"'Mione!" Harry shouted, finally getting through to her, and he chuckled when Hermione flushed at his tone of voice. "Hey, now," he went on, squeezing Hermione's shoulders, "you don't need to convince me. I think it's a wonderful idea."

Hermione blinked, shocked. "You do?"

"'Course I do," Harry assured her. "The girls and I will be fine. I have Kreacher to depend on if I need a break, and Mum and Dad can always step in if need be..."

"But Christmas without their aunt," Hermione said softly. "Won't you and the girls need me, Harry? I can always tell Dromeda 'no'..."

Harry shook her head. "Don't even think about it," he said firmly. "I want you to go. And besides, we'll make Ginny feel plenty welcome, I promise."

Hermione gave Harry a tentative smile. "You promise?"

"I promise," Harry told her, taking her into his arms. "Just promise to take lots of pictures, and bring home plenty of souvenirs. Plus, you'll Floo-Call, won't you?"

Hermione laughed. "Yes, little brother, I will Floo-Call."

Harry chuckled back and squeezed Hermione harder. "Well, big sister, it looks like you're bound for the United States!"

Hermione sighed. "And not a moment too soon," she replied.