A/N – Some people have actually wondered if there's a little Nora/Dane coming up…need I
remind you, they're cousins!
Disclaimer: Half the characters are mine, half aren't, but this glorious world unfortunately belongs to JKR.
---------------------
The scarlet train spewed cloud after cloud of charcoal smoke.
"Be good, love," said Hermione Weasley as she bent down to kiss her daughter
goodbye. "Remember, it's always important to get ahead," she advised. "Any spare moment, you can go down to the library and revise for future – "
"Hermione," said Ron, her husband, rolling his eyes. "She hasn't inherited everything from you," he informed her, before turning to look at his beloved daughter. "Nora, I want you to be good…though, if you really have to trod on Filch's feet once in a while…"
Nora smiled at her father and mother. "I'll be good," she promised. Folding in half to peck her brother Troy on the cheek, she waved merrily and went off to the train.
Ron and Hermione both sighed as they watched the gleaming, silky red hair that
completely covered Nora's back to her waist as she retreated.
"I can't believe it," Ron said hoarsely. "It's like yesterday, I was holding her and feeding her the bottle while you were sleeping…"
"I know," Hermione said soberly. It had been especially difficult to let Nora go for the first time, but only Hermione's excitement for what her own daughter was about to begin allowed her to let Nora embark on her journey to becoming a full-grown wizard.
"Well what do we have here?" came a familiar voice from behind them. "It's the
parents of the newest official member of the wizarding world."
"Hello, Harry," Hermione said warmly. Harry was walking over to them with Ginny, their daughter Laurie and second son, James, with an easygoing smile on his face.
"Daddy, look, it's James!" Troy said excitedly. "He's my best friend," he said matter-of-factly.
"Well, we've just seen Dane off, and I was 'not allowed to kiss him in front of his
friends,'" Ginny said, grinning. "I'm thinking that we have to help Laurie and James deal with this sibling-separation anxiety. What do you three say to some ice cream at Diagon Alley?"
Troy turned to his mother with a hopeful look on his face. "Can we, Mummy?"
Hermione turned to the engine, which had just tooted and started to depart from the station. "I don't see why not."
Ron looked at her, amazed. "You sure it's not going to ruin Troy's appetite or
something?"
Harry elbowed his best friend in the ribs. "Don't ruin it for your only son," he advised. "It's a concession. Take it while she's still not in her own head. Only happens once a century."
"I'm fine, Harry," Hermione snapped.
Harry chuckled. "Shall we?"
The train vanished around the bend and Hermione sighed resignedly. "Lead the way, Senior Auror." Harry flashed her a winning grin at her sarcastic use of the title both he and Ron shared.
Troy skipped off to walk next to James. Hermione smiled warmly at her bright son, but even as she enjoyed his youthful innocence, her thoughts stayed with her firstborn.
Ron put a comforting arm around his wife. "Come now. We can't have the Minister of
Magic bawling in public. We've got to 'keep up appearances,' after all."
Hermione gave him a weak smile, then suddenly looked cross. "You're just glad you're getting ice cream."
Ron, visibly offended, swelled up. "That's what I get for playing the part of
compassionate husband," he said gloomily as he paused to let someone pass.
"No, this is what you get," said Hermione, as she tilted her head up and pecked him on the cheek.
Ginny looked back at that moment and raised an eyebrow. "See, Ron? You should be nice more often."
Ron pretended to consider it for a moment. "Nah," he concluded. "Too boring."
Ginny fell into step next to her brother. "So, dear brother, what can you tell me about – " she lowered her voice – 'Operation Deluxe?'"
Ron blanched, then shot an angry glance at Harry, whose back was in front of him, in between the forms of Laurie and James. "Has Harry been divulging top secret Auror
information?" he growled, as he let a group of Asian tourists pass him by.
Hermione snorted. "Honestly, Ron, you sound like Percy." She stopped to wait for the procession.
Ron glared at his wife. "This isn't cauldron bottoms. A lot of lives are riding on this."
"Whose?" asked Ginny, alarmed. She'd had no idea it was really so serious.
Ron rolled his eyes. "Don't think I'm going to tell you. How did you find out, anyway?"
Ginny smiled sheepishly. "I walked in on a fire call," she admitted. "Harry didn't notice me, but I heard the words 'Operation Deluxe.' He sounded rather agitated. I wanted to help him."
"Well, keep it quiet," said Ron, his neck swiveling to make sure no other wizards had heard them. His gaze fell on his son's bushy brown hair, and he found himself missing the presence of the red sheet that belonged to his daughter.
"Why can't you tell us who it concerns?"
"Leave it alone, Ginny," Hermione advised as she eyed Harry pick her son up and throw him into the air. Troy giggled happily as Hermione's heart softened.
"Oh, what, you know too?" Ginny said incredulously. "Is this a conspiracy?"
"Ginny. She's the Minister of Magic." Ron's annoyed tone failed to keep the note of pride out of his voice.
"Still," Ginny said stubbornly. "I've got a husband, two brothers and a sister involved in this. I should know."
"You should have gone into Auror training, instead of becoming a mediwitch," Ron teased her lightly, clearly enjoying making his younger sister mad. "But it's protocol. I'd be putting a lot of people at risk by saying anything."
"Who?" Ginny asked exasperatedly.
Ron turned craned his neck to look back at the diminishing King's Cross Station, now fully serious. "Maybe some other time, Ginny." His eyes lingered on the station before he quickened his pace to stride next to Harry. As he grabbed Troy's hand, Ginny turned to look at Hermione, an amazed expression on her face.
"It doesn't concern…not Hogwarts, does it?" she croaked, dreading the answer.
Hermione said nothing, but the grim expression on her face was enough to send
Ginny's stomach into her heels. An image of the boy she had only minutes ago not been allowed to kiss goodbye materialized in her head.
Hermione suddenly bent down to speak into Ginny's ear. "You're my sister in law, so I'll tell you that there is no reason to panic, and please, Ginny, do trust me on this."
Ginny's fearful gaze remained on the minute train station.
----------------
A/N...Eh. Interesting things are going to happen soon, I promise. And now, to get you all to review...
To the tune of "Tonight," from West Side Story:
Tonight! Tonight,
You read this fic tonight,
And if you liked it will you review?
Tonight! Tonight!
I know it sucks, alright?
But if you tell me what I could do...
Then maybe it will more pleasing
I'll take insults and teasing
As long as you review...
Oh please, review
Harry: And maybe I'll give you a big squeeze....review, please!
haha, i'm crazy. Read on, and review!
remind you, they're cousins!
Disclaimer: Half the characters are mine, half aren't, but this glorious world unfortunately belongs to JKR.
---------------------
The scarlet train spewed cloud after cloud of charcoal smoke.
"Be good, love," said Hermione Weasley as she bent down to kiss her daughter
goodbye. "Remember, it's always important to get ahead," she advised. "Any spare moment, you can go down to the library and revise for future – "
"Hermione," said Ron, her husband, rolling his eyes. "She hasn't inherited everything from you," he informed her, before turning to look at his beloved daughter. "Nora, I want you to be good…though, if you really have to trod on Filch's feet once in a while…"
Nora smiled at her father and mother. "I'll be good," she promised. Folding in half to peck her brother Troy on the cheek, she waved merrily and went off to the train.
Ron and Hermione both sighed as they watched the gleaming, silky red hair that
completely covered Nora's back to her waist as she retreated.
"I can't believe it," Ron said hoarsely. "It's like yesterday, I was holding her and feeding her the bottle while you were sleeping…"
"I know," Hermione said soberly. It had been especially difficult to let Nora go for the first time, but only Hermione's excitement for what her own daughter was about to begin allowed her to let Nora embark on her journey to becoming a full-grown wizard.
"Well what do we have here?" came a familiar voice from behind them. "It's the
parents of the newest official member of the wizarding world."
"Hello, Harry," Hermione said warmly. Harry was walking over to them with Ginny, their daughter Laurie and second son, James, with an easygoing smile on his face.
"Daddy, look, it's James!" Troy said excitedly. "He's my best friend," he said matter-of-factly.
"Well, we've just seen Dane off, and I was 'not allowed to kiss him in front of his
friends,'" Ginny said, grinning. "I'm thinking that we have to help Laurie and James deal with this sibling-separation anxiety. What do you three say to some ice cream at Diagon Alley?"
Troy turned to his mother with a hopeful look on his face. "Can we, Mummy?"
Hermione turned to the engine, which had just tooted and started to depart from the station. "I don't see why not."
Ron looked at her, amazed. "You sure it's not going to ruin Troy's appetite or
something?"
Harry elbowed his best friend in the ribs. "Don't ruin it for your only son," he advised. "It's a concession. Take it while she's still not in her own head. Only happens once a century."
"I'm fine, Harry," Hermione snapped.
Harry chuckled. "Shall we?"
The train vanished around the bend and Hermione sighed resignedly. "Lead the way, Senior Auror." Harry flashed her a winning grin at her sarcastic use of the title both he and Ron shared.
Troy skipped off to walk next to James. Hermione smiled warmly at her bright son, but even as she enjoyed his youthful innocence, her thoughts stayed with her firstborn.
Ron put a comforting arm around his wife. "Come now. We can't have the Minister of
Magic bawling in public. We've got to 'keep up appearances,' after all."
Hermione gave him a weak smile, then suddenly looked cross. "You're just glad you're getting ice cream."
Ron, visibly offended, swelled up. "That's what I get for playing the part of
compassionate husband," he said gloomily as he paused to let someone pass.
"No, this is what you get," said Hermione, as she tilted her head up and pecked him on the cheek.
Ginny looked back at that moment and raised an eyebrow. "See, Ron? You should be nice more often."
Ron pretended to consider it for a moment. "Nah," he concluded. "Too boring."
Ginny fell into step next to her brother. "So, dear brother, what can you tell me about – " she lowered her voice – 'Operation Deluxe?'"
Ron blanched, then shot an angry glance at Harry, whose back was in front of him, in between the forms of Laurie and James. "Has Harry been divulging top secret Auror
information?" he growled, as he let a group of Asian tourists pass him by.
Hermione snorted. "Honestly, Ron, you sound like Percy." She stopped to wait for the procession.
Ron glared at his wife. "This isn't cauldron bottoms. A lot of lives are riding on this."
"Whose?" asked Ginny, alarmed. She'd had no idea it was really so serious.
Ron rolled his eyes. "Don't think I'm going to tell you. How did you find out, anyway?"
Ginny smiled sheepishly. "I walked in on a fire call," she admitted. "Harry didn't notice me, but I heard the words 'Operation Deluxe.' He sounded rather agitated. I wanted to help him."
"Well, keep it quiet," said Ron, his neck swiveling to make sure no other wizards had heard them. His gaze fell on his son's bushy brown hair, and he found himself missing the presence of the red sheet that belonged to his daughter.
"Why can't you tell us who it concerns?"
"Leave it alone, Ginny," Hermione advised as she eyed Harry pick her son up and throw him into the air. Troy giggled happily as Hermione's heart softened.
"Oh, what, you know too?" Ginny said incredulously. "Is this a conspiracy?"
"Ginny. She's the Minister of Magic." Ron's annoyed tone failed to keep the note of pride out of his voice.
"Still," Ginny said stubbornly. "I've got a husband, two brothers and a sister involved in this. I should know."
"You should have gone into Auror training, instead of becoming a mediwitch," Ron teased her lightly, clearly enjoying making his younger sister mad. "But it's protocol. I'd be putting a lot of people at risk by saying anything."
"Who?" Ginny asked exasperatedly.
Ron turned craned his neck to look back at the diminishing King's Cross Station, now fully serious. "Maybe some other time, Ginny." His eyes lingered on the station before he quickened his pace to stride next to Harry. As he grabbed Troy's hand, Ginny turned to look at Hermione, an amazed expression on her face.
"It doesn't concern…not Hogwarts, does it?" she croaked, dreading the answer.
Hermione said nothing, but the grim expression on her face was enough to send
Ginny's stomach into her heels. An image of the boy she had only minutes ago not been allowed to kiss goodbye materialized in her head.
Hermione suddenly bent down to speak into Ginny's ear. "You're my sister in law, so I'll tell you that there is no reason to panic, and please, Ginny, do trust me on this."
Ginny's fearful gaze remained on the minute train station.
----------------
A/N...Eh. Interesting things are going to happen soon, I promise. And now, to get you all to review...
To the tune of "Tonight," from West Side Story:
Tonight! Tonight,
You read this fic tonight,
And if you liked it will you review?
Tonight! Tonight!
I know it sucks, alright?
But if you tell me what I could do...
Then maybe it will more pleasing
I'll take insults and teasing
As long as you review...
Oh please, review
Harry: And maybe I'll give you a big squeeze....review, please!
haha, i'm crazy. Read on, and review!