Meet me at Honeydukes at two. Is what Hermione had told her before she Apparated to Diagon Alley. With the holidays just around the corner, everyone seemed to be doing his or her Christmas shopping, which is why Molly had offered to take little Hugo for the day. She loved spending time with her grandkids. It gave her a sense that she was wanted. Ever since her kids had moved out, it seemed as if she wasn't needed.
"Are you ready to go see mummy, Hugo?" Molly asked as she wrapped the baby boy into one of his big winter coats. When she heard Hugo happily giggle, she picked him up, set him on her hip and walked towards the fireplace (only because Apparating wasn't recommended for kids under the age of one). Throwing down enough floo powder for two people, Molly clearly pronounced, "Honeydukes." And immediately felt the familiar rush of the floo network. Once inside the lively store, she walked outside where there weren't as many people and took a seat at an open table. Setting Hugo on her lap and resting the nappy bag down onto the table, Molly sighed in contentment. She hadn't realized how much she had missed being a mother until she had gotten little Hugo that morning and it only intensified as she thought back to when she would wait for Arthur at that exact sweet shop while he got off of work. Hearing a stifled cry, Molly pulled herself out of her thoughts and looked down at her grandson, a worried expression written on her face.
"What's wrong, love?" she asked as she watched Hugo rest his hand against his cheek and rub it. "Are you hungry?" she added when she realized that Hugo was trying to tell her that he was hungry. Reaching into the nappy bag that she set down on the table, she pulled out a bottle, set a warming charm on it and handed it to the boy sitting on her lap.
When Hugo wrapped his tiny hands around the bottle and brought it to his mouth, she softly rubbed his cheek with her thumb, realizing how much of her own son was reflected in his son. It was an amazing thing to have grandchildren. She was able to enjoy a few hours with a baby without having to take care of it fulltime. What more could a mother of seven ask for?
Feeling a soft tug on her blouse, Molly, again, looked down at her sleepy five-month old grandson and smiled as he started to snuggle into her. Seeing him loose grip of the bottle he had been using, she took it out of his hand and set it down on the table, happy that he was taking his nap on time. Within seconds, she felt the soft breathing that came along with falling asleep. The thing that Molly didn't know, though, was that Hermione was only a few feet away from her, watching the two of them bond. She didn't want to interrupt them. Watching the Weasley matriarch put her baby boy to sleep, one of the things she was best at, gave Hermione a sense of accomplishment, though she wasn't quite sure why. She contributed it to the fact that watching Hugo do as he was suppose to made her feel like she couldn't have gotten Molly any better of a Christmas present.
Taking out her camera, Hermione was happy that she was standing a few feet away from Molly, she wanted to get a picture of Hugo nestled into his grandmother, something she knew both her and Molly would enjoy. Pressing the button, the flash went off and Molly (plus a few other people) turned around. Making eye contact with each other, both women started to laugh, knowing that when the picture was developed, they would get a good laugh out of it.
"Sorry I'm late, Molly. The lines were longer then I thought they were going to be," Hermione said after her bout of laughter as she walked to the table and sat down across from her mother-in-law. "And you wouldn't mind if we stayed here for a little bit longer, would you? I don't want to wake the little one up," she added, an apologetic smile flickering across her face.
"Of course not, dear," Molly replied as she looked down at her grandson, the smile on her face never fading. She couldn't have asked for an easier child to baby-sit. It was as if she had Ron again.
"How'd you get him to fall asleep, anyways?" Hermione asked after a minute or two of silence. "I've never seen someone put a child to sleep as easily as you just did."
"I honestly didn't do anything," Molly chuckled. "I just gave him his bottle and next thing I knew, he was snuggled into me sleeping like an angel."
"No, I just think you have the arms of a mother," Hermione replied as she gave Molly a tender smile.
"What? No, dear, I seriously doubt that," Molly replied with a chuckle.
But, really, Hugo did fall asleep due to Molly's 'arms of a mother.'
Because a mother's arms are made of tenderness and children sleep soundly in them.
Thank you to the amazing beta Darksaber3434, who also gets a bit of credit for giving me the title we both thought of.
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