Disclaimer: Harry Potter and its' character do not belong to me; they belong to J. K. Rowling. Only the plot of this story belongs to me.
Background Info: Characters are muggles and they met in their early twenties.
Seven year old, Loralei Elizabeth Potter stood in front of her parent's bedroom door looking at the sign that hung upon it. It read …
Gone Fishin
"Daddy what does that sign mean?" she asked her father who was coming up the hall. Her siblings and she had never thought to ask what the sign meant. They had just been told that when it was on their parent's door they were not to knock unless it was an emergency; it was supposed to be her parent's private time.
"Have I ever told you how your mother and I met?" he asked as he came to stand beside her. Loralei shook her head no.
"Well why don't you gather your brothers and sisters in your room, and I'll tell you the story for a bed time story then," he said. Loralei nodded in agreement and raced off to find her siblings.
Smiling at her excitement Harry pushed open the door looking for his wife. She must be relaxing in order for the sign to be on the door. He found her just stepping out of the tub. Leaning against the door frame he paused to watch her dry off and step into her robe. She was still as beautiful as the day he married her.
When she finally turned to him he crossed the room and placed a kiss on her lips. Pulling back he let his thumb caress her cheek.
"I told Lory that I would tell them of how we met as a bedtime story. Do you want to be there when I tell them?" She only nodded as she laid her head against his chest.
"Just let me brush my hair and I'll be right there," she said. Harry nodded and left her to finish the task of getting ready.
When Harry walked into Loralei's room he found her on the far left side of the bed. She had left the center of the twin size bed for him. His youngest daughter, Lydie (two years old) would be held by his wife in the rocking chair. His other daughter, Lainey, would curl up on the other side of him. The boys, both older than the two youngest girls (Lainey and Lydie), Levi and Lucas would occupy places at the end of the bed.
"Where's mommy?" asked Lydie.
"Right here sweetie," she said sweeping into the room and scooping Lydie into her arms. Once they were all settled Harry began the story.
Once upon a time a young man decided to go fishing. He set out on a bright early morning. As he walked down the lane he could hear the birds chirping and could see the mist rolling over the pond by the dock. Taking care to walk quietly on the dock he reached the end of it and set his pole down.
After baiting his hook and casting his line he settled down on the dock with his feet dangling over the edge. The mist was just beginning to evaporate when his bobber disappeared underneath the water. The young man stood up quickly, reaching for his pole. However, by the time he grabbed it the line had already slacked off and settled on top of the water again. Sighing, the man reeled in the pole and set about baiting his hook again. The man was so focused on his task that he failed to hear the footsteps coming up the dock.
Once his hook was baited the man flung the pole over his head and went to cast his line. However, upon trying to cast he heard a shriek and his pole wouldn't budge. Looking over his shoulder he was startled to find a woman standing behind him.
"Well don't just stand there," she said. "Help me." The young man quickly figured out that his hook had snagged her.
Setting his pole down he strode over to her. "Hold still." She looked up at him and the young man was struck by how beautiful she was. He must have paused too long because she titled her head.
"Help." Realizing his mistake the young man quickly set about removing the hook without trying to rip her shirt. Still, by the time he removed the hook from her shirt, it had a small hole in it. He must have ripped it when he went to cast his line.
"I'm so sorry," he said upon seeing the hole. "Please allow me to replace your shirt." The young woman started to refuse, but then she saw the determination in the young man's eyes and sighed.
"Fine." They quickly exchanged phone numbers, along with statistics on where she had gotten the shirt. She was just beginning to walk away when he spoke again.
"What did you want?" he asked.
"Excuse me?" He flashed a smile and she was momentarily blinded.
"You were on the dock. I assume you wanted to talk to me about something, seeing as this is private property."
"Your father sent me." The young man looked at her confused. "We just moved in next door and came over to introduce ourselves."
"We?"
"My parents and myself," the young woman said. "As I was saying," she said. "We came over to introduce ourselves and he told me that his son was on the dock fishing. He asked me to come down and tell you that breakfast will be ready soon. Seeing as I wanted a chance to stretch my legs I agreed." With these words she started to walk away again.
"Wait!" The young woman turned back to him.
"It's nice to meet you. I'm Harry Potter," he said. The woman smiled at him.
"Hermione Granger," she said before continuing her walk up the dock.
~.~.~
"And that is how I met your mother," said Harry looking around at his sleepy children.
"Come one bedtime," said Hermione standing up with Lydie in her arms. Pausing, they said goodnight to Loralei as the boys and Lainey disappeared into the hall.
"Night princess," said Harry kissing Lydie's forehead.
"Night daddy," she said yawning. He watched as Hermione disappeared into Lydie's room before going into the boy's room.
"I can't believe you caught Mum with a hook, Dad!" said Levi as Harry tucked the small boy in. Harry smiled as he placed a kiss on the boy's forehead.
"She was my best catch," he said.
"So what does the sign mean daddy?" asked Lucas repeating Lory's earlier question.
"It just means that your mommy is my fish, and that whenever you see the sign on the door Mommy and Daddy are relaxing. It's a private joke between your Mommy and me whenever we see the sign." Seeing the confusion on his son's face he continued to explain. "You know how you do all those nice things for your sisters and brother?" Lucas nodded. "Well when you see the sign and Mommy and I are in our bedroom I'm doing nice things for her. I do the things she likes. She likes bubble baths and foot massages," he said tickling Lucas' feet. Squirming to get away from him Lucas laughed.
"Okay daddy. I understand." Harry smiled.
"I'm glad. One day when you're married your wife will want you to do those things. It's up to you to treat her right." At his words Lucas nodded and snuggled further under the covers.
"K Daddy. Night," he said.
"Night, love you buddy," he said. "You too," Harry said to Levi. However, the boy was already asleep.
Harry smiled and turned out the light, leaving the door open on his way out of the room. From there he went to Lainey's room finding Hermione just coming out.
"Night sweetheart," he called over Hermione's shoulder.
"Night daddy," she called back.
"Boy's asleep?" she asked as they walked to their bedroom.
"Levi was. Lucas will be shortly." Hermione nodded and opened their door. However, Harry paused as he watched her get ready for bed. She slipped out of her robe and in between the sheets. She was beautiful. He was lucky. He thanked the Lord every day that he had snagged her with his hook. She was the best thing he had ever caught! Smiling to himself Harry joined her in bed holding her close. Yes, his life was perfect.
Author's Note: First of all I want to thank whatever or whoever decided to cast this idea upon me. I was doing dishes late at night, listening to the radio, when this idea came to me. The title had been rolling around in my head for awhile, but I couldn't figure out what I wanted to do with the story. So thank you divine intervention! I couldn't wait to write it once the idea came to me. I could just see the story in my head if that makes any sense. Anyways, this makes the twelfth story I have added to my name. Thanks to all those who have provided me with constant support through messages and reviews with all of my stories. House Hunting is now under TWO communities! It wouldn't have been possible without you guys. Ciao WG13!