It was a rainy fall day. Hermione Weasley sat at the dining room table, going over some pamphlets and things for work. Her husband Ron had left already for the Auror office, and Hermione was working from home today. Their children, Rose and Hugo, were off playing with each other. Hermione had seen fit to work from home most of the time, since her children were not yet at Hogwarts (and with their ages being five and seven, it would be a few years yet).
Hermione suddenly heard the back door slam and Hugo ran inside, crying "Mum! Mum!"
Hermione looked up, startled. "Hugo?"
She got up and met her son, who looked extremely frightened.
"Mum, Rosie's gone!"
"Wh-What?"
"Rosie! She and I were playing and I don't know what happened but she jumped really high, flew over a tree, and then I couldn't find her anymore! She stopped answering when I called her!"
Hermione's face went white. She seized a piece of parchment, wrote a hasty letter to Ron explaining what had happened, then sent it with their owl as fast as that owl could move her wings.
Hugo was sobbing. "Mum, what are we going to do?"
"Don't you worry," said Hermione, who was suddenly overcome by fear and a fierce wave of love towards her son. She knelt down in front of him.
"We'll find Rosie," she said. "We'll find her. She can't have gone too far. Let's go outside and look for her, all right?"
Hermione and Hugo ran outside to where Hugo and Rose had been playing. Hermione looked around wildly for Rose, but Hugo had been quite right. She was nowhere in sight.
"Rose!" called Hermione. "Rosie! Where are you?"
No answer. Hugo began to call for his sister as well.
"Rosie!"
"Rose!" cried Hermione. "Rosie!"
Nothing.
Hermione really began to panic now. Her eyes filled with tears.
"Rose!" she called, her voice choking. "Rose! ROSE!"
No luck. Poor little Hugo ran back into the house, overwhelmed.
Hermione followed him, and right when she got in the house there was a crack from outside.
"Hermione!"
Ron was home.
"Ron!" Hermione flung open the door and they ran into each other's arms.
"We can't find Rosie," said Hermione, overcome with tears. "We can't find her. I'm so scared…"
"It's going to be all right," said Ron, holding Hermione close. His face was very pale but he was managing to stay calm. "I'm going to go back to the Auror office and we can search for her."
Hermione's eyes were full of tears. Ron wiped some tears off of her face with his thumb.
"If she has her mum's brains," he said. "Then she'll be all right."
Hermione gave a watery chuckle. Ron kissed her.
"It's all right. We'll find her."
To begin with the search, they put out a few Aurors on the case. Ron and Hermione sat in their home with their son, waiting for news. Ron and Hermione sat together on their sofa, clasping hands. Hermione had Hugo on her lap and was absentmindedly stroking his hair as he lay his head against her chest, crying. From outside, the rain was coming down in sheets.
"Perhaps they've found her by now," said Hermione, in a voice that lacked nearly all emotion.
"I hope so," said Ron. "With the weather getting so bad…"
He blinked rapidly as if he could not bear to voice the thought, and he kissed his wife's head anxiously.
They waited several hours. Hermione let go of Ron's hand to hold her son, who was still crying.
"Everything will all right," she said, though she scarcely believed it herself. "It's all going to be all right."
In the midst of Hugo's crying he yawned. Hermione got one of the couch pillows and a nearby blanket and laid Hugo down gently.
"Mum," he said. "Is Rosie gonna come back?"
"Yes," said Hermione. "Rosie's gonna come back."
Hermione relocated herself to the floor and stroked Hugo's hair. He sniffled but began to fall asleep.
Finally there was a tap, tap, tap on the window. Ron bolted and went toward the window; Hermione sat up, careful not to disturb the sleeping Hugo on the couch.
Ron opened the window to let the owl in but quickly shut it so as not to let any rain inside. The owl, wet and looking ruffled, flopped down into the floor in exhaustion. Ron seized the letter from it, ripped open the envelope, and read it to himself.
"Have they found Rosie?" Hermione asked.
Ron looked at her.
"The weather was so bad they had to call off the search until the rain stops. They haven't found her."
Hermione got up, went toward her husband, and seized the letter. She read it once, twice, then turned toward Ron. Her eyes were full of tears and disbelief.
"They can't stop," she said. "They can't stop looking for her, I…they can't! What kind of wizards are they if they can't even find our seven-year-old girl?"
Hermione walked around in an agitated circle for a minute or two, still holding the letter. Then she fumbled with it, dropped it, and went into their bedroom. She shut the door behind her and Ron heard her start to cry.
Ron sighed heavily, feeling absolutely miserable and nearly sick with worry. He picked his sleeping son up off of the couch and laid him gently in his bed. Then Ron went into their bedroom to see Hermione lying on their bed, weeping.
Ron went over to the other side of the bed so he could see Hermione's face. It was wet with tears.
"Shh," he told her, putting a hand on her face. "Go to sleep, Hermione. Go to sleep. Shh…"
Hermione's chest was heaving as she cried but with Ron's gentle tone and consistent stroking of her hair, the feverish rhythm in her chest slowly began to calm. In a few minutes, she was fast asleep.
Ron sighed. He got into bed with Hermione, made sure she was covered completely with the blanket, and he turned the light off.
Sleep didn't come very easily. For Ron, it barely came at all.
The next morning dawned gray and gloomy, much like the mood around the house. Ron sent an owl first thing in the morning to the Aurors, demanding that they get out of bed and search for his daughter. They said they would get right on it.
Ron tried to use this as comfort for his distraught wife, but it didn't do much good. Hermione got up out of bed, sat down by the window, and stayed there the rest of the morning. Ron tried to get her to eat some breakfast, or perhaps go say good morning to Hugo, but Hermione wouldn't leave.
Finally Ron realized that the only way they were going to find their daughter was if they did it themselves. So he went to the window and attempted to arouse Hermione from her misery.
"Hermione," he said. When she looked at him, he held out a hand.
"Come on. We're gonna go find our little girl."
Hermione slowly took his hand and allowed him to help her up.
Ron sent an owl to Harry, explaining what had been happening. Harry was concerned at once and promised to help find Rose.
They began where Hugo had said they had been playing. They looked all around and searched. Ron searched for his little girl calmly but with an urgent sense of purpose. Hermione helped too, since she had sent an owl to Ginny and asked her to watch after Hugo for a while. Ginny had been over there in a minute's time with James, Albus, and Lily to all keep him company and wait until they found Rose.
They looked all around, calling for her. With each step and the further they went, Hermione grew paler and paler and Ron stayed next to her, looking as anxious as she did. Harry adopted a very grave silence.
It began to rain. They continued on, not really caring how wet or how cold they got. Hermione continued to call out "Rose!" and ask where she was as if Rose was going to give her an answer. They had heard none and continued to hear no reply.
The clouds got darker and the rain became heavier. Ron took off his coat and put it over Hermione's shoulders, as she had begun to shiver slightly, dripping wet with rain. Harry continued on, with Ron and Hermione by his side.
Finally Harry said, "I'm not sure if we should keep looking in this weather."
Lightning had been crashing down for the last hour, and they were surrounded by trees. It had become increasingly dangerous.
But immediately Hermione shot Harry's idea down.
"We're not giving up," she said in a rather harsh voice that shook. "I'm not leaving my little girl."
"Hermione," said Ron gently. "It's going to be all right. We'll find Rosie. But it's getting dangerous out here. I don't want any of us to get hurt."
"All the more reason to stay out here," said Hermione. "If our daughter is in danger I will go right through anything that tries to harm her."
Harry and Ron didn't know how to tell Hermione that it was beginning to look like they would have to stop for the day. Ron looked deeply troubled; he especially didn't want to leave his daughter while she was missing.
"Hermione," said Ron, but Hermione suddenly whipped around, tears and rain both making heavy tracks on her face.
"We can't stop!" she cried, and she began to sob as she talked. "Our beautiful Rose is out there somewhere, alone and scared! I can feel it! I won't leave her out here, I won't do it! We have to find her! We have to!"
Hermione was quite distraught and after these proclamations she choked down a sob, wiped her eyes, and then turned around and walked away, calling for Rose.
"Hermione!" said Ron, but she glanced at him with tear-filled eyes and continued walking.
Ron gave Harry a look that said We can't. We can't do this to her. Not to my wife, or to my daughter.
Harry didn't know what to do; he watched Hermione walking away, crying as she called for Rose, and he watched Ron walking after her, calling through the rain for his wife to come back. Harry was completely torn from any kind of decision.
Suddenly lightning crashed down not too far away. They heard a tree fall, and then they heard a shrill, frightened scream.
Ron and Hermione leapt up and Harry started.
"ROSE!" Ron bellowed, and ran toward the spot where the lightning had crashed.
"Rose?" Hermione screamed, following him.
Harry, wand out, was the last to run toward the tree.
Once at the huge tree, they ran around it frantically.
"Rose? Rosie? Rosie, it's Mum and Dad! We've come to find you, where are you?"
"Rose?" called Harry.
He came to the end of the huge tree and he found a slightly smaller underground space that the tree had almost fallen into. Luckily the tree had been too big, and simply sat on the edges of it.
"Rose?" he called again.
And suddenly Harry heard a small voice answer from underneath the huge tree, through a hole into the underground space.
"D-Dad?"
"Rose?" called Harry, his heart lifting. "Are you Rose Weasley?"
"Y-Yes…p-please help me…"
Harry turned and yelled "RON! HERMIONE!"
They came running.
"She's down here," he said. "I'm going to lower myself in and get her out. It makes no sense if we all go in," he said, reading Hermione's facial expression perfectly. "I'll get her. Stay up here so you'll be ready to help her out."
Harry lowered himself in through the hole. Ron and Hermione stayed at the entrance of the hole, Ron urgently speaking into it and Hermione absolutely hysterical.
"Rosie, we're gonna get you out, don't you worry!" said Ron.
"Rosie!" Hermione called to her daughter. "Rosie!"
Harry found himself standing in a rather dark area, and with the rain going it made it increasingly difficult for him to see.
He muttered "Lumos," and his wand illuminated.
And there was his niece, caught in some rock buildup by the wall of the underground space.
"Rose," said Harry, going toward her. "Oh, thank goodness you're all right…"
"Are Mum and Dad angry?" she asked weakly, tears leaking out of her eyes.
"No, no, no…of course not. Never," said Harry. "Blimey…how did you get caught in this?"
Rose was almost completely buried in the rocks except for her head and arms.
"I don't know," cried Rose. "Hugo and I were playing and then I jumped really high over a tree and then something happened and I ended up here…it felt like I was being forced through a tube. When I landed I fell in this hole. The lightning caused the rocks to fall. It took me a long time to get out this far…"
Rose looked entirely overwhelmed and she began to weep.
"Uncle Harry, I don't know what happened…"
"It's all right," Harry told her, his hand on her shoulder. "The important thing now is that we get you out of here and back home."
Rose whimpered. "I want my mum."
"She's here too, don't worry," said Harry, raising his wand. He levitated the rocks off of Rose, one by one so that he wouldn't drop any rocks on her. Finally he got it to a point where he could help her out of the rocks. He did so gently, making sure she didn't have any broken bones. Rose had a lot of bruises so Harry picked her up and made his way to the entrance.
"Hermione! Ron! Give us a hand down here…"
Ron appeared at the entrance and held out his arms. Harry took them, stepped up on a rock, and was able to climb out with the bruised and weak Rose in one arm. Hermione was there, and then Ron, and there was a flurry of activity and rain. Hermione had seized her daughter from Harry and flung her arms around her, Ron soon following with one arm around his shaking wife and one around his hurt daughter.
"Rosie…" sobbed Hermione in relief. "Oh, Rosie….oh my beautiful Rose…"
Hermione was holding her daughter and stroking her hair and kissing her head. Rose was crying too as she hugged her mother and her father, who also had firm grip on his daughter.
Hermione faced Rose, her hands on her shoulders.
"Are you all right, Rosie? Are you hurt? Oh my goodness…my baby girl…"
Hermione was quite overcome at the fact that they had found Rose; tears were pouring down her pale face and her hands were on her daughter's face. Rose said shakily that she had a few bruises but Hermione said "That's all right, it's all right, we can fix it…oh Rosie…"
Hermione kissed her daughter all over her face and hugged her once more. "I'm so glad you're safe."
Then Hermione faced Rose once more. "But how did you get out here?"
"I don't know," cried Rose. "I don't know what happened, Mum…Hugo and I were playing and then I jumped over a tree and then…it felt like I was being squeezed everywhere…"
Hermione looked questioningly at Ron and then at Harry, who said "She must have Apparated without meaning to.
"Rosie Apparated?" asked Ron.
"Not far, obviously," said Harry. "But from what it sounds like, I think so."
Then Hermione let go and Ron flung his arms around his daughter.
"You mustn't scare us like that, Rosie," said Ron, relief and happiness in his voice. "We thought we were gonna lose you. I'm so glad you're all right…"
Rose hugged her father, who was becoming rather overcome as his wife had. He kept kissing her head and holding her tight.
Harry was grinning, happy they had found his niece. He smiled even wider to see Rose's parents lovingly helping their daughter to stand up and walk so they could go home.
They were all greeted happily by Ginny and their children. The first thing that Hugo did was run up to his big sister and greet her very happily at the door, along with their three cousins. Ron and Hermione warned them to be very careful since Rose had lots of bruises and was weak. Hugo, James, Albus, and Lily all welcomed Rose home very gently but with lots of kisses and hugs.
After such a scare, Hermione never did let her children fully out of her sight again.