AN: I don't own Harry Potter.
Thank you for the reviews, follows and faves for this.
Here's the next installment, as if you didn't know.
Enjoy!
''Hermione! Let's go!'' Ron shouted up the stairs. ''Hugo, stop fiddling with your tie.'' he said to his son who had been messing with his tie for the last ten minutes.
''But, dad..'' Hugo whined.
''Hugo.'' Ron said sternly. ''I mean it. Leave it alone.''
''Alright.'' Hugo grumbled, throwing himself on the sofa.
''Have you seen your sister?'' Ron asked, looking in the mirror by the stairs, checking his hair was still how he styled it.
''Yeah, she was in the loo fixing her hair earlier.'' Hugo said, rolling his eyes.
''Rose, hurry up!'' Ron shouted again, this time for his daughter.
''Just a minute!'' Rose snapped, her voice carrying downstairs.
''Don't take that tone with me and for Merlin's sake, hurry up!'' Ron shouted, shaking his head.
Five minutes later, Rose came bouncing down the stairs. She was wearing a light green short sleeved dress and a pair of green ballet flats, her hair pulled up into a loose ponytail.
''Yuck! What happened to you?'' Hugo asked, leaning over the edge of the sofa and pretending to throw up. ''You look like a girl! Eugh!''
''Yeah? I'd rather look like a girl than the back end of a hippogriff.'' Rose retorted, sticking her tongue out at him.
''Alright, that's enough.'' Ron said, stopping their bickering before it truly got started. ''Rose, you look very lovely.''
''Thanks, daddy!'' the sixteen year old smiled.
''Is your mum ready, do ya know?'' Ron asked as he placed his hand on Rose's shoulder and steered her toward the door.
''When I saw her, she was dressed but just sitting at her vanity with her head in her hands.'' Rose said. ''She said she's not going.''
''Alright. I'll go talk to her, you two go wait in the car.'' Ron said, sighing as he turned back to the stairs. ''Behave yourselves!'' he yelled over his shoulder, knowing Rose and Hugo were pushing each other. At 16 and 13, his children still behaved as though they were toddlers around each other. Walking into his and Hermione's bedroom, he stopped seeing his wife sitting at her vanity like Rose said.
''I'm not going.'' Hermione said in a muffled voice.
Ron sighed again and walked over to stand behind her, putting his hands on her shoulders. ''Hermione, love..'' he started.
''No, Ron. I'm not going. End of discussion.'' Hermione said, raising her head to look at him in the mirror. ''This is ridiculous, and I will not support it.''
''Don't you think you're being childish, Hermione?'' he asked sternly.
''No, I don't.'' she said, raising her chin in defiance. ''Daddy has only been gone for five years, and here she is, marrying another man.'' she said, gesturing to the left as if her mother was standing there.
Ron hung his head, trying to hide his smile from his wife. ''Hermione, would you just listen to yourself? Your father has been gone for five years. Now, I don't know about you, but I think that's more than suitable to mourn the man before she moved on.'' he said, chuckling a bit. ''Besides, you know in the wizarding world, the appropriate length of time for mourning before you move on to someone else is only a year.''
''Well, what I think is appropriate and what the rest of the world thinks is completely different.'' Hermione said, tears welling up in her eyes.
''What did you think? That Elizabeth would stay in mourning for the rest of her life?'' Ron asked. He had asked her that same question at least twenty times this week, and he knew her answer would be..
''YES! YES, I DID! SHE SHOULD MOVE IN HERE WITH US AND SIT AROUND REMEMBERING ALL THE GOOD TIMES SHE HAD DURING HER NEARLY FORTY YEAR MARRIAGE! NOT REPLACE HIM WITH SOME..RETIRED SAILOR!'' Hermione yelled, tears rolling down her face.
''Alright, alright. No need to shout it at me.'' a voice said sadly from the door. Looking in the mirror, Hermione and Ron saw Elizabeth standing in the door.
''I'll wait in the car, love.'' Ron whispered, leaning down to kiss the top of her head. He turned to leave the room, patting Elizabeth on the arm as he passed her.
Elizabeth took several small steps into the room. It did not escape her notice that Hermione refused to look at her. Stepping to the same spot Ron had been standing in, she looked at her daughter in the mirror and sighed.
''Are you really refusing to come to my wedding, Hermione?'' she asked, gently patting Hermione's hair.
''Yes, I am.'' Hermione said in a quiet voice.
''You always were the most stubborn creature on God's green earth. Your father always said so.'' Elizabeth said, causing Hermione's eyes to snap to hers in the mirror. ''I know you like David very much. I also know you gave him your blessing for this wedding. What I don't know, however, is why you're suddenly kicking up such a fuss about it?''
Hermione sighed. She knew she'd been found out. There was no point in fighting anymore, so she took a deep breath, and looked down at her hands.
''You're right. I do like David. He's charming, and funny, intelligent and a man of values. Not to mention he's great with the kids. I see how happy he makes you, mum. I really do. Since you began seeing him, you laugh more, you don't take things as seriously as you used to. David makes you get out and live now and then.'' Hermione said. ''It's just..since Christmas, when David proposed, you don't talk about daddy as often as you used to. It seemed like..like you were forgetting all those years you spent with him.'' she said, tears running down her face once more.
''Oh, Hermione.'' Elizabeth said, leaning down to hug her, and placing her chin on Hermione's shoulder. ''I adored the time I spent with Richard. Those were 37 of the best years I've ever had.'' she said, her voice breaking at the end. ''I wouldn't trade them for all the tea in China, love. I will always love and remember him. But, honey, he's gone. But I'm not. And through some big stroke of luck, I managed to fall in love again, even when I swore to myself I never would.'' she said, smiling through her tears. ''Hermione, believe it or not, your father and I did talk about this while he was alive. He wanted me to be happy after he was gone. Made me promise I would try my hardest to be. And I am.''
Hermione quickly stood up and embraced her mum. She cried with such emotion her body was shaking. ''Oh, mum. I'm so sorry. I've been acting just beastly about this.'' she said. She pulled away, and looked at her mum. ''This is really what you want?''
Elizabeth nodded. ''This is what I want.''
Hermione smiled her usual bright smile. She grabbed her wand and cast a spell to fix her makeup which had smeared. Grabbing a handkerchief out of the drawer of her vanity, she placed it in her clutch. She turned to face her mum and smiled as she cast the same makeup spell on her with her permission. ''Okay. Let's go make you Mrs. Admiral David Gentry.'' she smiled.
''Hermione, before we go, could you do something for me?'' Elizabeth asked.
''Sure. What?''
''Could you put on a different dress, please?'' she asked, looking at the black dress Hermione was wearing.
''Okay, mum. Why don't you go on down to the car and I'll change real quick?'' Hermione asked, laughing. After Elizabeth left, Hermione quickly changed into a red dress and heels, pinning her hair back on one side with a rose hairclip.
That afternoon, in front of nearly 150 people, Ms. Elizabeth Granger became Mrs. Admiral David Gentry, even though Hermione was still silently protesting.
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Til next time!
XOXO - Onyx Obsidian
