Two Beds and a Coffee Machine

By

Sannikex

To Louise

Because you are you and that is all we could ever ask for. Happy Birthday!

A/N: All wonderful reviews brings double update since they made me deliriously happy, imaginary candy to all reviewers!!

Chapter Nine

I dare you to move
I dare you to lift yourself up off the floor
I dare you to move
I dare you to move
Like today never happened
Today never happened before

Switchfoot

The house on Goblin's Road 6 was relieved of the tensions that had been inside its walls very slowly. The new and old inhabitants were easing into habits that suited them all and made them relax.

Hermione went up first. She put on her new dressing gown that she enjoyed immensely for the still new softness of the fabric and went down the stairs. She would put on tea and as the shower started to run over Ron she awoke the kids. Sending Vanessa and Henry to the second bathroom and helping Rorie through his morning rituals. Then she would go down where the children were setting the table and Ron was by the frying pan. She set Rorie in his baby chair that Ron had purchased and brought home making Hermione cry. Then she made the toasts. Everyone sat down almost at the same time. Hermione went through the checklist about homework, daily happenings and whether or not to bring extra rain clothes. Then Ron took Rorie to Mrs. Weasley and Henry and Vanessa to school before going off to work. Hermione did the dishes and then she used to stand in the middle of the kitchen enjoying the feeling that she could do whatever she wanted to do. Some days she read, some days she cleaned, some days she did accounting and recently she'd dared to go out by herself to do grocery shopping. That was one of her favourite pastimes nowadays. She had no bruises to hide and didn't need to hurry so Viktor wouldn't start making things up that she'd probably done when she was outside. She could do everything slowly and imagine that she was normal. She was going to finish her shopping and then she was going home to her wonderful husband and amazing children. More often than not the husband reminded her of Ron.

Shaking her head she went upstairs to change out of her nightclothes. She was just done when a voice called out.

"Hermione! It's Molly!" She tensed. Was everything clean? Had she left anything, were there any traces of breakfast? She'd dusted yesterday...What if she'd missed something? "Rorie and I thought we'd drop by for tea." Molly called and telling herself that she was acting ridiculously Hermione went down. She kept her hands behind her back so she wouldn't see how they shook.

"Mrs. Weasley." However she couldn't do anything about her voice shaking. The plump form she remembered from her younger years turned.

"Hermione, dear!" For a second Hermione thought Mrs. Weasley would start crying.

POV

Molly had to admire her son's patience with the girl but she couldn't stand just sitting around anymore. Hermione's children were lovely and she didn't mind having them around but she wanted to know how the girl herself was. Ron was being sweetly overprotective and Molly was content about her sneaky plan how to check up on the girl. Using Rorie as blackmail wasn't nice but Hermione had been almost as a daughter. Merlin, she wasn't blind and deaf for her sons' feelings however much they wanted to believe that was the case. She'd known when her youngest son fell for the brainy Hermione Granger and she'd watched him not doing anything about it. The girl she'd come to think of as her future daughter-in-law had slipped out of his life and then he'd not spared a second glance for any woman. However much she wanted to just lock both of them up in a closet until something happened it wasn't the right way to do it. Men were probably not a priority for Hermione right now and Ron, well, he would do as he'd always done. Doubt himself. It was an insecurity that had held him in a strong grip since his birth. Being the sixth child wasn't a big deal and Ron had always felt that he couldn't compete against all that his older brothers had achieved. Then he'd befriended Harry Potter the most powerful magician of their time and Hermione Granger, the smartest witch since Lily Evans. It didn't do a lot to your inferiority complexes to have such people as your friends. So Ron had never acted upon his feelings, he'd been too convinced he'd be rejected. When Hermione came into the kitchen Molly asked herself if Hermione would have rejected her son. She doubted it.

POV

Hermione sighed. It was hard to argue with Mrs. Weasley. She just ran over you like a train. Now she'd gotten Hermione to promise she would come to the next family dinner.

"You weren't much help were you?" She said to Rorie who was contently sucking at his fingers on the opposite side of the table.

POV

She was playing with Rorie when the door slammed open.

"Mum! Mum!"

"Here!" She called as the excited shouts from the hall were heard. Then Ron's dark voice telling Henry to slow down and take off his jacket.

"Mum, can we go, please?"

"Go where?" She looked up and saw Ron leaning against the doorframe looking amused. Henry and Vanessa kneeled on either side of her.

"To Ron's game. They're playing tomorrow, the Cannons are playing tomorrow. Can we go, please?"

"Well, I…"

"You'll sit in the top box with the players' family and friends. No one knows you, Hermione." She looked down at the pleading faces of her children.

"I don't know…"

"Please, mum?" Vanessa's pale cheeks were flushed and her eyes sparkled. Henry was breathing heavily and was almost bouncing with excitement. His small features were scrunched up in hope.

"I'd appreciate if you came, you know." Ron said and looked a bit embarrassed. The memory of the exact same face he'd worn when she'd interrogated him about the flowers for Vanessa convinced her.

"Alright. We'll come." From the middle of the victory dance that was executed around her Hermione smiled at Ron.

A/N: Next up, Quidditch game!