Hello all! Sorry it's been so long since I've updated. I promise, Side-Along has not been shelved - you can expect an update for that soon-ish... assuming I don't get another one-shot idea. Been a crazy couple of weeks, in a good way. :) I was super distracted by a visit from my girlfriend, and a couple other things going on in my life at the moment. This update is shortish, but I promise I'll make up for it when I post the next chapter of Dueling. That will happen sooner than six months from now, I promise. I'm really trying to finish some of my WIPs, and Dueling is on the top of that list. My goal is to be able to mark this complete before New Years.
Hermione looked up and smiled upon seeing her daughter enter the hotel's diner, large stack of papers in hand and a look of frustration on her face. "Need some help?" she called.
"Yes!" Rose replied, hurrying over the the table her mother was working at.
"What have you decided to do for your lecture?" the red haired newlywed's mother inquired.
Rose grinned. "Talk about how to best go about distracting your opponent, and how that helps in a duel."
"As you displayed with Viktor," Hermione mused. "Certainly an unusual topic to choose, which will prevent you from boring the crowd…"
"Mum…" Rose playfully slapped her mother's arm. "If you and McGonagall make it to finals, you could distract whoever you guys take on by snogging mid duel."
"Rose!"
The younger witch shrugged. "Just saying."
"On the subject, how are you adjusting to married life, young lady?"
"It's amazing," Rose replied, smiling softly. "James is, well...he's everything I never realized I wanted in a man. It's like, I mean… he gets my jokes, and he can sense my moods, even when they change on a dime. He likes the same things I do, and he's open to trying things I like he isn't already into. And then, all he has to do is look at me with those gorgeous blue eyes and I'm ready to do whatever he asks. It's not a puppy love thing though, it's just that he is so easy to trust. I talked a bit to his mum, Laura is her name by the way, and she says that he's always been a dreadful liar, so he's kinda made a reputation for being honest, nearly to a fault."
"What about his father?" Hermione asked, wondering about her daughter's new in-laws and what sort of folk they were going to turn out to be.
"His dad's a muggle, a dentist actually -"
Hermione laughed outright.
"Yeah, I knew you'd find that funny," Rose grinned. "Carl, James' dad, sounds like a really nice man, though I've not met him yet. I haven't technically met Laura either - we just talked a bit on the tele."
"With any luck, the Rolands will be as good to you as the Weasleys have been to me over the years," Hermione sighed. "It really is a wonderful thing, to have your in-laws support you, especially once you bring children into the mix."
"Does McGonagall have family?" Rose inquired, drawing the conversation away from herself.
"Her two brothers, Robert and Malcolm, were the other two Scottish duelists. Other than them, I do not believe so. Robert was betrothed once, though he never married after that engagement was cut off by the girl's family, and as I understand it, Malcolm is a bit like your friend Mr. Waltman."
"Greene?" Rose laughed. "As in, new girlfriend every week, Greene?"
"Yes," Hermione laughed, thinking about her old dorm-mate, Lavender Waltman, nee Brown, who seemed to have passed her dating habits down to her son.
"So McGonagall's brothers? Do they know you guys are...er…"
"In love?"
"Yeah…" Rose said awkwardly.
"They do," Hermione answered calmly.
"They good with it?"
"They seem to be, though if Robert has anything to do with it, you may end up with a little brother or sister after a time," the older witch chuckled.
Rose's face contorted. "Um. Ew."
"What?" Hermione grinned, finding humor in her daughter's unease.
"Right," Rose coughed. "So what's your lecture gunna be about?"
"Spell development, of course," she replied with ease, allowing the change in conversation topic.
Minerva was nearly finished composing the rough draft of her lecture - transfiguration applied dueling - when there was a knock at she and Hermione's door. The older witch knew that if it were her new paramour, she wouldn't have knocked, so it had to be someone else. Grudgingly, she rose out of her comfortable position curled up on one of the room's beds, and went to answer.
"Harry," she greeted with a frown when she opened the door to see her Defense Professor. "Like myself, you are more than used to preparing lectures, so I doubt you came for help… which means you are here to talk about Hermione."
"Still doing a wonderful Ravenclaw impression, Minerva," the younger man said, grinning. "May I come in?"
"Somehow I doubt you'd go away if I said no," the Headmistress grumbled, stepping aside to admit him entry, and then closing the door behind her and following him to the small table near the rooms singular window. "I'm sure Hermione has already told you the events which led us to where we are, so I am curious what you want to discuss."
"Well," Harry said evenly. "Firstly, it is my duty as her brother by virtue of seven years of fighting a war side by side to inform you that if you hurt her, I'll have to kill you."
Minerva's eyes widened in surprise, and then relaxed when she saw how nervous Harry looked. "Well then," she said. "Now that you have that bit off your chest, what else do you want to talk about? You know very well I'd never hurt her."
"I know, but I had to say it," he shrugged. "If not for duty, for the sake of seeing the look on your face!"
They both laughed at that.
"What I really wanted to talk about," Harry continued, "is what became of her and Ron. Because it's a sensitive subject and she hardly even talks to me about it, and you deserve to know."
"Go on," Minerva urged. Harry was right - she'd tried to talk to Hermione about that very thing last evening while they were out, but Hermione had evaded, and the older woman had taken the hint.
"Ron was chronically unfaithful," the younger man stated sadly. "That I know of, he's been with nine other women in the course of their marriage. Given your propensity for flings - Minerva I'm not suggesting you would cheat, but you need to know that if you did… she'd never forgive you and I fear it would break her beyond repair. She's told me before that part of why she stayed with Ron is that she believes that it would be the same story with anyone else. She believes cheating is a part of what marriage is."
Minerva frowned. "Where are you getting your information about my personal life, Mr. Potter?"
Harry clucked. "I'll never tell."
"While I'm not going to deny that I'm prone to one night stands," Minerva said after a moment, "I've never behaved that way whilst in a relationship. I'd never cheat, especially not on Hermione. I've waited far too long to have her to risk losing her over something as stupid as sex."
"Ah, on that subject," Harry moved the conversation along, "Hermione mentioned that you'd admitted to having long standing feelings for her. Why now, Minerva? Why wait this long?"
"I thought she was happily married, and even if I had known it was not as blissful as it seemed on the surface, she was still married," Minerva said.
"That didn't seem to matter this week."
"Oh, it mattered," the Scottish woman assured him. "It mattered a great deal. The difference between then and now was that Hermione was in the equation. Before, she had no idea how I felt, and I did not say anything. Not saying anything was easy when we only ever crossed paths in regards to Rose and Hugo's education. These last few weeks - she was here, Harry. Here, and beautiful, and made remark after remark about how she and Ronald's marriage was nothing but a farce. I stayed away because I didn't want to cause conflict between them, only to find out that conflict was there , she started pressing about why we'd not remained friends over the years, and I slipped up and admitted that I'd had feelings for her."
"Okay," Harry nodded. "That makes sense I guess. But why not tell her before she and Ron were married?"
"Harry, there is a massive age gap between us. Before she and Ronald were an item, she was still a student under my care, or was freshly out of Hogwarts. If we'd pursued a relationship then, I honestly don't think it would have lasted in the long run. She needed to finish growing up, and when she did, it was too late."
"Hermione has always been mature for her age," Harry argued. "You guys would have been fine."
"I was much like her, when I was that age," she sighed. "Bookish, mature, with difficulty identifying with my peers. From experience, Harry, she would not have been ready then. Even if she had, if I was wrong all those years ago… the point is moot, now."
"Fair enough."
"Any other questions?"
"Not really."
"You sure?"
"Well," Harry finally said, looking sheepish. "Do you have any ideas how I can talk about my feelings and how they apply to defensive dueling without completely shredding my man-card?"
Minerva laughed loudly. "Oh Harry…"
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