Ron carried the sandwiches in to the study, Hermione sat at the large maple desk, her hand absentmindedly tracing the pattern on the green leather as she read the tenth book today.Ron quietly slid in to the seat next to her and slid her a butter beer.She looked around at him and smiled.
"Sorry I was miles away, did you say something?"
Ron shook his head; Hermione had been like this lately, tuned in to the slightest noise in the house, jumping slightly every time someone broke her train of thought. He wouldn't say it to her but he knew she had been lying awake at night. It had been two weeks since the night in the orphanage. Hermione had tried every spell she found in the books that lined the Black's study but it was to no avail, if the cup didn't want to reveal it's secrets it wouldn't.They sat looking at the ornate carvings, trying to figure out if they were a clue, they had even tried potions to see if that would work but alas, the cup was still only a cup.
Hermione took a sip of her tea and turned back to her book.Ron sighed, pulling something from up his jumper and handing it to Hermione.She looked at the small brown envelope with curiosity.
"What is it?"
"Why don't you open it and find out?"
He watched as her fingers unwrapped the handmade envelope. She pulled out the small folded card her hands trembling as she did so.
"Happy birthday." Ron said looking at her to see her reaction.
She smiled as she read the words inside.
"Thank you Ron." she said quietly standing the handmade card up against the stack of books. She leant over and kissed him. "I had totally forgotten it was my birthday."
Ron smiled, "Only you could forget your own birthday." Hermione laughed.
"Now I've asked Harry and he says if you want we can go se your parents, just for a little while." Hermione's face lit up.
"What? Just me and you."
Ron smiled and nodded. "Harry is going to go see Tonks and Remus, see if Tonks can dig up any information on the Riddle house." He watched her digest this information, knowing Hermione the way he did he knew it could only go one of two ways, Hermione would either insist on going with Harry so she got the facts or act on that thing that had been nagging at her ever since the night in the orphanage. The fact that she wanted to see her mum. Hermione got to her feet. Ron watched as she pulled her hair back and grabbed her long cardigan from the back of her chair.
"Parents it is then." Hermione nodded placing her hand in his as they headed out the door.
Harry sat on the bottom step throwing butter beer corks at Mrs Black; simple things like this reminded him of Ginny. The way she would check to see if a door had a spell on it, the way she would stack the corks with care so she could say she was building a tower and Crookshanks had knocked it if questioned by her mother. He missed Ginny with every inch of his being, and watching Hermione and Ron have each other to find comfort in was beginning to make him feel isolated and lonely.
Not that he begrudged them the comfort that they found in each other, far from it. He just wished now that he had allowed Ginny to stay, to stop and help him, even if it was just so he had someone to hold and find comfort in late at night when the house felt cold and the ghosts of the past roamed the dark green corridors and treaded the old faded stairs. Despite the fact he hated this place, it was beginning to feel like home. Memories of Sirius were etched in the walls, a Christmas that would never be forgotten. Buckbeak's claw marks etched in the old oak doorframes, the way that Mrs Weasley had somehow turned the kitchen in to a constant reminder of the burrow, maybe that was why the three of them spent most of the time sat in the stone kitchen around the fire.
The sounds of footsteps broke Harry from his memories, looking around Ron and Hermione, hand in hand were heading towards him.
"Ready to go mate?" Ron asked throwing Harry his jacket.
Harry got to his feet and put it on.
"So you are going to your parents?" Harry asked Hermione. She nodded. "Oh well just one for Diagon Ally then." he shrugged.
"Harry are you ok?"
Harry looked away nodding. "Come on lets apperate from the end of the street, and Hermione?" he looked at her. "Happy birthday."
Hermione's house was the end house in a block of semi detached properties in the suburbs, all the houses in the street were late Victorian with intricate carvings above the doors and windows. Outside ran a small metal railing, Hermione's farther had replaced it when Hermione was born, the original could be seen in the form of tiny iron stumps where the metal had been taken in the war to make ammunitions.Many houses in the street had opted for knocking the fences down they now just had lawn with ornamental cherubs sitting on the ghastly fountains that they had bought at the local garden centre.Only the end two houses had any sort of character.
As Hermione lead Ron up the path to her house she couldn't help but feel ashamed of her humble house, compared to the burrow it was tiny and not remotely as welcoming as the red-bricked warmth of Ron's family home.Hermione routed around in an old urn that had plants growing from it until she found what she was looking for.She turned the key in the door and lead Ron in to the faded hallway.
"Mum? Dad?" she closed the door cringing slightly as Ron looked at the baby photos that lined the walls.
"You were an ugly baby." Ron said to her smiling at the large portrait photo that Hermione's mother kept on the ledge over the top of the radiator.
"And you looked like a tomato, something's never change." Hermione said griping her wand slightly in her pocket. Something wasn't right, where were her parents?
"Ron your wand." Hermione instructed. She lead him in to the kitchen, the plates sat in the draining board, the room was relatively clean for the Grangers. She lead Ron in to the living room, books lined the walls on either side of the fire.
"I don't understand why they aren't home; it's a Wednesday they don't work today." Hermione said sinking in to the large sofa. Ron sank in next to her.
"Maybe they changed there day off." he said looking at her. There was something in his voice that calmed her.
"Yeah your right. Again." she said sarcastically.
They sat in silence for a bit, no sound could be heard bar the occasional car passing in the street.
A shrill cry sounded in the back garden, Ron wiped his wand in that direction.
"It's ok it's just Tyler." Hermione says getting to her feet and grabbing Ron by the hand. She walks him to the kitchen door and in to the back garden. The grass is slightly over grown and weeds are breaking the tiled path but Hermione doesn't appear to be phased by that. In the next garden, a small child is bouncing a ball, it bounces of the wall and she runs to go fetch it.
"Hermione?" a voice asks from the next garden.
"Ross?" Hermione and Ron walk over to the fence. Sitting in the other garden is a boy of about eighteen he has long dreadlocked hair and bright blue eyes. He has a dark black jumper on and baggy jeans. Upon seeing Hermione, he gets up and hugs her over the fence.
"Happy Birthday."
"And you." Hermione says smiling at him. He spins around on the spot. "Do I look eighteen yet?"
"Not a day over twelve." she says smiling. She turns to Ron who has that look he generally only reserves for Krum etched across his face. "Ron this is Ross, My next door neighbour for what seams like forever. Ross this is Ron, my boyfriend and the rest you already know." Hermione says hooking her arm in with Ron's.
Ron relaxes a little. Hermione sighs something's never change.
The little girl runs up to Ross and grabs on to his jumper pulling it to get his attention. He leans over and picks the little girl up. She points at Hermione.
"Dada Mione."
"That's right Tyler Hermione, and I think she's looking for her mommy and daddy. Where are they? Tell Hermione."
The little girl looks at her dad and then at Hermione.
"Dentist." she says confidently.
"She can't say dad but she can say dentist?" Hermione asks leaning on the fence.
"She loves your dad, cant's see why but she does." Hermione's father had never thought that much of the direction that Ross had taken his life in, and when Tyler was born his thoughts on the matter had dropped even more considerably.
"Philip!" Tyler screeched. Ron shifted uncomfortably next to her. Hermione slipped her hand in to his as comfortingly as she could manage.
"Listen do you want to come in for a cuppa?" Ross asked as Tyler tried to get out of his arms and in to Ron's over the fence. We let ourselves through the gate at the bottom of the garden and Tyler throws herself at Ron.
"I think she likes you." Hermione says quietly looking at the little girl as she tries to grab Ron's hair.
"You think?"
"Tyler this is Ron." Hermione says pointing at Ron.
"Won" the little girl, says. Ron casts Hermione a strange look, Hermione looks back at him sympathetically.
"No Tyler. Ron."
"Ron." the little girl says hugging him tightly. Ron smiles.
"Yeah I think she likes me."
Ron plays with the little girl on the floor, Ross and Hermione talk over the mugs of tea as we sit in the immaculate kitchen. Ross's mum worked in the surgery that Hermione's father worked in and the cleanliness she showed at work often followed her home.They talked late in to the evening Tyler finally falling to sleep on Ron's shoulder, her head tucked in to the fold of his neck. Hermione watched the two of them, Ron was so good with her, and Hermione presumed it was from coming from such a large family, did they all have the same paternal instincts. The thought of what there children would look like crossed her mind for the second time today. She smiled across at Ron, he locked her look for almost a minute, was he thinking the same things as her.
A crash outside made all three adults jump.
Ross rushed to the window followed closely by the other two.
A dark figure moved in the shadows that danced across the back garden.
"That's the third time this week." said Ross looking at Hermione. "I think someone is staking the houses out."
Hermione looked around at Ron, the look was easy to read in his eyes even in the darkness it was impossible to mistake the shock of white blond hair that they had seen disappear around the fur trees at the bottom of the grangers garden.
again thanks for the reviews i think i replied to most of you but if i mised you thanks anyway.
Ihave put my new story since i have finished disenchanted lullaby, i would apreciate it if you guys gave me your thoughts.
my new story is called out of the shadows love as ever paula-lou.