This one shot was written for the MAYhem challenge for the HMS Harmony Discord Server. It was originally posted on Archive of our Own on May 20th 2022.
PROMPT: In which Harry is a house husband and is perfectly content having the family he'd always desired.
BONUS: Minister!Hermione
Hermione Potter had a very time-consuming job. She knew it. Her daughter knew it. Her husband knew it. Her parents knew it. Her friends knew it. The whole of the magical world knew it.
Hermione Potter is the Minister for Magic. It is a post she won after Kingsley Shackebolt retired three years prior, though not before naming her as his preferred successor. While she was a war hero, back then, Hermione was only a regular employee of the Department of Control of Magical Creatures who was silently working in the background to give better rights to house-elves, centaurs, goblins and any non-human sentient race.
When she suddenly and unexpectedly arose to the most powerful position of the British Magical World, a lot of her dreams about the future of Magical Britain looked like they were at the tip of her fingers. Equal rights for everyone no matter the species, race, gender or blood-status? Yep. Improved education system that taught young witches and wizards better about the Muggle World and vice versa? Done and dusted. Improving the economy to the point of sending Magical Britain into a new golden age for the people, giving everyone a good chance at life no matter the profession? She did that. Hermione had the dream of helping everybody. Kingsley Shackebolt naming her the next Minister for Magic allowed her to do just that. And the people loved her for it, to the point where they often called her the best Minister for Magic Britain ever had.
Unfortunately, all of these dreams came at a cost: that of her free time and personal life. She already had a busy job. Yet, when she ascended to the post of Minister for Magic, Hermione saw her work-load more than triple. On multiple occasions, she had to stay very late at the office, returning home long after her small family had gone to bed - even past midnight. And her family was a whole other situation that made her feel guilty whenever her mind wandered to them.
You see, Hermione was married and the proud mother of a little girl who loved the idea of chaos more than Fred and George Weasley did combined. Her daughter Rose was born five years ago, two years before Hermione became the Minister for Magic. For these two years, Hermione and her husband Harry Potter had happily shared the duties of taking care of their daughter, taking breaks from work when one of them needed to be with Rose. Every night, they would tuck her in her bed together and tell her a short story until Rose fell asleep. Every day, they made sure Rose would never lack for anything, from material needs to the presence and love of her parents.
And then, Hermione was nominated to be the next Minister for Magic. At the time, she had been slightly hesitant to take the post. While it was her dream job, she knew her new responsibilities would get in the way of the time she spent with her family. But Harry believed she shouldn't renounce her dream for them. He was more than happy to leave his job as Auror and become a stay-at-home dad if it meant both his wife and daughter would be happy. Hermione initially refused, knowing being an Auror had been Harry's own dream job since he was fourteen and she told him she didn't want him to leave his own dream for her. By the time she went to bed that night, she thought it was settled. Harry would stay an Auror and Hermione wouldn't become the Minister.
But Harry had a knack of doing things anyway even after being told no. The following morning, before Hermione was even awake, he went to the Ministry to find his boss and immediately gave his resignation before returning home and slipping back to bed. He was still wearing his pyjamas at the time. She knew because her coworkers wouldn't stop mentioning how Harry Potter, hero of the Wizarding World, showed up in his boss' office and resigned all while wearing pyjamas. She heard about it for weeks and weeks.
With Harry now staying at home, ensuring their daughter would never be alone, there was nothing that stopped her from taking the post of Minister. So, she took it. As far as she was aware, Harry never looked back on his decision, more than happy with his new position even three years later. For Hermione, it was not quite the same. Every few weeks, whenever she returned home very late at night, she thought of how she wasn't able to tuck her daughter in or kiss her husband goodnight and wondered whether becoming Minister for Magic had been a good decision for herself and her family or not. She felt guilty her husband had to leave his dream job behind to take care of their daughter and guilty Rose got to see less and less of her mother as she grew up.
Sometimes, she wondered whether Harry or Rose resented her for that decision. She never admitted it to anyone but her biggest fear was that Harry and Rose would leave her in exchange of another woman who would be there for them every day, leaving her all alone in life. She knew it made little to no sense as her family loved her but it was a thought that crossed her mind every time she saw the clock of the Minister's Office ticking the evenings she spent at work.
It was why she'd spent the last week and a half heavily thinking about resigning from the position of Minister for Magic. It was a decision that she had seriously considered ever since she learned some very important news. She knew the life of her family was about to change and she knew she couldn't in good conscience continue her dream work at the cost of her family. Of course, she had yet to inform her husband and daughter about that idea.
On one special day, Hermione once more arrived late from work. She felt especially demoralized as it was Halloween. Not only did she miss her daughter's first time trick-or-treating (something Rose had been excited about for more than a month), but she hadn't been there to comfort and hold Harry as he mourned his parents on the anniversary of their deaths.
As she apparated on the front lawn of their small cozy home deep in thoughts, Hermione immediately noticed something strange. Rose's small pink bicycle was laying on the front lawn of the house next to Harry's own grey bike. Their cycling helmets were also lying there like they had been thrown away without a second thought. It was strange sight because she and Harry usually took great care to teach Rose to clean after herself, not wanting her to become a slob like her Uncle Ron once she grew older. She didn't know why Harry had seemingly forgotten to ensure her daughter did that important step on that particular day. If it wasn't for the wards that stopped anyone with ill intent from walking on the property, Hermione would have worried something bad could have happened.
Still, forgetting you left something laying around wasn't the end of the world and Hermione could easily overlook that. She decided to clean after them, using her wand to vanish the bikes and helmets back to the garage. Within a few seconds, the unusual sight had been forgotten and Hermione quickly made her way to the door, entering her home.
As she thought about getting a wonderful bath with her husband later that night, Hermione came to a second strange sight. Once again, Harry and Rose had left stuff laying around. This time, it was their Halloween costumes which were simply laying on the ground next to the coat rack and the shoes. Hermione let out a sigh and vanished Rose's duck and Harry's doctor costumes, this time sending them to the washing room where they would lay ready to be cleaned.
With the costumes gone, Hermione temporarily dropped her wand on the entrance table and shedded her heavy coat before hanging it on the coat rack. She followed suit by removing her high-heels, sighing in contentment once her tired and pained feet were liberated. She dropped them on the edge of the wall with the other shoes before taking her wand back and putting it in one of the pockets of her pants. Then, she made her way deeper inside her home. Hearing voices upstairs, Hermione decided she would go see her family to ask how they spent the day, though not before satiating her thirst by drinking a glass of water in the kitchen. But, as she passed through the dining room, she found yet another mess, this time the biggest of the day.
On the table laid a half-eaten chocolate cake. While it wasn't bad in off itself, what annoyed Hermione was to see all the dirty dishes left next to it along with the fresh stains of chocolate on the wooden table she inherited from her grandmother years ago. Worse, a small orange bag of Halloween sweets laid half open on one side of the table, the sweets having dropped out of it like the fresh snow of an avalanche. This time, Hermione didn't bother cleaning up after them. With a groan of annoyance, she left the dining room and made her way upstairs where the voices came from to find her husband and daughter and ask why the house was in such a mess.
As she arrived on the upper floor, she discerned the voices of Harry and Rose. Rose was talking animatedly to her father about the day they had. From the sounds (and looks) of it, they had a lot of fun today. She was about to enter the room and announce her presence when she heard Rose go silent.
"Daddy?" she suddenly asked, her voice full of sadness. "Why couldn't Mummy come play with us today?"
Hermione froze on the spot as she gasped quietly. She once more felt shame that she wasn't often at home. Her fear that her family might seek to replace her with someone more present made its way back to her mind.
She didn't hear Harry answer immediately, her husband staying silent for a few seconds, like he was looking for an answer. Eventually, he said "Well, your mother is very busy, Rose. She has a lot of work to do. She help thousands of people every day. But, it takes a lot of time to help everyone."
"But why?" Rose whined. "Why can't Mummy also be with us?"
Hermione felt a pang in her heart as Harry took a moment to reflect on the question. But then, he said "How about I tell you a story instead?" and Hermione raised an eyebrow. Did he deflect because he believed the explanation would be too complicated for their five-year-old daughter to understand? Or... was it because he himself did not understand why she spent so much time at work away from them? She did not hear it in his voice but did he really resent her like she feared all along? Rose certainly seemed sad she was absent often.
"A story?" Rose asked in confusion, unknowingly snapping her mother out of her depressing thoughts.
"Yep, a story." her father answered and Hermione could hear the grin in his voice.
"Okay!" the five-year-old answered, excited. "What is it about?"
"Well, today's story is about a young boy named Harr – huh – old. Harold!" he said. Hermione was a bit amused at the slip, knowing he almost said his own name.
"His name sounds like yours!" Rose exclaimed in amazement, forcing Hermione to stifle a chuckle.
"Yes, his name sounds similar, I agree." Harry laughed. "Still, Harold is the name and his story is particular. You see, as a young boy, Harold had a happy life. He had two loving parents and three loving uncles. Harold spent all of his days playing and having fun with his big dog called Snuffles."
"He has a dog?!" the small girl exclaimed. "How old is Harold?!"
"About your age." Harry answered.
"But you said two days ago that I was too young to have a dog! Why does he have one and not me?!" she protested before letting out a huge gasp of understanding. "Are we getting a dog?!" she shrieked excitingly.
Harry let out a small nervous laugh, obviously now realizing what situation he put himself in. Hermione didn't know whether to be amused or annoyed with him. Rose had been asking for a pet for months. Now she would never leave them alone without getting a dog. Harry spoke again. "How about we talk about it later with your mother, okay?" he asked nervously. While she could not see it, Hermione had no difficulty imagining Rose nod furiously to her father, likely already thinking when she could corner them together.
"What happened to Harold?" Rose asked.
"Right." Harry said, remembering he was telling a story. "Well, Harold was very cherished by his family. His parents and his uncles loved him very, very much."
"Like you and Mummy do?" their daughter asked.
Hermione smiled as Harry said "Yes, just as much as Mummy and me love you, Rosie." he said, making Hermione smile. It was true, she loved Rose with all of her heart. Harry too. They were her family.
"Harold and his family lived a very, very happy life. They played together, watched movies in the evenings and every night, his mother and father would cuddle him to bed. But then, it all changed on one dark Halloween. You see, Harold, his parents and his uncles lived in a small kingdom full of flowers, rainbows and sunlight. At the head of the kingdom was a powerful and beautiful Queen whom everyone loved very much. However, there was another kingdom next to the Queen's kingdom ruled by an evil king. The Evil King was jealous of the Queen's power and wanted her and her beautiful kingdom for himself."
"Did the Evil King hurt Harold?" Rose asked with a small voice.
"He did not hurt Harold, no. However, he hurt Harold's parents and two of his uncles so much they had to go to heaven." her father answered.
"Oh no!" she gasped.
"Harold's family knew there was a chance the Evil King would hurt them. So, to protect themselves and, more importantly, Harold, the parents and the uncle decided to go into hiding. They did not tell anyone where they hid. Unfortunately, they were not aware there was an enemy hidden among them. One of Harold's uncles was secretly one of the Evil King's loyal servants. When the Evil King decided to invade the Queen's kingdom, the Evil Uncle pointed the King in direction of his family. Once the Evil King was done with the family, only young Harold remained."
"What happened to him?" asked Rose and Hermione was sure from the sound of her voice that her daughter had tears in her eyes.
"Well, the Evil Uncle was his only remaining family so Harold had to live with him. The Evil Uncle did not like Harold. He was a very good at pretending when he was with Harold's parents and his other uncles but, now that they were in heaven, the Evil Uncle did not need to hide his hatred for the boy. So, the Evil Uncle made him his servant. He forced the young boy to clean his house, mow his lawn, cook him diner and do all sort of tasks that no child of his age should have to do."
"Like Cinderella?"
"Exactly like Cinderella." Harry agreed. "He also had to sleep in a tiny and uncomfortable bed and the Evil Uncle did not even tuck him in. Harold didn't even receive presents for Christmas!"
Rose let out a huge gasp of horror that made Hermione want to laugh. "No Christmas presents?!"
"Nope. None." her father said. "By the time Harold had grown up to the age of eleven-year-old, he had forgotten what it was like to be happy. He was so used to be a servant that he did not know he once had parents and uncles who loved him. He was... he was very sad and all alone." Harry quietly said with an emotional voice.
Hermione had to wipe a tear. She knew without doubt that Harry wasn't recounting a random fairy tale to their daughter. He was telling Rose about his own life, even if it was highly fictionalized to hide the fact it was a true story. The ill-hidden pain she could feel in Harry's voice when he talked about being sad and alone made her want to rush inside the room and hug him until he couldn't breathe.
"W-What happened to him?" Rose eventually asked, her voice small and sad. "Did... did he ever became happy again?"
"He did. And that was all thanks to the Princess." he said.
"The Princess?" Rose repeated, confused.
"Yep. You see, the Queen had a daughter the same age as Harold. She too grew up sad. Not because her mother did not love her! In fact, both the Queen and her King-Consort loved their daughter as much as Harold's parent did him. However, as she was a bright and intelligent princess, she had a hard time making friends her age."
Hermione's eyes widened. If Harold was Harry, then she had a big suspicion that the Princess was her! After all, her childhood was as similar to the princess' as Harry's was to Harold's. While she had loving parents, she spent most of her time alone as she was unable to connect with other children her age. Not because she was a princess like in Harry's story but because her interests lied far away from the other children.
Harry continued his tale, unaware of his wife's realization. "When they were eleven, Harold and the Princess met for the first time."
"What was her name? The Princess'?" Rose suddenly asked, interrupting her father.
"Huh..." Harry hesitated before settling on a name. "Mia! Her name was Mia!" Hermione tried not to chuckle in fondness. 'Mia' was a nickname Harry had once tried to use for her – until Hermione shot the idea down, that is.
"Mia?" their daughter repeated. "It's a strange name for a princess!"
Harry chuckled. "Well, your m- I mean Princess Mia – was an unusual princess. She was not a princess who stayed in her tower waiting for a prince charming to rescue her. She was a princess who spent a lot of time reading books on all subjects to become as knowledgeable as possible. Princess Mia was a strong and stubborn girl who wanted to spend her life helping people."
"Did she help Harold?"
"She did. They met when they were eleven. The young Princess had a heart of gold and she was incredibly kind. She immediately knew Harold was very unhappy. So, she helped him."
"How?" Rose asked.
"By loving him." Harry answered with such fondness it made Hermione's heart melt. "She offered him friendship and the two children became the best of friends. Princess Mia taught Harold how to love and be loved. She made him remember that people loved him very much. And, suddenly, Harold didn't feel all that lonely and sad anymore."
"He was happy?"
"Yes... he was very happy." Harry said, a smile evident in his voice.
"Did Harold and Princess Mia fall in love?" Rose asked, suddenly sounding like a gossiping girl. Harry let out a chuckle.
"They did when they were sixteen. Around that time, the Evil King was causing trouble again but, with the help of Princess Mia, Harold was able to defeat him for good, bringing peace to the Queen's kingdom once more."
"What happened after that?" their daughter asked, excited.
"Well, Princess Mia married Harold, making him a prince. They had a beautiful daughter together who loved chaos more than anybody in the kingdom." he said cheekily, forcing Hermione to stifle another laugh. "Then, the beautiful Queen retired, allowing the Princess to become a Queen of her own. At the head of her new kingdom, Queen Mia was able to achieve her life-long dream of helping everyone. As for Prince Harold, he was happy to stay inside the Royal Castle to help raise their mischievous princess. In fact, he had never been this happy in his life. To Harold, it was like living a dream."
"A happy ever after?"
"Exactly." Harry confirmed, sounding like he was grinning.
"What is the morale of this story?" Rose suddenly asked. "You always say there's one!"
"Well... I guess the morale is that happiness can be found in the love of your friends and family, not in something else like material gains. However, that's not the reason why I told you this story." He then asked "What do you think of Princess Mia?" Hermione's felt her heart skip a beat, understanding the real question behind it.
"She's so cool!" Rose exclaimed, making her mother feel elated. "She helped Harold be happy and now she's a Queen!"
"Yep, she's cool." Harry laughed. "But what about her role as Queen?" he then asked her. "Remember, I said she worked to achieve her life-long dream to help everyone. Helping everyone is very busy work, Rosie. What do you think about it?"
Rose stayed silent for a moment. Then, she asked "Is Princess Mia Mummy?"
"And I am Prince Harold and you are their daughter, yes." Harry confirmed with a laugh. He didn't sound surprised Rose guessed the truth and neither was Hermione.
"So Mummy is a queen?"
"Almost. She does not wear a crown and dresses but she rule over our country and help as many people she can."
"Then she's cool!" Rose said. "I'm so proud of Mummy! I love her so much!"
"Me too, Rosie. Me too..." he said with fondness as the bedroom fell silent.
Hermione allowed a few tears of joy to leak down her cheeks. Hearing Harry's story was like a balm for her heart. For so long she had been worried about whether or not she was resented for being Minister. But hearing Harry's story told her it wasn't at all the case. Harry still very much loved her and was as happy as he had ever been being a stay-at-home dad. As for Rose, she admired her for her work and loved her for giving everyone happier lives.
Suddenly, she wanted to laugh at the sheer ridiculousness of her fear. Of course Harry wouldn't just take their daughter and leave because she spent a lot of time at work and had enough. Harry would never do such a thing and it was obvious for every moment they spent together that he and Rose very much loved her.
"Will Mummy come back soon?" Rose suddenly asked, surprising Hermione who now felt guilty for not having announced her presence sooner.
From the tone of his voice, it was clear Harry was amused. "Oh, I'm sure she will be here soon. Will you, Hermione?" he said, calling out to her. Hermione's eyes widened in surprise.
"How did you know I was here?" she asked, wiping her tears and moving in the door frame. Rose immediately let out a squeal of delight and ran in her direction. Hermione only had enough time to lower before catching her daughter in her arms.
"Call it instinct." Harry grinned before moving toward his two favourite girls. Hermione stood back up to her feet, Rose in her arms. "Hello, love." he greeted, kissing her on the lips.
"Good evening, Harry." she returned before looking at her daughter. "And good evening to you too, Rosie!"
"Hi Mummy!" Rose greeted, cuddling in her chest.
"Did you have a fun day while I was at work?" she asked them, immediately earning herself a shouted "Yes!" from Rose. Remembering the state she had found the house in, she added "You made quite the mess downstairs."
Harry gave her a sheepish smile. "Right... I was planning to clean everything up before you returned home but you arrived earlier than I expected." he said, explaining himself.
Hermione gave him an amused look before turning to their daughter. "What did you do today, honey?"
As Rose excitingly began babbling about all she and her father did that day, Hermione could not help but look at her husband. While he was obviously tired, he had a soft smile on his face and looked as peaceful and happy as he had ever been. Harry noticed her gaze and gave her a grin, making her heart flutter. Yes, her family was as strong as ever and they were all very happy.
"...and then we went cycling! And then we came back and Daddy said it was time to wear our costumes to go trick-or-treating and... and..." Rose suddenly interrupted herself by yawning. Both Hermione and Harry chuckled.
"Well, I believe it is time for you to go to bed, young lady." Hermione said, making Rose pout.
"Do I have to?" she whined.
"Yes, Rosie." Harry agreed, giving her a kiss on the forehead. "Your tiny baby body need to rest so you can be awake tomorrow morning."
"I'm not a baby!" Rose protested.
"Sure you aren't." Harry said dismissively, making Hermione laugh. "Now, let's tuck you in."
Hermione walked to Rose's bed and tucked her in it while Harry shut down the lights and lit up a small night lamp. Rose received kisses on the forehead from her mother before her father joined them and did the same. Rose let out a giggle at the kiss. "You're all scratchy!" she exclaimed, making her parents chuckle.
"Yes, I believe it is time for me to shave myself." he said jokingly, rubbing his chin.
"I don't know..." Hermione said, putting a hand on his cheek. "I quite like the short beard."
"Well, I'll think about it." he smiled before they turned to their daughter. "Goodnight, Rosie." he said.
"Yes, goodnight Rosie." Hermione added, giving one last kiss on her small cheek.
"Goodnight Mummy and Daddy!" Rose returned loudly. She watched as her parents gave her a last wave before leaving the room, almost fully closing the door behind them.
"Well, we're all alone now." Hermione said with a seducing smile. "And I quite fancy a bath with my husband."
Harry perked up at the thought. "I'll go clean downstairs and I'll join you." he grinned.
"It's a date." Hermione said before making her way to their bedroom, which had its own bathroom connected to it. After opening the tap of the bath to let hot water in and after tossing in a bath bomb, Hermione lit up a few scented candles before divesting herself of her clothes until she was fully naked. Then, she slid in the bath and waited as the hot water filled up the bath around her. Once it was to the level she wanted, she closed the tap before shutting her eyes and leaning down in it, allowing all her body but her face to submerge in the water.
Hermione let out a sigh of contentment. She loved taking a bath. It was always a very welcome activity at the end of a long day of work.
After a few minutes of relaxation, Hermione heard the door of the bathroom open, revealing Harry who was wearing nothing but a bath robe. Hermione smiled seductively before straightening up, allowing her naked breasts to leave the water, exposing them to Harry. At the sight of them, his eyes darkened with lust as he stared at her.
"Is my husband going to stare at me or will he join me in the bath?" she asked with a smirk. It was all Harry needed to untie his robes, revealing his own naked body and the hardening mast of his penis. Hermione grinned as he joined her in bath.
It did not take long for the relaxing bath to be forgotten. Hermione climbed in Harry's lap and impaled herself on his shaft. Then, she slowly rid him as the couple shared their love to each other through the utter pleasure they brought to one another. Hermione was very thankful they had placed one-way silencing charms around their bathroom, allowed them to hear Rose but not the other way around. Otherwise, it was likely their five-year-old daughter would have heard her mother moan her father's name. By the point they reached ecstasy, Hermione was riding him so fast she was constantly whimpering his name. Then Harry let out an orgasmic groan and Hermione felt him release his seed in her, sending her to her own pleasurable orgasm.
With their love-making over, the couple washed themselves up and left the bath before drying and dressing each other up, sharing kisses whenever they could. Then they went to bed and laid together, holding each other in their arms.
"That was so good." Harry muttered in her ear, making her smile.
"It was." she said. "You are a very good shag, Harry."
Harry chuckled. "Glad I could satisfy you, Madam Minister." Hermione did not join him in his chuckles, something he immediately noticed. "Hermione?" At her questioning hum, he added "Is everything okay?"
"Yes." she sighed.
There was a moment of silence Hermione used to think back on her thoughts before going home. But then, she decided it was time to admit her fears to him.
"These last few months, I have been afraid." she told him quietly. "I love being the Minister for Magic but I know how busy my job is. I know it leaves me with little to no time to spend with you and Rose and... I was scared. Because I became Minister, not only did you two stop seeing me as often as you used to do, but you had to quit your dream job to take care of our daughter. I was afraid that you resented me for it, and that Rose resented me for not being there for her. I was afraid you would leave me for another woman who would be there for both of you." she said with a small sniffle. Hearing Harry was about to protest, she quickly continued. "But, I realized today how wrong I was. When I came back home and hear your story to Rose, I realized you both loved me very much and... I just wanted to say thank you. I know it's not easy to be the Minister's husband, but I'm eternally grateful that you continue to support me despite everything."
Harry put a hand on her cheek and looked at her straight in the eyes. "Listen to me Hermione, and listen well. You being the Minister for Magic is not a burden on our family." he said firmly. "Would we like it if we could see you more? Of course! But then again, who wouldn't want to see their loved ones more? However, does that mean it would be preferable? Depends. You have a dream job and are helping thousands of people every day. I don't want you to sacrifice your dream out of fear. Rose love you very much. I love you very much and while we do miss you whenever you're away, it doesn't mean we resent you for your work. I understand why you are so often busy and while Rose is a bit young to fully understand as well, I try to make it simpler for her to by telling her stories like I did tonight. Neither of us resent you for working hard, nor did we ever. We love you very much, Hermione Potter, and we couldn't be prouder than you."
Hermione felt tears build once more in the corners of her eyes. "I love you too, Harry. Both of you. I would do anything for you, you know?"
Harry let out another chuckle. "You already proved it more than once while we attended Hogwarts." he said, also making her chuckle. "And, you aren't the only one. I also would do anything for you and Rose. In fact, it is exactly why I quit my 'dream job' – as you call it. In reality, I'm not even sure you can call it that."
"What do you mean?" she asked, confused. "You've dreamed of being an Auror since you were fourteen."
"Yes, but remember that, back then, I didn't live through the horrors of the war. I was still quite naive. It wasn't until I was a proper Auror that I realized I didn't actually want to fight Dark Wizards my whole life. But since the country needed all the help it could to rebuild, I stayed at my post. I only waited for the right opportunity to leave. And, you gave it to me when you became Minister for Magic. In all honesty, I've never been happier in my life than I am now raising Rose every day."
Hermione kissed him. "Thank you." she said. "My fears were so great that I seriously thought about resigning so I wouldn't loose you both."
"You won't. Rose love her mother way too much to not be with her and, if I'm being honest, I don't think I could live without that arse." he said with a grin before squeezing her arse. Hermione let out a small yelp of surprise, not having noticed his hand wander down.
"Are you trying to tell me you want a second round?" she asked, bringing her face close to his. Harry let out a small sigh.
"Oh, I wish. But I'm not as young as I used to be. I think I need a bit of rest before another round." he said, pretending to be sad.
"You're twenty-five, Harry." Hermione deadpanned.
"I know. No need to remind me how old I am!" he said with a fake sniffle, making her laugh.
Hermione laid her head on his chest. As she listened to his breathing, she suddenly remembered the news she had learned not long ago. "I will still have to take a short break from work in a few months – or at least work from home." she told him.
Harry frowned. "Why? I thought we just went over why you didn't need to forsake your dream job for us." he said, confused.
"I know and I won't stop being the Minister but, well, I learned some wonderful news a few days ago. Your workload is about to double, Harry." she said with a grin.
It took a few moments for Harry to understand what she was hinting at. When he did, his eyes widened in joyful surprise. "You're pregnant?" he asked. Hermione nodded. Harry jumped out of bed to stand on his feet. "Yes! We're having another baby!" he yelled, bringing his arms up in the air in celebration.
"Shush, Harry!" Hermione scowled. "You're going to wake Rose up!" she said. Unfortunately for her, before she could add something else, the young couple heard a door slam open and tiny footsteps run in their direction. The door of their bedroom opened next, revealing an ecstatic-looking Rose. "Rose? What are you doing awake?" she asked sternly.
Rose ignored her words. "I'll be a sister?" she immediately asked them.
"Yes! We're having another baby! You'll have a sibling, Rosie!" Harry said cheerfully.
Rose squealed and turned in her mother's direction before running and jumping in her arms. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! You're the best Mum ever!"
"That she is." her father confirmed, kissing Hermione on the temple. Hermione felt happy tears build in the corner of her eyes as she witnessed the pure joy in them. She might not need it, but it was one more confirmation that her family did not suffer from her very busy workdays.
Hermione Potter could not be happier.
...
...
"Can we also get a dog?" Rose suddenly asked. Harry let out a groan as Hermione playfully glared at him for putting the idea in her head.