Chapter Fifteen

"and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother." Proverbs 18:24

"I am so sick of all this doom and gloom," Hermione announced as she sat drinking a butterbeer with Ron and Harry at the Leaky Cauldron. Padma and Ginny were baby clothes shopping so Ron and Harry had escaped to the pub with Hermione in order to complain about how sore their feet were.

"I know what you mean 'Mione," Ron said glumly. "I'm so sick of being a responsible adult with the weight of the world on my shoulders. With Voldemort on the loose and no-one knowing when he's going to attack next, we never relax or do anything fun anymore. We're all too tense."

"I want to be a kid again," Hermione sniffed.

"Well, maybe for just one day," Harry conceded with a grin.

"We should just take off for a whole day and pretend we're teenagers again," Hermione said dreamily, staring into space.

"We haven't done anything with just the three of us for ages," Ron complained.

"Yeah, we used to be the bold, bad three," Harry said with a laugh. "Now we're all serious and responsible with families and Voldemort's return hanging over us."

"Voldemort was there when we were teenagers too," Hermione reminded him.

"Yes but. it didn't seem so serious then," Harry said with a slight frown of puzzlement.

"We were too dumb to be scared and we've got a lot more to lose now," Hermione replied flatly.

"Let's be too dumb to be scared again, just for one day," Ron suggested enthusiastically.

A slow grin spread over Hermione's face. Ron and Harry remembered it well, and answered it with one of their own. They joined hands round the table and began scheming.

* * *

The next day was Sunday and early in the morning, Ron and Harry and Hermione met at Hermione's cottage in Hogsborough. They had owls waiting to send to their spouses which they sent off just before climbing into Hermione's car - the same one she had inherited from her parents 10 years before.

Hermione jacked up the car stereo and they set off for Brighton on the South coast. They skirted London on the M25 and were soon on the A23 to Brighton and Hove.

Ron's first vote for the CD player was Madonna.

*"If we took a holiday

Took some time to celebrate

Just one day out of life

It would be, it would be so nice"

Ron had discovered Madonna in Hermione's CD collection as a teenager and was still passionately devoted to her music. He belted out the songs in a voice horribly off-key and not at all suited for singing. Not that Hermione and Harry cared, they just joined in.

The day seemed to have been specially ordered just for them. The sun was shining clear out of a cloudless blue sky, a rare occurrence indeed in England even in the Spring months. The new, pale green leaves re-sprouting from the tree branches shone in the sunlight as though they had been polished. The sun was unusually warm for April and the air smelt clean as they neared the coast.

All three were grinning madly, feeling like kids who were playing hooky from school. Not that Hermione ever had but that's the way she felt.

*"Get into the groove

Boy you've got to prove

Your love to me, yeah

Get up on your feet, yeah

Step to the beat

Boy what will it be"

They sang loudly and cheerfully. Other drivers on the highway hooted in a friendly manner or yelled and waved when they saw the three friends having such a good time.

Once at Brighton, they went directly to the pier. "I am so going to the funfair," Hermione said immediately, making her way there with great determination.

"Cool," Ron said, stopping first for a dagwood dog with tomato sauce.

"You better not throw that up on the roller coaster," Harry said, grinning.

"I'm for the white water flume ride," Hermione said, joining the short line.

"Excellent!" Harry said, green eyes gleaming.

Ron looked a bit green as they got off the other end, having stuffed down his dagwood dog in order to get on the ride.

"That was so good!" Hermione said enthusiastically. "How about the mouse roller coaster now?"

They spent all morning on the rides until lunchtime when they went and got some fish and chips with a huge ice cream for dessert. Hermione still couldn't believe how much Ron could eat and still be so boney. That afternoon, they went to the side-shows and tried their hand at all sorts of ludicrous games. As they passed by the pitchers tent, something caught Hermione's eye that made her stop still and stare.

"What is it 'Mione?" Harry asked, seeing her gaze. She just pointed. Harry's mouth dropped open. "It can't be," he said in disbelief but it was. Hanging up as a prize was a fluffy black unicorn with a gold horn made out of glittery cloth. "I'll win it for you 'Mione," Harry said and went up and bought 3 pitching balls.

Of course, the national Quiddich star had no problem getting the highest score in a pitching game and the unicorn was soon in Hermione's arms. "Thanks Harry," Hermione almost whispered, examining the toy. It was not exactly right, as the toy's eyes were button black rather than red and gold. She clutched it and smiled at Harry. "It's so cute!" she hugged him tight and Harry grinned. He still had a soft spot for Hermione.

Ron decided he needed to take a toy home for Molly, so he had a go at the shooting range and won a little purple dragon. Hermione laughed when she saw it. "I hope it doesn't start breathing fire if Lily sees it when she'd playing with Molly," she said.

Between the two boys, they won enough toys for each of their children and spouses. "Are you going to get anything for Severus?" Ron asked, munching on donuts and clutching numerous brightly coloured, fluffy things.

"I don't think he'd want anything from a side-show," Hermione said honestly, looking around ruefully.

"No, that's true," Ron agreed.

Mid-afternoon, they went back to the car and piled all their winnings in the boot then went back to the bar on the pier. They went to Horatio's to enjoy the beer garden and the spectacular panoramic views. "This has been the best day for a long time. Thank you, guys," Hermione said, looking more genuinely happy and relaxed than she had since Christmas.

"This has been a great day," Ron agreed, eating a bag of peanuts. "How come we didn't run away and become kids again before now?"

"We didn't think of it but we have now," Harry said, his green eyes gleaming with fun.

"Padma is gonna kill me for going off and having fun without her," Ron commented, looking slightly worried for a millisecond.

"I think she'll understand," Hermione said. "After all, she knew how close we were at Hogwarts and the special thing we have."

"It was the mountain troll that started it," Harry said, smiling at the memory.

"You two saved me," Hermione said, smiling at her boys.

"Yeah and then you saved us from detention," Ron added, still looking grateful over fifteen years on.

"I reckon Snape would have made us clean out the infirmary bed pans without magic for detention if he could have," Harry said.

Hermione threw back her head and laughed. "I'm sure he would have too!" At around 6pm, they went across to Offshore Karaoke bar. "Are you going to sing Madonna, Ron?" Hermione asked anxiously.

"What of it?" he asked loftily.

"Nuthin'," Hermione lied, looking innocent.

*"I got brothers, I got some sisters too

Stuck in the middle tell you what I'm gonna do

Gonna get out of here, I'm gonna leave this place

So I can forget every single hungry face

I'm tired of sharing all the hand me downs

To get attention I must always be the clown

I wanna be different, I wanna be on my own

But Daddy said listen, you will always have a home

"Keep it together in the family

They're a reminder of your history

Brothers and sisters they hold the key

To your heart and your soul

Don't forget that your family is gold"

Ron sang the song very badly but Hermione got tears in her eyes suddenly. Coming from the home she did, Harry and Ron had been more like family than her real one. She guessed that Harry felt the same. Although Ron had a big and loving family, it was too big for him to get all the attention he craved. Somehow, the three had bonded together at Hogwarts through all their (literally) death-defying adventures and the tie ran deep. She could never have run away from being an adult for a day with anyone else but her boys. No-one would have even understood how she felt or what she needed, not even Severus.

Hermione and Harry sat on a couch, leaning against each other companionably as Ron sang some more Madonna songs excruciatingly off-key. Hermione and Harry refused to inflict their voices on anyone so later, the three sat there leaning against each other laughing at the bad performances of strangers or cheering on the rare good voices.

By 10pm, Harry and Ron's eyelids were drooping from the effects of the fresh sea air and sunshine. Hermione looked at one dark head on one of her shoulders and the bright red head on the other and announced it was time to leave.

They drove back listening to Dido, one of Hermione's favourite CDs. "Chick music," Ron said with a shake of his red head.

"Pardon me but you're half asleep anyway. I need to stay awake until we get back to Hogsborough as neither of you heroes can drive," Hermione laughed.

**"I want to thank you for giving me the best day of my life

Oh just to be with you is having the best day of my life"

She sang softly as the boys dozed. She woke them up at her cottage and they said a sleepy good-bye before floo-ing home. "That was the best day," Ron said sleepily, hugging her hard.

"Yeah," Hermione agreed, stroking his firey head and then waving him off loaded down with side-show toys for his kids.

"It was your idea, 'Mione," Harry said affectionately.

"But you guys made it work and made it special," she said, her eyes full of warmth. In her heart of hearts, much as she loved Ron, Harry held a special place in her heart. He was 'the boy who lived' as well as her friend. There was just something extra special about Harry Potter.

They hugged and she waved him off cheerfully, stepping into her fireplace soon after him to go back to the Manor and still clutching her black unicorn plushie. She and Severus had decided to stay on the in the Manor permanently now they were married and simply apparate to work each day. Hermione still couldn't find it in herself to sell the Hogsborough cottage that held so many good memories for herself and Severus, and so had simply shut it up for the time being.

Severus was waiting up for her in the main sitting room when she got back, looking sleepy. "Hello," Hermione said to him tiredly and showed him her plushie as she sat on his lap. "Look. Isn't it darling? Harry won it for me at the side show," she said and yawned hugely.

Severus' face froze into a mask when he saw what it was. "You got this from the side show?" he asked disbelievingly.

"Mmmm," Hermione said, burying her face in Severus' shoulder comfortably and breathing in his incense-like smell.

"That's rather too much of a coincidence for me," he said, his deep-set eyes narrowed.

"Yes. It did feel odd when I saw it," she replied, fiddling with the front of his robe absently.

"It's late. We should go to bed," Severus said quietly, looking down at his wife's peaceful and contented face. It relieved him to see her without the strained expression she wore so often lately.

"Yes," Hermione sighed and they got up to go to their room.

* Lyrics to Madonna's 'Holiday' and 'Get into the Groove' and 'Keep it Together' * Lyrics to Dido's 'Thank you'.