Elizabeth snapped back to reality, as she realized that Hermione was
starting to sniffle. She quickly offered her a tissue and swung an arm
across Hermione's shoulders.
"Aw, don't worry Hermione. Ron's safe in Heaven and he's waiting for you. Don't think that you're doing something bad, loving someone else. Ron would want you to be happy and if this is what makes you happy, he'll happily accept that." Elizabeth reassured, although she was trying to reassure herself as well.
Hermione looked at her friend with half-saddened eyes and nodded. "Yes, I suppose he'd want me to be happy. And I am happy with Rufus. He's so kind and gentle, and very smart." She gave Elizabeth a tight-lipped smile before exiting the office, Elizabeth trailing behind her.
It was a little after five when Hermione decided to go home. She stacked the files back into her desk and grabbed her purse off the rack. She went out the Institute and Apparated home. She was surprised to find Rufus in the kitchen, with a chef's hat on, beaming, with flour on his cheek. Hermione couldn't resist kissing him dead smack where the flour was and grinned.
"What are you doing, Rufus? You never cook!" Hermione exclaimed as he led her to the candlelit table. She had changed into a more formal dinner outfit for the occasion, and watched as Rufus proudly presented a plate of filet mignon in front of her. He looked at her sharply.
"Hermione, it's our anniversary!" He exclaimed, surprised. Hermione turned pink with embarrassment.
"You're right, it is! I'm so sorry Rufus! Oh, this looks delicious!" She looked longingly at the meal. Rufus was presenting her with a neatly wrapped box. Hermione carefully tore the wrapping and to her amazement, found a silver bracelet enchanted to fit her wrist. She noted that there was some sort of Tracking Spell on the bracelet and three colorful stones. She looked up curiously. Rufus flipped the bracelet over where it was inscribed, "To Hermione, with all my love, Rufus." Hermione felt tears well up inside her and kissed him gently.
"Thank you so much." She whispered into his ear. Rufus broke apart from her and smiled.
"I was hoping you'd like it. You probably noticed there's a Tracking Spell, that's useful when you get lost and the three stones let me know if you're safe. The red one's when you're in danger and blue is safe. I hope you don't think it's too intimidating." Rufus turned red, watching Hermione carefully. She just smiled.
"No, it's bloody brilliant. I love it! Now, you better tell me what this is," Hermione pointed to a platter orange soup, "or I'll throw it into your face." Rufus laughed and spooned out some for her to taste.
"It's almond orange biscuit soup. It's a delicacy in Europe." Rufus watched as Hermione eagerly tasted the soup and smiled.
"It's delicious! You have got to make this everyday for me, Rufus. Everyday!" Hermione enthusiastically drank down the rest of the almond orange biscuit soup then proceeded to her mignon. "I love you Rufus Stratfield." She said, unblushingly.
Rufus looked up, half-surprised, half-elated. "I love you too Hermione Granger."
Flipping through the stack of mail, Elizabeth didn't notice Andrew sneaking up behind her. She gasped as something light touched her throat and her hand automatically went up there. She looked down and saw a beautiful diamond choker, worth a fortune. Spinning round, she met Andrew's green eyes and smiled. She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned forward so that their foreheads were touching.
"Thanks love. What is it?" Elizabeth asked out of curiosity, though she knew perfectly fine what it was.
"It's a diamond choker. I bought it at Tiffany's last week while on that trip to New York. I thought it'd be a nice present for you." Andrew whispered into her ear.
"Why today? It's not our anniversary or my birthday." Elizabeth protested though she still loved the fact that Andrew would just surprise her with gifts anytime she least suspected it.
"Is there supposed to be a special occasion to give my wife a present? I daresay not!" Andrew spoke dramatically. Elizabeth giggled furiously, leaning closer to close the space between them. Andrew kissed her, his lip brushing against hers. Then, he heard some shuffling behind him and met his four-year-old daughter's eyes. Andrew and Elizabeth broke apart slightly as Emma bounced cheerfully towards them with a book in hand.
"Mum! Dad! Whatever are you doing? Public displays of affection are strictly prohibited in this house!" She spoke in a theatrical voice, though there was a definite twinkle in her blue-green eyes, which she had inherited from her mother. Her golden-brown hair, which she had on the contrary inherited from her father, was sleek and smooth, curling past her ears. Andrew picked her up and twirled her around, finally collapsing into one of the couches.
"See Elizabeth? I told you we shouldn't let her read too many books! She's probably quoting Shakespeare or something." Andrew rolled his eyes as he bounced Emma up and down on his leg. Emma giggled feverishly while Elizabeth watched amusedly.
"But Mum's right about books! They've got so much excitement and adventure! And no, Dad, I was quoting Charles Dickens." Emma explained as she picked up her book and showed it to her father. Elizabeth was hiding her laughs as she watched her husband's expression.
"Cat got your tongue Andrew? Your daughter's smarter than you?" Elizabeth teased. Andrew stuck his tongue out defiantly at his wife, but kept a smile planted on his face. He was amused that his four-year-old daughter was reading high-school level books and was contradicting him. Of course, that's what happened when he married Elizabeth, the smartest witch of the century. He kissed Emma's cheek and told her to run off and play.
"She takes on you, doesn't she? She's all smarty-pants and everything. What does she get from me, besides my hair?" Andrew wondered out loud. Elizabeth looked surprised.
"Well, she's got your sense of humor, your sensitively, your brilliance in some ways, and your maturity." Elizabeth replied, blowing him a kiss. Andrew thought about this for a minute before beaming.
"I guess she does. Well, she's bloody brilliant. I bet she'll be top student of the year when she goes to Hogwarts. She's already experienced a lot of magic." Andrew nodded to himself.
"We're supposed to meet Harry and Ginny for dinner soon. We should call Molly to come and watch Emma and Daniel for us before we go." Elizabeth responded. She dialed Molly's phone number, left her a quick message, and turned back to her husband.
"We better get going. Come on," With that, she threw on her coat and headed out the door.
"Hello, Eliz." Harry answered the door as he heard Elizabeth's tentative knock. Ginny was preparing dinner tonight, something she often did. She took on quite like her mother, always entertaining and being the host. Elizabeth gave him a hug and bounced towards the kitchen, calling Ginny's name. Andrew shook his head slowly and clasped Harry's hand manly.
"Hey mate. Ready for a game of chess?" Harry asked as he went through the refrigerator, looking for a bottle of butterbeer.
"Of course Harry. I didn't come here to socialize with you." Andrew teased jokingly, taking his place at the chess table. Harry sat down with his butterbeer and offered one to Andrew. He began his first move.
"I can't believe that she told him she loves him!" Ginny exclaimed, half-excited, half-annoyed as she chopped the potatoes. She wiped her hands on her apron and stuck her hand into the refrigerator, pulling out some carrots from the crisper drawers.
Elizabeth shrugged silently, "Me either. I never thought she was really serious about him, or any other guy for that matter. She hasn't felt like this since...well..." She stopped abruptly, knowing that if she brought up Ron, Ginny would just burst into tears. However, her friend looked up at her with half-swollen eyes, as if she was reading her mind. Ginny sniffed once then turned back to peel the carrots.
"Yes. I suppose it's been awhile for her. But we're her friends, we should be happy for her and Rufus." She spat the name as if it was a poisonous disease. "But whatever she says, I don't think this Rufus will be any better of a boyfriend than....R-Ron." She took a deep breath before attempting to cut the carrots. Elizabeth glanced at Ginny from the corner of her eye.
"He'll never replace that hole. I guess...I always thought that you know, Ron and Hermione were bound to be together. They were going to get together. It was like a prophecy. And I thought you and Harry were going to be together and me and Andrew. Well, the prophecy turned out to be two- thirds correctly. I mean, back at Hogwarts, didn't you just think that you'll fall in love, get married....and that's it?" Elizabeth had a sort of faraway glance as if she was trying to see what it would have been like if all this had come true. Ginny's lips tightened.
"I thought it was all that easy too. But I suppose when it comes to love, nothing is easy."
"Aw, don't worry Hermione. Ron's safe in Heaven and he's waiting for you. Don't think that you're doing something bad, loving someone else. Ron would want you to be happy and if this is what makes you happy, he'll happily accept that." Elizabeth reassured, although she was trying to reassure herself as well.
Hermione looked at her friend with half-saddened eyes and nodded. "Yes, I suppose he'd want me to be happy. And I am happy with Rufus. He's so kind and gentle, and very smart." She gave Elizabeth a tight-lipped smile before exiting the office, Elizabeth trailing behind her.
It was a little after five when Hermione decided to go home. She stacked the files back into her desk and grabbed her purse off the rack. She went out the Institute and Apparated home. She was surprised to find Rufus in the kitchen, with a chef's hat on, beaming, with flour on his cheek. Hermione couldn't resist kissing him dead smack where the flour was and grinned.
"What are you doing, Rufus? You never cook!" Hermione exclaimed as he led her to the candlelit table. She had changed into a more formal dinner outfit for the occasion, and watched as Rufus proudly presented a plate of filet mignon in front of her. He looked at her sharply.
"Hermione, it's our anniversary!" He exclaimed, surprised. Hermione turned pink with embarrassment.
"You're right, it is! I'm so sorry Rufus! Oh, this looks delicious!" She looked longingly at the meal. Rufus was presenting her with a neatly wrapped box. Hermione carefully tore the wrapping and to her amazement, found a silver bracelet enchanted to fit her wrist. She noted that there was some sort of Tracking Spell on the bracelet and three colorful stones. She looked up curiously. Rufus flipped the bracelet over where it was inscribed, "To Hermione, with all my love, Rufus." Hermione felt tears well up inside her and kissed him gently.
"Thank you so much." She whispered into his ear. Rufus broke apart from her and smiled.
"I was hoping you'd like it. You probably noticed there's a Tracking Spell, that's useful when you get lost and the three stones let me know if you're safe. The red one's when you're in danger and blue is safe. I hope you don't think it's too intimidating." Rufus turned red, watching Hermione carefully. She just smiled.
"No, it's bloody brilliant. I love it! Now, you better tell me what this is," Hermione pointed to a platter orange soup, "or I'll throw it into your face." Rufus laughed and spooned out some for her to taste.
"It's almond orange biscuit soup. It's a delicacy in Europe." Rufus watched as Hermione eagerly tasted the soup and smiled.
"It's delicious! You have got to make this everyday for me, Rufus. Everyday!" Hermione enthusiastically drank down the rest of the almond orange biscuit soup then proceeded to her mignon. "I love you Rufus Stratfield." She said, unblushingly.
Rufus looked up, half-surprised, half-elated. "I love you too Hermione Granger."
Flipping through the stack of mail, Elizabeth didn't notice Andrew sneaking up behind her. She gasped as something light touched her throat and her hand automatically went up there. She looked down and saw a beautiful diamond choker, worth a fortune. Spinning round, she met Andrew's green eyes and smiled. She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned forward so that their foreheads were touching.
"Thanks love. What is it?" Elizabeth asked out of curiosity, though she knew perfectly fine what it was.
"It's a diamond choker. I bought it at Tiffany's last week while on that trip to New York. I thought it'd be a nice present for you." Andrew whispered into her ear.
"Why today? It's not our anniversary or my birthday." Elizabeth protested though she still loved the fact that Andrew would just surprise her with gifts anytime she least suspected it.
"Is there supposed to be a special occasion to give my wife a present? I daresay not!" Andrew spoke dramatically. Elizabeth giggled furiously, leaning closer to close the space between them. Andrew kissed her, his lip brushing against hers. Then, he heard some shuffling behind him and met his four-year-old daughter's eyes. Andrew and Elizabeth broke apart slightly as Emma bounced cheerfully towards them with a book in hand.
"Mum! Dad! Whatever are you doing? Public displays of affection are strictly prohibited in this house!" She spoke in a theatrical voice, though there was a definite twinkle in her blue-green eyes, which she had inherited from her mother. Her golden-brown hair, which she had on the contrary inherited from her father, was sleek and smooth, curling past her ears. Andrew picked her up and twirled her around, finally collapsing into one of the couches.
"See Elizabeth? I told you we shouldn't let her read too many books! She's probably quoting Shakespeare or something." Andrew rolled his eyes as he bounced Emma up and down on his leg. Emma giggled feverishly while Elizabeth watched amusedly.
"But Mum's right about books! They've got so much excitement and adventure! And no, Dad, I was quoting Charles Dickens." Emma explained as she picked up her book and showed it to her father. Elizabeth was hiding her laughs as she watched her husband's expression.
"Cat got your tongue Andrew? Your daughter's smarter than you?" Elizabeth teased. Andrew stuck his tongue out defiantly at his wife, but kept a smile planted on his face. He was amused that his four-year-old daughter was reading high-school level books and was contradicting him. Of course, that's what happened when he married Elizabeth, the smartest witch of the century. He kissed Emma's cheek and told her to run off and play.
"She takes on you, doesn't she? She's all smarty-pants and everything. What does she get from me, besides my hair?" Andrew wondered out loud. Elizabeth looked surprised.
"Well, she's got your sense of humor, your sensitively, your brilliance in some ways, and your maturity." Elizabeth replied, blowing him a kiss. Andrew thought about this for a minute before beaming.
"I guess she does. Well, she's bloody brilliant. I bet she'll be top student of the year when she goes to Hogwarts. She's already experienced a lot of magic." Andrew nodded to himself.
"We're supposed to meet Harry and Ginny for dinner soon. We should call Molly to come and watch Emma and Daniel for us before we go." Elizabeth responded. She dialed Molly's phone number, left her a quick message, and turned back to her husband.
"We better get going. Come on," With that, she threw on her coat and headed out the door.
"Hello, Eliz." Harry answered the door as he heard Elizabeth's tentative knock. Ginny was preparing dinner tonight, something she often did. She took on quite like her mother, always entertaining and being the host. Elizabeth gave him a hug and bounced towards the kitchen, calling Ginny's name. Andrew shook his head slowly and clasped Harry's hand manly.
"Hey mate. Ready for a game of chess?" Harry asked as he went through the refrigerator, looking for a bottle of butterbeer.
"Of course Harry. I didn't come here to socialize with you." Andrew teased jokingly, taking his place at the chess table. Harry sat down with his butterbeer and offered one to Andrew. He began his first move.
"I can't believe that she told him she loves him!" Ginny exclaimed, half-excited, half-annoyed as she chopped the potatoes. She wiped her hands on her apron and stuck her hand into the refrigerator, pulling out some carrots from the crisper drawers.
Elizabeth shrugged silently, "Me either. I never thought she was really serious about him, or any other guy for that matter. She hasn't felt like this since...well..." She stopped abruptly, knowing that if she brought up Ron, Ginny would just burst into tears. However, her friend looked up at her with half-swollen eyes, as if she was reading her mind. Ginny sniffed once then turned back to peel the carrots.
"Yes. I suppose it's been awhile for her. But we're her friends, we should be happy for her and Rufus." She spat the name as if it was a poisonous disease. "But whatever she says, I don't think this Rufus will be any better of a boyfriend than....R-Ron." She took a deep breath before attempting to cut the carrots. Elizabeth glanced at Ginny from the corner of her eye.
"He'll never replace that hole. I guess...I always thought that you know, Ron and Hermione were bound to be together. They were going to get together. It was like a prophecy. And I thought you and Harry were going to be together and me and Andrew. Well, the prophecy turned out to be two- thirds correctly. I mean, back at Hogwarts, didn't you just think that you'll fall in love, get married....and that's it?" Elizabeth had a sort of faraway glance as if she was trying to see what it would have been like if all this had come true. Ginny's lips tightened.
"I thought it was all that easy too. But I suppose when it comes to love, nothing is easy."