Er...!does shifty eyes!...here's the epilogue.
Disclaimer: Yeah, yeah...don't own it.
You're going places, Hermione
Chapter Twenty-Two: The very small epilogue
Hermione twirled a lock of her hair absently as she waited in the line outside the entrance to platform nine and three quarters.
"This is taking forever!" Ginny groaned, sighing impatiently.
"You better get used to it, Gin, you'll be doing it often in a few years." Hermione commented in amusement, although she too was finding the line rather tedious, and the violent pushing and shoving between those in line quite unnecessary.
Ginny's eyes shone as she rubbed her swelling stomach, "I still have a while to go yet, thank Merlin. Hey! No bloody pushing!"
"Oh for heaven's sake," Hermione exclaimed, turning around to face her children, "Why don't you two just cut in front and go and see what's holding everyone up? See if you can help. The train leaves at exactly eleven o clock and I don't want you two to miss it!"
"Mother," Morgan was mortified, "We cannot just push in front of all these people! It's extremely rude."
Paige was already gone.
Hermione sighed and cast a wary look at the large, white-faced clock above the ticket box. It was five minutes to eleven!
"Ow!" Hermione uttered loudly as someone trampled on her foot. Ginny was in the stranger's face within a moment, waving her finger under his nose in a scolding manner.
"Watch what you're bloody doing," she yelled, her face slightly tinged. The stranger glared at her and opened his mouth to argue. Hermione was haste to interrupt him with a warning.
"I wouldn't say anything, she's pregnant."
The man pulled a face and turned back around to face his family, looking offended.
Hermione was irritated with the hold up, but grateful at the same time. It hadn't taken much at all for her to fall in love with her children, and letting them go was going to be very hard.
Beside her, Morgan slipped his hand into hers and she smiled at him fondly.
"I can't believe you're going to Hogwarts." she said with a shake of her head. Morgan grinned.
"I have aspirations of being in Ravenclaw."
"Who talks like that?" Paige said in an appalled voice, returning to join them. Hermione gave her a severe look but Paige didn't waver.
"Really, Mum," she insisted, "Who does!"
"What's taking so long?" Ginny asked her, nodding at the line.
"Some bumbling idiot knocked over his trolley right on the other side of the wall," Paige sighed, "They've cleaned it up, and we should be moving right about...now!"
The line shifted and all four sighed in relief as they began to move forward. With a slight pang of nostalgia Hermione pushed herself through the brick walk, opening her eyes as she appeared on the other side; platform nine and three quarters.
"Oh Merlin," Ginny cried, grabbing her arm, "Hermione! Look! Look at the train."
Hermione did so and cocked her head to the side. The Hogwarts Express was no longer the admirable red it had been in her day, it had been painted and was somewhat similar to, "Purple?"
"Well, Dumbledore is a very eccentric man." said a voice.
Hermione turned and smiled at Ron, "Oh he is not. He's very sane indeed, more so than you will ever be. And about time you got here! Why were you so late?"
"Small problem at the Ministry," Ron grinned and extended his arms towards his children, "Come here you two."
Morgan and Paige flew towards him, nearly throwing him back onto the ground.
"Be good," he warned them, sounding eerily like his mother, "If I get an owl about misbehavior there will be very...er, bad...no..."
"Dire consequences?" Hermione offered.
"Yes, dire consequences," Ron's ears suddenly went pink, "Oh Merlin, Morgan. You're not crying, are you?"
"I'm just going to miss everyone so much!" Morgan sobbed.
"Oh take it like a man." Paige said, rolling her eyes, although she too looked slightly put out. Ginny stepped forward and kissed them both on the cheek.
"Have fun," she said cheerfully, adding with a wink, "don't get up to any trouble like your parents did."
"Trouble?" Paige asked with a frown.
"Father!" Morgan gasped, "You told us you were a model student!"
Hermione resisted the urge to snort and hid a smile behind her hand. Ron straightened up, grinning impishly, and pushed his kids towards their mother.
"Come here." Hermione said softly, getting down on her knees so she could hug them. It seemed unfair, she had finally gotten to know them and be forgiven for leaving and now they were going to be separated again. She'd be left alone with Ron and...
Hermione smiled, she'd be left alone with Ron.
"Love you both." she told them, planting a lingering kiss on each one of their cheeks. Paige pretended to look mortified at the display of public affection before they ran away after the train, climbing aboard just as the Hogwarts Express started to move.
"Oh thank Merlin," Ron muttered, "They nearly missed it."
"Bye!" the twins screamed, waving their hands frantically.
"I'm going to...miss them so much." Hermione said shakily, feeling as though she might cry.
"Aw, come here." Ron told her, extending his arm. Hermione walked over to him and leant her head against his chest, basking in the familiar warmth and security being with Ron gave her. He kissed the top of her head and together they watched the train fade into the distance.
"I want more children." Hermione mumbled, almost subconsciously. She blushed when Ron and Ginny turned to look at her and lowered her eyes, "Well, I do."
"You'll have to get married first." Ginny said cheekily, giving her brother a meaningful look. It was Ron's turned to blush and Hermione smiled as they headed back towards the entrance to the station.
"We'll have to move in together first." she said lightly.
"When is that again?" Ginny asked.
"This weekend. Harry's coming over to help." Ron replied, casting a final look over his shoulder at the fading steam engine.
"Oh I'm sure he'll help. Because he's just so helpful." Ginny drawled sarcastically.
"No," Hermione said earnestly, "He's better. I really don't think he'll be dancing around with a lampshade on his head anymore."
Ron chuckled, "Which is a pity, because I love it when he does that."
Hermione slapped his arm playfully and leant back into him, smiling as Ron slid his arm around her waist.
She still wondered what her life would have been like if she'd never left America, but the moments she considered the past were becoming few and far between. She was with Ron, and she had Harry and Ginny, her old friends back. Her parents were nearby and they had become as close as ever, even if it meant enduring pot plant painting as a form of bonding with her father.
She had a not-so-glamorous job at a magical bookstore near where Ron lived, that would be conveniently close once she moved in with him. Hermione didn't want anything more, and couldn't dream up anything that would make her life more complete. Except perhaps more children, something she never thought she would consider. If there was a chance she could have more Morgan's or Paige's in her life, then she'd take it. But for now she was content.
Yes, life was good.
A/N: !AngelEyes dodges rotten fruit and vegetables! I know, I know. I took forever to update and THIS is what I give you. I'm sorry, really I am. I could make several excuses for it but feel it's easier to just apologise.
Special thanks goes out to my beta reader The Mad Gremlin (who might in fact really be mad) and to all of those that reviewed. I know it seems impersonal without naming each of you and adding a little tag but it's not. Your reviews were great! And reading the nice things that got said often made my day.
And without further adieu, and nothing else to say, I leave you all with these magical words of advice:
Drikk ikke gult vann!
Hehe. Drikk ikke.
Er, yes. Or, in English:
Do not drink yellow water!
I leave you on that happy note.