Chapter 11 – A Flying Princess

The following two weeks Hermione tried hard to find a new job. She looked in papers for job ads, she went to different shops in Diagon Alley and she tried at the ministry. But she found nothing. The new minister, Percy Weasley, told her that they didn't have a single job to offer her at the moment. It didn't help that she was one in the family, there was nothing he could do to get her a job there.

"Try later this year", he said.

These two weeks without a job had also been quite positive. She'd spent almost all the time with Becky, and she'd been talking to Harry about the book idea that Draco had given her. To Hermione's great surprise Harry had actually liked the idea. She thought that he would have been all negative about it, but he liked it a lot. He was really tired of having to answer questions about his life all the time wherever he went…

"Maybe if people read about it in a book that wouldn't have to ask me", he said. So Hermione started to write, a little every night and every day when Becky wasn't day-care and she didn't look around for a new job…

One afternoon at the end of the week when she'd picked up Becky from day-care they followed Ginny to her and Harry's house. Harry was working late so they had asked Luna to come over, so they could have their 'girl night' that they were supposed to have three weeks ago when Hermione went to Italy with Draco.

"Becky, James, come down and eat", Hermione shouted up the stairs and soon the both came running down.

"Aunt Mione, Becky is a princess!" James screamed and hugged Hermiones leg. "It's so much fun"

"I'm sure it is", Hermione replied and laughed as the little red haired Harry clone sat down beside her daughter. Hermione sat down at the other side of Becky, and on her other side was Luna.

"What are you two doing upstairs?" Ginny asked and looked from Becky to James.

"James is a knight, and I'm a princess", Becky said with her mouth full of chicken.

"Honey, don't speak with your mouth full", Hermione said.

"I don't want to be knight, I want to be a dragon", James exclaimed.

"You must be the knight, because you must save me from Voldemort", Becky replied. "Voldemort has locked me into a tower and I can't get out, my knight must save me"

"RAWWWWWRR"

"James! You don't have to scream!" Ginny exclaimed and gave her son an angry look.

"But I'm a dragon", he replied and started laughing hysterically. Becky sighed.

"Ok, the knight turned into a dragon so the princess had to build wings and fly out from the tower", she said and hoped that James would like that idea.

"Yaay! And the dragon eat Voldemort"

"James, eat now, talk later", Ginny said. "All great dragons must eat their food before they can play with their friends"

"Ok mum", he replied and started to eat. As soon as both he and Becky had finished their dinner they both ran up the stairs to his room again.

"What are you smiling at Ginny?" Hermione asked.

"It's just… When Becky was talking with her mouth full of food before", Ginny started and smiled even wider. "I could see Ron in front of me"

"So could I", said Luna. "She's going to become a female version of him, is she afraid of spiders too?"

"No, she's not afraid of anything, and that scares me a little", Hermione replied and stroke some hair out of her face. Luna gasped as she saw Hermiones empty hand.

"Mione, show me your hand", she exclaimed. Hermione held her hand up. "When did you take it off?" Luna asked.

"Two weeks ago, after a much inspiring talk with Mrs. Potter", Hermione said and smiled at Ginny. "And it feels really good, almost like I'm a new person"

"You look like a new person", Luna said. "Sparkling happy eyes, bright smile… It must have been love", she continued with a singing voice. Both Hermione and Ginny burst out laughing, Luna's singing voice wasn't the best in the whole wide world and she knew it so she kept singing. "I guess I'm uptight and I'm stuck like glue, cause I ain't never. I ain't never, I ain't never, no, no loved a man. The way that I, I love you"

"Luna", Hermione giggled. "You know we love you but please shut your mouth!"

"Are you saying that you don't like the way I sing?"

"Yes!" Both Hermione and Ginny replied, and all three of them burst out laughing.

"Mione, now you have to tell us everything about Italy", Ginny said and Luna nodded her head in agreement.

"I have already told you guys the story"

"Yeah, we've heard all the bad stuff like you running away from his hotel room, slapping him in the face", Luna said. "We want to here the romantic stuff, like how did you end up in his hotel room? Was he a good kisser?"

"Alright I'll tell you", Hermione said and smiled. "We were on our way back to the hotel and we walked along this beautiful beach and I was talking non stop about the conference we'd just been to, he was really quiet"

"Boring! We want action!" Ginny exclaimed and both she and Luna burst out laughing.

"Do you want to hear the story or not?" They both nodded their heads, still laughing. "Ok, I asked him what was wrong and then he dragged me into his arms and said 'I've wanted to do this since my first day at the Daily Prophet' and then he kissed me…"

"Oh, look at her eyes when she talks about him", Luna said to Ginny, they both giggled. Hermione just rolled her eyes at them and continued with her story.

"He said that we should go back to the hotel before it got to dark and I asked 'Afraid of darkness?', then he lifted me up over his shoulder and threw me into the water, and then I of course pushed him under the water surface", Hermione told her two friends who now listened carefully to her story. "Then I grabbed his shirt, pulled him close and said 'I'm cold', and he said 'I know the perfect way to get you warm again'!"

"Oh dear god, that's hot!" Ginny exclaimed.

"I know", Hermione replied and smiled.

"Now look at the way she's smiling", Luna giggled. "She's so in love with this guy"

"I'm not", Hermione said, still smiling. "Anyways, when we came back to his hotel room we were all over each other, it was just amazing until yeah… you know…"

"That sounds awesome", Luna said and watched Hermione with dreamy eyes.

"Too bad I have to get over him already", Hermione sighed. "He is after all getting married"

"Ah, screw Pansy! I can't believe what I'm going to say right now but I think you should go for it", Ginny said. "After what you told me about Pansy and her wedding magazines it seems like she's the one who wants to get married, not him"

"I don't know, I don't want to destroy anything for them"

"Mione, last time I saw those sparkles in your eyes was when you and Ron told us all that you were engaged", Ginny said. "Right Luna?"

"Exactly, Hermione, go for it!"

"No, you guys, I'm not a man stealer", Hermione replied.

"Aw, this is so typical when you finally find someone he's getting married… to a pug faced bitch who wants ear rings that costs more than what Neville and I make together on a month", Luna said angrily.

"She'll find someone else", Ginny said to Luna.

"Yeah, I just hope it doesn't take 5 years this time", Hermione laughed.

Ginny was just about to open her mouth and say something when James ran into the kitchen.

"Hey there little fellow", she said. "What are you two doing?"

"We're playing dragon and princess", James replied.

"Sounds funny, where's Becky?" Hermione asked and smiled at James.

"She's outside"

"What is she doing outside, it's getting dark"

"The princess was in the tower and we build wings for her and then she was going to fly out from the tower", James explained. "She flied out from the window and now she's sleeping on the grass", he continued and it felt like someone stuck a knife into Hermiones heart. "She doesn't want to wake up"

"Oh no", Hermione exclaimed and quickly got up from her chair and rushed out in the garden. Luna, Ginny and James were right behind her. She ran around the house and screamed 'no' when she saw the body of her daughter lying there in the grass. She knelt beside Becky's body and desperately tried to wake her up. "Becky, honey, please wake up!"

Painful flashbacks came to her mind.

She saw the green flashes hit Ron in the chest; he screamed and fell to the ground. Voldemort gave up a heartless and evil laughter as Harry pointed his wand at him and shouted 'Avada Kedavra'.

Hermione knelt beside the body of her boyfriend and shook him up and down… "Ron, honey, please wake up"

"Becky, baby!" She wept with tears streaming down her face.

"We have to take her to St Mungos", Luna exclaimed.

"Dear Merlin I'm going to lose her", Hermione sobbed.

"Hermione! Don't say that!" Ginny said.

More painful memories came to Hermiones mind, this time from her nightmare when she'd dropped Becky from the balcony and there were voices outside the door telling her that she was a bad mother.

"I'm a bad mother"

"Hermione, take it easy, come on let's get her inside so that we can floo to St Mungos"

"A bad mother". Hermione whispered. Ginny slapped Hermione on the cheek. "What are you doing?"

"I'm trying to make you understand that you have to take Becky to St Mungos!"

"Oh god, you're right", Hermione said and lifted Becky up in her arms. They all hurried inside and Hermione, with Becky in her arms, stepped into the fireplace.

"Call us when you know what's happening", Ginny said before Hermione used the floo power to get to St Mungos.

After an hour of waiting beside Becky's bed after the medical examination a healer came into the room. Hermione was patting Becky's hand and watched her pale, still unconscious, face.

"Miss Granger", the healer said. Hermione turned around and faced a man in his thirties; he walked up and sat down at the edge of the bed. "You have absolutely nothing to worry about, Rebecca has got a concussion and a sprained ankle, she will be just fine"

"Oh", Hermione sighed and felt relieved. "Thank you so much"

"She'll have to stay the night though", the healer said. "We'll bring you an extra bed so you can stay the night to, cause I assume that you're not planning on leaving her side", he continued and smiled at her. Hermione smiled back at him that was answer enough. "I'm Mike Walls by the way", he said and shook Hermione's hand.

"Hermione", she replied.

"I have two kids myself so I know exactly how you've been feeling", Mike said. "I think you should go down to the cafeteria and grab something to eat", he continued and smiled at her once again before he left the room to go and get the extra bed for Hermione.

"Mummy is just going down to eat, I'll be right back honey", Hermione whispered and kissed Becky's forehead. "I love you"