A/N: Hey all. Sorry it's taken so long since the original upload to get this up. I wanted to get this just right, so it's gone through a couple of rewrites in between writing chapters for my other novel-length fic Draco's Journey and studying for exams. But here's the Epilogue! Hope you enjoy :)
It was the year 2012 and their oldest child, Rose had just turned seven. Their youngest, Hugo had just turned four. When Ron and Hermione got married about 4 years after the battle ended, they decided to move out of the wizarding world. This was because Hermione, as the Girl-Who-Lived and Ron, being an integral part of the trio that destroyed the horcruxes, leading to Voldemort's ultimate demise, were sick of being recognised every time they stepped outside their house to go for a quiet walk. So, they decided to move to the muggle world and only enter the wizarding world when necessary (work, social gatherings, for Ron – quidditch, and shopping etc).
After the battle, Hermione had gone with Ron to Australia to restore her parents' memories and her parents had decided to stay in Australia as they liked their life there. This was another advantage of moving to the muggle world – Hermione could stay in touch with her parents regularly by telephone and muggle communication technology like the internet. When the Order had moved the Dursley's back into number 4 Privet Drive, Vernon had demanded an explanation as to what had happened with Voldemort and why it had taken so long for them to be returned to their home. As Hermione and Ron had been with Harry for the duration of the horcrux hunt, the Order gave the responsibility of explaining this to them. So, they had paid a visit to Privet Drive. Once everything had been explained and they were about to leave, Dudley spoke up.
"Hang on! Where is Harry? Is he okay? And why have you got the same scar that Harry has?" Vernon looked at him like there was something wrong with him. When Hermione explained that Harry had sacrificed himself in the final battle and that this had given Hermione the same protection from Voldemort that Harry had from his mother, Dudley look shocked and went silent. From that moment on, they had remained in contact with Dudley. Around the time that they were looking to move out of the wizarding world. Vernon and Petunia put their house up for sale. Ron and Hermione organised with Dudley, who had since moved out with his wife, to buy the house (Vernon and Petunia had sold it to him for a discounted price) and rent it out to them until they had paid him back. Fortunately, they weren't renting from Dudley for long because in the Will that Harry had made prior to the trio leaving on the horcrux hunt, he had split his Gringotts vault and family fortune up between Ginny, Ron, Hermione and Mr and Mrs. Weasley. Harry. Knowing that Hermione didn't have a place to go to after the war with her parents in Australia, he left her Grimmauld Place. He had left Kreacher to Ron and as a result, Kreacher moved from Grimmauld Place to the Burrow.
When her parents had decided to stay in Australia, Hermione had transfigured the title deed papers so that they were in her name and sold the house. She gave the proceeds to her mother and father and had moved into Grimmauld Place. While the place still had the same eeriness from when it was being used as the Headquarters of the Order, there was one improvement for Hermione. After the war, both Hermione and Ron were called to give testimony at the Malfoy family's trial. Lucius had a shopping list of charges against his name, one of which was a count of 'aid or abet the prolonged use of the cruciatus curse by omission' relating to his failure to intervene in Bellatrix's torture of Hermione. He received a total of seven years in Azkaban for this crime. When the totality of Lucius's crimes was considered, he was found guilty on all counts and received life in Azkaban without the possibility of release. Narcissa faced the same charge and also a list of charges relating to aiding or abetting crimes by omission committed by the Death Eaters, including the murder of Charity Burbage, at Malfoy Manor while it was being used as Death Eater Headquarters. She was convicted of these but given leniency as she was not a marked Death Eater and she used the defence of duress that to defy The Dark Lord would have placed her and her family in serious danger. She received seven years home detention. Draco was charged with being a marked Death Eater, two counts of attempted murder of Ron and Katie Bell (it didn't matter that his target was Dumbledore), one count of using the Imperius curse (on Madam Rosmerta) and one count of 'endangering lives' relating to letting the Death Eaters into Hogwarts. He was also charged with the same crimes as his mother relating to when the Manor was being used as Death Eater HQ. He was charged with two counts of using the cruciatus curse on Dolohov and Rowle (ordered by Voldemort). For all of it, he used the same defence as his mother, that he and his mother would have been in danger if he had disobeyed Voldemort.
Hermione herself, as well as being a witness at Draco's trial, had assisted Draco. While she resented how Draco had treated her at school, and the fact that he had cornered Harry in the Room of Requirement when Harry was looking for the diadem, she remembered his face when Crabbe had used the Killing Curse towards her and Ron. Now whether that was because he was losing control of the two knuckleheads that were his minions for seven years, she didn't know. But she certainly couldn't get the face out of her memory bank. She also remembered the hesitation that Draco had in identifying Harry at Malfoy Manor, and his facial expression when his mother had identified her. Looking back, she kicked herself that she didn't think to mess up Ron and her face as well. Given that she knew she would have been wanted by the Ministry for not registering as a muggle-born, and the little fact that she was best-friends with Harry Potter which Voldemort likely knew given that the Malfoys were Death Eaters and Lucius could have given him the rundown on Harry's friends and allies at any time since his return. So, while she never got on well with Draco, she didn't think he deserved Azkaban. She also felt it was ridiculous that the wizarding world didn't have lawyers. So, she assisted Draco as much as she could with his trial and openly stated at his trial that she didn't believe that he deserved Azkaban. This held sway with the Wizengamot, given she was the Girl-Who-Lived. While Draco was convicted of all charges, he only received one-year home detention. The leniency of the sentence was met with outrage from the wider wizarding world. This was because while the popular view was that the Girl-Who-Lived was right that he didn't deserve Azkaban, and she should be listened too, most people believed that Draco should have received the same sentence as his mother.
When Draco's sentence was up, the first thing he did was pay a visit to Grimmauld Place to thank Hermione for what she did. In repayment for helping him, he did something to improve her living arrangements in the house. He removed the permanent sticking charm on the portrait of Walburga Black, Sirius's mother. It turned out that the portrait could only be removed by a family member who was still on the family tapestry. As Sirius was blasted off the tapestry, he could not remove it. As Tonks' mother Andromeda was blasted off the tapestry prior to Tonks' birth, she didn't appear on the tapestry and couldn't remove it either. However, Draco, being the son of Narcissa Black who was still on the tapestry, was on the tapestry and could remove it. This made the house much more peaceful.
After they were married and Dudley had bought 4 Privet Drive off his parents, they sold Grimmauld Place and her, Ron and Kreacher (Kreacher having moved back to Grimmauld Place from the Burrow when Ron had moved in with Hermione) had moved to Privet Drive. They were able to pay Dudley back in full when the first rent was due a week after they moved in.
Kreacher had become friendly with Hermione. As part of Harry's Will, he had left her the snitch from his first quidditch match which he had been given by Dumbledore, minus the Resurrection Stone. He had done this because 'to win a quidditch match, you need friendship and trust with your teammates and bravery to put yourself in harm's way. This is to remind her of the friendship, trust and bravery she showed me over the seven years of our friendship'.
When Ron had moved in with her, she had given Kreacher the snitch as a memento of his former master. Just like Harry had given Kreacher the locket of Regulus. She continued her work with S.P.E.W and was a frequent face at the Ministry meeting with Wizengamot members campaigning for laws to improve the lives of house-elves, however, with Ron's encouragement, she had many long chats with Kreacher in an effort to understand the point of view of house-elves and why they held those views. She took the time to find out what they wanted, instead of imposing her own view upon them.
With the inheritance she had received from Harry, she had started her own law-firm which primarily focused on the cases concerning the rights of magical creatures (similar to the case involving Buckbeak). However, it did have a criminal division and she frequently appeared before the Wizengamot representing clients. This, along with her fame as the Girl-Who-Lived, gained her a reputation for standing up for what she believed and she was frequently touted as Kingsley Shacklebolt's successor as Minister for Magic. When asked about this by the Daily Prophet, as she often was, she would respond "The last time I talked with the Minister, which was yesterday, he had no plans on retiring anytime soon and I believe he is doing an excellent job. I'll entertain this question when the job of Minister actually becomes vacant." In all honesty, she had said once that she had no interest in a career in magical law, but her experience in the law firm, and the changed attitude of the Ministry under Kingsley had changed her mind. If she were offered the position, she would seriously consider it. She was indeed in contact with Kingsley every day, both work-related and in a personal capacity. He valued her opinion on matters greatly.
One day, her and Ron were in the living room watching TV. Hugo was spending time with his grandparents at the Burrow. Rose came down the stairs from her bedroom and into the living room where her parents were.
"Mummy, Daddy?" she asked, timidly.
"Yes Rosie?" Ron said.
"I was just reading the latest edition of The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts, and I…" she hesitated. She had inherited her mother's interest in books. "I read about You-Know-Who."
"Voldemort or Tom Riddle Rosie. Fear of the name only increases fear of the thing itself." Hermione said wisely in a kind tone.
"Yes. Voldemort. Both of you are mentioned. The book said that both of you and Uncle Harry are the reason he was defeated."
"Yes. That's right." Hermione said.
"Could you tell me about it? The book said something about hor-truck-es. What are they?" Rose asked. Ron and Hermione looked at each other. How much did you tell a child of seven-years-old about a war? Both of them were thinking the same thing. 'why did we buy her that book?' Still, they had to tell her one day. She was getting older, and both Ron and Hermione would have preferred that she hear it from them rather than anyone else.
Hermione took the lead. "Well Rosie, firstly they are called 'hor-cruxs' not 'hor-truck-es'. They are pieces of a person's soul encased in an object. They make a person immortal which means that person cannot die."
"How does one create one? Surely everyone would want to create one if it means a person cannot die." Rose said.
"It's very dark magic Rosie. In order to make one, you must first murder someone else in cold blood. That's the only way to split your soul. They are terrible objects." Ron said. A look of dawning comprehension and understanding appeared on Rose's face.
"I should have known, considering the book I found it in." Rose said in a frustrated tone. Ron chuckled, she reminded him of Hermione from first-year when she slammed a book she had checked-out with Nicholas Flamal's name in it on the library table and said "how could I be so stupid? I checked it out weeks ago for a bit of light reading."
"It's okay Rosie. There's no harm in asking questions." Ron said. He reflected for a moment on how odd that would sound to an outside observer who knew the previous occupants of the house. He knew that the Dursleys forbad Harry from asking questions.
"So how did you destroy him?" Rosie asked.
"Well, first of all we had to find and destroy all the horcruxes." Hermione said.
"How did you destroy them?" Rose asked.
"With the Sword of Gryffindor and basilisk fangs." Ron said. Rose's mouth opened wide.
"How did you get some basilisk fangs? I read about the basilisk in 1000 Poisonous and Dangerous Creatures. Apparently, it can kill by looking people in the eye." Rose said.
"It can. Back in Mummy and Daddy's second year at Hogwarts, the Chamber of Secrets was opened. You know what the Chamber of Secrets is don't you Rosie?" Ron said.
"Yes Daddy. I read about it in Hogwarts: A History." Rose replied. Hermione smiled.
"Well, your mummy, being the smart witch she is, worked out it was a basilisk that was attacking students. Your Uncle Harry and I went down into the Chamber of Secrets and your Uncle Harry fought it. He stabbed it and killed it with the Sword of Gryffindor. So, when it came time for Uncle Harry, your mummy and I to destroy the horcruxes, all we had to do was get the fangs from the dead basilisk down in the Chamber of Secrets." Ron said.
"So Daddy, you, Mummy and Uncle Harry destroyed the horcruxes. What were they and how did you find them?"
"Well, there were six horcruxes." Ron said. Rose looked appalled.
"You mean that Voldemort killed six people?" Rose asked.
"No Rosie. He killed a lot more than that. There's a reason everyone is afraid to say his name. He was a very evil man." Ron said. Rose nodded in understanding. "So, there were six horcruxes. Voldemort, or rather Tom Marvolo Riddle's old school diary that was being used to possess your Aunt Ginny to open the Chamber of Secrets. You remember Aunt Ginny telling you how she was possessed one time?" Rose nodded. "Well, that was the time. Uncle Harry killed the basilisk and used its fang to stab the diary which saved Aunt Ginny." Ron explained.
"What were the other horcruxes Daddy?" Rose asked.
"There was a ring that was owned by Voldemort's grandfather which Voldemort stole. Professor Dumbledore destroyed that with the Sword of Gryffindor." Ron said. Rose lit up.
"Oh, I read about Professor Dumbledore the other day. He's supposed to be the only one Voldemort ever feared, wasn't he?" Rose asked.
"Yes Rosie. That's right. He had good reason for feeling that way. Professor Dumbledore was a much better wizard than Voldemort." Hermione said.
"Why Mummy?" Rose asked.
"Because while Voldemort was a skilled wizard and was admittedly probably second to Dumbledore as the most skilled wizard of the age…" Hermione started. Rose gave her mother a curious look. "Yes Rosie, Voldemort was a terrible human being. But he was one of the most skilled wizards of his generation. Daddy and I may have opposed Voldemort and he did horrible things, but we still respected his skill as a wizard. It's important to respect your opponent's skill, because if you don't, you'll end up like Voldemort. The reason Dumbledore was a much better wizard than Voldemort is that Voldemort was blinded by his own ego. He refused to understand and respect anything that he didn't see as important. As you'll see, this is how Mummy was able to defeat him. Dumbledore was always open to the possibility that he was wrong and would tell you when he was guessing, Voldemort was not." Hermione explained.
"How was Professor Dumbledore able to destroy the ring with the Sword?" Rose asked.
"Because it was goblin-made Rosie." Hermione said simply. Rose looked confused so Hermione continued. "This meant it only took in that which made it stronger. So, dirt and rust had no effect on the blade, but another substance that it came into contact with in the past did." Hermione was trying to get Rose to put all the hints together. She often did this with her children to teach them rather than just handing them the answers. When Rose still looked confused, she continued again. "Uncle Harry stabbed the basilisk with the Sword in our second year..." Hermione said, but was cut off.
"So, the Sword was impregnated with basilisk venom which can destroy horcruxes!" Rose said with excited realisation.
"Yes, exactly Rose. Well done!" Hermione complimented. She always took the opportunities to teach her children something new.
"So, what about the other horcruxes?" Rose asked.
"There was a locket which belonged to Salazar Slytherin who was Voldemort's ancestor. Originally that was located in a cave." Hermione said. "Kreacher."
"Yes, Mistress Hermione?" Kreacher croaked as he came into the living room from the kitchen with Regulus's locket around his neck which he never took off.
"We're explaining to Rosie about Voldemort's horcruxes. Would you like explain to Rosie about how Master Regulus found the locket?" Hermione asked kindly to Kreacher. Kreacher gave her a smile.
"I would love to Mistress Hermione. Miss Rosie, the Dark Lord asked Kreacher to accompany him to a cave. He took Kreacher in a boat to a platform in the middle of a lake filled with dead bodies. He made Kreacher drink a terrible potion out of a basin which made Kreacher see all sorts of terrible things. He then put the locket Mistress Hermione is talking about in the basin and left Kreacher there. The potion made Kreacher thirsty, so Kreacher went for a drink from the lake, but these dead bodies tried to drag Kreacher under the water with them. Kreacher disapparated home to Master Regulus and told him what happened. Master Regulus then went back to the cave with Kreacher and drank the potion himself. He ordered Kreacher to take the locket and destroy it." Kreacher explained.
"Were you able to save Master Regulus Kreacher?" Rose asked.
"No. Master Regulus ordered Kreacher to leave him." Kreacher said.
"He must have been very brave." Rose said.
"He was Miss Rosie. Kreacher is proud to have served him." Kreacher replied.
"So anyway, Uncle Harry went with Professor Dumbledore to that cave in sixth year and got Regulus's locket which Kreacher has around his neck. When we realised that it belonged to Regulus, we spoke to Kreacher and found out that the real horcrux was in possession of an evil woman who worked for the Ministry called Delores Umbridge. So, we broke into the Ministry to steal it and destroy it." Hermione said.
"You broke into the Ministry of Magic?" Rose said in wonder. Both Ron and Hermione nodded.
"It was your Daddy who destroyed the locket with the Sword of Gryffindor." Hermione said. Rose looked at Ron with admiration.
"So, what about the others?" Rose asked.
"Well, there was a cup which belonged to Helga Hufflepuff. We found out that this was located in a Gringotts vault belonging to another evil woman called Bellatrix Lestrange. So, we broke into Gringotts and stole the cup." Hermione said.
"You broke into Gringotts?!" Rose said loudly, he eyes as wide as dinner plates. Both Hermione and Ron nodded again. Rose looked at her parents in admiration. "And you got away unharmed?" Rose asked.
"Mostly Rosie. We had a few burns, but that's about it." Ron said.
"How did you escape?" Rose asked.
"On the back of a dragon." Ron said. Rose's eyes widened again and her mouth fell open.
"On the back of a... what?!" Rose asked in wonder. Ron and Hermione burst out in laughter at their daughter's reaction.
"Yes Rosie, on the back of a dragon." Hermione said through her laughs.
"Anyway, your Mummy destroyed the cup with a basilisk fang in the Chamber of Secrets." Ron said once he'd got his laughter under control. This earned Hermione another admiring look from Rose. "The second last horcrux was the diadem of Ravenclaw. This was actually unintentionally destroyed by one of Voldemort's supporters in the Room of Requirement at Hogwarts who cast Fiendfyre." Ron said. Rose laughed.
"How ironic." Rose said.
"The last horcrux was Voldemort's snake Nagini and she was killed by Neville with the Sword of Gryffindor after he stood up to Voldemort. He was very brave." Ron said.
"So, how did you finally defeat Voldemort Mummy? The book said that you duelled him and called you the "Girl-Who-Lived". What does that mean?" Rose asked.
"Well Rosie, it all starts with Uncle Harry's parents 17 years before I even faced him. When Uncle Harry was one-year-old, Voldemort decided that Uncle Harry had the power to finish him." Hermione said. Rose had an expression on her face as though she thought Voldemort was an idiot.
"Why would he think a baby has the power to defeat him Mummy? He was so feared that the book doesn't even mention his name." Rose said.
"Well, a person made a prophecy, which he overheard and believed, that said a boy born at the end of July to parents who had defied Voldemort three times would have the power to defeat him. So, he was determined to kill Harry when he was a baby before he could defend himself." Hermione explained. Rose nodded her understanding.
"So, in this prophecy I mentioned, it had the line 'the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he shall have power the Dark Lord knows not'." Hermione said
"What was the power that Uncle Harry had that Voldemort didn't Mummy?" Rose asked.
"Love Rosie." Hermione said simply. Rose looked perplexed at this.
"Love?" she asked.
"Love. Voldemort didn't understand and was incapable of feeling love. He never felt the kind of love that your mummy and daddy feel for you Rosie. He never felt the kind of love that you feel for Mummy and Daddy and that kind of love, under the right circumstances, can generate a sort of magical protection. Voldemort went to Uncle Harry's house with the intent of murdering Harry. First, he murdered his father, and then went to murder Harry, but his mother got in the way. Despite repeated orders to stand aside, she refused, so he killed her too. He then tried to kill Uncle Harry, but he couldn't because his mother sacrificed herself and let Voldemort kill her, instead of saving herself, to keep Harry safe." Hermione explained.
"So, what happened then? Was Uncle Harry hurt?" Rose asked.
"Well, the only mark he had from Voldemort's attack was this…" she then lifted her fringe to show Rose her lightening scar. Rose's eyes widened.
"How do you have a scar like Uncle Harry's?" Rose asked.
"Well, when Voldemort failed to kill Uncle Harry, because his soul was so unstable from making all the horcruxes, a piece of his soul attached itself to Harry. This meant that for Voldemort to be killed, Uncle Harry had to die as well. This is what happened during the final battle of the war when I defeated him. But Harry arranged it in a way where his death would give the same protection to those fighting against Voldemort that he had from his mother." Hermione explained
"How?" Rose asked.
"Well, in the middle of the battle, Voldemort called a 1-hour ceasefire, or stop, to the battle. He then said to Harry that he had 1-hour to surrender and allow himself to be killed, or he would kill everyone who tried to protect him. Because of the piece of Voldemort's soul inside Harry, Harry chose to surrender himself. He also did it to protect everyone else. This is the same thing that happened when Harry's mother refused to step aside. Harry's death meant that Voldemort could not touch those fighting him, including me and Daddy." Hermione said.
"So how do you have the scar, and why do they call you the Girl-Who-Lived?" Rose asked, somewhat impatiently.
"Voldemort didn't learn from his mistakes. He tried to kill me and same thing that happened when he tried to kill Harry as a baby happened. The curse rebounded upon him and I survived with this scar." Hermione said. Rose looked awe-struck.
"Voldemort tried to kill you?" Rose asked. Hermione nodded.
"Do you ever wish you could get rid of it Mummy?" Rose asked.
"Sometimes I do. But it's a constant reminder of Uncle Harry's friendship and love that we shared for seven years." Hermione said, a small tear rolling down her cheek. Ron put her arms around her with a small smile on his face. She reached up with her left hand to wipe the tear away and her sleeve slipped down.
"What's that Mummy?" Rose asked. Hermione looked at Ron with trepidation. She knew that one day she'd have to expose her children to the darker side of the wizarding world, but that didn't mean she wanted to. The motherly instinct in her was telling her to protect her child.
"Well, she's sure to read about it. She's inherited your habit of swallowing every book that she can get her hands on. You didn't exactly keep that scar a secret during that duel with Voldemort and the details of how you got it came out during the Malfoy trials." Ron said in an undertone so that only Hermione could hear.
Rose, who could tell her parents were discussing whether they should tell her or not, which meant it wasn't something good, said "It's okay if you don't want to tell me."
Hermione took a deep breath. "No Rose. It's not exactly a secret to the wizarding world and you're bound to read it somewhere. I'd prefer it if you heard it from me." Hermione said.
"Okay." Rose said and listened intently to her mother. Hermione extended her arm and fully showed Rose the scar.
"This Rosie, is a scar that I do wish I could get rid of." Hermione said. Rose looked properly at Hermione's arm.
"What does that word mean?" Rose asked. It's not that Rose couldn't read the word, but she was a very attentive kid and could sense by her parents' reaction when she had asked about it that it was a bad word.
"You know how Nanny and Poppy are muggles?" Hermione asked. Hermione's parents were Nanny and Poppy, while Arthur and Molly were Grandma and Grandpa.
"Yes." Rose said.
"Well, that means I'm what's called a muggle-born. I'm a witch born to muggle parents." Hermione said.
"I knew that. What's wrong with that?" Rose said.
"There's nothing wrong with it Rosie. But there are some witches and wizards, particularly during Voldemort's time, who don't like the fact that people born to muggle parents can have magic. We've come a long way since Voldemort's time, your Mummy being the saviour of the wizarding world playing no small part in that, so there are much less witches and wizards that hold that view, but there are still some out there." Ron said.
"Why? Why do they think that people like Mummy shouldn't have magic?" Rose asked.
Hermione sighed. "Rosie dear, for some people, why they think that way is quite a complicated answer which will have to wait until you're older. For others, they are just bad people."
"What does that have to do with that word?" Rose asked, bringing the conversation back to the reason Hermione was explaining this.
"Because that word is what these bad people call people like me. It is a terrible word Rosie and it is actually illegal to utter it, or write it, in a disparaging way." Hermione said. The word 'Mudblood' had been made illegal by the Wizengamot following the war. The rationale was that it was a word associated with views which enabled Voldemort and the Death Eaters, and that not everyone who uttered it was a Death Eater, but every Death Eater uttered it at some point.
The original draft of the legislation made it illegal to use the word in any way, including in a non-disparaging way and would have included having the word on your body. This would have meant Hermione would have been sent to Azkaban. Fortunately, through the influence of Kingsley as Minister, and Arthur Weasley who had been appointed to the Wizengamot, they had been able to convince Justin Finch-Fletchley who had been appointed to the Wizengamot following the battle and had carriage of the legislation, to amend it to ensure that the context the word was used was taken into account when determining illegality.
"So how did you get a scar of it on your arm Mummy?" Rose said.
"Because one day, when Mummy, Daddy and Uncle Harry were searching for Voldemort's horcruxes, we got captured by the Death Eaters. That evil witch I told you about, Bellatrix Lestrange, didn't like that Mummy had magic…" Hermione stopped. She looked at Ron, unsure how to proceed.
"We may as well tell her. We don't want her to find out about it from a book." Ron said, again in an undertone so Rose couldn't hear.
"This bad witch hurt Mummy. She used her knife to cut that word into Mummy's arm." Hermione finished.
Rose sat there in silence for a few moments, processing what Hermione had said. Finally, she said, "you are so brave Mummy. I hope I can be as brave as you."
"Thank you Rosie. You know, Daddy is brave too, he saved Mummy from that bad witch. So, I think you'll be brave too." Hermione said smiling. Rose smiled.
"Do you have any more questions sweetheart?" Ron asked.
"Was the bad witch punished?" Rose asked.
Ron looked at Hermione before answering. "You know Rosie, I think that's a question for Grandma. She likes telling that story." Ron said. Hermione laughed.
"Thank you for explaining everything Mummy and Daddy." Rose said. She stood up to go back upstairs to her room and back to her book. Before she left the living room, she walked over to Hermione and gave her the tightest hug Hermione could ever remember receiving from her. "I love you Mummy."
Hermione returned the hug and said "I love you too Rosie."