Chapter Nine: The Olive Branch

"For what you love most in your friend may become clearer in his/her absence, like the mountain for the climbers becomes clearer in the plains." – Khalil Gibran

It felt like hours that Hermione had been sitting on that bottom step, Lily's soft blankie cradled against her, wet from tears. She stared at the living room surrounding her, sofas still pushed to the far wall from when they'd been dancing the previous night. She felt empty, in her heart and now in her home. For all these years it had been her and her two children, and suddenly in a matter of two or so weeks… It was like pieces of her heart had been ripped away.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid…" She cursed herself in a hushed tone, hot tears streaming down her cheeks.

Hermione had been so silly to think it would last, to think that she had a chance. All these years she had been perfectly capable of bottling in her feelings, controlling herself, and suddenly she had become so weak! Hermione was angry at herself, for her failure and for being naïve to the point of thinking Harry would've stayed. Truth was, and Hermione hated to admit it, but Ron had been completely right about her all those years ago, in the 'row that ended all rows' and led to their divorce. He had been right when he'd accused her—no—spelled out to her that since the age of twelve Harry Potter had been it to her—the love of her life, her 'one and done'. Ron had been caught in the middle, he had been a hindrance because she, Hermione, had lied to everyone and to herself, had hidden it well for years and years… Harry had always been the man she loved, there was no shadow of a doubt now. But as was the case with most legendary romances out there—most of which she had already read—Hermione had to go on living her little life without the kind of love she desperately wanted him to feel for her, the same desperate, hungry, patient, unrelenting love she had always harbored. And now, to top it all off, she loved his children too, as much as she loved her Rosie and her Hugo and their absence, now more than ever was almost unbearable.

Once again Hermione sighed deeply, but pulled her wand out of her pocket, returning her living room to its normal. Rose and Hugo would be up soon, so she made a beeline for the kitchen to put the kettle on and the slices of bread in the toaster. She looked straight ahead as she went, not wanting to look at the stone fireplace from where they'd left. She hated it now.

Not long after, she was standing there in her kitchen, looking out of the large window above her sink which overlooked the ocean with its fisherman boats tied to the docks, the ancient stone chapel right on the beach and the colorful row houses which had made her fall in love with this town. The storm had passed and there were no more clouds masking the sky. Yesterday had been chaos and the small city of Tenby which was now Hermione's home began to return to normal. She could see the tiny figures of people cleaning the streets and trucks collecting debris. Others were already up and heading for work, others to run their errands. Life went on, is what everyone and everything was telling her. Hermione was strong, always had been and she would overcome this storm in her life, she would go back to her normal, even if that normal wasn't enough for her any longer.

Hermione jumped as she was startled by the sound of a wooden door slamming forcefully coming from upstairs, followed by the desperate wails of her little son having awakened to a reality where his beloved cousins and uncle weren't there. She felt the familiar sting of tears at the corner of her eyes and her heart weighed on her like a ton of bricks. She wiped away the tears that slid down her cheeks on their own accord and inhaled deeply. She was the adult, the mother if anything she had to be strong. Be the example her conscious told her. She waited for him to come down by the kitchen archway, facing the stairs, and Hugo did, holding on to the rail, one step at a time, afraid to trip over what with his eyes filled with tears.

"M-mummy!" He sobbed desperately as he flung himself into her arms and allowed her to cradle and rock him, like the baby he would always be in her heart.

"It's going to be all right, Hughie, I promise…" She repeated in whispers, only for them both to hear.

Rosie came down a little while later, not crying, but visibly upset. She passed her mother and Hugo and went straight inside the kitchen, as quiet as a mouse, to yesterday's leftover cookies with milk. Hermione continued to hold and console her little boy, although to be quite honest he was probably consoling her more.

TWO WEEKS LATER…

Monday, July 21st, 2014

Hermione was on cashier duty in her bookshop, enjoying a few quiet minutes with her tea as she browsed through a publisher's catalog, marking the books she was interested in stocking up on. After the storm, Tenby had been quick to recover and the tourists once again began to flock in once more which meant more and more clients eager for quality holiday reads, iced teas, coffees, and pastries. Hermione and her small staff had been working double the hours and she had been almost constantly on her feet for days. Her back ached and so did her head sometimes, but more work meant more profit and for that, she could not complain. Although she owned her house which had been paid in full after the divorce and she rent the bookshop from her parents at a below market value, Hermione no longer earned the large sums that came with her high-ranking ministry jobs of the past which provided a generous financial safety net. She didn't regret it at all though, leaving everything for Tenby. Obviously, this didn't mean Hermione hadn't been happy with her ministry work, on the contrary, it was there that she felt like she had made a true impact in the world. But Tenby brought her pleasure in many ways that her ministry jobs hadn't and it allowed her more time to spend with her children, with her reading, with her research and simply enjoying herself, in a way that her jobs at the ministry hadn't. Hermione rarely went out for drinks with her local friends, to dinner or the cinema. The last date she had been on seemed lightyears away, but she couldn't say she wasn't living. For the most part, she was content and happy, more so than when she'd been married, living in London and working at the ministry in the final years. She'd been miserable then.

"Herms, you coming to the meeting?" Susan, her blue-haired friend, and business partner asked as she began to turn off the lights and the computer. It was 7 pm already and past their Monday closing hours.

Hermione was instantly shaken from her reveries. Her brown eyes went wide when she remembered and checked the time on her wristwatch.

"I-yes, of course. We're discussing our strategies today, aren't we, with legal?" Susan nodded whilst rolling her eyes. Hermione herself had scheduled and notified every one of it two days ago, following the letter that came in from the Ministry of Magic last Thursday. Since then, every single member of the Tenby Magical Association had been on their toes, because a public hearing on the matter of Tenby's relaxed obedience of the Statute of Secrecy was soon to be held.

"Are Hugo and Rose with your parents today?"

"Yes, I'll just call my dad to tell them I'll be coming in late…" Hermione pulled out her phone from her pocket and dialed the familiar number. Susan waited for her patiently and once Hermione had exchanged words with Laurence Granger and purposefully not with Helena Granger, they were on their way to the TMA headquarters at the park, a few blocks away by foot.

"You've been awfully quiet and distracted lately—everyone's been wondering about it." Susan pointed out after a few moments of silence as they walked.

"I have?" Susan nodded.

"Yes! And don't go about insulting my intelligence saying it's because of the public hearing 'cause you've been this way for much longer since your friend with the beard and funny scar came around and left with his flock of children. You seemed so happy then, what happened?"

Hermione chuckled at Susan's choice of words regarding Harry's children, she loved the woman's sense of humor and bluntness, it quite reminded her of Ron.

"The spell broke, I suppose, and he left. They left."

"And you wanted them to stay." It wasn't a question, but a statement and Hermione could only nod. "Does your friend know you love him?"

"Yes, I believe he does. We spoke about it…"

"You spoke about your feelings?" Susan laughed disbelievingly. "Hermione Granger spoke about having feelings? Wow! I wish I could have been a little fly on the wall to witness that…" The woman said in mock wonder. And Hermione rolled her eyes in mock annoyance, trying to hide a grin.

"Oh, shut up, Susan. We made the decision together."

"For him to leave?" Hermione nodded, finding that the cobblestones of the pavement were far more interesting than usual. "So, he doesn't love you back?" Hermione shrugged. "What does that mean, that shrug? Does he, or does he not?" Susan's voice was an octave higher now as a result of her curiosity and the fact that she seemed to find Hermione's predicament with Harry oh-so-funny.

"If I knew I'd tell you, and probably he would have stayed or I don't know, returned by now? Written? I'm afraid I scared him off—I overwhelmed him with my stupid feelings and beautifully caught him off guard." Hermione admitted, with bitterness and sarcasm etched to her words.

"Time will tell, I hope?" Hermione sighed heavily.

"He hasn't written. Not even a tiny note to let me know they arrived well and that the children are okay. He's avoiding me."

"Scared off your little crush then?" Susan said with amusement in her voice. Hermione glared at her, threatening her with her wand. Susan chuckled and stopped Hermione in her tracks, in the middle of the sidewalk. "I'm sorry, you know how I am, trying to make light of-of you know." Hermione nodded and rolled her eyes. "I imagine it's hurting like fuck and eating at your conscious…"

"Yes, it is. I've honestly started to regret it now, inviting him here with the kids. I promise you I wouldn't be this miserable and we would still be friends on speaking terms."

"Oh, don't be daft Hermione, it doesn't become you." Susan admonished. "Love doesn't kill but it sure isn't easy on the heart, trust me, I'm an expert. Louisa and I are going mad with the trial coming up, for Sebastian's custody. I'm so scared of losing my son, Hermione, you cannot imagine. But I know that despite this mess we are currently in, with my ex wanting to take my son away because he's a homophobe who thinks two capable women can't raise a child together, I don't regret any of it. I love Louisa and I have never loved her more than now, because I know we are in this together." Susan took Hermione's hands in hers and squeezed them reassuringly. "I'm sure that he's just trying to make sense of things, men often take longer than women in most things, right? I know he loves you, Hermione, he's not purposefully avoiding you or anything, I saw how he was with you, the adoration in his eyes, how he lit up when he'd see you. Be a bit more patient." Hermione had tears in her eyes as she wrapped Susan in one of her famous bear hugs.

"Thank you."

"Oh, hush!" Susan responded, hugging Hermione back.

…

The Leaky Cauldron was packed that Monday evening. It was past business hours and shopkeeping wizards and clientele alike crowded the old pub that was the entry point of Diagon Alley. Harry sat in a booth in the far back, nursing a tall glass of butterbeer for old time's sake. Ron, as was his usual, was fifteen minutes late. Harry didn't mind as it allowed him to exchange a few words with Hannah Abbott, an old Hogwarts schoolmate and now fiancée of his friend Neville and catch up on their news. Hannah, the kind Hufflepuff that she was helped Harry politely escape a few wizards and witches who were far too delighted to see him. He'd grown used to it with the years, but the attention and fame that came with being the Boy Who Lived and now the Man Who Conquered was a bit of a cross to carry. Harry had no desire or inclination to be a celebrity of sorts or to have his news and gossip about his life in the papers, but as it was, it was something he couldn't change and was forced to live with. He recalled how charismatic Ginny was and how she was a natural with the public and press, always flawless, smiling and glowing. He wasn't like that at all.

Harry was enjoying the last sip of his drink when he noticed the tall, handsome and lean figure with hair of flaming red that belonged to his best and oldest mate contrasting against those of the crowd. He watched as Hannah greeted Ron and they exchanged a few pleasantries before she pointed him to Harry's direction. Ron was all smiles as he came in, carrying a number of shopping bags.

"Oy, Harry!" He exclaimed, waving excitedly as he approached and Harry got up to pat his back. "Sorry I'm late, was doing some last-minute shopping for Luna, you understand?" Harry nodded and chuckled, not caring at all.

"Preparations for the baby?" Ron nodded with a smile, his cheeks a bright pink.

"We're doing last minute touches on the nursery. Rosie and Hugo will be with us this Saturday and we want to get them helping, apparently it allows the older siblings to feel useful and more open to a new baby… Was what Luna read somewhere at least."

"How are they, Rose and Hugo?"

"Fine, as far as I know, summer's dragging on, eh?" Ron said because he despised the heat, but Harry knew that it was his favorite time of the year despite it all, because he could spend more time with his kids. "You never got to telling me how things were in Tenby. Things all right at Hermione's?" Harry nodded.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. We had lots of fun with the kids. We visited the castle ruins, several beach trips, they had a blast." Ron nodded as he whistled for a waiter to come to take his order.

"I think I'll have something to eat, mate, maybe the soup special. Busy day today!" Harry chuckled.

A few minutes of chit chat later and Harry's second butterbeer arrived, along with Ron's order. The redhead watched with interest as each time he asked about Hermione and Tenby Harry would be so vague with his responses. Harry tended to be vague, but Ron hadn't expected it to be this much.

"What really happened at Tenby, mate?" Ron watched with hidden enthusiasm as all color seemed to disappear from his best friend's face and he was a mess of stuttering and saying a lot and nothing at all.

…

Wednesday, 23rd July 2014

Hermione arrived home from the bookshop, carrying heavy grocery bags in each hand. As Hermione stumbled through the door kicking off her wedges, Rose came in a hurry towards Hermione, a folded and wax-sealed piece of parchment in her hand.

"Letter for you mum, Pig brought it, so it must be from dad!" Hermione thanked her and retrieved the message. "He also sent Hugh and I a letter. Hughie, don't you want to read it with me?" Hermione loved Rose for her courage, her strength, and her innate nature to try and make everyone feel better and happy. Hermione was thankful and proud of her, and pulled the girl for a tight hug and a flurry of kisses, as Rose tried to squirm from her mother's hold. Hugo seemed much more interested in his older sister's proposition and so pulled her by the hand towards the soft suede sofa so she could read what their father had written.

She is a big girl now… Hermione thought and couldn't help but smile. Louisa who had been watching the children for the afternoon as they played with Sebastian, her girlfriend's son found Hermione standing by the door looking like a bit of a fool in a mess of honey brown curls.

"Wish I could stay longer for us to catch up 'Mione but Susan just called saying the lawyer wants to meet with us first thing tomorrow morning. Have to get Sebastian bathed and in bed." Hermione smiled as they pecked each other's cheeks and she uttered a cheery goodbye to the blond little boy as she ruffled his hair. Not a minute later Louisa and Sebastian were out the door.

Hermione pulled her wand out of her pocket and in seconds all of her purchases were in their designated places and stored in the fridge. She put the kettle on the stove and without a hurry in the world patiently waited for it to whistle, so she could sit down with her evening cup of tea and this mysterious letter with her name scribbled on top.

Moments later the kettle went off and Hermione poured herself some tea. She sat on her kitchen table ceremoniously a part of her dreading the contents of the unopened parchment in her hand, carefully ungluing the seal and unfolding it and thinking it must be something really interesting because it wasn't every day that Ronald Weasley sat down to write two full pages worth of letter. She desperately missed him sometimes, the way he made her laugh, his companionship, even if most of the time he drove her crazy. Though it turned out not being an ideal union, Hermione would never dare to say that she hadn't loved him or that she regretted ever marrying him. How could she regret being with the man who gave her the most precious gifts ever, her two beautiful children? The thing was, and they both learned this the hard way, as much as they had loved and cared for one another and loved and cared for their children, it hadn't been enough to keep them together—and it would have never been enough, because as it turned out, her love for Ron could never be as great as her love for Harry, that was the tragedy of Hermione's life. And Ron, he didn't know it back then, bless his soul, but the true love of his life was always meant to be his Looney Lovegood. Hermione smiled tenderly at the thought, because now, years later and having been able to heal from what she considered her greatest failure she could look back and examine it all from a different lens.

She began to read the letter.

Dear Hermione,

I hope this finds you well.

For a long time, I have felt compelled to write you something that for once didn't just concern our kids but was worried that my words might upset you or not be quite right. You always made a point of telling me I had a terrible way with words. I still always imagine your voice nagging me whenever I write or say anything really and though in the past thinking about you made me sad and angry it doesn't anymore.

I think we've both had a lot of time to think. These four dragged on by, but at the same time, it overwhelms me just how fast and ephemeral (big word, I know) life is, just look at our kids!

The thing is Hermione, and I'll be very blunt now, I am no longer satisfied having to imagine your voice nagging at me or wondering what you would do or say, the bloody genius that you are, but I actually think it's important to get the point across that I miss you, nagging, bossy, bickering with me and I wholeheartedly wish you could be here sometimes, in person, and not just in my annoying conscious. I don't mean you here as my wife or in any romantical form, mind you, I love Luna with all my heart and soul, you know that, but as the best friend I've had since I was a silly 11-year-old sod who along with Harry saved you from a troll.

As you probably know by now, Luna and I are expecting a little brother or sister for our Rose and Hugo, and Merlin knows how much we wish you were here. We used to be so close, the lot of us, and I always imagined us three, you, me and Harry raising our children all together like one big family and I can't imagine becoming a father for the third time again in a few months and our baby not having his or her Godmother Hermione around. I hope you realize this is not an invitation!

I miss our laughs, our fights and how you seem to know everything that was ever written but can't bake a cake to save your life. I'm being repetitive, but suppose I just wanted to let you know what's in my heart and that sincerely miss my best friend Hermione and that if you miss your best friend Ron (and your best friend Luna too) we are here, arms wide open waiting for you.

Sincerely,

Ron

P.S.: Give Rosie and Hugo our love and Luna asked to please remind them to always carry the amethyst stone necklaces we sent in their package to keep the Blibbering Hummdingers away because they're common by the shore and can cause a great deal of bad luck.

P.S. 2: Ah, she also says to let you know that this Sunday will be our baby shower at the Burrow and we are hoping that you could not only bring Hugo and Rose but also stay, considering you're the godmother and it wouldn't be polite otherwise. Also, on Saturday it's our dinner day with the children, we'll be serving mashed potatoes with beef casserole, coincidentally your favorite, and Luna says she won't even hold it against you if you decide to accompany it with wine. Come already you stubborn girl!

By the time Hermione finished the letter the tears of sorrow for Harry and the children's departure had been substituted by tears of actual joy. Ron had done something that indeed with all her stubbornness and insecurity Hermione wouldn't be able to—he extended an olive branch her way and how could she possibly say no to that?

Rose and Hugo reappeared all smiles and sparkly eyes each one wearing the purple amethyst stone around their necks already, excited for the prospect of seeing their father and Luna, who they absolutely adored, and how could they not?

"It'll be the baby shower this Sunday, mum, we're allowed to go aren't, we?" Rosie asked her and Hermione now wearing a large silly smile didn't have the heart or the inclination to say 'no'.

"Of course, we are going, love! How could we possibly miss it?"

"You're going too, mummy?" Hugo asked, disbelievingly—she never accompanied them to Weasley family events unless it was their birthdays at the Burrow.

"Yes, I'm going too!" Hugo was all smiles now and Hermione made a mental note to thank Ron and Luna for their blessed timing in her written response to them.

Bit of a filler chapter I'm afraid, but necessary to get the story going. Thank you to all my readers for following, favoriting and reviewing. You guys are awesome and your wonderful words are what keep me motivated to keep on writing!