"Yes, me wee laddie, what can I do for ye?" I hear from across the table. I look up to watch Hugo entice Minerva down to him so he can whisper something in her ear. She answers back just as quietly and then he rushes off back to Rose. Minerva looks up and I give her a slight smile and watch her look back over to the children. She's such an enigma, and has done so much for me, not just the last few days, but throughout the entire time I've known her. Watching her watch my children makes my heart swell. She would have been an amazing mother. I wonder why she never had children of her own?
My thoughts are interrupted by Rose, she comes and places herself on my lap and lays her head on my chest. I move her hair behind her ear and give her a kiss on her forehead. "Mum?" She asks.
"Hmm" I reply
"Are we staying here tonight, or can we go back to Hogwarts with Minerva? She already told Hugo we'd be welcome back at the castle" she finishes wistfully.
I look over at Minerva, she has been listening to the conversation between Rose and I, and nods her head "More than welcome" is all she says, leaving the decision to me.
I know I don't want to stay here, as lovely as it has been being around Molly, Arthur and the Potters I can't take the looks I keep getting from them all. Like I'm going to break and fall apart at any moment. We should really go back to my parents, that was, after all, the original plan, but that was before I knew Minerva had even been a choice. "Where would you like to go?" I ask Rose instead. "We can stay here, go back to Grandma and Grandpas Grangers or as Minerva has so graciously offered us her spare rooms again, we can go back to Hogwarts" I have a strong inclination as to what the answer will be, and I can't say that I will be disappointed by it.
"Hogwarts of course" she says with conviction, "we can go back to grandmas and grandpas later. Can we go now?" She asks eagerly.
I take a look at my watch, it's already 8:30 far later than the children are normally allowed to be up. "Yes, Rose, please go and get your brother and say good night to everyone" she scrambles off my lap and runs back to her brother and cousins. I can see Harry and Ginny also gathering up their things getting ready to leave to go back to Godrics Hollow.
"Are you leaving Hermione?" I made up the spare rooms for you and the children" Molly says as she sees me gathering my cloak.
"I'm afraid so Molly, it's been lovely to see you all, but I'm just not ready to stay here, I'm sorry" I explain. "We will see you at the funeral in a few days, and we can make arrangements to come visit before Rose starts at Hogwarts" I try to soften the blow. I can see that she is disappointed but I can also see that she accepts my decision.
"Of course, dear, we're here if you need to talk" she says as she pulls me in for a final hug" she walks away to go and find my children to say goodbye. I realise I haven't even confirmed these plans with Minerva. I make my way into the den to round up the kids and see that Rose and Hugo have told her already, as she has her outer cloak on and is helping Hugo into his.
"Ready to go love?" she asks as I approach.
"Yep. Kids are you ready? Said all your goodbyes?" They both nod and we head to the fireplace in the kitchen to depart. Minerva goes first this time, so the children can hear the correct pronunciation of their destination. "Head of Hogwarts office" and she's swept away. Rose and Hugo go next. And I follow shortly afterward.
As I step out of the hearth in Minerva's office, the soot is automatically removed from my robes and the children are already being prepared for bed by instructions from Minerva
"And make sure to brush your teeth properly" I hear from the other room.
"Sorry, Hermione. They are your children. I just wished to assist in getting them comfortable and ready for bed" she says as she enters the room. "The actual 'tucking in' I shall leave to you" she finishes with a smile.
"Thank you Min, for everything" I say as I go down the hall to check on the kids.
Hugo is just slipping into bed, his teddy under his arm and a comic on the edge of the bed. "Don't read for too long bumblebee, sleep is important at your age, so you can grow to be big and strong" I say as I make sure he's covered by the comforter and kiss his nose. I leave the room and pull the door shut behind me. Rose has just left the shared bathroom in her pyjamas and is shuffling her way to the room Minerva allocated to her. I follow her in, watch her get into bed and wish her a good night. As I close Roses door, I decide to take a moment to freshen up a bit. I walk to the en-suite in my room and fill the sink with water. I appraise my reflection in the mirror, the bags under my eyes aren't as prominent as they were only yesterday. My eyes seem to have lost some of the red tint that seemed to be there permanently the last few days. I sigh, and splash the water on my face. I decide I may as well get comfy too, and find a set of shorts and a tank top to pop on. It's been a long day and I can feel the tiredness seeping over me like a blanket. I can't just go to bed, not without saying goodnight to Minerva first, so I make my way back down the hall and into the office.
I'm surprised to find Minerva sat behind her desk scratching frantically across a piece of parchment. There is a glass of wine waiting for me on the table in front of the fire. I knew we should have gone back to my parents, I've clearly taken her away from important Hogwarts business the last few days. There is already one letter in its envelope on the edge of the desk, waiting to be sent off. I sit on the couch and grab the glass and take a sip, I can see she has finished this letter as she signs it with a flourish, gives it a quick read over and folds it up and puts it in an envelope.
"A moment, Hermione, then I will be with you, and please take that look off your face, you're not imposing on me. Rhona?" She calls out. There is a soft pop and her house elf pops next to the desk. "Could you take these to the owlery please and send them off immediately? That'll be all for this evening thank you"
"Of course, mistress. Have a pleasant evening" Rhona replies and pops out of the room. Minerva makes her way from around her desk and grabs herself a glass of wine and comes to sit next to me.
We sit in silence for a while, both sipping at our wine and appreciating the quiet of the room. Apart from the crackle of the logs on the fire there isn't a sound.
The silence begins to encroach on my nerves, so I break it
"I'm sorry if I've pulled you away from anything important, the last few days" I begin.
Minerva cuts across me "Love, you haven't taken me away from anything. Everything is in hand, and Filius has it all under control. Those were letters to Kingsley and Griphook, I hadn't officially told The minister I was retiring, so I was putting that right, along with something I wished to discuss with him and to Griphook I was authorising him to take funds from my account to cover any debt you may have inherited from Ronald. The most pressing thing I have left to do regarding Hogwarts is to pack my things up which I still have a few days to sort. So please don't feel guilty about being here. I WANT you and the children here." Her eyes are ablaze with conviction as she finishes her speech and also her glass of wine. Seeing her be so assertive makes me feel warm inside, and I reach over to take her hand "Thank you, again" I say looking into her eyes "I can't say that enough, you've done so much for me and the children over the last few days, truly, thank you"
"You're welcome. You look tired, love, are you ready to go to bed?" She questions
"I really only came back out to say goodnight" I confess. She chuckles.
"Shall we skip the pretence and just retire to my room then? You sleep better when I'm next to you" she observes
I feel my face get hot but nod my assent at her rather astute summarisation of the situation. She rises from the couch and reaches out to me, to assist in getting up. She hauls me towards her, and there's a sly smile on her lips, she pulls too hard and I lose my balance and almost knock her over. Instead her strong arms are surrounding me and our faces are inches away from each other. I can hear her controlling her breathing as mine sounds so erratic to my ears. My heart is thumping in my chest, I raise my face to her and her lips cover mine in the sweetest, gentlest kiss I think I've ever experienced. She pulls away slowly, places her forehead on mine "I'm sorry" she whispers "I couldn't resist. It won't happen again" I'm still savouring the feel of her lips on mine, the warmth that spread throughout me as we connected. "Don't worry about it," I whisper. I give her another peck on the lips and make my way back to her room.
Oops, it was only a matter of time, right? Hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for reading