Disclaimer: I don't anything in Harry Potter. J.K owns all the characters and places.

Author's Note: This will be an AU story and the characters are OOC. Some of the dates in the story have also been changed to fit in with the story itself.

Summary: Hermione takes a break from the wizarding world, five years later she returns with her four-year-old daughter. Lucius Malfoy bumps into Hermione and her daughter whilst in Diagon Alley… A few weeks later and they're going on their first date. Post-Hogwarts & Second War. Will be AU & OOC. Some dates have been changed to fit the story.


Chapter 4

10 September 2004,

Hermione was awoken by an overly excited Luciana, "Mama, it's my birthday! It's my birthday!" Groaning into her pillow, Hermione turned her head and looked up at Luciana who was happily jumping up and down on the bed. "Luciana, settle down. Go and get dressed and I'll meet you in the kitchen." Throwing the covers from her partially nude form, she trudged across to her bathroom. By the time she got downstairs, Luciana was practically vibrating with unrestrained energy. "Happy birthday my darling child." Placing a sweet kiss to her forehead before pulling her into a tight hug, Hermione chuckled at the squealing child. "Thank you, Mama." Bouncing in her chair, swinging her legs back and forth as she usually did when she was overly energised, she watched as her mother began to cook their breakfast. A gentle tapping at the window could be heard, waving her hand to open said window, she along with Luciana watched as an owl flew in.

"Who's it from, Mama?" She shrugged, flipping the pancake over in the pan. She moved to the owl and took the envelope from its beak before it flew off again. Placing the envelope down, she finished with their breakfast, piling some pancakes onto their plates along with some bacon. She picked up the envelope, tearing the now familiar seal open and pulling the parchment from within, she began reading it to her daughter;

Dearest Luciana,

Happy birthday!

You're a big girl now, five years old, wow.

I hope you have a magical day with your Mama and hope to see you soon.

Your friend,

Lucius.

Luciana smiled brightly, a letter from her mother's new friend. "Thank you!" Chuckling at her daughter's excitement she turned back to her breakfast, "I have a surprise for you." Large blue green eyes looked up, "A surprise? What is it?" Hermione cut her pancake and a piece of bacon, "It wouldn't be a surprise if I told you, would it?" Luciana shook her head and looked disappointed. When Hermione and Luciana had finished their breakfast and Hermione had gotten dressed into a pair of jeans and a tank top. Throwing a waist high jacket over her shoulders, she descended the stairs, just as a knock at the door sounded out. "Luciana, open the door." Hermione was just grabbing her purse when an excited squeal filled the living room, "Hello sweetheart." She came around the corner and found Lucius with his arms full, Luciana having launched herself at him.

"Hello Lucius." Walking over to the door, she let him walk back outside with Luciana. She turned around and closed the door, sealing it with a few wards and locking charms before turning back around. "Hello my dear." Hermione's knuckles were peppered with two kisses before he offered his arm for her to take. Luciana, deciding that she didn't want to be left out, took his other hand in her own and smiled up at him. Hermione watched as Lucius turned his silver eyes to her daughter, a brilliant smile lighting up his face, "I must admit, I've not ever been anywhere near a place like this before, it's going to be completely out of my comfort zone." Hermione nodded and squeezed his forearm, "You'll be alright." He smiled gratefully and turned his eyes back to the street, watching as the muggle transport sped by.

"What are those called?" Hermione's eyes sought out what he was looking at but couldn't distinguish which object he was referring to, "What are what called?" He let go of Luciana's hand to point at the object in question, before reclaiming the tiny hand again. "Oh, those are called cars, they are the muggle's version of transportation. There are also much larger types of vehicles which you'll see here or there and there is also a bus, quite similar to the Knight Bus, but obviously not with the magical perks." He nodded, taking in her words as they strode down the long street. Occasionally he would point to something and ask her about it, to which she would always reply. "What is that?" Looking at where Lucius was pointing, she smiled, "That is an ice cream van." His eyes widened, "You mean they have a moving ice cream shop?" Luciana was desperately trying to direct them towards said van and Hermione allowed it, only because it was her daughter's birthday.

"In a sense, yes. They have the machines installed into the van, they then drive around the neighbourhood selling it to children, teenagers and even adults." His interest was of course piqued and so he happily followed Luciana's lead. "Good day love, what can I get ya?" An older muggle man looked down at Luciana waiting for her to decide, "Can I have the strawberry one please?" Hermione nodded and waited for the man to serve the ice cream, "Cone or cup?" Hermione stepped forward, "Three cones please, all of them strawberry." Lucius nodded in agreement, trusting Hermione's judgement on their treat. "Here ya are." Hermione took Luciana's and handed it to her, then gave both hers and Lucius' to him to hold while she paid, "That'll be four pound fifty." Hermione handed him the money and turned back to Lucius, who handed the cone to her. "Thank you." He smiled and returned to his ice cream. Hermione watched Luciana as she happily licked at the pink treat, turning her gaze to Lucius as his tongue slid up the side of the cone, collecting the small trail of pink liquid that had slid down to his thumb.

"This is rather tasty, softer than what I'm used to at Fortescue's." Hermione nodded. The three of them continued along the street until they came to a stop outside the local fairgrounds, the sounds of many rides and children screaming filling their immediate space. Luciana's eyes were as round as saucers as her body bounced around Hermione's legs. At this time, Lucius was just finishing off the sugary cone from his ice cream and Hermione chuckled. "Come on, time to introduce to the crazy world of a muggle fair." Lucius for his part refrained from displaying any outward discomfort or disgust at the sight of the dirty children running around. "Good gracious, what in Merlin's name is that?" Hermione followed his line of sight, "That is a Ferris wheel." Taking his hand in her own, she led him and Luciana across the grounds towards the wheel, purchasing three tickets for them. They waited in line and when it came time for them to enter the basket, Lucius became a bit nervous, "Are you alright?" Lucius turned to Hermione and nodded, unwilling to show her how nervous he was.

They stepped into the basket, Hermione immediately sitting down while Luciana stood on her tiptoes, her chin resting on the side. Lucius took a seat next to Hermione and looked around, gripping the top of his cane with a firm grip when the wheel moved to allow the next passengers into the next basket. This went on for a few more minutes before all baskets were full and the wheel slowly began to move upward even further. "I must warn you Lucius, I am not a fan of heights so should you wish to stand up and look at the view, you can go ahead." He looked at her slightly pale face before glancing at Luciana who was now kneeling on the seat opposite them, her eyes taking in the large area in front of her. "Look Mama, I can see our house." Hermione doubted it was their house, but nodded with a small smile, "That's lovely." Lucius, finally deciding to have a look, slowly moved across to the other seat. "It truly is a sight to behold isn't it." Hermione hummed her agreement, taking a quick peek at the view before she shut her eyes. Lucius seeing this, moved back over to her side, taking a rather bold step by placing his hand upon the top of her knee, "Are you quite alright my dear?" She nodded her head, "Yes, it helps if I keep my eyes closed." He kept close to Hermione whilst keeping his eyes on Luciana to make sure she didn't fall.

The ride came to an end and Hermione was only too happy to depart from the basket, Lucius keeping close to her side and smiling at Luciana when she pointed to the only water-based ride, "Can we go there next?" Hermione's eyes found the ride in which she pointed and she felt her stomach jolt, "No, I don't think it would be appropriate." Lucius looked over and smiled, "It's alright, we can go. I've never seen such a thing." Hermione gave him an incredulous look, "It's for lovers though." Hermione watched Lucius' expression, he shrugged and moved over to where the tickets were being sold, Luciana hot on his heels. Sighing out loud, she followed the two blondes and waited for Lucius as he purchased three tickets for them. Offering her his arm, smiling to himself as she slid her hand onto his forearm, he reached down for Luciana's hand. "You make a lovely family." Both Hermione and Lucius felt their cheeks suffuse with colour at the words of an elderly woman who stood behind them. "Thank you, ma'am." Ever the gentlemen, Lucius turned and tilted his head in her direction.

Hermione and Lucius both stepped into the small boat, letting Luciana sit between them. The soft melodious tunes that wafted through the tunnel had Hermione side glance Lucius who was curiously looking around, absorbing all the decorations inside the tunnel. Lucius looked over to Hermione and caught her quickly turning her head away, he smiled and looked away. He lifted his arm and placed it around the back of the boat, Hermione's butterflies once more coming to life, leaving her feeling slightly giddy. Luciana was trying to move so she could look into the water and Lucius feeling her wriggling, decided to lift her up and move her. "Thank you." He merely smiled at her and turned his attention to the water as well, he too leaned over slightly to look into the dark water below them. "Are you enjoying yourself sweetheart?" Luciana turned and nodded, "Yes, thank you." He gently brushed the hair out of her eyes and winked at her, taking a small amount of water into his hand before throwing it at Hermione who shrieked in fright. Both Luciana and Lucius burst into laughter when she turned to face them, water trickled down the side of her face.

After spending most of their morning at the fair, Hermione turned to Lucius cocking her head to the side in curiosity. "Have you ever gone into the muggle cinema?" By the ignorant look on his face, she had her answer. "Alright, Luciana, come along. We are going to the movies." Lucius gave her an inquisitive look and allowed her to lead the way. Together the three of them headed into town, Lucius' silver eyes taking in all of the newer sights. "Good afternoon, how many?" Hermione glanced over to the selection on the back wall, "Which one do you want to see Luciana?" Her daughter stretched up in a desperate attempt to see but struggled, Lucius lifted her up and put her on his hip, "That one Mama, please." Hermione looked over at the selected film and turned back to the ticket clerk, "Three for the Polar Express, please." Handing her credit card over after her selection, she took the proffered tickets and her credit card and turned back to face the two people who looked so very similar.

"I know it's a child's film but you're still going to experience the magical art of moving pictures with sound." His eyes widened and filled with a small amount of excitement, "Is it like our moving pictures?" Hermione nodded, "Sort of, the film we're going to be watching is a computer-generated image that will run for approximately two hours." His eyes lit up with even more excitement, "And there will be sound to it as well, which is where the biggest difference is." They were now standing in the queue for the popcorn and drinks, "Hi there, what can I get you?" Facing the young girl behind the counter, Hermione ordered two small popcorns and a medium along with three bottles of water, "Lucius, would you like to try a muggle fizzy drink?" Whispering to him, he shook his head in the negative. "The water is fine, thank you." Hermione paid for their snacks and turned to face her child, handing her the one small popcorn before turning to Lucius and smiling at him, "We just need to go over to cinema five, hand in our tickets and we can go in." He nodded and followed her lead, taking Luciana's hand in his as they headed for the ticket collector.


After the movie had finished, they exited the cinema, Lucius had a sleeping Luciana wrapped around his hips and neck as he walked past the confections counter, "How did you find it? Was it anything that you imagined?" Hermione looked at him, her eyes alight with curiosity, "More than what I imagined, it's like a book come to life. Muggles have created something amazing with these moving pictures." He shifted Luciana's weight to his other side and took Hermione's hand in his own. "Where do you want to go?" She looked around the outside of the movie theatre and spotted the small park further off to the left of where they stood. "We can go and sit in the park for a little while, the sky is clear for a change." Together they strode across the street and headed for the park. Hermione's mind was far away, she couldn't help but notice how domesticated they seemed to be. Lucius with her daughter in his arms and his hand holding hers, it was all new to her and yet she found she couldn't get enough of it.

"It is a rather lovely evening isn't it." Lucius leaned back into the park bench and smiled at his companion, "Indeed it is my dear." They fell into a comfortable silence, both enjoying the peace that the night gave them. Sometime later, Hermione's thoughts moved to Harry and his invitation to this wedding and an idea sprang to mind. "Lucius?" A gentle hum of acknowledgement came from his chest, "Would you be my plus one at Harry and Ginny's wedding in December?" A pair of silver eyes turned to her, surprise evident in their depths, "You don't have to of course, I just…" He raised his hand and gave her a crooked smile, "It's alright my dear, I was merely surprised, I would be honoured to join as your plus one. When in December is it?" Hermione smiled shyly, "I'm not sure as yet, I'm still waiting for the formal invitation to come through." His lips curved up into half smirk as his eyes twinkled, "When you have the invitation and the date, send me an owl. We can go together to look for something to wear that compliments their theme." Hermione turned her gaze skyward after agreeing with Lucius' comment.

"Hermione, my dear, I have enjoyed myself immensely today but alas I must depart from your company." Hermione smiled, following his lead and standing up. Lucius readjusted Luciana into a more comfortable position and took Hermione's hand in his. Together they began the walk back to her home, Luciana still sleeping soundly against his neck and shoulder. All too soon, they came to a stop outside her home, "Thank you for joining us today Lucius, I really appreciate it and I'm pretty sure Luciana was beyond thrilled to have someone other than me with her as well." Lucius entered the now open front door, slowly ascending the stairs behind Hermione to place Luciana in bed. He ran his fingers across her forehead and stepped away from the bed, turning to see Hermione's shining eyes. Lucius and Hermione left Luciana's room and headed back down to the living room, "Thank you again Lucius, I really had a great day." Hermione felt him place a soft kiss against her forehead before his hand took hers, leaning down, he pressed his lips to her knuckles. "I too had a wonderful day today my dear." Hermione watched as he walked down her short path to the street, where he once more disappeared in a cloud of smoke.


End September 2004, Thursday,

Hermione sat with Harry for lunch, Ron having sent an owl that he was unable to join them, "I've brought your official invitation for the wedding, Ginny said that our theme is hidden within the wording and I'm not allowed to reveal it." Hermione smiled at Harry's sheepish expression, "She knows how much I enjoy figuring things out." Taking the envelope from Harry, she slid it open and withdrew the invite;

To Hermione J. Granger and guest,

Mr and Mrs Arthur Weasley

Request the pleasure of your company

at the wedding of their daughter

Ginerva Molly Weasley

To

Harry James Potter

Saturday, Eighteenth December

Two Thousand Four

At six o'clock in the evening

The Burrow

Ottery St Catchpole, Devon, West Country

England

"Rivers run with the embers of the fading sun"

Looking at Harry with a large smile on her face, she couldn't help but chuckle at the words written on the bottom of the invite, "Really? I must be honest; she has been really clever with her wording. Thank you, Harry." The two of them fell into relative comfortable silence before Harry turned to her suddenly, "'Mione, have you already got a date for the wedding?" Lifting the napkin to her lips, she cleared them before responding. "Actually yes, I do." His surprise was evident as was his curiosity, "Oh? Who is it?" Hermione raised her brow with her lips pursed, "Harry, really. Am I not allowed to have a surprise of my own?" His expression shifted to one of sheepishness, "Sorry. I must've sounded like we did back in school." She chuckled, "A little. If you promise not to behave like a ponce, I'll tell you who it is… But, Harry, you must swear not to reveal who it is to anyone. If you do, I will hex you."

Harry looked at Hermione, his eyes shone with a genuine curiosity and she knew that he wouldn't break her trust. Still feeling apprehensive about revealing to Harry that she had invited Lucius, she cleared her throat and decided then, that it was now or never. "I've asked Lucius Malfoy to accompany me." Hermione watched as Harry's eyes grew wide, hatred and anger flitted through their green depths before a resigned acceptance was all she could see. "That was a bit unexpected but I suppose he has been trying to reform." Hermione nodded, "I've not been here for long but even I can see the small changes in him." Harry lifted his bushy brow and smirked, "Is there something else I should know?"

She flushed a deep red and hurried to busy her mouth with some of her tea, "Hermione, don't stall." She sucked on her bottom lip, "'Mione, I can see you're hiding something." Harry was trying not to laugh at the fight she was having with herself. "Alright, fine. Yes, there is something else." He smiled smugly, "I've been going out on a few dates with Lucius for just a little over a month now." Hermione looked at Harry's smug expression and rolled her eyes, "Shut up." He chuckled, "Don't worry, I won't be like the others and tell you off about him or give you a mouthful about the age gape, but I will be having a small word with Mr Malfoy when I see him next." She glared at him, "Don't you dare get involved." He leaned back in his chair, "I will speak to him. You are like a sister to me and I will warn him off hurting you in any way."


Having gotten home an hour prior from her meeting with Harry, Hermione had penned a letter to Lucius, she'd informed him of the date for the wedding as well as the colour theme. Walking out of her bedroom, she stopped near Luciana's, seeing her daughter almost nose deep in a book on Charms. "Have you found anything truly interesting in that book?" Luciana looked up from her book and grinned, "Yes mama, there are spells to make pineapples dance!" Pointing to the moving image of a pineapple with tiny legs dancing around a tabletop. "Will I get to learn this when I go to Hogwarts?" Hermione smiled and nodded, "Indeed my child, you will learn that spell in your first year." A broad grin nearly split Luciana's face in two at hearing this, turning her eyes back to her book once more to continue scouring its pages.

Leaving her daughter to her reading, she continued down the passage toward the staircase, descending them and heading toward the kitchen where she would prepare their dinner. Taking out the vegetables and chicken, she began chopping and dicing, throwing each portion into the pot before turning to the chicken. Slicing thin pieces and placing them into the pan which she would use to seal it before she placed them into a bowl for when the vegetables had begun to boil. So focused on her task, she did not hear the sound of the owl that tapped at her window until it gave an impatient screech, scaring her half to death and causing her to slice through a piece of her finger. Hissing in pain as she dropped the knife to the counter, inspecting her bleeding wound after flinging her hand toward the window, opening it to let the owl in. "Bloody menace, look at what you made me do."

The owl, uncaring of the human's pain, merely hooted in annoyance, dropping the envelope upon the counter before flying back out of the window. Flicking her wrist to dislodge her wand, Hermione uttered the healing charm upon her finger, watching as the blood reabsorbed into her skin before knitting itself back together once more, leaving her finger blemish free. Finishing her slicing of the chicken, she moved to the now boiling pot and began placing the chicken into it. Only once she'd finished did she move over to the envelope, lifting it up and opening it, revealing a folded parchment within. After withdrawing said parchment, she began to read the response to her own;

Dearest Hermione,

Your note has been well received.

I trust that you will be able to join me this coming weekend? Perhaps we could meet for brunch before we begin our shopping for Mr Potter's wedding?

I do hope to see you soonest.

Yours,

Lucius

Smiling to herself, she placed the letter back into the envelope and stepped back over to the stove to continue with dinner. Starting with the rice which would accompany the stew she'd already begun to cook. Thinking on what she would want to wear as she gave the chicken stew a stir, she decided that a nice dress would do wonderfully. Walking over to the kitchen door, Hermione called out to her daughter, "Luciana, wash up and come down please." After flicking her wand to set the table, she walked back into the kitchen to check on the rice. "I'm ready mama." The sound of her daughter's voice from the doorway had her turning to check over shoulder, "Good. Go sit and I'll be there in a minute." Watching as Luciana skipped away, she turned back to the food, beginning to dish it out once it was done.


The next day saw Hermione at her writing desk, quill in hand and steaming cup of tea next to her. She'd decided to owl Roberto to see how he was and how the businesses were going;

Roberto,

This may come as a surprise but as you are aware of my other life, I thought a little bit of owl mail would do you some good.

How are you?

How have the restaurants and the hotel been doing? All good I hope… I've not had a moment to actually inquire after them as I know they're in excellent hands!

You can send a reply with Lexi, she will wait for your response.

All my best,

Hermione

Folding the parchment in half before placing it into the envelope and sending it on its way with Lexi. Hermione stood up from the writing desk, finished her tea before moving toward her bathroom so she could take a shower and get ready for the day. Having finally gotten herself ready for the day, she made her way downstairs to begin making hers and Luciana's breakfast. She wanted to take a trip out to the grocery store as her pantry had started to look slightly bare, thinking about a plan of action for the day, Hermione decided to get their groceries first, then she would take Luciana to the park to play for a bit before they could go for an ice-cream. She'd then head back home for the remainder of the afternoon.

With that in mind, Hermione started by pouring a bowl of cereal out for Luciana before cutting up some fruit for herself. Calling for Luciana when she was ready, she walked over to the fridge to pour herself a glass of water. "Morning mama." Her bright-eyed daughter was pulling herself into her chair, grabbing her bowl of cereal and spoon. Eating their breakfast in silence, Hermione observed her daughter, her platinum blonde hair was in need of a cut which she thought about getting done sometime over the weekend, perhaps when she and Lucius were out shopping. "What are we doing today?" Taking Luciana's bowl away, Hermione moved over to the sink where she quickly washed them, placing them in the drying rack afterwards. "We're going to the store to get groceries and then we'll go to the park before coming home." Luciana smiled, "Can we get a packet of sweets?" Hermione turned her eyes to her daughter, "I'll think about it, go get your jacket and we'll leave."

Stepping out of the front door, Hermione took hold of Luciana's gloved hand and the two began their short walk to the grocery store that was a block away from them. The weather had turned colder overnight, the wind had picked up which would probably bring rain in the next couple of days. Pulling her coat tighter, buttoning it up before turning to Luciana and tightening her jacket as well. "I was thinking of taking you to get ice-cream as well but with this weather, I think a hot chocolate at home would be better." Luciana looked up a flash of disappointment flitting across her eyes before she smiled, "Can we watch a movie as well?" Hermione nodded with a small smile. Entering the store, Hermione grabbed a basket and headed straight to the vegetables, checking each item before placing it in her basket. Luciana was keeping close to her mother and helping her where she could, enjoying every moment. By the time they'd filled their basket, Hermione had begun moving down toward the sweet aisle, "You can choose one small bag of sweets, nothing sour." Luciana took her time to look at the different bags that were stacked up along the shelves, eventually pointing to a bag of jelly beans that she wasn't quite tall enough to reach, "These?" A nod was the only response she got, picking them up and placing them into her basket, Hermione walked toward the self-check-out section.

When they were done, they headed for the park, that is until Luciana called out to Hermione. "Mama, can we skip the park?" Looking over to where Luciana was walking, Hermione gave her a slow nod in response, "Are you sure?" Luciana looked up at her mother with a smile, "Yes, mama, I want to watch movies." Hermione took the proffered hand of her daughter and together they continued along the path towards their home, flipping their hoods up halfway when a light drizzle started to fall over Hampstead. Entering their home, Hermione allowed Luciana to pick out her movies from the DVD cupboard. With a flick of her wand, Hermione sent all the groceries to their correct spots in the pantry and fridge. Having put the kettle on to boil, she started preparing their hot chocolates. Luciana bounded into the kitchen, "I've got the movies ready mama." Hermione turned to look at her daughter and lifted her brow, "Which ones have you chosen?" Bringing their hot chocolates with her, Hermione followed behind Luciana as she headed for the living room. Luciana lifted three selected films, the first being Chicken Run, the second Ice Age and the last Brother Bear.

Hermione watched as her child placed the disc into the player, holding her mug to her lips and smiling behind it. When the opening scene of Brother Bear started, Luciana became enraptured with the three brothers being chased by caribou. Hermione watched along with her for a little while before she picked up her book and began to read. Losing herself in the books pages just as her daughter had done with the film. Luciana was curled up against Hermione's side, her head resting against her waist and her fist curled tightly in the blanket that covered Hermione's legs. Taking a sip of her hot chocolate, she looked over to the telly by now the youngest brother had been transformed into a bear and was travelling through the wilderness with a bear cup and two moose on the backs of mammoths. Luciana's mug sat empty on the coffee table in front of them, Hermione ran her fingers through the soft platinum locks. With her fingers still gently moving through her daughter's hair, Hermione finally finished her hot chocolate. Her eyelids felt heavy and she couldn't resist closing them for a rest, her daughter was comfortable against her side and was still entirely engrossed in the film.

When Hermione's eyes cracked open again it was to the sound of heavy rain as well as the background noise of the Ice Age film menu. Letting her hand fall over to where Luciana lay, she smoothed her hair back. Lifting herself up from the couch, she gently extracted herself from beneath her daughter's sleeping form. Heading to the bathroom to relieve herself, Hermione finished up and made her way to the kitchen, where she found her house phone. Dialling the number for the local pizza parlour, she ordered two pizzas which would be their dinner, not having the inclination to make a proper meal for them. When their order had been placed, she headed back to the living room to wake Luciana up. Taking the disc out of the player, she placed it back into its container, turning both the player and the telly off. "Luciana, come on, time to wake up." Running her fingers across her side, she gently shook her, "Luciana, wake up love."

Blue-green eyes opened sleepily, a small yawn breaking free followed by a soft smile, "Hello mama." Smiling as she moved a strand of hair from her child's eyes, "Hi, come on young lady, let's get you dressed for bed and hopefully by the time we're done the pizza will be here." As if shocked with a cable, Luciana was up and off the couch rushing toward the staircase. "Come on mama, if we hurry the pizza will be here faster." Thudding footfalls echoed around the ground level of their home as Luciana ran up the stairs. "Luciana, no running in the house!" Her daughter's apology filtered down the stairs just as the bang of a door hitting the wall was heard. Rubbing a hand over her face, she shook her head at Luciana's disregard for the rules. "Just like Harry and Ron." Muttering to herself as she made her way up the stairs and across the hallway toward her daughter's room. Entering her room, she found Luciana's clothes on the floor and her daughter fighting with the sleeves of her night shirt, her tiny blonde head stuck in one of the sleeves.

"Stand still you rule breaker. Let me help you." Pulling on the night shirt, Hermione removed it with a chuckle. Luciana's hair in a mess and eyes alight with mischievousness, Hermione pulled the shirt over her head, guiding her little arms through each sleeve before turning to the matching pants. "I believe you know how to put your pants on?" A raised eyebrow and a stern expression was sent Luciana's way and she giggled, "Yes, mama." Nodding, she got back to her feet and headed for the door, "When you're done, brush your hair and come downstairs." Luciana nodded enthusiastically before slipping her left leg into her pants leg, Hermione walked out of her daughter's room and headed for the stairs once more. When she was half way down the stairs, the doorbell sounded, signalling the arrival of their pizzas. Hurrying the rest of the way, she silently accioed her purse, pulling the door open the second her hand wrapped around the slim black leather of her purse. "Good evening, your pizza delivery ma'am." Hermione smiled and took the pizza boxes from the youngster. "That'll be thirty pound fifty pence, ma'am." Handing him the amount requested, Hermione bid him goodnight and closed the door.