Hermione always had a problem with her hair. It was bushy and unmanageable and she always had to use a million spells in order to keep it presentable. When she was little, kids always made fun of it, and she was sure it wasn't something attractive for the opposite sex. She never liked it and she only wished her daughter didn't inherit it. She thought it was one of her most unattractive and most horrible features (even though Ron ALWAYS told her it was one of the things he liked the most about her)... until one afternoon at the Burrow. Her 4-month-old daughter was bouncing from one person to the other, mostly around the women in the house. And she had a habit of pulling everyone's hair whenever she had a chance.
"Al'ight, al'ight, little one!" Fleur said, taking the baby's hand gently while little Belle kept pulling it harder. Belle giggled. She seemed to be having fun pulling the French girl's silver hair, but Fleur thought otherwise. It was in that moment when George's new girlfriend, Angelina, decided to step in and take the baby from her. As it was expected, while Angelina tried to kiss the baby's chubby cheek, the little one pulled her hair tight. The men around the table laughed, and Hermione couldn't help but smile.
"Having fun?" Someone whispered in her ear as she felt arms wrapping around her waist. She smiled and snuggled into the person's chest.
"She seems to be having fun with everyone. She's certainly a Weasley." She said. Ron smiled and kissed her cheek.
"She's a Granger as well. They haven't seen her levitating her toys yet." He said. She smiled at the memory of their little girl making her toys fly around the crib for her own entertainment. Her thoughts were interrupted by a screeching sound and she instantly looked at Angelina. The black haired girl was holding the baby girl with an upset look on her face. Hermione pulled away from Ron and went to them immediately.
"I'm sorry, Hermione. I don't know what happened. We were playing and she suddenly started to become wrestles." Angelina apologized as Hermione took the little girl in her arms.
"It's not your fault, Angie. She's just tired. She hasn't taken her nap yet." Hermione said as little Belle laid her head on her mother's shoulder. The young mother just walked back and forth in the garden, rubbing the baby's back softly as she spoke to her. She couldn't help but noticing the amused looks she was getting from the others and she wondered why.
"What is it?" Hermione asked a bit worried.
"Doesn't it 'urt you?" Fleur asked.
"What hurts me?" Hermione asked confused.
"That." Fleur said, pointing at Hermione's shoulder. Hermione looked at it, noticing her daughter's tiny hand intertwined with her hair. She wasn't even pulling it hard or anything. She was just playing with it softly, as if it were a security blanket or a soft toy.
"Oh. No. Not really." Was her answer. She kept looking at the little hand moving between strands of hair. How long has her baby been doing that? She wondered.
"She always does that." Ron said matter-of-factly. They all looked at him. "It's a sort of habit. Whenever she's upset or sleepy and Hermione's holding her, she does that. It seems to calm her down." He explained. Hermione looked at him. How come she never noticed it?
"Doesn't it get tangled or anything?" Angelina asked amused. Ron smiled and shook his head.
"She practically knows her mother's hair by heart." He just answered. The girls just nodded and started talking to each other.
"I've never noticed she did that." Hermione told Ron as she looked at the tiny hand still playing with her hair, her little fingers moving slower each second.
"I did a few weeks ago. I was watching you calming her down after she'd thrown up that time and I noticed her little hand moving in your hair as she was falling asleep. After watching her a couple of times with everyone else, I realised that she only does that with you. It's like she could pull everyone's hair for fun but not yours because it has a special effect on her. Your hair makes her feel safe and calm, and it's sweet to see her play with it like that." Ron explained. Hermione kissed her daughter's sleepy head. The hand was totally still, holding onto a strand of hair tightly. Of all the habits could have picked, this one was the sweetest one. And maybe, Hermione thought, her hair wasn't that awful after all.