* Nightly company *

Molly Weasley wasn't expecting to find anyone downstairs. She was expecting to find a dark, quiet kitchen in which she would get a nice cup of chamomile tea. Instead, she found an 18-year-old girl moving back and forth as she rocked a small bundle in her arms and sang to it softly. It was a melody Molly couldn't recognize, but still, she thought it was one of the most wonderful sounds she had heard in a long time. The girl finished the song in a hush voice, and only thing that was heard was the soft breathing of the little bundle in her arms.
"That was beautiful!" Molly exclaimed. The girl startled and turned her head around to face the matriarch of the Weasley family.
"Mrs. Weasley, I'm so sorry. Did we wake you?" Hermione asked. Her hair was tied in a messy ponytail and she looked tired. Molly smiled and shook her head as she went to her.
"I was already awake, honey." she answered. "I didn't know you could sing." she exclaimed. Hermione blushed, smiled a bit and shrugged her shoulders. "What is that song?" Molly asked later.
"It's called 'Beauty and the Beast'. It's from a muggle movie of the same name." Hermione explained, then she sighed as she saw Mrs. Weasley's confused expression in her face. "Movies are like moving pictures in a sequence, like they're telling a story. They have sounds too. This movies has cartoons AND songs. It's from where we chose Belle's name." she kept explaining. Molly just nodded. "I started singing those songs to her when I was pregnant. Some of the songs calmed her down - like this one -; some other made her move a lot. Sometimes it felt like she was dancing." Hermione continued with a little smile as she looked at the asleep infant in her arms. Molly smiled as well.
"It was really beautiful." she said. "What are you doing up?" she asked later. Hermione sighed.
"I couldn't sleep, and Belle was getting restless and it was nearly her feeding time. Ron's sound asleep and I didn't want to wake him, so I thought to come here with her and have some tea. Maybe it'll calm both of us down a bit." the girl explained. Molly was well aware that Hermione frequently had nightmares about the war and that they kept her up more times than little Belle did. She also knew that something else was bothering the 18-year-old young mother. She and Ron had come back from their trip to Australia a few days before, and Molly was more than sure that Hermione wasn't her usual herself now. For a start, she was sadder than when she left, and she didn't want to speak about what had happened to her parents. When anybody asked, she just replied that they had decided to stay in Australia, but never explained how everything went. It wasn't until that morning when Molly found out about what really happened. It was Ron who had approached her and talked to her about his deeply concern for Hermione. He had told her everything that had happened, from the day they arrived to the country to Hermione's meeting with her parents and the outcome of it. He knew it would take her a long while to accept the situation and move on, but he felt helpless and he really wanted to be there for her and make her feel better. Molly knew her son was head over heels in love with this girl and with the little life that they had created, and she wanted to help them as much as she could.
"You know, you can always count on us when you feel upset, don't you?" the matriarch asked. Hermione just looked down to her daughter in her arms. "It's not your fault what happened. And maybe, someday they'll come around and realize the mistake they made by letting you guys go. But you have to know that we all love you both and that we'll always have your back." she explained. When Hermione looked at her, Molly noticed she was crying. "Don't get mad at Ron, dear. He's just very worried about you and wants to help you in any way he can. He really loves you." she added. Hermione just nodded.
"Do you think we made a mistake too?" she asked, sniffing. Molly smiled a bit.
"I was a bit older than you when I was pregnant with Bill, so I can't really judge you, sweetheart." she said.
"But... you're a mother. Do you honestly think we made a mistake? That we're... ruining our lives?" Hermione asked. She looked at Molly with so much fear and sorrow that it broke the woman's heart.
"As a mother, all you want is for your children to be happy and healthy and to have the best the world can offer. I would have loved for you guys to experience this later in life. When you both had been graduated and had a home and a stable job, maybe even be married. And yes, I think you were irresponsible... but never that you made a mistake, Hermione." she said. Hermione just nodded. "Do YOU think you made a mistake?" the woman asked. Hermione sighed and looked at the baby in her arms, this time with a look full of love that Molly had only seen in herself or Arthur when they looked at their children.
"I do know that we both were very irresponsible that night... and the others after that. But... I don't regret it. I don't regret a single bit of it. If I HAD been responsible enough, then she wouldn't be here at all, and... I can't imagine that. Not now, anyway." Hermione started. Little Belle stirred in her sleep, making a cooing noise that made Hermione smile with pride. "I made so many mistakes in my life, but she's definitely NOT one of them. Everyone would think and even say that my greatest accomplishments were my top grades at school or even helping Harry defeat Voldemort, but that's not actually true. The best thing I've ever done in my life is her... well, being with Ron as well. But creating her, being her mom... it's better than any Exceed Expectations or any award or greatest job I could ever get." Hermione continued as she kissed the little girl's forehead. Molly smiled as a tear fell down her cheek. "I better take her upstairs and get some sleep while she's still sleeping." Hermione said as she headed to the door.
"Everybody makes mistakes. Even you, Hermione. But this time... this time you can definitely be sure that you didn't. You made something better. You loved someone who loves you as much as you do, and you both created something so wonderful! If there is love in between, Hermione, it's never a mistake." she said. Hermione looked at her and smiled.
"Thank you, Mrs. Weasley. Good night!" she greeted, then she left the kitchen. Molly could hear her son's footsteps, his concerned voice when he talked, and his girlfriend's soft one telling him that everything was ok, and she smiled. Yes. Molly wasn't expecting company that night. But she was very happy of the one she had that night.