Hermione smiled brightly and leaned down to catch the little girl hurtling her way. "Roxy!" she pulled her up on her hip and tickled her side.
"I missed you," Roxy grinned, one of her front teeth still missing after the baby ones had fallen out.
Hermione chuckled fondly, petting her beautiful tight curls. She frowned a little when she noticed a little tangle at the nape of her neck and felt for it. "Has daddy missed a bit again?"
She nodded, giggling. "He tugged too much so I ran away. But then he promised to take me out for ice cream so I let daddy comb it again. He didn't take me out for ice cream yet though," she frowned.
Hermione grinned. "And where is daddy and uncle Freddie now?" she asked.
"Uhm…" she looked around, glad to be in her Mimi's arms so she could see better around the tall people. "There!" she pointed at the twins that were just exiting Flourish and Blotts.
Hermione raised her arm to wave at them and they hurried over, George looking stormy and Fred grinning from ear to ear.
"Roxanne Weasley, what have I told you about running away from me?" George said sternly, clearly having worried about her disappearance.
Roxy looked down before lifting her soft jade eyes again to look at him apologetically. "I just wanted to say hi to Mimi. I already have my books and you were taking so long, but I saw her through the window and wanted to say hello," she said in a small voice.
But George knew better than to be fooled by that look. There was intelligence clear in those green eyes, the eyes she inherited from both his and Angelina's grandmothers. "Next time you ask to go, not run away without a word. If you do, I will remove you from the wards on the shop," he threatened.
Roxy gasped and fisted her small hands in Hermione's robes. "But daddy no!"
"Yes, I will, so you best behave," He warned once more before turning to Hermione. "Sorry Mi, didn't mean to hold you up," he leaned in for a peck on the cheek.
"Not at all, I was actually going to see if you wanted to have lunch. I've just returned from an assignment and wanted to catch up," she smiled and pecked Fred's cheek as well because it would simply not do to greet them differently.
"What say you, Forge?" Fred asked his brother.
"I say I'm starving, Gred. Let's get lunch," George replied in his usual laid back manner.
"And I want ice cream," Roxy said resolutely, pointing their way much to the amusement of the adults.
As Roxy took George's hand and they led the way, trying to decide where they could have both lunch and the promised ice cream, Hermione took Fred's gallantly offered elbow and they followed the two. "I'm sorry I haven't called in the last week, my assignment kept me very busy," she apologised, having missed her best friends.
"You and your assignments," Fred tutted but his manner remained playful. "Don't worry about it. How long do you have for a lunch break? Or do you have the rest of the day off?" he asked, no one really sure how her department functioned.
"I actually had some time saved up for a holiday so I'm off work for two weeks," she revealed, only a small white lie that wouldn't hurt. Laying low and being on a holiday was technically the same thing, sort of….
"Ah, well you can't get out of family lunch then. Roxy has missed you, as she always does," he admitted, glad to see his niece with Hermione as a female influence in her life.
"I missed her too. Didn't miss the two of you at all though," she said flippantly and squealed when quick fingers tickled her sensitive side for the cheek. "Alright, I give! I missed my best friends too," she grinned, watching Fred beam in that playful way of his.
"Of course you did, what is not to miss? We are fabulous," he winked before sobering. "But really, how have you been?" he asked a little bit worriedly.
Hermione knew immediately the reason for his tone and just shook her head. "I'm fine, really. I just don't want to talk about it. Your brother is no longer a part of my life and I am honestly glad for it," she admitted softly.
Ronald Weasley, the keeper for the Chudley Cannons Quidditch team, was finally forced to marry last weekend and Hermione had little to say on the subject when she saw the photographs from the wedding. The person she once loved as a friend and as a man looked desperate but resolved next to Lavender Brown who was already showing. The wedding reeked of Molly Weasley's forceful touch, and all Hermione could think when she read the announcement next to the photo was that she was happy this was not her life.
After the kiss in the heat of the moment during the battle, Hermione realised that what she thought was love for Ron was just feelings of friendships that got mixed up along the way. They were so busy with funerals, and Hermione with helping Poppy heal the wounded and look after Fred while he recovered. The elder twin was touch and go for a while but they had managed to cushion the impact of the wall that fell on him, so the injuries weren't quite so severe. Hermione remembered the wreck George turned into at the idea of loosing the other half of his being, and shuddered at the memory. But he pulled through and just as they all thought they could catch a break, the news about Angelina Jones came.
Angelina, already engaged to George since that March, was hit by one of the dark spells and her brain kept swelling. She was put in a magical comma to see if her body would heal but the healers had little faith. The most shocking revelation however came when Poppy told George Angelina was expecting their child, already 12 weeks along. George was once again desolate at the idea of loosing his fiancee and their unborn child.
Hermione did not feel particularly romantic in those months and continued to dissuade Ron's obvious attempts to once again start dating, until one day she snapped.
They were standing by Fred's bedside and she was checking his vitals and the progress of his healing when he hugged her from behind.
"Ron, please let me go. I'm tired, and I need a shower. It's been along day and I'm not in the mood right now," she sighed, filling in the chart to add to Fred's records.
"That's the problem, you're never in the mood. What happened to being together after the war?" Ron let her go and was looking at her angrily.
"I guess we both changed," Hermione said softly, trying to find a way to once again explain she did not want to do this. "I'm sorry Ron but I don't have time for a relationship and I don't feel ready for one right now. Please don't wait for me like I waited for you when we were in school," she added honestly, hoping they could be reasonable.
But that was apparently beyond reason with the redhead. "Oh so now it's my fault," he hissed.
"I never said that," Hermione sighed. "And keep your voice down, these patients need rest," she motioned around the otherwise silent infirmary.
"Forget it, I'm done. We're done. I hope you'll be a happy spinster, " Ron said finally and stormed out.
Hermione sat down beside Fred's bed heavily and rubbed her tired eyes. She felt a touch on her shoulder and looked up to see a sleepy Fred looking at her. "You're awake. Are you in pain? Do you need any more medication?" she asked, seeing his bones were still mending.
Fred just motioned her closer until she leaned in to hear him better. "Don't mind…my brother….he'll be sorry…to have let you go…" he said, surprising the brunette into a small smile.
"Thanks Fred. Do you want me to get George?" she asked, looking across the room to where the other twin was sitting next to Angelina's bedside.
Fred just shook his head. "Not now….potions.." he asked and she helped him drink the pain relievers until he returned to sleep.
It was the start of her now infamous friendship with the twins, and it was only solidified when little Roxy was born 8 and a half months into Angelina's pregnancy, and the last of the strong young woman's magic ensured the health of her baby before her body went into a system shut down. Roxanne Weasley, named after Angelina's grandmother, was born a beautiful healthy baby girl on the 1st of November 1998. George was inconsolable. He lost his fiancee and couldn't even look at the beautiful daughter he was left with. And since Fred was still recovering, they stayed at Hogwarts on Minerva's invitation so Poppy could keep an eye on them.
Hermione made sure to check in on Roxy every couple of hours in between helping Poppy and checking everyone's healing, and for the first two months they managed this way. Fred was recovering well and started popping back to the flat above their shop to do some much needed repairs and extensions for a guest room and Roxy's room. George took a while to come out of his mourning but he started tentatively taking care of his daughter and they all soon got into a rhythm.
Due to her falling out with Ron, Hermione was no longer invited to the Burrow so readily, and since once again he decided to stick with his best mate, Harry gradually stopped visiting or writing, the two of them no longer close at all. She lost both her best friends in the first six months after the war and she wished it had been different. But it was again Fred and George that offered her their guest room while she handled her financial affairs after her parents' death in Australia, and found a home for herself. And so they lived for the first few months of Roxy's life, taking turns with her, restarting their business, and Hermione figuring out what she wanted to do in life.
In the end it worked out quite well. Minerva arranged for her to take the exams in the spring of 1999, and by May she was hired directly by Kingsley to help him sort out the Ministry, and the diplomatic relations with muggle Britain. It took her four years but she graduated with a muggle Masters degree in International relations, and did three years of a part-time joint Master apprenticeship in Transfiguration and Potion. It was hard work and there was a time when she wanted to do nothing better than to quit and go on a holiday to Menorca, but she kept going for her biggest fans, the twins and little Roxy. The degree she felt most proud of was the title she gained by being Roxy's godmother. She even had the diploma Roxy drew for her when she was 5, which stated she received the title of 'The Best Godmother in the World'. She had it framed next to her degree certificate and Mastery medal.
Her friendship with the twins was strong and grew very comfortable over the years. She spent a lot of time with Roxy as well, and they went on a holiday together at least once a year. Having such close friends and Roxy in her life made it much more enjoyable.
"Hermione?" Fred asked with a brow, unused to her lack of focus.
"Sorry, was thinking about the last time we went to Spain. Where are we going on a holiday next?" she asked to distract away from her lack of focus.
"I don't know…..France? Italy?" Fred mused, not having given it serious thought but it has been a few months since they took a break and it would be nice to maybe go for a few days somewhere coastal.
"Something to discuss over lunch for sure, I'm starving," she chuckled and they finally took their seats at the new restaurant she wanted to visit, taking of the heavy coats that protected them from the late autumn chill.
"Can I sit with you, Mimi?" Roxy asked hopefully.
"Of course you can," she smiled and pulled her up into her lap. "How is my favourite fellow portioner?" she asked.
Roxy beamed. "I made play-goo yesterday!" she said proudly, enjoying her beginner potions kit to the fullest, and considering the fact that making the magical version of play-doh was one of the most difficult recipes in the little book that came with the kit, she was certainly showing an aptitude.
"Well done, I am so proud of you," Hermione beamed back. "I shall have to get you a new set to try out ," she said while they looked at the menu.
"Do you have shopping to do?" George asked, his menu closed as he already knew what he was getting.
"I was going to browse a bit, and maybe pop into muggle London to get some more winter clothes. It's supposed to be a freezing winter," she mused. "Want to join me?"
"Under one condition," Fred grinned. "You'll stay for dinner and for a night of board games," he stipulated.
"Deal," she grinned, looking forward to her day now much more than when it began.