Disclaimer: Do not own anything.
A/N: So sorry i can't update any sooner. The best I can do is twice a week. Sorry.
Thank you for all the readers that added "Her Hero" in their favorites and followed the story. It really means so much and it is really such a great source of inspiration and motivation. Thank you!
Chapter 3: Emily
"Mummy! Mummy, it's morning! Wakey-wakey, Mummy!"
Hermione recognized the sound of her daughter's voice but was still too tired to get up. Her alarm hadn't even rung yet.
"Mummy, the clock's long hand is pointing at the number twelve and the short one's pointing at seven so it's seven, Mummy! Time to get up!" Her daughter continued to shake her arm.
"Later, Sophie," Hermione grumbled. She was having such a great night's sleep. Just a few more minutes.
"But, Mummy!" Sophie continued to whine, shaking her mother harder.
Hermione groaned and opened one eye to see Sophie, brows furrowed and lips set in a small pout. Hermione sighed; it looked like her sleep would be cut short by one minute. She picked Sophie up and laid her down beside her, hugging her tightly to her chest, mock choking her.
"Mummy! I can't breathe!" came Sophie's muffled voice. She playfully smacked her mum's arms and laughed despite her claim of suffocation.
"This is what will happen when you wake Mummy and it's not yet time Sophie!" Hermione playfully threatened, following her threat with an evil laugh.
Hermione finally let her daughter go when her alarm went off. She turned it off and went back to playing with her daughter.
"See, Mummy, time to get up! I told you so," her daughter told her.
Hermione couldn't help the laugh that escaped her lips. "Yes, Mademoiselle Sophie, you most certainly did."
Sophie was very much the little girl Hermione used to be. She was smart, open-minded and very mature, just like her mum was. However, Sophie was much like her father as well. She had a good sense of humour, was over-protective and loved chess, albeit not wizard's chess. This pleased Hermione greatly because, in her opinion, wizard's chess was totally barbaric.
There were moments when Hermione would be saddened by her daughter's similarities to her father. Moments when Sophie would defend her friend, Adrien, from bullies in their school and moments when she would sit play chess and with Adrien for hours. These were the moments when she would wish Ron was there with them, with their daughter. But he had made his point known and she couldn't change that.
Sophie got out of bed and pulled at her mother's arm. Hermione pretended to be a monster. She growled loudly and chased the little girl around the room.
"Arfff!"
Both girls stopped their game and looked at the source of the sound. Much to Sophie's delight and Hermione's chagrin, standing in the doorway was a small pup with golden fur. Sophie squealed with delight and ran towards the little fur-ball, forgetting her game with her mum completely.
"Oooh! Hello puppy!" the little girl cooed. She scooped the little dog in her arms and hugged her close to her chest. If Sophie 'hugged' the dog any tighter, Hermione was sure the dog would be melded into Sophie's chest.
Hermione was starting to worry. Sophie was getting attached to the pup quicker than Hermione had expected. She knew Sophie would be asking to keep the puppy and she would do everything just to get her wish; she was the daughter of a Gryffindor after all. Truth be told, she didn't want Sophie to keep the dog because she was too young to be responsible for a small, untrained animal. Knowing Sophie, she would put up a good fight to keep the dog, so Hermione steeled herself for oncoming pleas and puppy-dog eyes.
"Sophie, Honey. Let's go get some breakfast. We have to get you ready for school, remember?" she told her daughter.
Sophie had been twirling the small puppy around and around. She swayed slightly when she stopped and put down the poor dizzy dog. Still clearly disoriented, the small pup swayed left and right like a drunken man before plumping down. Hermione smiled and Sophie laughed cheerfully. The golden fur-ball shook his head, stood and barked at both of them before running outside. Sophie followed quickly and Hermione shook her head. This was going to be tough.
Sophie chased the small dog to the kitchen. She opened drawers and cabinets, looking for something that she could use as a bowl for her new dog.
Her dog.
Well, unofficially hers anyway. She had yet to ask her mum about her keeping of the puppy. She knew her mum wouldn't let her keep him but he was so lonely and helpless and small. She would do everything she could to help him! She would convince her mum to keep the puppy and she would take care of him.
With her mind made up, she filled up a small container she had found with milk and set it down on the floor in front of the puppy for him to drink. Sophie knelt down beside the puppy that was quickly drying the milk in his bowl and patted his head.
"I'll take care of you. I promise," the little girl said.
She then filled her own bowl with milk and cereal to start her breakfast.
Her mum entered a few minutes after she had started with her meal. She picked up a cup and filled it with coffee the coffee-making machine made and sat on the chair across from her. She sipped her coffee and prepared herself. 'Do not fall for the puppy-dog eyes! No matter how pleading! Do not fall captive!' she reminded herself
For a long while, mother and daughter just sat there, looking at each other.
"Sophie," Hermione began.
"Let's keep him, Mum," Sophie said, her face filled with determination and resolve.
Hermione raised an eyebrow at her. It seemed her daughter had already made up her mind.
"Sophie," she started again.
"But Mum, he's all alone and he's just a small puppy. I can take care of him! I promise. I'll give him baths and give him lots of milk and take him out for walks and—"
"Sophie!" Hermione stopped her daughter's rambling.
Sophie stared at her mum. Her mummy rarely raised her voice and so Sophie got a bit scared that her mum did now.
Hermione inhaled and exhaled deeply before continuing.
"Sophie, don't you think you're a bit too young to take care of a pet?" Hermione stated calmly.
"No, Mum. I am five years old girl now. It's my birthday today, 'member? I'm a big girl now." She puffed out her chest and raised her chin to help make her point.
"I can take care of Sebastian. I promised him." She was now giving Hermione puppy-dog eyes but she couldn't figure out if it was working on her mum or not. She usually got what she asked for when she used puppy-dog eyes on other people but she never could tell with her mum.
Hermione was silent for a few seconds. She knew Sophie was smart enough to know how hard it was to be responsible for a pet and she was sure her daughter wouldn't put up a fight if she knew she couldn't handle having a pet. Sophie might be smart and mature but she was still a kid.
Undeterred by her mum's long silence, Sophie mustered up her most pleading, puppy-dog eyes look and muttered, S'il-te-plait maman, je lui ai promis."
Hermione looked at Sophie and sighed. She smiled softly at her little girl.
"Fine, Sophie. You can keep little Sebastian."
A big smile appeared instantly on Sophie's adorable face. The little girl ran around the table and hugged her mum, tightly.
"Merci maman, je vais prendre soin de lui, c'est promis."
Hermione hugged her daughter before placing a kiss on her forehead.
"I'm sure you will, Darling. I'm sure you will. Now let's get you ready for school. We wouldn't want you to be late now, would we?"
Sophie shook her tiny head and went back to her chair, resuming her breakfast.
Hermione was raising her cup of coffee to her lips when the doorbell rang.
"I'll get it!" Sophie jumped, raising her hand.
"No, Sophie. Remember what we talked about when answering the door alone?" Hermione reminded her.
"No answering the door without Mummy or a growm-up," Sophie answered automatically, and then mumbled, "Sorry, Mummy."
Hermione kissed Sophie on top of the head before leaving to answer the door. She discovered a beautiful woman with black hair and blue eyes carrying a brown paper bag full of baking materials. It was her friend, Emily.
"Hey. Thanks for coming," Hermione greeted, giving her friend a hug.
"Of course, silly. Anything for my favourite not-by-blood-related niece," her friend answered with a smile.
Then a little boy popped his head from behind Emily and gave Hermione a big grin.
"Bonjour, Auntie 'Mione!" the little boy greeted.
"He insisted on coming because he wanted to greet Sophie before any of their other classmates. He said he should be the first because they were best friends," Emily said with a roll of her eyes.
Hermione chuckled and knelt down so she and the boy would be at eye level.
"Hello, Adrien. Sophie's in the kitchen. Do you want to go and say 'hi'?"
The little boy nodded eagerly and ran towards the direction of said kitchen.
Hermione stood to face her friend once more and noticed the serious look on her face. Emily raised an eyebrow and Hermione sighed. She knew what her friend was asking. She didn't get to tell Emily about the accident yesterday and explain her relation to a certain blond fellow.
She really didn't want to talk about their encounter yesterday but Emily was her friend and she didn't want Emily to think that Hermione didn't trust her. After everything they had been through, Hermione was certain she could trust Emily with her life.
The brunette sighed. She had a lot of explaining to do.
"I'll tell you later," she said.
Her friend saw the frustration on Hermione's face, so she didn't press, even though she was deathly curious about the blond guy she saw with them, and let it slide. She trusted Hermione would explain in due time, Emily would make sure she would.
Hermione stepped aside to let her friend in and they proceeded to the kitchen. They found Sebastian the dog running around the kitchen being chased by Adrien, who was being chased by Sophie.
"Adrien! Leave him alone! He's mine!" Sophie was shouting.
Adrien merely laughed and answered, "Aww, I just want to pet him!"
Emily followed with her eyes the golden dog her son was chasing before turning to Hermione with a questioning look. Hermione sighed and shook her head. Emily laughed at the scene before her only to be cut off by the sound of breaking ceramics.
Sophie gasped and pointed at Hermione's now broken coffee cup on the floor. Adrien stood near the mess, shuffling his feet. Emily sighed and brought out her wand to clean the caffeine mess.
"Adrien, what will you say to Auntie 'Mione?" she told her son.
Adrien, who had his head bowed down, turned in Hermione's direction and said, "Sorry, Auntie 'Mione."
Hermione approached the little boy and knelt in front of him.
"It's ok, Adrien, accidents happen. Just please be careful next time," she said softly.
The little boy nodded and walked to stand by Sophie, who was looking guilty too.
"Sophie, go and pick out your clothes. It's time for your bath, Honey," she told her daughter.
Sophie nodded and went to her room to do as she was told. Hermione picked up little Sebastian and placed him in Adrien's arms. Surprised, the little boy looked up at Hermione.
"Why don't you go take Sebastian out in the backyard while Sophie gets ready," she told him with a smile.
The little boy beamed at Hermione and ran outside to play with the puppy.
Hermione sighed and turned to look at Emily, who was smiling at her.
"And that's just two of them. Imagine what it'll be like later," her friend teased and then laughed at the horrified look on Hermione's face.
"Remind me to never let the kids stay inside the house," Hermione said.
"So?"
Hermione looked up to find Emily looking at her expectantly.
Hermione had just come back from escorting their kids to school. As she entered her kitchen, the counter was covered in different ingredients for the cake and the different dishes they were to cook. Her friend had been busy.
Emily was still looking at her, waiting for her to explain what had happened yesterday. So, Hermione took the seat across her and told her story. She told Emily about Sophie finding the dog, Sophie almost being run over by a car, and Malfoy saving Sophie, all the way up to the part where Sophie invited Malfoy to her party.
Emily listened intently as she stirred the batter for the cake and cupcakes, not once interrupting Hermione. When Hermione was done, she took a long breath and waited for Emily to ask questions.
Emily looked at the little puppy who was napping soundly in the living room.
"So, it's the dog's fault?" she asked.
Hermione almost laughed but shook her head.
"No, Em. It was an accident."
"Uhuhm," Emily answered, looking thoughtful.
Hermione knew that look and she didn't like it. Usually when her friend looked thoughtful, she was about to say or ask something Hermione didn't want to hear or answer.
Emily went back to her mixing and Hermione proceeded to wash her hands to help prepare the ingredients.
"Was he your boyfriend?" her friend asked.
Hermione paused. She stared wide eyed, and mouth agape at her friend. She really wasn't expecting that so she didn't immediately answer. Emily's question hadn't fully sunk in yet.
"Can I take that as a yes?" Emily asked innocently.
Hermione's mouth snapped shut and she asked, "What?!"
Emily shrugged and answered, "I could sense a history between you and the guy. By the way you told me about him, it seemed like you two knew each other way back. So, is he?"
Hermione was still shocked by her friend's quick analysis of her story but resumed her task of chopping some vegetables. "Is he what?"
"An old beau."
Hermione snorted. "Hardly."
"Ah. Didn't end things well, did he? No closure?"
Hermione looked at her friend incredulously. "What? No! He was not 'an old beau'."
"Oh. So what is he then? And don't lie to me because we both know you're the world's most horrible liar and then I'm going to have to squeeze the information out of you."
Emily scrunched up her face and made a squeezing gesture with her hands and then shrugged. "Your choice."
Nothing really did escape her friend and so, Hermione enlightened her friend with her and Malfoy's colourful history. She told her everything, from the insults and hexes at Hogwarts to his involvement in the war.
By the time Hermione finished her tale, the cake was in the oven, the cupcakes were decorated and the dishes to be served were done. Yes, it took her that long. It was their history after all. Besides, magic was on their side.
Emily looked thoughtful once more and Hermione patiently waited for whatever she was going to say or ask to come out.
"Do you think he'll come?" Emily asked.
Hermione paused.
Would he come? Hermione was sure that he wasn't going to come. What reason did he have to come to his mortal enemy's child's birthday party?
"No, I don't think he will," she answered truthfully.
They were both quiet for a while, both busy with their own thoughts about a certain blond man. The silence was broken by the ringing of the timer that signalled that the cake was done.
They helped each other take the cake out. It was now time for Emily to do another form of magic: the magic of cake designing.
Aside from being a wife and a mother, Emily was also a baker and a bakery owner. She ran a small shop that was loved by all in wizarding France. Everything that could be seen in the shop, from the breads and cookies to the cakes and pies, were original pastry chef Emily Green's recipe. And that was how Hermione came to know Emily.
Hermione had been walking through the streets of Paris, looking for something to munch on. She was only in her first trimester and she was already having cravings. This week's craving was sweets. Well, not sweets like candy and lollies exactly, but something that was sweet. Being the daughter of two dentists, she was never fond of eating candies. Except for the occasional chocolate frogs.
She was wandering aimlessly when she spotted a cute, little bakery. It looked like it came right out of a painting. She could smell the wonderful aroma of newly-baked bread and sweet pastries coming from the small shop. She couldn't help but be lured in.
The bells attached to the door rang as Hermione entered the shop and gasped. Her senses were invaded with the most delicious aromas and mouth-watering sights. There were pies, muffins, breads and cakes of different varieties. There were a few tables and chairs inside where people, who clearly enjoyed the food and the place, were seated. The scene was just that beautiful; you could paint a picture.
Hermione was examining the display of pastries when a beautiful woman approached her. She had beautiful long black hair, dazzling baby blue eyes and a smile that could warm hearts. She looked almost in her thirties, with some fine lines on her fair face.
"Bonjour Mademoiselle, puis-je vous aider?" the woman asked.
"Non, je ne faisais que jeter un œil," Hermione answered, sounding perfectly French.
"Appelez-moi si vous souhaitez avoir un renseignement. ," the woman smiled softly and left Hermione to look around.
After seeing their displays, she approached the lovely woman and purchased the ones she thought she would like most. After the transaction, the older woman gave Hermione a meaningful smile.
"How far gone are you?" the woman asked, in a surprising American accent.
Hermione blinked. She then looked at her belly, resisting the urge to place a hand on it.
'Is it showing already? Am already I that fat?' Hermione wondered.
As if reading her customer's mind, the other woman chuckled, "No, Darling, it's not showing yet. You're in perfect shape actually. I'm sorry, where are my manners? I'm Emily Green, baker and owner of this fine establishment," Emily introduced herself.
Hermione returned her smile.
"Hermione Granger. Er.. um… how did you…umm…how did you know?" the brunette stammered.
Emily gave her another meaningful smile, "It's just that, when a woman is expecting there's this glow around her. Like an aura of happiness and completeness. I saw that on you earlier when you entered the shop but I thought you were still young and you didn't look like you were expecting."
"What made you think otherwise?" Hermione asked.
The baker gestured to the bag of pastries, which were still on the counter that Hermione purchased, "I don't think a petite girl like you could eat all of these breads on your own. No matter how delicious they are."
Hermione gazed at her purchase and blushed. She had bought quite an amount.
"You must be new around here. You don't sound French at all," Emily asked.
"Yes. I just moved here," Hermione answered truthfully.
"Bienvenue en France! Where's your husband, Darling? It's not good to leave a pregnant woman alone, showing or not," she tutted disapprovingly.
Hermione looked away. "No, there's no husband. It's just me."
Emily's eyebrows rose, surprised. She examined the young woman in front of her. She saw a beautiful brunette with soft curls, warm chocolate brown eyes and an enchanting smile. 'The man that left her must have been blind, stupid and crazy to leave such a beauty', Emily thought ruefully. She gave the lovely young woman before her a sympathetic smile.
"Well, if you ever need anything or need someone to talk to just come down here. You're welcome anytime."
Hermione looked at the woman in front of her. She felt a surge of gratitude and happiness towards the woman. It had been a hard couple of weeks for her, all alone in a city she hardly knew where she didn't know anyone. She would sometimes cry and contemplate going back to London but her pride kept her from doing so. She was Hermione Granger! She had helped Harry Potter defeat the most evil Wizard of all time. She could handle living on her own. She could and she would.
She looked at Emily and smiled. She knew right there and then that she had gained a friend.
"Emily," Hermione started hesitantly, "are you pregnant?"
Hermione was blushing when she asked this. She knew it was rude but she couldn't help but ask. The question was nagging at her ever since Emily told her of the aura the other woman told her she had.
Emily smiled warmly at her and nodded.
Hermione smiled and said, "Congratulations."
From then on, every day after her work, Hermione would come and visit Emily at her shop. At first she was reluctant to open up to the baker but Emily's caring and kind personality told her that she could trust this woman. Hermione found out that Emily was pregnant with her second child and that her first was a five year old boy named Matthew. Her husband, Anton, was the head of the Department of Magical Education in the Ministry of Magic in France and would sometimes stay and help his wife with her business.
After she studied in Beauxbatons, she continued to study culinary in America. She was staying there when the war had reached its peak so she wasn't much informed and affected by it. All she knew was that there was a bad guy doing really bad things. Ignorance was such bliss.
Hermione envied her new friend's life. Emily was doing what she loved, she had a child that loved her and a new one on the way, and she had a supportive husband by her side. She had everything Hermione wanted. And every time Hermione would mention this to Emily, her friend would just say, "It isn't without its hardships. You're still young Hermione, what's the rush? You'll get there but for now just enjoy what you have and live for today."
Emily was ushering Hermione out of her kitchen saying, "Out, out, Hermione. I have to be alone and concentrate on my art. Like a painter painting on a canvas. And for that to happen you have to go out. Out, out, out."
Hermione merely laughed at her friend but before she complied, she turned around and hugged her tightly.
"Thank you so much, Em. I don't know what I would do without you."
Her friend returned the hug and said, "I know what you'll do without me."
Hermione pulled away and looked at her friend questioningly.
"You'll buy one of my cakes of course. Mine are the best," her friend answered smugly.
Hermione rolled her eyes and left the master to create another masterpiece. She proceeded to the back yard and set up the chairs and tables, put up the streamers and hung the star-shaped piñata, a must-have-in-a-birthday-party, according to Sophie.
Hermione checked her watch and saw that it was quarter to two. She passed by the kitchen and told Emily that she would be going to pick up the children and stop by the Mrs. Verrier's shop to pick up some things for the party. After a nod and, "Revenir en un seul morceau", from Emily, Hermione walked out of her house and towards her child's school.
A/N: changed some of the translations and added a few things. :) Thanks to Malevolence13 and CygneRouge for pointing out the French mistakes!
Please leave a review! What do you guy's think of Emily? Let me know! :)
Translations:
S'il-te-plait maman, je lui ai promis = Please mom, I promised him.
Merci maman, je vais prendre soin de lui, c'est promis = Thank you Mum! I'll take care of him, I promise
bonjour mademoiselle, puis-je vous aider = Hello miss, can I help you
Non, je ne faisais que jeter un œil = No, I was just looking around
Appelez-moi si vous souhaitez avoir un renseignement. = Well, you just have to approach me if you need anything
Bienvenue en France! = Welcome to France!
