"Mum?"
"In here darling," Hermione called, pulling off her glasses in preparation for the Hugo bear hug.
"Hey," Rose said from the doorway as a newly foot-taller Hugo rushed Hermione.
"Gracious, I think you've grown since Albus' party even!" Hermione exclaimed. "Hello Rosie darling, everything okay?"
"'Course," Rose shrugged, without elaborating.
Hermione took it to mean that all was not okay, and she carted Hugo off to unpack his trunk while she went to talk to Rose.
"What's going on then?" Hermione asked from Rose's doorway. "Everything alright?" Hermione kept her voice light. "Did your father write?"
"You know he didn't," Rose said exasperatedly. Hermione smiled, seeing so much of herself in her daughter.
"So what is bugging you?"
"Nothing," Rose grumbled.
"Try again," Hermione smiled, patting the bed beside her as she sat down.
"It's not any of my business."
"Then why worry?"
"Because it's yours," Rose whispered.
Hermione stilled and look at her daughter. She wracked her brain for something she had done, or said, that would be troubling Rose, but couldn't think of a single thing.
"Mine?" Hermione asked.
"James said something."
Hermione groaned, thinking of all the things she had told Harry over the last few weeks and wondered how James would have heard any of it.
"Okay," Hermione said, sitting sideways and preparing herself. "Hit me with it."
"Are you sleeping with Minerva?"
Whatever Hermione thought Rose was going to say it wasn't that. The breath caught in her throat and she choked, on nothing, for more than a minute.
"What?" she said, her voice going up two octaves. "Is that what he said?"
"It's what he said Uncle Harry said."
"Oh for -" Hermione made a point to not swear in front of the children, so instead she closed her eyes and mentally wondered how many ways she could kill Harry and not have anyone find the body.
"Are you?" Rose asked haltingly.
Hermione pushed aside all the embarrassment and emotion of finding out Harry and Ginny were obviously discussing her personal affairs behind her back and looked at her oldest child. There was no judgement in Rose's eyes, only hurt, and Hermione hoped that was simply because of the way she'd found out, rather than the idea of them being together.
"I," she sighed, trying to find the words. "Not right now," she shrugged. "I had," she emphasised the word, "planned on discussing it with the two of you once you got home, but it seems as though James has beaten me to it."
"Are you going to get angry at Uncle Harry?"
"A little," Hermione smiled, brushing Rose's fringe back. "I'll probably tell him to watch where he talks about me behind my back."
"Are you mad?"
"No," Hermione said honestly. "I just wish you'd heard it from me first."
"So," Rose played with the sleeve of her jumper. "You are dating though?"
"We're," Hermione tasted the word dating in her mouth, and screwed up her nose at the thought. "We're enjoying each other's company?" she tried, knowing her astute daughter would no doubt eventually get to the truth.
"Urgh," Rose rolled her eyes and slumped back on the bed. "Ok Mum, let's take it slowly. Do you like her?"
"I do," she nodded emphatically, then changed her mind. "Is that okay?"
"Duh," Rose said, rolling her eyes again. Hermione decided she'd been spending way too much time with Scorpius Malfoy and that the boy had obviously taken after his father quite a lot if the eye roll was anything to go by. "Okay, so you like Minerva, and Minerva likes you - of course she does, otherwise it wouldn't have gone this far."
"Alright."
"You already have dinner together, so that's not really a key factor in the argument, but maybe," Rose chewed on her lip. "Has dinner together changed? Does it feel different? Are you going to Minerva's for dinner more often?"
"Yes," Hermione again replied haltingly, looking at her daughter in amazement.
"Okay, do you go anywhere together?" Hermione opened her mouth to answer, but closed it again as Rose interjected."Oh, but Min doesn't go out, so we can't use that."
"We do go out actually. Not very often, but we went to see a play the other day."
"What?"
Hermione had to bite back a laugh as Rose's mouth dropped open at the admission.
"Are you serious? Minerva goes outside the house with you?"
"Yes?" she replied uncertainly.
"Wow," Rose said, her eyes wide. "Mum, do you realise that she must really, really love you?"
"I," Hermione paused, thinking about what Rose had said. She thought of what Minerva was like even a month ago, compared to what she was like now. She thought about the gentle nature that seemed to perpetrate everything they did. The quiet comments and the hour long phone calls they made to each other. "Oh."
Rose grinned at her, like she had just revealed the keys to the universe.
"You totally didn't realise, did you?"
"I had no idea!"
"Sweet," Rose laughed. "So, can we go out for dinner with her? All of us?"
"I," Hermione couldn't speak. The thought of Minerva not just merely entertaining the idea, but actually and definitely loving her was something else entirely to what she had been thinking. The more she thought about it, the more stupid she felt and she could have kicked herself at being so dense.
She pulled out her phone and pushed the third speed dial (Rose and Hugo always came first).
"How could you miss me already," came the reply as the phones connected. The new information that Hermione had just received almost made Minerva's reply sound sultry in nature and she paused for a moment before returning a greeting. "Are you alright?"
"Yes, sorry, hello," Hermione said, though she was sure it sounded forced.
"You aren't alright, what's wrong?"
"I," Hermione looked at Rose, who had busied herself with something in front of her wardrobe door mirror. "I have just been taught something valuable by Rose, and wondered if you would like to go out for dinner tonight with us all?"
"Together?" Minerva asked carefully.
"Yes," Hermione whispered. "I haven't told Hugo yet, but Rose," Hermione sighed and left the room. "Evidently Harry has guessed and was talking about it in front of James and naturally he told Rose."
"Oh," Minerva said, though Hermione wasn't sure what she meant by that.
"Is that bad?"
"I," Minerva paused this time, and Hermione was struck with how different this conversation was to the others they had had. "I was under the impression that you did not want people to know."
"What?"
"I, did you not?"
"I thought you didn't. You're so private, I just-"
"Oh Hermione, we are dolts!"
Hermione laughed at their stupidity.
"For two incredibly intelligent witches, we certainly haven't excelled in this particular area of brilliance."
They went quiet for a moment before Hermione struck up her courage again.
"Will you join my," Hermione swallowed, "your family, for dinner?"
"Hermione," Minerva said, and Hermione could feel the sadness through the line. "They are Ron's children too."
"They are also mine, and as you are an extension of me, a brilliant additional part, they are yours as well."
"Hermione -"
"I'm serious, Minerva. I want this. I have realised that I want this so much more than I have ever wanted anything, in the last few moments. This, for me, is it. If you don't want me, it's okay, but I won't be falling for anyone else." She went quiet and started up again in a whisper. "There is no one else that could compare to you."
"I love you, Hermione Granger," Minerva said solidly, without waver.
"I love you," Hermione said back, smiling as wide as her face would allow.
"I would love to join you for dinner," Minerva said. "I would encourage you to tell Hugo before though; I don't want him to find out when I take you in my arms and kiss you senseless."
"You are a card, Minerva," Hermione laughed, feeling her face grow hot.
"Usual place?" Minerva suggested. "I'm quite sure the menu will suit them both as much as it does us."
"Yes, I think so. Six o'clock?"
"Yes. I will see you then," Minerva said, her voice back to that sultry rumble. "I love you."
"As I love you," Hermione replied, ringing off.
"So... that was cute," Rose grinned from the kitchen bench where she was eating a bowl of cereal. She obviously had snuck past Hermione while she was still on the phone.
"Must you involve yourself in ALL my affairs?" Hermione said, only half teasing.
"Honestly?" Rose said. "No, but this one I think concerns us, so I'm just making sure you get it right." Rose looked down at her bowl. "I want this as much as you guys do."
"Rosie -"
Hermione pulled her daughter into a hug that made Rose sigh happily. Rose was most like herself and had taken to Minerva just as much as Hermione had. Hugo had been slower, but he had been much younger when Hermione and Ron had gone their separate ways. Rose had been much more amenable to the change as she and Ron had never really understood each other - in much the same way Ron had never really understood Hermione.
"Let me go and find your brother, we're leaving a little before six, okay?"
"Yep," Rose said, scoffing down the rest of her snack and heading back to her room. "I'll be ready."
Hermione watched her go with a smile, before turning to the other side of the room to go and find Hugo.