"Sweetheart?"

"In here Mum!" Hugo called. She opened Hugo's bedroom door to find him tacking up a new Chudley Cannons poster on his already mismatched orange wall.

"Oh, that's nice," she said, trying not to grimace at the way it clashed with his hair. "Did your Dad get it for you?"

"No, I traded it with Mitch."

"For what?" Hermione asked, trying to keep her voice light. What was Hugo's was Hugo's, but she was aware that he was more trusting than most and had no doubt that at some point he would have to learn the very real danger of people walking all over him.

"My book on football."

"Hugo," Hermione sighed. It had been a gift from Grandpa Arthur. Admittedly, Hugo was not into football, though Rose was, and it wasn't a huge loss, but it was also a present. "You are not to trade again," she looked at him sternly. "Nothing, not without first checking with Rose, okay?"

"Why?" He looked genuinely shocked.

"Because the poster and the book are not equal in value."

"They are to me."

Hermione sat down with a sigh. He had her there, and she had to remember that as much as he was Ron's miniature, he was her child as well.

"Right," she said, waving her hand to clear the air somehow. "I have something to tell you, and I want you to help me. Would you prefer me to go slowly, or just tell you straight away?"

He sat for a moment and thought about it. This was the one thing Hermione had learned rather quickly that Ron still had trouble with when communicating with Hugo. He had a quick, sharp brain that he used in a way that sometimes didn't make sense to many people, but Ron only saw that Hugo was him in a smaller form and treated him accordingly. It often caused problems beyond what she could sort out.

"Just tell me," he nodded, sitting in front of her attentively.

"Okay," Hermione took a breath, then chickened out. "You're sure?"

"Yeah," he said, as if she was stupid for asking.

"Right. Okay, well. Minerva and I, we're," she paused, thinking about what Rose had said. "We're, dating I guess you'd call it. I wanted to know what you think about it."

"Oh," Hugo said, his eyes filling with sadness immediately, breaking Hermione's heart. "Oh."

"What do you mean 'oh'?" Hermione asked gently. She wanted to reach forward and pull him onto her knee, but he had emphatically told her that he was too old for that now.

"I," his lip quivered. "I thought you were just taking a break from Dad."

"Oh," Hermione said, her own sadness filling every nook and cranny of her body. "Oh darling, no."

Recent events suddenly made so much sense, hearing that. Every issue they'd had with Hugo since their split now had a good reason behind it.

"Darling, is that what you had thought all this time?"

"Kinda," he looked extremely uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry that I never made sure you understood what was happening. Your father and I will never be together. Not ever."

"Because you like Min?"

"No, because your father and I do not love each other," she chuckled. "Sometimes we don't even like each other. But that doesn't mean that we don't love you any less. We will always be tied together in a way, because we both made you and we both love you. That's something that will always be a part of our lives."

"But you do like Min?"

"I do," Hermione said gently. "I love her, in fact."

"And not Dad?"

"No."

"But you like Min in a way that's more than you like Uncle Harry?"

Hermione smiled and cupped his chin.

"I love Minerva and would like her to be a part of our family. I would like to hear what you think of that?"

"I guess it's good. Is she going to move in?"

"I don't know, darling," Hermione laughed. "Possibly down the track, but not today."

"I guess it's okay."

"Perhaps it's something you'd like to think about?" He nodded. "Would it be okay if we met her for dinner tonight? We're going to a pub I know, and they have a great menu."

"Yeah," Hugo said, brightening up. "Do they serve chips?"

"Absolutely," Hermione laughed.

"Then yeah! When are we going?"

"About six o'clock."

"Great. Is it okay if I play XBox until then?"

"Definitely."

Hugo ran off to the living room to busy himself with his Muggle games console, leaving Hermione in his bedroom, wondering perplexedly at what she'd found out.

"I love you Mum," he said, racing back and throwing his arms around her.

"I love you too, my darling boy," Hermione said, kissing his hair.

As quickly as he had raced in, he had gone again.

-0-

"MIN!"

Hugo raced through the pub carpark, narrowly avoiding a moving car to fly into Minerva's arms.

"Gracious child, please be careful in the car parks!" Minerva admonished him lightly as she hugged him tightly. "You've grown about fifteen feet since I last saw you!"

"That's impossible," Hugo laughed, moving away so Rose could have her own hug.

"Hello Rosie," Minerva said quietly. If Hermione hadn't already known she loved Minerva, she'd have fallen for her all over again seeing her keeping track of both children and conversing with each of them, sometimes at the same time.

"Hi," Hermione said, blushing as Minerva paused, looking her in the eye.

"Good evening," Minerva purred.

"Will you just kiss or whatever already," Rose said, her hand on her hip.

"Rose!" Hermione cried, swatting her arm.

"You heard the girl, Hermione," Minerva grinned.

Hermione was still rolling her eyes when Minerva's lips landed on hers, and beyond that she didn't even know what day of the week it was. She had never felt a kiss like it. Never. Minerva's lips were impeccably soft, and perfectly matched to her own. She wrapped her arms around Minerva's neck when it felt right and kissed her back with all of her heart.

"Alright guys, can we eat now?"

Hermione blinked, looking around and realising she was making out like a teenager in front of her children. She was so flustered, she couldn't even answer, so Minerva wrapped her arm around Hermione's middle and waved them forward.

"Onward, hungry hordes."

Dinner was splendid, although Hermione spent a lot of it simply watching Minerva talking to her children. She realised beyond what she had before, that she not only wanted this more than anything else she'd ever wanted, she wanted Minerva forever.

"Will you move in with us?" she heard herself ask.

"Did you mean to say that?" MInerva said with a grin, no doubt seeing the surprise on Hermione's face.

"Honestly, no, but it stands. You can, could, if you wanted to?"

"You can play Quidditch with me!" Hugo cried, happily munching on his third helping of dessert.

"What do you think Rosie?" Minerva asked gently.

"I think it's going to be weird, seeing you guys kissing and hugging and whatever. Mum," she looked apologetically at Hermione, "Mum and Dad never really did that." Hermione opened her mouth to counter, but Minerva squeezed her knee, keeping her quiet. "But that's not a bad thing I think," she smiled at Minerva. "I think maybe she just found her soul mate."

"What's a soulmate, Rosie?" Hugo asked.

"Someone you're meant to be with forever, with all of your soul."

"Cool," Hugo said, apparently happy with that explanation.

Hermione and Minerva glanced at each other, but the love shining from their eyes stilled the moment. The feeling that Minerva was Hermione's soulmate was a perfect explanation.

"That settles it then," Minerva shrugged.

"Yes it does," Hermione grinned.