As I did not write the Harry Potter series I am not the original author, who as anyone should know is the wonderful JKR who lets us play with her world. I don't own a darn thing here. On with the story.
Christmas In Paris Part 2B
"That is…. He is…. She is…." Jane sputtered looking like she wanted to attack someone until Alan stood and took her in his arms muttering soothing words to her.
Sirius let Alan work his magic and once Jane had returned to her seat she looked Sirius in the eye asking, "Do you have any helpful news or suggestions?
"Yes, with Harry in charge we can accomplish a number of things. You and I couldn't do this but now Harry can intervene should your daughter have any problems with her schoolmates. Now I don't think you have anything to worry about as Harry loves Hermione and will do as she wishes," Sirius said while silently praying he was right as he rose and left the Grangers to contemplate the new information.
The next morning Jane went down to get the teens after actually finding them where they where suppose to be she told them to get dressed and meet up in the big suite breakfast was being delivered and they had a lot to cover.
In the Pissarro Suite Sirius interrupted the morning's discussion saying, "There's a problem Harry you two can't return to England until its time for two to you return to school,"
"Why not?" Harry asked, He'd been looking forward to Boxing Day visits with a few of his friends.
"Honestly Harry, with you sporting those rings not to mention me sporting these? Do you really need it explained to you?" Hermione asked in a huff.
Harry looked at her smiling, "Hey, do you really think that rated an honestly Harry?" he asked wondering in the back of his mind just how to arrange for his Christmas gifts to arrive at the Burrow and Longbottoms.
"I've talked to the hotel and we have these rooms until the seventh. I was thinking about inviting Remus over for Christmas but I wanted your input?" Sirius said looking at the two kids.
Harry looked at Hermione for a few moments before she nodded and Harry spoke, "If you can be sure he won't go tattling to Dumbledore it sounds like a good idea."
"I'll put my request under a marauders' seal. The only one of us that broke that was the rat." Sirius said scowling as he spoke of Harry's parent's traitor.
Sirius and Harry disappeared to his room to draft the letter and just have some time together. At Jane's hint Alan joined them leaving Hermione and Her mother alone in the large suite. "Mum I know I didn't answer your question earlier. I do now, do you remember the packet of letters you sent me around the middle of October?"
"The ones in reply to how do you choose between two male friends?" Jane asked knowing that was exactly the letter her daughter was referring to.
Hermione nodded remembering the frustration she felt when she found out her mother's reply consisted of five sealed envelopes and a short note:
Hermione,
When you are feeling the emotion written on one of the envelopes open it and answer the question inside honestly with the first name that comes to mind. After you have answered all four open the last one.
Love.
Mum,
P.S. There must be at least a day in between each envelope. NO CHEATING!
Taking note of the four emotions listed; happiness, anger, excitement, calmness. She decided that none of them applied and placed the five envelopes in her school trunk.
It was only two days later she was storming around her room so mad at Ron Weasley she could have hexed him. Digging through her trunk she came upon the letters and noted the one labeled anger. 'This is a good a time as any for this one.' She thought to herself tearing the envelope open.
Hermione,
Imagine you are dressed in a beautiful gown ready to go out to a fancy dinner party. Your makeup is fantastic, everything is perfect. As you are finishing up your two-year-old child runs in to the room saying, "Mummy I don't feel so good," and proceeds to throw up all over you and your gown. As you are sitting there covered in your child's sick a man comes into the room and with a smirk on his face asks, "Ready to go love?"
Who is that man? Remember be honest and write the name at the bottom of this page.
Love
Mum
Puzzled Hermione did as her mother instructed then put it back in the envelope and went on with her business. A few days later she returned to her dorm room after a quiet evening and found she was really relaxed so she opened he one labeled calmness:
Hermione,
Imagine you are at your home relaxing watching a fire in your fireplace. Take a moment and fix the image firmly in your mind before reading the next line.
As you are sitting watching the fire a male voice asks, "What time are the grandchildren coming over tomorrow?"
Whose voice did you hear in your mind? Remember be honest and write the name at the bottom of this page.
Love
Mum
Further puzzled Hermione complied and returned everything to the trunk as before. Happiness was the next emotion that surfaced and naturally it had to do with her getting 110 percent on a Transfiguration Quiz. She could barely contain her curiosity what her mother would have her imagining this time.
Hermione,
Fix this image firmly in your mind; you've just given birth and you are holding your new baby in your arms happier than you can believe, despite being tired beyond belief. Ready for the next part?
Lying there you say to the bundle in your arms, "Meet your daddy beautiful."
Who is standing next to your bed with his hand on your shoulder and a silly smile on his face? Remember be honest and write the name at the bottom of this page.
Love
Mum
As before a name instantly sprang into her mind and she wrote in at the bottom then tucked everything back into her trunk.
The last emotion took a few more weeks but finally she felt it was either use this opportunity or wait forever. She quickly pulled the last envelope out labeled excitement and tore it open in a very un-lady like fashion.
Hermione,
You will need to really concentrate on this one. Imagine you are brought to the front of a hall and are given a big big award with everyone you know in attendance.
Whose face are you looking for when you look over the crowd? Remember be honest and write the name at the bottom of this page.
Love
Mum
Hermione did as requested then took the last envelope out it was labeled, "Open me only after you have answered all the questions." With suddenly shaking hands she slowly opened it worried what her mother had written.
Hermione,
Now is the moment of truth. If you have been honest and followed my directions you now have four letters from me with a name written at the end of each one.
If the answer to each question did not result in the same name you have not reached a decision. Remove the names and save the letters for use sometime in you future.
If the answer to each question was the same name you might have found the one to say yes to. The next step is to find yourself a quiet place, bring a box of tissues or whatever you use at school and really think until you are sure of the answer to this question, "Do I want to spend the rest of my life with this person and bear his children," because no matter what you may think otherwise I know your heart and there are children in your future. Another question that might help you reach a decision is the one I used; given a choice between never seeing him again or never seeing your father and I again which do you choose.
Love
Mum
"Penny for your thoughts?" Jane Granger said as she watched her daughter's face break into a wide smile.
"I was just remembering those four letters."
"I take it they were helpful?"
"Very, at the end when I finished your fifth letter I re-read the other four and my heart responded with the same answer as before, Harry Potter. Ron never entered my mind until I thought 'Whom else would I have written' but by then I knew my heart had made it's decision. Thank you and dad for everything you have done and being so understanding. I know most parents would have freaked dealing with everything that's happened in the last few years." Hermione said smiling at her mother.
"That's what parents do, as you will find out eventually. Should I worry about Alan and I becoming grandparents any time soon?"
"I haven't…" Hermione stopped not sure how to discuss this with her mother of all people.
"Let me ask a different question. Remember those books we kept in our bedroom, the ones you got into when you were nine?"
Hermione nodded remembering finding her parents copy of the kumara sutra among others.
"Is everything still icky or have they now progressed to interesting or possibly fun?"
"They've all progressed to interesting, a few of them might soon be better described as fun," Hermione said not believing this talk was happening.
Jane nodded deciding after a moments pause to let her daughter know why she was asking these questions, "Hermione if you can't talk with your mother about your physical relationship you're not ready to have one."
"I know but,"
"Hermione why is there a but in your relationship with Harry?"
Hermione stopped her mouth closing on what she had been about to say. Suddenly things clicked in her mind. "There isn't a but in my relationship with Harry. I think there is one in my relationship with you. I'm a witch and it took a lot of researching what the other girls in my dormitory room were talking about before I understood even half of it, that's the but. If I hadn't exchanged discrete homework help for discrete wizarding world training in certain areas I'd still be in the dark on some issues." Hermione said worried at how her mother would react to this news.
Jane looked at her daughter knowing this was not a good place for either of them to be emotionally. "Let's talk it out. It doesn't do you or I any justice to leave this as it is."
Hermione bit her lower lip debating how much to tell her mother before replying, "Mum these are witches secrets. That's why I couldn't find them in books. A witch raised by a witch had to explain it all to me. You can't tell anyone not dad, grandma, no one."
Jane was concerned this was something special her daughter was going to tell and while she believed in total disclosure between a husband and a wife she knew she would keep this secret. "I promise."
Hermione knew her mother never went back on her word so she felt comfortable saying, "Back about the first of December our school nurse, Madam Pomfrey, had me come to her office early one morning. By the way I've been on a potion to reduce my periods to four a year for two years now. A side benefit of this potion is it prevents a witch from getting pregnant. The other effects of wizard's sperm still apply however. Anyway back to my point she told me that the potion works for most witches, unfortunately or fortunately depending on your point of view. A powerful wizard can over ride the potion and Harry is a very, very powerful wizard."
"This means?"
"If we do it and we haven't yet. Should Harry want me pregnant I will become so no matter where I am in my cycle. Should he not want me pregnant it will not happen even if I took the best fertility potion available."
"Hermione quit kidding me when did this school nurse talk with you, precisely?"
Hermione frowned, "December first, 6:30 a.m. she wanted to see me before Harry's normal wake up time."
"That's better I wasn't sure if you'd lost your memory because of boys crowding it out." Jane teased.
"No actually Harry likes it. It's just everyone else at school gives me such a hard time about my perfect recall that it's easier to pretend I don't have one. I should tell you there will not be another man for me. You should let dad know Harry will be the father of his grandchildren."
Jane nodded having already hinted the same to Alan. "Sirius told us that it is normal for a witch to get engaged around this age is that true?"
Hermione thought for a brief moment before saying, "Yes, hearing my dorm mates talking about the boys in our year like prime breeding dogs clued me in. I started paying attention and found that Harry was considered prime marrying material mainly due to his family's wealth. He was marked down big time for having what they called low sociability. Evidently he should have been entertaining other families at his home for several years now making the proper social connections."
Jane smiled she'd seen the same things going on at her college. "What about your other friend Ron was it?"
"Ron actually scored better than Harry if you can believe it being the sixth son of an already poor family did hurt his standing but being an easily moldable pure blood of limited intelligence worked in his favor. He actually was at the top of a few witches list. They can have him. I'd kill him before a month was up if I was forced to marry him."