A/N: Still don't own Harry Potter. Still wish I owned Draco Malfoy. This chapter was so fun to write. Again HUGE kudos to Chmi-Kat for being an amazing alpha. Enjoy the chapter. Comments are much appreciated!
Rose let out a soft 'oof' as Hermione launched herself into her daughter's arms. "All right, Mum, calm down you just saw me last week!" Rose laughed and hugged her mother before stepping back and shrugging off her jacket.
"So when are you going to tell Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny your news?" Hermione whispered as she took the jacket from her daughter's arms and hung it beside the others, "You can't take too long. You know your father and keeping secrets." Rose rolled her eyes and nodded, chuckling to herself.
"I plan to tell them right away. Thanks for keeping it a secret, Mum."
Rose walked into the dining room and greeted her father, then turned to the others, "Aunt Ginny, Uncle Harry I have some exciting news to share!" She pulled them each into a hug before squealing, "I made keeper of the Quidditch team!"
"What?!" Giny squealed. "I had no idea you had even tried out! Isn't it late in the year to start Quidditch? Come now, tell me everything!"
So Rose told Harry and Ginny about Cordelia Downing's broken arm and how she decided to try out without telling anyone so as not jinx herself. Ginny applauded Rose and hugged her, promising to practice with her after dinner. Harry agreed to join in as well.
Hermione decided it would be the perfect time to give Rose her gifts she had purchased that morning. She walked to the corner of the dining room and picked them up, then turned excitedly to her daughter and presented them to her. "Here, my sweet Rose. A present, to reward you for your exciting news."
"Oh, Mum, you didn't have to get me anything!" Rose exclaimed as she tore into the packages, choosing to open the large one first. Her eyes flew to her mother in shock. "Mum, a broom?! I can't believe it! Thank you, Mum! Thank you so much!" Rose flew out of her chair and hugged her mother tightly.
"It's a Galaxy Glider. The man at Quality Quidditch Supplies told me it's made by the Firebolt company and it has a lot of really advanced features. I can't wait to see you fly it."
Harry whistled and said, "Wow, Hermione. I'm impressed. And slightly jealous."
Hermione shoved Harry playfully. "Hands off Harry, you have your own broom."
Just then, Albus toddled in from Rose's room. "Rosie, Rosie! You got new broom! Broom pretty! I ride?"
Rose crouched down and picked up the boy, hugging him close. "Hi, Al. I missed you. Where is that big brother of yours?"
"James is at Andromeda's visiting Teddy," Ginny said, reaching out and taking Albus from Rose, "He sure is going to be disappointed he missed this news.".
Hermione smiled to herself as she surveyed her dining room. It was then that she realized Ron was still sitting in his seat, glaring at her. She met his eyes quizzically and he looked away and directed his attention to their daughter.
"Congratulations Rosie. I can give you some pointers. You know, I was keeper for the Gryffindor team at Hogwarts." He chuckled but the laughter didn't meet his eyes. Something was definitely bothering him.
"Of course, Dad you have to show me all your moves! Maybe they'll make up a song about me if I get good enough!"
Everyone chuckled as they remembered the students singing 'Weasley is Our King' at the quidditch matches when they were in school.
Hermione walked to the stove and stirred the stew. "All right, everyone, stew's done! Rose, take Albus and go wash up please." She summoned the bowls one by one and filled them with the beef stew. She then levitated some bread and butter onto the table followed by the now full bowls. She placed a pitcher of water and one of pumpkin juice on the table and saw down with everyone. Rose and Albus came out of the bathroom and joined everyone at the table and they tucked in to dinner.
"Mum, this is fantastic. Thanks for making it for me," Rose said between bites.
Ginny reached across Hermione for a slice of bread. "Yes, Mione it's absolutely amazing. Can you share the recipe with me?"
"Sure, Gin, I'll write it down as soon as we finish," Hermione replied as she refilled her glass of pumpkin juice. "And of course, Rosie, this dinner is a celebration for you. I would have made steak and seafood if you had asked."
Harry and Ron began reminiscing about the old days at Hogwarts, remembering when Harry tried to trick Ron into thinking he has slipped some Liquid Luck into his drink before a big quidditch match. Ginny and Rose joined in as Hermione sat back and observed her family. Other than the odd glare from Ron earlier, everything was going well. She finished the last of her stew and cleaned her bowl before getting up from the table and putting it back in the cabinet. She turned around just in time to see Albus, who had just been scolded for sneaking a second piece of bread without asking, uncontrollably levitating his bowl over his head.
"Watch out!" Hermione exclaimed, but it was too late. Stew poured all over Albus's head. Thankfully it wasn't hot enough to burn him, but the mess was rather large.
Ginny jumped up from the table. "Oh I'm so sorry, Mione! He's been so temperamental lately, what with his age, plus he is teething right now. His accidental magic is going a bit haywire and he didn't appreciate being told he couldn't have more bread until he finished his stew." She conjured a towel and started wiping off his face and hands. "I'm sorry Rosie, but looks like we need to get Albus home for a bath and an early bedtime. I really wanted to play a few matches with you tonight."
"I understand, Aunt Ginny. Do you think I could just go home with you? That way, after he is in bed, we can still go out back and fly for a bit? That is," she said, turning to face her mother, "if it's ok with you, Mum?"
Hermione waved her wand to clean the stew from the floor and the table and nodded. "Of course, Rose dear. I want you to get some practice in on your new broom before you go back to school. Not a problem at all."
"Thanks Mum, I'll go pack an overnight bag." And with that Rose was up from the table and heading up the stairs to her room.
"Gin, you get Albus home and start getting him cleaned up, I'll stay and wait for Rose," Harry offered, wiping a splash of stew from his sleeve.
Ginny smiled appreciatively at her husband. "Thanks, Harry." She leaned down and planted a kiss on his head before picking up Albus and heading for the door.
"Bye Ginny, thanks for coming," Ron said waving at his sister. "I may be along later to watch Rose fly her broom.
"Goodbye my dear brother, I'll see you soon." She blew a kiss at Hermione. "Thanks for dinner, Mione. Sorry it had to end this way. Kids know how to keep things lively, that's for sure."
Hermione waved at her sister-in-law as she walked out the door with her messy toddler in tow.
Rose came racing down the stairs a few moments later, bag slung on her should, broom under her arm, ready to go. "Love you, Mum. Love you, Dad. See you tomorrow. Come on, Uncle Harry. I don't want to lose the bit of light we have left." Harry shrugged, waved at Ron and Hermione and followed Rose out the door.
The silence of the cottage was staggering. Damn it to hell, Hermione thought to herself as she turned to face Ron. "Care to explain the reason you have been shooting daggers at me with your eyes since before dinner?" she spat scathingly, not even bothering to hide the annoyance and anger in her voice.
"Oh, caught that did you?" Ron spit out, glaring daggers at Hermione. "I'm surprised you can't figure it out." Ron spit out, glaring daggers at Hermione.
"Please, enlighten me, dear husband." She crossed her arms and glared right back at him.
Ron threw his hands in the air out of frustration. "Did you ever stop to think that maybe I would have liked to buy our daughter's first broom? Or even get a say in it?"
Hermione laughed incredulously. "That's what this is about? The fact that I bought a broomstick without you? You were working, Ronald. I just bought the thing today and it seems I did a fine job picking it out."
"A stranger helped you choose her broom, Hermione. Did you forget that I played quidditch at Hogwarts? Did it even occur to you to ask me to help you pick it out? Or ask for recommendations? You don't even like quidditch and yet you took it upon yourself to have a stranger assist you instead of asking me to come to Diagon with you so we could pick it out together."
Hermione felt her patience wearing thin. She took three calming breaths. "Again, you were working."
"Damn right, I was working Hermione. Sorry I can't just request days off the way you can. You request a day off and no big deal, some papers take longer to get sorted. I take a day off and it could be the difference between a criminal being sent to Azkaban or getting away." He slammed his fist on the table and glared at her.
"Ron, we received the letter from Rose on Tuesday! If you wanted to come with me to buy her present you could have asked all week. You chose not to." Hermione's anger was bubbling close to the surface. She shot to her feet and began pacing the room. She really didn't want to start screaming at him, so she was trying to keep her anger in check, but Ron had always known just the right buttons to push.
"Well when you said you wanted to give her something to congratulate her, I thought you meant a cake, not a damn broom!" Ron shouted, his face nearly matching his hair.
Hermione rubbed her temples and took a deep breath in another attempt to calm herself. "You could have asked what I had in mind. This isn't just on me. Yes, I should have known you would want to help buy her own broom. But you knew I wanted to buy her a present. Not one time did you show any interest. Now you realize it's something you should have asked about, and you take all your anger out on me. I will not allow you to make me feel guilty for buying a present for my child."
Ron stood from the table and walked towards the door.
"Where on Earth are you going?!"
"To Harry's," he spat,"I may not have had a say in her broom but I sure as hell will not miss my chance to teach her to fly." And with that he walked out of the cottage without turning back.
Hermione stood rooted to her spot in the kitchen. It had never occurred to her that Ron would care that she bought Rose a broom. And the snide comment he made about her job made her want to lash out and strike him. She may not be an auror, but she worked hard at her job. Something that Ron had never needed to do.
She had refused to use her role in the war to advance her career. It had seemed an insult to the lives lost to use such a tragedy for personal gain. She had instead studied hard and applied for a position just like any "normal" witch would have to do. The more time she spent in her position, though, the more she doubted her commitment to her job. It just didn't feel right to her. More often than not, she daydreamed about giving her resignation and abandoning the Ministry for another job, though she couldn't quite pinpoint what it was that she wanted to do.
Still thinking about her fight with Ron, Hermione set about making tea. She set aside her usual black and chose a spiced apple chai tea she had found at a little tea shoppe in Hogsmeade. She was furious with him for blowing up over her buying a present for Rose. But the more she thought about it, the more she could see his side.
Stirring her tea, she shook her head. It was a stupid argument, really. Ron had a lot of faults, but he always took care of Rose, and he loved her fiercely. Hermione took a sip of her tea and absently walked into the living room, her eyes finding the marks in the entry way that she had insisted on making to track Rose's height. It was something her parent's had done in her childhood home and she wouldn't let Ron talk her out of carrying on the tradition with her own daughters. Fingers brushing the lines and numbers written in pencil on the wall, Hermione remembered the day she found out she was pregnant with Rose.
She and Ron had only been married for two months when suddenly Hermione felt exhausted all the time. She was convinced she was coming down with the flu. She had just started working at the Ministry and attributed it to being exposed to a whole host of new germs in the office. She drank tea, allowing herself a day or two of relaxation before she became suspicious of the timing of this bout of fatigue. She knew it was silly, as she headed into Muggle London that day, but some things she just preferred to do "the old-fashioned way". She left the shop, bag in hand, and apparated home as soon as she found a secluded alley.
Thankfully, Ron was still at work when she came through the door of their newly-purchased cottage. It was sparsely furnished at this point, mainly with hand-me-downs from Molly and a few things given to her by her parents. She took the stairs two at a time, racing up the stairs and making the sharp left that lead to the bathroom. Her fingers were fumbling with the small box as she ripped it open and slid out the stick that would define her future.
Five minutes later she held the same stick, this time sporting two pink lines.
A million thoughts ran through her head. She was only 19. She had just started working at the Ministry. How was she going to tell Ron? But one thought snuck through the rest and centered on her mind.
Her hand fell to her still flat stomach as she let herself give in to the emotions she was feeling as she repeated over and over in her head, I'm going to be a mom. I'm going to be a mom.
From that moment, her life was centered on being the best mom she could be. And she really was, if she did think so herself. Ron, on the other hand, was more hands off. He defended himself by saying he was more "traditional."
When Rose was a toddler, Hermione had bought a book full of all the classic Muggle fairytales. She was reading Cinderella to a captivated Rose when Ron entered the young girl's room and stopped dead.
"Hermione, can I speak to you in the hall for a second?"
Hermione shot him a quizzical look over her shoulder before holding up a finger to indicate for him to wait until she was finished reading.
Ron stood there, in the doorway of his daughter's room, tapping his foot impatiently as Hermione finished the story. She leaned down and kissed Rose on the forehead before tucking her in nice and tight. She went into the hallway to wait as Ron hugged and kissed Rose as well. When he exited the room, he motioned for her to follow him. She did, with a curious look on her face.
Ron sat on the couch and in a surprisingly cold voice asked, "Was that a Muggle fairytale you were just reading to our daughter?"
Hermione looked at him incredulously. "Yes, it was. Is that an issue?"
"Didn't my mum give you a copy of The Tales of Beedle The Bard when Rose was born?"
Hermione studied her husband's face, surprised to see true irritation in his blue eyes. "Yes, she did, Ron. But I read those to Rose ages ago. I don't know any other other magical fairytales, so I bought her a book of the ones I grew up on. I honestly don't understand the issue here."
"The issue," Ron hissed out, running a hand through his hair- a sure tell that he was losing his patience, "is that our daughter is a witch. You're telling me that there were no other wizarding fable books at any of the hundreds of book shops you frequent?"
Hermione bristled at what her husband was insinuating. "Our daughter is born of two magical parents, this is true. But I am Muggleborn, in case you forgot. How dare you insult me for wanting to teach her both sides of her parentage! If it's so important for you that she has a magical upbringing then maybe instead of sitting on the couch doing nothing, you should read to her before bed as well!" Her voice had risen in volume and she was practically shouting.
Ron face turned red as he exclaimed, "That's the witch's job! My dad never read to me as a child! It was always my mum! Always!"
"I'm not your mother, Ronald! I didn't make this child alone and I certainly don't plan to be the only one raising her. I work just as much as you do and yet I cook, clean, and care for Rosie. So either you start to pull your weight around here, or you better get used to equal amounts Snow White and Belle as Babbitty Rabbitty and her stupid Cackling Stump!" Hermione hated the tears that had formed in her eyes and she hastily wiped the away.
She saw Ron gear up to continue the argument but watched his face soften as he seemed to think better of it. He sighed. "You're right, Mione. Of course, you're right. You wouldn't be Hermione if you weren't. All right, magical and Muggle bedtime stories from now on. I can't promise to do much reading, though. I'm not much of a reader, you know that. But I'll ask Mum if she has any other books to recommend." With that he stood and kissed her forehead before pulling her to her feet and embracing her. And just like that everything was back to normal.
Presently, Hermione found herself caught up in so many memories that she was actually feeling bad about fighting with Ron earlier about Rose's broom. For a second she considered going to Harry's to reconcile, but she thought better of it. Instead, she drank the rest of her tea and tried to focus on Luna's new book on exotic magical creatures. After reading the same sentence three times and not remembering any of it, Hermione gave up. She wasn't reading much these days: a fact that she was determined to not read too much into. She felt like she was going to crawl out of her skin if she had to sit in her empty house any longer.
Without really thinking about, it she found herself pulling on a pair of black-heeled boots and her tightly-fitted black jacket. She fully intended to walk to Harry's to watch Rose fly. If she happened to get Ron alone to talk, then so much the better. But at the last minute, she turned right instead of left and found herself at the apparation point. Without much of a thought, she turned on the spot and found herself on the cobblestoned streets of Hogsmeade. She wandered down High Street, turned onto Cambria Way, and headed towards the pub that had become her refuge away from her husband, her job, her life. She pushed open the weathered oak door of the Dragon's Nest and blinked as her eyes adjusted to the change in brightness. The first thing she focused on made her do a double-take. There, sitting in her usual seat at the bar, was none other than Draco Malfoy. And as his stormy grey eyes met hers, she couldn't shake the feeling that he was waiting for her.