* Memories and decisions *

Hermione took a deep breath and looked at the front door of the practice. It was a clean, white building with a wooden door and a plaque that said 'Wilkins & Wilkins Dental Practice.' This was it. After looking for her parents for nearly two weeks in the big city of Sydney, she was finally there. She thought carefully again about the plan: Ron was going to be sitting in the waiting room with the baby while she went in their office and changed their memories. She recited the incantation again in her head and practised the wand motion once again, just to be sure. It had to be perfect. She couldn't allow herself to make any mistakes. She felt Ron's hand squeezing her shoulder and heard the baby gurgling in his arms.
"Let's go." he said taking her hand. She took a deep breath and they walked in. They sat in the waiting room and waited for her to be called.
"I don't think it'll happen, but if she cries..." Hermione started.
"I change her diaper, check whether she's cold or hot, hold her tight, sing to her, play with her. Don't worry, Mione. I can take care of our daughter. The only thing that I can't do is feeding her, but I don't think she'll be hungry already." Ron interrupted her. Hermione nodded nervously adn caressed her daughter's little hand. Ron squeezed her other hand firmly, as if he was trying to pass some of his strength to her. "You'll do fine in there." he said. She gave him a shy smile.
"What if... what if I can't revese it?" she asked.
"You're the brightest witch of all, love. If anyone can do this, it's you." he said as the assistant called her name. He gave her a sweet peck on the lips and smiled at her. "Love you. We'll be here waiting for you." he said. She stood up and walked to the office where both doctors Wilkins were. For them, it was a normal procedure to meet a new patient together. They started asking her some questions and when both turned their backs to her for a moment, she took out her wand, casted a silencing charm on the door and then turned to them and started reciting the incantation. The Wilkins got stiff, then turned around and looked at her with a shocked look on their faces. They knew who they were and where they were, they just didn't know why.
"Hermione?" her mom asked. Hermione's eyes filled with tears and nodded. Her parents went and hugged her. They asked her what was going on and she patiently told them about the war and how it finished. Then, she explained to them what she did and why. And there is when everything went downhill for her. Her father was quiet, though Hermione knew he was pretty mad at her right now. Her mother, on the other hand, was beyond furious, and she didn't hesitate in tell her daughter everything that she thought.
"This is outrageous, Hermione! I can't believe you used magic on us. ON US! After everything we've done for you!" her mother shouted.
"I had no choice!" Hermione exclaimed.
"You did have! You should have told us what was going on! We are your parents!" her mother shouted.
"That's why I had to do it! I had to save you! I couldn't lose you!" Hermione shouted back.
"Still, it wasn't right, Hermione. We trusted you! We trusted you blindly every single time. And you let us down." Her mother said.
Hermione looked at her, speechless. Her mother kept going on and on about how magic ruined her and their lives and Hermione tried to say something when they heard a knock on the door. The three of them got quiet and the door opened a little letting them hear screeching crying of a baby. Hermione closed her eyes and sighed. If things between her and her parents were bad, they were about to get worse. Ron walked in the office and looked at them.
"I'm... sorry to walk in like that, but... you were taking long, Mione, and... well... she woke up." he said pointing his head at the baby he was holding.
"You said..." Hermione started as she got up and went to him.
"I said the only thing I couldn't do for her was the feeding. And that's what she wants now. I tried everything else and she wouldn't settle." he interrupted her as Hermione took the baby from him. She sat in one of the arm chairs and started feeding the little girl who got quiet in the second her mother got her to her breast. Her parents looked at the scene, shocked.
"You... you..." her mother started. Hermione sighed.
"Yes. I have a child. Mom, dad: this is Belle, your granddaughter." she said looking at the little girl in her arms.
"Who... who is...?" her mother asked as Ron got closer to his girlfriend and child.
"That would be me. And by the look on your faces I asume Hermione hasn't told you yet that we're together." he said, then he looked at Hermione who shook her head.
"I was about to, but..." she started.
"I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! A BABY, HERMIONE! A BABY! YOU ARE BARELY 17 YEARS OLD! YOU'RE A CHILD!" her mother shouted.
"I'm not a child! I'm of age already!" Hermione stated.
"Not in our world... you're young. you have all your life ahead. This is... this is a mistake, Hermione. You're ruining your life!" her mother said.
"MY DAUGHTER IS NOT A MISTAKE!" Hermione shouted, furiously.
"Are you telling me that you and this... boy... planned to have a baby?" her mother snorted.
"Of course not! but that doesn't mean that I regret having her! And that boy's name is Ron, mom, and he's my boyfriend." Hermione said.
"You can't possibly think you're keeping the baby, Hermione. You're smarter than that!" Her mother said.
"I'm not leaving my baby!" Hermione said.
"Hermione, you're ruining your life. Do you have any idea how hard it is to raise a child? Do you have any idea how much money does it cost the doctor's appointments, the medicines, clothing, food, education? Are you aware of that?" her mother asked.
"Of course I am!" Hermione shouted.
"And how are you planning on doing it? You haven't even finished school, you have no job and no house of your own. How are you going to pull this of?" her mother asked.
"Well, we... we will manage. We..." Hermione hesitated. Truth to be told, her and Ron hadn't talked about everything they would have to do to raise their daughter.
"Hermione, you're still a child. Just accept it. You made a mistake and you just..." her mother started.
"STOP CALLING HER A MISTAKE! She's not a mistake, mother." Hermione said even madder than before.
"You weren't planning on her, you had unprotected sex and got pregnant. You made a mistake." Her mother said matter-of-factly.
"I didn't! And if you insist on calling her like that, then you must know that for me she isn't. She's the best thing I ever made and I don't regret it for a second, so you'll have to deal with it." Hermione said.
"If you insist on keep playing this 'happy family' thing then..." her mother threatened. Hermione looked at her.
"then what, mother?" Hermione asked.
"Then... don't count on me. I'm sorry, but I can't see you making a mistake like this." her mother said.
Hermione looked at her, shocked. She wasn't expecting this response. Sure, she was expecting them to be mad, but never this response.
"So, what... what are you saying?" Hermione asked with a lump in her throat.
"I don't want to be part of this. If this is how you're going to act, then I don't want anything to do with this. I don't want to see you again, Hermione. You truly disappointed me." her mother said.
Hermione couldn't believe it. All her efforts for keeping them safe, all her efforts for trying to find them and giving their memories back, were in vain. She had lost them. She got up with the baby still in her heads and went to the door. Ron could notice tears in her eyes. He rubbed her back and opened the door for her. In the second they walked down the building, Hermione burst into tears. Ron just put his arms around her and held her tight, rubbing her back and whispering in her ear that everything was going to be ok. Fifteen minutes later, she sobbed and sniffed. She upped her head to him, tears running down her cheeks.
"Can we go home now?" she asked in a small voice. "please, Ron. Can we go home?" she asked again, her voice breaking again. He kissed her head and nodded. They started walking down the streets, their baby girl wide awake looking at them from her mother's arms. They stopped at a park and sat at a bench overlooking a small pond. They looked at their little girl who was gurgling and looking at them with her big brown eyes.
"If I had my old time-turner and I went back to that time, you know what I would do, Ron?" she asked. He looked at her.
"What?" he asked.
"Absolutely nothing. I know we were irresponsible, Ron, but... if we had actually been responsible, then she wouldn't be here. And you know what? I wouldn't want it any other way. I just love her more than anything in this world. I don't know what our life would be if she wasn't here." she said, looking at her little girl with so much love. He smiled.
"Well, I'll tell you what: if she were a mistake as your parents said, then she's the best one we ever made." he said. She smiled and kissed him. Yes, they were young. Yes, they didn't know what they were going to do or how. But one thing was for sure: they didn't regret a single second of how things turned out for them.