Humans are cowards in the face of happiness. It takes courage to hold on to happiness.
Sometimes, life leads you to paths you would never think to travel, take you to places you can never return or the adventure to them a permanent scar in your mind. Life is unpredictable every chance it gets, that is the only thing anyone should depend upon in this world, things are always bound to change. Though this was one of the very few and reliable truths the world offers, it still will catch you by surprise no matter what. Today, Hermione thought it would be another normal day with the kids and her husband. Just another night filled with a grand event for work that would advance her in the world of writing.
How wrong she was.
“Mummy, Hugo broke my broom!” Rose her eleven year old daughter screamed as she ran to her mother, reaching her arms up to her, tears streaking her little rosy cheeks. Hermione, dressed in a smart navy skirt suit bent over and picked up her daughter and began to comfort her. Rose began to slowly calm down as Hermione bounced the growing girl slowly until the girls cries went from shrieks to whimpers, from whimpers to silence.
“Mummy will go buy you a new one, I promise,” she cooed to her beautiful little girl whom she adored and spoiled, she also made a mental note to speak with her nine year old son later. “Everything will be alright; I will get you one tomorrow.”
She pouted out her little lip, her eyes narrowing slightly, a look inherited from Hermione alone. “Can I get a new one today? I wanted to fly with Albus today!” she said stubbornly, getting that trait from her mother and father.
“I will ask Daddy later today if he will go get you one, but I can’t promise you we can get a new one today. Mummy has a very big event to go to tonight, it’s very important for Mummy’s work.” Hermione smiled at her daughter, though young, could negotiate and be easily pacified.
“Alright,” she said as Hermione set Rose down to run off and play as she felt arms wrap tightly around her waist and a kiss placed underneath the hallow of her ear. She smiled softly and reached her hand up to cup the face of the man that held her, her loving husband.
“Good morning,” she said softly, closing her eyes and feeling immediately calmer about all that she must do today, he was like a soothing potion or perhaps a calming draught.
“Yes, I just got an owl about a breakthrough in the Holmquist case and it seems we might have a clue who the werewolf was that bit her,” he said triumphantly as he slowly untangled himself from his wife’s embrace and went over to the counter. He waved his wand at the coffee pot to get things going, the beans grinding themselves and putting themselves inside and shutting. He grabbed the paper from the table as Hermione slowly sat down and took a long drink of her tea, enjoying the warmth and taste. She always drank Earl Grey before a day of work; she never quite understood why people, including her husband, could stand coffee.
“That’s wonderful, Ron, I’ll be happy to see that the new Wolf bane potion put to use, though I hope the attack wasn’t purposefully done,” she said thoughtfully, seeing a sudden image of Fenir Greyback flash through her mind, his teeth snarling. She shuddering at the thought, remembering that night he had caught Ron, Harry, and herself, threatening to eat Hermione most of the night. She shook her head slightly to rid herself of such horrible thoughts. “Remember, when you come home for your break you need to take the kids to Harry and Ginny’s. They agreed to watch them since we both have to work late tonight.”
“I sit in an office for hours poring over paperwork while you get to dance and talk with rich wankers at that stupid party, or ball thing. I hardly call that work,” he said jealously, still the same old Ron; some things would never ever change. As much as she loved Ron, part of her, a larger part than she cared to admit, was highly irritated by how he acted sometimes, especially considering her work. Of course, she never said anything to him, not even to Ginny because, after all, marriage wasn’t always pleasant, right?
“Oh, hush you,” she said affectionately, chuckling lightly into her tea. “It is work as a matter of fact, I have to make sure I talk to all the important publishers tonight and see if I can get one of them to review and possibly publish my new book.”
“Why can’t you just go through the same publisher as last time?” he asked, referring to the book she had written on Defense Against The Dark Arts which was currently being taught to fifth years at Hogwarts. All her Dumbledore’s Army training had come in handy, and all her notes she had jotted down in school were very helpful as well.
“How many times must I tell you this, this book isn’t educational, and it’s a normal novel for everyone to read. It takes a different kind of publisher to put out a romance novel than a text book.” She remained scowling slightly at him over her tea; it seemed sometimes he never listened to her. She had told him this very thing at least two times previously, it was becoming ridiculous. She wished sometimes he would be more attentive, like he had been when they had first been engaged and then married. Things had been so perfect then, not it seemed like the barely communicated in the same language.
“Wait, so you are writing something that isn’t boring?” he asked with a small laugh, pouring himself a cup of his coffee and then biting into a piece of buttered toast.
“No, Ron, I did not write something boring again, thank you,” she said sharply, rolling her eyes and trying to stifle the urge to yell at him. Lately, though most of their conversations started sweet and kind, they seemed to end with bitterness or harsh words. “This time I am trying something new, which I hope you have no issue with since it seems I could make a lot of galleons off of this book than the last. I talked about this with you last week, but apparently you don’t listen to me. You promised to me you would make sure the kids would get to your sister’s house so I would have time to get the house work done and to get ready.”
“Right, right. I remember now, I guess,” he said with a sigh, throwing the paper back down on the table and drinking deeply from his coffee mug. He set it down on the counter, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand and informing, “I will make sure the kids get to Harry’s today and you go and enjoy your work.” He walked away from her and yelled up the stairs, “Hugo! Rose! We’re going to Uncle Harry’s and Aunt Ginny’s!”
Hugo and Rose came running down the stairs, their backpacks slung over their shoulders and jumping up and down. Hermione smiled at both her children and bent down, kissing them both and giving them each a big hug. “You two behave for Aunt Ginny and Uncle Harry tonight, promise?”
“Yes, Mummy,” they said in unison, grinning at her, though mischief glistened in their pretty little eyes.
“I love you, be good,” she said with one last kiss for each of them as they squirmed away and giggled.
She put her cup down and tossed her head slightly remembering as Ron regarded her important night as just a silly event in which to entertain her. She sighed, shaking her head slightly as she countered, “I’ll see you when I get home, Ronald. You have fun with your doughnut eating and stupid paperwork, won’t you? Too bad there isn’t enough field work for you to do, it must be so hard sitting behind your desk all day and doodling Chudley Cannons everywhere.”
He scowled deeply at that comment, his eyebrows furrowing together and his face turning a light shade of pink. “Yes, while you enjoy writing things that people will never learn in school or gushy romances that make no difference in the world. I’ll see you when you get home.” Leaving an angry Hermione in his wake Ron held on to his two children and apparated on the spot and the loud ‘CRACK’ rang in the deafening silence he left behind.
She huffed silently, trying not to be bothered by his parting words, regardless of how rude they had been. She would not let a stupid discussion, argument really; ruin a day that was so important, a day that the success of her latest book depended upon. Before she left the house she ran upstairs, grabbing the synopsis that she had typed up, as well as the manuscript for her book, shrinking it into her purse. Tonight she would be completely prepared for whatever was to happen, whatever was to be thrown at her she would overcome.
Ha. Yeah right.
Happiness Takes Courage by Sparkling_Moonlight
Chapter Notes: This brings us to immediately before the epilogue. In a few chapters the children will be going to school and the epilogue will be briefly mentioned.
Chapter Endnotes: Hello! Chapter three is on it's way, as for chapter four, it's almost done actually. Right now I am working two jobs so my time is limited to write but I will try to keep putting new chapters up at least every two weeks. Thanks for reading and comments are always welcome!
Quinn