Years Later I: Meeting
Nov. 12th, 2002 10:45 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rsadelle"Mum, look! It's Quality Quidditch Supplies!"
Hermione called after her children as they raced down the street. "James, Minnnie, stay together." Livy dragged at her hand, and Hermione bent to pick the girl up. "At least it's not Gambol and Jape's," she said. When she reached the crowd in front of the window, she found it to be largely red-haired and freckled.
"Hermione Granger," one of the parents said delightedly. "I didn't know you were going to be here."
Hermione dredged up a tired smile. "Hello, Fred." She nodded into the crowd. "My oldest is going to Hogwarts this year."
"Hermione! It's so good to see you." Molly hugged her tightly.
"Hello, Mrs. Weasley."
Molly laughed. "Please, call me Molly. With all the Mrs. Weasleys around here, that will just be confusing."
"These must be the Weasleys," a snide voice said from behind them. "They always have more kids than they can afford."
"And you must be a Malfoy," one of the Weasleys answered back. "They always pretend to be superior." As a retort went, it wasn't overly biting, but it was enough to make the Malfoy child back off, especially once she noticed all the adults standing around.
Molly turned to the crowd of her grandchildren. "Let's go, children. We're meeting the rest of your parents for ice cream." To Hermione she said, "Would you like to join us? Most of the family is here. We can all catch up while the children get to know each other."
"Ice cream!" Livy cried.
Molly chuckled. "I'd say that's a yes."
"James, Minnie," Hermione called. "Come along. We're going to go have ice cream with the Weasleys."
There were more Weasley adults waiting for them at Florean Fortescue's. Hermione busied herself getting ice cream for her three children before she could steel herself to join the adults at their table.
Harry and Ginny arrived just as she sat down. "We got all the books," Ginny said smugly. "They're being delivered to the Leaky Cauldron." Then she noticed Hermione, and came around to give her a tight hug. "It's so good to see you, Hermione."
"Hello," Hermione said. She nodded at Harry. "Hello, Harry."
Harry's greeting was interrupted as a wide-eyed child who looked suspiciously like a Creevey came to ask for his autograph.
"Hermione, how is that husband of yours?" Arthur asked when she'd sat down. "Donald, isn't it?"
"We're divorced."
"Oh, dear, I'm so sorry," Molly said.
"What happened?" Ginny asked.
"He took up with one of the hygienists while I was pregnant with Livy. When she was born--" Hermione shrugged. "We had a paternity test done, but he still didn't believe she was his."
"Why not?" George asked with a frown.
"No one in his family has ever had red hair. No one in my family has either."
"So where'd she get it?" Harry asked with a quick glance at Ron.
"Minerva-- McGonagall," she clarified, "thinks I unconsciously exerted my will on the baby while I was pregnant."
"It's been done before," Percy said, "but that takes a lot of magic."
"I wasn't using it for anything else."
"You kept in touch with McGonagall?" Ron asked.
"Yes."
"That must be hard," Katie said, "raising three kids on your own."
"It is. But my parents retired last year, so they take the kids while I'm at work." Hermione looked past the adults to the children. "Whichever Weasley you are," she yelled at the redheaded teenager holding a spoon over Livy's head, "if you get ice cream on my daughter's new dress, I'll put a hex on you and you'll be coughing up slugs for a month!"
"She'll do it, too," George warned.
"A prankster, just like his father," Fred said, shaking his head.
"We never should have named him Fred," George said with an identical headshake.
"You named your son Fred?" Hermione asked.
"Sure did. My eldest is Fred, Fred's eldest is George, and Ginny and Harry's twins are Fred and George."
Hermione looked around the table. "Weasleys causing trouble, a Malfoy being a prat, and Harry the celebrity. Some things never change."
"No, some things don't," Ron agreed.
"How many of them are there at Hogwarts now?" Hermione asked with a nod at the children.
"Three of ours," Ginny answered, "two of Charlie's, four of Fred's, five of George's, three of Percy's, and Bill's daughter. And, of course, Ron teaches."
"I'm surprised the place is still standing," she said, and they all laughed.
"What about yours?" Ginny asked.
"This'll be James' first year. Minnie's nine, and Livy's just three."
"They do any magic?" Angelina asked.
"James has been flying since he knew what a broom was. Minnie used to frighten Donald's parents half to death by Apparating out of her crib. Livy seems to have some affinity with plants."
Her throat tightened and she blinked back sudden tears. "How do you do it?" she asked. "How do you send your children away year after year?"
"Oh, the first one's always the hardest," Molly sympathized, patting her hand. "It gets easier."
Livy wandered over and held up her arms to be picked up. Hermione obligingly lifted her up and momentarily hid her face in the baby's hair.
"She does look like one of us," Percy said.
"Percy," Ginny admonished with an elbow to his ribs.
Percy looked offended. "Well, she does."
"Percy, hush."
Percy scowled at Ginny but quieted. To Hermione's relief, the conversation quickly turned away from her as the various branches of the Weasley family caught up on news and Livy drifted off into sleep on her shoulder.
When Livy woke up and the sun began to dip, Hermione called out to her other two children. "James, Minnie, time to go."
"But, Mum, we're having fun," James protested.
"You'll see them all on the train tomorrow and we're meeting Aunt Minerva and Uncle Severus for supper," Hermione reminded him.
"Severus?" Harry asked incredulously. "Severus Snape?"
"Yes," Hermione answered.
"You're having dinner with Professor Snape?"
"Yes," she answered again.
"You kept in touch with him too?" Ron asked.
"I grow hellsbane for him. It's horribly expensive here and it only grows in Muggle gardens. James," she warned, "it's time to go."
She nodded at the adults. "We'll see you at the platform tomorrow."
Hermione called after her children as they raced down the street. "James, Minnnie, stay together." Livy dragged at her hand, and Hermione bent to pick the girl up. "At least it's not Gambol and Jape's," she said. When she reached the crowd in front of the window, she found it to be largely red-haired and freckled.
"Hermione Granger," one of the parents said delightedly. "I didn't know you were going to be here."
Hermione dredged up a tired smile. "Hello, Fred." She nodded into the crowd. "My oldest is going to Hogwarts this year."
"Hermione! It's so good to see you." Molly hugged her tightly.
"Hello, Mrs. Weasley."
Molly laughed. "Please, call me Molly. With all the Mrs. Weasleys around here, that will just be confusing."
"These must be the Weasleys," a snide voice said from behind them. "They always have more kids than they can afford."
"And you must be a Malfoy," one of the Weasleys answered back. "They always pretend to be superior." As a retort went, it wasn't overly biting, but it was enough to make the Malfoy child back off, especially once she noticed all the adults standing around.
Molly turned to the crowd of her grandchildren. "Let's go, children. We're meeting the rest of your parents for ice cream." To Hermione she said, "Would you like to join us? Most of the family is here. We can all catch up while the children get to know each other."
"Ice cream!" Livy cried.
Molly chuckled. "I'd say that's a yes."
"James, Minnie," Hermione called. "Come along. We're going to go have ice cream with the Weasleys."
There were more Weasley adults waiting for them at Florean Fortescue's. Hermione busied herself getting ice cream for her three children before she could steel herself to join the adults at their table.
Harry and Ginny arrived just as she sat down. "We got all the books," Ginny said smugly. "They're being delivered to the Leaky Cauldron." Then she noticed Hermione, and came around to give her a tight hug. "It's so good to see you, Hermione."
"Hello," Hermione said. She nodded at Harry. "Hello, Harry."
Harry's greeting was interrupted as a wide-eyed child who looked suspiciously like a Creevey came to ask for his autograph.
"Hermione, how is that husband of yours?" Arthur asked when she'd sat down. "Donald, isn't it?"
"We're divorced."
"Oh, dear, I'm so sorry," Molly said.
"What happened?" Ginny asked.
"He took up with one of the hygienists while I was pregnant with Livy. When she was born--" Hermione shrugged. "We had a paternity test done, but he still didn't believe she was his."
"Why not?" George asked with a frown.
"No one in his family has ever had red hair. No one in my family has either."
"So where'd she get it?" Harry asked with a quick glance at Ron.
"Minerva-- McGonagall," she clarified, "thinks I unconsciously exerted my will on the baby while I was pregnant."
"It's been done before," Percy said, "but that takes a lot of magic."
"I wasn't using it for anything else."
"You kept in touch with McGonagall?" Ron asked.
"Yes."
"That must be hard," Katie said, "raising three kids on your own."
"It is. But my parents retired last year, so they take the kids while I'm at work." Hermione looked past the adults to the children. "Whichever Weasley you are," she yelled at the redheaded teenager holding a spoon over Livy's head, "if you get ice cream on my daughter's new dress, I'll put a hex on you and you'll be coughing up slugs for a month!"
"She'll do it, too," George warned.
"A prankster, just like his father," Fred said, shaking his head.
"We never should have named him Fred," George said with an identical headshake.
"You named your son Fred?" Hermione asked.
"Sure did. My eldest is Fred, Fred's eldest is George, and Ginny and Harry's twins are Fred and George."
Hermione looked around the table. "Weasleys causing trouble, a Malfoy being a prat, and Harry the celebrity. Some things never change."
"No, some things don't," Ron agreed.
"How many of them are there at Hogwarts now?" Hermione asked with a nod at the children.
"Three of ours," Ginny answered, "two of Charlie's, four of Fred's, five of George's, three of Percy's, and Bill's daughter. And, of course, Ron teaches."
"I'm surprised the place is still standing," she said, and they all laughed.
"What about yours?" Ginny asked.
"This'll be James' first year. Minnie's nine, and Livy's just three."
"They do any magic?" Angelina asked.
"James has been flying since he knew what a broom was. Minnie used to frighten Donald's parents half to death by Apparating out of her crib. Livy seems to have some affinity with plants."
Her throat tightened and she blinked back sudden tears. "How do you do it?" she asked. "How do you send your children away year after year?"
"Oh, the first one's always the hardest," Molly sympathized, patting her hand. "It gets easier."
Livy wandered over and held up her arms to be picked up. Hermione obligingly lifted her up and momentarily hid her face in the baby's hair.
"She does look like one of us," Percy said.
"Percy," Ginny admonished with an elbow to his ribs.
Percy looked offended. "Well, she does."
"Percy, hush."
Percy scowled at Ginny but quieted. To Hermione's relief, the conversation quickly turned away from her as the various branches of the Weasley family caught up on news and Livy drifted off into sleep on her shoulder.
When Livy woke up and the sun began to dip, Hermione called out to her other two children. "James, Minnie, time to go."
"But, Mum, we're having fun," James protested.
"You'll see them all on the train tomorrow and we're meeting Aunt Minerva and Uncle Severus for supper," Hermione reminded him.
"Severus?" Harry asked incredulously. "Severus Snape?"
"Yes," Hermione answered.
"You're having dinner with Professor Snape?"
"Yes," she answered again.
"You kept in touch with him too?" Ron asked.
"I grow hellsbane for him. It's horribly expensive here and it only grows in Muggle gardens. James," she warned, "it's time to go."
She nodded at the adults. "We'll see you at the platform tomorrow."
(no subject)
Date: 2002-11-12 11:18 pm (UTC)And now you've set up the mystery of Livy and her red hair... I hope you'll continue.
(no subject)
Date: 2002-11-13 07:10 pm (UTC)McGonagall's actually right about where Livy got her hair, but Hermione's not quite telling everything yet. (I actually used the same plot point in the unwritten future of the Hermione-pregnant-with-Draco's-child story. I realized as I was writing this thing that it's because I, like Melle, am a Ron + Hermione 4-EVAH! type.
(no subject)
Date: 2002-12-07 02:19 pm (UTC)Actually, the point of this post is rather random... i thought you might get a kick out of these :)
(no subject)
Date: 2002-12-08 12:27 pm (UTC)And thanks for the pictures, although, what is she wearing? And what's with his little mustache? And is he wearing a t-shirt under that coat? No style, either one of them.
(no subject)
Date: 2002-12-13 01:53 pm (UTC)Oh god, the moustache. Well, let's at least be thankful that he didn't have the horrible, greasy, Snape-ish hair he's been sporting lately. And Liv is obviously modelling the newest look in Maternity Wear From The 80s.
(no subject)
Date: 2002-12-13 10:34 pm (UTC)I love your nearly-sacrilegious icon.
(no subject)
Date: 2002-12-14 04:06 am (UTC)http://www.orlandomultimedia.net/news2002/dec/pavement3.jpg
http://www.full-bloom.net/images/mags/pavement/05.jpg
And thank you, i do try.
(no subject)
Date: 2002-12-14 09:23 am (UTC)He looks kind of like Johnny Depp.