Chapter Text
Going through the motions
Brown eyes blink open, a mass of bushy red hair obscuring her vision. She takes a deep breath, spluttering as the offending hair invades her mouth. Reaching up she gently pushes the offending hair back to its owner currently pinning her arm to the bed. Pulling her arm carefully free she manages not to wake the child in the bed, still breathing heavily with sleep. She sits up, stretches and glances at the alarm clock.
5.45am. Quarter of an hour early. She flicks the switch so as not to wake the child and heads to the bathroom. Along the way she flicks her wand, sending several soft toys and a butterfly duvet back behind the door with the large butterfly name plate.
The shower is hot as she scrubs shampoo through her own bushy locks humming to herself. Once rinsed she wraps a towel around herself, spells her hair dry and drags her hands through it attempting to tame it somewhat. Looking in the mirror she sighs.
Who’d have thought my 30s would look like this?
She thinks as she wrestles her hair into a bun and applies her makeup to cover the dark circles under her eyes. She pulls on her green healers scrubs and slicks a layer of balm over her lips. Ready to face the day she returns to her bedroom to wake the only other occupant of the house.
“Amelia sweety, time to get up.” The owner of the bushy red hair buries further into the pillows mumbling.
“Can’t hear you. Breakfast in 10 okay?” Hermione patts the shoulder poking out from the blankets and slinks out of the room. She chuckles as heavy footsteps race down the hall followed by the slam of the bathroom door as the shower clicks on.
Flicking on the radio Hermione hums to herself as she bustles around the kitchen. The muggle news fills the small kitchen with the scent of porridge and fresh fruit. Amelia flops into her chair at the table just as Hermione finishes chopping the fruit into the bowls.
She tutts, as she takes in the state of her daughters uniform. Tie undone, shirt untucked from her skirt, with one sock still bunched around her ankle and her hair dripping wet. Amelia shovels spoonfuls into her mouth as Hermione sighs. She flicks her wand, earning a startled grunt from her daughter as her hair dries, braids itself in two plaits from her temples and down her back as her uniform fixes itself.
“Mum?”
“Yes love?”
“Can’t I go to work with you today?”
“Nope.”
“But I…”
“Want to see magic all day?” Hermione cocks an eyebrow as she sips her tea. A shy smile forms on her daughters face.
“Honey, muggle education is still important. That is where you’re uncle Harry and I started.”
“Yeah, but you didn’t know any better!”
“Honey, we’ve gone over this. Being a witch is different, not better. You need to understand both worlds. Besides, you’re going to hogwarts next year.”
“Not if my letter doesn’t come” Amelia huffs, folding her arms. Hermione laughs.
“So like your uncles. Little drama queen. Its only april.”
Amelia only scowls harder at her mother as Hermione laughs and tidies away the breakfast dishes. They don’t speak for a few moments as they gather bags, coats and shoes in preparation for the walk to Amelia’s primary school.
“I tell you what..” Hermione starts as she buttons Amelia red duffle coat.
“How about we go visit your uncles this weekend?”
“Yes! Will Aunty Gin be home?”
“Yeah, I think she’s home between matches.” Amelia grins at her mother, her bright blue eyes sparkle in a way that makes Hermione’s heart twinge a little.
“All right. I’ll call them from work. We’ll go after school friday.” Amelia slips her hand into her mothers as the door to their flat locks behind them and they head down the stairs into the brisk april morning.
~~~
Friday afternoon felt like a week away for Hermione. The rest of her week at work had been busier than ever. Just the usual accidents with several broken bones and the occasional mishap of a spell gone wrong.
She’d had to remind one elderly lady that a certain golden haired author didn’t actually know a thing, so repairing her husbands fracture had actually left him with no bones in his hand. The husband had been most displeased when Hermione had told him he’d need to stay overnight and drink several glasses of Skel-e-grow.
After patching up several garden gnome bites on the hand of a toddler who’d run into an overrun hedge Hermione grabbed a glass of water, thinking about which patient to see next.
“Hey you.”
“Sally! What are you doing here?” Hermione asked hugging her friend.
“Relieving you silly. Its 2.30, don’t you have a leprechaun to pick up from school?”
Hermione laughed at lilting tone her friend used.
“Merlin, don’t let her hear you say that. Thanks Sally you’re a doll.”
“Any time, you just call me if my favourite 10 year old wants to chill at my place soon okay.”
“It’s a deal. See you monday.” Hermione calls as she skips into the staff rooms to change and head to school.
The weather had warmed a fair bit during the week, so all she needed was a cardigan over her tee and favourite slightly worn jeans. She stood with the other parents in the courtyard waiting for the bell to ring.
She hated this part, the pointless small talk, the my kid is better than your kid trade offs. It was school pick ups that would sometimes make her wish, just for a little while, that she wasn’t alone in this. That the man who’d given Amelia his fiery hair and temperament and sea glass eyes, was beside her. She shook her head slightly, she didn't need him. They were fine. Toying with the cuff of her cardigan she lifts her wrist to check her watch.
“Always takes longer on a friday doesn’t it honey?” She looks over at the woman smiling beside her and nods.
“Certainly seems that way.”
“Off anywhere special this weekend?”
“Oh, just to see my brothers.” “Oh lovely, do they ha…” the woman was cut off as the school bell rang and a head of bushy red hair barrelled into her side and dragged Hermione towards the street.