Breaking the shadows

Going home

1996

Thursday October 21st.

After the prefect dinner, Hermione, Ron, Harry, Ginny, and I take the midnight train to kings cross with the other prefects. My parents are going to pick Hermione and I up and take us home. We stand on the platform waiting for the train. Hermione has gone somewhere with Ron; they are probably snogging behind a telephone booth or something. Their relationship is still hidden, even Harry doesn't know it yet, but they make it pretty obvious sometimes, I only know that they became a couple after I accidentally walked in on them snogging last year in Ron's room. After that Hermione has told me everything between them. Ginny and I are the only ones who know. But as long as Hermione is happy with Ron, I'm happy for them, but if he ever hurts her, I can do incredible things to him.
As the train arrives, we all jump in and sit down in the same compartment. I sit nearest the window next to Ginny and Hermione, Ron, and Harry across from us. The whole school know about our relationship because one day we were caught making out in the corner by Draco and Pansy and before long they had spread a rumour all across school, and instead of lying and saying that we were just friends, we told the truth and people could take it as they wanted it wouldn't stop us from expressing our love for each other. But it was also getting exhausting to hide it, I couldn't even tell Ginny that I loved her in public, I could but not without getting wired looks from everyone around us. Now it's just normal, we can hold hands in public, but we are still careful with kissing in front of others. Mostly because it isn't that comfortable when people stare at you, and you can just feel their eyes burning on your back. And that makes everything else uncomfortable.

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Leaning on Ginny I daze off dreaming about the future:
Ginny, Hermione, Ron, and I are on the beach on a summer day, four kids are building a sandcastle together, a boy and three girls. Two of them must be Ginny's and mine and the other two Ron's and Hermione because Hermione never wanted more than two kids. One of the girls has the same fiery hair as Ginny and as she runs up to me, I notice that she has my hazel eyes, and in that moment, I know that I have an adopted daughter and a daughter with features from both Ginny and me. The boy has red hair as Ron and Ginny, but his eyes are darker, and the hair is bushier like Hermione's. The last girl is identical with Hermione with Ron's blue eyes.

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We are all in the water playing with a beach ball I am holding my youngest daughter who is only three years old, but she is not the youngest for long, as we were sitting on the beach, I could see that Ginny was about four months pregnant. And with two girls ages thirteen and three I think the third is a boy. But with all these kids around me, my dream about becoming a mother has happened and I couldn't be happier. A life with Ginny and this family everything I ever dreamed of has come true.

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I wake up when Ginny kisses my forehead, and I look out the window realising that we are on kings cross. And on the platform is Molly and Arthur Weasley along with my parents, both Hermione and I run off to hug our parents. Our mother hugs us tight and tells us how much she has missed us. As I see Ginny hugging her mother, I quickly hug my father and the Ginny comes over to us, she takes my hand and drags me around the corner, gently presses me against the brick wall and kisses me. Her hand on my cheek and the other on my waist. I pull her closer and deepen the kiss.
We won't see each other for almost a week, but the Friday before we go back to school Hermione, and I are staying at the Weasleys and going back to school with them.
As our lips part I hear my mother say: "Hermione, where did Harlow go?"

"I don't know mom" She answers

Mom: "Can't you find her?"

Hermione: "She'll be back any second, I'm sure."

Mom: "We have to get home soon."

I kiss Ginny one last time before going back to my mother, and she says: "Where did you go?"

"Bathroom."

Mom: "Okay, we have to get home. It's late."

Hermione quickly hug Ron and Harry before going with me and our parents to the car. On the way home our father talks about what has happened in the neighbourhood while we were gone. Apparently Mr. Robertson has been arrested for sexual abuse on his granddaughters. Both Hermione and I are shocked but now we know that the rumours were true after all.
As we arrive home, we drink a cup of tea together before bed as we always do.
Hermione and I have always shared a room. When we were younger it was bunkbeds, but a few years back we outgrew them and asked for two single beds, and we got them. Now when we are both home from Hogwarts, we push the beds together, so it forms a double bed and then talk all night. Just like a sleepover even though we share a dorm-room at Hogwarts.

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Puplished: 05-06-23