New Romantics | Hermione Granger Book IV

|03| Chapter Three

T H R E E

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Saffron's Godmother was even more beautiful in person to the extent that none of the pictures that she had of her could do her any justice whatsoever. Her bright blue eyes twinkled as she stared across at Saffon, looking at her with a nervous but also curious smile. Age had treated her like a friend and Saffron got the sense that living in the countryside for so long, without the stresses of the wizarding world probably had that effect on people.

"I can see you're finding it as hard to believe as I am that we're finally together again," Sage said to Saffron bracingly, keeping the smile on her face. Saffron merely nodded at her. "Though, I'm sure you can't remember any of our interactions when you were a baby. I wouldn't expect you to, of course, but----" Her voice drifted off, she then looked at Amanda and nodded at the woman. "Amanda,"

"Sage," Amanda nodded politely in return. She put an arm on Saffron's shoulder. "I think I'll let you and your Godmother catch up alone, I'll come back to bring you back to Holyhead in a while,"

"Okay," Saffron said to Amanda appreciably, as Sage took a seat at a table that had been laid out in the middle of the parlour. "Thank you,"

Amanda offered her a reassuring grin and the bell rung from above the door signalling that she had left the premises. Saffron had initially thought that she had heard someone else within the vicinity, but it turned out to just be her and Sage.

Saffron figured she ought to be proactive and to not just let her Godmother steer the conversation. So, she began with a general question.

"Where's Sirius?" Saffron asked her Godmother quickly, wanting to ensure that there were no long pauses of silence making things awkward. 

"Hogsmeade," Sage informed her, she too spoke briskly, likely for the same reasons at Saffron. "He's showing my-- our son, Noah, he's never been before, you see,"

"That's good..." Saffron's mouth became completely dry and it shut as a result.

She had envisioned meeting her Godmother for years on end now. But now that it was here, she had no idea what to say to her. What did they have to talk about? Should they just get to know each other seeing as they didn't know each other? Would talking about their past be a good idea? Or maybe their future? Luckily, Saffron didn't have to make that decision as Sage took on the responsibility of holding the reins of the conversation.

"You're probably wondering why I let you stay with that god awful woman Squire for all these years and didn't take the four of you in myself?"

Saffron shook her head. "No, I know why. Amanda and Remus explained it to us. It's okay," She did her best to assure the woman that she held no ill will against her for not taking them off to Ireland with her. "I understand, the four of us do. I think everything has worked out how it's supposed to,"

"I hope that turns out to be the case," Sage responded biting her lip. "Sirius tells me that the five of you, Harry included, want out of where you are currently staying,"

"Yeah," Saffron nodded profusely, putting Rachel's reminders into practice and making it abundantly clear as to where their heads were at in that regard. "We don't like it there at all,"

"Then we'll get you out of there," said Sage. Saffron could see a prominent glint of determination in her mind. It appeared as though the woman felt she was making up for the lost time in trying to help them as much as she could. "Hopefully by next year, we'll have everything sorted out. Truthfully, I'm not even sure where I stand with Sirius at the moment. Everything is very complicated, I'm very rusty at this magical life nowadays,"

"But we have plans to move into my old house, up at the Lake District. I grew up there with my older brother and sister, but my brother has passed and my sister doesn't want it. So, the house is mine. Hopefully, by next Summer we'll be able to move you all in there. It's what your parents and Harrys would have wanted, Sirius and I, we-- we were supposed to be your legal guardians should anything happen to you all. I know we're late, late is probably the biggest understatement of the century, but we're here for you now, if that's what you want,"

"Yeah it is," confirmed Saffron breathlessly. She was currently suppressing the thoughts in her mind about what her life could have looked like if Sage had been able to take them in from the very beginning. She tried to rid herself of the thoughts as there was no point in dwelling on something that never happened.

Sage beamed at her. "I'm glad to hear it. For the time being, I know Sirius remains intent on his promise to bring you all to the World Cup. We'll get to meet you all properly at that, though, maybe I should go to Holyhead to meet your siblings before that. I don't want to overwhelm them with three new faces- myself, Sirius and Noah,"

It was somewhat ironic that Sage felt that way because Amanda had thought the exact same thing about Sage meeting the four of them all at once.

"Is he coming to Hogwarts?" Saffron questioned Sage tentatively, the 'he' referring to Noah.

Sage shook her head gravely. "Not this year at any rate. He's gone through so much within this past month, meeting his dad for the first time after thinking he'd never meet him. I hope to enrol him next year, but for the time being, I don't want to put too much on him," She sighed but looked up to Saffron, seeming hopeful about the prospect of him going eventually, at least. "You'll see him at the world cup though, that'll be his first time at a busy magical function, so we'll see how that goes and go from there,"

"That sounds great, my siblings are looking forward to meeting him," grinned Saffron excitedly. She still knew very little about the woman but she was still eagerly awaiting getting to move in with her to get away from Squires. This was the person that her mother had trusted above anyone else and that had to mean something significant.

"Likewise," said Sage conversationally. "He'll be a ball of nerves at the start, but once you get to know him, he's the most loveable little--- okay, I need to get out of mother mode, he'd kill me for saying that. Basically, he's great, if I don't mind saying so myself,"

Saffron chuckled. The pang of loneliness she felt time and time again from now having parents was something she felt deeply as Sage described her son, but she continued to make conversation to try and distract herself from it. 

It turned out that Saffron already knew quite a lot about Sage Gill. She grew up with two older siblings, Monte and Lilah and her family were staunch supporters of Albus Dumbledore and the anti-Voldemort movement. She gave her insight into her friendship with her mother and the first time that her parents ever spoke, which was in a potions classroom in their second year. She then described how her mother was like her sister, as they never fell out in school, not over anything whatsoever. When Saffron asked the question as to why Sage wasn't made the first child, Maya's Godmother, she answered by telling her that her father's friend, Claudia, was effectively chosen by Maya as she always wanted to be held by that woman. When Saffron was born, she gravitated towards Sage and the decision was made on that basis.

They must have spoken for at least an hour. Sage wanted to know everything about what had happened to Saffron over the span of her life, and ended by concluding that she would make quicksand to eat Squire up, a speciality of hers in Hogwarts. By the time that Amanda came to escort Saffron home, Saffron didn't want to leave. The fact that there was a better prospect right under her nose than Squires was appealing to her. However, she understood that in order to join a new family, the immediate family of Sage, Sirius and Noah needed to figure out where they stood with one another. She would have to be patient for a little while longer, which was nothing in comparison to how long she had waited for in the past.  

"So the Quidditch world cup then?" Saffron wanted to hear Sage say that they were going one last time before leaving, as Amanda waited with the door held open for Saffron.

"We'll be there," said Sage shortly, making Saffron beam.

They might have only scratched the surface in the cultivation of their relationship, but it was a start. An overwhelmingly positive start, and with the promise of the Quidditch world cup in her back pocket, Saffron couldn't wait to see what happened next with her new family.