Hope Floats

I disclaim. There. Are you happy now?

"Arrrgggggh! These are the times I wish I could transfigure your brother into a pack mule!" Hermione said exasperatedly.

"I think we'd all love him much more as a pack mule. He's already an animal, let's just make him a better one," Ginny said sardonically.

Hermione did her best not to laugh. It seemed that Ron was getting a rather harsh comeuppance. To think, his own sister...

Hermione finished putting her bags into the trunk of the car, then hugged Ginny.

"Thanks so much, Gin," Hermione said gratefully.

"Please, you know I'd do anything for you and the little bug over there," Ginny said as she gestured to the child in the passenger seat.

Hermione smiled at her daughter.

"Make sure to put on your seat belt, Di," Hermione told her.

"Why do you bother with this thing? Why not just aparate or use floo powder?" Ginny asked.

"Well you see... Ron loves this car..." Hermione began with a mischievous grin.

"Ah, say no more. I understand completely," Ginny added with an evil grin.

Hermione grinned shyly; as if she were embarrassed by such underhanded behavior.

***************

A couple hours later Hermione arrived at Ginny's home.

"Hey, Diana, could you please get that box there hun?" Hermione asked.

"Sure mummy," she replied happily.

Moments later Ginny came out to assist them with their luggage. When they finally were inside and unpacked, Hermione spoke with Ginny for a while out of politeness, then went to bed.

Many weeks passed the same way. Hermione did what she had to do. She ate, she fed her daughter, took her to school, and slept....and slept some more. The days blended together into one huge monotonous mess of sleeping and waking. Mornings felt less like the start of the day and more like the end of the dark night.

On one of those mornings, Ginny popped into the magically added bedroom that Hermione now claimed as her own and started to shout cleaning spells every which way.

"Do you HAVE to do that now?" Hermione asked groggily.

"Yes, it's about time you woke your sorry arse up," Ginny said resolutely.

"Ginny, I'm tired. Please, just let me sleep," Hermione begged.

"All you've done is sleep. Besides, you have to get up today...We're going to have company," Ginny hinted.

"Company? What for? Who's coming?" Hermione asked in the same groggy tone.

"You'll have to get up to know the answers to all your questions. All I will tell you is that you might want to fix yourself up. You look like pure shit, woman," she teased.

"I have no reason to NOT look like pure shit anymore... Ginny you're not setting me up with people ALREADY?!" Hermione screeched once realization hit her.

"No, NO! Where could you possibly get that idea from?" Ginny responded innocently.

"Ginny, you had better not be trying to set me up with some random sex object you just happen to be acquainted with just because you think I need 'a quick lay'," Hermione ranted.

"Good heavens woman! Get your knickers out of a bind! So my brother is a bastard, the world keeps turning! Live, live for your daughter damn it! Do you have any idea what you are doing to her?! Do you have any clue how her life is even going in this new place? You have completely uprooted her whole life and then you neglected her." Ginny exploded.

Hermione lay there, mouth agape in shock. She was paralyzed. Ginny's words rang true, so true in fact, that Hermione felt the unsurpassable surge of guilt travel through her body only to settle itself firmly in her gut.

"I haven't neglected her," Hermione said weakly.

"...You've fed her, that's about it," Ginny replied.

Hermione fisted her small hands around the sides of her pillow and hid her face in it. Ginny didn't realize the impact of her words until she saw Hermione's back shaking with the sobs she'd hoped to hide in her pillow. Ginny sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed her back while she sobbed into her pillow.

The impact of her current dilemma has emotionally crippled Hermione. She did what anyone would do. Sulk. Drown in her depression. She spent her days in an old shirt of Ron's. She either slept, watched TV, or read.

"Come on now, Hermione. Crying isn't going to do you anymore good. You've let it out hun, it's time to start healing," Ginny told her as she rubbed her back some more.

"Easy for you to say," Hermione said with her voice muffled slightly.

"Don't knock it til you try it," Ginny replied.

"I suppose you're right," Hermione said as she lifted her head from the pillow

***********************************

Hermione got dressed in an old, comfortable pair of jeans and a short button-down shirt which she tied at the bottom. She started off her day by rearranging the 'order' in which she put her new room. Around mid-day she was tired and a bit hungry so she went downstairs to see what there was to eat.

"Hello there, beautiful," Harry said to her from the door.

Hermione jumped a bit in shock, then gripped the railing to the stairs in a vice grip. Once she got past her shock, she was able to take in his appearance.

He still wore glasses, although now they were oval instead of round. There was a glean of sweat on his neck and face and his shirt was half way unbuttoned. Her eyes then shot straight up to his beautiful emerald ones. His hair was a little longer than she remembered it, it got in his eyes every few seconds. She snapped out of her pensive reverie when Harry wiped his forehead with the back of his hand.

"HARRY!" she screamed before hopping off the stairs and running into his arms.

He hugged her tightly, lifted her off the ground, and spun her in circles until he couldn't stand it any longer. Afterwards he pulled away from her a bit, just to look at her face.

"Here you go Harry, I'm sorry we didn't have iced tea. I hope lemonade will do nicely," Ginny said as she entered the room with two glasses of lemonade on a tray.

Harry then released Hermione so that he could get his glass off the tray. He downed half of it in one gulp and then smiled sheepishly at Hermione.

"Please excuse me, I've been working on this slave driver's porch all afternoon," He told her.

"It's quite all right, Harry. I can believe that," Hermione said with a snide look at Ginny.

Ginny stuck her tongue out at hermione once Harry's back was turned.

"Here Hermione, you can have this glass, you must be parched," Ginny said in a sickeningly sweet tone.

"Thank you," Hermione said stiffly.

"Why don't you two go take a break on the porch while I go get you the pitcher of lemonade?" Ginny suggested.

Harry shrugged and gave Hermione a 'do you want to?' look before proceeding to the front door. Hermione followed listlessly.

The pair of them walked out onto the porch and took a seat on the swing that Ginny had Harry install that day.

"Hmm, I don't recall this being here yesterday..."Hermione said with a grin as she sat down.

"That would be because I put it here today," Harry told her.

"It's beautiful," she nearly whispered.

"I made it," He replied.

She simply smiled up at him. Although he could still see a tinge of sadness in her eyes.

"I heard what happened," Harry said as he put his arm around her shoulder, "I'm so sorry Hermione,"

Silent tears rolled down Hermione's cheek. Harry tilted her chin up to him and wiped away her tears with his thumb.

"You always did say he was 'one daft git', "Harry said with what could be described as the beginnings of a smile.

Hermione blushed and tried to hide her smile. Harry tilted her head up again and smiled at her.

"You can't hide from me, Granger, I saw that smile peeking out," Harry said to her with a grand smile on his face.

"Cheater," Hermione said.

"I can't help myself, I had to see that beautiful smile again. You certainly haven't showed it much since you've gotten here," Harry complimented.

The sadness returned to her features and He couldn't help but pull her into a hug. He rocked her back and forth as she cried silent tears into his chest.

...Inside while this is going on, a redheaded witch is cackling internally with glee.

"Ah, there is hope for her yet," Ginny whispered to herself.

"Hope for what aunt Ginny?" Di said as she came up behind her aunt.

"Oh, you little bug! You startled me!" Ginny said as she put her hand to her chest in shock.

"Hope for what aunt Ginny?" Diana asked again.

"Hope that you will go upstairs and take a shower. You smell like uncle Percy," Ginny said with a wicked grin.

"Ewwwww, uncle Percy!?" Diana exclaimed in revulsion.

"Yep, uncle Percy. You better go wash those Percy germs off you quick , before you become an uptight, anal-retentive, aaashhhhould go shower. Yes, go shower," Ginny said quickly.

Diana run up the stairs screaming and rubbing at her forearms.

"God bless Fred and George!" Ginny said to herself with a bright smile.

( A/N: And that, my dear readers, is the end of chapter three. I hope you approve as to it's length and content. As for those who might be confused about the end of this chapter...Fred and George thought it would be funny to instill in their niece a disgust for her uncle Percy.... :D I hope you enjoyed!)