Inspired by my maternal grandparents… the ones who've been married 53 years, the ones who sit outside in the evenings, hand-in-hand, to watch the squashes grow. 348 words.
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He's hard of hearing now, hard of walking too, as it transpires. She has to warm up his tea two - three times before he finally drinks it down to the dredges. He wouldn't dream of reading the tea leaves now, for with old age their lives have settled into a comfortable rhythm. The inevitabilities await them now - no surprises, he hopes - and it doesn't take a Seer to tell him that this blissful interlude, this high watermark they've reached, won't linger forever. His knees creak and his eyes water and the lobes of his ears itch before it rains. These are the true signs he looks to. He watches her wistfully, quill dashing across the downs and acrosses, filling in The Daily Prophet's grueling crossword with ease.
"You always were the brightest witch of your age, Hermione."
Were. For a moment, she feels as though the tide of life has surged ahead and left them stranded. Were.
They're elderly now, it's true. Their great pursuits are behind them: Voldemort vanquished and in his grave ninety years, two terms as the Ministry's first in command behind her - behind them, for her tenure as Minister of Magic was as joint a venture as any with Harry Potter ever by her side, children born and reared. Twelve children. "Just like Trelawney said," Harry Potter murmurs into his now-empty cup of tea.
"Almost," she says, nodding at the Minister's plaque on the wall: The Ministry wishes to recognize Madam Hermione J. G. Potter on the occasion of her retirement… "She pegged you for the Minister's post."
"Almost," he cedes, "but you must make allowances. Our fortunes have always been entwined."
Hermione smiles. Perhaps she'd been too hard on the woman, for -- fraud or not -- she finally got something right - the happily ever after part of the famous Harry Potter's tale, because here they are in the autumn of their lives, with great deeds to their names, and children and grandchildren to keep the legend alive. Most importantly, they have each other.
Have, has, is, are. The present tense. They are.
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