Disclaimer: If this was mine, I'd be awfully rich, and we would be happy for HHr happening.
A/N: My reply to the "You can't take my child" challenge by Natsky, you can find it here: http://talk.portkey.org/index.php?showtopic=26363&st=0 . I hope you'll like the story, and I feel I need to alert you, Ginny won't be particularly likable here. I don't think that's a problem, but anyhow, I told you beforehand, ok? lol. Now, on with the story…
Credit for the original plot of the story goes to AnasellaEmm, who wrote the story A Wonderful Caricature of Intimacy on fanfiction.net.
Thanks to my wonderful beta Gingercat for her help. I really need it.
Fight for Custody
Chapter Ten: The Last Stint of Probation
As the fifth month rolled by, Harry had more or less forgotten about Ginny's threat. He had downplayed it lots with Hermione, to not make her worry, although she sensed he was quite angry for some days, but soon his anger ebbed away, mostly because he had truly come to enjoy the married life with Hermione.
He had thought better to not let her know his changed feelings for her though, because he lived in the belief that she didn't love him anymore, so he needed to be careful not to unbalance their situation and maybe make things awkward. When the probation would be finished, and he seriously hoped for a positive ending of that, then he would test waters with Hermione.
For now, keeping Bea was the most important thing, and he focused on it.
Hermione, for her part, wasn't even slightly aware of Harry's change of heart towards her, so she kept the truth of her feelings to herself, kissing him in public or when a visit from the Ministry occurred, and snuggling with him in bed at night, but keeping the physical aspect of a relationship to the minimum.
Her assistant at the school couldn't be stopped inquiring about their sex life though, so Hermione found herself blushing more than once when answering those questions, and she used her many wet dreams about Harry she had developed over the years to do so, sure that he would not fall below those standards.
Not that she hoped to ever find out, mind you. However, she had to admit she had once or twice peeked while he was showering to see how he was in that department, and what she had seen hadn't disappointed her, she admitted to herself with a wry smile as she was readying herself for the lesson of that day.
Neither her or Harry were thus aware of the next manipulation in Ginny's agenda.
--
Next morning, Hermione was preparing breakfast, the newspaper already hid from the table so Bea wouldn't accidentally read it like she did that other morning a couple months before, and Harry had gone to wake up their little princess.
Yes, their, as Hermione had truly come to think of the little girl as her own. She loved the munchkin lots and would do anything to ensure her happiness, and her staying with Harry.
Since breakfast was now ready and Harry and Bea weren't back in the kitchen yet, she risked a peek at the newspaper, and froze as she read the title.
School Teachers and Students, Familiar Links are to be accepted?
An anonymous source has raised the question we are addressing in this article. Should familiar relationships be allowed between students and their teachers? The possibility of that student gaining a special treatment can be overlooked? Honestly, we don't think someone should be allowed to teach a child which is his/her own, or nephew/niece and so on. Why? Well, the temptation to give that minor higher marks, or punish him/her less than necessary would be hard to resist, and what would the child learn from such a treatment?
He/she would surely end being spoiled, thinking he/she can get away with everything, just because he had been taught so by his relative.
This is something our government should consider, and we at the Daily Prophet believe a law should be passed to stop this practice, even more so when the minor involved doesn't attend Hogwarts yet but attends some pre-schooling facility that ought to prepare them to the real schooling at the Hogwarts Castle.
The article continued, but she heard footsteps in the hall, so she quickly hid the paper again. Yet, Harry could notice through the whole breakfast that something was buggering her. He decided to address the matter later that day, once Bea was out of earshot, which meant he planned to address it after dinner that night.
Right now he had a meeting with Minister Shacklebolt, and he was already a bit late. He kissed Hermione's cheek to say goodbye to her, and she just nodded, which intensified his worry that something was not right with her. He told Bea to be a good girl for her mummy, then Disapparated away.
That whole day Hermione was distracted, her mind going back to that article in the Prophet, and unconsciously she assumed a more severe attitude toward Bea, punishing her hard even if she did something most teachers would have overlooked.
"Do not think you can do as you please here, miss" she sternly reprimanded the stunned student, after being treated in such a way by her mummy, who had never spoken that way toward her. And, the punishment was really unfair. Bea had been given detention, (Hermione had established the same type of punishment as Hogwarts to make the students more comfortable with it when they went to the castle) only because she had spoken out of turn, which is what most little children do.
As soon as they arrived home that night, Bea ran to her room and locked herself inside. Hermione sighed, finally realizing she might have overreacted, and went to apologize, but the little girl wouldn't let her in.
The brunette had to give up when the doorbell rang, and she swore under her breath, knowing it was the Ministry visit and realizing it couldn't have come at a worse time, with Bea extremely angry at her.
She let the blonde witch inside, and almost sighed with relief when she noticed it wasn't one of the most vicious officers they had had to deal with, which was what she expected given her luck that day.
However, the issue of Bea being angry at her came up, and the little kid told the officer why she was angry at her mummy.
"So you abused of your position of power over her?" the blonde young witch said, raising her eyebrow.
Hermione sighed, and sadly nodded.
Once Bea was excused, the blonde witch, Elisha was her name as Hermione remembered from the first visit of the probation, gave her a slight smile.
"Hermione, I understand that the article in the paper this morning might have forced your hand, putting you under extra pressure" she started, and the other witch nodded, thanking her for understanding.
Elisha however continued. "Sadly, I will try to downplay this the best I can, because I like your family, I truly do, but I'll still have to mention it in my report"
"I understand" Hermione said, sighing. "Do what you must, it was my mistake, not yours"
Elisha nodded, wishing her best to the family, and then left. It was an hour later that Harry finally arrived, and found his wife sitting in the living room, staring blankly at a wall, deep in thought as he could gather seeing how she was biting her lip.
"Care to tell me what happened?" he gently said, sitting near her.
"Have you read the Prophet?" she asked, and he shook his head. She gave him hers, and he read it. Saying he was angry when he finished that article was an understatement.
"This is Ginny's doing, I just know it" he muttered. "Not mentioning you and yet a direct enough attack to be understood by those in the Family Department at the Ministry" he said, and she agreed.
"But the worst is that I let it get to me today, and overreacted, landing Bea in detention when she didn't really deserve it, and now she hates me" she said, putting her head in her hands.
"Love" he said, surprising even himself as he let it slip, but he kept talking, "I'm sure she doesn't hate you. She's just angry, but she will let it go, I'm sure of it. You should see how many times she was angry at me before you came into the picture. She just needs to let some steam off for a bit" he explained.
Hermione felt better, as he wasn't angry at her, and instead pulled her in his arms. His comforting touch was exactly what she needed. She was also a bit giddy over him calling her "love".
Together, they approached Bea's room.
"Bea, sweetheart, care to come out of there?" Harry asked, and they soon heard the door unlocking. As soon as the little girl spotted Hermione standing near Harry though, she tried to close the door again, but Harry prevented it. He also quickly cast an Anti-Apparition ward on the room, stopping her from trying to flee and splinching herself again.
"Pumpkin, I see that you're still angry at your mummy" Harry said.
"Daddy, she was mean to me today" she cried, wrapping herself around Harry's leg. The raven haired wizard picked her up.
"Honey, she didn't mean it. Something made her angry, and she did wrong taking it out on you but she didn't mean to"
"It's true, Bea. I love you so much, and I'm truly sorry for today. I wish I could have kept my cool better, but I didn't want to be mean to you"
Bea watched her warily, but even she could see Hermione was honest. She tentatively extended her arms toward the brunette witch, and let her pick her up from Harry's arms.
Hermione kissed the little girl's cheek, and asked again for forgiveness.
Harry watched the scene with a smile on his lips as he knew the worst was over now, and Bea would soon forgive Hermione. He was right, and few minutes later the three of them were in the kitchen happily preparing dinner together.
--
As the days passed, Harry found himself more and more in love with Hermione. He had placed a photo of the two of them on their wedding day on his desk at the Ministry, and found himself compelled to look at it often during the day, fondly smiling at the brunette in the picture.
He still thought she looked like a goddess come down to Earth that day, and was amazed to see the two people in the photo looking adoringly at each other, then waving at the camera, before turning toward their spouse again.
He wondered if maybe, just maybe, this was destined to happen no matter what, even if he had been too distracted with Ginny back in school and in his first years as an Auror.
That night, after dinner, the family reunited in the living room, and Bea picked a DVD from her collection. This time it was "The Little Mermaid" and they all snuggled together on the couch, an huge bowl of popcorn and some Cokes in front of them.
Harry had never understood his daughter's love for this kind of movies, but seeing Hermione not exactly engrossed but still pretty interested with it, he guessed it was a girl thing. He preferred ten folds an action movie with lots of explosions, blood and such, but since he knew his daughter and probably Hermione wouldn't accept his choice of movie and would retreat to their rooms reading, he was more than glad to watch Disney and its creations, as it allowed his family to spend time together.
When Bea gave a last yawn and then fell asleep on the couch, he exchanged a smile with Hermione.
"I'll tuck her in and then be back" she whispered, picking the little girl up. True to her word, she was back in the living room ten minutes later, and found Harry had switched the telly off, and was now reading a Quidditch book.
"You guys and sports" she teased him, and he grinned sheepishly.
"Come here" he said then, and she did, sitting on his lap. It was one of the little contacts they had become accustomed to, and felt comfortable with.
As she did, he nuzzled her neck, and she giggled.
"You're amazing, you know" he said, looking up at her and her breath caught in her throat as she looked in his pools, seeing the intensity of his gaze.
"Could it be…" she thought, but immediately caught herself. "Never, Granger. He'll never love you like you love him" she sadly reminded herself, and contemporarily stood up, leaving him a bit flabbergasted as she claimed she was tired and wanted to get some sleep.
She couldn't have been more far from the truth with her beliefs though.
--
Finally, the end of the sixth month of probation arrived.
Harry had been edgy for days, and Hermione understood him, although she couldn't guess the other reason he was edgy. The fact the final decision of the Ministry on Bea's custody would arrive soon was enough for him to be tense, but add to it the fact that once it had arrived he planned, whatever the decision was, to ask Hermione to really become his wife, and the nervousness going through him was at unheard of peaks.
The brunette was pretty anxious herself about the outcome of the probation, to tell the truth, and when the owl from the Ministry came that night informing them the ministry had now all the elements to judge and a decision would be made shortly, in two weeks time at the most, both sighed.
Two more weeks of anxious wait before knowing, they would go mad before then for sure, Hermione thought.
-->