Disclaimer: Original characters, from the Harry Potter series, are property of JK Rowling.
Chapter 1
Little Miracles
Everyone tries to hide something from those around them. Everyone has something they keep to themselves, something held close, in their heart, as a secret. What happens when that secret becomes too much? What happens when the person holding the secret can't bear to look at them self in the mirror anymore because of that secret? When it's time to tell, who will be around to want to hear?
"Hermione, will you go and see what's the matter with Julie, please? I'm a bit busy right now and she's crying." Ron called from his seat at his desk as he busied himself with scribbling something down on a piece of parchment in front of him.
Hermione wiped viciously at her face, taking a mixture of makeup and tears with her hand. She cleared her throat and attempted to keep her voice from cracking as she answered. "Yes, dear, I'll go and see."
Ron didn't answer but she knew he'd heard her. She took one last look in the mirror she stood before then quickly turned and left the bathroom. She could hear the soft cries of her only daughter from somewhere in the house though she wasn't sure where. "Julie, my darling, where are you?"
A small, almost inaudible, voice answered, "I'm here, mummy."
Hermione reached the end of the long hallway and realized the voice was coming from inside the linen closet. She turned the brass doorknob and was almost knocked off her feet when the small child scurried out the open door and clung onto her legs. "Julie, it's alright." She patted the little girl's blond hair and bent to look into her face. "What happened, why were you in the cupboard?"
Julie sniffled and threw herself into her mother's arms, wiping her face on Hermione's shoulder. "Mummy, I thought I was going to be in there forever and ever!"
Hermione returned the little girl's hug then held her by the shoulders and examined her face. "Well, you don't look injured. Why were you crying?"
Julie wiped her nose on the back of her hand then proceeded to use the same hand to brush a few blond curls from her face. "Well, see, mummy, what happened was… I was playing, just by myself, and I was playing hide and seek. I decided to hide in the cupboard with the towels and when I shut the door, it was dark. And I was so scared!" The child then threw herself back into her mother's arms and began crying again.
Hermione stood straight up and cradled the crying girl in her arms. "There, there, darling, let's go and see daddy. I bet he can make everything all better."
Julie nodded and buried her face in Hermione's chest.
"Ronald." Hermione knocked lightly on the door outside Ron's study. "Ron, Julie needs to see you."
"Come in then." Ron called from his chair.
As Hermione entered, carrying the still crying Julie, Ron pushed himself away from his desk and stood to his feet. He hurried across the room and took the little girl out of Hermione's arms. "What's the matter with my little Ju-Ju?" He cradled the little girl in his large arms and smiled down at her.
She giggled immediately and her brown eyes brightened as she stared in to the eyes of her father, her hero. "Oh daddy, you're silly."
"I'm silly, am I? You're the one that's making the ugly cry face. Do you know how funny that face makes you look? Look, just here," Ron ran one finger down the little girl's cheek, taking with it, a few droplets of moisture. He held his finger up to his face as if he was examining it. "Ah, you see, there," he showed his finger to Julie, "that there is the cause of the cry face, isn't it? I bet there's loads more in there, isn't there?"
Before Julie could answer, Ron began tickling her stomach which caused her to giggle and thrash against him. "Stop it daddy! Stop it, there isn't any more, I promise."
Ron chuckled as he poked the little girl in the side one last time. "Well, okay then, if you promise. But if I see just one more, I'm going to have to go in and get the rest out."
Julie wrapped her arms around Ron's neck and squeezed him tightly. "Okay, daddy."
Hermione had watched the whole interaction with her husband and her daughter and let her self smile. It amazed her how wonderfully he always handled her. Any time the child was crying, Ron could turn those tears to laughs. She had always said Julie was fortunate to have such a wonderful daddy.
Ron sat Julie down on her feet on the floor and kissed her on the forehead. "There, love, all better."
Julie grinned from ear to ear. "Yep, daddy, you always make it all better."
Straightening up, Ron turned his attention back to Hermione. "I'm going to get back to work now. Our company is due soon and I need to finish this paper for the Minister. And if you don't mind, keep an extra eye on Ju-Ju, please."
Hermione's smile faded as she reached out for the little girl standing between her and Ron. "Yes dear." Julie grabbed her mother's hand but continued to stare at Ron. "Come on, Julie, we've got to go and get ready for Aunt Ginny, Uncle Harry and George's visit."
"But I want to stay here with daddy!" Julie protested, trying to pull her hand from her mother's grip.
Ron turned and began walking back toward his desk. "No, Ju-Ju, you have to go with your mum. Don't you want to see Aunt Ginny? What about Uncle Harry? And Uncle George will definitely have something for you."
"But… but… daddy." Julie pouted.
Ron sat in his chair and watched Hermione attempt to pull Julie with her toward the door. "I'm not going anywhere, Ju-Ju, just go with your mum and I promise when they get here, I'll come out and visit. Okay?"
Julie hung her head and gave into Hermione's pulling on her arm. "Okay, daddy."
Thirty minutes later, while Hermione and Julie busied themselves with straightening the cushions on the couch, three people popped out of the large brick fire place.
Julie ran toward the shorter man and threw her arms up above her head. "Uncle Harry!" she cried.
The man bent at his waist and picked the little girl up in his arms. "Well, if it isn't my little Julie." He pulled her close and hugged her tightly then kissed her hair and passed her to the man at his left.
Julie giggled. "Uncle George."
George smiled and mocked as if he was trying to eat the little girl by the neck. Julie laughed wildly and bushed his forehead back with her small hands. "Nice to see you too." George laughed as Julie's hand smashed his nose.
"Oh you just give her here." The third person, who was Ginny, said, reaching out for the little girl.
George handed Julie to his sister and walked across the room where Harry sat on the couch, with Hermione, mumbling something under his breath.
"Let's have a look at you." Ginny said, putting the child on the floor at her feet. "Yes, its official, you're getting way too big. You must have grown at least a foot since the last time I saw you. How old are you now, twenty, twenty one?"
Julie giggled and held five fingers out in front of her, "No, silly, Aunt Ginny, I'm four."
Ginny reached out and pushed the little girl's thumb back into her palm. "Now you're four."
Ginny grabbed the little girl by the hand and led her to the couch. She sat down and pulled Julie into her lap then turned her attention to Hermione. "Hermione, it's so wonderful to see you. We don't do this near enough."
Hermione smiled graciously. "I know, it's been too long."
"Why is that, Hermione?" George asked busying himself with twirling Julie's hair in his fingers.
Hermione shifted uncomfortable in her seat not knowing the answer to his question.
Harry cleared his throat. "Let's not wonder why. Let's just enjoy the time we have together, while we have it."
Ginny nodded. "I agree."
George, wanting to break the looming silence, changed the subject completely. "Julie, guess what I have for you."
Julie's head snapped in his direction. "Oh. What?"
"You have to guess." George smiled.
Julie's eyes wandered his body. "Umm… Is it… a ton tongue taffy?"
Hermione's eyes widened at George, "It had better not be."
George chuckled lightly, "No, no, it's not." He looked cautiously over at Hermione, "I promise."
"Well, what is it?" Julie asked plopping herself in his lap.
George shrugged. "I don't know. You're going to have to guess."
The little girl began searching the pockets on George's robes with her small hands. "Cockroach clusters?" George shook his head. "Every flavored beans? Bubble gum? Lemon drops?" She finished her search of his robes and unbuttoned one of the buttons on the front of his robes, sliding her hand in she began searching the pockets of his jeans. "Pop and snaps?" She squealed. "Is it a pigmy puff?"
George shook his head again. "No, no, none of those things." He jerked involuntarily due to the little girl's hitting a ticklish spot and pushed her hands out of his robes. "Okay, okay, here." He shifted his weight and reached into his back pocket. Offering his hand to Julie, he smiled, "Here, it's a candy wand."
Julie snatched the wand from her uncle's hand and jumped off his lap. "I'm going to go show my daddy!"
Just as she began running out of the living room, Hermione called after her. "Julie! I think you need to say something to Uncle George."
Julie stopped and turned around, hanging her head, she mumbled, "thank you, Uncle George."
George glanced from Julie to Hermione and said, "Anything for my favorite niece."
Julie set off in a run, again, down the hallway toward Ron's office and yelled, "I'm your only niece."
"Okay," Ron sighed as he crawled into bed beside Hermione. "Julie is asleep, finally."
Hermione placed her book on her bedside table and rolled over onto her side, facing Ron. "That didn't take long."
Ron placed his hands in the center of his chest and turned his head toward Hermione. "It took long enough. I've told George not to bring her sweets when he comes but that git doesn't listen to anything."
Hermione smiled and leaned up to kiss Ron on the lips. "I know, but Fred would do the same thing, you know. It wasn't like either of them to listen to anyone."
Ron sighed. The images of his brother, Fred's, falling body crossed his mind just as soon as his name escaped Hermione's lips. That wasn't a memory he cared to dwell on, not at the moment anyway. Shaking his head, he returned Hermione's kiss, a few seconds late, and whispered, "I know."
Hermione snuggled closer to Ron and rested her head on his shoulder. Ron, taking his left hand off his chest, wrapped his arm around Hermione and pulled her close to him. "I don't know what I would have done if I'd lost you too that day. We never would have gotten married nor would we have had Julie."
At the sound of her daughter's name, a lump rose into Hermione's throat. "I know, Ron," she choked.
"Let's have another. Hermione, let's have another baby." He said, kissing the head of curly brown hair on his chest.
Hermione sighed and turned her face toward him as she sat up. "Ron, we've tried for two years."
"I know," he leaned closer to her and captured her lips with his, "but isn't that the fun part, trying?"
She let herself fall into his kisses as she ran her fingers through his short red hair. "Yes, I suppose it is."
"Besides," Ron leaned back and grabbed the hem of Hermione's night gown in his hands, "Just because they said it was a miracle that I was able to get you pregnant with Julie, doesn't mean…" He pulled the night gown up over Hermione's head, "we can't have another miracle."
A/N: Let me know what you all think so far, I'm not sure if I'm going to continue this, but I'll be glad to hear what you think thus far. Sway