Chapter 6
Hermione POV
She was at her parents' new house. It was in the posh area of Sarragar, the capital city of Silverhaven. The posh area had huge houses, and her parents' house had a courtyard in the middle of the place, and the patch had already been claimed by her parents for growing some herbs.
The market was a bustling place, and she helped her mother select bedsheets and other house necessities. The whole atmosphere at Silverhaven was one of practicality. She thought her husband was the no-nonsense sort because of his nature, but it now seemed to her that being from Silverhaven might have played its part. While shopping for fabrics, they rarely came across any shop that didn't have a lot of sensible greys or browns. The bright reds, rust, periwinkle that were favoured in Briarwood, were nowhere to be found. They had gone to one shop which had those colours, and incidentally that bright fabric was imported from Briarwood, but the astronomical price discouraged any purchase.
Walking around the market, Hermione did come to understand that people of Silverhaven preferred muted colours. And they did not consider bright fabrics to be interesting. Instead, for them, fabrics woven with silver and golden threads were the favoured clothes for noble families.
The herb collection was also not as impressive as in Briarwood. While the climate would not become too cold for another 6 months, Silverhaven did not boast of many plants. She realized that the magic of the pixies which was abundant in Briarwood, could very well have a lot to do with the lack of herb varieties in Silverhaven.
Not only had her husband given the house to her parents, but also a shop in Sarragar's market. Her husband had specifically named the shop Grangier's Herbs and Potions. He had told her that it wouldn't do to outright name the shop as Grangers. For her parents' safety, any disclosure of their connection to the Briarwood Royal Family was not to be disclosed. It was no difficulty for her parents. Already the House of Granger was not mentioned in Briarwood, mostly due to Ginny's machinations. Hermione never thought that she would actually be thanking Ginny for ousting her from the Briarwood Royal Family. The Grangers could easily enjoy anonymity because of that.
The only minor vexation was the security that her husband had insisted she have. Not just Sir Neville as her personal guard, but there was also another person who tailed them a way off. It was Sir Rosier, as she had extracted from Neville. She realized that living away from royal protocol for most of her life, that she had gotten used to not having anybody guarding her or watching what she did.
It had been 6 days now, that she had been helping her parents with setting up their house and the shop.
As she was folding the new fabrics they had purchased and assorting them to different trunks, her mother came beside her and sat down.
Her mother had brought with her the herbal tea she was fond of. It was one of the indigenous roots in Silverhaven that were dried and then boiled to create the tea. The herbal concoction had an earthy taste, with a sweet aftertaste. Hermione nicked two butter biscuits onto her plate. It was rare to see her mother so relaxed after the hectic days of packing up and shifting to a new place. They had emptied almost half the pot of the tea, when her mother said, "Hermione, you should go back to your house now."
The biscuit she had in her hand crumbled due to her tightened hold. Looking astonished at her mother, Hermione asked her, "Why? Don't you want me around you?" Her eyes had filled with tears by the end, and as her mother looked at her even she had tears in her eyes, and the tea remained forgotten.
"Silly child. How can I not want you around me all the time. But it is not right anymore. You're married now. You must go to your home, and take charge there."
"But mama, why should I go, when my husband isn't even at home right now?"
"It doesn't matter Hermione, whether your husband is there or not. You still need to be at your own place."
When she was about to argue, her mother stopped her. "Don't look at me like I've become a villain, my love. It is necessary for your own good—for the eventual strength of your marriage. Your father gave up claim to the throne of Briarwood when he married me. My family has always been traders, and my father wanted to set up Wendell with trading, but your father has always been a wonderful herbologist. I could have insisted that he take up the trade my father was offering, but that would have crushed Wendell's independence eventually. Wendell's mother, your grandmother was not happy with me, and she had offered me a lot of gold to get out of your father's life. Setting up our own household away from my father, and out of your grandmother's influence was the best thing for our marriage. It might not seem fair to you, but right now, setting up your own space, carving out your place in your husband's life is paramount for you. We're your parents. We love you, but we are not going anywhere. Too much attachment to us, would hamper you from forming a healthy relationship with your husband. I am giving this advice to you only because of my years of experience, my love. I have seen marriages getting strained where daughters cling too hard to the parents, and are unable to build their own place in their husband's house. This is a transitioning phase for you, and this is the time to best understand your husband and form a healthy relationship, and I know you can do it, but for that you need to be at your own home."
At the end of this, mother and daughter were hugging and crying, but Hermione understood that her mother was right.
So, it was the next day, that Hermione got in the carriage that took her back towards the border area to the quaint place that was her home. The only thing she didn't understand was, why did her husband live in a small house like that, when he had given her parents a big house. She would ask him about it when she saw him.