Hermione
I sucked in a sharp breath. He was still handsome, but even now the loss of his twin weighed heavily in his eyes. I saw look glance over at George before locking eyes on me. I shook my head, and gestured for another cup of coffee.
"When did you start drinking coffee?" George asked softly.
"When sleeping was more of a hobby then something necessary." I shot back.
It was silent between them before he broke down. "I'm sorry."
I bit the inside of my cheek to prevent the violent anger from spilling over. "what are you sorry for?"
"Everything. I'm sorry for all the things I said, for breaking up with you. I'm just sorry." He whispered, his head bowed.
"You have a right to know that you have a son. He's four years old. The birth certificate will remain blank in the father spot, until you can prove that I can trust you with him. This is not a way for you to get me back or anything like that. If you want to be his father, you're all in. No back and forth bull-shit. Your in or your out. Think on that for a bit, then come find me at the Independence Inn when you make your decision." I hissed. Luke set two to go cups in front of me. I passed some money over to him, before leaving. Just as I was about to slide into my car, the diner door opened and George was running over to me.
"What's his name?"
"Fred. His name is Fred." With that said, I closed the car door and drove off. Leaving a shocked George behind him.
~~~~~~~
I got home to Lorelei and Freddie running around the house. They were giggling and screaming as she hauled in her bags and coffee.
"MOMMY!!!" Freddie cried, racing over and latching onto my legs. Giggling, I set my stuff down and scooped him up into my arms, tickling him as he squirmed.
"Hey Freddie. How's my baby boy?" I asked, grinning as I placed a kiss on his cheek.
"Auntie Lorelei is chasing me." He giggled.
"She is? Oh no!" I cried dramatically, turning in a circle.
Lorelei appeared in the kitchen at that moment, grinning at us. "Hey, how were your errands?"
I shot her a look over my sons shoulder, and she nodded in understanding. "They were good. How was Freddie?" I asked, setting my toddler down so he could take off into the living room. Lorelei moved closer and wrapped her arms around me.
"You saw him?" She asked.
"He knows." I whispered back, moving to put away the groceries I bought.
"What did he say?"
"He asked what his name was, and I told him. I also told him the birth certificate would stay blank until he made a decision on if he was going to step up or not. I also said there would be no back and forth for him. He's in or not." I stopped, trying to catch my breath and keep my voice quiet.
"What else did you say?"
"I also told him that if he chose to be a dad, it wasn't to try and get me back." My heart ached as the words fell from my lips. I still wanted him, and I knew that I would fall for him all over again if I saw him with Freddie.
"You still love him."
"I will always love the man I met, and the man that I knew before- before Fred died. That man was my first love, and father of my child. The man I left was a man I never wanted to know." Tears gathered in my eyes at my words, and I quickly wiped them away. Lorelei came over and pulled me into a hug.
"I'm sorry, hun. If it helps, it get easier to manage." She whispered.
I laughed sadly. "You're lying. I've seen you interact with Chris."
"Hey," she pulled back and looked playfully offended, "I'll have you know that I am completely over Christopher."
Chuckling and rolling my eyes, I turned and handed her the second coffee cup. "Sure, Lor, whatever you say."
We laughed for a little bit, going back and forth and just trying to lighten the mood. Rory showed up not that long after I started making dinner. Freddie was sitting in the living room, watching the T.V. as Rory set the table, Lorelei of course just made commentary and tried to keep me distracted. When they left that night, I curled up around Freddie as we fell asleep. I kept going over what George looked like at the diner. How good he looked. Like he was...alive again, or at least awake. I closed my eyes and listened to my sons even breathing, letting it lull me to sleep. Hoping tomorrow would be better.
~~~~~~~~~
Going to work the next day was a task. Freddie wasn't feeling good, and the babysitter couldn't watch him, so he had to come with me into work. Michel, of course, made a slight comment about germs, Sookie said to keep him out of the kitchen, but she would make him some soup to help him out. Lorelei had him set up in her office, the playpen I had brought set up so he could sleep. The baby monitor hooked to my dress pants. A part of me hoped George stayed far away from the Inn today. I wasn't sure I could handle him on top of everything else right now. Of course, my luck wasn't on my side today.
I frantically scribbled the complaint down on an index card, trying desperately to keep my tone polite while I was still on the phone with the guest.
"Of course, sir. I will let her know, and we'll get that sorted for you as soon as possible. Ok. Bye now." I hung up the phone, glaring at the index card before sighing in frustration and laying my head on the desk. Freddie had been up periodically through the night. Which means, I was also up all night trying to sooth him back to sleep. At that moment, Lorelei came up and gently placed a hand on my back.
"Everything ok?" She asked gently, placing a cup of coffee in front of me.
I sighed again, handing her the index card. "Room 302 is having problems. I say you just send Manny up with complimentary booze and call it good." I groaned, sipping the coffee.
She sighed empathetically. "They do this every time they stay. The champaign should be good until they leave in a couple of days."
I opened my mouth to say something, when the baby monitor went off. I took a deep drink of the coffee, handing it back to Lorelei with a soft thanks, before going to her office to collect Freddie. Pushing open the door, Freddie was sitting in the playpen, sobbing loudly. Turning off the monitors, I gathered him in my arms.
"It's ok, sweetheart. Mama's got you." I whispered, pressing my lips to his forehead, followed quickly by my inner wrist. "I think someone has a feever." Moving to close the door, and making sure no one noticed as I pulled out my wand, I cast a cooling charm around Freddie, before wrapping his blanket around him snuggly. Slowly, his cries settled into sniffles, as he rested his head on my shoulder. "It's ok, Freddie. You just don't feel well, huh. How about we go get some of Aunt Sookie's chicken soup? Does that sound good?" I asked, bouncing gently, as I leaned down and grabbed his sippy cup. As he sniffled softly into my shoulder, I replaced my wand in my hair, and left the office. Moving slowly down the hallway, and towards the doorway to the kitchen, I opened the door and called out to Sookie.
"Sookie!"
"Yeah?" She called back.
"Can you make Freddie some soup please? Also, do you know where Lorelei put my bag? I think Freddie's getting a feever, and I put some Tylenol in there just in case."
The sounds of pots banging, and the other chiefs huffing in frustration filled the silence. I smiled gently, watching as Sookie disregarded the safety of herself, and others, as she cooked. "It should be in her office. If not, check behind the front desk where you normally put it. And the soup is heating up now."
"Thanks Sookie!" I called back, before heading towards the front desk.
"What on earth are you doing?" An French accent cut through my train of thought, as I looked around for my bag.
"Looking for my bag. Have you seen it? Lorelei took it when I went to put Freddie down." I asked, continuing to peer into the different cubbies and drawers looking for my bag.
"No I haven't. You know ever well that you're supposed to keep your germ infested child, away from my desk." Michel said.
I rolled my eyes. "Relax Michel. Once I find my bag, I'll be out of your way."
"Is he still not feeling well?" Lorelei's voice cut through.
I shook my head, pressing my cheek into Freddie's forehead. I felt him gently play with my curls, as I continued to bounce him gently. "No, and I think he's getting a fever. Where did you put my bag?"
"It's in my office. I figured you would end up in there more often than not today." She replied with a shrug, running a hand through Freddie's crazy red hair.
Thanking her quickly, I headed back towards her office. Finding my bag tucked off to the side next to the playpen. Sighing, I closed the door and summoned the Tylenol. Using a syringe, I coaxed him into taking it. Quickly giving him his sippy cup to drink. He cried softly from the taste, before burying his face back into my shoulder. Sookie came in not that long after with a bowl of soup for both of us. Slowly, I got him to eat little bites of the noodles. But he would only do it, if I did it first, then he would eat it. Slowly, he fell back to sleep on my shoulder. And I just sat there for a moment, taking in the silence. I continued to eat, and gently rock him. Only for him to wake up again when I stood up to place him back in his playpen. He cried when I sat him down, and wouldn't stop until I picked him back up.
"Alright, buddy, mama has to work still. So, if you be a good boy, we'll go home sooner rather than later. Ok?" I asked.
He nodded his head, continuing to play with my curls. Sighing pulled out a baby carrier, and strapped him to my back, casting a sticky charm on his blanket so it wouldn't fall off and keep him warm. I prayed he would fall asleep while I walked around and continued to work. I think this is just a cold, and nothing serious, and that was what I would be telling guests if they asked. Grabbing his sippy cup, I sat it my bag, before going back out on the floor. Only when I got back to my post at the front desk, did I see the familiar mop of black hair. As my brown eyes locked onto his green, the air escaped my lugs. There, in all his glory, stood Harry Potter.
"Harry?" I whispered.
"Hello, Hermione." He greeted with a soft smile.