Broken

Innocence

'Mama? Mamaaaa!' Rose hollered from the top of the stairs, grinning over the top of the baby-gate.

'Here I am, Rosie, good morning,' Hermione smiled up at her as she swayed precariously up the stairs to unlock the gate. 'What would you like for breakfast?'

'Powwidge, pweese!' Rose toddled downstairs and into the kitchen after her mother. Suddenly she ran over to the patio window, shrieking. 'Wassat, mama? Pwitty, pwitty!'

The window clouded over as Rose pressed her nose against the glass, her brown eyes wide. Hermione glanced outside and smiled as she saw tiny snowflakes floating from the steel-grey sky. Putting the bowl of porridge aside, Hermione took Rose outside into the back garden.

Hermione shivered, laughing as her daughter ran through the frosted grass trying to catch snowflakes. Rose's hair sparkled as snow settled into her dark curls.

'Come on, Rosie, time to go and get some breakfast. You can come back outside and play when you've got changed.'

Rose sighed dramatically and trudged back into the house. They settled at the table, munching their breakfast quietly as Rose stared out of the window, transfixed. As soon as Rose finished her last mouthful, she ran into the kitchen with her bowl then stood next to Hermione, hopping about as she waited for her to finish eating.

'Time-a get dwessed! Go-go-go!' Rose shouted, pulling the sleeve of Hermione's robes and dragging her upstairs. They had just finished bundling up when Hermione heard a tapping at the bedroom window. A small owl was perched on the window ledge, with a letter in it's beak. Hermione let it in and relieved it of the letter. The owl swooped around the bedroom at dizzying speeds, while Rose tried to catch it.

'Rose, Auntie Ginny says they have lots of snow at their house, would you like to go and play with James and Albus?'

'Yeah! Go pway!' Rose stuffed her feet into her boots, grabbed her coat, then waited by the fireplace for her mother.

'I was thinking we could drive over there today...'

'No car. Fwoo. Go fast-fast-fast!'

Hermione pulled a face at her strong-willed daughter, who smiled sweetly back. Shaking her head, Hermione grabbed a pinch of floo-powder and picked up Rose.

'Hey Pig, want a ride back home? Rose, hold Pig gently would you?'

The owl flew over to Rose and hooted it's own instructions to her, before landing on her palm. Hermione, Rose and Pig squeezed into the fireplace and whooshed to Godric's Hollow.