The Parent Trap

Chapter Thirty- A Talk Amongst Friends

          Hermione woke up early the next morning and got herself and Lily ready for the day while Hailey had left to join her father and Lilah in their room. Not long after Hermione finished getting dressed, she and Lily got on an elevator and went down to the dining room for breakfast.

        Hermione scanned the area, looking for a particular redhead and his wife. She spotted him, Luna and the children sitting near the furthest table in the back of the room. As she and Lily walked closer, she noticed there was more than just the Weasley family at the table. Harry, Lilah, and Hailey were there as well. Hermione's throat nearly dropped in her stomach. What was she supposed to say to Harry after what almost happened in the elevator?

        "Mum, Lily!" Hailey said as she got up from the table and hugged her mother.

      "Hello, sweetheart." Hermione told her with a smile as she kissed her forehead.

      "Good Morning, Hermione. Did you sleep well?" Harry greeted her as she and Lily took their places at the table. He was worried he hadn't scared her off after the previous event in the elevator the night before, not after he just got her back in his life.

      Hermione greeted Harry with a warm smile, pushing aside any nerves about the night before. She didn't want to have that conversation with her children, least of all Lilah. " Good Morning, Harry. I slept wonderfully, thank you for asking. And yourself?"

        "I did, thank you." Harry said, returning her smile. Lilah eyed the two of them carefully. Her gut told her something had gone on last night between the two of them whether her fiancé wanted to admit or not. She had noticed the way he looked at Hermione. The way he stared at her with such longing, was completely different than how he looked at her. Jealousy began to flare inside her body, but due to her promise to Harry, she had to push those feelings aside, for now.

       "Hermione! It's wonderful to see you!" Luna exclaimed excitedly as she handed Christina to Ron, and embraced her old friend.

      "It's wonderful to see you as well, Luna." Hermione told the blonde sincerely. She had missed Luna terribly. Guilt began to eat at her as she chastised herself for not keeping in touch with the younger witch. "How are you? I'm sorry for not getting to see you much yesterday."

       "It's quite alright. Look at you! You haven't aged a day!"

       "Thank you." Hermione laughed. She noticed the young toddler sitting on Ron's lap, eating apple slices and bananas. "And who's this darling angel?"

     "This is Christina, our youngest. Chrissy, can you tell Hermione, hello?" Ron asked his four-year-old-daughter, pointing in Hermione's direction. Christina's small, silvery eyes lit up at the sight of Hermione, smiling shyly at her as she let out a quiet "Hello."

       "She's adorable. She looks just like her mummy." Hermione said as she tickled the little girl on her tummy. Hermione lowered her voice as she bent down to where only Ron and Luna could hear her. "Do the two of you mind if we talk privately once breakfast is over?"

        Ron and Luna looked at one another, puzzled at what Hermione could need to talk about. Across the table, Harry watched the interaction between his best mate, Luna and his ex-wife as he tried to figure out what they were going on about.

     "Absolutely." Luna replied, her eyes twinkling as she smiled kindly at Hermione. Breakfast had gone rather smoothly than either Hermione or Harry had expected. No longer was the tension lingering in the air but was instead replaced with laughter amongst friends and family. Lilah would occasionally rub her fingers against Harry's arm as he continued to talk to Ron about the last Quidditch World Cup, causing Lily and Hailey to roll their eyes nonchalantly.