Ellie had arrived to her mother's place just four days before Christmas. Her mother was more than happy to allow Hermione to stay over for the holidays, and prepared an abundance of food, much to Ellie's dismay.
Hermione and Ellie sat on the couch together as Ellie's mother sat in one of the cozy chairs in front of them. Hermione drank an herbal tea of various flavors with extra ginger as Ellie preferred a simple hot chocolate.
Ellie's mother, Amelia, set her cup of tea down on the coffee table in front of her and adjusted herself to be comfortable.
"So, Hermione," Amelia started.
Hermione set down her tea on the table to give her full attention to the mother.
"Yes, Miss Evans?"
"Please, dear, call me Amelia," Ellie's mother requested.
Ellie gave a surprised look to her girlfriend. Never in her life had she heard her mother place one of her friends on a first-name basis.
"Ellie tells me how intelligent you are. You're being called the 'brightest witch of your age', eh?" Amelia asked.
Hermione blushed as she tried to laugh it off. "Ellie's being too kind. I just a put a lot of hard work in what I do."
"She's just being modest, Mom," Ellie interrupted.
"Have you thought about what you want to do when you graduate?" Amelia questioned.
"Hmm... I haven't gave it much thought. I guess I've always had my nose in a book to think about my future, " Hermione replied honestly.
"You know, Mom, she really could be anything she wanted. With her ambition and intelligence, she could even become the Minister of Magic!" Ellie interrupted once more, earning a glare from her mother.
"Ellie, honey, stop interrupting us. Hermione and I are trying to have a conversation. But since you seem to want to answer everything, why don't you tell me about what your plans are? You haven't told me what you want to do yet," Amelia scolded in a motherly tone.
Ellie's cheeks turned bright red with embarrassment at her mother's words. She looked to Hermione, who didn't seem to notice anything wrong.
"Go on, then. Tell me," Amelia pushed.
Ellie set down her hot chocolate on the coffee table as she drew her knees to her chest.
"I-I don't really know either, Mom. I mean, I've always been drawn to Defense Against the Dark Arts. It's actually the only class where Hermione isn't top of the class," Ellie replied as she smirked at her girlfriend.
"As I've noticed, dear. You ever thought of becoming an Auror?" Amelia asked in a much more calmer tone.
Ellie laughed at her mother, who kept her face straight. "You're kidding, right?"
"No," Amelia responded flatly.
"Oh. Well, Aurors are only for the elite. The best of the best. I mean, I've got to be practically perfect to even apply. Not a speck of dirt on me. I wouldn't even make it past the first round of training, considering they'd even look at my application," Ellie responded.
"Miss Evans- I mean, Amelia, I apologize for interrupting. But your daughter is doubting herself. She is very much qualified to become an Auror. She's really smart, you know. And in DADA, she always is top of the class. She has a true talent for it, and not many people have it," Hermione interrupted.
Amelia looked at her daughter with a small smile.
"Professor Slughorn says you would made a great Auror. Why didn't you?" Ellie asked.
"Things change, dear. After we moved to America, I never had the opportunity to become one again. And eventually, everyone kind of forgot about magic," Amelia replied in almost sad tone.
Ellie leaned forward with interest. "Mom, you never talk about magic. And you never talk about your time at Hogwarts. Or about Dad."
"Magic... is complicated. It changes people," Amelia said simply.
"But I want to know about you. And Dad. Please...?" Ellie urged with puppy dog eyes.
Amelia hesitated before standing up. She walked into her room and emerged with a wand in her hand. She placed it in the hands of her daughter as Hermione scooted next to Ellie to examine it. It was made of a beautiful dark oak wood, with leaves engraved within the handle, with a dragon heartstring core.
"It's nothing special, really. Just my old wand," Amelia explained.
"It's beautiful," Hermione and Ellie breathed at the same time.
"Do you think you can give it a go?" Ellie asked eagerly.
"No, no. I'm quite rusty. I wouldn't want to cause a mess, anyway," Amelia quickly declined.
"Please, Mom? I'd love to see you try. And I'm sure Hermione would love to see it too," Ellie pleaded.
Amelia sighed before standing up to take her wand from her daughter's hands.
"You girls brace yourself," Ellie's mother warned as she assumed a defensive stance. She took a deep breath as she prepared herself.
"Expecto Patronum!"
A wispy smoke emerged from the tip of the wand which formed into a mist in the shape of a hedgehog. The animal galloped around for a few seconds before disappearing into nothing.
Hermione immediately stood up and gave a round of applause. Ellie stood up from the couch in surprise.
"Mom! That was amazing!" Ellie exclaimed in delight.
"Really, she's right! A full-blown corporeal Patronus! That's bloody impressive!" Hermione added.
"Thank you, thank you. Guess I still got it," Amelia thanked as she awkwardly sat back down.
"Slughorn was right, then. Ellie does take after you. You know, it only took her two tries to even manage such a difficult spell," Hermione complimented as she glanced to her girlfriend.
Amelia laughed lightly as her eyes twinkled with excitement.
"Ah, I wish I could go back into the world of magic," Amelia commented solemnly.
"What do you mean? You're still a witch, you know," Ellie said with a confused expression.
"Dear, you are far too young to understand..." Ellie's mother replied in a tone Ellie knew all too well. If Ellie pushed any further, it would cause too much stress on her mother.
The evening continued slowly. Hermione and Ellie's mother were too busy making conversation to even include Ellie. Ellie didn't mind, as she preferred to admire her girlfriend at the other end of the couch. Ellie had done some thinking in the couple hours on the couch. Once Amelia stood up to excuse herself to the bathroom, Ellie snapped back into reality.
"Hermione," Ellie called out in a whisper.
Hermione turned to Ellie. "Yes, my love?"
"I want to tell her," Ellie said simply, knowing Hermione would know what she meant.
Hermione scooted closer to Ellie in eagerness.
"About us... Right now?" Hermione whispered back.
"I want her to know," Ellie replied as she nodded in agreement.
Amelia re-entered the room to find the two girls shifting with nervousness.
"You girls okay there?" Ellie's mother asked.
Ellie looked to Hermione to receive an encouraging nod. Ellie's heart rate started to increase as the possibility of her mother's rejection crossed her mind. This new sensation overcame her as she gulped and faced her mother with terrified eyes. She couldn't utter out a word.
"What is it, honey?" Amelia asked with a kind tone.
"I-I uh, need to tell you something," Ellie blurted, diverting her eyes downward to avoid eye contact.
It was quiet for a moment while Ellie tried to gather her thoughts. She thought it would have been easier than this, and never expected to feel this way. The mere thought of her mother's rejection made her sick to her stomach.
"Mom-" Ellie's voice started to break. "W-Would you still love me... if I... I liked girls the way I'm supposed to like boys..."
Ellie put her head down, as if in shame. A single tear fell on her lap as she tried to suppress her cry. She quickly wiped away the tear with the back of her hand. Hermione felt her heart break as she watched her girlfriend break down. She felt frozen to the couch, afraid to approach Ellie, in fear that Amelia would judge her actions.
Amelia quietly stood up from her chair and knelt down to Ellie's side. She placed a hand on her daughter's knee.
Ellie's mother spoke quietly, her voice warm and comforting.
"No matter who you become... what you do... or who you love... I will never stop loving you, my dear."
At the sound of her words, Ellie erupted into tears, her body shaking with relief. Amelia wrapped her arms around her daughter, Ellie hugging her back tightly. The two stayed there in their embrace as Ellie's anxiety dispersed. After a few minutes, Amelia drew back and returned to her chair, motioning for Hermione to take over. Hermione wrapped her arm over her girlfriend and rubbed her back gently, whispering to her that it was okay. Amelia waited patiently until Ellie arose and wiped the last of her tears.
Amelia looked to Hermione with a stern yet caring expression. From Hermione's analyzation, she realized that the mother knew of their relationship.
"Do you love her?" She asked to the Gryffindor.
Hermione looked at Ellie with fond eyes. "With all my heart."
"Don't break her heart, dear," Amelia warned.
Hermione nodded as she brought her girlfriend closer to her. Ellie looked to her mother with a grateful expression. Hermione laced their fingers with Ellie as she placed a kiss on her forehead.