Dreaming of you

Hermione rolled over in bed and breathed in. A scent in the air made her eyes flash open, sitting up quickly she looked around. After reassuring herself she was alone she smiled. It was just a dream. Something still niggled inside her. She had, while still half asleep, smelled a man mixed with sex.



Looking down at herself she was still in her nightgown with no signs that what she remembered was anything other than a dream. She had to admit she was a little disappointed, the sex had been…



She couldn’t think of a word that covered exactly how that had felt. Unbelievable didn’t cover it. Neither did amazing or exquisite. They all lacked something. She slowly flopped back onto the bed and looked up at the canopy on the bed. What day was it today?



Saturday, she realised.



A day off.



Well almost a day off. As if on cue hammering little feet sounded down the corridor and her bedroom door burst open.



“Mummy, mummy!” A small voice shouted, running to the bed and somehow clambering up to jump on her, “Wake up time! Bot-bot!”



“Good morning angel,” She sighed sitting up and tackling her daughter down onto the bed in a fit of giggles.



“No mummy!” Her daughter laughed as she was tickled repeatedly. “Bot-bot!”



“What do we say Pan?” Hermione asked, stopping tickling.



A look confusion crossed her daughters face, “Bot-bot pwease?”



“Good girl, wasn’t that easy?” Hermione shifted herself to the side of the bed and put her daughter down. She grabbed her robe from the door and had to rush to keep up with Pandora as she moved quickly towards the kitchen. She found a bottle for Pandora and filled it with orange juice. She was a little worried as Pandora still wanted her drinks in a cup with a lid and struggled with a normal cup but she was still a toddler after all.



“Mummy, dark man!”



Hermione turned and looked at her daughter. “What dark man?” She handed over the bottle and Pan looked behind her mother.



“All gone.” She gave a toothy grin and put her bottle in her mouth.



Hermione shrugged it off as another one of Pan’s imaginary people. Her daughter had a new one every week. They usually went away after a week or so.



“Your daddy’s coming to get you today and your gonna stay there tonight, that’ll be exciting won’t it angel?” Hermione said, finding a bowl and using her wand to make Pan’s porridge the way she liked it.



“Nana Molly!” Pan cried with a gleam in her eyes.



“Yes, you’ll be seeing Nana Molly too.” Hermione looked at the clock above the cooker and jumped it was already ten o’clock. He’d be here soon. She didn’t want to rush her daughter so she moved around getting a bag together while she ate. Pandora held up her bowl calling, “All done!”



“Good girl,” Hermione lifted Pandora out of her chair and sat her on her hip, “let’s go get dressed for Daddy.”



“Daddy, daddy,” Pan began to sing, her hand patting Hermione’s arm as she made their way to her bedroom.



Hermione put her down on her pink bedspread. The room consisted of shades of pink, everyone they could find only broken by the white of the furniture. “What do you want to wear today? How about these?”



Hermione held up a pair of dungarees with pink stitching and a white cotton jumper.



“Yay!” Pan cried clapping her hands. Hermione marvelled at the way Pan made everything exciting, even getting dressed. They struggled and laughed their way through dressing. Hermione was nearly in tears of laughter as Pandora pulled her socks on inside out looked at them knowing something was wrong.



“Try again, angel,” Hermione cooed, pulling off the socks and giving them back. On her second attempt Pandora got it right, even managing to get her trainers on the right feet too. Together they picked the clothes to take with her and made it back to the kitchen in time to hear a knock on the front door.



“Daddy!” Pandora burst out in laughter as Hermione opened the door to Ron who smiled sheepishly at her for a moment before Pandora’s calls made him go to her and scoop her up.



“Hows daddy’s little princess?” He asked, hugging Pan to him. Looking at them the resemblance was striking. Hermione could see that Pandora had her eyes and hair but her fathers features.



“Go nana molly too?”



“Course we will.” Ron said, putting her down, “Go fetch your bag princess.” He turned to Hermione as Pan scuttled off, “How are you ‘Mione?”



“I’m fine Ron,” She smiled, “How about you?”



“Same. Mum’s complaining that she doesn’t get to see you anymore though.” He smiled back.



“I know but with the new ward being opened I’m trying to make sure all my non-working time’s spent with Pan. St Mungo’s is expanding very quickly.” She twitched her robe tighter around her, no matter how amicable the break-up is you still feel uncomfortable with the knowledge that the person before you has seen you naked.



“She wanted me to ask you to come round tonight. Have dinner, you know.”



“I wouldn’t want to impose on your time with Pandora.”



“Don’t be daft,” He smiled, reaching out to touch her shoulder, “I’d like to get the chance to chat with you and you know Pan will want to say goodnight to you anyway. Saves on apparating there and back for five minutes.”



Hermione sighed and looked down and Pandora came running back with her pick rucksack dragging behind her, “Okay, that’ll be a nice change.”



“Great,” Ron said, beaming at her, “Is my princess ready to go?”



“Yay, yay!” Pan said, as Ron bent and scooped her up.



“Kiss mummy bye, you’ll see her tonight.”



“Mummy!” Pandora puckered up her lips and leant out, making Ron stagger to keep a steady grip on her. Hermione leant in and kissed her daughter.



“I’ll see you tonight angel.”



“Daddy too!”



“Yeah, I’ll see Daddy too.” Hermione smiled brushing a brown curl behind Pan’s ear.



“No daddy kiss bye bye!” Pan insisted, pouting.



“Oh Pan…” Hermione looked at Ron whose cheeks burned red. “Do you mind?”



“No go right ahead.” He managed.



She leant in and placed a chaste kiss on Ron’s cheek. “Bye.” She said as Ron hurried out the door, his face still burning. Sometimes children put you in the worst positions.