At the Beginning

A persistent wail pealed through the room. Hermione struggled to her feet, prying at the sheets that were tangled around her. She slipped a robe on and stumbled her way over strewn baby clothes and blankets to the bassinette against the wall.

"Shhh," she whispered, hoping that Alexia's cries hadn't woken Harry, "Mummy's here." She lifted the precious bundle, the cries perking her motherly instincts, as she felt the baby shuddering with cries.

She kissed Alexia on the forehead, and smiled down at her. She was glad that Alexia was finally here, after three years of marriage to Harry. They'd been best friends for fifteen years before finally getting engaged after a brief courtship.

Hermione's father lavished gifts on his granddaughter, and would come long hours just to spend time with her. His wife had died two years before his daughter and son-in-law tied the knot, after a long battle with cancer. Four years after his wife's death, he finally had a granddaughter. It somehow lessened the pain of her passing for him to have a grandchild to dote on.

Hermione stood facing the window. She could see the sun rising in the distance, its fiery rays reaching out its golden arms, tinting the landscape with colours gold, purple and pink In their backyard, a breeze was stirring and the flowers waved slightly in the wind. Their district s a quiet and lovely place, in an out-of-place little passage near Diagon Alley.

Hermione jiggled Alexia a little. She paced the room and patted her on the back so that Alexia would calm down and not wake up Harry with her loud cries.

The birds in the trees chattered incessantly, bringing life and light to the alley. Most people were still sleeping, but some were already up, walking towards Diagon Alley on their way to work. Some were eating breakfast and the delicious smells wafted about. Hermione's stomach growled at the thought of food.

The reign of Lord Voldemort had ended just slightly less than a year ago, but the destruction had not yet been repaired, for it had been too great. It required the effort and time of lots of people to protect themselves and repair the damage caused by the Death Eaters and Voldemort himself. They had to reconstruct the barrier between the wizards and the Muggles and memory charm the suspicious Muggles who still wandered about.

She sighed, a happy contented sigh. All was right with the world now. Although her mother's death had affected her more than she was willing to admit, she knew that the road before her would still have flowers of quiet happiness. And with Harry by her side, she knew that it was going to be happily ever after, like the Muggle fairy tales she had read as a child.

Even though there was and would be fights and arguments, they would always love each other. And now, with Alexia here, it only strengthened their love and bonded them together.

She was glad there was peace now as she tightened her hold on her daughter. It was nice to be able to have no cares in the world, to laze around without worrying about whether Voldemort and his loyal Death Eaters would suddenly appear in her house. Most of her life, she had been worrying about Harry, wondering if he would still be by her side the next day.

Hermione looked down at her daughter's beautiful, flawless face, framed with a few curly tendrils of hair. Her hair was messy like Harry's. Alexia had a halo of reddish-brown hair and eyes that seemed to pierce into people's souls. She was born with dreams in her eyes and Hermione could feel the magic within her, radiating, the first time Alexia was in her arms.

Alexia was wriggling her fingers and toes, as if trying to get comfortable. Hermione adjusted her grip. She had finally stopped crying as she stared up at her mother, with her dazzling smile and deep blue eyes. She cooed, grabbing her mother's finger. Hermione smiled and was so mesmerized by the little girl in her arms that she hadn't realized Harry had woken up.

He slipped out of bed, grinning at the pretty picture they were making. Both of them just radiated an evanescent glow that made his heart warm up. He snaked his arms around Hermione's waist and she jumped, wincing a little.

"I'm sorry," he said, planting a kiss on her lips.

They stared down at their creation, at the life they had made. Alexia was none the wiser, as she had finally fallen back to sleep.

A small sigh escaped Hermione's lips.

"Harry, do you remember the day we got together?"

"Of course I do..." he replied, and their thoughts trailed off to what had happened four Halloweens ago, on the fifteenth anniversary of their friendship, where they first admitted their love for the other person.

She closed her eyes as her thoughts drifted to their first kiss. It had tasted like pumpkin pie, for both had eaten pie for dessert before their stroll. It was totally unexpected that he felt the same way for her, for he hid it very well. She was snapping at him one moment, and the next, they were kissing.

He tilted her chin and lightly brushed his lips across hers. Hermione's eyes grew wide. As if planned, her arms wrapped around his neck, and she kissed him. She could practically feel him grin. He rested his hands on her hips and pulled her close towards him. To Hermione, the kiss felt magical ... she could swear the sky had lit up with fireworks. Harry gently nipped her lips, and then parted them with his tongue. It wasn't lust, it w pure romance. They both felt it. Hermione deepened the kiss; her scent was already driving Harry mad. Then they slowly drew apart, both gasping for air.

Hermione had never been kissed that way before. Sure, she had dated a few people and they had been great kissers, but never had she felt so alive, and truth be told, it was a wonderful feeling to be kissed by Harry Potter.

Hermione leaned forward and kissed him again. They stood there for an eternity, kissing each other, hearts racing. It was incredible, and Hermione finally pulled away, reluctantly.

"Hermione," Harry said, looking into her eyes, deeply. She stared up at him, her brown eyes full of emotion. "I wanted to tell you that I love you."

"Harry," she said, with a sigh, "I love you too."

"I can still remember the kiss," Harry said, interrupting her thoughts. "It was so magical. I remember absolutely everything that happened that night."

"Me too,&rd; Hermione said softly, "And then you proposed two months later, remember? On Christmas Eve."

"How could I forget? I thought you were going to refuse. I was so nervous," he added, grinning.

"Like I'd ever say no to you," Hermione responded, giving him a kiss.

~*~*~*~

Harry and Hermione were sitting out in the garden with the rest of the Weasleys. On her right was Harry, and on the other side was Molly. On Molly's left was Arthur, and then Bill and his wife Samantha, their daughter Lisa, and Charlie and his girlfriend, Amelia. And then George, his wife, Angelina, Fred, Alicia, Ginny, Draco and their daughter Alina.

On Harry's other side was Ron, then Sirius and Remus. They were all eating and chatting. Hermione saw Ron lean forward to talk to Harry, whispering in his ear. Harry looked suddenly scared. Hermione instinctively asked him what was wrong. He shook his head and smiled.

"Harry, you're lying, aren't you?" She asked, suspiciously. "I've known you too long. You're not good with acting."

Harry kissed her," I love you, Hermione."

"Love you too, Harry."

They had kept silent after that, each engrossed in their own thoughts, though Hermione couldn't help but find it strange that Ron kept turning around to look at her.

Finally, dessert was served. The chattering was still going on when suddenly, Harry stood up and pushed his chair back. He bent down on one knee.

"Hermione," Harry said, "marry me?"

Hermione's eyes filled with tears, and she flung her arms around Harry and proceeded to kiss him senseless in front of everyone. She knocked him to the floor, and they lay in a tumbled heap.

"I take that as a yes?"

"Of course, Harry" she said, "Yes, I'll marry you."

The entire Weasley family watched with tears in their eyes as the two people they considered familmbraced and kissed.

"You don't know how scary that was for me," Harry said, thoughtfully. "Proposing in front of a heap of people was even worse, but I wanted them to witness our moment."

"The Boy Who Lived who has survived several meetings with Voldemort, and lived to tell the tale was afraid to propose to me?" She giggled, fluttering her eyelashes.

"Hey, that was different," he said, casting her a mock glare.

"Harry," she said as she leaned forward to kiss him again, "I love you."

She rested her head on his shoulder and looked at their wedding photo on the bedside table. She was smiling and hugging Alina, who was the flower girl. Harry stood beside her, his arms around her waist and Ron was next to him. On her other side were her bridesmaids.

Harry and Hermione engaged a wedding planner to help them organize a huge wedding and reception in Hogwarts. The wedding planner, Jamie Suvanna, was extremely patient with them as they spent seven months nning for the wedding. They were to be married on the first of July.

They had wanted a small wedding in the backyard of the Burrow, but with too many people to invite, they had to settle for a wedding with 500 people in the grounds of Hogwarts. And after that, they would have a three-week honeymoon in Canada.

Hermione had decided on a celtic dress. It was an off the shoulder cowl neck dress, with a fitted velvet bodice. It was made of beautiful Thai silk and was a light ivory with Celtic embroidery lavishly in gold. Hermione especially loved the chiffon sleeve and train. She wore an ivory-coloured veil and the edges were lined with gold.

She kept her hair down, and its natural bushiness, it still looked extremely pretty on her. Make-up was minimal, and she held a bouquet of roses and lilies.

Her maid of honour was Rose, who had been her roommate since she completed her studies in Hogwarts. Ginny, Lavender and Parvati were her bridesmaids. They wore dark blue dresses with a low neckline and the bodices were embroidered with flowers. They all tied their hair up in different styles. It was simple, but elegant.

On the day of the wedding, Hermione had glided, down the aisle on her father's arm. She was smiling at Harry when she at last reached him.

She turned around and kissed her father's cheek. "Daddy, I love you," she whispered, and turned back to stand opposite Harry. He was staring at her as if he had never seen her before.

"You look beautiful, Hermione," he said.

She smiled at him, "So do you."

Professor Dumbledore, who conducted the ceremony, cleared his throat as they both blushed and turned their attention to him. Finally, the two of them were mard.

"You may kiss the bride," Professor Dumbledore said.

They kissed. The crowd stood, cheering for them as the two of them turned to face the crowd.

"I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Harry Potter," Professor Dumbledore said with a wide grin.

~*~*~*~

Hermione was brought back to the present by a kiss from Harry. "Sickle for your thoughts?"

"I was thinking of our wedding," she murmured, as Harry gently took Alexia from Hermione issed her tiny nose. Alexia made a sound in her sleep, and Harry smiled brightly at Hermione.

No words were needed between them as they took turns admiring their baby. Even though it had been two months, they could never get enough of Alexia, and every day they would always spend some alone time with their child.

Alexia had an extremely fair complexion, and dimples at the corners of her mouth. Every single smile would bring out the dimples wholly. Her face was fair, and her lips were a light pink that stood out in her pale face.

Hermione carefully supported Alexia's head and stroked her hair, which felt velvety under her touch. It was of the lightest auburn. It went beautifully with her eyes, though Hermione knew that babies seldom kept to their original eye colour at birth. If her eyes didn't remain blue, Hermione secretly hoped it would be like Harry's mesmerizing green eyes.

Hermione had examined Alexia from head to toe and the best feature seemed to be her eyes. Alexia had deep blue eyes, eyes as blue as the darkest sapphire. It was often adorned with a sparkle, for Alexia loved to smile and was always happy.

Hermione trailed a finger down Alexia's cheek. "Lia," she said softly, "My Lia." She smiled as she thought of a row they had over Alexia's nickname.

"Hermione, Ali is more suitable for her. Lia just does not fit," Harry protested.

"Harry, Ali sounds like a boy's name! I like Lia better, so does she," she said, cooing to Alexia, " Don't you, Lia darling?"

Harry had snorted in response and trudged out of the bedroom.

Harry moved so that he was standing directly behind her, and she tilted her head to touch her lips to his.

Harry's eyes were filled with tears and he closed his eyes, " I've wanted a real family all my life, Hermione. Thank you so much for Alexia, " he said. "I love both of you."

"Oh, Harry," she sighed, leaning onto him, and holding Alexia in her arms. "I love you too."

Alexia snuggled closer to her mother as Hermione kissed her on her little snub nose. Harry smiled at her as they stood, facing the window.

The sun had finally risen fully. People were all up and about; laughter and warmth filled the air. It was an atmosphere of love, as wives kissed their husbands good-bye and children ran out to the playground to play.

Spring grass danced carelessly in the music of the breeze and everyone was breathing in the quiet scent of heaven on this beautiful spring day.

And in the midst of this happy, noisy neighbourhood, a wizard and a witch stood together, engulfed in their love for each other and the baby in their arms, surrounded in the love everyone stored in their hearts. They stothere silently, reveling in the love each had for the other for all to see, until they were swallowed by the blazing light of the sun.

It was a beautiful day. The start of a new day, a new life, a new creation.

~*~*~*~

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