The Road You Take Don't Always Lead You Home

"Mom, can we go now? We're laced up and everything."

Hermione frowned a little. "Give me a minute."

"Mo-om!" Randi threw up her hands in exasperation. "It'll take you forever to get those things on!"

"Just wait, Bunny," Yekyl said fondly. "Your mom will be ready soon."

"You always say that," Randi whined.

"Randi Harriet," Hermione warned.

"Aw, Mommy, please?" Kelsey begged. "I'm ready too. I wanna go skate."

Hermione chewed her lip and glanced at Yekyl. "Should we let them?"

He tapped a Velcro strap into place. "Ah, let 'em have their fun."

Hermione sighed and turned back to her daughters. "Will you keep an eye on Paul?"

"Does New York have skyscrapers?" Kelsey retorted.

"Don't get mouthy, Kelsey Anne."

Randi stuck up for her sister. "She's right, Mom. Taking care of Paul is something we do natural as breathing."

Hermione sighed again. "All right, but be careful."

"YYYES!" Randi punched the air. She took one of her little brother's hands, Kelsey took the other, and the three moved out onto the rink floor.

Hermione watched them go, biting her lip hard. She worried about her children, always had, but she supposed it was a natural facet of her personality. "Do you think I worry too much?" she asked Yekyl.

He kissed her cheek. "You're a mother. Of course you worry too much."

Hermione laughed and swatted him on the arm. "Thanks for the reassurance."

"No trouble." Yekyl smiled at her fondly. "See, now was this so bad?"

Hermione smiled feebly. "It's better than that neighbourhood, anyway. I'm not losing one of my children, Jake."

Yekyl nodded soberly. He had been offered a job in the British Ministry as an Auror, which he had previously done for the American Department of Magic. Worried about transferring their children--Randi was eight, Kelsey was five, Paul only two-and-a-half--he had dithered for several weeks. He and Hermione had stayed up late discussing the advantages and disadvantages. On the one hand, Hermione was starting to miss England and her friends; on the other hand, they didn't want to make the children unsettled. They had continued these whispered debates until three weeks before, when a near-tragedy had made up their mind. Hermione tended to over-fret about her children, but Yekyl understood in light of what could have happened.

Sighing, she stood up and wobbled. "Oof. It's been too long since I've done this."

Yekyl took her hand to steady her. "Come on, Jitterbug," he said, using his affectionate nickname for her. "I'll skate with you."

The two stepped out onto the rink and began cautiously working their way around the wood floor. Hermione thought she was getting the hang of it and started to let go, but as she went around the curve her wheels wobbled underneath her and she grabbed Yekyl's hand to steady herself. Both of them wound up on their backsides. Yekyl tried to stand and slipped, falling back to his tailbone; Hermione barely managed to get a little up before she was face-first on the wooden floor. Laughing hard now, they managed to haul themselves to the side of the rink and get to their feet again.

After they made a few successful laps, a deep voice came over the intercom. "Clear the rink, clear the rink, partner skating only. Partner skating only."

Yekyl turned to Hermione and smiled. "Partner?"

"Always." Hermione smiled back and took the proffered hand. The two glided onto the rink and did a few slow circuits, holding hands.

Hermione looked around the rink. A smile crossed her face as she noticed Randi skating slowly, holding Paul's hands; little Paul, an expression of unadulterated bliss on his face, giggled as she pulled him along. She observed the other couples: dates out for a romantic evening, a pair who were evidently professional skaters, even a girl skating with an older sister or aunt. A group of guys were heckling a couple--a young woman with long blonde hair and a man with a roundish face--who were determinedly ignoring them.

As the song ended and other people began filtering onto the rink, Hermione and Yekyl returned to the table they'd set their things at, where Randi and Paul already sat.

"Where's Kelsey?" Hermione asked, instantly alarmed.

Randi shrugged. "Probably skating."

Hermione scanned the rink for a while, but the same people made several circuits and Kelsey was not among them. "Oh, no," she moaned. "She's gone!"