Where's My Little Girl

Chapter 3

Mr. Granger sat huffily in the ugly brown checked lounge chair that sat aside the living room window. He was pretending to read a newspaper while secretly seething at the conversation he heard his wife having with her sister Rachael over the phone.

"Yes, that's right, Rach. You and David need to bring Julia over here for when they arrive." Mrs. Granger was talking to her younger sister (who strangely enough had given birth to her first, last, and only child at forty-two. This happened circa one month previous.) about Hermione coming over with baby Simon.

About fifteen minutes later, Mr. Granger rolled his eyes and gritted his teeth as David, Rachael, and Julia Williams were let into his house. Forcing a smile, he shook David's hand before 'going back to his newspaper'. It would be a long day.

No sooner had Mr. Granger huffed in revulsion a fiftieth time, when the doorbell rang. "Oh," said Rachael excitedly. "That must be them!"

Mrs. Granger smiled as she opened the door. She flung her arms around Hermione as she entered, tears in her eyes.

"It's okay, Mum," Hermione stuttered in shock at being bombarded. "It's only been two days since you last saw me." She grinned at Harry as he walked in carrying Simon's bassinette. Mr. Granger had a sudden rouge urge to knock it out of his hands.

His face contorted to a nasty puce as everyone scrambled to hold, touch, and look at the new addition to the family. They all seemed to be laboring under the delusion that the Potter bastard's son was cute and worth their notice! How silly and blind they all were!

"Oh, Hermione," a smiling Rachael cooed, playing with the zipper of Simon's feety pajamas "He's absolutely adorable."

"Thank you," Hermione giggled back, her arm linked through Harry's. Harry kissed her lovingly on the side of her head. She thereafter place that head on Harry's broad, muscular shoulder. The whole sight was positively sickening to Mr. Granger! Gut-wrenching at the nicest!

"Stan," Mrs. Granger's voice came from the rear of him. "I thought we discussed this when we were at the hospital."

Mr. Granger turned to face his wife, a snarling scowl on his livid face. "He bugs me. He still bugs me. Him and his son can just-"

"STAN!" Mrs. Granger reprimanded in a dangerous whisper. She dragged him into the kitchen so not to be overheard. "Do you have even the faintest of notions about how upset Hermione would be if she heard all this?" Seeing his confused face, she sarcastically added. "Yes, her name is Hermione, Stan. Anytime you need me to remind you of this fact, just ring the buggering cow bell!" She seemed to be very mad. "I've had it up to my ears with your prejudice! The sad truth is, he was there for her, and you weren't. If anyone should be being judged, Stanley Granger, it should be YOU!" She stormed out.

Mr. Granger was in shock. So the truth really does hurt.

"Uh, Dad," Hermione poked her face into the kitchen.

"What?" he snapped, more harshly than he'd meant it.

She shrugged looking nervous. So now he made her nervous? Just how evil had he been towards his family over the years? "It's just that some lady named Lydia Jenkins is on the phone for you. She sounds angry. Something about an overbite..."