Ready, Set, Whoa! ((Hermione & maybe Sierra))

[Professor Adam Greene]

It had been a while since Adam was in a mood as good as the one today. Throughout the morning, he could barely keep from laughing every time Sierra would give him an odd look, almost as though she were asking him what planet he had come from. "Can't I be a little over-excited to see my son?" he asked her while cleaning up their mess from breakfast. With the dishes magically washing themselves on one side, he was levitating the leftover food do the fridge on his other side. He rarely made Sierra help to clean up during summer holiday, seeing that she couldn't officially use magic. She didn't seem to mind though.

"I'll be upstairs," Sierra said, taking the steps two at a time as she retreated to her room, leaving Adam in the kitchen alone. He could only smile at the thought of her entering the prime of her teenage years. Oddly enough, he couldn't remember himself being the typical teen, but as Sierra's legal guardian, Adam wasn't about to enter into the dreaded teenager/parent confrontation. Then again, he wasn't her parent, so he probably tended to react a little differently than most guardians of teenagers might have. After all, Adam had been a teenager himself just a few years prior. He had confidence in his sister though, and he was certain that no matter what teenage drama she found herself in, her head was good enough to get herself out of it. The two Greene siblings were a lot alike in that regard, and Adam had found himself in some pretty sticky situations, only to be where he was today. Perhaps his life wasn't the prime example of a successful life, but he was happy, at least for the most part, and that was all that mattered. With Jamie on his way to spend the summer in Hogsmeade, even the painful memories of his failed marriage with Dixie couldn't ruin his day.

Since they had eaten a later breakfast, it was nearly noon now, which meant Jamie would be arriving any minute. At the same time, it also meant Hermione would be there soon too. Since she and Adam had become fairly close friends, it seemed that she was his only "adult" contact for the time. They shared a job at Hogwarts, which meant they saw each other daily during the school year, but now that summer was upon them, they'd have to plan their meetings. Today, Adam had invited her over to meet Jamie, though Hermione was unaware of this. She was under the impression that the two of them were just having lunch. The surprise added to Adam's excitement, as he was anxious for Hermione to meet his son.

Arrangements had been made for Dixie's assistant to bring Jamie via apparation to Adam's house. Dixie was off in some other country (Adam wasn't sure which one), financing her newest additions to Lovely Lumos. The company had grown quite significantly in such a short time, and Adam was impressed and slightly proud of what Dixie had accomplished. He figured it was good that she had something to keep her mind off of him. He wished he had the same. It would probably be a good thing that Dixie wasn't coming though, considering that things had ended somewhat abruptly. She was back in his life for such a short time before deciding it was a mistake. Every time she left it was always painful, and Adam was still trying to get over everything. Healing came in time though, and he knew that more time needed to pass. He just hoped that having Jamie would help the process, rather than hurt it. His fathering skills weren't the sharpest, but he was certain that he'd manage. He was practically taking care of Sierra after all. Granted, an 18 month baby boy was a little different than a 15 year old girl.

Adam jerked around when he heard the sudden pop from behind him. It was followed by a whimpering cry, which came from Jamie who was clearly unhappy with the mode of transport. Adam took an immediate step forward, reaching his arms for Jamie to come to him. "Vomited just before we left," the assistant said, seemingly frustrated to have been given such a job as delivering Jamie to Adam. She happily handed Jamie to his father, using her wand to magic away the remains of baby vomit and wrinkles from her formal outfit. "Ms. Holden has provided everything you'll need for the summer. She asks that you please owl her with any concerns, and she said that she can arrive immediately if you need her to." The way that her voice rattled off the instructions as though Adam were an evening babysitter made him the slightest bit angry, but he held in his emotion as she continued. "She says that she'll arrive promptly at the time discussed when it is time for her to take Jamie back in August. If there is nothing else, then I'll be going..." Without even a chance to say thank you, though he hadn't intended on it," the young witch was gone, leaving Adam with a still crying baby and a small pile of items that he would need to sort out.

"Good afternoon to you too," he said rather huffily to the spot where the lady had disappeared from. If he'd have been in contact with Dixie, he might have informed her of the obvious rudeness in her assistant, but it wasn't worth the hassle. Instead, he turned to take care of Jamie, an attempt to calm his crying and get things settled. At that moment though, he heard a knocking at the door meaning that Hermione had apparently arrived. "Coming!" he said, taking a deep breath as he hurried to let her in. If she hadn't heard Jamie's crying from inside, there was no escaping them once Adam opened the door to greet her. "Hermione, I'd like you to meet my son," he said with a smile, despite the chaos that had just taken place in the past few minutes.

[Hermione Granger]

Hermione fixed her hair in the mirror with some trepidation. Visiting Adam wasn't a momentous occasion by any accounts - she was dropping in for casual lunch with a colleague and friend, and the next few hours would involve comfortable, easy conversation with her fellow professor at Hogwarts and his younger sister, Sierra, over the dinner table. There was no need to make an effort in terms of her appearance, but Hermione still felt the inclination to. Perhaps part of her reasons for wearing a smart outfit she hadn't looked at in over a year was due to deprivation of trying to look nice for something or someone. Hermione was not extremely vain, but she harboured a secret enjoyment of dressing up to impress. Well, she used to anyway. It was once thoroughly amusing when she knocked the arrogance off other girls' faces into utter envy and resentment when she put on a pretty dress and straightened her hair for an infamous, sought-after international Quidditch player. Now, there seemed little motivation, hence why she hadn't delved into her closet for months. It didn't matter what other women thought of her; didn't matter if she knocked everyone's socks off. These things seemed trivial; paled in comparison to the loss of her best friend. That and her work required little effort in the dress department; she wore similar, plain robes to School everyday.

On the whole pleased with her reflection, Hermione gave a small sigh and stood up, making sure she had the large bottle of firewhiskey in hand before she apparated to Adam's house. She was reluctant to arrive empty-handed and seem rather rude, but Hermione had struggled over what to bring. It seemed such a long time since she'd made any kind of social interaction or effort at all. Except for their chats in the Staff Room, discussing students and at the right, sombre times, their sordid pasts, Hermione and Adam had rarely seen each other outside of their work environment. This would be the first time she visited the Greene household. Hermione was both anxious and curious. Adam wasn't the type to give much about himself away - and that suited Hermione, because she was the same. All she knew about Adam's life outside of School was that he lived with his sister, Sierra, who was in her fifth year. It still amazed Hermione that the Greene siblings had been sorted into Slytherin; they exuded barely any of the traits of the pureblood-oriented house. Admittedly she had never had any friends who had descended from Slytherin; Adam was her first one. After teaching Sierra for almost a year, Hermione had concluded that, like her older brother, Sierra was not the stereotypical Slytherin whatsoever. In fact, she quite liked the younger Greene, against her better judgement. She didn't want to become too attached to Adam or Sierra - her colleague and her pupil.

Yet, Hermione had come to view Adam as a friend - perhaps her only friend. There was no more Harry; and no Ron. She was practically estranged from her parents now; she hadn't visited them in months, so desperate to stay away because she knew they would see through her, notice the changes, grow worried since they were her mother and father and cared for her more than she wanted them to. It was painful to be a parent. Hermione wasn't sure she wanted to, or could, bring a child into this dark, desperate world. She would be a terrible mother anyway. In contrast, Adam wanted nothing more than to be a father to his son - Jamie, Hermione remembered, the word a smile on Adam's lips - though always a sad smile... always. Hermione hadn't delved into Adam's history with his ex-wife, Dixie, and she didn't plan on doing so unless he told her himself. Similarly, Adam respected her memories of Harry; he never inquired after the painful subject, which Hermione was grateful for. She was sick and tired of every single person questioning her for news or gossip - how's Ron? Are you two still together? Do you miss Harry? The burden of her role in the saving of the world was heavy, but Harry - Harry had paid the price. And now, Hermione had to live out hers.

The last few months had been better, though. With her demanding job and the supportive friendship of Adam, Hermione had been able to fall into a healthier routine. She could sleep; she could eat; she could smile. She still dreamt of blinding green, still lapsed into pensive memories of the past, but she was beginning to see a light - a faint, dim light - at the end of the tunnel. Healing seemed possible now. With that resolute thought, Hermione shut her eyes and apparated to Adam's house, bottle of firewhiskey in one hand. At the door she knocked, composing herself into calm, but that was all knocked flat when Adam appeared, bringing with him sounds of a baby's cry. Hermione blinked in bewilderment as Adam beamed at her - happier than she had ever seen him over the last year - and, bouncing a bawling baby in his arms, said, "Hermione, I'd like you to meet my son."

Oh s***.

It took a few seconds - barely noticeable to an overly excited Adam - for Hermione to gather her senses, and with a nervous smile, step through the threshold - closer to the crying child that seemed to have upped a notch in volume and pitch. She refrained a wince. "I... had no idea your son would be here," she said, slightly strained and evidently surprised as her wide eyes stared at Jamie as though he was something to be feared. "I thought he would be with your ex-wife." Adam's son continued to cry, evidently upset, and the sounds penetrated Hermione's ears to invade in the form of a rising headache. She bit out a groan. This was not going to be a casual lunch after all. "Adam," she began tentatively, eyes darting back and forth between father to son. "I'm not... Well, I'm not really good with kids." She gave an uncharacteristic, high-pitched giggle that was more nervous than amused. And then, even more uncharacteristically, she began to babble - a habit she would later blame on one Ronald Weasley. "I scare children. They're scared of me, we're not on the same intellectual level. I--" Her words, though, seemed to fall on deaf ears, because before she could protest in horror, the bottle of firewhiskey was removed, replaced with a thoroughly upset child being pushed into a terrified Hermione's arms.

"No, I--" Fingers held on for dear life as the baby settled between them. Well, Jamie wasn't really a baby anymore - he was almost two, was he not? He was a toddler - a crying toddler. And he sure as heck could cry for all he was worth. Hermione stared, for once out of her depth, at the child in her hands, supporting him, holding him, and felt a mixture of paralysing fear and a motherly desire to protect. Instinctively, she placed him in the crook of her left arm and, with another anxious glance at Adam, gently bounced Jamie up and down in an attempt to soothe his cries. "Sssh," she whispered, biting her lip and feeling rather foolish. "Sssh..." Miraculously, Jamie soon ceased crying, though teary hiccups continued to shake his little body, which brought a slight smile to Hermione's face. After a moment's more rocking, Jamie had been successfully subdued, and Hermione swiftly handed him back to his father, glad to be rid of tantrums and responsibilities - both of which gave her extremely long-lasting headaches. "He's... cute," she said with a tense but genuine smile. "He looks a lot like you."

[Professor Adam Greene]

"That was the plan," Adam said with a smile, "to surprise you." The look on Hermione's face indicated that he clearly had succeeded in surprising her. "Dixie's in... oh, I forget where she is now, but Jamie's mine for the summer." The smile on Adam's face spread, despite the cries coming from Jamie. He bounced him up and down a few times, a futile attempt to quiet the cries. Among her surprise, Hermione seemed just slightly nervous, barely stringing together a cohesive sentence as she stepped into the house, ever so slightly closer to Adam and Jamie.

Not good with kids? "Sure you are," Adam said rather quickly. He had doubted his own abilities in the beginning, the constant questioning of whether he could be a good father. He knew Hermione would soon see that it wasn't as scary as it seemed. Plus, he wasn't asking her to be a mother or anything. Being the parent was the hard part, as you couldn't just give the kid away when you were tired of them. Adam figured it'd be so much easier to be an uncle or an older brother like he was with Sierra. At least then he could find little moments of escape. But, for the summer, Jamie was his, and with tears and all, Adam was ready for the challenge. Perhaps having Sierra and Hermione around would be a nice support.

Without giving her a chance to argue, Adam deftly swapped Jamie for the bottle of firewhiskey that Hermione had brought, and he headed toward the kitchen. The sounds of crying faded, and by the time Adam returned empty handed, Jamie was no longer in tears but nestled comfortably in Hermione's arms. "You made that seem simple," he teased, taking Jamie back from Hermione. Luckily, the tears didn't start back up again, which let Adam to assume that Jamie wasn't simply crying because of him. That'd make for a long summer if it were the case. He smiled when Hermione commented that he and Jamie looked alike. If anything, it was a little boost of pride that Adam could take in knowing that he was part of something so precious.

"His crib and playpen are probably packed in that bag," he said, motioning toward the place on the floor where Dixie's assistant had left Jamie's pile of necessities. "Knowing Dixie, there's a whole mess of other stuff in there as well. Good luck finding anything." He continued to rock Jamie back and forth as he searched his pocket for his wand so that he could proceed in getting lunch ready. "Sierra!" he called, "Mind giving us a hand down here?" Footsteps from the second floor could be heard, and soon Sierra was coming back down the steps.

"Hey Herm... Professor Granger," Sierra said, her face turning a slight shade of pink as she greeted Hermione. Quickly, Sierra walked up to Adam and took Jamie from him. She loved being an aunt to him, despite her young age. Just like Adam, Sierra had a maturity about her which was the result of their lack of involved parents in their lives. "What are we having?" she asked, looking up at Adam.

"Well, Hermione has brought us some firewhiskey," he said, making his way back toward the kitchen. "I figured that I might make some spaghetti and a salad. Does that sound good for the two of you?" Adam took his wand and began levitating things around the small kitchen. It had been a while since he cooked a decent meal.