Who: Miralph!
What: dropping the fake kids off and talking about real ones!
Where: King's Cross
When: TODAYY/this morning
Progress: Continuing in comments!


This was a very strange feeling, sending children off at nine and three-quarters that he had met three months ago in a fashion that suggested he had known them for years. It felt like Ralph had known them for that long. Introducing all three newly instated witches and wizard (and their families) to a world they had never thought of existing led to that, he noticed. Definitely the best part of this entire job. They were just so.... inspiring! And new. Like little babies with eyes wide as saucers to all the exciting, and slightly terrifying as he had remembered, things around them.

He really had to send McGonagall a stellar fruit basket for allowing him this job. They both knew he hadn’t been one of Hogwarts’, let alone Gryffindor’s, most outstanding, so why she had semi sought Ralph out for it was a mystery. One he would never seek to answer either, mind you.

Ralph strode quickly across the platform, heading back to where he had left Miranda a few minutes earlier. He had been surprised, and happy that she had decided to come along, not thinking that his joke about needed extra hands to wave would be taken seriously. But he enjoyed her company nonetheless, her mere presence calming any nerves he had about the day running smoothly.

“All set,” he said as soon as he reached her. Ralph let out a light sigh and produced a smile. “They’re with their parents now,” he finished, reaching out to touch her hand lightly as he spoke.

Miranda could not believe that it had been ten years since she’d boarded the Hogwarts Express for the first time. Watching these children get on the train now, she couldn’t imagine herself being so little; eleven was young, how could anyone in their right mind send such a naive child off into a strange world like Hogwarts without a second thought? Miranda remembered being so excited about the trip that her brothers had to literally sit on her to keep her from jumping out the bloody window. Didn’t those kids realize that going to Hogwarts was going to change their lives forever? That it was hard to leave that place once you got there? Everything outside of Hogwarts would never be the same, you would never be the same.

She waved enthusiastically to the muggleborns that Ralph had mentored. Miranda adored the pride he took in their successful trips to King’s Cross, and was so immensely proud of him for taking on such a job. He was doting and caring, just like a good ambassador should be. Just like a good father should be. Her chest swelled with pride as he joined her, and Miranda had to look away to keep her thoughts from getting to far away from her.

But what caught her eye was a red headed boy waving goodbye to his family as he stood in the door of the train. His mother was in tears and his father's chest was swelled with pride and accomplishment. It seemed like this had been the day they had been looking forward to since the day their son was born. Miranda watched the scene, unconsciously doing the math...her little girl would have been a year old this week. Her and Ralph's baby would have been celebrating her first birthday and now here they were, having never spoken of whether or not they would try for another chance at being parents.

Miranda looked up at Ralph the moment he looked down at her, her face worried and desperate for an answer, "We're going to have kids someday, right?" Please?

Miranda’s question caught Ralph off guard, especially for how weighted it was and how suddenly she seemed to be able to bring it up. Attempting to have more children.... had not been a topic they had discussed in over a year.

He felt a pang in his stomach, and he quickly looked away from Miranda toward the train. Of course he wanted children. He had--- Miranda had made him realize that he wanted a family, a concept Ralph had never took much time to focus on when he was younger. But, after what had happened last year.... the thought of purposely trying to get pregnant made him anxious. It was much safer now, he knew, practically nothing to be anxious about, but nonetheless it still kept him up at night. What if there were complications? Because of what had happened--- what if--- the attack on Frank and Alice had been so unforeseen, what was stopping any low-lying death eaters from randomly deciding to do the same later? It was no way to think or live life, Ralph knew that, but he couldn’t help it.

It was hard to look back at Miranda, his gaze meeting her unassuming and despairing face. He didn’t want to say no to her, but Ralph found the words caught in his throat. It was so difficult. And--- Ralph felt his neck grow extremely hot once he remembered they were in public. It wasn’t an embarrassed feeling, but one that included him not wanting anyone else viewing this extremely private moment of theirs. So he turned, exposing his back to the tracks. They needed to be facing each other.

Ralph let their loosely held hands linger as they were, focusing on them intensely before speaking. “I want to,” he started quietly. Eventually his gaze lifted back up to meet hers. “But--- I’m terrified.”