The Only Exception

[Nina Patrokov]

The young mother and daughter team made their way through Obsidian Harbour, talking as they went on but they stopped when Isadora did and said, "Mommy, uppy!" Nina smiled down at her blonde baby girl and bent down to pick her up and then held her in her arms, resting her on her hip as they walked along Obsidian. It wasn't long before the small child drifted off to sleep while she walked with her in her arms, Nina of course smiled at her sweet little baby and walked on carefully avoiding people as she wrapped her arms tighter around Isadora to protect her further from people and the cool breeze.

Nina Patrokov had matured in these past two years, she no longer held any grudges except for people who put her daughter in danger and cared only for the safety of herself and her baby. All in all, motherhood suited Nina and even if she wasn't getting 'any' she was fine with it because she didn't want to risk having another baby for a long time. Maybe until she was married and not in her early twenties when she was getting odd looks from everyone when she told them that Isadora was her daughter.

When she had been pregnant, Nina had assumed that she would get to meet judgmental people but never had it bothered her because she loved someone unconditionally and they loved her the same. It was so terribly different from the man that had given her Isadora in the first place. He had run off to his ex-girlfriend, pretending that he had never met her and despite the initial pang of loneliness hurting her harder than anything else ever had, she had gotten over it. Just like Nina had gotten over the heart ache, her grandmother had gotten over the shock and disappointment of Nina's pregnancy and now Dora was allowed to stay over at her great-grandmother's house while she was at Hogwarts doing her job as a nurse, which she had only recently been hired for. Slowly but surely, things were piecing themselves together and Nina couldn't be happier in her life.

 

[Kiera Kaster]

Kiera Potter glanced at her clock, seeing that it was just after the acceptable hours for lunch. The small brunette prefered to wait until after the lunch rush to go try and grab something to eat. She put down her quill from where she had been tallying up the wand sales and finalizing them. It would take a few more hours to get her books back in order after the mass rush of first years. Kiera stood up off the stool, careful not to place her heels wrong on the ground. She ran her hands over her navy dress. Her gold jewelry was simple in design. On her left hand sat her pink diamond engagement ring as well as her wedding ring where they had firmly been for the last two years.

Kiera waved her wand, locking up the shop while she was gone to lunch. Her thoughts drifted back two years ago to her school life. Things had seemed so impossible. She had been dealing with her Head Girl duties as well as conflicted about what she should do regarding James and Alex. Both had been so perfect for her but it had always been James who held her heart since their first moment in the library at the very beginning of her sixth year. He was her true other half she couldn't be without. Yet, Alex was her best friend, her confidant, and her love. The brunette had loved him very much but in the end, it just wasn't enough when he couldn't love her back. The pair had both inflicted deep wounds on the other, driving a wedge between them and allowing James to step in. Kiera didn't regret one bit of what had happened. Everything had worked out. She had James for a husband and lover and Alex for a best friend; he hadn't been able to abandon her completely.

Normally, the small girl wouldn't have noticed the woman across from her after two years of change. Maybe it was because her thoughts were already back in time. Whatever the reason, her honey eyes took in the figure of a woman she knew, one who had hated her, liked her and then hated her once more. It was an old complicated relationship. Nina Patrokov wasn't alone. With her, she had a little girl. Kiera smiled tentively at them both, not sure what to do. The brunette wasn't sure if Nina would be receptive of her or not but she would try. "Hello Nina." she said in a greeting.

 

[Nina Patrokov]

When Nina heard her name spoken, she turned her head towards that direction only to see Kiera Potter. "Hello Kiera," she said, acting just as polite as she was as she bounced on the spot, rocking Isadora hoping that she would get a little nap before she would have to wake her up so she wouldn't be awake all night like she had when she was a baby. "How are you?" she asked, thinking that making pleasantries would keep from any aggressive attitude or behavior towards each other because Nina had not forgotten that she had disliked Kiera in the past and that she had no idea that Nina no longer cared about the petty things in life.

Nina's dark eyes flicked down to Isadora as she adjusted herself in her light slumber and she pet the blonde head of hair that was the exact same shade as Nina's own dirty blonde. It was one of the clear signs that they were mother and daughter as well as the fact that their noses were similar and that the only thing that looked different was their eye colour and their chin dimples. Those two traits Issy got from her jerk of a father and she was glad it was only those two things because Gareth had hurt her so completely and even if she would have loved Isadora anyway, she would have seen more of him in her daughter than she would have liked.

Looking back up at Kiera, Nina Patrokov gave her a genteel smile with a glint touching her soft eyes that showed just how happy she was to be where she was in life and she hoped that, despite all their former differences, she and James were just as happy as she was.

 

[Kiera Kaster]

Kiera looked curiously at Nina, studying her facial expressions and tone of voice. She wasn't sure if Nina was over what all happened between Kiera and Alex or if she still harbored ill will towards the tiny woman. It appeared that she was honestly being friendly and nice. Kiera was relieved to see that Nina had left their fued back at Hogwarts New Zealand. She offered her a smiled in return, hoping it looked like she wanted to make peace as well. Kiera didn't care about whatever had happened in the past because it was the past. So much had happened since that time of her life that it seemed like it was ten years ago rather than two.

"Oh I'm pretty good. Just busy with Quidditch and Ollivanders." Kiera replied to the question in a friendly manner. "How are you doing Nina?" she asked, just as pleasantly. The brunette wasn't about to do anything that would cause discord between the two women. She noticed the resemblance between the child and Nina, wondering if that was the other woman's daughter. "And who is this little cutie?" she asked, grinning at the blonde child.

 

[Nina Patrokov]

Nina nodded her head as Kiera told her that she was just busy with her quidditch career and Ollivanders. The thought that in only seven years she would have to bring her little Issy there to get her first wand was nerve wracking but she settled her mind by living in that moment and hearing the former Gryffindor's question."I'm well, I was recently hired at Hogwarts as a nurse," Nina answered and added, "I worked as a Healer at Saint Mungo's for a bit but there were so many deaths that I couldn't stay." The thought caused her to shudder because Nina Patrokov had cared for the permanent residents as if they were her family and she just hadn't been ready to separate herself from that job at that time in her life. As Kiera asked Nina who Isadora was, she smiled like the proud mother that she was and said softly, "She's my baby, Isadora."

Nina knew that Kiera was a Potter now, unless her marriage failed but she would have read about it in the papers so she asked, "How are you and James? Thinking of having a little monster, yourself?" She chuckled light heartedly as she called Isadora a monster because at this moment she looked like an angel in her sweet slumber, not that there weren't hard moments of being a single, young, mother. However, Isadora Azura Patrokov really made everything worth it, she made the ten hours of labour, the money troubles and the lack of a young adulthood all worth it when she smiled and curled up with her just as she was right now.