I don't own Harry Potter or any of the characters or ideas thereof; everything is property of J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros., Scholastic, etc, etc, etc., and I make absolutely no money off thsi fiction.

AN: I've read a few stories where Hermione and Draco have an affair and later on, after she and Ron are married, their daughter Rose is sorted into Slytherin. They all follow the same formula of Ron being a dick about the whole thing and Hermione leaving him and going back to Draco, who is OF COURSE in a loveless marriage. I think this is stupid and that Hermione a) has more integrity and honor than this and b) that Ron also has more integrity and honor than this and that c) Draco, while he might harbor a secret passion for Hermione (because in my world all men want her, dur), doesn't really care enough about her to leave his own wife. He's too pampered. So I wrote this little drabble/oneshot about how I think that conversation, if it happened, would really go. Because I just can't see Hermione and Ron being that big of douchebag parents that they'd vomit all over their daughter's house sorting and throw their lives away. Honestly. Grow some originality and creativity, folks.

EDIT: So, there's been some confusion I need to clear up. Back story for this oneshot is that Hermione and Draco had an affair BEFORE she married Ron and Rose may or may not be Draco's. Her biological paternity was not the point of this oneshot (although I like to think she is, in fact, Ron's). The point is that Ron and Hermione are good parents and love their children. Hope that explains things.

Hermione pulled Hugo along at her side while she rattled off a last minute list of instructions to Rose, who, in her eagerness to get to school, had already donned her robes. Rose looked up at her mother and brushed some of her unmanageable strawberry blonde curls from her eyes.

"Mum," she said, "I know."

Hermione smiled as Ron turned around and laughed at the scene, their own little miss bossy-boots daughter staring up at her mom in consternation, arms akimbo. It was adorable and a little frightening all at once. Albus Severus seemed to think so as well, because he turned and shot a wary glance in Rose's direction at the sound of her high-pitched voice, despite the large grin she sent at him. Ginny looked up at them and smiled, waving them over.

"Exciting, isn't it? The first one?"

"Nerve-wracking," Hermione said.

"She's just talking about my driving," Ron interjected before he wandered over to Harry, casting a fond smile back at his wife. "Didn't think I'd pass the test-"

"Oh, drop it, Ron. Honestly, say one thing and he gets all in a huff over nothing-"

"Mummy, are you sure I can't go-"

"No, Hugo- oh, look, there's Lily. Go say hello, alright?"

Ginny and Hermione exchanged glances and sent their eyes heavenward before they shared a laugh.

"I was a wreck over James, too- although I think Harry is worse than I am, honestly." She smiled wryly. "He can't help himself."

"I daresay you're right. Well, here we are. Oh, Rose, stop scowling at me that way. And don't you dare try to boss Al into-"

"He'll never pass his tests otherwise," Rose sniffed. "I had to spend all last Christmas just for him to learn the-"

"Rosy, no one wants to memorize the headmasters of Hogwarts," James said seriously, swooping down on them. "Now, let me tell you all about Moaning Myrtle…"

He put an arm about her skeptical daughter's shoulders and led the girl away towards the train. Hermione and Ginny shook their heads, shared another look and moved to join their husbands. They walked up just in time to catch Ron's nod in a particular direction and all four adults turned their heads to look.

Draco noticed them staring, gave them a curt nod- or did his eyes linger over a particular face? No, it was a trick of the light. He looked away, back to his own family. He and his wife had only had the one son so far and when anyone cared to gossip about them they speculated it was likely they wouldn't have anymore, though just about every other family had birthed at least two new wizards or witches. People had gotten rather gaga over magical repopulation for a while, there.

Hermione remembered a conversation with a particular wizard concerning the subject all too well- why, she'd once been worried she wouldn't be able to have children herself, hadn't she? She felt her cheeks flush and turned back to Ginny quickly, who was giving her a calculated stare.

"Alright, Hermione?"

"Yeah, just-"

"Remembering," Ginny finished for her.

Hermione refused to feel guilty over something that had happened a long time ago and had ceased to matter. She and Ron were happy, after all. She loved her husband very much- hadn't stopped loving him, even that time before, with Draco…she shook her head.

"Yeah. But it's nothing," she said firmly.

Ginny believed her.

The children were kissed and hugged one last time and last-minute antics were laughed at and finally they were all ensconced safely on the train and their parents were waving and crying. (Only a little, of course.)

Ron lifted Hugo in the air and sat him on his shoulders to give one last wave to the train as it rolled out of sight. Lily looked at the pair longingly and then directed puppy dog eyes up at her father. Harry laughed.

"Oh, I see. Come on, then, love," he said and swung her up to sit atop his shoulders as well.

"Well, do we want to go out for dinner, then?" Ginny asked around and the children gave their squeals of excitement and assent while the husbands nodded happily. "Hermione?" she asked and turned to find that the woman was once again staring off into space. Watching Draco walk away with his arm about his wife. The expression on her face wasn't wistful or filled with longing or regret, however, and she just put a hand on her friend's shoulder. Hermione had long ago laid those demons to rest, she knew.

Hermione immediately came back to the present and looked up at Ron, her smile wide and genuine. "That sounds lovely," she said, taking one of Ron's hands. "Where shall we go?"

They'd just returned from the evening out and seeing a movie (though Ron still grumbled occasionally about the quality of the pictures) when the owl arrived.

"Blimey," said Ron. "Who could that be?"

Hermione shrugged and let the creature in, giving it a treat and taking the letter from its leg. Hugo tugged on her shirt and she turned around, handing the letter to Ron.

"Here, you take it. What is it, darling?" she asked of Hugo as she followed him back to his room.

"Mummy, I can't find my toy broom-"

"Oh, Hugo, you outgrew that two years ago…"

Ron watched them walk away down the hall, a smile on his face. Hermione was the best wife and mother. There'd been a few times they'd all wondered, since she was so focused on school and books all the time, but she'd simply blossomed the last decade they were together. He didn't think he'd ever seen her more beautiful and poised, confident, loving…he shook his head and laughed at himself as he opened the letter. It would never cease to amaze him, how after all this time he was still completely nuts for her.

Sure, they fought- and boy were those explosive- but then there was the making up and the laughing at each other and they did have plenty of laughs…made for each other, were he and Hermione. And he was the luckiest wizard alive-

His eyes widened as he read the letter. "Hermione!" he called in a slightly strangled voice.

She immediately ran back from the hall, her face scared. "What? What is it, Ron? Has something happened? Is it your Dad-"

"No, not Dad- here- you read it-" he held the letter out to her and she read it slowly while he sat down at the table.

He heard her gasp and looked up at her. One hand was covering her mouth and her eyes were as wide as his had been, a moment ago.

"This isn't possible!" she exclaimed. "I had- I mean, we're both Gryffindor- surely-"

"I know," Ron said grimly. "Still…blimey. Rosy never showed any signs of, you know, did she?"

"Never," Hermione said fervently. "There's got to be a mistake. She's ours, through and through."

Ron gave her a funny look. "No one said she's not, Hermione," he said. "What do you want to do? They seem to think we should know. Should we go to the school?"

Hermione looked uncertain. "Well, it's awfully late. But I guess it couldn't hurt. Who'll watch Hugo?"

"Harry and Ginny," Ron said evenly. He was feeling far more calm now that they'd decided on a course of action. "Come on, Hugo!" he called and walked down the hall. "You're going to stay with your Aunt Ginny for an hour or so."

Hugo got his things together quickly and they dropped him off without a problem. Ginny shot a strange glance at Hermione, who only flushed and shook her head. If Ron noticed, he didn't care.

When they got to the school, they were ushered to the headmaster's office right away, where the Head of House was trying his best to comfort a little girl in tears. Rose looked up right away and fairly sprang into her mother's arms.

"Mummy! I'm not in G-Gryffindor, even though that's where Al is and James is the one who said he would for sure be in Slytherin and instead I am!" she wailed. Hermione hugged her daughter tightly and shushed her while Ron spoke to the professors.

"I'm assuming it's not some kind of mistake?"

"You'll have to ask Rose that, Mr. Weasley," Minerva said primly. "We've not been able to get a straight word out of her since she collapsed in tears after the feast."

Ron turned back to his wife and eldest child and knelt in front of them.

"Rosy?" he asked and the girl turned her tear-stained face to her father's kindly one. "Tell us what happened, alright?"

She nodded and, bowing her head, proceeded to mumble the story to her parents and the professors.

"I sat on the- uh- stool and they put the hat on my he-ead and it talked to me about how smart I was and how it wanted to put me in- uh- Ravenclaw!" And here she blubbered for a few seconds before continuing, "But Al had told me Uncle Harry said that it would listen to our ch-choices and so I said I didn't want to be in Ravenclaw- uh- and it said that was strange, but that maybe I was r-right and should be in Slytherin instead and I was so surprised that I didn't say anything else and it sh-shouted Slytherin before I knew what was happening!"

"And what was the problem, Rosy?" Ron asked. Then, though the words didn't hurt to say nearly as much as they once might've, he went on, "You heard Uncle Harry telling Al about Professor Snape, too, didn't you? About how we knew a very brave Slytherin?"

She nodded miserably and Hermione smoothed a hand across her hair. "Then what's the matter? Has it just been a shock? Were the other children nice?"

Here Rose turned to look at her mother, wonder on her face despite the tears. "Oh, yes," she said more clearly. "Everyone was quiet, at first, when it happened, but then James started clapping and all my cousins joined and then the Slytherins started clapping, too, Mummy! And they cheered for me!" She wiped her face, buoyed by the thought, and went on. "And someone said I was probably the smartest witch they'd ever had in the house, even though I haven't had a single class yet! And one of the prefects came over and helped me to the table and they all tried to be as nice as possible to me-" but here she began crying all over again.

"She made it through the feast alright," explained the Slytherin Head, Professor Davies. "But she was just a bit overwhelmed by the whole thing, I think. It's hard, especially when you've your heart set on a particular house. Towards the end of the dessert she was looking a bit down in the mouth and when they called for everyone to line up was when-"

Rose interrupted him. "I expect you two think I'm a big baby," she said quietly.

"Oh, no, Rose," said Hermione and Ron put a hand on her head.

"We love you no matter what, Rosy," he said. "You're the first Weasley to make it in Slytherin in several decades, but that doesn't mean it hasn't happened before. I think Mum had a cousin in Slytherin, once," he said thoughtfully. "Besides, what about your Uncle Harry's godfather? Remember us telling you about him?"

"Sirius Black?" she asked timidly.

"That's right," replied Ron. "His whole family was Slytherin, for hundreds of years. And he got sorted into Gryffindor. It's not a thing of good eggs and bad eggs, right? It's about your skills and talents. And for whatever reason, Slytherin needs you. So you just focus on school and books and magic and be the best Slytherin witch you can be, eh?"

Hermione's and Rose's heart melted at the same time.

"Alright, Daddy," she said, giving him a big hug.

"I feel the exact same way your father does, darling," Hermione said and gave the girl a kiss on the cheek.

"Thanks, Mummy, Daddy," she said again. "I'll be alright now, I promise."

"Good girl," Ron said and stood up, taking Hermione's hand. They waved farewell to her as Professor Davies took her down the stairs and then they turned back to McGonagall.

"Is that all?" Hermione asked.

Minerva looked completely bamboozled, though quite proud. "I've never seen a pair of parents take a house switch like that one as well as you two. I think Rose will do beautifully, as long as you keep up the encouragement."

Ron glanced at Hermione and gave her a reassuring smile. "Sounds good," he replied. "I think we can manage. Thanks for letting us see her."

"My pleasure, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley," Minerva said and bid them goodnight.

Ron gave Hermione another strange glance after they'd collected Hugo and flooed home, with a promise to fill Harry and Ginny in tomorrow evening. She'd just put him to bed and walked out to join her husband on the sofa.

"You thought I would pitch a fit, didn't you?"

She smacked his arm. "Honestly, if you're still upset about the car-"

He grinned and pinned her down to the sofa. "Oh, I'll show you how upset I am-"

"Ron!"

They kissed languidly for a few moments before he pulled away.

"I know how to be a good father," he said.

"I know you do," she murmured. "You are a good father."

"Then what was with that look you gave me?"

"I guess- I was still so shocked myself. I wasn't sure what to do about it and you walked right in and said all the right things. Oh, Ron," she said, pulling him back down and burying her face against his shoulder. "I was so worried at first. Our little girl? In Slytherin?"

"Guess that means she's got loads of ambition," Ron shrugged.

"How can you be so complacent about it? After the things you said to them this morning?"

"You said it yourself," he grinned. "I was only joking. Besides, she's my little girl, Hermione. I'd never say anything to hurt her feelings, not when it really matters. Not over something like this. You know that."

"I know," she replied softly and reached up to kiss him again. "I love you," she told him.

He smiled and caught her lips beneath his again. " I love you more," he murmured.

AN: And that's all I have to say about that.