Rose is eight and Hugo seven when Mum and Dad first take them skiing.
"Come on, love," Mum wakes them up early, early, early. Rose groans and rolls over in bed, yanking her woolen blanket (knitted with love, by Gran Weasley) over her head.
(There is a misconception in the Weasley-Potter-Granger clan that Rose Weasley is an early riser like her mum.)
(She is not.)
(Hugo, on the other hand…)
"Hugh…" Dad says, poking his head into the young boy's room.
He is already awake, flipping through the Muggle comic Grandad Granger had given him on their last visit.
(Justice Pals or Gang or something, Ron thinks.)
Hugo looks up and grins, blue eyes full of excitement, "Are we going?"
"Yeah," Dad says, smiling at Hugo's enthusiasm, "As soon as Mum gets Rosie up."
Hugo groans, "We'll never get out of here then." But he smiles just a little bit proudly when Dad laughs.
(Hugo and Rose love making Dad laugh. After all, he works with Uncle George at Triple W, so if he laughs, they're definitely funny.)
"Why don't we head out and grab some breakfast, while Mum works on Ro?" Dad says and Hugo is out of bed before the sentence is finished because when Dad says that, it means hot chocolate and pastries.
Dad laughs again when he sees that Hugo's slept in jeans and a Weasley sweater.
"Excited to ski then, Hugh?" Dad asks teasingly.
Hugo nods seriously as he sloppily laces his trainers, "It's my first time out of the country. I want to see if the loos flush backwards."
Dad guffaws as Hugo falls into step next to him, "Who told you that one? James?"
"Fred," Hugo admits, "Is he lying?"
He reaches out to grab Dad's hand so they can Side Along Apparate to Diagon Alley.
"'Fraid so," Dad says when they reappear, "French loos are the same as British loos."
Hugo grumbles under his breath about lying, rat cousins.
"Here, Rosie," Hugo says (very nicely, he thinks), carefully placing his sister's hot chocolate and raspberry pastry on the table in front of her.
Rose grumbles and lifts her head from the table, brightening when she sees the treats.
"Thanks, Hughie," she says, immediately biting off a hunk of the dessert. Hugo settles into his own seat at the table, making his way through his own chocolate croissant.
"Of course," Mum mutters as she leans against Dad's side, "It would be sugar that perks them right up."
Dad nudges her side, "Aw, it's a holiday, Hermione. We'll pack them full of fruit and veg when we get home."
Rose and Hugo watch as Mum cracks a small smile and steals part of Dad's pastry before giving him a kiss on the lips.
"Ew! Gross!" Rose and Hugo chorus together, spewing croissant crumbs all over the floor and table.
"Oi!" Dad grins (he is always smiling and Rose and Hugo love his sense of humor.) and waves his hands at them, "Have you lot got your bags? Mum and I will leave without you."
The siblings scramble for their rooms, ready to make sure that their last minute items are packed.
"Oh, Ron," Hermione giggles and swats at her husband's chest. "Don't lie to them like that."
"Who said I was lying?" Ron's blue eyes twinkle, "I'd love to leave them with Harry and Gin and have you all to myself in the Alps."
"Maybe for our anniversary," Hermione says, stealing another bite of pastry before heading to check on children and luggage.
"Oi!" Ron shouts after her, "I'm holding you to that!"
(They don't quite make it to France for their anniversary. Greece will just have to suffice.)
The family of four disembarks at Charles de Gaulle Airport and begins the trek to baggage claim.
(Hermione had insisted on Muggle travel, since they were staying at a Wizarding ski resort.)
"Mum?" Hugo asks, holding onto Hermione's hand (reluctantly, since he is a boy and seven and in public.).
"Yes, love?" Mum answers absently, looking around for Dad's red hair.
"Can we get those little bags of pretzels for home?" Hugo asks, typical boy (typical Weasley for that matter) concerned only about food.
Mum chuckles, nods, and says, "We'll see," and then practically yanks Hugo's arm off as she spots Dad and sets off at a brisk pace.
Rose, fingers hooked on Dad's belt loops, grins at Hugo when he appears next to her.
"What are you smiling for?" Hugo asks, stunned to see such a cheery expression on his sister's face when it is still before 9 a.m.
"Dad's just yelled at a man for practically rolling over me," she says and Hugo can't quite figure out why this is a thing to smile about until she finishes, "It was spectacular! Dad's face went red and the bloke's head almost popped off. I really thought Dad was gonna hex him!"
(Dad's temper is legendary, but Hugo, in all his seven years, has never seen it. He's suddenly very jealous of Rose.)
"Lucky," Hugo mutters, "I wish I'd seen Dad lose it."
Ron overhears and grins to himself before saying, "You'll see me lose it again if we don't get a move on."
Hugo and Rose jump, as they didn't realize Dad'd been listening. They both hoist their knapsacks higher on their shoulders and scurry along after their parents.
"Oh, you're the worst, Ronald Weasley," Hermione mutters.
"Just giving my audience what they want," Ron winks back as he leads the family to the special Apparition point.
"Hey!" Rose yelps as Hugo lobs a snowball at her. It hits her smack in the middle of her chest before exploding into powder.
"This snow's much better than English snow!" Hugo exclaims, throwing his skinny body into a pile of the stuff.
Rose grasps a handful of snow and shapes it with mittened hands. She aims for Hugo, but sports and athleticism are something she's inherited from Mum, and the snowball goes wide.
Both Weasley children watch with wide, horrified eyes as the snowball wallops Mum right in the face.
She stands stock-still, blinking snow from her eyes for a very long time.
Rose and Hugo are terrified to move. It would've been one thing to hit Dad. But Mum?
And then, as Mum's mouth is moving (a bit fish-like, Rose thinks), Dad's loud, contagious laughter pierces the air. Hugo is next, his tentative laughter growing stronger as Mum's lips turn up in a smile.
Mum finally laughs, bits of snow and ice clinging to her eyelashes. Rose is still mildly terrified, (She hit her Mum! In the face! With a snowball!) but suddenly Mum's arm goes back and the powdery snow breaks apart against Rose's chest.
"Now we're even, love," Mum grins, laughing as she takes in Rose' shocked expression.
There's a moment of silence before Hugo shouts, "Snowball fight!" and then snow is flying through the air.
Hugo and Rose shriek with glee as Mum and Dad fling snowballs at each other. The two kids get involved with the melee and it ends with four snow-covered Weasleys in a heap on the ground.
"I think I like the Alps," Hugo said absently, staring out at the pristine snow that is covering everything.
"This was almost worth waking up early for," Rose sighs, snow coating her eyelashes and cheeks bright pink.
"Almost?" Mum asks incredulously.
"How about now?" Dad asks, dropping a handful of snow right on Rose's face.
She sputters as Hugo howls with laughter, scowling when Mum laughs as well.
"Oh, Rosie," Mum giggles and brushes snow from Rose's freckled cheeks, "I think this was worth waking up early for."
"I suppose," Rose huffs, sounding extraordinarily like an eleven-year-old Hermione.
Dad and Mum tug her into a huge hug, prompting Rose to shout, "Gerroffme!" revealing the influence that Ron had on her personality.
The family of four hits the slopes for hours a day for the rest of the week.
Rose learns she's a natural skier, taking to the slopes like a duck to water.
Mum is thrilled.
(For Hermione, the fact that Rose can ski so well makes up for the fact that Ron is such a terrible skier.)
Hugo is a fairly good skier, but as soon as he learns that the lodge has platters full of biscuits and canisters full of cocoa, he hotfoots it off the slops.
(He learns that he can eat ten frosted biscuits shaped like snowmen and can drink four mugs of cocoa (with whipped cream!) before he throws up.)
(Dad learns he has to keep a closer eye on Hugo.)
While Mum and Rose ski, Dad takes Hugo snowshoeing. They traipse about the land near the lodge, chatting about the Muggle gadgets Granddad Weasley was showing Hugo and Lils before they left for France.
"I want to work with Granddad when I grow up," Hugo says definitively, munching the head off of a snowman biscuit.
Dad smiles at Hugo and his eyes twinkle, "I think your Granddad would love that."
They meet Mum and Rose back at the lodge later, ready to head on a sled race.
The children swap parents because Hugo thinks Mum is better at steering (he's not wrong) and Rose likes to go fast with Dad.
Hugo wraps his mittened hands around the rails on the sled and shouts wildly as he and Mum are sent flying down the hill. Dad and Rose are whooping gleefully from just behind.
Mum lets out a yelp as their sled hits a rock, causing them to tumble into the snow. Hugo gets an elbow to the stomach and grunts.
"Sorry, Hugh, love," Mum apologizes as she gets to her feet. Hugo takes her outstretched hand and Mum pulls him up, surprisingly strong considering she is so little.
"It's okay Mum," Hugo beams, bouncing a little, "That was bloody awesome!"
He winces, knowing Mum doesn't like them to curse, but she surprises him by laughing and wrapping her arm around his shoulders.
"That was kind of awesome," Mum agrees..
"Alright there, Hermione? Hugh?" Dad's voice shouts from further down the hill.
Mum shouts back, "Just fine, Ron! You and Ro?"
"Dad almost crashed right into a tree!" Rosie yelps and Hugo can see her a little bit, jumping up and down.
Mum lets out a familiar exasperated sigh-laugh combo, even as Dad shouts, "It wasn't 'almost', Hermione. We had plenty of room, Rosie."
"Can we get back on the sled?" Hugo tugs at Mum's jacket and she nods.
They straighten the sled and ride it down to the bottom of the hill, nearly knocking Dad over and prompting him to hurl his body out of the way.
Rose and Hugo laugh madly as a pile of snow falls from an overhead branch and lands solidly on Dad's head.
Mum laughs at the shocked look on Dad's face, "If only I had a camera."
"They asleep?" Hermione murmurs as Ron comes back into the den of their rented cabin.
"Mmhmm," Ron hums, yawning a little and rubbing at a sore spot on his arm, "Hugo practically passed out on the loo and Rose was snoring before her head hit the pillow."
He slumps onto the couch, jostling Hermione in the process. She lets out a vaguely disgruntled grunting noise.
Ron reaches from her wrist and tugs her closer. Hermione complies easily, fitting her body under his arm as she's done hundreds or thousands of times over the years. It will never not amaze her how well they fit together.
"Have you had a good time, love?" Ron asks, sounding almost nervous that she will say no.
Hermione expels a putt of air against his side, "Of course I've had a good time, you idiot. I've gotten to spend a whole week with my three favorite people completely uninterrupted by work." She sighs, "It's been heaven."
"Good," Ron grins to himself, wrapping both arms around Hermione and hugging her tightly, "Because I though the snowball you took to the face might've colored the whole trip in a bad light."
His eyes twinkled as he teases her and Hermione groans, "Oh, Ron, Rosie was mortified. She must've apologized half a dozen times at dinner."
Ron stretches his legs out, resting his socked feet on the coffee table, "Both of your faces were bloody hilarious."
"Good to know we amuse you," Hermione tries for haughty, but is too tired and can only manage a halfhearted eye roll.
They lapse into a comfortable silence, both zoning out as they stare at the magically enhanced fire.
"I can't believe a week's gone by so fast," Hermione mumbles, curling her feet around Ron's calves.
"It's always the hols week that goes fast, innit?" Ron's sleepy reply is 100% true.
"The kids are going to be impossible to wake up tomorrow," Hermione muses, pauses, and corrects herself, "Rosie is going to be impossible to wake up tomorrow."
Ron grins like the Cheshire cat, causing Hermione to lift up on her wrist and peer into his face.
"What've you planned, Ronald Weasley?" she asks suspiciously.
"Hermione, love," Ron presses a kiss to her forehead, "We're having a lie-in and a full breakfast on our last day."
"Ron, you know that we're meant to be at the airport early. We can't have a lie-in," Hermione huffs.
"That's what you think," Ron supplies mysteriously, "I cancelled our airplane tickets."
"What?" Hermione snaps, "Why would you do that, Ron? I have to get back to work!"
Ron runs a hand soothingly over Hermione's hip, "Calm down, Hermione. I've cancelled the tickets, but booked us a Portkey. We did the Muggle thing, but now, we're going to the magical thing so we can relax in the morning."
Hermione starts to protest, but then closes her mouth and smiles. "That was actually very thoughtful, Ron."
"Always the tone of surprise," he laughs. The phrase, said for the first time when they were scared teenagers at war, had become their catchphrase of sorts over the years. Now, as adults, they say the phrase with affection, reminded of the frustrations they held towards each other.
Hermione tilts her chin up and presses a quick kiss to the underside of Ron's jaw, "I've always known you had the ability to be thoughtful."
She smirks, "It just took you years to figure it out on your own!"
Ron pokes his fingers into Hermione's sides, causing her to jump and squeal. Ron only smiles and continues to tickle her.
"Got there in the end, didn't I?" he says when he's finally allowed Hermione a moment to breathe.
"Yes, I suppose you did," Hermione smiles and kisses Ron's shoulder, cuddling up against his side and falling asleep moments later. Ron curls his body around hers and rests his cheek against her head.
(If he falls asleep now, he'll be able to get in a solid eight hours before Hugo comes in demanding breakfast.)
(He's wrong, of course. Hugo only gives him seven hours of sleep.)
(The Weasley men let the girls sleep and watch the sunrise with mugs of cocoa, Heating Charms at work.)
("I think we should take family trips like this more often.)
("I think you're right, Hugh.")
A/N: This was written as part of a Romione Secret Santa on Tumblr. I'm happy to share it here! :)