Disclaimer - I own nothing you recognise.
Ron woke to the crying of a three week old Rose. Apparently it was feeding time. Hermione opened her eyes, placing a hand on his arm.
"Do you want me to go?" she asked tiredly.
"No, I'll go. Go back to sleep," he whispered, pulling on his dressing gown and slippers and padding downstairs to get a bottle.
When he picked the crying baby up, she quieted almost immediately, and Ron smiled. Placing the teet of the bottle lightly to her lips, she began to suck hungrily on it. He sat down in the rocking chair in the nursery, rocking lightly as she fed.
Though he knew he would regret not asking Hermione to do this in the morning, when he had to get up early for work, he wouldn't miss this time for all the world. This little wonder had changed his life in so many ways in such a short space of time, but now, he wondered how he had ever lived without her.
xxxxx
"Rose Weasley! Come down those stairs now!" Ron shouted, glaring at the very offensive (to him anyway) parchment in his hands, the anger in his voice evident for all in the house to hear it.
Hermione walked into the living room, a small frown on her face as Rose came down the stairs to her dad. As the two of them entered the living room, like Hermione knew they would, Hermione's frown deepened. She wondered why Ron hadn't told her that Rose had done something wrong before he shouted her down. He normally did. She soon found out.
"You're dating Scorpius Malfoy?!" Ron demanded of his daughter, shaking the parchment at her.
"Yeah, so?" she replied defiantly, trying to take the parchment from her father's hand. Hermione noticed that her daughter had paled at the accusation, and she smiled internally. As defiant as Rose was going to be, Hermione knew that she had had no intention of letting her father know about her boyfriend on purpose.
"He's a Malfoy! Sneaky bunch of snakes, the lot of them, you'll stay away from him Rose, you hear me?"
"He's a Ravenclaw, actually, and I'll date whoever I want to. You aren't the boss of me!"
"You'll do as you're told young lady, you're grounded for the rest of the summer."
As Ron slammed the parchment on the table and stormed out of the house, Rose burst into tears. Hermione pulled her into a comforting hug, stroking her back softly to calm her down.
"He doesn't mean it, does he mum?" Rose asked quietly, picking the parchment up.
"I'm sure he means it right now, but give him some time. You know most everything that happened while we were at Hogwarts, can you honestly tell me that you don't understand his point of view?" Hermione replied softly.
"I guess. It's just, Scorp is nothing like his father was at school. He's sweet, and kind, and funny. We have so much fun together mum, can't you talk to dad? Make him see my point of view."
"If I know your father, he's gone to see your uncle Harry, who will make him see your point of view just fine. Don't worry about it too much Rosie, it'll all work out. Now go on, reply to that letter quickly and tell Scorpius not to write for a little while until your father calms down."
xxxxx
Rose sat at the kitchen table, her head in her arms as she sobbed. She was nineteen and had her own flat, but she always came home when she was upset. When Ron found his daughter in the kitchen at ten o clock at night, he knew something was wrong. Setting a cup of hot chocolate in front of her, he asked her what had happened.
"I argued with Scorpius. I want to go backpacking this summer and he want's to wait until next year so we can plan for a little longer. I just don't understand why he's so bloody controlling about things like this. It's like he doesn't know the meaning of the word spontaneity."
"So you broke up?" Ron asked, and Rose caught the slightly hopeful tone in his voice. Though Ron had grudgingly accepted her relationship with Scorpius, she knew he still didn't like it.
"No! Merlin dad, it was just a stupid argument, why do you always assume the worst?"
"You're sat in the kitchen crying, over a stupid argument?" Ron asked, confusion written all over his face. As long as he lived he would never understand females.
"Urgh, you can be so unsympathetic sometimes, I'm going back to the flat to sort things out. See you later dad," she muttered. With a quick kiss to his cheek she was gone, and Ron's confusion almost doubled when his wife walked into the room.
"Well done," she told him with a small smile.
"What for?"
"You made her see how daft she was being," Hermione replied simply, taking his hand in her own.
"Eh? Whatever, I'm going to bed, you coming?" he asked, pushing away his confusion. He had learnt long ago that whenever his wife said something like that, it was better to just agree with her, because he would more than likely never understand it.
xxxxx
A tear of happiness slid down Ron's face as he looked at his daughter. She looked simply radiant, the beautiful ivory dress making her look like the princess she had always been to Ron.
"Are you ready?" he asked her, clearing his throat when he heard just how gruff his voice sounded.
She nodded, a nervous smile on her lips.
He kissed her cheek, offering her his arm.
"Rose -" He said, stopping her as she started to walk.
"What's the matter dad?"
"I...I love you, you know. Just because you're getting married, you'll always be my little girl, and if you ever need anything, anything, then I'll always help you when I can. I'll do anything in my power to make you happy. I just wanted you to know."
"Dad, I do know. You've shown me everyday that you love me, even when you blew up all those years ago at my choice of boyfriend, I knew you loved me."
Ron smiled, turning to the door, ready to walk his baby girl down the aisle to meet that boyfriend, soon to be husband. As the doors opened, he squeezed her hand.
"You look beautiful, princess."
Written for the Duct Tape Competition for the color green.