Written for Achieve the Outstanding Challenge (Exceeds Expectations: OPT, Hogsmeade)

A Trip Down Hogsmeade Lane

"Where's Rosie?" Ron peered down almost every street in search for his daughter. He had sent her a letter informing her they'd be in Hogsmeade the day the school was due to go and if they could meet her in The Three Broomsticks, that would be great. Rose had replied with a rather non-committal response saying she'd try to be there.

They had waited a good thirty minutes, Ron watching the door eagerly for any sign of her, but she hadn't showed.

Ron didn't understand it, but Hermione was almost certain she had purposely avoided the popular pub in the hope of not seeing them. She had warned Ron this would happen.

"Probably off having fun with her friends," Hermione finally responded to his question.

"But I told her we'd be here and she replied," Ron insisted.

"Would you like your parents showing up when you were trying to enjoy Honeydukes?" Hermione asked.

"That's different."

"How so?"

"Rosie's my daughter."

Hermione laughed, patting her husband on the back. "It's nothing you've done," she assured him. "She's just growing up."

Ron grunted a reply, but before he could say anything else, Hermione grabbed his hand. "Speaking of Honeydukes," she said. "How about we pay it a visit? I haven't been there in years."

Ron merely nodded, not as excited about the prospect as he had been twenty years ago. He followed nonetheless, as they pushed their way past the many students who had decided to come to the popular sweet shop as well.

The first snow of Hogsmeade had fallen a week ago and had only stopped for a few hours here and there since. Students were rugged up in the warmest coats, all heading indoors to stay warm.

The sweet shop was as busy as both of them remembered it. All kinds of sweets lined the shelves and floor. Some were the old favourites such as liquorice wands and Bertie Botts Beans. Others were new ones only the current generation of students were game enough to try.

"Hey! I got Hermione Granger!"

They both turned to a group of third year boys huddled together over a chocolate frog card.

Ron beamed, leaning closer to Hermione. "And I've got the real one," he teased.

Hermione pushed him playfully and picked up a box of Bertie Botts Beans. "Haven't eaten these in a while," she said.

"Because you made a rule that sweets were bad for your teeth," Ron scolded, a tone of teasing in his voice.

"I'm the daughter of two dentists," Hermione replied defensively.

"A monster profession." Ron shuddered at the memory. Early on into their relationship Hermione had talked Ron into going to her parents' clinic to get his teeth checked. She had made it sound like a simple procedure, but after her father had prodded and poked him, and set off many nerves in his mouth, he had vowed never to return, or send his children to such a place.

The former had remained true, however, Hermione had insisted on taking their children.

Ron didn't see why magic was not an option. It worked just as well.

Hermione smiled. "How about we have a little treat?" she suggested. "Just a once off?"

Ron beamed. "That won't do." He picked up a box of Fizzing Whizbees, as well as two chocolate frogs. "That's a treat!" he exclaimed.

Rolling her eyes, Hermione took everything to the counter and paid for them. Unable to help herself, she took a quick look around the room in the hope of finding her daughter, but Rose wasn't in the shop.

Trying not to let it bother her – as she knew that Rose just wanted to spend the day with her friends – she returned to Ron and handed him the sweets. "Where to next?" she wanted to know.

"George wants me to learn what Zonko's has that he doesn't."

"Then let's go there."

…

It turned out that George had more than Zonko's could possibly fit inside the tiny shop. Over the past year Zonko's had been buying some of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes most popular products to fill its store, but it was becoming an increasingly hard market to compete with. The only thing keeping Zonko's in business at all was the fact that it was located in Hogsmeade, and George's shop in Diagon Alley. In saying that, George's idea of order by owl post had become rather popular amongst the students.

"Poor bloke," Ron said as they left the shop. "He'll be broke before Hugo finishes school."

Hermione hummed, also feeling sorry for Zonko. She wasn't particularly fond of joke shops, but it had been the man's livelihood ever since she'd been a student herself.

"Nothing we can do, I guess," Ron continued, shrugging. "Fred and George always had a knack for selling things no one else could."

"That's because they never cared if they got into trouble for it," Hermione reminded Ron. "George still doesn't."

Ron didn't answer, but continued to walk down the snow-covered street in silence. Their main purpose for the visit was to see Rose, and she hadn't joined them. There was really nothing else they could do, and walking the street was becoming way too cold.

"What do you say about going back?" Hermione suggested.

Ron seemed reluctant to agree, searching the main street again just in case, but nodded. "Yeah, alright," he said, unable to hide his disappointment.

Hermione patted his arm. "It'll be okay," she soothed. "The kids will be home in a few weeks for Christmas anyway."

"I know." Ron's tone had now become dejected. "Still, would have been nice for her to have kept her pro-"

Ron had suddenly stopped, Hermione too. She glanced around to find what had caught his attention and spotted it immediately. Even under the thick layers, gloves and beanie, there was no denying that one of the individuals pressed against the fence with lips glued to another, was their daughter.

A quick look out of the corner of her eye told her that Ron had no shame in walking over to the couple and breaking them apart. She put a hand on his arm to stop him.

"Let them be," she said gently.

"Who's the bloke?" Ron demanded, trying to break Hermione's hold. "Is he the reason she didn't – MALFOY!"

The pair had broken apart for a brief second to reveal a smooth face and a streak of blond hair poking out from the beanie. Thankfully, neither seemed to hear Ron shout.

"Ron, come on, let's go." Hermione tugged on his hand, urging him to walk away. Truthfully, she wasn't too surprised that Rose seemed to fancy Malfoy's boy. She often spoke of him in an affectionate tone. What she didn't particularly like was that Rose was only fourteen.

"She's snogging Malfoy's kid!" Ron stammered, pointing to them as if Hermione couldn't see them. "Malfoy, of all people."

"Ron, you can't be surprised, can you? You said so yourself just the other day that if we weren't careful we'd have a Malfoy for an in-law."

Ron's mouth moved up and down, but no words came out. He seemed to be having an internal date with himself as to whether or not he wanted to risk Rose hating him forever. Apparently, common sense won out, because he turned back the way they had come.

"When she gets home, I'll talk some sense into her," he hissed to Hermione. "Malfoy…."

Hermione kept on walking, refusing to rile him up even more. Now that he had seen the inevitable, it was all she was going to hear about for the next month.

Ron just couldn't let go of the fact that his little girl was not a little girl anymore.

I hope you enjoyed this. Your thoughts would be much appreciated!