Author's note: In this SLIGHT AU, Ron and Hermione are married and have Rose about a year after the war is over. She's conceived quickly after their marriage. She is two years younger than Teddy, one year younger than Victorie. Nymphadora was lost to the war, but not Remus. I hate to do that because I love Tonks, but it was needed to move the plot. Happy Reading!
~DuchessMoonMoon13

Hermione watched from the kitchen window as Rose rolled around in the fresh snow. Ron laughed and flopped himself down next to her, and the pair made matching snow angels. It should be a happy sight, but Hermione's heart was sore. Had it really been two Christmases now since they'd been a proper family? Two years since Hermione had come home early hoping to surprise Ron and Rose with take away food but instead found that Ron had lied to Molly and left Rose at the Burrow, only to bring Lavender Brown into not only their home, but their bed as well. Hermione had been shattered. She and Ron had been through such terrible things together, how could it come to this? She had wondered if it was they married so young and had a baby so soon, but she dismissed that thought. After all, they'd stopped being children around the second or third time they'd faced Voldemort.

Rose came bounding into the kitchen just as the kettle started to whistle. Ron helped her out of her winter gear and plopped her into a chair. Hermione handed Ron a cup of tea and Rose a mug of hot chocolate with extra marshmallows. At a grand total of four, Rose was a true force of nature. She had hair the same dramatic red as her father, but it stood on end in frizzy, unruly curls. She had eyes the color of the spring sky, and kisses of little freckles across her nose. She was truly the best of the two of them, and no matter what had happened between them, Hermione was thankful to Ron for her. Rose was a free spirit, clinging closest to her Uncle George and "Uncle" Remus, both teaching her their well-known love of trouble making. Remus and George both had good excuses, as George hadn't gotten over Fred very well even in five years' time, and Remus enjoyed the extra distraction of spoiling Rose alongside Teddy, seeing as he'd had to raise the boy alone since the loss of his mother. Hermione and Remus often got the children together and took them to the park or cinema, distracting themselves from being alone.

Ron made small talk with Hermione, sipping his tea and being polite. It was the best the two of them could manage. Tea or a light meal to talk about their daughter, the Ministry or the Weasley family, which had taken Hermione's side. Otherwise contact between the two of them was extremely limited. After he'd finished his tea, he thanked her, kissed Rose on top of the head and told her to behave. He nodded politely again in thanks to his ex-wife and showed himself out. Rose plopped to the floor from her chair and fetched the doll off the pile of presents her father had given her in the living room. The doll was introduced to Hermione as "Sylvia" and promptly given a cup for her own. Hermione laughed as Rose forced the doll to sip.

"Rose, my pet" she said, still laughing, "I believe Father Christmas will be on the telly soon. Would you like to see?" Rose nodded excitedly, abandoning her mug she bound for the living room, Sylvia being dragged along by a foot, button eyes gleaming. Hermione handed her daughter the mug she'd left behind and a cookie to go with it as she adjusted the television set to the correct channel. When the marriage had gone south she'd decided to raise Rose in the best of the two worlds, magic and muggle together. Rose loved the Christmas special cartoons, and Hermione was happy to let her watch as she finished the stew they were having for supper. She could her shrieks of laughter as she set the table, charming the food to stay warm until the show had ended.

After Rose was fed, bathed, dressed in matching pajamas with Sylvia (another gift from Ron, but Hermione suspected Lavender had helped), and put to bed, Hermione took time to relax. She was lying upside down on her bed, reading and absentmindedly curling a strand of hair around her finger. She knew that Harry and Remus would both pick on her if they knew she'd subscribed to get one of these monthly romance novels. In all honestly, they were pure trash. A guilty pleasure she'd found to take her mind off the lonely nights. In this month's installment, the hero was a misunderstood vampire who'd been alone for centuries, shunned by his own kind for refusing to partake in human blood. The love interest was an absolute Mary Sue, but Hermione was hanging off every cheesy word. She never would've admitted to the public she read anything so far from the academic path she was well known for. Reaching the start of Chapter twenty-two, she decided here was a good place to stop for the night.

Hermione still needed to wrap the presents for the Weasley family and their friends, as well as Teddy's presents that were "from Father Christmas", as it was a standing tradition for Remus to wrap Rose's and Hermione to wrap Teddy's. Takes the suspicion and possibility of gifts being found early away. Flopping the book down on the bed open but face down, she moved into her closet to pull out all her supplies. She didn't believe in doing things like this with magic. To her, there was enough without her wand. It took her almost two hours to get each gift just right, but she didn't mind. She wanted it to be perfect, especially for young Teddy. Christmas always seemed to make him long for a mother more than any other time. After the last bows and tape were in place, she stepped into her daughter's room to peak at her once more before crawling into her own bed to join her in sleep. It would be a long day tomorrow after all.