Disclaimer: i do not own any of these characters, i'm not JK Rowling

Ron and Hugo sat on the porch in silence. Hermione had sent them both outside. Ron so he could talk, Hugo so he could listen. He had no idea where to start. He was awkward in these situations, Hermione was so much better at this than he was. Ron thought of starting with a joke, but he looked at the scratches on his little boy's face and somehow found appropriate words.

He placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "You know Hugo, girls have done far worse to me in my time," he consoled.
Hugo stared up at his dad; "But dad, you never got beaten up in front of all your friends."
"No, but I did get pecked half to death by a pack of birds she conjured, right in front of my best friend."

"Uncle Harry?"

"Yeah, he saw it, laughed at me in fact. I think he understood her motives more than I did."

He laughed, remembering the moment when a pack of bright yellow canaries had flown at his head, pulling and pecking at his skull.

Hugo looked confused, "Did she hate you?"

"No, although I hated her when we first met; she was obnoxious, annoying, a know-it-all-"

Hugo cut him off; "Like Rose?"

"Yeah, just like Rosie." He laughed again.

"What did you do about her dad? Did you hex her?" Hugo threw questions at his father like his cousin Fred threw dungbombs.

"No, I didn't..."

Hugo cut across his father's words again; "Do I know her?"

"Well actually, you know her very well."

"Who is she dad? Tell me. Please."

Ron looked at his boy, aside from his Weasley red hair; he had all the beauty that Ron saw in Hugo's mother; her pure heart; her steely determination; her intellect; and her loving nature.

He whispered to his son; "I married her."

"Mum?"

"Yep. Your mother loved me for so long, and I was so blind to it. I deserved everything she threw at me, because it took me so long to realise that- in fact- I loved her too."

Hermione, who had been listening to the discourse from the doorway, moved onto the porch and placed her arms around her husband's shoulders and planted a kiss atop his head.

Ron turned to look at his wife; "Always had, always will."