Written for Achieve the Outstanding (Poor - Room of Requirement)

Lucky to Have You

The music faded quickly as they wound their way through the corridors of the school, seeking for some peace and quiet. Hand-in-hand they walked, happy to be with friends, but happier to be alone.

It had been ten years since they'd last set foot inside the school. Then, it had been nothing but rubble. Now, however, magic and hard work had helped to restore it back to what it had once been. After ten years, it was once again a fully-functioning school with endless students who came and went every year as young wizards or witches.

"It feels strange, doesn't it?"

Hermione nodded, agreeing with her husband. "Yes, but also wonderful to be back," she added. "I'd almost forgotten what it looked like."

They found a place that was all too familiar to them. The Fat Lady: a portrait of a grumpy woman who sufficed as the entrance to the Gryffindor common room. Despite everything that had happened she remained very much the same, humming softly to herself in the absence of students.

When they approached, her eyes widened. "You are too old to be students!" she cried. "Intruders!" She shrieked loudly, startling the sleeping portraits around her.

"Be quiet, would you!" Ron snapped, rolling his eyes. "It's just us."

The Fat Lady studied them with narrowed eyes.

"Ron, she probably doesn't even remember us. She's… well, she's just a portrait."

"Would have hated to have met the real her," Ron mumbled before taking Hermione's hand and leading her away again. "Never liked her."

The Great Hall had become too loud and too crowded for them. Although these people were their friends and family, some they had not seen in ten years. People such as Seamus Finnigan and the Patil twins, had disappeared after the war, seeking privacy. Ron and Hermione had not been so privileged.

Ever since the battle had ended, their faces (along with Harry's) had been plastered throughout the Prophet almost every day. Their wedding days had made front page, and even the birth of their daughter, Rose, had been considered important. They had thought coming to Hogwarts would be a different story, but apparently those who had not known them well were excited to see them.

Harry, unfortunately for him, had been bombarded, but they had managed to escape into the privacy of the corridors.

"I know a place we can go," Ron said after a moment. "If it was repaired along with the rest of the school, that is."

"If you're thinking about the Room of Requirement, Ron…."

"Why not?"

Hermione shrugged, glancing over her shoulder. Part of her felt guilty for leaving Harry to fend for himself.

"Oh, come on," Ron said, reading her mind. "It won't be for too long. Come on." He tugged on her hand, leading her to where he remembered the Room to be. "What we need is somewhere we can relax for a few minutes."

Liking the sound of that, Hermione relented. If she was being honest, privacy was not something they were used anymore. With a two-and-a-half year old daughter and another baby on the way, they were hardly ever alone.

"Harry will kill us, but we can deal with that later," Ron murmured as they rounded a corner to where they knew the Room was. "What do we really want?" he asked.

"To not be photographed and to not be on the headlines of this event," Hermione said.

Ron laughed. "Anything else?"

"To be alone with you with no children to disturb us, no parents, or no friends. Just you and me."

Ron nodded, smiling. "That can be arranged," he said, and began pacing back and forth in front of what appeared to be just a plain wall. Suddenly, in front of them, a door appeared. Ron went to open it, but Hermione stopped him by putting a hand on his arm.

"Ron," she said. "What if it couldn't be repaired?"

Ron shrugged. "We'll soon find out." He looked at her, shrugged again, and then turned the knob on the door. When they saw what was inside, Hermione gasped.

"See, perfectly intact," Ron said with a smile.

Inside was a room that identically resembled their house in Huddersfield. The furniture was the same, and even the staircase that led to the bedrooms had the same stain on the carpet where Rose had once spilled orange juice.

Hermione smiled. "What did you think about?" she asked Ron.

"I wanted to be where I loved being most," he told her simply. "I wanted to be with you at home."

Hermione smiled. She had always thought Ron still thought of the Burrow as home. He had never been entirely comfortable with living in an area where they were the only magical family.

Ron seemed to know what she was thinking. "It's home," he told her.

They entered the Room and made their way to the couch in the pretend living room. Hermione was the first to sit down, only realising her exhaustion once she was off her feet. She looked around. "It's like home," she said. "But without Rose's toys."

"With any luck they are packed away upstairs where they should be," Ron mused.

They both smiled, thinking affectionately of their little girl they had left with her grandparents for the night. She had been so excited to go, talking about everything she would get to do when she was there. Although they tried to take her as often as they could to visit Hermione's parents, their demanding jobs and the new baby had made it increasingly difficult over the past months. And with the due date only two weeks away, neither were entirely sure how she was going to respond to a new baby. She was excited now, but when the baby was born, it would be a different story.

"Are you feeling okay?" Ron asked after a moment.

Hermione nodded, reaching out her hand again to take her husband's. "Perfectly fine," she assured him. "Just a little tired. Nothing I can't handle."

"Well, there's a bed up the stairs," Ron said.

Hermione laughed. "I'm fine," she said again. "Let's just sit in here for a few minutes and then return the party. Unfortunately, they've probably realised we're missing by now."

"Well, you have an excuse," Ron argued. "Our baby's health is more important than any headlines journalists will get from getting a picture of us."

Hermione didn't argue; in fact, she said nothing at all. Closing her eyes, she rested her head on the back of the couch. This pregnancy had been much easier than the first, but even so, there was only so much she could endure. It was getting to the point where she was just ready to meet her son. Parties like this really took it out of her, but she wasn't going to miss the tenth anniversary of so many people leaving her lives for good.

She opened her eyes again, looking to Ron. It was always a hard day for him – the whole Weasley family. Many people celebrated the demise of Voldemort, but they all remembered Fred. "You okay?" she asked him.

He nodded. "Fine," he said, forcing a smile. "I wonder what Rosie's doing?"

"In bed, I hope," Hermione said.

"She loves it with your parents." Ron looked around the room. "I've never seen the house so quiet."

"Enjoy it while it lasts," Hermione said. "In a few weeks, there'll be two of them."

"That's not a bad thing." Ron placed his arm across her shoulders, drawing her close to him. Hermione rested her head on his shoulder.

"Who would have thought," she said.

"Thought what?" Ron wanted to know.

"Ten years ago, when we stood in this room – in this castle – not knowing if we'd see the end of the day or not, that we would be where we are now."

"You mean you didn't see yourself married to me?" Ron asked with a smile.

"I didn't know where our lives would take us, Ron. I had no idea. All I remember thinking that day was that if I lived, and if you lived, then I'd tell you how I really felt. And I remember also thinking that if we died, at least we would die together."

There was silence. Ron kissed the top of her head, holding her even tighter.

"I never knew that ten years later we'd be back here. I never knew that we'd have a home together, or a family. I never knew we would have a beautiful little girl who means the world to us, or a son who means just as much."

There was more silence, and then Ron laughed. "You know what?" he said. "I just thought I was bloody lucky to have you. I still do."

Hermione smiled, feeling Ron's lips press to her forehead. "Should we go back and rescue Harry?" she asked.

Ron thought about it for a moment. "Nah," he said. "He's used to it. Give him a few more minutes."

Hermione nodded, closing her eyes. She could do a few more minutes.

Goodness, I haven't Romione'd in so long, but it felt good to write them again. I hope you enjoyed it :)