AN: This is a new oneshot, featuring father/daughter moments between Rose and Ron! Also includes Rose/Abigail, cause they're super adorable and you all know you love them.
Disclaimer: I own Abigail, so eat that. Sadly, I own no one else.
i.
After facing giant spiders, a chess set that almost killed him, multiple Death Eaters, and the idea that his best mate may die, Ron Weasley could honestly say that not one of those things scared him as much as his newborn daughter.
Rose Weasley was born almost a month earlier then expected, and as soon as Ron saw how small and vulnerable she looked laying in Hermione's arms, crying softly, he felt fear grip him.
Would he be able to protect her from all the dangers of the world? He knew there wasn't Voldemort to worry about any longer, and that all of the Death Eaters were in prison or had died, but there were other things that could hurt his daughter, and he didn't think he could be there all the time to protect her.
Hermione smiled at him, and almost as if she could read his thoughts, she waved him over and reached up with one hand, pulling him down onto the bed and placing the bundle in his arms.
Almost as soon as Ron had his grip on her, her crying slowed and then stopped.
Hermione looked far more proud then Ron ever remembered seeing her, and he felt a smile spread onto his face as well.
ii.
"Rose, can you say mummy?" Hermione asked, smiling brightly at the two year old.
Rose did nothing but blink and spit juice all over her shirt.
Hermione frowned.
"Hermione, honestly. The healers all said she would talk when she was ready. There's nothing to worry about, leave her alone" Ron said, pulling his wife up and kissing her lightly.
"But Ronald, Hugo is so quiet already, what if neither of them ever speak?" Hermione asked, her eyes wide.
Ron sighed.
"Love, Hugo is only a few weeks old" he said, patting her shoulder.
Hermione opened her mouth to respond, but Rose beat her to it.
"Daddy!" the two year old announced loudly, stretching her arms up towards Ron.
Both adults froze and looked at their daughter, shocked looks on their faces.
"She finally spoke! Oh, Ron!" Hermione yelled, smiling brightly and clapping her hands. She bent down and lifted Rose off the ground, holding her tightly.
Rose struggled for a moment before seemingly giving up and glancing at Ron again.
"Daddy" she said clearly, reaching her arms out again.
Hermione grinned and handed Rose to Ron, watching as her husband stared at their daughter with a shocked look still planted on his face.
"I always knew she was a daddy's girl" Hermione muttered, before leaving to check on Hugo.
iii.
"Daddy! Help!" Hugo's voice yelled from his bedroom.
Ron was out of his seat and down the hallway faster then he ever remembered moving, and as he rounded the corner into his son's room with his wand held out in front of him, nine year old Rose stepped in front of him, holding something in her closed hands.
"Daddy, Hugo is being mental" Rose said, pouting.
Ron reminded himself to have a conversation with George about teaching Rose new words, and bent down.
"What are you scaring your brother with, Rosie?" he asked.
Hugo whimpered quietly from his bed.
Letting out a sigh, Rose opened her hands to show Ron a small spider crawling around her fingers.
Ron let out a scream and jumped onto the bed with Hugo, grabbing his son and hugging him tightly to his chest.
"Daddy?" Rose asked, holding the spider out to him.
"Hermione!" Ron wailed, backing up further against the wall, bringing Hugo with him.
His wife raced into the room and had to struggle to hold in her laughter at the scene in front of her.
Ron was cowering against the wall, clutching Hugo so tightly that Hermione was slightly worried the boy might be losing oxygen, while Rose was standing in the middle of the room looking completely confused, the spider still on her hand.
"Rosie, why don't we let your little friend outside? That way he can run and be with all the other spiders" Hermione said, bending down near Rose.
The little girl seemed to think it over for a moment, before nodding her head and following her mother out of the room.
A few minutes later, Hermione returned and took Hugo from Ron's arms, before patting Ron on the head.
"The spider is gone now, Ronald" she teased.
Ron glared and stood, storming past her and down the stairs.
Bloody spiders.
iv.
After getting Rose on the train to leave for Hogwarts and returning home, Ron had seemingly disappeared.
Hermione had decided to leave him on his own and after feeding Hugo dinner and finally getting him over to Harry and Ginny's for his stay with Lily, she found him sitting in the backyard against a tree, picking at the grass.
"Ron?" she asked softly, walking up to him.
"We just sent our little girl off to Hogwarts. Our little girl. When did she get so big, anyway, Hermione? Wasn't she supposed to stay little forever?" Ron asked, turning to face her.
Hermione smiled and sat down next to him, laying her head on his shoulder.
"I know that's what you wanted, Ron. To have a little girl who wanted to be around you all the time and who clings to your leg and makes you drag her around. But that's not who Rose is going to be for the rest of her life" she said, her grip on his arm getting a little tighter.
Ron sighed loudly.
"I know. But she doesn't need us anymore" he muttered.
Hermione smiled and ran a hand through his shaggy red hair.
"She'll always need us, Ronald. We're her parents" she said, kissing his cheek and standing up. She held out a hand to him and he took it, allowing her to lead him back into the house.
v.
Rose stepped off the train, her Ravenclaw tie hanging loosely around her neck as she looked around the platform for any sign of her family.
She spotted a flash of red and a second later, Hugo was clinging to her.
"Rosie! I missed you! Was your first year fun?" he asked, and Rose grinned.
"I missed you too, Hugo. First year was fun, yeah" she responded, nodding her head. Hugo seemed to accept this answer and grabbed her hand, pulling her through the crowd for a few moments until she spotted her parents standing near her Aunt Ginny and Uncle Harry.
"Mum! Dad!" Rose screamed, racing forward and leaping into Ron's arms.
The man was slightly shocked but caught himself before he fell backwards and spun his daughter around, laughing.
Rose let him go and hugged Hermione quickly, before gripping her father's hand.
"I missed you both so much" Rose breathed, seeming highly relieved to see them.
By the time Albus and James reached them, it was decided that they would go out to eat before heading home, and as they headed off the platform, Ron found himself thinking that Hermione just might have been right at the start of the year.
Rose would still need them, even if she was growing up.
vi.
Dear Mum and Dad,
I have a surprise for you when I come home for holidays. I know you've always said that my friends are welcome over holidays if I want to bring them home, and I know that I'm in fifth year now, and that you've probably expected some friends to come home with me before this point, seeing as how you and Uncle Harry always spent most of your holidays together when you were in school, but this is a new friend I met last year, and she had to spend holidays then with her parents.
Her name is Abigail, and I know that it happens to be last minute, but I hope you don't mind her spending her holidays with us.
Love,
Rose
After receiving the letter, Hermione and Ron had raced around, preparing for a guest to be staying with them over Christmas holidays. When Harry and Ginny had arrived to drop off Hugo, Rose, and Abigail, after picking them up as a favor, Ron had watched the way his daughter clung to the small brown-haired girl's hand, not willing to let go.
It wasn't until the next night, when Rose stood up and announced that she fancied girls, and that she and Abigail were dating, that Ron knew his original guess was correct.
His daughter was dating.
The thought scared him to death.
He had gotten used to the idea of Rose getting older, but he had hoped that she would stay single for the rest of her life and show no interest in dating.
Ron stared at the two girls from across the table, watching as Abigail whispered something in Rose's ear and the red-head's face lit up into a bright smile, her eyes lighting up.
Ron let out a sigh and went back to his food.
Rose was happy, so he couldn't honestly be upset.
vii.
"Dad?"
Ron glanced up from straightening his tie, and gulped at the sight of his daughter standing in front of him in a wedding dress, her red hair straightened and her blue eyes shining with tears.
"You look beautiful, Rosie" Ron said, meaning every word.
Rose grinned.
"Abigail is going to be the one who looks really beautiful. I'm really lucky, dad. To marry a girl like her and to know that she'll love me no matter what. This has to be what you felt like marrying mum" she said, blushing.
"Marrying your mum was one of the greatest days of my life, Rosie, along with you and Hugo being born" Ron said, nodding his head.
Rose sniffled loudly and wiped her eyes with her hand.
"You're not my little Rosie anymore" Ron muttered, seeming close to tears himself.
Rose snorted.
"I'll always be your little girl, dad. You're my favorite bloke, you know that?" she asked, grinning as Harry opened the door and took the time to look offended at her comment.
"Time to get married, Rose" Harry said, smiling.
Ron took Rose's arm and smiled, knowing that even though he was giving his daughter away, he was giving her away to someone who loved and cared for her, and who would take care of her.
Abigail was everything he had hoped his daughter would find, and he couldn't have been more proud of both of them.
They reached the end of the aisle and Ron leaned down, kissing Rose's cheek and handing her hand over to Abigail, who blushed and smiled at him.
"Love you, dad"
"I love you too, Rosie"