The second of 26 short stories with Hermione, Ron and the kids during their younger years.
B is for Bedtime.
In a plain semi in the south of England, bath time is underway in the Granger-Weasley household. Hermione was busy attempting to persuade Hugo into his pyjama top. The child in question was running around in navy blue shorts with damp brown hair refusing to do as he is told with a cheeky glint in his light blue eyes.
His sister was currently in the bath, splashing and soaking her father. Ron's t-shirt was darkened in colour, a large grin on his face in amusement. After bundling his flame haired daughter in a fluffy lemon towel, he carries her into her bedroom helping her into her pyjamas.
In hearing his sister, Hugo barges into the buttercup yellow room, launching himself at Rose who falls back, giggling and squealing at the shorter boy. Ron and Hermione watch them from the doorway, smiles playing on both their faces.
Heading downstairs they pile upon the sofa. As Ron makes them hot chocolate in the kitchen, Hermione helps the children choose a story from the small children's bookshelf. Rose comments Princesses with Hugo butts in about Dragons. They both argue the part. Weasley tempers flare. As a compromise Hermione chooses Sleeping Beauty.
Sitting on the sofa with the kids either side, sipping the just-right temperature drinks their father had made, she starts the story. "Once upon a time…"
As the story progresses she embellishes and enhances the Dragons for Hugo. Ron butting in about their Uncle Charlie in Romania looking after Hungarian Horntails and Scandinavian Short-Snouts. This piques Hugo's interest but is shushed by his sister. Their mother squeezes Hugo lightly in comfort so she can continue. By the end both young children are dozing and the story goes untold and unheard.
Hermione carries her son upstairs to his small forest green bedroom, upon her hip. Rose is curled into her father, curly red hair splayed over his shoulder. In her bedroom, he places her gently into her bed, tucking her in and pressing a kiss to her forehead as she snuggles into her stuffed penguin Pepper. Hermione does a similar thing with Hugo, giving up on persuading him to put a top on as he clutches Henry the dragon to his chest. The adults swap rooms, Ron pressing a kiss to Hugo's sleeping head and Hermione mirroring it to her daughter.
Together they progress downstairs, reheating the chocolate with a flick of a wand and curling up on the sofa together. A dozy late evening drifts by. Sleepily they head upstairs. The mugs will get washed tomorrow once the kids wake again at six. Tonight, they slept soundly with not a care in the world.