A/N: This was written for the Hogwarts Challenges and Assignments forum Gardening task 1 (write about someone winning the lottery). I also used the prompt "flimsy" from the OTP Boot Camp on HPFC. Word count: 857

Not So Flimsy

"Ron?" Hermione called as she entered their house.

She sighed with relief as she draped her cloak over its hook inside the door and removed her shoes. It felt good to be home after a long day at the Ministry. In the two years they'd been living in it, Hermione had come to feel more comfortable there than anywhere else.

It had been old when they'd bought it. Even with the aid of magic, the pipes creaked, and strong winds revealed how flimsy the structure was. But the house was theirs, and Hermione loved it. It held a charm similar to the Burrow's, another place she'd grown to love, and she was thankful they'd found somewhere close to perfect on their budget.

Ron appeared at the other end of the hall, his eyes sparking and his cheeks red with excitement.

"Hermione!"

He rushed forward, pulling her into a crushing hug with little explanation. Hermione stared at him as she pulled away, one eyebrow raised questioningly.

"What's going on?" she asked.

Ron waved a piece of parchment in front of her, and Hermione snatched it out of his hands to see what it was.

"A lottery ticket? Since when do you enter the lottery?"

Ron's smile dimmed.

"Since we left Hogwarts, I guess. Only a few times a year or so. Sometimes I'm at the store, and I figure I might as well try my chances. What if, you know? I never thought I'd actually win though!"

Hermione looked down at the ticket again.

"You're telling me this is a winning ticket?"

Ron bobbed on his toes like an excited child. Hermione was torn between amusement and bafflement with no idea which emotion had won control of her facial muscles.

"Yes!" Ron wrapped her in another sudden hug, causing Hermione to laugh. "Ten million Galleons! Merlin, Hermione! Think of all that money."

She laughed with him as he pulled away, finding his excitement contagious. They weren't starved for money by any means. By all accounts, they were better off than the Weasleys had been for most of Ron's childhood as they both had steady incomes and only needed to feed themselves. Still, she understood why the thought of a small fortune would have Ron overjoyed.

"That's brilliant," she said, reaching up to push his bangs out of his eyes as she handed him back the ticket.

His hair was wild, she noticed, and she wondered how much celebrating he'd done before she arrived.

"It is," he said, his excitement falling into quiet amazement.

He stared at the ticket clutched in his hand.

"I haven't gone to claim the reward because I can't believe it's real."

Hermione smiled and went up on her toes to place a kiss on his cheek.

"You have twenty-four hours, don't you? You can afford to let it sink in a bit."

He nodded absentmindedly before he began shaking his head instead.

"Think about what we can do with that amount of money, Hermione."

He glanced around the house.

"We could get out of this place and move somewhere nicer. Maybe we could get a place in London. That way you'd be closer to the Ministry, and I'd be closer to the shop. George already gives me a hard time about being out of the loop because he's there twenty-four seven and I'm not."

Hermione frowned and could only speak up with hesitance.

"Move out of this place? Are you serious?"

Ron blinked at her several times, his smile gone.

"Of course I am," he said. "This place is falling apart. You can't tell me you don't want an upgrade."

"I can tell you that because I don't. This place certainly isn't falling apart. We've seen to that."

"Well, okay, yeah. We've done the best we can, but with this money, we could get a place that doesn't need much upkeep."

"That will grow older until it requires just as much upkeep as this place."

"I… Maybe, but Hermione…"

She stepped forward, cupping his cheek in her hand.

"I'm never going to complain about an extra ten million Galleons, but, Ron, I can't imagine leaving this place. Ever since we've bought it, this is where I've imagined our future happening. We chose this place over the others because it had three bedrooms. We bought it imagining our family would be here one day. I don't want to give up on that."

Ron deflated, closing his eyes for several seconds, but he grinned when he opened them to look at her again.

"Okay. We'll stay, but at least let me use the money to renovate. We could add some rooms or replace the kitchen. Something."

"You know, I wouldn't say no to a library."

Ron's smile widened.

"I'll build you a library then," he said. "And maybe we could add a playroom. For later on, you know?"

His ears were turning red just as they always did when he discussed their future children. Hermione tugged him down into a kiss.

"That sounds perfect."

As they pulled away, Ron launched into detailed plans for repairs he wanted to make with the money as Hermione smiled fondly.