December 21, 2020

King's Cross Station was packed with Muggles and wizards as they all pushed past one another to get to their correct train. Ron and Hermione made their way through the invisible barrier, landing on the other side.

Platform nine and three quarters was worse than the Muggle side. Where they were all spread out, all the families of Hogwarts students were squished onto one platform, barely finding the space to move.

"Next time, we wait for them on the other side," Ron said, making his way through the crowd. "Mum used to do it for us."

"It seems more crowded this year," Hermione acknowledged. "Maybe Hugo's year was a big one."

They found a clearing somewhere in the middle and claimed it before anyone else did. It wasn't until a few moments later did they realise they were standing in front of Percy and Audrey.

"Hello," Audrey said from behind them.

Both of them spun around, slightly startled. These past months, both of them had been rather on edge, especially since Ron had received that letter. It was slightly unnerving for both of them.

"Hey," Hermione said, giving her brother and sister-in-law a smile. "Sorry, we didn't see you here."

Audrey looked around the platform. "Does it seem more crowded this year?" she asked uncertainly.

"Ron and I were just saying the same thing," Hermione said, noting Audrey's uneasiness. She didn't blame her, though, and frankly, she was rather impressed by Audrey's acceptance of the magical world.

It had taken Percy quite some time to reveal to her he was a wizard, and rather than running away screaming, Audrey had embraced it. She had been more than happy to send her two children off to a magic school, and seemed more than happy to be the only non-magical person in the family.

She handled it better than most, and despite her difficulties with Percy sometimes, Hermione got along quite well with his wife.

They waited for ten minutes or so before they saw the first sign of the train. A puff of white smoke came from around the corner, and then the sound of soft chugging as the Hogwarts Express slowed down, and eventually stopped all together.

While most parents and siblings shuffled forward to be the first to catch a glimpse of their missing family members, Ron and Hermione, and Percy and Audrey all took a step back. They'd wait for their children to come to them, not the other way around.

The crowd slowly thinned as parents and children were reunited. The four Weasleys slowly edged forward, waiting for their own children to exit the train.

"Why are they always last?" Ron said. "Every time."

Eventually, however, a wave of red hair exited the train together, mixed with other colours. There were James, Albus and Lily, who looked around for Harry and Ginny, followed by Rose and Hugo. Beside them stood Lucy – Percy and Audrey's youngest daughter – and last was Molly.

Molly, as per usual, had a very sour expression on her face, and it didn't take them long to notice Rose's either.

Hermione sighed. "They've been fighting again," she said.

"Why can't they just get along?" Audrey questioned.

"A conflict of friendships, I believe," Percy stated matter-of-factly. "From what Molly tells me, she doesn't understand why Rose is friends with Scorpius Malfoy, or why he's friends with her… something about him being too good looking."

Although Rose had not mentioned her feelings towards Draco Malfoy's son, Hermione had always suspected her daughter fancied the boy, in a way a thirteen-year-old could. The two had been friends since their first year – much to Ron's displeasure – and it seemed that perhaps Scorpius fancied Rose too.

And now it seemed Molly fancied him as well, which explained why she had Rose did not get along at all anymore.

It seemed Molly might have been jealous of Rose.

Their children approached them, Hugo giving them a wide smile, but Rose looking rather distance; she was looking over her shoulder every few seconds, as if looking for someone.

This behaviour didn't escape her brother. He smirked. "He's gone, Rosie," he teased.

"Who's gone?" Ron questioned, squinting into the crowd, trying to see what his children were talking about.

"Scorpius," Hugo sang. "Rosie fancies Scorpius!"

Rose hit him.

"Rose!" Hermione scolded. "Don't hit your brother!"

"Well, he shouldn't lie," Rose huffed, and she marched forward, her trunk remaining at her feet for Ron to take.

He looked questioningly at Hermione, who shrugged. That was very odd behaviour for Rose. Normally, she was the first one to greet them, smiling and giving them a hug. This time, however, she'd barely acknowledged their existence.

As their home was a long drive from London, they were staying the night in the Leaky Cauldron. They did this every time, but this year, Harry and Ginny decided to stay with them. They lived close enough to King's Cross to drive home, but something about not wanting to go home was their excuse.

It was a bad idea, of course, because when Rose and Hugo got with their cousins, chaos happened. It had started when they were just toddlers, and hadn't improved with age at all. In fact, it was probably worse now that they were older.

"Lily, Rosie, you can take this room," Ron said, chucking his daughter a key. "Hu, Al and James, take this one. And… twenty-two or twenty-seven?" he asked Harry and Ginny.

"Ron, it doesn't bother me," Ginny said, sighing. She stuck out a hand for her brother to hand her the key to room twenty-seven, and they were gone.

"Twenty-two it is, then," Ron said, lifting up his overnight bag. "Let's check it out."

The room was exactly the same as every other one they'd stayed in at the pub. It was old, moth-ridden, and probably rats as well. The bed creaked, and was uncomfortable, but would do for a night.

Hermione sat down, sinking low into the mattress, but Ron sitting beside her evened it out slightly.

"Rosie seems a bit different, doesn't she?" he said.

Hermione nodded. "She does. Maybe she's just distracted by school work."

"Or Scorpius Malfoy," Ron said, almost inaudibly. "She's too young for boys."

"She'll be fourteen in six days," Hermione reminded him. "I think it's the exact age she would be interested in boys."

"Not Malfoy's kid!"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "So, you'd rather she snogged Dean Thomas' son?" she asked.

"Has she?"

"No, Ron. Well… I don't know, and frankly, it's none of our business if she has."

"She's thirteen, Hermione!"

"Yes, not three. Anyway, Ron, we have more important things to worry about now. We're going to have to tell them. We'll have to tell them what happened, and why you're not working. They're going to want to know."

Ron's expression made it clear he would have preferred his little girl to be dating Malfoy's son than to have to tell his children he killed a child.

"Ron, they're not going to hate you," Hermione said gently, understanding.

"You don't know that."

"You're their dad, and they're old enough to understand. They know you wouldn't do anything like that on purpose."

Ron grunted. "Maybe… they'll definitely look at me in a different light, though."

"No they won't! Ron, you're the laid back one; the one that lets them get away with things I wouldn't. And they love you very much, okay, so don't worry. It works both ways, remember? You know they wouldn't do anything like that, just like they know you wouldn't." Hermione patted his hand. "It'll be okay. I know Harry and Ginny are here, but I think we should go out for dinner tonight – just the four of us."

"Tonight?" Ron said.

"Yes," Hermione said. "The sooner the better. I'll let them know, and tell them to be ready by six. I can't remember the last time it was just the four of us."

OOO

They found a nice restaurant in Diagon Alley that contained a few other families in there, staying overnight before going home. It was quite strange how many people used cars now, rather than Flooing.

Hermione thought some, like them, enjoyed the drive, while some others probably had to. She waved to Lavender and Seamus – and their three children – on her way in. They had a much longer way to travel to Ireland. They probably all needed to recover.

They were directed to a table by a young woman who looked no older than nineteen or twenty. When she smiled at Rose, acknowledging her, it was apparent that the two girls knew each other. They didn't speak, but the waitress addressed them as the Weasleys.

"She a friend from school, Rosie?" Ron asked once they were seated.

Rose shrugged. "We saw each other in the library sometimes," she explained. "Her name's Kennedy Wilkins."

"Gryffindor?" Ron continued.

Rose shook her head. "Hufflepuff."

From under the table, Hermione nudged Ron. She knew he was nervous about telling them, but she also knew they had to get it over and done with. What had happened wasn't going to stay secret forever, and if they found out from someone else, they were going to be more upset than they would be hearing it from their parents.

However, if Ron had felt her, he ignored her, continuing to ask their children about Hogwarts.

"So, you liking it, Hu?" he said, staring pointedly at his son, causing Hugo to shy away slightly.

"Er… I guess," he said.

"You guess? Is anything wrong, mate? Any kids giving you a hard time? Because if they are, then I will –"

"No one's giving me a hard time, Dad," Hugo interrupted, seeming to sense his father's coming rant. Ron sometimes let things get away from him, and now that they were older, Rose and Hugo were better at noticing that and putting their feet down.

They were very strong-willed, Hermione acknowledged with a half-smile. Which was good, of course. They needed to be in their family.

"So, what's up then?" Ron pressed.

Hugo shrugged, making it clear he didn't want to talk about it. "I dunno… it's just… school… and magic… I'm not very good at it."

"That's nonsense!" Hermione admonished. "You're an excellent young wizard, Hugo, and don't let anyone ever tell you otherwise!"

Hugo turned a deep red, looking around the room to see if anyone had heard. They didn't, though; all too preoccupied with their own problems to be worrying about anyone else's.

"Yeah, I agree," Rose said. "You're great. I mean, no one else could pull a prank like that in the common room and get away with it."

Silence followed Rose's statement, Rose looking very guilty, and Hugo blushing. Ron and Hermione both watched their two children with anticipation, waiting for one to elaborate.

Neither did, though.

"So, will we have to guess what this so-called prank was?" Hermione said after a while. "Or will you just tell us?"

"It was brilliant, Mum!" Rose exclaimed. "Hugo was brilliant!"

"Rosie…" Hugo complained.

"What, you should be proud of it. Jasmine was being a bitch and –"

"Rose!"

"What? She was! And Hugo really put her in her place. She couldn't walk for a week!"

At that, Ron raised his eyebrows, looking at his son with a half amused, half intrigued expression. "Sounds… interesting," he said.

"It does," Hermione muttered. "But, anyway, we also have some news of our own." She smiled brightly, but Ron stiffened beside her.

"After we eat!" he declared, calling over the waitress again.

This time it was their children's turn to look at them curiously. Hermione could only imagine what was going through their heads, and she was certain the actual story wouldn't have even crossed their minds.

They ordered, and when the waitress walked away, Rose said, "You're not pregnant are you?"

"Merlin, I hope not!" Ron said instantly. He looked to Hermione. "You're not, are you?"

Hermione shook her head. "No." Thankfully.

"Okay, good, because that would be kind of gross, knowing that while we're away at school, you're…." Rose shook her head, not finishing her sentence.

"Just because your mother isn't pregnant, doesn't mean we don't –"

"Anyway," Hermione said loudly, trying desperately to divert the topic, "I think you should both listen very carefully to your father, as he has some important news to tell you."

Four eyes turned to Ron, and now it was his turn to look uncomfortable.

"Maybe we should eat first," he said.

"I think now's better," Hermione replied.

"Did you get a promotion at work, Dad?" Hugo asked.

Ron didn't say anything. He began playing with the corner of the table cloth, his eyes staring at the ground.

Hermione sighed. "No, he didn't," she said. "But work has something to do with it. Your dad is taking some time off work at the moment. He has since October, due to an incident that happened a few months ago."

"Like what?" Rose questioned. "Did you get into a fight with someone?"

"You could say that," Ron mumbled, shooting Hermione a scathing look. She simply returned it with an even more dangerous one. He had to tell them, whether he liked it or not.

"Did you punch someone, Dad?" Hugo asked, his eyes widening in what seemed to be excitement.

"Or hex them?" Rose added

Ron shook his head, still refusing to look at them. "I did nothing of the sort," he grumbled.

"So, now it's our turn to guess, I suppose," Rose then said irritably. "We told you about Hugo's prank!"

"You told them, Rosie," Hugo reminded her.

At that moment, their food appeared in front of them, putting a stop to any conversation. Ron looked thoroughly relieved that he had escaped telling them, and began eating instantly.

Hermione looked towards him. "You will have to tell them eventually," she said. "You know you will."

Ron pointedly ignored her, but continued to eat in silence.

Both Rose and Hugo gave Hermione questioning looks, but she shook her head, sighing internally. "Another time," she said to them quietly. "It's not that important."

She knew Ron's only reason for not wanting to tell them was because he hated himself for what had happened, and he thought they would too; but he needed to give them more credit. They were both very intelligent people, and despite Rose's reaction to them earlier, very family-oriented. They loved Ron very much, and they would be upset before they were ever ashamed or embarrassed of him.

He just needed to realise that himself.


Thank you again to Sunny Lighter for beta-ing!

I am still offering to write a story for you in a month between May and December. So, pretty please PM me a list of pairings and prompts (format on profile) and I'll add you. I promise, I don't care if we've never spoken before. I will always accept :D