Sorry it's been so long! I couldn't think of what exactly I wanted this chapter to include, but I sort of let it run and I kind of like the direction it took... kind of.
He knew that people often thought him a bit daft. It was just one of those things you couldn't avoid noticing. In truth, a lot of the time he put it on. After all, when his children were in a tight spot they often needed harmless old Dad to help them out of it, after all, he wouldn't figure out what they'd done!
He was trying to put in on again as he saw his son sat on the sofa, alone. At two AM. Crying.
Arthur had seen all of his children cry many times over the years, all babies cry, as do toddlers, as do young children. However, exempt from a few times after the battle - most noticably at his older brother's funeral (Arthur's heart gave a twinge at the memory) - this particular son hadn't cried in front of him in a very, very long time.
The boy hadn't noticed him enter the room, he had his head in his hands and was probably concentrating so hard on not making a noise that he couldn't hear the creak of the floorboards as his father stopped in the doorway.
"Hey Ronnie, what are you doing up at this ridiculous hour of the morning?" Arthur's falsley cheery voice made even himself cringe.
Ron jumped and scrambled for his wand before realising that it was his father who stood in the doorway. The fact that his son's first thought had been to hex him worried Arthur, and he was sure that the boy on the sofa could see through his false smile.
"Oh. Hi. I - I just - I couldn't sleep and -" He ended with a choked sob, unable to continue.
Arthur stumbled over to take a seat next to his youngest and placed a hand on his shuddering back. "Shhhhh. What's on your mind?" He was sharply reminded of comforting a six-year-old version of the boy next to him, after a nightmare. How Arthur wished he could go back to a time when Ron's nightmares were about spiders and not about death and torture.
"Merlin! I'm pathetic!" Arthur was startled at the choked laugh that followed Ron's voice.
"I - er - what?" Arthur scratched the back of his neck as Ron sat upright.
Sometimes Arthur was amazed at the resemblance that his youngest son had to himself at that age. When he turned his vivid blue eyes onto him in that moment, he saw it again.
"I don't even know why I'm crying!" The boy seemed hysterical as he barked out a half sob, half laugh. "I just couldn't sleep and then all of a sudden I was crying!"
"I suppose there's a lot to cry about of late. I'm guessing your lack of ability sleeping has something to do with that fact that a certain young lady isn't sleeping in the same house for the first time in a year."
He laughed lightly as his son's eyes widened in shock. The pair had returned from Australia three days ago with Hermione's family, who had stayed with them at the Burrow until late this afternoon, when all of the precautionary protections had been placed around their newly restored home. Arthur and Molly had enjoyed the company of Henry and Elizabeth, particularly in learning about the muggle world; just as Hermione's parents had soaked up information on the wizarding world. Molly had joyfully commented this evening that she was looking forward to having them as part of the family when Ron and Hermione got married. To Arthur's everlasting surprise, Ron had just laughed and shook his head rather than blushing and stuttering as he would have a year ago.
Ron let out a nervous laugh. "I suppose that might have something to do with it." They sat in silence for a moment before Ron added sheepishly, "I keep wondering if she's having a nightmare right now. It's been getting better since they gave her those sleeping potions, but she's not allowed to take them more than twice a week or she'll get too dependant on them... means she wakes up screaming a lot." Ron's eyes filled with tears again and Arthur pulled him close into his side, just as he had before all those years ago. "I - I hate it! It's like we never even left that - that place."
Arthur's own eyes watered as he recalled Harry telling him how they were locked in a cellar, forced to hear Hermione's screams, and how his youngest son had offered up his own life in exchange for hers. Arthur had never had a doubt about Ron's feelings towards the girl, not since he had first figured it out whilst reading a terrifed letter about how she had been petrified in Ron's second year. He loved the girl like a second daughter and it pained him to see the two in such agony.
"I thought it was supposed to be over! Mum ended her, and she's still managing to torture her!"
"It's never over, Ron." His son looked up in surprise. Arthur sighed wearily. "It's something I learnt after the last war. The fighting might be over, but the scars, whether emotional or physical, they never heal. Not really. You just learn to live with them."
"It's not fair." Ron groaned, sitting back against the cushions again. Arthur was again reminded of a younger boy, complaining that Fred and George got to ride a broom when he wasn't allowed.
"No. It's not. But do you know what does help?"
Ron looked up, amused at the excited tone in his father's voice. "What?"
"Your Mum's homemade chocolate cake." Arthur stage-whispered conspiringly.
Ron let out a far too loud laugh that seemed to startle even himself. The pair waited silently for footsteps that never came, and when finally satisfied that they were safe, they made their way to the kitchen. Ron got out two plates as Arthur cut two large slices from the cake. He placed them on the plates and they each took one, sitting opposite one another at the table. Arthur watched as Ron dug in; dressed in too small Cannon's pyjamas with sleep-ruffled hair. He was licking the buttercream off of his spoon when he noticed his father hadn't started.
"You alright Dad?"
"Yeah, just hard to believe that you're all grown up now." He smiled wistfully.
"I'm only eighteen!" Ron laughed through his full mouth.
"I know. You don't have to be old to be grown up. It's just that I was your age when I got married, and it's not like you're not in a committed relationship..."
"I'm not about to get married Dad!" Ron said, almost choking on his cake.
Arthur almost laughed at the indignant expression on his son's face. "I know, but you can't tell me that Hermione isn't the girl you're eventually going to marry." Ron blushed and attempted to form a sentence. "Don't pretend you hadn't already thought it, I saw the way you were trying to impress her parents today!" Arthur teased. Ron mumbled something unintellegable before digging back into the chocolate cake. Arthur laughed a little too loudly when Ron accidentally smeared some buttercream on his cheek, before tucking in himself.
"I don't reckon you should take too long you know, with the whole getting married thing." Arthur insisted after swallowing his food.
"I'm eighteen!" Ron almost shouted, before remembering that they were supposed to be sneaking around and repeated in a violent whisper, "Eighteen!"
"I'm not suggesting you do it now! Just... just don't wait another seven years to officially make her part of the family." Arthur smiled knowingly.
Ron blushed again and ate the last piece of his cake. He waited until he had swallowed before replying quietly, "I'm not in a rush Dad. I - I won't wait seven years, but... I'm not being ungrateful, I know you and Mum gave us everyting you could, and I know that money isn't everything... I just - I want to be able to buy them things, my family I mean. I want to wait until I can afford it."
Though he hadn't meant it that way, Arthur was reminded of the argument with Percy before he had left, and he felt a sense of shame that he hadn't been able to provide properly for his children.
Ron obviously saw the hurt in his father and continued on, "Don't get me wrong! I wouldn't trade my childhood for anything! I mean, when I look at Harry's... he had money, at least from when he was eleven, but he didn't have a family like you guys, and that's much more important. Even the Malfoy's! They have buckets of money and they have family, but they still aren't happy, not like us. That's all down to you and Mum. Harry told me that Dumbledore said the strongest magic is love, and we had more love than we needed from you and Mum, and I reckon that's the most important thing. If I turn out to be half the the Dad that you are then I'll be happy."
Arthur sat there, blinking away tears. It wasn't often that you heard Ron give heartfelt speeches. Sure, he wore his heart on his sleeve, but Ron better spoke through actions than words. He stood up and walked over to his son. He pulled him to stand and embraced him. They stood there for a few moments, both trying not to cry, before they were interrupted by a blasy of green light and someone appearing from the fireplace.
They pulled out their wands, but quickly realised, from the bushy brown hair, that it was Hermione. Ron ran over to her and started asking if she was alright. Arthur heard the word 'nightmare' before she collapsed, sobbing into Ron's arms. He gave his father a questioning look over her head.
"Take her to your room, she can stay there for the night, just-"
"Don't tell Mum right?" Ron quipped cheekily, and Arthur shook his head in amusement.
"Yeah, now get going." Ron nodded and started to pull the inconsolable Hermione upstairs. "Oh, and Ron?" Arthur added.
"Yeah?" He asked, turning his head back to face his father.
"Thank you." Arthur poured his heart into those two words, and Ron grinned at him.
When they were gone, Arthur sat back down at the table and contemplated their conversation, whilst eating his cake; he supposed Ron was right, they may not have been able to give their children much, but love and a good sense of right and wrong was all they had needed. They could make money for themselves easily, but they needed to be shown how to love and how to treat people, and Arthur figured they'd done a damn good job of teaching them that.
The stairs creaked and his wife descended upon the kitchen. At the sight of the chocolate covered plates she raised an eyebrow, he sheepishly shrugged in return. She cleared the plates and sat on his lap.
"Who's our night owl?" She asked, resting her head on his shoulder.
"Ron. He couldn't sleep." he spoke into her hair, shifting on the seat to make them both more comfortable.
He felt her worry through the tension of her body. "He's not having nightmares again is he?"
Arthur shuddered at the memory of the awful nightmares that sometimes plagued his youngest son now. Sometimes he couldn't wake from them, even though he was screaming and shouting loud enough to wake the dead.
"No, he just couldn't sleep."
"And sugar helps you sleep now does it?" She teased, visibly relaxing.
They sat in silence before Arthur decided he really should tell her, "He had a late night visitor just now."
She sighed against him, "Hermione?"
"Yeah. Seems she can't sleep anywhere he isn't."
Molly stood up and reached for his hand, signaling him to join her.
"I'm worried about them. It can't be healthy to be that dependent on each other; they barely spend any time apart, and they're always together, always touching somehow. It's like they're scared of being separated." She told him as she led him back to bed.
"I don't blame them really. They probably find it hard to believe they both actually made it." He exhaled heavily and climbed into bed next to her. "A lot of the time I was worried about that."
"That one might have to live without the other?" Asked Molly unusually timidly.
"Yes, I don't think Ron could ever be okay if he'd have lost her." Arthur admitted, though he was saddened to think it.
"No. He wouldn't." They lay in silence for a moment, Molly curled up against his side.
"He said he'd be happy if he were half the Dad I am." Arthur felt like he'd burst if he didn't let it out. This time he couldn't control the tears that sprung forth, Molly wiped them away, though her eyes were a little teary too.
"He's such a wonderful boy. He'll be a great father one day, just like you. You're very alike you know, and I couldn't be prouder of you both."
The silence that followed was a comfortable one, and they quickly fell sound asleep in each others arms.
Really struggled ending this, but ah well. Also thank you YerAWizardKatie! I completely forgot it was still 'complete' I only had it as that originally because I wasn't planning on making it a multi-chapter story! I shall change that now!
As usual thank you for reading and for the lovely reviews! :)