Characters: Ron, Rose

Prompt #95 New Year


R Is For Rose

Rose watched in wonder as her dad levitated some decorations to the wall. It was almost like her birthday, but it couldn't have been, because she had already had her birthday party. Everyone had come, and there had been cake and presents and balloons that were in the shape of animals. She had laughed when one in the form of a tiger had tried to roar, but the only sound it had made was a squeak.

Because it was a balloon.

So, why was her dad putting up more decorations? It wasn't Hugo's birthday either, she knew that.

"Daddy," she said.

Her dad looked away from what he was doing and down at her. "Yes, Rosie?" he asked.

"What are those?" She pointed to the large box of decorations that were sitting on the table beside him. "Is it your birthday?"

Her dad laughed. "No, Rosie. These decorations are for the New Year's party we'll be having tonight." He seemed to notice her confusion, because he continued, "It means that at the end of tonight, it will be a new year. It will be the year two-thousand-and-eight.

"Oh." Rose still didn't understand. A new year? She thought they only had parties for birthdays.

"Do you want to help me, Rosie?" her dad then asked.

Rose smiled, nodding. She liked to help. She was always helping. Her dad held out his arms for her to run into, and in one, swift movement, he had placed her on top of his shoulders. It made her feel so big and tall.

"I'm taller than you, Daddy!" she said.

"I know. You're growing up too fast, Rosie."

Rose giggled. "I'll be bigger than you one day!" she told him.

"I won't like it when you are," her dad replied. He then passed her up some of the decorations. It was a letter, she realised. A H. "Can you put these on the wall for me?" he asked her.

Rose looked at the letter in her hand, smiling. "H for Hugo!" she exclaimed.

Her dad laughed. "That's right," he said. "Can you stick it on the wall right there?" He pointed to a blank space, and Rose gladly put the letter where he was pointing to.

"Is it Hugo's birthday?" she then asked him. Now that she thought about it, Hugo hadn't ever had a birthday party yet.

"Not this time, Rosie," her dad answered.

"Will Hugo have a birthday party?"

"Soon," he promised her. "But this is going to say Happy New Year." He held up another letter for her. "Do you know what this one is?"

"A!" Rose said, more than pleased with herself. She was a good reader. She was better than James, and he was older than her. "A for Audrey!"

"Good job, Rosie," her dad answered, also seeming happy with her. From on top his shoulders, she beamed. "Your Uncle Percy would be more than impressed."

Rose stuck the A next to the H, and then waited for the next letter. She knew that one too. P for Percy. And another P, too. She stuck them all beside one another on the wall.

It wasn't until her dad passed up the next letter that she stumbled. She didn't even recognise that letter. Nobody she knew had a name like that. If they did, she would have known it.

"I don't know this one, Daddy," she said, playing with it in her hands.

"That's okay, Rosie," her dad assured her. "You've done a great job already."

"What is it?"

"Do you know what the first word is supposed to say?"

"Happy!" Rose answered confidently.

"That's right. Do you know what the last letter in happy is, then?"

"No." Rose stared at the letter, thinking. She frowned.

"It's the last letter in mummy too," her dad continued. "And Lucy, and Molly, and Percy, and Audrey…."

Rose was beginning to see a pattern. She jiggled on her dad's shoulders. "And Rosie!" she declared.

Her dad chuckled. "You're on the right track," he said. "It's called a Y."

"Why?"

"That's right. Now, stick it on." Still slightly confused by that letter, she stuck it next to the two Ps. "Happy," she read.

"Very good. Now let's see if we can do the next two words, too." He passed her another letter that was an N, then an E for Erin – her friend next door – and then an M. "M for Mummy," she giggled.

"Turn it upside down, Rosie," her dad instructed. Rose obliged, giggling.

"It looks silly!"

"That's a W."

"What's a W?"

"Stick it on."

Rose did as he asked, staring at the unfamiliar word. "What does it say now, Daddy?"

"It says new," her dad answered. "We now have one word to go. Do you know what it is?"

Rose nodded. "Year," she answered. "Happy New Year."

As her dad passed the letters up to her, Rose stuck them on the wall. There was another why, then another E for Erin, and another A for Audrey. When he passed up the final letter to her, she squealed with delight. "R for Rosie!" she exclaimed, almost toppling from her dad's shoulders in her excitement.

"I thought you'd like that one," her dad said, laughing.

Rose put the final letter on the wall and clapped. "Finished!" she exclaimed. "Happy New Year." Her dad lifted her down from his shoulders just as her mum entered the room, holding her brother. She pointed to the wall. "Look, Mummy!" she said. "H for Hugo."

Her mum glanced up to where she had spent a long time, and a lot of effort, placing the letters on the wall. She smiled. "Very good, Rosie. Very straight."

Rose beamed. "Now you can have your party," she said. "Your Happy New Year party."

Both of her parents smiled. Her dad ruffled up her hair. "That, we can."


I'm really not at all happy with this one. The RonRose moment was suggested by LilWeasleyGirl26. Please, please suggest some more ideas. I have an idea for the next fic, but after that, my mind is absolutely blank :P And I have over 50 to go...

But, I still hope you all enjoyed this little RonRose moment. One of my units at uni right now is learning how to teach kids to read... so this is kind of where this came from (although I'm not sure my lecturer would agree that this was an effective method :P)

Please don't forget to leave a review :)