Written for the RomioneFicFest 2021 on Tumblr. I choose the prompt 'Photo'. A huge thank you to Saveourskinship for beta-reading this story and to divagonzo for hosting this lovely fest again.
When the first ray of sunlight appeared on the horizon, marking the start of this new day, a very tall, red-headed man walked through the streets of London with a confident stride. His burgundy-red robes billowed behind him and his tired, unshaven face painted the picture of a somehow shady individual roaming the streets in these early morning hours. This, however, contrasted with the spring in his steps, the spark in his eyes and the huge smile lighting up the ginger's fatigued face.
Ron Weasley was dealing with a whirlwind of emotions right now. His heartbeat raced as fast as his mind, causing his chest to fill with both anxiety and excitement.
He was on his way home from one of his Auror missions. Although Ron retired from this kind of work many years ago, he couldn't say no when Harry asked him to help out in one of his cases, only one day after Hugo went off to Hogwarts for the first time.
Destiny and fate weren't concepts Ron believed in, but if he did, he might think it was meant to be that he got asked to join this particular mission. Two weeks ago, he accompanied a ten-year-old Squib girl to an orphanage. She had not said a single word that day, but kept holding Ron's hand from the moment they had found her at the crime scene right until it had been time for Ron to leave for home.
The following evenings, he'd kept visiting Valeria before his night shifts started. Her silence remained for several more days and Ron just sat with her, talking about the weather, chess and the newest invention sold at the joke shop. One day though, she suddenly reached for the wedding band on his left hand, briefly grazing over the gold ring.
"Can you tell me about your family?" Valeria asked, her voice quiet and barely audible.
He'd deliberately avoided the topic so far because he assumed talking about his wife and kids would only inflict pain. "What do you want to know?"
Valeria thought about it for a second before her curious eyes flitted to his hand again.
"Is she pretty?" she asked, smiling a little at Ron's amused expression.
"Very," Ron told her as he fished out a photograph from his wallet and gave it to her.
It was an old picture his mother-in-law had taken of them when Rose and Hugo were 6 and 4. Instead of looking into the camera, Rose, despite laughing, had her eyes squeezed shut as their dog Jeff licked across her face. And while Ron and Hermione dutifully smiled into the camera, Hugo had not sat still in his mother's arms. The boy had gifted his grandmother a toothy smile while his upper body was hanging upside down, causing Hermione's smile to waver a bit as she struggled to hold Hugo.
"Hermione and I accepted a long time ago that a perfect family picture will most likely never happen," Ron chuckled, causing Valeria to smile too as she stared at the photograph.
"I think it is perfect," she said and Ron couldn't help but agree.
Ron shifted in his seat to make himself more comfortable before narrating the adventures of the Granger-Weasley family.
Valeria listened with rapt attention, smiling and laughing and gasping at Ron's stories, and not once did she let go of the photograph.
Hermione sat at the kitchen table, remaining silent after Ron had finished his little speech.
He knew that what he was proposing was crazy. The plan he came up with within the last few hours contained everything they needed to do in order to adopt Valeria. From how they could manage their working hours over therapy possibilities to Muggle school options.
Still, he was well aware that this came out of the blue, even to himself. This would, without a doubt, change their lives forever. But when Ron had to leave for work that night, Valeria had reluctantly given the photograph of his family back to him. And right at that moment, something suddenly clicked into place.
All throughout his shift that night he had been thinking about his idea. Would Hermione agree? Would they be fit to care for this girl? Would Hugo and Rose be okay with this? And most of all, would Valeria even want to be a part of their family? But the idea cemented itself both inside his mind and heart.
"She's probably traumatized and needs professional help," Hermione broke her silence.
"She's definitely traumatized. And yes."
"She might not want to live with us. Maybe she wants to right now but later decide she doesn't want to anymore."
"Yes."
"We might not be fit to handle a traumatized child," Hermione voiced his own concerns.
"Possibly."
"She might become sad and angry about her not being able to do magic when she'll see it performed around her every day."
Ron nodded. He thought about this too, wincing when he remembered how his family, him included, kept talking about their Squib relative from his Mum's side.
"The adoption process is probably not that easy. I assume there's a lot of paperwork to go through and take care of. Maybe we can be her foster parents for a while before we adopt. Are foster parents a thing in the magical world?" Hermione frowned at the thought of bureaucracy making this harder for them.
Without giving Ron the chance to reply she kept talking, "The kids could not get along with her. Although I'm quite sure Hugo will stop at nothing to make her like him. And Rose will probably take her on broom rides and try to coax her into this book club her brother and all her cousins refuse to take part in. Would she be okay with Jeff? He can be very overwhelming sometimes, after all. Should we make Valeria and Rose share a room? Rose won't be home for-"
Ron cut her off with a sound kiss on her lips. Emotions threatened to overwhelm him as he cradled his wife's face between his hands and found that certain glint he loved lighting up in her dark eyes.
"So, we'll do it?"
Hermione stood up on her tiptoes, kissing the tip of Ron's nose. "Yes," she said, "Ron, I think this is wonderful. This is scary and risky and unexpected but I really want to do this. I can't wait to meet Valeria and ask her if she wants to live with us."
"Brilliant," Ron murmured as he showered her face with kisses, "Let's write the kids."
Hermione traced one of Ron's brain scars, letting her fingers glide over the skin of his right shoulder. Goosebumps appeared underneath her touch and for a smug second, she marvelled about the effect she still had on him after over 20 years.
She lifted her head from his shoulder to look at him, "I love you!"
He gave her one of his lopsided smiles, his blue eyes sparkling with mischief, "I'm quite the catch, aren't I?"
Usually, she would join the banter, but not today. Today she needed him to know how brilliant he was.
"No, Ron, I mean it." Soppy love declarations were never her forte but tonight she could not let it be with a simple I love you.
"I never thought I could love you more than I already did," she said as her eyes flitted to the framed photograph on Ron's nightstand where younger versions of themselves smiled and waved into the camera as newlyweds,
"Today you proved me wrong, though. I have never loved you more than I do right now."
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