After a long Christmas dinner Ron and Hermione decided to head home with the children. They tried to bid everyone goodnight and disappear hurriedly but Molly still caught them sneaking out and followed them through the garden, trying to persuade them to stay the night.
"With all the eggnog you two drank would you even be able to Apparate safely? Think about the children!"
"We'll be fine, Mum" Ron said tiredly yet again. "If we thought we couldn't Apparate safely, we wouldn't be going home."
"Honestly, it will be no trouble at all if you stayed" Molly tried to appeal to Hermione.
"We would sleep better knowing there will be no rush in the morning" the younger woman said, slightly annoyed.
"No place like home, right?" Ron added.
"You will be home, yes, unless you splinch yourselves and end up-"
Molly's speech was cut off by a loud crack that resounded throughout the whole garden. Ron looked around in astonishment: Hermione, Rose and Hugo were nowhere to be seen.
"Where did they-?"
"See you, Mum" Ron couldn't hide his grin and Disapparated quickly, following his wife's example.
Since he Apparated directly into the living room of their house, Ron was met with a precious sight. Hermione, Rose and Hugo were all sitting on the sofa, laughing hard. The two children were pressed to Hermione and she had draped an arm over each of them, hugging them to herself while they laughed. Ron couldn't help but walk over to them and press a kiss on everyone's heads.
"Oh, you're back quickly" Hermione giggled looking up at him.
"Hermione Weasley, you continue to surprise me."
"Yeah, Mum, I never thought you'd just grab us and Apparate away" Rose said in awe.
"That's because you haven't been to school with her" her father patted her on the head.
"Oh yes, they missed so much – giant monsters that could kill you, deadly tournaments and all that" Hermione deadpanned.
"Really?" Hugo gaped.
"Yes, really" Hermione ruffled his hair. "But now it's time for bed. I'm going upstairs to get ready and I better find you tucked in when I come to say goodnight" she said as she stood up from the sofa.
"They'll be all good for a goodnight kiss, love." Ron sent her away with a smile and winked at the children. "Who wants a ride up the stairs?"
"Me, me!" they shrieked in unison.
"All right, all right, there's a seat for everyone" Ron said as he picked up Rose and bent over so Hugo could climb on his back. "Are you ready?" he asked them and grinned when they yelled "YES!".
"Then here we gooo" he ran out of the room and up the stairs as fast as he could. Rose and Hugo had always liked this and giggled like every time he did it with them. When he reached the second floor he put them down in front of their respective rooms and turned to go change for bed.
"Hey, Dad" Hugo called after him, and Ron stopped and looked at his son. "What did you mean downstairs in the living room? About us not being in school with Mum?"
"Oh, that" Ron grinned. "Your mother will take her time getting ready for bed, do you two want a bedtime story?"
"Yes!" the children called out together.
"All right then, let's go downstairs so I can make you some chocolate milk."
Another wild ride later Rose and Hugo were sitting at the table, and Ron seemed to be reenacting something in front of them.
"So we go through the courtyard and start down the lawns, and who do we see standing there sniggering with his cronies? Draco Malfoy, the git!"
Hugo laughed at the last bit, and Rose squealed with delight.
"So what did he do, Dad, did he see you?" she asked.
"Oh, we saw each other all right" Ron frowned as he remembered what Malfoy had said. "And he began talking very, very bad things about the nice Hippogriff Buckbeak."
"But that's stupid, why would he say something bad about such a good creature?" Hugo interrupted, scandalized.
"Well, he thought he was being funny, you see. But when your Mum drew out her wand like this," Ron pulled out an imaginary wand and pointed it at the wall, "the git's face went all white and scared" he scrunched up his face in mock fear. "I tried to stop your Mum, of course, I couldn't let her get in trouble because of that little ferret."
"Aww, Dad, you spoiled the story" Rose protested.
"That's what you think, young lady" Ron shook his head and got back in character. "She did budge – she put her wand away and turned her back on him. But then he started to laugh with his friends and she turned around and – SMACK!" He pretended to hit someone, then grabbed his nose and made a funny face. "Your mother almost broke his nose" Ron finished the story with a smile on his face.
Hermione saw them like this when she entered the kitchen: Ron was staring off into the distance with a smile on his face; Rose and Hugo were on the floor, rolling and laughing, spitting chocolate milk everywhere, mad with glee.
"I see the children are ready for bed like you said they would be, Ronald" she said when she had had her fill of looking at her family.
"Oh, they are, love, I was just telling them a bedtime story" Ron directed his smile at her and she couldn't keep her cool act anymore. He came over and she allowed herself to be pulled into his arms, feeling a kiss being pressed to the top of her head. She was in heaven-
"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU DID THAT, MUM!" Rose shouted out of nowhere.
"Yeah, Dad told us how you punched that git in the face" Hugo added gleefully and stayed just a second to see his mother's eyes narrow, before bolting out of the kitchen along with his sister.
"A bedtime story about me punching a git, huh?" Hermione looked up at Ron.
"Oh, would you look at the time!" he feigned shock. "Got to go tuck the little ones in. See you later, love!" he called over his shoulder as he disappeared from the room quickly.
"You can bet you will!" Hermione tried to sound threatening but couldn't manage to suppress a smile as her mind took a trip down memory lane, all the way to their third year in Hogwarts.
Later, while he and his wife were falling asleep, Ron suddenly spoke.
"The time you set Snape on fire will make for another great bedtime story, don't you agree?"
"Keep talking and I will set this bed on fire" Hermione murmured and pressed herself closer to his chest.