Chapter 59

"Oh, you two," Molly said, wrapping her arms around Ron's neck to give him a hug. "It's been so long since you've managed to get yourselves over here."

"We were here two weeks ago, Mum," Ron said as Molly let him go to hug Hermione as well. "Twice in that week, too."

"Well, you don't come by as often as you once did," Molly replied, stepping away from Hermione to look them both over.

"That's because we have a house, and believe it or not we can cook for ourselves," Ron told her, smirking.

"I know that," Molly said sharply. "It's just good to see you. My children don't stop by nearly as often as they did."

"Could always visit us," Ron said with a shrug. He took Hermione's hand and guided her into the kitchen where Harry, Ginny and Arthur were. Ginny leant with her back against a bench, nibbling on some raw carrot, while Harry and Arthur sat at the table, apparently midway through a conversation about something.

"Did you get the lecture too about not coming by enough?" Ginny murmured to them as they passed her.

"Did you get time off work?" Ron asked in response. It was rare that he saw his sister these days, who had become a permanent Chaser for the Holyhead Harpies this season. The team was doing well — close to the top of the ladder — and a few weeks ago they had slaughtered the Chudley Cannons four hundred and sixty to one hundred.

Ron had almost packed up and left the match after the first twenty minutes when Ginny had scored three goals, and would have left had Hermione not insisted he stay put.

Ginny shrugged. "We don't play for another week, so I thought I'd drop by. Apparently travelling the country with a Quidditch team is no excuse for not visiting here, though. I can barely get home, but I'm expected to use what little time I have to come back here."

"Here is your home, too. Don't forget that." Ginny jumped out of the way as Molly made to get a saucepan from the cupboard Ginny was standing in front of.

"I'm sure our children remember where they grew up, dear," Arthur said mildly, getting up from the table. "They have just grown and are leading their own lives now. How's your new job treating you, Hermione?"

"Great!" Hermione said cheerfully, apparently relieved that the conversation had turned from guilt tripping them into visiting more and into something she was happy to talk to them about. "It's really good. We started taking cases just last week, which has been interesting."

"I think it's great," Arthur said. "The Wizengamot needed an overhaul. It's left a fair few disgruntled people, but the system Kingsley has put in place is as fair as it can be." He paused then, thinking for a moment. "I also hear you've got Draco Malfoy working with you."

"For," Ron corrected. "He works for her, not with her."

Hermione nudged him gently. He'd spent the last two months reminding everyone that just because Hermione and Kingsley had ended up picking Draco Malfoy — ignoring all of Ron's protests — as the senior lawyer in the new office, it didn't mean he was on a level playing field with Hermione. She was his boss, and even though Ron thought the decision had not been one of Hermione's greatest, he at least took comfort in knowing that Malfoy had to do everything she told him to.

"He's on a constant probation," Hermione said to Arthur. "And he can't progress further than the position he holds now." She glanced at Ron for a moment and then added, "It's really not ideal, but he had the most knowledge by far and we were looking for people who were knowledgeable to help get the office up and running. Had we had to train people from scratch, it would have delayed the introduction by a month or so."

"He's still a git," Ron said. "That'll never change, and he's made your life difficult in your first two months, Hermione."

"Yes… well… I don't think we'll ever get along, but as long as we can work together in a professional manner, then I think it'll be okay."

"The other one you've got — the junior — she's nice, though," Ron said. "I like her."

"Maia," Hermione said, looking at Ron in amusement. "Yes, she's decent. Pretty, too, isn't she, Ron?"

"I remember her," Harry said. "Yes, she was good."

"Pretty, too, Harry?" Ginny asked.

"Much too young," Ron said, joining Harry at the table. "She's just out of Hogwarts."

"Now," Molly said, her head poking up from another cupboard as she guided some pans to the bench with her wand, "I'm not sure exactly who's coming. I think George is, and Percy and Audrey will be walking from the village. I think they stayed the night there just for this. Charlie replied and said he'd let me know and then never did, but Bill and Fleur are currently in France visiting Fleur's parents. So there's maybe four more coming."

"Almost a full house then," Ron said, tugging on Hermione's hand and dragging her onto his lap. "One day you'll have us all here again, Mum."

"Oh, Ron," Molly sighed, "I'll never have you all here again in the same house. It's impossible. But I do appreciate the effort my living children go to, taking time out of their busy lives to come back home when they can."

Ron looked over at Ginny and then at Harry, and they all smiled.

"We'll try and make more of an effort," Ron assured her. "I'm a terrible cook, anyway."

"No you're not," Hermione said. "I like what you cook."

"Not Mum-level, though."

"Is anyone?" Ginny asked, and Molly beamed, though she tried to hide it behind the food preparation she was now doing.

"Do you need any help, Molly?" Hermione asked, as she always did when they came over.

"No, dear," Molly replied, as she also always did. "You're family. I've told you this many times."

There was a whoosh from the living room, and a moment later, George stepped into the kitchen, brushing the soot off himself. "Hope I'm not too late to the party," he said by way of greeting. He looked around the room, eyes resting on everyone. "One of the first ones, I see." He smiled.

"So good to see you, George," Molly said, abandoning the food in favour of hugging her son.

"How come George doesn't get a lecture about not visiting enough?" Ginny demanded.

"Because I visit plenty more than you, Ginny," George replied. "I'm not off gallivanting the world with a broomstick, am I?"

Ginny made a mock movement to draw out her wand, but joke or not, Molly scolded her and she dropped her hand by her side again, picking up another carrot.

George laughed. "You mind making room, Hermione? I don't think there's enough seats around here."

Hermione actually did make to move off Ron's lap, but he didn't let her and she relented, relaxing against him again.

"You two disgust me." George shook his head, sitting at one of the three empty kitchen chairs. "Who else is coming, Mum?"

"Everyone but Bill, Fleur and the kids, I hope," Molly answered. "You know what Charlie's like though — it's always a mystery with him. Percy and Audrey shouldn't be too far away. They stayed in the village for the night."

"One day he will surprise us all by using the Floo with her," George said.

"He can't, though," Ginny said. "Rules and all."

"The bloke married a Muggle and he's fussed about rules?" George asked.

"It's not even a rule anymore," Hermione interrupted. "I mean, it won't be soon, and Kingsley is fairly lax about it at the moment. Anyone who is married to a Muggle is now able to perform basic spells and charms and travel with them via the Floo Network so long as they are aware of everything that is being performed in front of them — which Audrey would qualify with that alone."

"When's this coming into effect, Hermione?" Arthur asked curiously. "I've not heard of it."

"It will be one of the first things discussed once the new Wizengamot has been established," Hermione said. "There's so many people out there who are married to Muggles, who have children with Muggles, who are children of Muggles, and there's no clear and cut rule regarding the use of magic around them. Strictly speaking, it's always been against wizarding law to perform any kind of magic in front of a Muggle, but for the most part when it involved marital or family issues, the Ministry turned a blind eye with the assumption the Muggle would not reveal anything that could expose us.

"However, that has led to many loopholes and unfair punishments in the past, so these new rules, so long as they are approved, should clarify anything like that. Wizards and witches should not be forced to deny who they are just because they choose to enter a relationship with, or are born to, people who cannot perform magic."

There was a long pause in the kitchen as everyone digested that information. After a moment, Ron grinned and hugged Hermione tightly. "Isn't she amazing?" he said.

Everyone else agreed, albeit not as enthusiastically as Ron sounded, and the conversation drifted into smaller ones.

Soon after, Percy and Audrey showed up, puffing from the long walk from the village up to the Burrow.

"Sorry we're late," Percy said between breaths. He placed his arm across Audrey's shoulder and drew her towards him.

"Not to worry, dears," Molly said, hugging them both in turn. Neither of them got told to visit more either, to which Ginny scoffed at.

"Favouritism at its finest," she said to Harry, Ron and Hermione. "I have a career that means I hardly see my husband let alone anyone else outside of my team, Hermione's the Head of an office, and you two are Aurors and work odd hours… but we get lectured. George, who makes his own hours, and Percy… they get off with just a hug."

"I think she's just finding it difficult," Hermione said. "The youngest of her children is in her twenties, is married, has long since moved out… I think we should make more of an effort to get over here more. At least once a week."

"I can't do that, though," Ginny said, though she now looked a little guilty as she watched Molly busy herself with the food.

"The rest of us can," Hermione said.

Ron and Harry nodded in agreement, Ron unexpectedly feeling a rush of affection for his mother. She'd done so much for them all growing up — always offering a welcoming and loving home, and most of them had repaid her by leaving and coming by less and less as they got older. Yes, they had their own lives and families now, their own homes, and Ron was happiest when he was with Hermione, but this was still his family, she was still his mother, and it occurred to him in that moment that she wasn't going to be around forever. There'd be a time one day where there'd be no one at the Burrow to come and visit anymore.

He kissed Hermione's shoulder, breathing in the scent of her freshly washed hair. He toyed with the idea that one day this might be them, in their Nottingham home. Preparing meals and begging their children — however many they had — to come and visit them more. Ron hoped that was the case, anyway. The thought of he and Hermione living happily, well into old age, brought him a lot of joy. He couldn't imagine doing it with anyone else.

"Okay," Molly said, distracting them all from their thoughts, "it doesn't look like Charlie is coming, so dinner is ready. It's a beautiful evening outside. How about we eat out there?"

Everyone agreed and stood up.

"Percy and Arthur, could you please move the table?" Molly said. "Ron, Hermione, George and Harry, please take all the food out once they've set it up. Ginny and Audrey, you can do the cutlery and plates, if you please."

Everyone moved to do what was asked of them. Ron picked up a tray of vegetables and a tray of meat and carried it into the garden where Percy and Arthur had just Summoned the table from the kitchen. Arthur flourished his wand and the table extended to fit more people around it. Ron placed the food on top.

Hermione appeared beside him with a bowl of salad while Harry and George carried the last little bits.

"Looks great, Mum," George said as Molly came out after Ginny and Audrey carrying the plates and cutlery.

"Thank you, George," Molly said, and she peered over her shoulder as if to double check that Charlie hadn't shown up.

Git, Ron thought. He never comes unless it's for a special occasion.

"I can go to Romania and get him if you'd like," George said. "Is your fireplace connected?"

"No, it's not," Molly said softly.

"Well, I'll Apparate, send a Howler, whatever you want, Mum," George continued.

"It's okay," Molly said, taking a seat at the table. "He never made any promises, and he did come back a month ago. He's very busy with his work…"

"More like obsessed," George said. "Worse than you, Perce."

Percy turned red and pushed his glasses up his nose. He still didn't like to acknowledge that he was a workaholic.

"Eat up," Molly said, smiling at them. "I'm glad for those of you who could make it. I'm always glad."

Everyone began piling food onto their plates, and for a while, conversation died while everyone ate.

Ron's mind trailed to nothing in particular, thinking about the work he'd have to do next week and wondering if they'd get to go anywhere. If that week would be the week he'd finally actually be an Auror.

He was just picturing himself bringing in a large group of stray Death Eaters when a glass falling over caused everyone to jump. All eyes flickered to Percy, whose wine glass had fallen, its contents spilling onto the table.

Hermione quickly reached across the table to pick it up and used her wand to get rid of the spilled wine.

Percy flushed, once again pushing his glasses up his nose. "Sorry," he muttered.

Ron saw that Audrey nudged him in the ribs, a meaningful look on her face.

Percy went even redder now and glanced nervously up at everyone. He cleared his throat. "Ah, yes, so I suppose now's the right time — while all of your attention is on me — to tell you that next January, Audrey and I will be having a baby."

"What?" Molly said, and she jumped to her feet.

"No way," George said. "You, Percy, having a baby? That poor kid."

"Wow, that's such exciting news!" Hermione said. "Congratulations!"

"Another grandchild?" Molly said, all concern about Charlie gone in the event of this exciting revelation. "I don't know how I didn't work this out," she then said. "Audrey, you look wonderful."

"No sickness so far," Audrey said, beaming. "I'm grateful for that. I saw how Fleur suffered during her pregnancies."

Within moments, the silent garden was filled with chatter and congratulations and a lot of laughter and smiles.

"A cousin for Victoire and Dominique," Molly said joyfully. "They'll be so excited when we tell them. Do you know what you're having? A girl or boy?"

"We don't know yet," Audrey said. "With… er… Muggle technology, you can't really tell until twenty weeks, but I think we'll keep it a surprise."

"Fascinating," Arthur said. "How do Muggles deal with birth and pregnancy? It's not something I've ever thought about before." And he leaned forward, as if expecting a long-winded story from the pair about Muggle births.

"They're called…" Percy hesitated, turning to Audrey. "Um… ult-ero-sinds."

"Ultrasounds," Audrey corrected. "It's where you can see the baby." She laughed. "Percy almost fainted when he saw it."

"Wait," Ginny said, "you can see the baby? Like… inside of you?" She looked mildly revolted by the concept.

Audrey nodded.

"That's so…"

"Weird?" Ron offered.

"I think it's amazing," Hermione said, and Ron looked at her.

"Really? They go inside of you and —"

"It's beautiful," Hermione said. "You get to see your baby before they're even born. And they don't go inside of you, Ron."

"How else then, Hermione?" Ginny asked, and Harry laughed. She rounded on Harry. "When we have kids, don't you go thinking we're doing that ultromusic thing, alright?"

Harry held up his arms in defence, but was still grinning.

Ron had to agree with Ginny here. He didn't like the sound of seeing a baby before it was born. That was just too much.

"It's like a device," Audrey said, looking thrilled to have everyone's attention on her, being able to teach them something. "They place it on your tummy and they can see the baby. It appears on a screen…"

"Like a television?" Arthur asked.

"Exactly like a television," Audrey said, nodding.

Arthur smiled. "Fascinating what Muggles can come up with. What purpose is there to see your baby before they're born?"

"To make sure everything's okay. To check for any abnormalities, to hear the heartbeat —"

"We have a spell for that," Molly said. "The heartbeat. But the seeing through you is… well, I can't quite describe that."

"It's amazing," Audrey said. "It truly is." She smiled around at everyone, once again acting as if being surrounded by a group of witches and wizards was perfectly normal for her and something she'd done her whole life.

Ron supposed it'd have to be, especially if she was going to be birthing one soon.

The talk of the baby continued as everyone helped clear the table and take it back inside. Percy had remained very quiet on the subject matter, looking a little overwhelmed by the whole thing. But Audrey shared all the unnecessary details that Ron really didn't want to hear about, including sharing how long it had taken them to get pregnant.

Which was, no time at all.

"It just happened straight away," she told the living room, where they all now sat or stood.

Percy shifted uncomfortably, apparently not at all comfortable with the idea of his family talking about his sex life as if it was public business.

Ron chose not to participate in the conversation. He was standing by the wall, arms folded across his chest, nodding when spoken to, but not really saying anything. He was becoming tired of talking about it, like it bothered him, but he couldn't quite pinpoint why that was. Maybe it was the fact that he'd never really considered Percy as the father type, and the fact that Percy didn't even seem that excited about the prospect of becoming one.

Or, he thought as Audrey rattled on about what the baby's bedroom would look like, maybe he was just bothered by the fact that another one of his siblings had once again done something before him.

But… it wasn't like having a baby was something he and Hermione had ever discussed before. Not seriously, anyway. They'd talked about it as if it was some far-off, futuristic event that might happen to them one day, but it had never been a here and now type of conversation.

He frowned. Was what he was feeling… jealousy? Jealousy over the fact that his brother was having a baby and… he wasn't? That made no sense to him, yet… he was pretty confident that was how he felt.

"I always did wonder who'd be next out of the lot of you," Molly said brightly, drawing Ron back to the room.

"Won't be me any time soon," Ginny said. "Merlin, no."

"Nor us," Hermione said, who seemed more than happy to participate in this conversation about their new niece or nephew due next year. "We've got far too many things to do. Probably won't be for another four or five years."

Oh. They'd never discussed that either. So, Hermione had a time frame in mind. That would put them close to thirty.

"All in your own times," Arthur said brightly. "Live a little before you think about that. But I truly am thrilled for the two of you," he then added to Percy and Audrey. "Another small child running around will brighten this place up even more."

And the conversation drew on. Before he realised, Ron found himself standing in the kitchen. Hermione's words kept swirling around in his mind. Not for another four or five years.

That bothered him more than he wanted to admit. That was not by any means a poor estimation. They'd been together almost four years before they got married, so why wouldn't they wait another four to have a baby? And it wasn't like either of them had ever specified when they would do that. It had always just been a simple agreement of one day.

It felt stupid to be bothered by it. He felt almost ridiculous that the thought of having a baby seriously hadn't once crossed his mind, and now all of a sudden he was feeling like Percy had taken something away from him. Percy hadn't stolen anything. Percy was older, he'd been married longer… he had every right to make this next step.

He collapsed against a wall at the side of the Burrow. A few chickens roamed, plucking at the grass, and two gnomes scuttled past by the fence, apparently thinking they had gone unnoticed by Ron.

He didn't know how long he was sitting there before he heard footsteps approach and Hermione slid down beside him. She didn't say anything at first, and they just sat, her presence enough for the moment. Besides, what was he supposed to tell her? 'Why is Percy having a baby before us when we haven't even talked about it before?' That would go down well.

After a while, she spoke, keeping her voice soft and gentle. "Are you okay?"

He nodded.

"People who are okay don't come out here on their own and sit against a wall with a morbid expression on their face. It's what I said, isn't it? About waiting four or five years to have a baby."

Ron had to admire her perceptiveness. A lot of words had been spoken during their time in the living room, and she had managed to get to the crunch of it on her first go. She was incredibly clever and he was incredibly obvious.

Still, he wasn't quite sure he was ready to admit it. "What makes you say that?" He didn't look at her, not really wanting to see what her face said.

"Just a guess," she said.

It took him a while to find the words, but when he did, they poured out. "I don't know why it bothered me so much. It's not like we have ever discussed it before. We've never put a date on the idea. I didn't even think about it until today, really. We've been happy with the way things are, but… maybe I just assumed it would be sooner than that. I don't know."

It was Hermione's turn to contemplate her words. "You may not realise this, Ron, because I do think it's been subconscious, but I think it's been on your mind more than you think."

Ron looked at her. "What do you mean?" He couldn't think of a time he'd considered the idea of being a dad. Not fully. Not really.

She smiled. "It's just things you say sometimes. 'When we have kids…', 'when our kids…'. It's become a lot more frequent in recent months to the point that I think you mention it a few times a week."

"I didn't know," Ron said, averting his eyes to his hands. "Sorry."

"It's nothing to be sorry about," Hermione laughed. "If anything, it's quite nice to hear. But my point is, I think I kind of worked out that… we weren't exactly on the same page anymore. Which is okay!" She added the last part quickly, seeming to sense the questions he suddenly had for her.

Ron hesitated. Today's events had suddenly set some kind of clarity in where he wanted their future to lead. He hadn't known before, but he knew now. "Hermione… I think… I think I'm ready for us to have a baby. I mean… I want us to talk about it. I don't want it to just be a 'one day' thing anymore. I want it to be something more than that. I want us to seriously discuss it. To set a timeframe…"

He glanced across at her, surprised to see her smiling and nodding. "Okay," she said. "We can talk about it."

He watched her for a moment, waiting to see if she continued. But she didn't, and the miniscule bit of hope he'd felt vanished with her lack of words.

"It's not the right time for you, is it? I mean, now?"

"I don't want to have a baby now, Ron." She shook her head. "Aside from the fact that we've been married for only a year, I don't think it's the right time for us to be making that commitment. I've started a new job and I think it would be pretty unfair on everyone to suddenly have to step away from it for a year to raise a child."

Ron nodded, returning his eyes to the chickens. He didn't speak for a long time, trying to gather his thoughts. His mind felt jumbled — filled with so many thoughts and feelings that he couldn't quite understand. He didn't know why Percy saying he was having a baby upset him so much, nor did he fully understand the sudden burning desire within him to have his own baby. He was perfectly happy with Hermione — he loved it being just the two of them.

"I could do it, you know," he said quietly.

"Do what?" Hermioned asked gently.

"Raise our child or children. You could do your thing, and I could look after them. I wouldn't mind. I'd quite like it, I think."

Hermione smiled again. "It should be something we do together, Ron. I'd want to do that, but I just don't think I'm in that place just yet to do it. But it's okay if you are. We can find some middle ground, come to a compromise…"

"We're good at that, aren't we?" Ron asked, offering a smile. "Finding compromises."

"We're the best." Hermione reached out and covered his hand with hers. "I want us to have children, Ron. Please don't think that I'm shutting down that part for us. I'm not. I just want to be the best mother that I could possibly be, and I don't think that with our current situation that I could be. When we do have children, I want it to be a time when we are both able to just fall completely in love with them and they'll become our world…."

"I get it," Ron said, nodding. "I think… maybe you're right. Maybe I have wanted this for a while and I just haven't realised it. In my mind, I think I just thought we were getting close. It was stupid of me to assume —"

"It's not stupid."

"I just feel so old. Not in an aging kind of way, but… we've been through so much and it just feels like we've lived an extra ten years or something."

"Is that what it feels like to be with me?" Hermione asked playfully.

Ron smiled. "With you, it feels like I'll never have enough time. I'm happy to wait however long you need, Hermione. I mean it. I just think I thought it'd be sooner. In my mind, I mean."

Hermione fell silent again, thinking. Ron watched her, waiting for her to say whatever it was she needed to. She looked at him. "I know I said four or five years, but how about we look at our situation again in January next year? That will have given me almost a whole year where I am and I'd expect things to be more settled by then. I'm not saying that we are going to be ready then — or I'm going to be — but we can talk about it properly then? Does that… is that okay for you?"

Ron nodded. "That sounds perfectly fine to me. We'll have great kids, whenever we choose to. They'll probably be rule breakers, because they've got us as parents, but they'll be smart, too."

Hermione leaned her head against the wall, still smiling. "I'd like to think that they won't be like us."

They fell silent once more. It was nearly completely dark now and Ron contemplated getting his wand from his pocket so they could see. Instead, he turned his head, taking in Hermione's silhouette, and squeezed her hand still on his. "I love you," he said.

She smiled. "I love you, too."

"Should we go back inside? I'm sure they're wondering where —"

"There you are!" Ginny's figure appeared around the corner. "For a moment, I was worried you two had taken off together behind the shed or something."

"At Mum and Dad's place?" Ron asked, he and Hermione both climbing to their feet.

"Then why did you escape?" Ginny questioned, and she looked mildly concerned. "Everything alright? Was it Audrey banging on about her spawn? It's enough to bore anyone, isn't it? They're going to have the world's most boring kid."

"Everything's fine," Hermione assured her gently. She looked at Ron and smiled. "We were just talking. All this baby talk is a little overwhelming at times, don't you think?"

Ginny eyed them both curiously, and then her eyes widened. "You're not pregnant, are you?" she said.

"Nope," Hermione said. "As I said before, it's not the right time for us." She looked at Ron, who nodded, and they interlocked their fingers.

"Well, Mum's asking for you, so you better go back inside before she comes looking."

Ron placed his arm across Hermione's shoulders and together, he, Hermione and Ginny walked silently back to the Burrow.

Everyone was still talking about the baby when they came inside, barely acknowledging their return. Ron took a place on the floor beside the couch, Hermione sitting down next to him.

Now that he'd talked to Hermione about it, now that she'd given a vague timeline, it was easier to sit there and listen to them all go on about everything.

Hermione rubbed his leg encouragingly and said so that only he could hear, "Just think," she said, "you're going to be an uncle for a third time. That's exciting, isn't it?"

Ron smiled and nodded and placed his arm around her again, drawing her close to him. He could do the uncle thing again. He just wanted to do the dad thing, too.

One day.

This is one of my favourite chapters. In the original draft, this was a conversation after they'd been trying to have a baby for some time, but then I looked at the timeline and realised it was far too soon, so this chapter and a few prior had that storyline entirely reworked (thank you Autumn for your invaluable help!). I hope you all noticed Ron randomly talking about having kids in past chapters, as that was an intentional thing to add in for the purpose of this chapter!

Thank you all for your continued support of this fic :D