Word Count: 406
Rose's tea parties have quickly become Ron's favorite part of the week. Without fail, his daughter hosts a little party with her stuffed animals every Friday when Hermione is out and Hugo is napping.
"No, Henry," she says to a green snake stuffed animal. She rolls her eyes and giggles like the snake has said something funny. "Mayonnaise is not an instrument! You eat it, silly!"
"Henry still hasn't learned about people food?" Ron asks, kneeling beside the table.
Rose always asks him to join her, but he's afraid the pale blue chairs are too small for him. The last thing he needs is to break her heart by having one collapse underneath him. Though it can easily be repaired with a spell, Rose is so sentimental.
Instead, he sits between Henry the snake and Tulip the princess narwhal, situated on the floor. The hardwood is hell on his knees, but his daughter's face lights up whenever he joins her.
"I tried 'splaining it!" Rose huffs. She shoots Henry a withering look that she learned from Hermione; Ron instinctively shrinks back. "He doesn't want to listen! I don't want him at my parties anymore if he don't listen!"
Kids are so weird. Rose seems to be so personally offended by something that comes from her own imagination. Ron frowns, trying to remember if there was ever a time when he was the same way. There must have been; he will have to ask his mum about it later.
"Well, I applaud you for trying," he says. "But did you think that maybe he has trouble understanding things sometimes? Do we act mean to people who have a hard time understanding?"
Rose considers this, frowning. Her bottom lip pokes out, and he's worried she's about to cry. Finally, she shrugs. "He isn't a people. He's a snake!"
"But what if he was a person? Do you think you would maybe be hurting his feelings right now?" he asks.
Rose's frown deepens. A soft pink stains her freckled cheeks. "Sorry, Henry. You can't help it if you don't know how people food works." She reaches out and plucks him from the chair, hugging him tight. "I'll teach you."
It warms his heart to know Rose is on the path to becoming a better than he ever was. It's all a father could ever hope for. "I love you," he says.
She beams. "I know!"
Really, she is perfect.
