AN: Thank you for all your lovely comments on this story so far. I'm really glad that you're enjoying it. All the credit of it goes to my betas, who are AMAZING, as always. This chapter is more of Ron being a dad, because that's the whole point of this story, after all. I hope you like it. Please let me know your thoughts xxxx

Ron & Hermione meet again to finish plotting for the stall. Afterwards, Ron takes Hugo for pizza, and the kid quizzes him on his love life.

Following Hermione through the school's corridors takes Ron back to his childhood, although he's pretty sure he didn't fancy any of the teachers back then. The place still smells the same: like floor polish and chalk, and it brings a flood of nostalgia racing through him, warming his whole body. His worn, battered trainers still squeak on the floor, announcing his movement through the school.

The way Hermione is marching them towards the Headmistress's office makes him feel like he's the one in trouble. He's been in this position a few times before, although he'd much prefer a telling off from Hermione over McGonagall or Dumbledore, the old headmaster. A laugh bubbles at Ron's lips at the thought, but he swallows it down. He doesn't want Hermione thinking that he's lost his mind.

Lily and Hugo wait outside the room, perched on a rickety old bench. Their eyes light up as Ginny and Ron approach them. Hugo swings his legs, a huge smile covering his face. Ron is positive that Hermione said that a kid was bullying Hugo this morning, yet the look on his face makes it seem like he's had the best day of his life.

Maybe this is all just a massive joke? Perhaps Hermione is getting him back for the awful way he treated her yesterday?

Hermione raises her hand in greeting to the kids, then taps her knuckles once against the door. While she waits for an answer, she turns to Lily and Hugo. "Can you two stay out here while your mum and uncle pop in to speak to Headmistress McGonagall with me? I promise we won't be long."

Ron chuckles as Hugo turns his head up to gaze at Hermione. The look on the kid's face reminds Ron of the love-heart-eye emoji. It's clear that Hugo adores Miss Granger. He will have a big shock when he moves from Hermione's class to Mr Flitwick's in September.

"Yes, Miss Granger," Hugo sings, never peeling his eyes from his teacher.

McGonagall's sharp response sounds out from the office. "Come in."

The three adults step over the office threshold, and Ron pastes on his biggest smile to greet the headmistress. The effort goes unnoticed, as she has her head buried in her work.

"Please take a seat," she continues, "I just need to finish this off."

Taking the chair closest to the window, Ron thinks back on when he watched his mum and dad come to this same office to discuss Ron's behaviour. Although he and Harry weren't naughty by any stretch of the imagination, they always seemed to get themselves caught up in whatever drama took place on the schoolyard. Then, when Ginny joined the school and Fred and George were in their final year, the five of them together were always lively.

Still, they had preferred pranks and jokes to outright bullying their peers.

He meets his sister's gaze, then looks away before he laughs again. There's a mischievous glint in her eye and a massive grin on her face. She must be thinking the exact same thing as him.

"I'm not sure what's got you two smiling. Weasley children are all the same." Headmistress McGonagall raises her eyebrows with a tut as she closes the book in front of her. "What happened today is a serious incident. We have zero tolerance in this school for bullying, but that does not give Ms Potter and Mr Weasley free reign to dole out punishment as they see fit.

"The parents of the child in question were understanding. On this occasion, they will not be taking the matter any further, and therefore, we will not be punishing Hugo and Lily. But if there is even one repeat of the fight Miss Granger witnessed on the playground earlier, the sanctions will be severe."

"And for the kid that was bullying Hugo too, yeah?" Ron interrupts, his blood boiling at the way McGonagall is dealing with this. "Lily only punched the child to stand up for Hugo. It's not fair if the bully gets away scot-free."

He's about to get to his feet in anger when McGonagall interrupts with a curt tone. "Yes, they will be serving a week of detentions beginning tomorrow. Miss Granger witnessed the incident and was able to explain what happened. Lily and Hugo refused to speak about any of it. If there had been no witnesses, then perhaps they may have needed punishing, too."

The mention of Hermione's name brings his attention to how close the teacher is standing behind his seat. Her perfume taints the air. He tries his best to breathe through his mouth and ignore it. Thoughts of their hot night spent together threaten to flood his mind, and he knows he'll look like a perv if he gets a hard-on while facing Headmistress McGonagall.

But then Hermione starts to speak, and Ron shifts in his seat as her voice fills his ears. It's melodic and comforting, yet there's still a hint of that bossy tone underneath it. It drives him nuts but also quells his fury.

"I have promised the headmistress that I will keep a closer eye on Lily and Hugo during the last few weeks of term, and I'll report back if I see another incident." Hermione directs her voice at Ron when she adds, "I promise I'll look out for him, Ron. Hugo doesn't deserve to be bullied."

Turning his head, he gives Hermione an appreciative smile, his heart skipping a beat as she returns it. He's lucky that she's kind to him, especially after everything that happened yesterday.

McGonagall smiles, too, although her thin lips are a lot less friendly-looking. "Thank you, Miss Granger." She claps her hands then rubs them together. "Well, Ginevra, Ronald. That's it for now. Please don't hesitate to call me if you have any further questions."

The ageing Headmistress gets to her feet, signalling that the meeting is over. Ginny and Ron rise at the same time and follow Hermione back out of the office. Once the door is closed, Ginny sags against the nearest wall.

"Geez, that was worse than when I was in school," she says with a sigh.

Hugo laughs, picking up on his aunt's comment straight away. "Were you always naughty, Aunt Ginny? Was Daddy too? How about Uncle Ron and Harry?"

Ginny's cheeks match the colour of her hair. Ron's pretty sure the blush can be seen from space. "No, absolutely not. None of us were. We were all angels when we came here."

Ron laughs along, but he's distracted by the sight of Hermione, who is lingering in the hallway. He yearns to throw his arms around her and thank her for her brilliance today. Although it's her job to look after Hugo, she could have just settled with doing the bare minimum. But Ron fights the urge and instead nods in her direction.

"Thank you, Miss Granger. We'll get out of your hair now. Have a nice evening."

His eyes linger on Hermione as he holds out his hand for Hugo. Once the kid's sticky fingers are securely in Ron's, they follow Ginny out of the school. Ron keeps his eyes fixed ahead, resisting the urge to glance back at Hermione.

It's over, don't make it worse. Ron repeats the mantra in his head as he leaves the school. It continues even when they're far away from Hermione. He says goodbye to Ginny and Lily, then helps Hugo into the car, still keeping the words fixed in his mind.

The only problem is he's not sure he believes it.

⁂

Despite having plans to work on the stall the following day, Ron doesn't get a chance to see Hermione until Thursday.

During his lunch break on Tuesday, Ron received a text from her pleading for the chance to rearrange. It didn't come with an explanation of why it was urgent, and at first, Ron worried it was because of him. Then he remembered how pleasant she was to him during the whole bullying incident, and, instead of kicking up a fuss, he accepted that sometimes life just happens and got to work making other arrangements with her.

Still, it didn't stop the awful thoughts that perhaps she had found someone else and was busy going on a date with him from entering his mind.

By the time three o'clock comes on Thursday, Ron is a bag of nerves. He's been on edge all day, his stomach clenching and releasing at the thought of getting time alone with Hermione. He knows he's acting ridiculous. It will be nowhere near the intimate setting he imagines, as Ron's eternal third wheel, Hugo, will be there with them. Plus, they'll be in her classroom, not a candlelit table in a restaurant or near any comfortable surfaces.

He's so anxious that he doesn't manage to get any work done, and Ron knows George will be cross when he finds out, but Ron's sure he has a good enough excuse.

Over the past few days, Ron has had a hard fight to stop himself from texting Hermione. There have been no reports of any further incidents at the school, which is excellent, but it means she hasn't had a reason to get in touch, apart from to delay their meeting.

The lack of Hermione's presence in his life is like a massive black hole, sucking away everything that makes him happy. He misses her. Despite the fact he's only known her for a couple of weeks, she has wriggled her way into his heart, and even though they're not together, he thinks about her every day and dreams about her most nights, too.

Ron doesn't love her. Not at all. If he did, then he wouldn't have been able to call time on their relationship. It's just lust, and he's confident that he'll get over her soon. It's just going to take some time.

"You're quiet," Harry notes as they stand side by side and wait for the school bell to ring.

The question brings Ron out of his daydream. "Huh?"

"You. You're normally a chatterbox. You've not even mentioned the fight the kids got into the other day. What's going on?"

Harry peers up at Ron behind his round spectacles, making the dark-haired man look almost like an owl with his curiosity. Ron debates what he should say. Should he make up an excuse or tell his best friend everything that has happened over the past week? It would be easy to blame his mood on a bad day at the restaurant or a shit night with Hugo, but Harry knows differently. Also, Ron's family always tell him that he wears his emotions on his sleeve.

Although Harry is oblivious to most situations, he always knows when Ron isn't happy.

"I might have done something awful," Ron admits.

Narrowing his eyes, Harry pivots his body more to face Ron. "What do you mean? Is it to do with you and Miss Granger?"

"It's Hermione. And maybe. She might have come over to the house for a proper date on Friday night, and we may have slept together."

Harry lets out a loud yelp, attracting the attention of a few of the mums standing near to them. Unabashed, he does a happy jig. "I bloody knew it. Oh, Ginny owes me a hell load of money." He stops as he notices Ron's frown. "But that's good news, isn't it? Or were you terrible?"

"No! She enjoyed it. At least, she said she did." Ron tries to keep the incredulous look off his face at Harry's accusation. There's no way he wants to go into the gory details of his night with Hermione, even with Harry. But he doesn't want anyone thinking he's rubbish in bed.

"So what then?"

Ron chews his lip, his fingers turning his phone over and over in his pocket. The tips of his ears are already heating up, and he hasn't even made his full confession yet.

"I was an idiot." Harry's raised eyebrows indicate that the four words aren't enough of an explanation. With a sigh, Ron scratches at his jawline, letting the rasp of his beard fill the silence. "She was making breakfast Saturday morning, and Bill brought Hugo home early and caught Hermione in my kitchen with not a lot on."

"Was she naked?!" Harry covers his mouth, looking like he's trying his hardest to suppress his giggles. Sometimes, the git is like a teenage girl. He takes a breath to compose himself.

"No, but she was only in my t-shirt and her underwear. Anyway, that's not important. Despite Bill's promise he wasn't going to tell anyone, he let it slip to Fleur, who told Mum. After dinner, I got this whole lecture on how I was selfish and that I should think about Hugo and not myself. I drove over to Hermione's and called it off."

Ron holds his breath as Harry digests the flood of information that spewed from the red head's mouth, waiting for the barrage of criticism to hit. But instead, after a few moments, a sympathetic look crosses his best friend's face, flooding Ron's body with relief.

He's on Ron's side.

"Ah, mate. I'm sorry about that. Hermione seems nice, and I reckon she would have been perfect for you. I like her, not that that should be a reason why you should date her."

Harry pauses for a moment before continuing, "And maybe the damage is already done, but your mum isn't always right, you know? Sometimes you have to do something for yourself. Just because you're a dad now doesn't mean you must be boring and alone for the rest of your life. Just because Ginny and I are parents, it doesn't stop us from having fun."

Although Ron shrugs, he lets Harry's words sink in. His best friend mirrors the advice Bill gave him. Maybe there's some truth in what he's saying?

"Well, maybe if she's still single in a few years, once Hugo is in high school, then we might be able to contemplate it. But she'll probably be snapped up by then. She's too fucking brilliant."

"As long as that's what you want."

Ron opens his mouth, ready to tell his best friend that he's not even sure what he wants anymore and that he doesn't think he's ever been this confused, but the school bell rings, and a flood of children rush out from behind the bright blue doors. Sickening nerves fill his stomach, indicating that he's not ready to face Hermione, but it's better to get it over and done with before he goes potty.

"It is what it is," he replies, letting out a long breath. "Now I get to spend an hour with Hermione planning this stupid summer fete. Which, by the way, was yours and Hugo's idea. I'm blaming you two for the awful mood I'm in."

Harry grins and claps his hand on Ron's shoulder. "You're welcome. Good luck, and don't piss her off. I like her, as do the kids."

"Yeah, me too."

Lily runs towards them, and Ron hugs his niece before placing one hesitant foot in front of the other, weaving his way through wild hyperactive children as they spread out to find their parents.

He lets the familiar corridors comfort him as he makes his way to Miss Granger's class, stopping at the door when he gets to the room. It is wide open, affording Ron the view of Hermione and Hugo packing away the last of the day's equipment. The pair move around each other with ease, laughing and joking as they work together.

A week ago, walking in on this sight would have sent a flutter of attraction to Ron's heart, but instead, guilt seeps in, causing the organ to lie heavily in his chest, which is what he deserves anyway. Hermione would have been the perfect step mother-aunt-whatever to Hugo if that's what she wanted, and it pains Ron to see how natural she is with him.

"Ron!" Hugo barrels towards Ron, wrapping his arms around his uncle's waist with a vice-like grip, which Ron is sure is just for show. He drops his lips to Hugo's hot, messy hair, pressing a soft kiss to the kid's sweaty forehead before lifting his head to smile at Hermione.

His stomach flips as she grins back.

"How was your day?" she asks with genuine interest showing on her face.

"It was okay. Early shifts are always the best, although I owe George for swapping with me. He's added three extra late shifts onto my schedule to make up for Tuesday."

Hermione pulls a face. "I'm sorry. Something came up."

"It happens." Ron shrugs. "It's okay, though. I'll get him back at some point."

"I'm not sure I could handle shift work all that much. I like routine."

Ron chuckles. It's the most Hermione response ever. He already feels at ease and can't even remember what had his boxers in a twist. Of course, she wouldn't allow it to be awkward between them, especially because Hugo is here, too. She's much better than that. And him.

"Yeah, that, and you wouldn't want to give up your nine to three, either. How would you cope without all that free time?"

"Ten past three." Hermione meets his gaze and smirks. The last of his gloomy feelings disappear as she recalls their earlier joke. "There have been no further incidents, by the way. It looks like Lily's left hook scared our bully friend off."

Ron gives her an appreciative smile over the top of Hugo's head. "That's good. I kind of hoped that was the case since I didn't get a message from you."

"Oh, I'm sorry if you were waiting to hear. Life has been a bit busy."

"That's okay." Ron steps further into the room once Hugo has let go of him. "I'll try not to keep you too long this afternoon. Let's get to planning, shall we?"

⁂

Hermione digs out a pile of white paper and a tub of crayons, and the three of them get to work around a small table in the middle of the classroom.

"Why don't you redraw the sign you made the other day across five or six pieces of paper, Hugo?" Ron asks. "Then we can laminate it and use it for the stall?"

Whilst Hugo gets to his task, Hermione and Ron decide to work on the menu. There's now only a week and a couple of days until the big event, and Ron will need to place an order with the wholesaler tomorrow to ensure they get what they need for a successful stall.

Being crammed into the tiny chairs means that Ron's knees are a lot closer to Hermione's than he planned, and he's at pains to stop their legs from touching. He doesn't want her to think he's taking advantage of her. Originally, Ron planned to keep a respectable distance from her, worried that the slightest touch would set off a whole boatload of emotions he's not ready to tackle.

But the confines of the tight space work against them. Every time their legs bump together, visions of their shared night flood back into his mind. He suppresses a groan as her foot catches his. He's a horny teenager again, desperate for more of her touch. He tries to keep the smallest amount of his brain focussed on their work before he loses his shit and throws her over the nearest table to have his way with her.

Still, the proximity has its benefits. Sitting this close means Ron can get a good look at Hermione without looking like a perv. Her face is pale, and there are dark circles under her eyes. Despite her sunny disposition, there must be troubles toiling underneath.

Guilt settles in his belly. Is he the reason for her appearance? He doesn't want Hermione to lose sleep over him, especially considering the awful way he treated her. He longs to ask if she's okay, but he's scared of the response.

When Hermione lets out a loud yawn, Ron decides to ask anyway.

"Late night?" he quips, in what he hopes is a light tone.

"Kind of." Hermione's words get lost in another yawn.

Slipping another piece of paper off the pile, Hermione begins to list the equipment they need for the stall. Ron's shoulders droop as he realises he's not going to get a proper answer, cementing the belief that it's about him. She must catch a glimpse of the guilty look that crosses Ron's face as a gentle smile tugs at the corners of her mouth.

"It's not because of you, Ron."

The small amount of relief that washes over him turns sour. Maybe he was overthinking everything that had happened between them, and Hermione wasn't even all that bothered when he called it off? But no, that can't be right. She seemed as upset as he was Sunday afternoon, and he is pretty sure whatever he felt was reciprocated by her. There's no way she would have let their night go as far as they did if she didn't like him.

Pushing the negative thoughts aside, he tries to focus on Hermione. After checking that Hugo is distracted working on his sign, Ron pivots his body more to look at her, ignoring the shot of electricity as their knees touch once more.

"Then what's going on? It's okay to talk to me, you know. I meant it when I said I wanted to stay friends with you."

Hermione's sigh is heavy, and it hangs in the air between them for a moment. Setting down her blue crayon, she rubs her forehead.

"At the moment, I'm only on a temporary contract. It finishes in three weeks, with the end of the school year. On Monday, Minerva told me she wants to assess three of my classes before my final interview. And she won't let me know which ones she'll be popping in to. If I don't get the job…well, it will be a whole load of upheaval again, and I'm not sure I want to go through that."

Ron's heart stops for a moment at the thought of her having to leave Ottery St Catchpole. He can't imagine living a life in which her warm brown eyes don't exist. He lifts his hand, then hesitates before pulling it back. Swallowing the hard lump that's formed in his throat, he chooses courage and rests his hand on her lower arm. He doesn't squeeze it or let his fingers spread along her warm, soft skin, but the minor contact is enough to set his pulse racing.

When he speaks, he keeps his voice low. He doesn't want little ears to overhear as he mumbles, "You're an excellent teacher, Hermione. Hugo adores you, and I'm pretty sure the rest of the kids do, too. It would be a shame if you were to go."

"Thanks, Ron. Do you reckon winning this stupid competition will count in my favour?" she questions with a smile, placing her hand over his, giving it a gentle squeeze. His heart skips a beat, although he feels further guilt as he takes advantage of her shit situation.

"Yes, but we'll only win if you look after yourself. I hope you don't mind me saying, but you don't look great. And we're going to need loads of energy to win this thing. Have you been eating?"

Hermione lets go of him with a shrug. "A bit. I don't cope well when I'm stressed out."

"Well, eat. And I'll text you if you need me to remind you. Eating is important, and I should know. It's how I make my money."

"Alright." She laughs. "I'll make more of an effort to get my three square meals a day."

"And snacks," he interjects.

"Snacks too. Thanks, Ron."

"Anytime."

Ron's heart pounds as the intimacy of the moment envelopes him and Hermione as they gaze at each other, ignoring the rest of the world around them. It wouldn't take much to lean forward and press a gentle kiss against her lips, to whisper against them that everything will be okay. The small amount of contact they had reignited the fire of desire for her. He could just throw caution to the wind and...

"All done," a small voice interrupts them.

Hermione tears her eyes away from Ron's, her cheeks burning bright pink. His face heats up too. Taking a deep breath, he fixes his attention on Hugo and says, "Alright, buddy, let's see what you've done."

⁂

Their meeting is a success. With the help of Hugo, Ron and Hermione manage to plan out their menu, put together a series of lists and finalise their arrangements for the stall. All that's left is for Ron to order the food and ensure the equipment is ready for setting up next weekend. Although his gut twists at the thought of not seeing her for a week, he knows that it's for the best. The break will do him good and help him to get his chaotic brain sorted.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder. Or is that absinthe? He'll have to check with Bill or Charlie.

Still, the time spent with Hermione was lovely, and Ron is in a good mood when he and Hugo leave the school. Not wanting to go home just yet, Ron decides to take Hugo for pizza as a treat.

Once their food is in front of them, Ron brings up the bullying incident from earlier in the week. Their schedules have been busy, and there hasn't been a chance for them to sit down and discuss it. Although Hugo seems unbothered by it, Ron needs to ensure there aren't any lingering bad feelings.

"Has everything in school been okay since Monday?"

Hugo nods, his mouth already full of cheesy, tomato-y goodness. "I know. I promise I didn't want to punch anyone. I told Lily to ignore him because being an orphan doesn't make me sad. It was her idea to fight."

"You know you don't always have to do what Lily says," Ron chuckles.

The kid swallows before he speaks again. "I guess. But he deserves it."

"Who?" Ron raises his eyebrows, but Hugo shakes his head. "It's okay to tell me. I promise I won't go and punch their Dad."

Hugo lets out a short laugh, but then his face turns serious again. "Miss Granger said she's going to fix it and look after me."

"That she will." Ron smiles. "And if anyone says another word, especially about you being an orphan, I want you to go straight to her, okay? And don't start any more fights. Sometimes I think your brain is a sieve, and you forget the advice I give you."

"I remember. I'm only allowed to hit someone if they hit me first. I didn't even hit anyone today."

"That's right! I don't want people thinking you're a thug. I've brought you up better than that."

Hugo chews on his pizza for a while, his head away in the clouds. Ron recognises the look well; the kid's eyes have turned glassy, and there's a tiny bit of drool escaping from the corner of his mouth. He doesn't blame him—sometimes, the fantasy world is much better than reality.

"Uncle Ron? Why don't you have a girlfriend?" Hugo finally asks after demolishing half of his pizza.

The question is a surprise and brings a frown to Ron's face. Although he tries to be open about his life with Hugo, the conversation of girlfriends and dating has never come up. What should he say? That he's not interested in a relationship right now? Because that's a massive lie—there's nothing he wants more. How much detail does he need to go into about this shit? He's always felt like he has a handle on these sorts of topics, yet all of a sudden, he feels wholly unprepared for it.

Thinking on his feet, he decides to answer with another question. "What brought this on?"

"I heard Aunt Ginny and Uncle Harry talking the other day. They said you don't date, but you should because getting some action might make you happy." Hugo's frown matches Ron's. "What kind of action? Like a car chase or a shoot out?"

Ron laughs. "I'm going to have to remind Uncle Harry that small ears are always listening. Not that it should come as a surprise to him." He plays with the crust of his pizza. "Well, my last girlfriend didn't work out so well, did she?"

"I didn't like her. And I don't think she liked me."

"She didn't like me, either, buddy. When I pick a girlfriend, she must be extra special, because she has to love both of us, not just me. We come as a package, don't we?"

Hugo nods. "Yeah, we're stuck together."

"Yep! I have a piece of paper to prove it, too. I guess I haven't found the right person yet." A sharp pang tugs at his heart as Hermione's face floods his mind, her warm chocolate eyes sparkling with a massive smile. He slips into a daydream as she chases after Hugo, picking him up when she gest to him before attacking him with tickles. They'd make the perfect family, Ron knows it. The vision evaporates, though, as a sudden idea pops into his head. "If you could pick anyone to be my girlfriend, who would it be?"

"Miss Granger." Hugo answers without thinking.

Ron's heart skips a beat as Hugo blurts out Hermione's name. Maybe it's a coincidence because they've only just left her classroom, or perhaps it's because she is his favourite teacher, and it's wishful thinking. But the kid's keen smile shows it's deeper than that. Hugo adores Hermione, and it was obvious today that she reciprocates the feeling. She even admitted it to Ron before.

He tries to arrange his face into what he hopes is a more neutral look, despite the internal panic bubbling under his skin. "Are you sure? You don't want time to think about it?"

"I like Miss Granger. She's almost as nice as Nanny Molly."

"If I had a girlfriend, then it might mean that me and you will spend less time together. 'Cos, I'll have to go on dates with her and stuff."

"I could come too," Hugo interrupts. "I like dates, and I'm a good egg."

"How many dates have you been on?" Ron asks with a laugh.

"None yet, but there's food. That must mean they're good."

Sometimes Ron wishes he had the same mentality as the eight-year-old. It's all black or white when you're a child, and there are no grey areas. Hugo's admission has sent Ron spiralling and combined with Harry and Bill's advice, Ron isn't sure he knows what's right from wrong.

But maybe, he made the wrong decision to finish his relationship with Hermione without taking the time to consider the whole situation. Perhaps he let his brain guide him when it should have been his heart. All Ron is sure of is that he really misses Hermione, even though they were never together officially, and it's only been four days since he called things off.

He takes a deep breath and shakes the thoughts out of his head, turning his attention back to Hugo. "I wish dating was as easy as just going for food. But maybe you can be my wingman. Now finish the last of that pizza before I eat it. We should get home. You have homework to do before bedtime."

With a full belly, it'll be easy to get Hugo bathed and to bed, once he's done his maths. After all, it seems Ron has a lot of thinking to do tonight.