Standard disclaimers apply!

I do not own Harry Potter. I have nothing to do with Scholastic, Warner Bros or Bloomsbury. I'm not JKR and I am certainly not making any profit out of this.

The Chat

"Dad?" Ron said tentatively as he put away the last of the dishes. "Can we have ... um ... a chat?"

"Of course, Ron." Arthur looked at his youngest son curiously. Clearly Ron had something on his mind and was choosing his words very carefully.

"Um," Ron's eyes darted from Arthur to the front room and back again. "In the shed?"

"If you like," Arthur said kindly, although inside he was a little worried. The last time one of his son's had approached him like this, it was Bill; when he'd asked Fleur to marry him.

That had been an interesting night. Molly hadn't taken the news very well, when Arthur had broken it to her – Bill having wisely decided to take Fleur on a night out on the town. Not that Arthur could blame her ... well, not much. Molly took her duties as the matriarch of the Weasley household very seriously, and Fleur had managed to alienate her from the word go, with her scorn of everything Molly held close to her heart.

Well, at least that won't be a problem with Hermione ... if anything, Molly will be excited ... ugh, another bloody wedding ... but surely they're a bit young to get married? It's the 1990's! They should live a bit, go on holidays, raise a little hell, and establish their careers before they get married! Especially after the last few years!

Oh Merlin! What if they're pregnant? No, they can't be! Hermione's a very sensible girl and I KNOW Molly showed her how to brew the potion properly ... and it's not like I haven't pounded Spermus Nullifilius into ALL the boys heads since they were 12 ... Ron's never been that good at non-verbals though ... but Hermione's a dab hand at potions, so no ... I'm sure it's not that ...

Calm down. You're putting the coach before the thestral, Arthur.

Even so, by the time he had followed Ron through the garden and into the shed he was in a bit of a state.

Taking a deep breath, he schooled his expression into one of mind curiosity as he motioned Ron to take a seat. "So what's this all about?"

Ron folded his arms and crossed his legs. Then he unfolded and uncrossed them as he mumbled something very low and very fast.

"OK." Arthur nodded and felt a little glimmer of relief. While he's caught the words 'Grimmauld Place' and 'Hogwarts', he was quite sure he hadn't heard 'Pregnant' or 'Married'. "Take a deep breath and try again." He smiled in what he hoped was an encouraging and understanding way. "Maybe a little slower this time?"

Ron sighed heavily. "Hermione and I are moving into Grimmauld Place next October."

Arthur nearly laughed. "So no one's pregnant?"

"What?" Ron's eyes flew open in shock. "NO!"

"And you're not getting married?" Arthur really felt he should double check.

"No." Ron flushed slightly. "Not yet ... um ... so ..." he looked confused and slightly put out, "am I in trouble?"

Arthur really did laugh. "No, you're not in trouble. You're both adults and can do as you please."

"Is Mum going to think the same way?" Ron asked shrewdly.

"Hm." Arthur half shrugged. "Her head might, but her heart probably won't," he admitted. "She's going to miss having you all around to fuss over. I take it Harry and Ginny are planning the same thing?"

"No they're not, actually," Ron told him. "Well, not for a couple of years. They both want to stay here."

"Really?" Arthur sat back abruptly. "Whatever for?"

"No clue," it was Ron's turn to laugh. "We were hoping it might take the pressure off a bit."

"More than likely," Arthur half-smiled at Ron's bluntness, "I won't be doing my job as a father, though, if I don't ask you if you're sure about this."

"I am absolutely sure about this."

"That's good enough for me." Arthur nodded. "Grimmauld Place though? I can think of nicer houses."

"Tell me," Ron snorted suddenly. "We were there today; it's going to take a lot of work."

"Today?" Arthur leaned forward again. "Work?"

"Hermione and I were there today," Ron clarified, "looking over the plans and stuff."

"OK, wait." Arthur held up one hand. "Back up a bit. Firstly, Hermione left Hogsmeade?"

"Yeah, only for a couple of hours" Ron nodded. "She checked with McGonagall first, but it's allowed if you're of age."

"That's new," Arthur chuckled, "so did Ginny and Harry go with you?"

Ron coughed and shrugged. "No. I think they went to the beach. I didn't ask."

"Quite." Arthur winced slightly. "Neither will I. I take it Harry's doing some sort of work on the place, if you're looking at plans?"

"Yeah," Ron nodded. "Do you want to have a look?"

"What? Now?"

"Huh? Oh, no, not go there. At the plans." Ron grinned and upon his father's nod pulled them from inside his jacket, then unfurled them and flattened them on the work bench. "There you go."

"I see." Arthur chewed his lip and squinted slightly in the dim light. "This is very interesting. Tell me what you've got in mind."

oOoOoOo

Molly smiled ruefully into her tea. She'd had a feeling this would happen sooner rather than later. Her youngest son had always been the most transparent, in some ways. She couldn't help feeling a little sad, but it was only a little. Then she giggled to herself. Arthurs relief at no one being pregnant had been palpable, and more than a little adorable. But Molly had a feeling that was another thing that was going to happen sooner rather than later.

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