Chapter 22: A New Day

The next morning Ron woke up grinning. To discover that Hermione felt the same way he did was nothing short of a revelation. He still had no idea how they were going to make their family unit function with yet another change to the dynamic, but he was excited to find out. After a quick shower, he headed downstairs to make some tea and found Hugo was already parked on the sofa watching cartoons.

"Morning buddy. Did you sleep ok?"

"Ok I guess," Hugo shrugged. "Did you have fun at Hermione's work party last night? I don't remember coming home."

"It was fun. And you had fallen asleep by the time we got back, so I just carried you home and put you to bed. Hope that was ok. I didn't want to wake you up."

"That's ok. Daddy used to do that sometimes too when I would fall asleep when we were out and about."

"I think all parents do that, but magic sure makes it easier as the kids get bigger."

Hugo laughed. "What are we going to do this weekend?"

"Dunno. I hadn't planned anything other than last night. Is there anything special you want to do?"

"Can we go out to the countryside?"

"Don't see why not. Do you want to do that just us or do you want to invite Rose and Hermione?"

"Maybe you and I could go flying and then we have dinner with them later?"

"I can text Hermione and see what they are up to for dinner. But we can definitely go for a fly. Let me make us some breakfast and then we can figure out where we want to go exploring, alright?"

Ron stared at his phone screen trying to think of the perfect thing to say. Eventually he gave up and went with efficient instead. "Last night was perfect. Still smiling. Hope you are too. Hugo wants he and I to go flying today out in the country, but we are both hoping to see you ladies for dinner. Are you free by any chance?"

Hermione had also woken with a smile on her face. As she thought back to the night before she blushed with happiness and she recalled how Ron's lips felt against her own. Pulling her pillow over her head, she tried to linger in the memory a little longer. Soon she felt the familiar bend of her bed adjusting to Rose's weight.

"Was it fun, Mum?"

"Yes," she admitted to her daughter as she pulled the pillow of her face. "It was really fun. And you know what? They surprised me and gave me a big award!"

"Really?"

"Really. And you are not going to believe this. They made a whole video of work I had done and showed it to everyone. And do you know who was on it?"

"Who?"

"The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge taped a message to me thanking me for my work! Can you believe it?!"

"MUM! That is so brilliant! Do you have a copy of the video? I want to see it!"

"Uh – well, no. I am assuming Nicola can get a copy. I'll have to ask Monday."

"Maybe we can find it on You Tube."

"They aren't going to put a video of me on You Tube, Rose. Who would want to see that?"

"Me," she replied matter-of-factly. "Here, where is your phone? I'll see if I can find it."

"Should be on the side table. I think I plugged it in when I came home last night."

"Ok. Let me see if I can find it." Rose quickly located a copy on You Tube, and squealed with delight watching the royals honor her mum.

"Do you think you'll get to meet the queen?"

"No, Love. I think the video was probably it for my royal fifteen minutes of fame. But it was definitely fun."

"What did Ron say?"

"It was lovely. He, Nicola and John all fussed over me and toasted me. It was really quite nice once I got over being embarrassed."

"You shouldn't be embarrassed Mum. You do important work, and you do it really well."

"Maybe it was shock as much as embarrassment. I had no idea it was coming."

The phone buzzed and Rose looked at it, "Ron says 'Last night was perfect. Still smiling. Hope you are too. Hugo wants he and I to go flying today out in the country, but we are both hoping to see you ladies for dinner. Are you free by any chance?' Oooh. Can we Mum? Let's have them for dinner and we can watch the video with Hugo too."

Hermione had to bite the inside of her cheek from grinning. "Sure. Text back and say it's you and you can tell him I am definitely still smiling and we'd love them to come to dinner – maybe around 6 or so."

Rose pecked away at the keys, "Hi Ron. It's Rose. Mum is still in bed and still smiling. She said you two should come at 6 for dinner. Can you come?"

By the time Ron and Hugo arrived on Hermione and Rose's doorstep that evening, they were both worn out from their day. They had only just had time to shower and change clothes before dinner, and Ron suspected Hugo was going to crash sooner rather than later that evening. Ron had momentarily considered canceling to get Hugo to bed early, but quickly thought better of it, deciding that carrying home a sleeping Hugo a second night in a row would be a good trade-off for getting to see Hermione.

Hermione could barely contain the butterflies in her stomach from the combination of excitement and anxiety over seeing Ron again. In many ways the evening would put their new relationship to the test as they figured out what this "take it slow" and the "discreet but honest" approach would be. She had been relieved that Ron had texted her saying the night before was great, but also that he had been vague enough than Rose couldn't have understood what he was actually referring to when she read the text. One of the ironies of modern parenting, she mused, was that society seemed to honor a teenagers' right to privacy, but once you were a parent all pretense of privacy seemed to go out the window.

When she and Rose returned home from their errands and adventures of the day she had grabbed a shower and then stood in front of her closet wondering what she should wear. She decided to stick with casual and comfortable, choosing jeans with a fitted sweater that showed her figure at least a little bit, but not so much that the kids would pick up on her dressing up. She had decided to make a simple dinner of roasted sausages and potatoes with a salad so she wouldn't have to spend too much time messing in the kitchen. She was chopping potatoes when she heard Rose greeting Ron and Hugo as they came through the front door. Hearing his voice she felt this jolt of excitement and anticipation shoot straight down her core, and had to take a deep breath to try to steady herself for an evening of time with the kids.

She could hear Hugo telling Rose all about his day flying as they came into the kitchen. She was sure the kids could hear her heart pounding above the story telling as she turned and saw Ron walking in behind Hugo. He gave her such a fantastic, knowing, lopsided grin that she couldn't help but smile as she felt the blush creep up her neck.

"So what was your favorite part of the day?" she asked Hugo as she finally pulled her eyes from Ron's.

"Flying. I loved it. And wherever we were today was so pretty from the sky. We even landed around some old castle and had a picnic before we climbed all over the old walls."

"That sounds great," Hermione said. "What a fun day."

"What did you two do today?" Ron asked as he moved to stand next to Hermione at the counter.

"We did chores and errands this morning but then we went shopping. Mum let me pick out a new board game. Hugo you have to come see what I got. And Hugo, did Ron tell you about the award she won last night? They made a video with the royal family and it's on YouTube. I'll pull it up on my iPad that's upstairs, let's go." And with that the two of them took off and the sound of footsteps pounding up the stairs reverberated through the house.

Ron and Hermione both laughed as the two darted out of the kitchen and pounded up the stairs, quickly changing the kitchen from raucous to silent in one heartbeat. Ron turned to her, smiled and swiftly moved his arm around her waist pulling her close to him as he said, "I missed you," and then bent to kiss her before Hermione could say a word. She found herself quickly lost in the moment, passionately kissing him and relishing the sensation of his soft lips on hers and his large hands pulling her close. With one hand around his neck, running her fingers through his copper hair and her other hand held gently against his cheek and jaw, she realized she was standing on her tiptoes to close any distance between them. She smiled as she pulled away saying, "missed you too."

Ron chuckled and said, "We waited way too long to do that."

"I agree," she laughed.

Without releasing her from his arms, he tucked an escaped curl behind her ear and asked, "So, can I help get dinner ready?"

She slid her hand from his neck down to his toned chest, still taking him in. "I suppose so. Do you want finish cutting the potatoes while I work on the salad?"

"Sure," he said, releasing the embrace and finding a knife on the counter.

She smiled at him, put her hand gently on his back and stood beside him as he began to chop. "Sounds like you and Hugo had a great day."

"We really did," he grinned. "I got to basically be a little boy all day as we flew all over and then more or less played hide and seek around the ruins at some old castle. I know he is wiped out and I probably should have cancelled this evening and put him to bed early. But honestly, there was no way I wasn't going to see you tonight."

She went up on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek, letting her nose slowly trail across his skin. "I'm glad you came."

They fell into comfortable chatter as they made dinner and set the table, taking every opportunity to touch, brush against each other or steal a kiss as they worked. Soon they called the kids down to eat, and the four of them enjoyed dinner together.

"I have an idea," declared Hugo at dinner.

"What?" asked Rose.

"I think Ron and I need to teach you two to play exploding snap."

"What is that?" asked Hermione.

"It's a super fun magical card game that we could all play together," Hugo announced.

"Actually, that's a great idea," Ron said. "It is fun, and it's quite easy to learn. I can pop home after we eat and grab the cards if you guys want to play tonight."

Rose and Hermione were eager to learn, so as soon as supper was eaten and cleaned away, Hugo and Ron showed them how to play. The first time the cards exploded, Hermione screamed while Rose and Hugo burst into hysterical laughter. The longer they played, the faster Rose picked it up while the more jumpy Hermione was at each explosion. Hermione's reactions had the other three breaking down into fits of giggles as the night went on. Finally, Hermione threw in her hand.

"I think I've had enough exploding things for tonight," she declared. "But don't worry, I will get my act together and do much better next time. You're all going down in the end, I promise."

This just caused Hugo to laugh harder. Rose whined that she wasn't ready for Ron and Hugo to go yet, and soon the kids had convinced them to all watch a film together. Hugo was excited to show Ron the old version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory since they had recently read the book. Soon, the four of them piled onto the long couch to watch the movie. Ron sat at one end with his long legs stretched out on the ottoman and Hugo curled up at his side. Hermione sat at the other end with Rose's head in her lap while Rose's feet were on Ron's legs.

Ron was engrossed in the film, but Rose's soft snore and Hugo's limp body against his chest let him know the kids had both fallen asleep. He glanced over at Hermione who had her eyes closed as well with her arm stretched out over the back of the sofa. Stretching out his arm along the back of the sofa, he placed his hand gently over Hermione's hand that rested there. The contact made her open her eyes and smile at Ron as she held his hand.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you up," he whispered.

"You didn't," she said quietly. "I wasn't sleeping. I was just resting my eyes."

"Right," he smiled. Then, nodding his head at Hugo he added, "I don't want to wake him quite yet."

"Good," she said as she ran traced her thumb gently over Ron's hand. "I don't want you to leave quite yet."

"That makes two of us," he smiled. "Why don't you go back to 'resting your eyes' while I watch the end of the film?"

"OK," she said sleepily. With that she leaned back onto the sofa pillow and closed her eyes, but didn't release his hand.

When the movie finally ended, he was able to reach the remote with his free hand and turned off the tele. As he sat there in the still, dark living room, he was overcome with gratitude for these three people who had become so important to him in such a short period of time. He looked at Rose, who was peacefully curled up on her mum's lap with her feet tucked under his leg. Hugo also looked so peaceful in his sleep, and somehow Ron realized they both looked younger when they were sleeping, their cheeks somehow softer. Looking between the two children, he was struck by the fact that he now loved them both as if they were his own. He had realized this about Hugo already, but realizing he felt the same about Rose was somewhat of a surprise. It was odd, Ron thought, that he had a dozen nieces and nephews whom he knew he loved, but this fierce love he felt for these two children felt very different than that.

And then he looked at the witch asleep at the end of the couch. He knew he loved her too. If he was honest with himself he would admit that he'd loved her even before he learned she was a witch. But, now knowing that they shared so much, it only allowed his love for her to grow deeper. While they'd only shared their first kiss barely 24 hours ago, he knew he couldn't picture his future without her. Without all three of them really. His heart flinched with guilt at being so happy with where his life had gone in the time since Dennis and Fi's death. If they hadn't died would he have still found Hermione and Rose? And could he still have grown so close with Hugo? It seemed like the same downward spiral of guilt he had faced twenty years ago when he found himself in his dream job while Fred was buried in the ground. He closed his eyes to try to remember the peace he'd found during that tumultuous time, hoping once again he could be both happy and content in the present while simultaneously grieving those he lost. Taking a slow breath, he looked again at the three sleeping souls piled around him on the couch. He simply focused on the gratitude and love he felt, and found his heart soon overflowing.

He briefly considered carrying a sleeping Hugo home, but decided there was nowhere on earth he would rather be than on this sofa surrounded by the three most important people in his life. So, he bent down to kiss Hugo on the top of his head, gently stroked Hermione's hand, and leaned his head back and closed his eyes soon drifting off to sleep.

Hermione awoke at some point during the night and realized the four of them had fallen asleep on the couch. Hugo had moved onto Ron's lap and was snuggled up to his chest. Rose had now claimed the far end of the sofa, pushing Hermione into the middle where she was leaning against both Ron and Hugo. She looked down at her daughter as she slept. Her black locks were swept back from her face, making her eyelashes look even longer than they usually did. Part of her couldn't believe Rose would be eleven in just two months, but another side of her brain knew Rose was already changing from little girl to young woman. Sure there were the physical changes with Rose needing deodorant and starting to develop breasts. But, she could really see that Rose was starting to change emotionally as well. While she would still have times when she came in and played with her toys or snuggle with her, she sensed that Rose was increasingly wanting to become an independent young woman. Hermione sighed. The idea of her going away to Hogwarts in six months still made her nauseous.

She turned to look at Hugo, sleeping peacefully against Ron's chest. His light hair was shooting in every direction, and he looked so much like Dennis did at that age that it caused Hermione to feel his loss once again in her gut. She had no idea how Hugo was doing as well as he seemed to be doing. She could only imagine that if she had lost her entire family in one horrible moment that she would have had to be led away to a mental institution or at least kept heavily sedated for a very long time. The courage and bravery she saw in Hugo to just face each day and be willing to love and laugh blew her away.

And then there was Ron. She could hardly believe she was curled up to his chest. His copper hair had fallen into his eyes as he slept, and up close she could see his eyelashes were the same light shade as his hair. Hermione had always told herself that if or when she dated people, she would never bring anyone home to meet Rose until she was practically engaged. But then she never really dated anyone. And now she – well, Hermione had to admit she was in love with Ron. But Ron wasn't someone she would date and then bring home to meet Rose. He was already here. Hermione trusted him to help her care for Rose before they ever kissed. And now, here they were only 24 hours after their first kiss, all asleep on the sofa. Her mind swam. Part of her thought she should wake up Ron and make him take Hugo home before Rose woke up. But another part of her felt good that all four of them felt safe enough with each other to fall asleep together like this. It said something about the levels and comfort and trust that existed between all four of them. She knew Hugo was comfortable with her, but ever since the day Ron had watched Rose when she was home sick she knew felt Rose was comfortable with him too, which made her heart soar.

She lay there listening to each of them breathe steadily in their sleep. She looked again at Hugo and was in awe at how well he was doing given the trauma he'd been through. As she watched him, he started to shake his head in his sleep and began to whimper as if he was having a nightmare. Before she could move a muscle, Ron had immediately responded to him, putting his arm around him to hold him tightly as he rubbed circles on his back. Hermione wasn't actually sure Ron had even woken up. It reminded her of how she had been with Rose when she was a tiny infant back in Pakistan. Rose had never slept as a baby and had nightmares almost every night. Together in that tent in the refugee camp the two of them had wrestled Rose's night time demons. Hermione hadn't had more than four hours of straight sleep for the first year of Rose's life. But in that sleep deprived state she had learned to comfort Rose without fully waking up. She would lift her from the crib and shift her into the bed and never be fully conscious. Watching Ron comfort Hugo, she realized the two of them were going through such a similar thing. He was so in tune with what Hugo needed that he didn't even wake all the way up to comfort him. Ron may not have been Hugo's father from the beginning, but she knew they had bonded as tightly as any father and son could. In some ways she felt she was intruding on a private or intimate moment between them. But it also assured her of what a good man Ron was at his core, and helped confirm her instinct that he was someone she could trust to have not only her life, but Rose's as well.

She watched as Hugo calmed in Ron's embrace and fell back into a deep sleep. As Hugo shifted his weight, Ron opened his eyes, and saw Hermione watching him.

"Hey," she whispered.

"I guess we all fell asleep, huh?" Ron said quietly.

"Yeah. Hugo had a nightmare but I think you calmed him back down without even waking up."

"Hmm. We have a lot of practice at that unfortunately," Ron said sadly.

"You're so good for him, Ron."

"Yeah? Well, I think he's pretty good for me too."

"A good match. Are you ok sleeping here or did you want to try and get home and into bed?"

"Honestly? I am happier right this very minute than I can remember being in a very, very long time," Ron said earnestly.

"Me too," she said as she snuggled up to him. He leaned down and kissed the top of her head and moved one arm around her shoulders to hold her close.

"Good night, Hermione."

"Sweet dreams, Ron."

Hugo was the first to wake up. Squirming to stretch from his sleep, he quickly awoke Ron as well.

"We all fell asleep on the couch watching the movie, Ron," pronounced Hugo.

"Shhh," said Ron in a whisper. "Let's not wake the ladies, alright?"

Hugo nodded conspiratorially as he hopped up off of Ron's lap and padded into the kitchen. Ron looked lovingly at Hermione and Rose on the sofa and extricated himself from the tangle of limbs. Then he found a blanket on the neighboring chair, laid it gently over the two of them and then headed to the kitchen to join Hugo. Ron was about to suggest they head home when Rose joined them as well, still rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"We all fell asleep watching the movie and slept on the couch all night!" announced Hugo.

Rose just nodded, still sleepy.

"How about we let your mum sleep a little longer, alright? What if I made us some breakfast?"

The kids nodded and decided to help Ron find everything in the kitchen. He started by putting the kettle on. Soon, he had eggs and sausages going, Rose made toast and Hugo poured juice for all of them. The three of them tucked in and enjoyed a leisurely breakfast. When they were done, Ron put a warming charm on a plate for Hermione and then quickly had the dishes cleaned and put away. Rose said she wanted to go upstairs and take a shower. Deciding that it would be best to head out, he jotted a note for Hermione and left it next to the breakfast plate.

"Good morning – we all ate and this plate should still be warm for you. Rose went upstairs to shower and Hugo and I headed home. He and I are headed to The Burrow midday. You two are welcome to join us, but I totally understand if you ladies need some time to yourself. Have a great day-Ron"

When Hermione woke, she was momentarily confused to find herself on the sofa and alone. She remembered waking up when Hugo had a nightmare and then falling asleep again in Ron's arms. Smiling she thought of how safe and content she felt in his arms, but she was not as assured of her decision to encourage them to stay the night by the light of day. She wondered what Rose must have thought finding them all like that on the sofa. The take it slow and be discreet plan was a good one, but it probably should not have included having a family sleepover only 24 hours later. Hermione groaned as she went to move her neck and realized it was going to be quite stiff all day. Stretching out and rubbing her neck, she stood and made her way to the kitchen, finding the note from Ron. She was still reading it as Rose came back into the kitchen.

"Morning, Mum" chirped Rose. "We made breakfast and Ron put some sort of charm on this plate so yours would stay warm."

"That was nice," agreed Hermione. "How long ago was that?"

"We ate maybe an hour ago and then they headed home. They are going to The Burrow later and invited us to go, can we go? Please, Mum?"

"Um, probably not this week, Love. Maybe next week, alright?"

"Why not?"

"Well, it's been such a busy weekend, Rose. I haven't finished the laundry or gotten the sheets washed. And with your drama club meeting for rehearsal after school each day this week it is going to be busy every evening this week too."

"Alright," Rose said dejectedly, then giving a melodramatic sigh as she left the kitchen.

Ugh sighed Hermione. I can't do this right either way. After eating she cleaned up the dishes, smiling at how thoughtful he'd been handling everything that morning. Putting the mug away, she headed off to collect the dirty laundry.

When Hugo showed up at the door a few hours later to see if they wanted to come along, a disappointed Rose announced they couldn't come this week. But she made Hugo promise to tell her everything the following day. Hermione thought she should text Ron herself so he didn't get her message through Rose through Hugo.

"Sorry we can't come with you this afternoon. Rose is quite cross with me, but we have a lot of chores and things to do before the week starts. Also – she has drama rehearsal after school Monday thru Thursday this week so she won't be coming home with Hugo in the afternoons. Last night was great…"

Ron gave a disappointed sigh at her text. It was not surprising, as he had suspected they wouldn't be joining him and Hugo that afternoon. But it was still disappointing. He decided a reply was in order though.

"Sorry you can't come but I totally understand. Let me know if anything changes with Rose's schedule and you need me to get her. Any chance of you and me meeting for lunch sometime? My schedule is pretty flexible this week during the day."

Hermione smiled at his response. She had been worried he might be upset at her not coming. But maybe he understood after all.

"Would love to do lunch. Maybe Tuesday? I could meet you around noon near my office in London. There's a fish and chip shop just across from Royal Albert's Hall by Hyde Park. I'll text you the spot. Have fun this afternoon. Looking forward to Tuesday."