(Another M Chapter...skip ahead if it isn't for you...carrytheotter)

Chapter 27: Together

When Ron awoke in the middle of the night, it took a moment for his brain to register where he was and who he was with. His body had become so used to waking up to care for Hugo, that when he hadn't been woken with a nightmare, he woke anyway. But as he lay there in the dark, he was happy to be awake so that he could take in the scene in front of him and commit it to memory. Hermione was asleep next to him, her naked body curled up at his side, with her face against his chest, her curls spread out around her, and her leg thrown over his. There was a shaft of moonlight that peeked through her bedroom window, reflecting off of her pale skin to create a soft glow around her. She was sleeping peacefully, and he could see her head rising and falling with his breath. His mind started to spin into the vortex of what-ifs, but he quickly shut those thoughts down and worked to focus on his gratitude that he and Hermione had finally found their way to each other. Smiling with that thought, he fell back asleep.

Hermione awoke at 630 as she usually did. But, before she opened her eyes, she had already broken into a grin at the feel of Ron's bare chest beneath her cheek. She didn't move for fear of waking him, but simply savored the sensation of him holding her protectively in his sleep. Her mind drifted back to the previous night, causing her grin to broaden. She had actually wondered at several points over the previous decade if she had just missed her opportunity to have sex. She'd talked to Rose about sex in an age appropriate way over the years, but inwardly felt so ridiculous trying to explain it to her daughter knowing that she didn't really know. And she had begun to suspect that her daughter would have sex before she ever did, which is an odd thought to wrap one's brain around. But now as she lay naked in Ron's arms, she laughed at how silly all of that worry seemed now. While she had never intended to remain a virgin so long, she was pleased she had not just slept with some random bloke along the way. Ron made her feel so safe and treasured and sexy, she couldn't imagine having that kind of experience with someone she didn't truly know, love and trust. She was also blushing thinking back at how amazing it had felt. She had certainly brought herself to orgasm over the years – she may have been a virgin but she'd still had needs. But, those orgasms had been nothing compared to the searing pleasure Ron had made shoot through her body and that sense of completeness and fullness she had with him inside her. She hoped he'd thought it was as amazing as she had, but it was hard to know with nothing to compare it to. She was still replaying his reactions in her mind when she felt him start to stir beneath her.

"Good morning," she said softly.

"Good morning yourself," Ron said before he kissed her. "I could get used to waking up like this," he added.

"Hmmm. Me too," she said as she kissed his chest. Ron was moving to kiss her again when his stomach grumbled loudly in hunger. Hermione giggled and ran her hand over his stomach.

"I think we need to feed you," she laughed.

"You have worn me out, woman. I am clearly in need of sustenance."

"Clearly," she teased.

"Last night was amazing, Hermione. I hope you aren't regretting taking things so far."

"No regrets, Ron. Last night was perfect. I am, well, I am so very happy."

"Me too, Love. Me too," he said as his stomach once again growled.

"My goodness, are you this hungry every morning?"

"Well, yeah. Pretty much," he admitted. "Harry used to make fun of the 'Weasley metabolism,' saying I had to be fed every three hours or so. Fi got so sick of me always wanting to find something to eat she started carrying protein bars to throw at me. But, all that said – we did get a bit of a work out last night, so there's actually a good reason to be hungry today, right?"

"Right," she laughed. She sat up, holding the sheets to her chest, surprised at her shyness in getting out of bed naked despite all that they had done together.

Ron sensed her momentary hesitation and said, "I'm going to hit the loo. I'll meet you downstairs, alright?" He got out of bed and slipped on his pants, and then leaned back to kiss her before leaving the room.

Hermione sighed, and leaned back into the bed, feeling the warmth where Ron had just been. Stretching her limbs, she realized Ron was right in calling it a workout as she awoke some stiff and sore in new places. She slipped out of bed, putting on knickers, pajama bottoms and a t shirt before heading down to the kitchen. She had put on the kettle as Ron came down the stairs, having thrown on a t shirt. He had just walked into the kitchen when both of their phones buzzed indicating a text.

Hermione reached hers first and said, "Mum says the kids did really well, and Hugo didn't have a nightmare. They are off on a hike today, and she's packing up a picnic for them."

"I'm so glad he slept. I wish he could do that without the potion. It's not safe to use all of the time, but I am glad he can get a break as well."

"Not to mention you need a break too. Did it feel weird to sleep through the night?"

"Well," Ron smiled, "I woke up because I think my brain was worried I hadn't heard him yet. But, I was pretty happy with the scene in front of me when I did. Whether it was from not being awoken with a nightmare or from our other activities last night, either way I really feel great today."

"You're sweet, Ron Weasley," she said, giving him a small kiss on the cheek.

After eating breakfast Hermione sat at the kitchen table looking over the newspaper. Ron sat next to her and asked, "So, when was the last time you had a whole day when you didn't take care of Rose or your parents or go to work?"

"Hmm," she said, putting down the paper. "It's been a long time. Mum and Dad took Rose for a long weekend about a year ago, but I pretty much worked the whole time they were gone. Honestly, I didn't quite know what to do with myself."

"I suspected as much."

"Well, what about you? When was the last time you had a day to yourself?"

"Don't forget that it was only about four months ago I was a living a child free bachelor life."

"Right, but I have a sneaking suspicion that you worked a whole lot. And, I also suspect you did a lot for your family and friends when you weren't working, not to mention working in the joke shop."

"Ok. I did work a whole lot. But, I'd been out on medical leave before the accident so I had been sitting around for a while."

"RON! You were recovering from being in a coma because you took a curse for Fiona. That is hardly relaxing and having fun."

"Ok let me think. Um – last summer I went to a quidditch festival and took the whole weekend off work. Does that count?"

"Yes. That counts. So – given that we apparently have a significant lack of experience in days of selfish relaxation, how should we spend our child free, work free, responsibility free day?"

"Am I correct in assuming that magic lessons are out given that they are kind of like school for you?" he asked as he ran his hand along her leg.

"Um – let's say out for today but not for the whole week."

"And are we actually planning to leave the house today, or are we just going to basically have sex and eat?"

"Ron," she smacked his arm. "Really?"

"It's a fair question," he teased.

"You are too much," she laughed, shaking her head.

"I don't know, seemed like just right last night," he joked.

Smiling coyly, she got up and sat on his lap, straddling him. "You're correct. I think you are just right," she said as she brushed his bangs gently across his forehead. Then she slowly kissed him, moving her fingers lightly across his cheek feeling them catch across his morning stubble eliciting a slow moan from Ron. He ran his hands up her thighs, moving down to her bum, kneading her and sliding his hands up her back under her shirt.

Soon her hands were peeling his shirt up over his head. When they had to break the kiss to get his t shirt off, he said, "How about I find us somewhere more comfortable than the kitchen table?"

She nodded and smiled, standing up. As she stood, he quickly scooped her up bridal style, causing her to laugh out loud as she instinctively threw her arms around his neck to hold on. He smiled at her reaction, and carried her back up the steps to her bedroom. Laying her on the bed, he was quickly over her, helping her pull off her t shirt.

Unlike the night before, this time he was not tentative in his physical desire for her. Now that they had gotten past their first time, not to mention her first time, he was comfortable in letting her see how much he wanted her. With her shirt removed, he turned his attention to her breasts, kissing and teasing her as she leaned her head back, beginning to moan in pleasure. With hands roaming everywhere, his desire was quickly building, tenting his pants. She rolled him onto his back and eased his pants down over his erection and off. Straddling him, she ran her hands over his torso slowly as she kissed him.

It was still shocking to her that he could be this turned on by her - middle aged, lumpy Hermione. She knew she had never been confident in her looks. Dating Jay in university had messed with her self- image. For so long she had thought the problem in their physical relationship was her looks. While he said it was his religious desire to not have sex out of marriage, they really never did anything past chaste pecks on the lips, and certainly nothing that would have been described as snogging. Somehow she had gotten it into her head that if she had been more attractive or sexy or confident or thinner in some places and curvier in others that he would have at least wanted a heated snog on the sofa. But that never happened. After years of doubting her own attractiveness, she finally concluded that Jay must have been either gay or asexual. Having her gay friend, John, tell her Jay was definitely gay helped that along too. And while she had finally moved on from Jay, the years of doubting her own ability to be attractive to a man had settled permanently into her mind and identity.

As she sat straddling Ron, feeling his attraction throbbing between her legs, she could hardly believe that he was reacting to her – to this middle aged mum who had been a virgin until just last night. She knew she was attracted to him, but the idea that he wasn't just attracted to her mind and personality but physically turned on by her body, her touch and her kiss – it blew her mind. But aside from having read books about sex over the years, and allowing fantasies to fill her imagination, she really didn't know how to ensure Ron had an amazing experience. That lack of knowledge and sexual experience combined with her self-doubt about her body left her unsure, but seeing Ron so clearly respond to her touch, her kiss and her body was amazing.

"Ron, I want to learn every inch of your body," she murmured, pausing only to suck on a spot on his neck just behind his ear, "until I know exactly how to blow your mind."

"You're off to a smashing start," he gasped as she lightly fondled his bollocks while continuing to suck on his neck. He reached up to fondle her breasts as she continued to kiss him. Soon, he had moved his hands down to her hips, tugging down on her knickers. She paused to shimmy out of her pajama bottoms and knickers, and returned to find him staring at her with wide, lust filled eyes. Feeling a surge of sexual confidence, she again pushed him on his back, moving to kiss his cock as she tantalized him, stroking him as she went. Moaning, he reached for her, wanting to maintain contact with her. She soon moved her mouth back up to his chest.

"I need you in me," she said, as she positioned herself over him. She slowly lowered herself onto him, and took a moment to relish the sensation of this new angle. He felt so much deeper within her, that she arched her back and moaned in pleasure as she slowly began to rock against him. Ron was blown away watching her lose control on top of him. The prim and proper mum and solicitor he knew was grinding herself onto him, hair wild around her, breasts bouncing in front of him as she worked herself towards orgasm. He thought he had never seen such an erotic sight in his entire life. He couldn't keep his hands off her, and soon propped himself up so her could suckle her breasts as she thrust down on him.

He could feel himself coming close, and soon he had emptied into her, falling back against the bed in exhaustion. She soon followed, and he felt her pulsating above him before she fell limp over him. As he slowly recovered, he ran his hands over her flushed skin while she slowed her rapid breaths.

"That was unbelievable," he said as he kissed her tenderly.

She rolled onto her back, still recovering, as she turned her head to smile at him.

"I love you," he said as he kissed her again.

"I love you too."

Soon he put his arms around her and spooned up behind her. They both dozed lightly for a while, but after a bit Ron sensed from her breathing she was awake in his arms. He kissed her shoulder, and could feel her smile in response. She stroked his hand, which was laying between her breasts on the center of her chest.

"What are you thinking about," she finally asked.

"I've been wondering how I made it through the first 36 years of my life without knowing you."

"Mmm. I know what you mean."

"And I am also laying here thinking about what your life has been like all that time. What were you like when you younger?"

"How much younger?"

"When did you figure out about your magic? Or wait, what did you call it – your special intuition?"

Hermione took a deep breath and said, "I was probably around 8 years old. I can remember I was at a classmates' birthday party. Her name was Melissa Johnson, and she was the most popular girl in our class. I was so excited to be invited because I didn't have a lot of friends at school, and I thought being invited to her party meant that I would have lots of little friends to play with, and that the other girls would want to play with me at school at all of that. I got to the party and it was just like I had hoped it would be. All these girls were running around playing. There was even a person there with a pony giving everyone little rides around the yard. I went inside to put my present in on the table with all the rest, and as I went to walk back into the yard where the party was I overheard Melissa talking with two other girls. One little girl had asked Melissa why the weird British girl was there, and Melissa said something along the lines of her mother made her invite me because they were hoping my parents would introduce them to some political or business contact at the UN where they worked. I was so hurt and so devastated. And the next thing I knew, all of the balloons in the whole house popped, and the leg on the table that was holding the cake broke, causing the fancy New York City bakery cake to fall and topple right onto the birthday girl and her fancy dress. I remember I pretended to get ill and made the girl's mum call my parents so I could go home early. I was upset, obviously, with the social situation. But, I was rather scared about what had happened."

"I am so sorry, Love. That is so awful. On so many levels. I can't imagine not understanding what had happened."

"It was quite scary then. I didn't have many friends, so I read all of the time. I was fascinated by history and had read all of this stuff about the Salem witch trials in America, as we lived not far from there in New York. I remember wondering what would happen if someone had accused me of being a witch, but I figured that witches were only make believe. But then I started to read all of these wonderful make believe stories about magic and fantasy lands, and they made me start to see things in a more positive light. After that I had a few more situations where I thought I had caused things to happen. But, then I tried to learn how to manipulate it."

"How did you do that? It is really rare to be able to control magic without a wand. And to do that without ever being taught how, well, it's really remarkable."

"I don't know, really. I remember reading different books about people who had discovered different secret powers – some magic, some superheroes or something. But, most of the characters figured things out through trial and error. So, I set out to do it more scientifically – I kept practicing and focusing, keeping track of what things seemed to have an impact. Now, I couldn't summon something across the room or anything. But, I had this ability to sort of will something into happening. For example, there was a great day once at school – I was back in England then, maybe 14 or so. Anyway, I knew these two girls in my class had been cheating off of another girl. They'd been picking on her and making her cry, and then they would let her sit with them at lunch if they could copy her paper. Anyway, I can remember sitting in class and completely focusing on willing the teacher to figure it out. And suddenly, the teacher turned, walked over to the two girls and took their papers and asked them to show the class how to do the problem on the board. They couldn't do any of it. Next she asked the little girl they'd copied from, and she made one mistake. When the teacher realized the other two had made the exact mistake in the papers, but couldn't do any of it on the board, their gig was up. I was thrilled. Anyway, from that I would practice this idea of willing something into happening."

"But that had to have limits to it."

"Oh yes, I mean I wasn't God or anything. I eventually realized it had a lot of limits – sort of like universal laws of physics or something. I could only make it work if it was for good – like I couldn't make a mean classmate fall and break their leg or anything. And then I had to desperately want it, and spend all of my energy and focus on making it happen. And then, sometimes, it would work."

"Would that happen often?"

"No. Not too frequently, but often enough that I knew it wasn't coincidence. Maybe once or twice a year or so."

"So when you met Rose did you know she was meant to be your daughter?"

"You have to remember that when I first saw her she was a totally malnourished baby in the hospital, one of many sick, tiny refugee babies in the camp hospital. Then the nurses helped her gain weight, and she was this bright eyed, captivating child. I was there with the doctor when she was visiting her birth family to say they could come get her because she was well again. And I heard them say that they didn't want her. They said she was a cursed child and maybe a witch, and that she would be bad luck for their family. I mean, she was an infant, so I can't really imagine what she could have done to have caused such suspicion. They said her parents were killed by an IED explosion in Afghanistan, and it turned out that she was with them at the time and was completely unharmed. Not one scrape. Her biological aunt said she heard that she sort of flew out of the explosion. I have no idea if that is true or not. But, I just sensed that she needed me. The biological family had washed their hands of her. And she needed physical contact and love. So, I started carrying her with me everywhere I went in this wrap thing I wore around my chest. She had never received love and attention like that, and she responded instantly. I talked to her all of the time, and eventually I moved her out of the hospital unit and into my tent. Then one day I just realized she was mine. Maybe not biologically, maybe not legally, but in every other way I was absolutely her mother. And then I knew I could never ever leave her, so I had to figure out how to legally make her mine."

"Did you ever see her biological family again?"

"Yes. I had to get their agreement to adopt her as they were the legal guardians."

"So, they had to sign papers or something?"

"Well, sort of – you have to realize these were refugees from the extremely isolated mountains of Afghanistan. A few of the men had gone to school for a few years, but none of the women could read or write in any language. Only one of the distant uncles could sign his name. And it's just so sad, as clearly Rose's birthparents were very intelligent as she is smart as a whip. So I assume that other people in the family were also smart. But, nutrition and education – as well as love and setting high expectations – it all is so critical to a young brain. I often wonder what her birthmother would think of who she has become. I just hope she would be ok with how it has turned out."

"You are amazing, Hermione. You took all of that on by yourself at such a young age. It's just remarkable."

"Not really. You did what you knew you had to do. When you know, there is just a peace about it. Doesn't make it not scary, but it does make it certain. There is no question about should…you just do. There is this famous civil rights leader in America, and he said that we are defined by the things we cannot not do. For me, I could not not be Rose's mum. You could not not help Harry defeat Voldemort. They were scary and paralyzing to everyone else, but we each knew we couldn't not do it. And that makes us who we are, I suppose."

"Defined by things we cannot not do. I love that. That is really, really brilliant."

"Kind of sums us up, though, don't you think? And you couldn't leave it after the war either, you kept protecting people. I couldn't leave it either, and I still defend the stateless. It's who we are, I suppose."

"Part of who we are. We both did things that others would have walked away from, but I think there is so much more to you than that. You are not just a defender of the defenseless, you know."

"No?"

"Don't get me wrong, it's an amazing part of you. But it is only part. You are brilliant and kind, but you are adventurous and understanding, loving and funny, and you have this gift of acceptance which blows me away. You are an incredible mum. You are ridiculously gorgeous, and you are as sexy as hell."

"You don't have to say that, Ron – I am already in bed with you, in case you hadn't noticed."

"Hermione," Ron said as he sat up so he could look her in the eye, "I really hope you don't think I would say something like that just to get you to sleep with me."

"No, of course not. I'm sorry – that really came out wrong. I – I just – it's just that no one else has ever been attracted to me like that, so it is hard to get my brain around it."

"You really have no idea how incredibly beautiful you are, do you? Have you not noticed how extremely turned on I am by you?"

Hermione just blushed and looked down. "I can honestly say no one has ever said that about me before. And I am rather sure I no one else has thought that before either."

"Only because you dated some gay bloke in university, so you weren't his kind of sexy I suppose."

"Well, maybe. But I spent years thinking he never tried anything because while he liked my company, my looks and body didn't do anything for him – or anyone else for that matter."

"That's just barmy, Hermione. Believe me, you are drop dead gorgeous. I was attracted to you the moment we met all those years ago before I ever knew how brilliant and kind and wonderful you were. Trust me Hermione, you are incredibly sexy. And I am thrilled that I get that part of you all to myself."

"Yeah?" she said nestling into him, trying to feel assured by his words.

"Oh yeah."

"I'm not sure that part of me was there before I met you. Maybe it's just me reflecting you."

"Nah. You're just fucking hot. And the fact that you don't realize it makes it even hotter," he said with a grin. She laughed and playfully kicked him under the covers.

"So, I want to hear a story from you. Not a Voldemort story, but a Ron story."

"A Ron story?"

"Something that helps me know why you're you."

He thought for a while before he started talking. Finally he said, "I have this horrible Great Aunt Muriel. She's my mum's aunt, and she's as snooty as they come, which is about as far as you could get from our poor family with a zillion kids in a crooked country house. When I was about 6 or 7 she was there for dinner one night with some other distant posh old lady relative I didn't know very well. I had been trying to play with Fred and George to avoid the visitors, but they kicked me out of their room. I started going down the stairs to see if I could find Ginny, who I thought was in the kitchen with my mum. But, while I was on the stairs I could hear the two old witches gossiping about my family from the sitting room. They were saying my mum shouldn't have married my dad, and that if she'd have married some other bloke she wouldn't have had to be poor and have all of these horrible ginger children. And then this great aunt went on to say that all my mum wanted was a daughter, and that she had been told I would be a girl, and then that she cried for 2 weeks when I was born a boy. And then she got pregnant again right away with Ginny."

"What an awful old woman to say that."

"Well, yes. But it wasn't really false, you know. Mum desperately wanted a daughter and had been disappointed when I was born. I mean – she's always loved me, but I was often overlooked. You know, my least favorite color? Maroon. Do you know that Mum has knitted me a maroon sweater every year, even though every year I ask for a different color? Even my siblings have asked her to make a different color sweater for me, but every year it is a maroon sweater with a great big R on it. I was the sixth boy, and then Harry came along when I was 11. Charlie was brave, Bill was smart and daring. Percy was an over achieving wanker, and the twins were hilarious. Ginny was the long awaited girl and Harry was the bloody chosen one. I was lost in the shuffle a lot. It took me a long time to realize I actually had something to offer, you know?"

"You are my chosen one, Ron" she said earnestly, kissing his hand that was still entwined with hers and held over her heart.

He kissed her shoulder, but didn't say anything.

"Can I ask you something else?" she said quietly.

"Of course, ask away."

"What did you think when you heard about Dennis and Fiona's accident."

"Oh," he said with a changed tone in his voice. "Well, Harry showed up in the middle of night, and he was clearly upset. I thought something was wrong with Ginny, and he kept telling me I needed to sit down. He finally said Fi had been in a car accident, and I made some stupid comment about bad muggle technology and wanted to know what hospital she was at. Then he told me what had really happened, and that Hugo wasn't in the car. And then I promptly ran down the hall and threw up in the loo."

"Do you think it was losing Fi or realizing you were now responsible for Hugo that made you have that reaction?"

"Both. The shock of it, really. I felt so ill prepared to handle it. Harry gave me a little pep talk, but I was reeling. And then when he said Hugo was at your house, I couldn't believe it. Of course, I still thought you were married. But, I had been fantasizing about you for years, Hermione. I just couldn't believe all of those things were basically colliding."

"I know. When Mum told me what had happened, we just sobbed in the kitchen for hours. She finally left, and I went up and peaked in on Hugo sleeping, and then I just wept in the hall. I'd only slept an hour or so when you showed up. My brain hadn't really progressed to thinking about who would take care of Hugo, and then you were there. I had the same thought, you know. I'd fantasized about you for years, and all of a sudden you were in my kitchen. It was so bizarre."

"What do you think Dennis and Fiona would think of this?" she asked as she reached back and stroked his leg.

"Oh they'd love it. Fi would give me hell, of course, but they would both be happy for us I think. Don't you think so?"

"Yeah. I do. Just so strange to think that Dennis won't know I'm a witch or that I'm in love with you."

He kissed her shoulder tenderly and stroked her arm. "What do you think the kids will say?" he asked earnestly.

Hermione didn't say anything but kept stroking her thumb over Ron's hand. "I really have no idea," she finally sighed quietly.

"I guess it's not fair to lump them both into one question."

"Well, I think Rose is crazy about you, so it isn't that at all. But, I do think the change in relationship going from just she and I to adding you and Hugo, and that on top of her going off to school – well, it is a hell of a lot of emotional change to throw at anyone, let alone a girl on the cusp of puberty."

Ron just nodded into her shoulder.

"But," she continued, "growing up as an only child myself, I always dreamed about having a sibling. And she and Hugo spend so much time together that they already feel like siblings in many ways."

"I sort of agree on that. But – they fight less than any pair of siblings I've ever seen. I've been really struck by how much they seem to enjoy each other, actually."

"Huh. I don't have much to compare it to, but I'll take your word for it."

"I think Hugo will like being siblings. He so wants to cling to family now. And obviously you are part of that too. But, I worry he will think I won't be able to focus my energy on him."

"So what do we do?"

"I have no bloody clue."

"Ron, I mean – really – what should we do?" she asked as she sat up and turned to look at him, a sheet held to her chest. "Just hold hands and sneak around when they go off with my parents? We can't just do that forever."

"I know," he said, sitting up as well. He reached up and tucked a curl behind her ear, smiling as he touched her face. "I don't like it either. I don't like hiding it from them, and I don't like the idea of not being able to kiss you."

"Alright," she said, leaning back against the headboard. "So you are this great chess-master planner right? So let's come up with a couple of approaches and work though them. As the solicitor, I'll pick your plan apart of course, but maybe we'll come up with a good idea out of it."

He nodded, running his hand through his hair as he let out a long breath. He eyed her carefully as he considered his words. "Hermione, I don't know how to - well, I'm rubbish at this, and I don't mean to bring all this up now, but I just need to be sure I see this going the same way you see this going. So, I am just going to lay it all out, alright? And if this is too soon, or I bugger it up, I'm sorry, but I don't know any other way around it."

She nodded carefully, holding his eye contact but not saying anything.

"Hermione, I had gotten to the point where I didn't think I would ever find the right person. I thought love and marriage just weren't going to be part of my life. I was good at my job, and I loved my family and friends, but my life was missing a lot – and I was painfully aware of it. And then since January I feel like my whole life has finally started. The missing pieces in my life – well – I've found them. And when I try to picture the future, I honestly cannot picture it without you and Rose and Hugo in my life, as my family. How that happens, when that happens, I don't know. I know Rose leaves this fall for Hogwarts, and Hugo will follow a few years later. And how the family evolves only time will tell. But when I look ahead to that time, I cannot picture it without you. And I mean as my wife. I love you, Hermione. I love you so much, and I love who you challenge me to be. So, right now, I don't know what to do. But I do know where I want to end up – and that is married to you." As he spoke he had reached for her hand, and was holding it tightly. In his nerves, he had shifted his eyes down to her hand, but when he finished, he looked back up at her face and saw her smiling and tear coming down one cheek.

"I love you too, Ron. And yes, that is exactly what I want and where I want us to end up," she said as he wiped the tear away from her cheek.

He grinned, and leaned over to kiss her tenderly.

"Really?" he finally asked as he broke their kiss.

"Oh definitely," she said as she kissed him again. Finally she snuggled up to his side. He put his arm around her shoulder as she wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Right," she said through her unrelenting grin. "So any ideas how we get us from where we are to where we both want to be?"

"Alright," he said with more confidence in his voice now. "So there are two basic tracks, right? One, we tell them directly, whether straight away or after a bit – just dump it all on them and deal with the aftermath. Or, two – we sort of ease them into it."

"If we tell them straight away let's think that through," said Hermione in her logical solicitor voice. "Hugo first. How would he react?"

"I think his initial reaction would be really happy. But, I think he would work out his issues in his sleep, or lack of it. I think one of his first worries would be whether or not he would have to leave his home. I could be wrong. He may just be delighted. And, I think we would need to be very careful with how we assure him that we wouldn't be trying to replace his parents."

Hermione nodded as she listened. "You're right – we need to be clear that we aren't changing housing right now. Well, though, I guess we didn't actually talk about that."

"No, we didn't. Honestly I don't think we should even think about it until after Rose goes to school."

"Agreed. And I would suggest we really not worry about it at all before then. If Hugo asks what we would do then, we just tell him we don't know."

"But if he asks, we'd need to let him know that house his is. We wouldn't do anything to change that," Ron added.

"Right. And actually both kids may worry about what happens to their homes - the places they grew up."

"We would need to be as honest with Rose too. We aren't there yet, and we don't know when we'll make those decisions or where we would end up living. So what else would you expect from Rose?"

"Well, I think she'd be all smiles when we first told her. And I think it would mostly be her excited to have you in her family. But later, when it was just she and I, I think she would worry about how things would change for her. And, honestly, I worry about that too. I think of all the mornings she has crawled into bed with me to chat, and maybe that would change with her growing up and going off to school, but I don't know what she would do with us together."

Ron nodded, sensing Hermione needed to keep talking.

"And she's old enough that she might wonder – and maybe ask me about – the physical side of our relationship." Hermione covered her face with her hand. "I'll just have to cross that bridge if it happens I suppose. And I also think she may ask if us being together will make you her dad. And I don't know how to answer that."

Hearing Hermione call him "dad" caught Ron's breath in a way that caught him off guard. Considering his words, Ron slowly said, "I don't either. Maybe that is just something she and I would need to work out over time. It's different than Hugo, you know? There I am worried about making sure I don't try to replace Dennis. With Rose, it's just different."

"Do you think they would be ok with you having a different type of relationship with each of them? Could you foresee Rose calling you 'dad' and Hugo calling you 'Ron'?"

"I feel like 'dad' is a title I have to earn from her. Just because we tell them we're together doesn't launch me into that role. Rose and I will just have to figure it out ourselves over time. But, what do you think of that? You have been her mum and dad for all this time. I know she didn't call you that, but you've been her everything. I don't want to just presume that all of a sudden I have an equal role in her life."

"Thank you for realizing that," Hermione admitted. "It will be hard for me. But that doesn't mean it won't be good for Rose. Magic aside, you bring another perspective and balance which I've realized has been missing. But, I don't know that I will be ready or able to be there straight away. It will take time."

"It will. But after a while I think it will work itself out in many ways."

"I hope so. You'll need to be patient with me while I adjust to that, you know?"

"I think there will have to be a lot of patience and understanding for all four of us."

"So what about timing?"

"I don't think it would be fair to Rose to tell her at the end of the summer. I think we should give her time to adjust before she goes to school."

"You're right. She'll need time to see us together to trust that she and I will be ok."

"So, we tell them sooner rather than later?"

"I think so. But do we tell them together or separately?"

"Blimey, more decisions. If we do it separately, Rose may feel more comfortable asking you things she may not want to say in front of me."

"You're probably right. We should do it separately, but definitely the same day."

"Absolutely. So, we've decided then? Tell them up front, the same day sometime in the near future?"

"I think so. I don't want to do it right when they come home. But, I think telling them in the next few weeks would be a good idea."

"Sorted. I think we've got a good plan. Are you ok with all of it?"

"Yes, I really am. I am sure I will be nervous, and I am sure we will hit obstacles, but I think we will all be better off once they know. And, I think they'll both be glad in the long run too." She looked at Ron, whose lopsided smile was spread across his face. His joy was infectious, and soon she was beaming as well. "Happy?"

"Utterly. I just hope I don't wake up and find it was all a dream."

She kissed him again, "It's not a dream."