Ron,

I was wrong. I never should have done it. Any of it. It was the actions of a madwoman. I'm lucky you didn't have me locked away. I never should have tricked you, I see that now.

For the past four years I've been perfectly content to pretend that you love me. But tonight, the first night you've spoken the truth, I've realized I can't do it any longer. What happens when the children are grown? You'll leave. It might be too late for you to go back to her by then, and that means I took away any chance of a family with someone you love.

I love you, though you may not believe it. I was driven to do a crazy thing because of that love, but I shouldn't have. You've stayed with me for the sake of Annica, and then for Andrew. I can't keep you prisoner any longer.

I have a plan. After you read this, don't try and find me. Go and find her. Take the children with you, and find her. If she's anything like I remember her, shell let you back into her life. Especially after you explain. The children will grow up with her as their mother.

Don't come looking for me. If my plan works, I won't remember you or them anyway. If it doesn't, I won't remember anything. Please, just don't seek me out. Go to her. Love her. Love her like you could never love me.

Lavender

He stares at the letter again. He had found it three years ago, her wedding ring lying on top of it. When he had first found it, he had been unsure of what to do. Now he had two children, and no mother to help raise them. Andrew had started crying first thing, toddling around and looking for his Mummy. Annica had been less upset, but she still hadn't understood. Mummy was just gone, and there was nothing they could do about it.

He had grabbed some things and headed to his mother's house. She was delighted to see him and the children, and they played in the living room while Ron explained everything that had happened. He explained why he had married Lavender, why he had stayed, and that she had gone. He had shown his mother the note, and she had only had one question. Who was the other girl?

"Ron?"

A soft voice interrupts his reminiscing, and he grins to himself. He stands up, tucking the letter away. When Annica starts Hogwarts, he's going to tell her about Lavender. Until then, she's better off not knowing. She's still too young. Six going on seven is too young to tell her the truth. He'll tell Andrew when he turns eleven as well. He'll have to ask Annica not to mention it to her little brother.

"Coming baby."

He heads down the stairs of his new home. Four bedrooms. There's one for Annica, one for Andrew, one for he and his wife, and one for the baby who's on the way. They're going to name her Rose. Rose Lavender Weasley, because even though his wife still doesn't like Lavender very much, she understands why Lavender did the things she did. She understands it.

"Daddy!"

Andrew comes running up to him, and he picks the little boy up. Annica is standing by her mother. Or, rather, the woman that she thinks is her mother. He is still unsure of whether or not Annica remembers Lavender even in the slightest. Andrew was too young. Is still too young. The woman holding Annica's hand is the only mother that he has ever known. The only mother he'll ever remember.

He grins at Annica, and at his wife. He's so much happier now, but he still wonders what happened to Lavender. He's assuming that she modified her memory, erased all memories of him, of the children. It's extreme, but that's what he thinks. She must have done it properly, because she wasn't taken to St. Mungo's. He's checked everyday for the past three years. He and Lavender made better friends than husband and wife, or boyfriend and girlfriend.

"Come on, Ron. The party will be starting soon."

Ah, the party. Bill's little girl is turning five today. She's an angel. Strawberry blonde hair, her mother's flawless skin. She doesn't look distinctly veela, but you can tell that it's there. She's already learning to control the charm she has. She charms everyone she meets. A sweet smile, a soft giggle. There are times that she seems to glow. Yes, Victoire is a cutie, and she'll be a heartbreaker when she grows up.

"Alright, let's go."

He presses a hand to his wife's bulging stomach. A few more months, and Andrew will be a big brother, and Annica will have the little sister she's been wanting since she was five. He hopes that Rose will look like him, the way Annica and Andrew do. But he won't mind if she looks like Hermione. He looks at Andrew in his arms.

He looks at Andrew. Of his two children, Andy is the one who looks the least like him. Oh, he has the hair and the eyes and the freckles, but his facial structure is so much more like Lavender. He sees her in everything that his little boy does. Still grinning, he turns on the spot and apparates.

"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you…"

They're already singing when they arrive, and he lets Andrew down so that he can go and play with Matthew, Charlie's boy. He's a year younger than Andrew. He moves to his wife, resting his hand on the small of her back. He leans in for a kiss, still grinning. She kisses him for a moment and then pulls back. Annica is standing next to Victoire, and she is blowing out the younger girl's candles. Now Victoire is throwing a fit, and hitting Annica, and Bill's stepping in to stop it all.

"I love you."

He grins at her as he says it, and Hermione smiles back.

"I love you too."

That's all he needs to hear.