Think

"There's something very important we have to think about."

Ron, snugly in their bed, did not feel very enthusiastic about it. He had just managed to persuade his wife to join him, and thinking was the last thing he had planned to do. But, judging by the silence coming from her, Ron knew there was no point in arguing. So he moved into a better thinking position, or at least into one which hid his "thinking" face from Hermione's view.

"We have to figure out a suitable name for our second child."

Ron's eyes flew open. He was suddenly more alert than he had imagined being capable of, and for a moment he was certain he could hear specks of dust glide in the air around him.

"Are we having a second child?"

"Of course we are," Hermione said, as if that was glaringly obvious. "We've discussed it several times. We both agreed upon having one more."

"You're pregnant?" Ron sat up and turned to look at his wife.

"What?" she said, staring at him as if he'd said something very stupid, "No."

"Oh," he said, falling back to the pillows, feeling rather disappointed. "Then why do we have to discuss baby names now?"

"Because it's never too early to start thinking of it," Hermione said sharply, and poked Ron for emphasis. "Remember how it was with Rose? We didn't find the right name before we knew she was a girl. We only did half of our homework, we have to do a lot more this time."

Ron knew better to make any comment about what was said, but now he did put on his thinking face and tried to figure it out. Something else might have been amiss here.

"Is there something else you wish to tell me?" Ron asked, and then hazarded a guess, "Is this about Harry and Ginny having their second baby?"

"No!" Hermione exclaimed a little too fast and too vehemently.

"Well, in a way I suppose it does involve Harry, and Ginny, and their new baby."

"Is it because they're having a baby and we are not?" Ron guessed.

"Don't be ridiculous," she replied. "No. It's just that – they have a system and we don't!"

"A system of having babies?" Ron frowned.

"No. A system of naming babies."

Ron could not argue with that. The Potters certainly had a system. Whether it was a good one, that could be debated, but not in front of Ginny. Ron, however, was quite happy that their daughter was named Rose, not Nymphadora Minerva, as had been suggested. Rose was short and sweet, much like the little girl herself.

"We could name the second one after a flower, too," Ron suggested. "Like, err... um... Tulip. That's a name, isn't it?"

Even if it wasn't, it was a better guess than the first name that had popped into his mind, one that began with "L", ended with "R", and had "avende" in the middle of it.

"And Narcissos if it's a boy?"

"Oh, right," Ron said, "I mean, no. I suppose it doesn't work with boys."

"No, we need something else, something better. Think."

"Can't we think about it in the morning?" he asked, without much hope. The silence from Hermione spoke volumes.

"Rose, Rose, Rose," Ron muttered, "It begins with the same letters as mine. Could we name the other something starting with an H?"

"Like Harry?"

"No," Ron said and thought for another moment, "Like Henry for a boy, and Helen for a girl."

"That's-" Hermione paused, and when she spoke again it was with some surprise and appreciation. "That's actually a very good idea, Ron."

Ron put on his happy face and enjoyed the moment. Both his wife giving him praise, and his not having to think any more.

"Not those names exactly," she continued after a while, "But the idea seems to have some potential. We must work on that one in the future."

"Perhaps you'd like to work on making a baby first before naming one," Ron mumbled sleepily, but Hermione was too caught up with whatever was happening in her brain to mind it.

So Ron kissed her on the cheek, and put on his sleeping face.

(End Note)

Challenged by silverlovedragoness: Ron and Hermione on picking names for baby #2