A/N: This one shot is a little something I cooked up for EPILOGUE DAY!! It is full of my favorite things: fluffy Romione sweetness, Romione flirting, and Ron being the best dad ever! In my heart, I have been with them on the platform today! All was well.Â
It was not unusual for Hermione to wake up early; she rarely even needed the alarm; it was set more out of habit than necessity. What was unusual was for her to wake to an empty bed. Her sleepy hand met nothing but disappointingly cold sheets as it searched in vain for her husband. She rolled over to check the time. Could she have overslept on such an important day? They had gone to bed rather late, and she had slept fitfully for most of the previous week, so it was not an altogether impossible scenario.
Ok, she had most definitely not overslept, and for a moment she breathed a sigh of relief and closed her eyes. Wait. Whereâs Ron? She felt a vague sense of unease. It had been years since she had woken to find him out of bed. He didnât work odd hours anymore, the nightmares had long faded for them both, and the kids were way past the days of waking them in the middle of the night.
The kids. Had she been so knackered that she had missed one of them needing something? Rose had been characteristically unphased by the idea of starting Hogwarts, but nerves may have set in at last. Not wanting to leave Ron to handle it alone, not that he couldnât, Hermione got up and donned her robe before heading down the hall toward Roseâs room.
She found the door closed and could not make out any noise coming from inside. Could be a silencing charmâŚtrying not to wake Hugo. With the quiet gentleness of practiced mums everywhere, she eased the door open, surprised to find her daughter fast asleep and her husband nowhere in sight. While she was relieved to know that Rose was apparently fine, she was even more confused as to where Ron might be.
Deciding to check the kitchen first important events do tend to make him hungry, Hermione headed down stairs. She chuckled at the memory of their wedding morning. He had dispatched nearly a dozen eggs and more bacon than should be consumed in a year before Harry had shown up to take him to the Burrow. And then, when they had checked in to St. Mungoâs for Rose to be born, her bag had been packed with nappies and blankets while his had been packed with roast beef and potatoes.Â
She found the kitchen empty; it was exactly as she had left it before going to bed, complete with a small bag of goodies for Rose to take with her on the train. Ron had packed that himself, making sure to stock it with all of her favorites. Hermione had a strong suspicion that there was also a fair sum of money included as well, just in case she wanted to buy something from the trolley.
As she turned to leave, a faint sound caught her attention. At first it was difficult to place, but as she studied it, she decided it was music. Following the sound, she noticed light coming from the door of the small room which she and Ron shared as an office. Â She found him, head resting on the back of his worn, black swivel chair, clutching the origin of the whimsical musical sound. Held in his large hands, resting against his chest, the small patchwork fabric dragon looked especially tiny. Hermione knew the toy immediately, even though she could not properly remember the last time she had seen it.
âDo you remember what you told me when you bought it?â If Ron was startled by her presence or her question, he gave no indication.
â âCourse I do,â his voice, worn with lost sleep and emotion still contained the warmth and humor that she loved so much, âIf we can survive riding a blinking dragon outta Gringotts, we can handle one little baby.â Â
