Overnight
Title: Overnight
Rating: PG
Pairing/Characters: Ron/Hermione
Genre: Fluff
Word Count: 1265
Summary: Ron and Hermione have a difficult time when Rose spends her first night away from home
Written for pili204 for help_japan. The prompt she requested was: "Don't forget to…"
*~*
"Thank you for agreeing to this, Molly," Hermione said as she placed her infant daughter carefully in her mother-in-law's arms. "Ron and I will be here in the morning to get her."
"Take your time," Molly said, looking lovingly at her newest grandchild, who was dozing peacefully in a fluffy pink blanket. "We're happy to have Rose here."
Hermione's boss, Mr. Elphin, had invited her and Ron to dinner to celebrate the success of a program she had been working on before Rose was born. While Hermione would be on maternity leave for a while yet, he insisted on taking them to dinner as a thank you for her hard work.
Molly and Arthur had been overjoyed at the idea of watching Rose for the evening. Ron, however, had been less enthusiastic about this plan, especially after it had been decided that Rose would stay overnight at the Burrow, since he and Hermione would likely be home late. He had argued that Rose was up every few hours anyway, so it shouldn't matter how late they returned, but Hermione, knowing this was his mother's way of giving them a night of peace, had convinced him to go along with the plan.
"She gets fussy when she's swaddled too tightly," Ron said, looking very anxious. "And don't forget to put her stuffed dragon in her cot when she goes to sleep. If you squeeze the tail, it plays her favorite lullaby. And …"
"Yes, yes," Molly said exasperatedly. "I did raise seven children of my own, you know."
"I know! But Rosie's never been away from home before. I want her to be comfortable." Ron turned to Hermione. "Maybe this was a mistake. It's too soon."
"Nonsense," Molly said. "Now, go and enjoy yourselves. Rose will be fine here with me and your father."
"Thank you, Molly," Hermione said, giving Ron a stern look. "We appreciate it."
"Thanks, Mum," he said, without enthusiasm.
After a lengthy and rather reluctant goodbye, Ron and Hermione Flooed home to their flat. As she stepped out of the fireplace in their sitting room, Ron sank into his favorite armchair, looking morose.
"She'll be fine," Hermione said, hoping she sounded reassuring. "Your mum has watched her before."
"I know," he said. "But never for so long. Never overnight."
Hermione wrapped her arms around him. "I know. I miss her already."
"I don't know why I have to go to this dinner. I don't even work in your department."
"Mr. Elphin invited you, Ron. I couldn't say no," she said. "And Rose is still too little to be in a restaurant, so don't suggest that either. Please don't make this even more difficult than it already is."
Ron sighed. "Fine. I suppose we'd better change for dinner. I still need to shower."
He got out of his chair and moodily walked to the bedroom. Hermione followed him. Truthfully, she didn't feel like going out to dinner either. She hadn't lost much of her pregnancy weight yet, and she still didn't fit into a lot of her clothes. But more importantly, she was having just as difficult time as Ron was being away from Rose. Leaving the baby in Molly's care while she took a short trip to Tesco or to the shops in Diagon Alley was much different than Rose spending the entire night away from home. She fought back tears, not wanting Ron to see how upset she was. It would only make things more difficult for them.
Ron had just gone into the shower when Hermione heard a voice call out from the sitting room. Turning away from the wardrobe, Hermione rushed out of the bedroom, worried that Arthur was contacting them via Floo about Rose. When she came into view of the fireplace, however, she was surprised (and relieved) to see Mr. Elphin's head surrounded by flames.
"Hermione!" he exclaimed when he saw her. "I'm so glad I caught you before you left."
Hermione knelt on the hearth rug in front of the fireplace. "Mr. Elphin. Is something wrong?"
"No, no. I'm very sorry to trouble you, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to cancel dinner tonight. Frances is a bit under the weather."
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," Hermione said. "Please tell her that I hope she's feeling better soon."
"I will," he said. "Again, I'm very sorry for ruining your evening."
"Not at all, sir," Hermione said. "Have a good night."
"Thank you. I hope you will, too."
She watched as her boss's head disappeared from the fireplace with a pop. Hermione went back to the bedroom, and sat down on the bed to wait for Ron to come out of the shower. A few minutes later, he emerged from the shower, a towel around his waist, dripping water all over the floor.
"I just got a Floo call from Mr. Elphin," Hermione said. "His wife is ill, so he wants to reschedule dinner."
"That's fantastic news!" he said with a huge smile. He immediately began pulling on the clothes he had taken off before his shower and had subsequently flung onto the floor of their bedroom.
"Ron, what are you doing?"
"I'm getting dressed, and then we're bringing our Rosie home," he said.
A wave of relief washed over Hermione knowing that their daughter would be back under their roof that night. Ron impatiently allowed Hermione to dry his hair with her wand, and they hurried out of their flat into the cold, dark February night.
Not wanting to startle Molly and Arthur by appearing unannounced, Hermione and Ron Apparated to the Burrow instead of using the Floo network. They appeared at the edge of the garden and walked quickly across the frost-covered grass, which crunched under their feet. As they approached the Burrow, Hermione's attention was drawn to the sitting room window. The curtains hadn't been drawn, and Hermione could clearly see Molly and Arthur sitting close together on the sofa looking adoringly at Rose, who was fast asleep in her grandfather's arms. It was such a touching scene that, for a moment, Hermione forgot why they were there.
"Hermione?" Ron said, walking back to her once he noticed she had stopped.
"Look," she said, gesturing toward the window.
Ron looked in, and the bewildered expression on his face softened.
"Someday that will be us," Hermione said, her eyes filling with tears. "Rosie will move out, and it'll be just the two of us again."
"Not for a long time yet," Ron said, putting his arm around her.
"Maybe we should let her stay here overnight."
"Are you serious?" Ron asked, looking at her as though she had gone mad.
"Neither of us has had a full night's sleep in two months," Hermione said wearily. "She's obviously in good hands with your parents."
Ron sighed and glanced back at his parents and daughter again.
"I promise we can come get her as soon as we wake up," she said.
"All right."
Slowly they turned away from the window and walked back to the corner of the garden to Apparate home. Hermione had once read a quote in a parenting book that said with children, "The days are long, but the years are short." Rose would grow up far too quickly; it was inevitable. The best they could do was to make the most of every moment, to enjoy their time together as a family. But for tonight, she and Ron would give Molly and Arthur a moment of their own as a reminder of the foundation of love they built their family upon.
Rating: PG
Pairing/Characters: Ron/Hermione
Genre: Fluff
Word Count: 1265
Summary: Ron and Hermione have a difficult time when Rose spends her first night away from home
Written for pili204 for help_japan. The prompt she requested was: "Don't forget to…"
*~*
"Thank you for agreeing to this, Molly," Hermione said as she placed her infant daughter carefully in her mother-in-law's arms. "Ron and I will be here in the morning to get her."
"Take your time," Molly said, looking lovingly at her newest grandchild, who was dozing peacefully in a fluffy pink blanket. "We're happy to have Rose here."
Hermione's boss, Mr. Elphin, had invited her and Ron to dinner to celebrate the success of a program she had been working on before Rose was born. While Hermione would be on maternity leave for a while yet, he insisted on taking them to dinner as a thank you for her hard work.
Molly and Arthur had been overjoyed at the idea of watching Rose for the evening. Ron, however, had been less enthusiastic about this plan, especially after it had been decided that Rose would stay overnight at the Burrow, since he and Hermione would likely be home late. He had argued that Rose was up every few hours anyway, so it shouldn't matter how late they returned, but Hermione, knowing this was his mother's way of giving them a night of peace, had convinced him to go along with the plan.
"She gets fussy when she's swaddled too tightly," Ron said, looking very anxious. "And don't forget to put her stuffed dragon in her cot when she goes to sleep. If you squeeze the tail, it plays her favorite lullaby. And …"
"Yes, yes," Molly said exasperatedly. "I did raise seven children of my own, you know."
"I know! But Rosie's never been away from home before. I want her to be comfortable." Ron turned to Hermione. "Maybe this was a mistake. It's too soon."
"Nonsense," Molly said. "Now, go and enjoy yourselves. Rose will be fine here with me and your father."
"Thank you, Molly," Hermione said, giving Ron a stern look. "We appreciate it."
"Thanks, Mum," he said, without enthusiasm.
After a lengthy and rather reluctant goodbye, Ron and Hermione Flooed home to their flat. As she stepped out of the fireplace in their sitting room, Ron sank into his favorite armchair, looking morose.
"She'll be fine," Hermione said, hoping she sounded reassuring. "Your mum has watched her before."
"I know," he said. "But never for so long. Never overnight."
Hermione wrapped her arms around him. "I know. I miss her already."
"I don't know why I have to go to this dinner. I don't even work in your department."
"Mr. Elphin invited you, Ron. I couldn't say no," she said. "And Rose is still too little to be in a restaurant, so don't suggest that either. Please don't make this even more difficult than it already is."
Ron sighed. "Fine. I suppose we'd better change for dinner. I still need to shower."
He got out of his chair and moodily walked to the bedroom. Hermione followed him. Truthfully, she didn't feel like going out to dinner either. She hadn't lost much of her pregnancy weight yet, and she still didn't fit into a lot of her clothes. But more importantly, she was having just as difficult time as Ron was being away from Rose. Leaving the baby in Molly's care while she took a short trip to Tesco or to the shops in Diagon Alley was much different than Rose spending the entire night away from home. She fought back tears, not wanting Ron to see how upset she was. It would only make things more difficult for them.
Ron had just gone into the shower when Hermione heard a voice call out from the sitting room. Turning away from the wardrobe, Hermione rushed out of the bedroom, worried that Arthur was contacting them via Floo about Rose. When she came into view of the fireplace, however, she was surprised (and relieved) to see Mr. Elphin's head surrounded by flames.
"Hermione!" he exclaimed when he saw her. "I'm so glad I caught you before you left."
Hermione knelt on the hearth rug in front of the fireplace. "Mr. Elphin. Is something wrong?"
"No, no. I'm very sorry to trouble you, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to cancel dinner tonight. Frances is a bit under the weather."
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," Hermione said. "Please tell her that I hope she's feeling better soon."
"I will," he said. "Again, I'm very sorry for ruining your evening."
"Not at all, sir," Hermione said. "Have a good night."
"Thank you. I hope you will, too."
She watched as her boss's head disappeared from the fireplace with a pop. Hermione went back to the bedroom, and sat down on the bed to wait for Ron to come out of the shower. A few minutes later, he emerged from the shower, a towel around his waist, dripping water all over the floor.
"I just got a Floo call from Mr. Elphin," Hermione said. "His wife is ill, so he wants to reschedule dinner."
"That's fantastic news!" he said with a huge smile. He immediately began pulling on the clothes he had taken off before his shower and had subsequently flung onto the floor of their bedroom.
"Ron, what are you doing?"
"I'm getting dressed, and then we're bringing our Rosie home," he said.
A wave of relief washed over Hermione knowing that their daughter would be back under their roof that night. Ron impatiently allowed Hermione to dry his hair with her wand, and they hurried out of their flat into the cold, dark February night.
Not wanting to startle Molly and Arthur by appearing unannounced, Hermione and Ron Apparated to the Burrow instead of using the Floo network. They appeared at the edge of the garden and walked quickly across the frost-covered grass, which crunched under their feet. As they approached the Burrow, Hermione's attention was drawn to the sitting room window. The curtains hadn't been drawn, and Hermione could clearly see Molly and Arthur sitting close together on the sofa looking adoringly at Rose, who was fast asleep in her grandfather's arms. It was such a touching scene that, for a moment, Hermione forgot why they were there.
"Hermione?" Ron said, walking back to her once he noticed she had stopped.
"Look," she said, gesturing toward the window.
Ron looked in, and the bewildered expression on his face softened.
"Someday that will be us," Hermione said, her eyes filling with tears. "Rosie will move out, and it'll be just the two of us again."
"Not for a long time yet," Ron said, putting his arm around her.
"Maybe we should let her stay here overnight."
"Are you serious?" Ron asked, looking at her as though she had gone mad.
"Neither of us has had a full night's sleep in two months," Hermione said wearily. "She's obviously in good hands with your parents."
Ron sighed and glanced back at his parents and daughter again.
"I promise we can come get her as soon as we wake up," she said.
"All right."
Slowly they turned away from the window and walked back to the corner of the garden to Apparate home. Hermione had once read a quote in a parenting book that said with children, "The days are long, but the years are short." Rose would grow up far too quickly; it was inevitable. The best they could do was to make the most of every moment, to enjoy their time together as a family. But for tonight, she and Ron would give Molly and Arthur a moment of their own as a reminder of the foundation of love they built their family upon.