Written for the Through the Universe Challenge at The Golden Snitch Forum (Beauxbatons, Guinefort, 172. Hugo Granger-Weasley).

Ice Cream and Innocence

"I just want all the ice cream," Ron announced as he, Hermione, and their two children headed out for some dessert. "I'm starving."

"You can't have all of it, Daddy, you have to save some for us, 'member?" said Hugo, clinging to his mother and looking nothing short of scandalized.

"Daddy won't eat all the ice cream, Hugo, don't worry," Hermione told him, ruffling his hair gently.

"But he always eats so much!" Rose fretted. She had been skipping happily alongside her parents, but now she stopped and stared at them with great concern.

Ron and Hermione shared a look.

"She's right about that, you know," Hermione said with a smile and a shake of her head.

"It's a gift," Ron insisted.

"Uh huh. Or a curse," Hermione retorted.

"Mum says I'm still growing," Ron pouted, and Hermione laughed out loud.

"You're thirty years old, Ronald!"

Ron just shrugged at that.

...

The ice cream parlor was a cool escape from the oppressive heat. The Weasley-Granger family stepped inside with sighs of relief.

Hermione pulled off her sun hat and shook out her brown curls, while Rose immediately ran over and pressed her nose against the case that held the various ice cream and frozen yogurt flavors. Hermione took a step towards her daughter, about to call her back, when Ron put his hand on her arm.

"She'll be alright, 'Mione," he murmured. Hermione nodded, but kept her eyes fixed on her daughter all the same.

They settled into the queue behind a rather bossy woman who was yelling at the young employee about her order.

"I asked for strawberry frozen yogurt, not vanilla frozen yogurt with strawberries on it!"

"Sorry, ma'am," the girl, who couldn't have been much older than sixteen, squeaked.

"I asked you to do one thing. One thing! I've never seen such appalling service." And with that, the agitated customer swept out of the shop.

Hermione's heart went out to the poor, harried girl, who now appeared to be on the verge of tears.

"Tell you what, I'll take that frozen yogurt," she said kindly, and the girl flashed her a shaky smile.

"There's no need to do that, ma'am."

"It's fine. One less order to worry about, right?" She turned to Hugo and Ron. "And what would you boys like?"

"Chocolate!" Hugo exclaimed.

"Chocolate ice cream?" Hermione prompted, and her son nodded eagerly. "One scoop of chocolate, then. In a cup, please, that's far less messy when a four year old is involved."

"And I'll take two scoops of peanut butter ice cream in a cone," Ron said.

"Rose?" Hermione said. "What would you like?"

"I want to try the cotton candy flavor!" her daughter said excitedly.

"Alright, one scoop of cotton candy in a cup for her as well."

The girl nodded, her face scrunched up in concentration. "So two scoops of peanut butter in a...cup—"

"Cone," Ron interrupted. Hermione elbowed him, and he winced. "Sorry. Cup or cone is fine."

"Two scoops of peanut butter in a cone, and one scoop each of cotton candy and chocolate, both in cups for the kids?" The girl seemed less anxious now.

"Yes," Hermione confirmed.

"Coming right up!"

...

The four of them sat at one of the small, bubblegum pink-colored metal tables and ate their ice cream happily. Hermione savored each bite, while Hugo and Ron practically gulped theirs down. Like her mother, Rose took her time as well, frowning a little after each spoonful.

"Something wrong, Rose?" Hermione asked gently.

"I'm trying not to get an ice cream headache," Rose explained matter-of-factly.

Hermione laughed. "I see."

Ron leaned over and peered into her empty cup. "All finished there, 'Mione? Want some more?"

"Oh...no, thanks," she said quickly. Seeing his crestfallen face, and knowing exactly why he had asked, she added, "You're welcome to order another, though."

Ron grinned and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. "That's my clever wife. How'd you know—?"

"Because I know you," Hermione said. She rolled her eyes but was unable to keep from smirking slightly. Food really was Ron's weakness, and it wasn't at all unusual that he would go for seconds.

Hugo started to cry. "Mumma," he wailed. Hermione looked over and saw that he had spilled the last of his now-melted ice cream onto his favorite dinosaur t-shirt. She quickly pulled out her wand and cleaned it up, smiling at Hugo as she did so.

"No worries, love. See? All better now."

Ron returned with his second helping of ice cream (butterscotch this time) and began to enthusiastically dig in. Hermione coughed and pushed a napkin towards him.

He picked it up and smiled gratefully at her. Hermione was relieved that he didn't try and speak—she'd had a few words with him about talking with his mouth full and he seemed to be doing a lot better, thankfully. She didn't want her children to pick up the bad habit.

"I'm a giraffe!" Hugo announced suddenly. Rose giggled.

"No, you're not," she told her brother.

"Am too!"

"Alright, that's enough," Hermione cut in. "Hugo, does that mean you're going to start eating more veggies? Maybe some leaves and grass, too?"

Hugo made a face. "I don't wanna be a giraffe no more."

"Anymore," Hermione corrected. She looked down at him fondly. "That's good, because we like you just the way you are."

...

Ron finished a short time later. The quartet trooped out of the shop and began to walk home. Hermione kept quiet, content with watching the rest of her family interact. She loved how Ron teased Hugo and debated with Rose.

"Daddy," she heard Hugo ask, with all the seriousness of a four-year-old with a very important question, "how do you know so much about stars and space?"

"Well, at Hogwarts, they made us learn about all that in a subject called…" Ron paused dramatically, "Astronomy."

Hugo looked at him in wonder, and Hermione had to stifle a laugh behind her hand. She knew how much her husband enjoyed having a captive audience, and Hugo was always a very good listener.

They continued home in this fashion, with Ron regaling the children with increasingly more bizarre stories about his time at Hogwarts and his aptitude in various subjects. Though Hermione was sorely tempted to intervene from time to time, she decided to let it be. One day, Rose and Hugo would be old enough to see through his tall tales (Rose was already quite skeptical for her age), but for now, she was content to just let them be kids.

Word count: 1,095

A/N: Thoughts welcome!