Written for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
The Insane House Challenge- 475. Word: Untoward
365 Prompts Challenge- 125. Event: Pregnancy
Word Count: 791
"Look, Mummy, I'm you!" Rose declared, walking into Ron and Hermione's bedroom. She'd stuffed a small pillow up her shirt in a feeble imitation of Hermione's very pregnant belly.
"Hey Rosie," Ron greeted her, standing up from where he been sitting on the bed.
"Where's Mummy?" Rose asked, confused.
"She's taking a bath," Ron told her, gesturing toward the closed door to the master bathroom.
"Then why you not helping her?" Rose asked.
"Because someone needs to take care of you."
"I take care of myself. And I know you seen Mummy naked before."
Ron bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing; three-year-olds never hesitated from saying what they thought, no matter how untoward it might be.
"How?" Ron asked, hoping Rose wouldn't notice the laugh in his voice. She didn't.
"I heard Mummy tell Aunt Ginny you helped her take baths when I was in her tummy."
"I can't do that when you're running around the house, Miss Flower."
"Then I'll go to bed," Rose declared, taking the pillow out from under her shirt. She left the room, her bare feet making a pitter-patter as she ran down the hardwood hallway.
Ron took the pillow, which Rose had conveniently left in the doorway, and put it on his bed. Hermione's laughter came from the other side of the door, and Ron walked over to it.
"She's so funny," Hermione laughed. "I hope this next one is the same."
"She's willing to go to bed early for you, Hermione. How often does that happen?"
"Not nearly as often as cuddles with you. I think she might be out to steal you from me."
"Maybe Hugo will be more of a Mummy's kid," Ron suggested.
"We never actually agreed on that name," Hermione pointed out.
"No, but we both like it, at least as a middle name. And we need to choose soon."
"Two more weeks, I know. But he's going to be a redhead, so we'd need to choose a more red-haired middle name."
Ron tried to figure out what that meant, but gave up quickly. He didn't even bother telling Hermione she couldn't possibly know their son's hair color; she's been able to tell it was a boy at only ten weeks pregnant, before it was safe to take a gender reveal potion.
"Okay Daddy, I ready for bed," Rose announced, walking up to him. She'd dressed herself in a nightgown and was combing her fingers through her thick curls.
"Did you brush your teeth?" he asked.
"Yes."
"Show me." Rose smiled, scrunching up her whole face to show all her teeth. "Let's brush them again just to make sure," Ron told her, lifting her onto his hip.
"Then Mummy will have to wait long."
"Only a few minutes."
"Or…" Rose said, lowering her voice to a whisper in Ron's ear- or as close to a whisper as a toddler could get, anyways, "you could just use a charm."
Ron was expecting her to say that. There were certain things Ron and Hermione had decided their children would have to do the Muggle way, and others they would use magic for. Teeth brushing, they had both agreed, was best done with just the magic in the toothpaste from Diagon Alley. It would also please Hermione's parents.
"Just this once," Ron said, picking up his wand from the top of the dresser.
"Yay!" Rose said, opening her mouth wide. Ron cast the charm quickly, careful not to let Rose bite his wand.
"Now let's put you in bed." Ron set Rose back on her feet and led her to her bedroom, across the hallway from his and Hermione's. A few months after she turned two, Rose had declared she wanted to sleep in the room, which had since been a playroom. Ron and Hermione deconstructed the crib that was in their room and moved it in, thus settling the Great Rose Room-Switching.
Of course, Rose would often wake up in the middle of the night and join them, but it was still sad to see their little baby start growing up, even though she was only two at the time. For her fourth birthday, which was fast approaching, they were planning on buying her a toddler bed- no longer would she have to scramble over their magical modifications to the railing to get out of bed.
Ron leaned over the railing, tucking blankets around Rose.
"Good-night, Rosie," he said.
"Night-night Daddy. Go help Mummy," Rose said, staring up at him.
"I will," Ron promised, and bent down to kiss her cheek.
