Don't You Ever Grow Up

Isilarma

This was written for Round 13 of the Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition, and for the 25 Days of Christmas Competition for the prompt 'decorating the tree'.

"Are they here yet?"

Hermione opened her mouth to reply but Rose beat her to it. "I'm pretty sure we'd know if they were."

"Be nice," Hermione murmured. "And don't do that, Hugo."

Hugo immediately pulled his tongue back in, even as he turned deliberately innocent wide blue eyes to her. "I wasn't doing anything!"

"Fibber," Rose hissed.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Behave, both of you."

Rose scowled and shifted in her seat. "When are they going to be back?"

Hermione twisted round to look at the clock. "Any minute now, I expect."

Rose's shoulders slumped. "So another half an hour then. Great."

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "I thought you liked decorating the tree."

"I do," said Rose quickly. "But I've got other things to do too."

Hermione folded her arms. "You told me you'd finished all your holiday homework."

"I have! I just...well..."

"She needs to write to her boyfriend," Hugo chimed in with a grin.

If looks could kill... "He is not my boyfriend!"

"Then what is he?"

"He's my friend, who just so happens to be a boy."

Hugo tilted his head to one side, his eyes sparkling with mischief. "So...he's your boyfriend."

"Shut up!" Rose screeched.

Hermione pinched the bridge of her nose. "Everyone, calm down. Hugo, stop paying so much attention to James."

"But James is awesome!"

Hermione ignored that in favour of turning to Rose. "And how is young Scorpius?"

Rose stared at her, he anger with her brother rather effectively diverted. "How did you know it was him?" Her ears had gone red in exactly the same way her father's did. Hugo just looked at her.

"Mum always knows."

Hermione smoothed his hair down fondly. "Of course. That's what mums do."

No need to tell them that she'd recognised the Malfoy's owl; they were growing up fast enough as it was. She thought wistfully of the days when the two of them had liked nothing better than to spend the entire day putting up decorations and getting ready for Christmas. Now Rose was doing a very poor show of hiding her impatience, and even Hugo was craning his neck to try to see where she'd put the chocolates for the tree. Not that he would have much luck, she knew better than to leave them lying around, but he never gave up trying.

Fortunately, barely a minute had passed before there came the sound of two loud cracks. Hermione got to her feet, but Hugo had already sprinted past her to yank open the door, just in time to hear:

"Bloody hell, George!"

"Ronald!"

"Merlin's saggy-"

"Now, now, Ronnie," came George's gleeful voice. "No bad language in front of the kiddies."

"We're not kids," said Hugo indignantly. "We're at Hogwarts and everything."

George laughed and ruffled his hair. "Oh yes; you're a big grown up eleven year old."

Hugo beamed, but his reply was cut off as Ron's flushed face appeared round the door. "Are you helping with this or not?"

George shot a quick wink at Hugo before slipping back out the door. "All right, all right, keep your hair on."

Ron muttered something thankfully inaudible under his breath and Hermione guided Hugo away from the door. "Give them room now."

Hugo didn't reply, fascinated as ever by the tree that Ron and George were now lifting into the house. "It's enormous!"

Hermione had to admit that the pair of them had done well. The tree was one of the biggest they had ever had, and she was pleased to note that it still had most of its needles. Last years had been almost bald by the time they had got it home, and Ron had not been happy to be told to go straight back to the shop. This year though, everything was going well. She watched approvingly as the two of them manoeuvred the tree round until stood straight and tall in the pot Hermione had prepared for it.

"You know you could just charm it," Rose muttered.

Ron straightened up, a grin spreading across his face. "Yeah, but where would be the fun in that?"

Rose pulled a face, but Hugo had already thrown open the box of decorations and was throwing bags left and right. "I want to put the star on the top!"

"The star goes on last," Hermione reminded him. "Ron, grab those before they get trodden on, would you?"

"I'm getting them, I'm getting them."

George cleared his throat loudly. "Well, I'd best be off. Still need to find something for Angelina."

Hermione paused her rescue operation to stare at him. "You still haven't got anything?"

George waved a hand. "We've still got ages."

"George, you've got less than a week."

"Well, who's organised this early anyway?"

"I got mine a month ago," said Ron with a smirk. "So did Harry for that matter."

"Yeah, well there's a term for that too..."

"Which will not be repeated here," said Hermione loudly. She shot a very pointed look at the children. Ron had the grace to look slightly abashed, but George just laughed.

"All right, all right. I'll see you on Saturday?"

"Of course."

"Bye, Uncle George," Hugo yelled, momentarily tearing his gaze from the bags he was pulling open.

"Bye," Rose called. George grinned at the two of them, then there was a sharp crack and he was gone. For a moment there was silence, then:

"Can we put the chocolate on now?"

Ron laughed and squatted down next to him. "Why don't we stick with the baubles for now?"

"Big ones at the bottom," Hermione called automatically as she began to sort through the chaos Hugo had caused. "And-"

"Remember to spread everything out," Ron and Hugo chorused.

"We know," said Hugo impatiently.

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Then why do I always have to rearrange things?"

"Because you're a perfectionist," said Ron promptly.

Hermione threw him an exasperated look as Hugo tried and failed to hide snickers. "Thank you."

"I never said it was a bad thing," Ron protested.

Hermione shook her head fondly, but her attention was diverted from the habitual bickering when Rose's head turned yet again towards the clock. "Don't you want to put the baubles on, Rose?"

Rose shifted from foot to foot. "I told you, Mum, I've got things to do."

Hermione forced down the flicker of hurt. She had known that sooner or later the children would get too old to do silly family things like decorate the Christmas tree. She had thought she had been prepared for it.

Apparently not. She glanced at Ron, and though his face was hidden as he dug about in the box, Hermione had known him long enough to recognise his disappointment. Even Hugo frowned at his sister.

"But we always do the tree together."

Rose paused. "I know, and I like it, but..." She trailed off, her face a clear mask of indecision. Hermione cast desperately around for something to say that might help, but for once she was out of options. Rose squared her shoulders and opened her mouth, but at that moment Ron straightened up.

"At least put this one somewhere before you go."

The words died unspoken on Rose's lips. Hermione felt a smile spread across her own face.

The little clay bell in Ron's hand was not a thing of beauty. It was lumpy and misshapen, and cracked from where the box had been dropped a few too many times. But the colours were as bright as they had been on the day it had been painted, and Rose suddenly looked just as young as she had on that day when she'd presented it to Hermione with a beaming smile and a babble of chatter.

"Oh," she said softly. Ron silently handed her the ornament, and then shared a fond smile with Hermione as Rose held the little piece of clay as though it was the most delicate piece of goblin-made jewellery.

The atmosphere was broken rather abruptly when Hugo tugged on Rose's sleeve. "Well aren't you going to put it on the tree then?"

Rose scowled at him. "I'm thinking, all right." But Hermione could see the corner of her mouth twitching. Hugo beamed at her before diving for the box again.

"Where's mine?"

Ron rolled his eyes in an enormously exaggerated fashion and bent to help him look, but Rose continued to stare at the tree, her fingers tracing the smooth glaze of the bell. Hermione stepped forwards so she could wrap an arm around her daughter's shoulders. "You can go and write to Scorpius if you want," she said quietly. "We'll probably be here a while."

Rose hesitated for a long moment, but then the tension seemed to drain out of her body. "No. I'll stay."

Hermione looked down at her. "Are you sure?"

Rose nodded. "Yeah. I think so." She looked at the tree and a small smile touched her lips. "Besides, we need to even it out."

Hermione followed her gaze and couldn't suppress a groan. "What did I say about spreading things out?"

"But we needed to have the Gryffindors together," Hugo protested. "The Slytherins can all go somewhere else."

Hermione knew exactly who had put that idea into his head. "Ronald!"

"What makes you think it was me?"

All these years and he still had no idea how to look innocent. Hermione gave an exaggerated sigh and looked down at Rose. "Would you like to help me fix it?"

Rose's smile had developed into a proper grin. "Yeah. Can't have you being too outnumbered, can I?"

Hermione couldn't resist drawing her into a hug, and her own smile widened when Rose squeezed back tightly. She met Ron's gaze over Rose's frizzy hair and saw own contentment mirrored in his eyes.

One day they would be too old for this. But not today.

This is my first Next Gen fic, so any feedback would be greatly appreciated.