Lost Love

Christmas Surprises

Molly and Arthur's living room was strewn with shreds of wrapping paper and ribbon. The children sat, en masse in the center of the room, oblivious to the adults around them, playing with their new toys.

Hermione sat on the sofa, gazing at her son, who, after a day, was finally beginning to warm up to his cousins. Every now and then, he would glance over his shoulder, just to make sure she was still there, then return to playing with the magical toy truck Arthur had given him for Christmas, which belched puffs of white steam as he pushed it across the carpet. Hermione could see that Arthur was desperate for at least one of his grandchildren to share his adoration of muggle things.

Ron had sat next to them during the opening of the presents, then disappeared shortly after Stephen had taken his truck into the middle of the room. The rest of the adults were talking quietly together around the room, watching the children play out of the corners of their eyes. Hermione was just about to go over and see what Ginny and George were talking about so avidly when Ron reappeared and handed her a small box.

"One last present, Hermione. I was going to drop this off before I left for Romania again, but I guess this is better, anyway," he smiled.

"But...I don't have anything for you, Ron."

He grinned. "It doesn't matter. I think you've more than made up for that."

She blushed. "Ron, don't say that. It makes it sound like..."

His grin grew broader. "Just open it."

She carefully opened the small package, and inside lay a small jewelry box. "Ron, you didn't..." she whispered. He declined to answer, and waited for her to open it. Inside the box lay a small, silver, heart-shaped locket. "Oh, Ron..."

"Look inside."

Inside the locket was a picture of Ron and herself from their school days on one side, waving vigorously, and on the other... "Stephen." She looked up at him. "Where..."

"Harry helped. That's where I've been the past half-hour. Trying to get the silly thing in there." Hermione looked up at Ron, eyes sparkling. He grinned as she tried several times to speak, then chuckled. "If I'd known that would keep you quiet, I would have tried it while we were still in school."

"Oh, do shut up, Ron..." she said huskily, and wound her arm around his neck, pulled him down, and kissed him soundly. His arms wrapped around her, and she was soon lost, the only two things remaining in the world were Ron and the box holding the locket.

However, the kiss was suddenly ended when Ron broke away, and shouted, "Ow!"

Stephen stood in front of him, glaring with a glare that was so familiar, Hermione was hard-pressed to keep from giggling. "Leave mummy alone!" he shouted at Ron, brandishing his toy truck that he had obviously slammed into Ron's shin.

Still nearly giggling, she called to her son as Ron rubbed his damaged leg. "Stephen, come here. It's okay. He's allowed to do that. It's called kissing." Stephen climbed up onto her lap, but looked at her doubtfully. "Look, sweetie. See? He gave me a present, and I was just thanking him." She opened the locket, and showed him the pictures inside.

"That's me!" he crowed. He glanced at Ron, then back at Hermione.

Hermione nodded when he looked at her. "Mm hm. Do you know who they are?" she asked him, pointing to the picture of herself and Ron at Hogwarts.

Stephen looked up at her with big eyes and shook his head no.

"That's me and your daddy from when we were young."

Stephen's eyes got wide. Hermione never talked to him much about his father, and had never so much as shown him a photo before. "That's...daddy?" he asked, looking at the picture, and then back at his mother. She smiled and nodded, and Stephen continued to examine the picture, looking up at his mother, then back at the picture, and then finally, out of the corner of his eyes, over at Ron, who had scarcely moved since Stephen had climbed onto Hermione's lap. He turned around, the locket still grasped carefully in his fingers, and whispered into her ear.

Ron's heart was in his ears as he waited to see what Stephen was whispering to Hermione. Hermione smiled at her son, then said, "Yes, but give me the locket first, okay?" Stephen nodded and handed the necklace to her, then climbed off her lap and onto Ron's. His big blue eyes met Ron's and for the first time ever, Ron felt his son's arms encircle his neck. "I love you, daddy," he heard softly in his ear, and a tear rolled down his cheek unchecked as he held his son in his arms. After a minute, Stephen pulled away, grabbed his truck, took one last look at Ron, then returned to the middle of the room to play with his cousins some more.

Hermione looked at Ron, who was still staring at Stephen. "Hey, there, 'daddy.'" He turned to her, startled. "Help me put this on?" He grinned, and she turned around and lifted her hair out of the way while he fastened the locket for her. Closing the clasp, he pulled her back to his chest. "Thank you," she said.

"No, Hermione. Thank you," he said as he put his arms around her.