Chapter Text
Predictably Hermione was the first of them to bring it up. It was Sunday morning and they’d had a lie in, exhausted and a little hungover from Dean’s birthday party. Hermione, sitting at the table and reading them the morning post had looked up and announced;
“I’d like to keep my name.”
Ron peaked in his head from the little room where he’d been cleaning Pig’s cage and Crookshanks’ litter box.
“Well alright then, seems fair.”
“No arguments?” she asked, looking a little surprised.
“Why would there be?”
“Well before I said I was going to change it-”
“And I was supportive then why wouldn’t I be now?” Ron asked, a little heated. “It’s your name, not mine.”
“You’re right.” Hermione smiled at him and he stuck out his tongue returning to his task. She looked over at Harry. “What do you think?”
“Granger’s a great name,” he answered from the stove where he was plating up breakfast, “Could you see if we have any of that jam left?”
“Ron?”
“Yes?”
“Have you thought about what Hermione said?”
“Probably not,” Ron answered honestly, “What’s this about?”
“Her not changing her last name.”
“Oh, that. Well it’s her name, isn’t it? To be honest I was a little surprised when she’d decided to change her name before. Didn’t sound like her.”
“No, I didn’t think so either.”
“That’s why people shouldn’t get married at nineteen,” Ron said sagely and then gave Harry a sly look. “Couldn’t even admit to ourselves we had the hots for our best friend.”
“Yes, that was rather foolish of you.” Harry teased, “What about you? Do you think you’ll change your name?”
“To Granger?” Ron asked looking a little surprised. “I dunno, are you thinking of it?”
“I don’t know, seems weird not to have the same last name,” Harry said. “What’ll happen when we have kids?”
“Hadn’t really thought about that,” Ron said quietly. “You’re really considering giving up Potter?”
“No, not giving it up necessarily. People hyphenate, don’t they?” Harry said.
“Ah, I suppose,” Ron agreed. “Weasley-Granger, Potter-Granger. Or it would have to be the other way around, wouldn’t it? Otherwise, people wouldn’t say Granger.”
Harry was quiet.
“Is that not what you were thinking?”
“No, no it was, it’s just,” he paused. “But then we wouldn’t have the same name.”
“Oh,” Ron said, seeing it. “I suppose not. Weasley-Granger-Potter is quite a mouthful isn’t it?”
They sat there, quietly contemplating it.
“You’d change yours though?” Harry asked finally.
“Well, sure, if that’s what we wanted.”
“But is it what you want?” Harry asked.
Ron could feel him staring at him, hard and knew at once he wanted a specific answer but wasn’t entirely sure what that was or even if he was willing to give it. “I dunno, but we’ve got plenty of time to figure that out haven’t we?”
He stood up, not wanting to upset Harry over something he hadn’t had the chance to consider himself. “Come-on, we told George we’d be there by noon.”
“So, are you really going to follow through this time or should we stock up on tissues?” George asked good-naturedly.
“Bugger off,” Ron said, rolling his eyes. “It’s us that want it this time around, not mum.”
“Just checking,” George said with a wink. “I think you made the right choice, mind. Marriage isn’t something to be taken lightly.”
“Is this where you launch into advice on how to be a good husband?” Ron asked, making an exasperated face.
“Gods no,” George shook his head. “If you ask my wife I’m a pretty terrible one as of this morning. Apparently I’m supposed to know when she doesn’t feel well and not make eggs on those mornings.”
Ron looked over and found George staring at him intensely.
“Well, shame on you.” He tried.
“Bloody hell Ron. Do I have to spell it out?”
“It would help if you did,” Ron answered, oblivious. “What, did she drink too much last night?”
“No,” George rolled his eyes. “The opposite actually.”
It took another moment. “Oh, is she…?”
George nodded, putting a finger to his lips. “Just found out, not supposed to tell anyone.”
“Well keep giving hints like that and no one will ever know,” Ron said even as he rose to embrace his brother. “Congratulations and all that, you’re going to make a fantastic dad.”
“I hope so,” George answered, beaming. “Raised you alright, didn’t I?”
Ron rolled his eyes as George tousled his hair.
“Mum’s the word,” George said. “That is until Granger figures it out which I expect will be any minute.”
“Nah, if anything you have to worry about Harry, he’s strangely observant when it comes to this sort of thing.”
“Can I ask you about something?” Ron asked quietly.
George nodded.
“They’ve both decided to keep their names.” Ron went on without looking up. “I think it’s only it’s fair. They’re the only ones left with their names and all.”
“What’s your question?”
“I’m thinking about taking their names.”
Silence seemed to stretch on after his statement.
“And dropping Weasley.”
“Ah,” George said, nodding.
“All three would be a mouthful, no way anyone would ever say it. And our kids are already going to go through enough having us as parents, the last thing we need is to make their names more complicated than it needs to be.”
“And you want to be apart of that,” Goerge said knowingly.
Ron nodded, folding and unfolding his hands. “Do you think mum and dad will…?” he trailed off, not knowing how to ask.
“I think if you promise mum grandchildren she’ll be on board with just about anything,” Goerge answered. “They’re your family, you should do what feels right.”
Ron grinned, rolling his eyes. “Yeah.”
“No one will ever doubt who you are,” George said seriously. Ron nodded. “Believe me, do you know how hard we tried at school to convince everyone that you weren’t our brother?”
“Shut up.”
It was in an empty hotel room, behind a locked bathroom door, an entire continent away that Ron whispered it for the first time. “Granger-Potter.”
It was nice, rolled off the tongue well enough. He could picture their children now. Brilliant like their mother, brave like them all. Red hair and freckles or untidy hair and glasses. Blue eyes like his own or the green or brown eyes he’d spent days lost in.
“Granger-Potter.”
He’d already made up his mind about their children when one day they took that next step. It was so easy, effortless. But how own?
“Ron Gra—“
He paused, studying his own complexion. He’d always been a Weasley, his entire life. Had never thought about not being one. But the thought of them, his family all sharing one name without him?
“Potter-Weasley-Granger.”
No, Hermione wouldn’t like that, being last. No one would bother, even he knew that.
“Granger-Potter-Weasley.”
Still a mouthful and the same problem. Ron closed his eyes, gripping the sink with either hand and leaning on it heavily.
“Ron Granger-Weasley. Ron Potter-Weasley.”
Merlin’s pants, why was this so hard? Everyone knew he was a Weasley, no one would ever deny him his family even after he changed his name.
“Ronald Billius Granger-Potter.”
It didn’t sound right. He tried changing his expression. There was plenty of Weasleys. But there was only one Granger and one Potter and he was lucky enough to have them both. He could do this for them, wanted to do this for them.
“Ron—Ron Granger-Potter.”
He loved his partners, wanted to spend his life with them. It was completely unreasonable to ask them to do something he couldn’t do himself.
“Ron Granger-Potter.”
The Granger-Potters. He could see it now, a Hogwarts Letter addressed to their eleven-year-old, arriving by post and the thought made him smile.
“Granger-Potter, Mr. Granger-Potter.”
A family, theirs. There’d be no more speculation, no more insulting that he was cheating on or with one or the other. A clear declaration of who he was, what they meant to him.
“My name is Ron Granger-Potter.”
He looked at himself again, an unconscious smile on his face.