A/N: Written for The Houses Competition rub my MoonlightForgotten. Hufflepuff House. Short Story using the prompt 'Put me down,' Word Count: 1466. Enjoy!
Ronald Weasley was having a very good day. Everywhere he turned, he received praises consisting of 'Way to go!' and 'You're the man!' Some of the fellas would even pat him on the back with a sly grin on their face.
Ron didn't need to question such praises, after all; he was the Keeper for the Chudley Cannons and was doing a damn good job of it. He was used to the fangirls and the guys patting him on the back. Hermione never seemed to mind the attention he got either, being his girlfriend and all. She was always supportive of his actions, never asking questions regarding his actions, including his lack of proposal.
With a touch of his wand, Ron apparated back to the flat that the couple shared. As expected, Hermione had the space tidied up while she was at the Ministry like she always did, which was perfect if he had company home.
This time, a pretty little blonde wanted a personal autograph; and Ron could only oblige by his fans. Hermione wouldn't be back until later, so that gave him plenty of time to handle his business. He removed the Quidditch gear and tossed them near the bed; he'd have to shower quickly before his guest arrived. When she did, Ron put her over his shoulder where she promptly giggled obnoxiously, "Put me down!"
Ron's day turned from very good to very great.
The sun was replaced with the moon faster than Ron would have liked. He had to make sure that everything was in order when Hermione arrived. Like clockwork, Hermione popped into the flat a tired look on her face. She gave Ron a small smile and moved to kiss his cheek. Ron accepted the kiss, not noting the frown she gave from the perfume scent he missed on his neck.
"Did you get the deal?" Ron asked her casually, plopping down on the sofa and looking at her expectantly.
Hermione didn't do like she always did and sit next to him. Instead, Hermione placed her bag down and walked towards the kitchen.
"Of course I didn't," Hermione replied after grabbing a glass and juice from the fridge, "I'll have to file an appeal with someone in an upper office," she explained. It didn't matter because Ron was only half listening, so Hermione sipped from her cup and announced that she was taking a shower.
He decided to follow her, thinking that he could score thrice in a day once more. Too bad Hermione wasn't having it.
Ron's day turned from very great to very disappointing.
Weeks had gone by as this routine between the couple continued its course. The sun danced back in the sky to signal another day. Ron stretched and hoped to reach for another warm body, only to find a cold area. Ron sat up and saw that Hermione was already gone. This was a first; normally he would pull Hermione close to him before she would wake up and make him breakfast. Not only was she gone, but Hermione left a note informing him that the appeal hearing was given to her that morning.
His day was starting off bad.
At Quidditch practice, Ron did poorly because he hadn't gotten a proper breakfast, which messed up his game. His poor performance was received with a saddened look from the captain. He had gotten so worked up about the practice that he tossed his broom, and said broom proceeded to break.
Ron's day went from bad to terrible.
He needed to release some steam, and going straight home would not be the answer. Hopefully Ron would find someone to keep him company while walking through Diagon Alley. He greeted familiar and unfamiliar people alike on his way to the Leaky Cauldron, pausing once when Dean Thomas informed him of seeing the Keeper yesterday in town.
Ron sat at one of tables and stared at his butterbeer, contemplating Dean's words. He hadn't gone into Diagon Alley yesterday, so how could Dean possibly have seen him? It must have been a mistake, so Ron left it there.
Fortunately for Ron, he had someone to take home with him. What he didn't realize was that Hermione did not come home.
His day went from terrible to decent.
The next morning, Ron pulled the warm body close to him, but immediately opened his eyes when the familiar feel of bushy hair was not there. In its place was straightened hair belonging to another woman that was not his girlfriend. Ron quickly sent her on her way and prayed to Merlin that he hadn't been caught.
Those thoughts were quickly deadened because Ron was still alive. So his day started off safe. Unfortunately, Ron would have to buy another broom in order to have a proper Quidditch practice later. His mind wandered to his girlfriend, curious about her whereabouts since she had left the day before. It meant he would have to get breakfast on his own once more.
Before he left through the fireplace, an owl brought in the Daily Prophet with him headlining the cover with Hermione. It wasn't something new to him because Ron was always in the paper. He had to snort at the details of the paper as it described all of the romantic gestures that Ron showered Hermione with. What confused him was the fact that he and Hermione hadn't kissed in public recently, so how did they get the picture? Ronald shrugged; it must have been an old picture.
Ron left through the fireplace, landing in one of the shops in Diagon Alley with soot on his head. He knew his day was not going to be good.
Surprisingly, Ron's day had gone well so far. He bought a new Nimbus 3000 along with polisher. Grinning victoriously, he stepped out of the store and headed towards the joke shop when tons of reporters and cameramen started rushing through the crowd.
Normally the cameras went to him, as he was Ronald Weasley, so he had to investigate what was taking the cameras from him.
It took Ron's brain to process the sight a little longer than it should have, as he was staring at himself in the face with Hermione on the imposter's arm. The color of Ron's hair was matching the reddening shade of his cheeks as he stared at the scene of the 'couple' in front of him.
His day skyrocketed into the horrible scale.
Without thinking, Ron shot his wand out and fired the first spell that came to mind, which knocked the second Ron back into one of the alleys. Hermione gasped and quickly went after the flying body, giving the reporters exactly what they wanted as they tried to follow the scene as well.
The imposter Ron groaned on the ground, clutching his head as he reached for his wand. Ron was already there with a fuming face, wand drawn and pointing at the imposter's face. Hermione had arrived after disappointing the ravenous reporters by encasing the three in an impenetrable bubble that they couldn't see nor hear anything from.
"Ron, stop it!" Hermione yelled at him.
Ron looked at Hermione incredulously, "Are you kidding me, 'Mione?" he questioned, "This guy is a fake! Are you daft? You should be able to tell whether you're with the real me or not," he rambled on, causing Hermione to narrow her eyes.
"If I were daft, I would continue to put up with the moronic actions of my boyfriend who thinks I don't know that he's cheating on me every chance he gets!" Her statement was firm and sharp like a whip as it hit Ron that he had been caught.
"But 'Mione-" he started, but Hermione placed a hand up.
"Don't you 'but 'Mione' me, Ronald," Hermione scolded, "I've known for a while now, but I thought you would stop. I thought you would do better; but you didn't!"
While she was giving Ron a piece of her mind, the imposter started to change. His hair was shifting from red to a pale blond. His physique started to define more and lengthen in height. His expression went from pained to smug as he listened to Hermione's words.
"So I found a better Ron," Hermione finished with her arms folded, "a Ron that could never be you because he is better." She walked towards the man, "And you were too daft to see that you lost your girlfriend to Draco Malfoy."
Draco smirked in Ron's direction as he wrapped an arm around Hermione's waist. Ron was red in the face, sputtering and at a loss for words. The two were gone with a pop; and Ron was left to deal with the reporters that remained in the area after they were left with no information.
Needless to say, Ron had a pretty rotten day.