I still remember…
A one-shot told from Ron's point of view – regarding the night he and Hermione conceived Rose. Ron is having a rough time at work, and Hermione helps him relax. I own nothing. I've never written a fanfic from Ron's perspective, so I thought I would give it a try. Hope you enjoy. Rated M.
I still remember the night we conceived Rose as if it were just yesterday – even though it's actually been more than a decade.
Hermione I had been married for three years and at that point, together for a total of eight. I had been an auror for five years – a point at which anyone who wasn't in management had to recertify.
To be honest, Harry and I were both accepted into auror training with open arms just a few years after the war. At the time, our fame was enough – allowing us to bypass the entry level testing and skip straight to training. You see, the practical skills and demonstrations were not a problem for me, but written tests were my undoing – just as they had been my entire life.
Sometimes the war seemed a million years ago, and that was certainly the case now at the Ministry of Magic since things had been on track for so many years. Now, I was just another auror – nobody special – and I would need to take the recertification tests the same as everyone else, including Harry. I wouldn't have been quite so nervous except you were only allowed to attempt recertification once every five years. If I passed, I would be up for promotions; if not, it would be another five years in my more entry-level position before I was even able to try again.
Suffice it to say, I was stressed to the max and not the nicest person to be around. I had been studying non-stop, sometimes with Harry but mostly on my own, for the past few weeks every evening after I got home from work. Hermione had been understanding and had even helped me a few times, but now, even that was annoying me. Most likely because I felt certain she was learning the information better than me and didn't even need to know it. I was out of sorts to say the least.
On this particular night, I had shoveled in dinner as quickly as possible and retired to the family room to study. Our dining and family room were attached in our apartment, so Hermione was still in the same room as me. The test was on Friday, in just four days, and I felt like time was working against me. I was still setting up my work area – I honestly hadn't even opened a book yet, so Hermione was still chatting as she cleared the dishes. "… can't wait for Merryweather to start as my assistant next week! She will be the first house elf in history to hold an administration position at the Ministry. I…" She started to continue, but I cut her off.
"Hermione, do you ever stop talking?" I barked. "I already had to hear about that at dinner, and quite frankly, I don't give a damn about your bloody assistant right now. I'm trying to study." As soon as the words left my mouth, I regretted them. She had been nothing but supportive, and I was taking out my frustrations on her for no reason. I usually loved hearing about her work with the house elves. The hurt look on her face solidified the terrible mistake I had made. Under normal circumstances, she would have screamed back at me, but she just said, "Sorry," very quietly and carried the dishes into the kitchen. I can't begin to describe the level of shame that I felt. If she had screamed back at me, it would have been better. Her response was a testament of how much I had hurt her. I felt like I did all those years ago when I recognized how much it hurt her when I had left the tent during our horcrux hunt. I was stupid then and stupid now.
I got up from the couch and followed her to the kitchen where she was putting dishes into the washer. "Hermione," I said, "I'm so sorry." She turned around, and I could see tears streaming down her face. I moved to hug her. I thought she might shove me away, but instead she collapsed sobbing into my arms. "I want to help you," she said, "but I don't know how." I breathed deeply feeling terrible but relieved at the same time with her in my arms. I tipped her head up to look at me. "It's not you, love," I said. "I should not have snapped at you that way. You are all that's holding me together right now. I'm just on edge. I'm truly sorry." I wiped away the tears from her eyes with my thumbs.
"I know," she responded as she pulled herself together. "Your just so different right now. Talk to me. Why is this getting to you so much?"
"Well," I started. "I don't' know. I guess I just feel like I'm going to fail. Like I'm 17 again getting ready to blow my apparition test. This test could make a huge difference for our future, and I just don't want to let you down." It was the truth, and as soon as I said it, admitted it to myself and Hermione, I actually felt a bit better.
She softened at my admission. "Ron," she said taking my face in her hands. "You won't let me down, no matter happens. I see you trying your hardest. Honestly, I think you need to give yourself a break. You know this stuff – you've been doing it for years. It's not like a potions test back at Hogwarts where you weren't actually using the skills everyday. I really think you'll be able to pass this test." I could tell from her tone that she meant it wholeheartedly. She wasn't just saying that to make me feel better.
"Thank you for your faith in me," I said smiling down at her. "I just wish I had that same confidence."
"I tell you what," she said. "I'm going to go change out of my work clothes, then I'll see if there's something I can help you with. Okay?" "Okay," I said and kissed the tip of her nose.
To this day, I'm still not sure if she decided she was going to do what happened next at that moment in the kitchen or after she got back to the bedroom. Either way, I'm so glad she did.
I settled back down on the couch and continued pulling out my books and papers while she trotted off back to our bedroom. About ten minutes later, I heard her coming back down the hallway. When I sensed her enter the room, without looking up from the book I had open I said, "So there's this section on runes that's giving me some trouble. I know you're brilliant at those, so I thought we could start there."
"Actually, I had something else in mind," she responded. At her words, I finally looked up. I had to blink a few times to make sure I wasn't dreaming. There she stood a few yards away in pretty much nothing. She was wearing a light blue piece of lingerie that I hadn't seen since our honeymoon, and it left little to the imagination. "Bloody hell," I said out loud. She looked amazing, and I had no more words. I remember telling her once when we had first become intimate that it hurt to look at her because she was so beautiful. That statement rang absolutely true at that moment. Still does. I always feel a special sense of love knowing that I'm the only person in the world who's ever seen this side of her.
As I continued my stunned silence, she walked toward me and powerless against her, I let her pull the book from my hand and deposit it on the coffee table. She then climbed on my lap. "Ronald," she started wrapping her arms around my neck. I loved it when she said my full name. When we were kids, she used to say it when she was mad me; now, she mostly used it when she really wanted me to pay attention to what she was saying. She absolutely had my full attention. "You know that I'm quite possibly the biggest fan of studying in the whole word. But, I also know that at some point, you have to take breaks, or trying to learn becomes useless. You can't retain the information if you are too tired and frustrated. So, I think the best thing that I can do to help you right now is force you to take a break. It can be 10 minutes if you want, but I think if you relieve some tension perhaps you can refocus your energy and return to your studies with a new perspective."
I finally found my words. She didn't have to convince me. "Well, who am I to argue with someone as brilliant as you," I said grinning. "Exactly," she said and kissed me.
As soon as our lips met, I knew this was, indeed, exactly what I wanted and needed. It was so many things at once. Hermione and I hadn't made love in weeks since I had been coming to bed so late from studying, so it was a well overdue moment. What's more, Hermione was an incredibly giving and passionate lover, but it was quite rare for her to actually make the first move. The fact that she had put herself out there like this to help me – especially when I had been such a git – turned me on more than I thought possible. Finally, though we were still newlyweds in many ways, I don't mind admitting that our love life was pretty much contained to the bedroom these days. It was lovely, of course, and usually more frequent, but it had been some time since we had shagged on the couch in the middle of the living room with all the lights on. I felt 19 again – like the days when we couldn't get enough of each other, especially before we were married. There was a time when we were lucky to make it the couch when Hermione had been on holiday with her parents for a week or I had been sequestered in auror training. When we saw each other after being apart, we literally couldn't keep our hands off each other. It had taken us so long to finally admit our feelings for each other, and once we had, there was no going back.
Tonight felt just like that – one of those times where we couldn't get enough of each other. We kissed for a bit, and I felt Hermione unbuttoning my white work shirt and pulling it from my khakis. She then slid off my lap and knelt on the floor in front of me. She looked up at me smiling as she unbuttoned and unzipped my pants. We didn't say a word as I lifted slightly for her to pull my pants and boxers down to my ankles. Without hesitation, her mouth was suddenly on me. I might as well have been king of the world at that moment. I couldn't remember another time feeling so wonderful. I let her continue for maybe five minutes until I needed her so much I couldn't wait any longer. I reached for her arms and pulled her back onto my lap. Lucky for me, she didn't have on any underwear, and I pushed into her slowly. 'Mmmm," she groaned as she buried her face against my neck. I pulled her face back to mine and started kissing her again deeply as we rocked together. It wasn't even two more minutes before I couldn't hang on any longer. I moaned her name as I let go. As soon as I was finished, she hugged me close and nestled against me.
"You're amazing, you are," I said and kissed the top of her head as I held her close. I had told her this many times before but not in a long time. She pulled back to look up at me and grinned. "Feel better?" she asked. I chuckled. "You have no idea," I responded. Realizing that Hermione had not had nearly as much fun as I just had, I added quietly, "Sorry I couldn't wait for you to, you know…" She laughed not letting me finish. "Ron, this was about you. It's fine, I promise. I had a great time." "How did I get so lucky?" I asked out loud tucking strand of her hair behind her ear. She smiled and kissed me again – much more softly this time. "I'm sure you'll figure out a way to return the favor," she said seductively. Seriously, could this woman be any sexier? "With pleasure," I responded and kissed her again.
"So," she said as she climbed off my lap. "What do you say we go take a shower and change into comfy clothes, and then I will help you with those runes." "You bet," I replied and let her pull me up from the couch and back to our bathroom. The night continued to get better as it had also been quite some time since we had showered together. I'm pleased to report that I kept my promise and made sure Hermione felt just as good I had before we got out of the shower, dried off and returned to studying.
Four days later, I passed my test – and not just barely. I passed with flying colors. Hermione was right – per usual. Once I got in there and started the test, it really was basically just explaining what I did every day. Later that year, I applied for and was promoted to a management position, and I never had to take that test again.
Four weeks later, Hermione emerged from our room one Sunday morning looking a bit boggled, sat down at our dining table for breakfast and poured orange juice instead of milk into her cereal. "Hermione," I said pulling her from her daze. "Are you okay?"
"Yes," she replied looking at me. "Ron, I think I'm pregnant." My eyes got big, and I could not remove the smile from my face. "Really?" I asked. "Are you sure?" "Well, no," she responded. "But, I'm more than a week late for my monthly cycle, and I just took a test and it was positive. I'll need to confirm with a doctor, but I think I am." I jumped up from my seat and rushed over to her scooping her in my arms. "I love you so much," I said as I kissed her all over her face. She giggled and said, "I love you, too."
We had made love a few times since, but I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that night was when we conceived our daughter – a night of pure love and passion.
Later that week, the doctor confirmed that she was, in fact, pregnant and nine months later, we welcomed our Rosie into the world. It was among the happiest days of my life.
Now, here we are – Rose will be 11 next month and off to Hogwarts a month after that. Every day, when I look at her, and Hugo and Hermione, I feel like the luckiest man alive, just like I did that night so many years ago.
***Hope you enjoyed it. I welcome reviews.***