Written for the "Oh, to be in love!" contest at WeasleyFanClub on deviantART.
Disclaimer: characters belong to JKR, not me.
Hermione stumbled into her and Ron's flat, her arms full with an assortment of ingredients she had just picked up from the Muggle shop down the street.
"Ron?" she called, hoping to get some help putting down the groceries. No response.
She sighed deeply. Hermione had told Ron to meet her here at noon, as she had a surprise for him. Today was officially three years since their first kiss, and it was a day they had celebrated every year since. It was the closest thing they had to an anniversary, since they really had been an unofficial couple for a year before they shared their first kiss, and it was hard to put a date on when that started.
Hermione kicked the door shut behind her and carefully placed all the bags on the counter. That was the blessing and curse of living in a Muggle neighborhood – magic had to be kept indoors at all times. It made things like carrying multiple bags of groceries difficult, but it was also a comfortable reminder of Hermione's life growing up. If her parents could live without magic, then so could she! At least, for the most part.
She started unpacking her groceries slowly. Cocoa powder, shortening, buttermilk, whipping cream, cherries, Kirschwasser. The rest of the ingredients they needed she already had here. She had come across the recipe for Black Forest Cake when one of her coworkers was discussing the confection at a break. It's simply marvelous!, she had exclaimed, You must try it, my dear.
So that was what she intended to do today, in order to celebrate her and Ron's anniversary. She had planned to surprise Ron with all the ingredients and then they would spend a wonderful afternoon together, getting flour all over each other, perhaps getting distracted from cake-making halfway through…
But as 12:15 turned into 12:30, Hermione's hopes of this lovely afternoon began to dwindle. Where was he? Why isn't he here like I asked him to be? Damn, I knew I should have mentioned there would be food. Chocolate, nonetheless. Then he'd probably have been half an hour early…
Slightly dejected, Hermione began to make the cake, without Ron. She wished he wasn't so forgetful, she was really looking forward to this clever surprise she had planned. But she wasn't about to wait hours for him to come home. By then, she would be infuriated, having sat on the couch with nothing to do but brood about how he had forgotten to show up. Making the cake might at least take out some of the frustration that was beginning to build within her.
She cracked the eggs hard against the counter, imagining each was Ron's thick head as the clock now read 1 PM.
An hour later, there was still no sign of him, and she pictured Ron's stupid face in the whipping cream, whipping until her arms were sore.
And thirty minutes after that, she was having no luck at shredding the semi-sweet chocolate she needed to cover the cake with; the chocolate was melting in her hands before she could put the shavings in a bowl. The stress of the afternoon finally got to her: she dropped the chocolate, sunk down to the floor, and started to sob.
As soon as she started to really let out her emotions, she heard the flat door open and Ron yell, "Hermione? Bloody hell, what's wrong?"
He came storming into the kitchen area, fearing the worst, just as Hermione stood up and started wiping the tears off of her face. She left trails of chocolate behind on her cheeks.
Ron glanced at Hermione, and then to the mess in the kitchen. Suddenly, the truth dawned on him.
"Oh my God, Hermione, I'm so sorry," he said, taking his slightly sniffling girlfriend into his arms. "I knew there was something I forgot to do today!"
"I j-just w-wanted to do s-s-something special with you," Hermione said into Ron's shirt. "But you never even s-showed up!" She pulled her face to look at Ron directly, her sadness dissipating and her anger returning. "What the hell have you been doing all afternoon?"
Ron, knowing that no words would be able to quell the look of rage on Hermione's face, simply dropped his arms from around her and walked towards the door.
When he returned, he was holding a vase of lilies, her favorite flower. Hermione's look of anger changed immediately to one of shock as he handed the vase to her.
"It was taking me ages to find them," Ron explained, taking advantage of Hermione's temporary paralysis. "I clearly have no idea how to shop for flowers; had to visit Harry, George, – even my mum! – to ask for advice."
Hermione was still awestruck at this completely romantic yet so un-Ron-like gesture.
"But," she said, "there's no water in the vase…"
"Oh yeah," said Ron, chuckling, "You gave me a right good scare when I came in the flat, the water spilled on the carpet when I came in."
"Oh."
Hermione took the flowers and placed them on the counter, still in awe. Ron had never given her flowers!
Ron, becoming disconcerted with Hermione's prolonged silence, started, "You know, if you don't like them, I can always –"
But before he could finish, Hermione had turned around and locked him in a fierce kiss, forgetting all about the cake and only thinking of Ron and how incredibly lucky she was to have him, to have had him for three years. She pulled away to smile at him, and he playfully licked some of the chocolate off of her cheek.
Ron brought her in for another kiss. He lifted Hermione off her feet as he embraced her, in a quite similar fashion as another kiss they had shared, three years ago today.
Yay for fluff! Please leave a review :)
~HPLives