A/N: This was s little something I threw together for Hermione's Birthday!
It had started in third year, a LOT of things started in third year come to think of it. Her 14th birthday had been very uneventful, even as her birthdays went. The Grangers had never been one to make a fuss over birthdays, so Hermione really never missed anything by not being home. She was not like her dorm mates who dramatically announced their birthdays loudly for weeks before the actual date and squealed in excitement when they received magical packages full of completely frivolous gifts. So first and second year passed without anyone, including her best friends, knowing when her birthday even was.
It may have stayed that way indefinitely if it hadn't been for Crookshanks. When she saw him in the store, she knew immediately how she wanted to spend her birthday money. He was perfect: all ginger fur and attitude and an intelligence that she couldn't quite explain again, a LOT of things started in third year. But when the store owner gave her the price, and Hermione laid the money out without even flinching, she couldn't help but notice Ron's expression. It was a look that made her feel like she did when Malfoy made some snide comment about his robes or his family, so she quickly blurted out, "My parents gave me this money as an early birthday present!" She hoped that it would help soothe his feelings, but instead she could almost hear him thinking, "Ten whole galleons for your birthday! You really are spoiled!"
Of course Ron Weasley wasn't really thinking that, but it did still shock him that her family seemed to have so much extra. But, in a moment of blossoming maturity, he decided to focus on what she had let slip.
"How early?"
"Huh?"
"Your birthday, when is it?"
"Oh...uh...the 19th."
"Of this month?"
"Yeah."
He nodded at her, and before she knew it they were bickering about the merits, or lack thereof, of her new pet. By the time the 19th arrived, she had all but forgotten that she had even told him about it. It was a Sunday, but thanks to her massive course load she was swamped with extra work. She avoided using the Turner unless she could absolutely not avoid it; she had been warned to use it sparingly because there could be side effects, so she spent most of the day literally up to her eyebrows in books and assignments in the library.
As she furiously scribbled revisions on her Arithmancy essay, a short piece of parchment drifted over her stack of texts and landed in front of her surprised face. Lifting her head quickly, she could see no traces of life; the rest of the library's patrons had cleared out hours ago. When she examined the piece of paper she found that it was some kind of homemade card. It was folded (somewhat unevenly for her perfectionist tastes) and bore "Happy Birthday" in large sloping letters on the front. Opening it she found an illustration of what appeared to be Crookshanks looking into a crystal ball with the caption, "I see that it's your birthday. Hope it's purr-fect." She laughed before she could help herself, and Ron came around the closest shelf holding a small bundle, grinning broadly.
"You are the only person that I have ever met that would voluntarily spend their birthday in a library," he sat down beside her, offering her what he carried.
"Hmph...just because I was born on this day doesn't mean I should get behind on my revisions," she tried to keep her tone stern, but she was sure he could tell just how happy she was that he was there.
"Behind? Hermione Granger has never been behind a day in her life! I bet you were even born early!"
"Well, actually…I was born three weeks before my mother's due date."
"Oi! I was just joking, but it all makes sense now!"
" .ha. So, did you come here to tease me or what?"
"Nope...that was just a bonus. I came to bring you that," he motioned over at what he had sat on the table, "It's not a gift or anything...I mean...it's just that I haven't been anywhere to buy you anything," his face started to go a little red.
She interrupted, "Of course not, honestly, birthdays are not a big deal to me, the card was great!"
"You liked it?"
"Crookshanks has never looked better!"
"Well, good...I also brought you something to eat. You weren't at dinner, so I wanted to make sure you didn't go starving yourself. And I got you a few birthday biscuits! I would have gotten you cake, but you like biscuits better...and cake is hard to carry cause the frosting gets all smushed and...well, any way: cheers!"
"Cheers!"
She could not believe, later as she drifted off to sleep, just how great a birthday could be.
That had been the start of it. Every year the gift she looked forward to most was Ron's card. The drawings, which really did show a talent that she could not believe he never showed off to anyone else, were always something amusing and always included a clever caption. She kept them all in a box in her trunk until the day she modified her parents' memories. She could not bear the thought of them being lost or ruined on the hunt, so she hid them in a secret, magical compartment in her bedroom before leaving for the Burrow.
After their narrow escape from the Ministry, Ron's splinching, and the effects of the locket, Hermione had all but forgotten about her birthday. And, had she remembered, she would have assumed that Ron surely had more important things on his mind. So, imagine her surprise, her unbridled joy, when she opened The Tales of Beadle the Bard on that one particular Friday in September, to find the gift she wanted almost more than any other because you really can't wrap a kiss. The card, folded much more beautifully than usual, with an extremely well drawn picture of their tent, nestled in the pines, and the caption "No need to PINE, your birthday will be divine." She almost groaned aloud at the horrible pun, but stopped short at the signature:
Love, Ron.