The golden trio are in fact Muggles in this parallel universe, just (hopefully!) a fun twist. Reviews would be great and feel free to have a look at my other works too, thank you! Disclaimer: I own nothing.
"I'm actually considering whether to swap you both for Ginny, honestly! She can be my flat mate instead, I bet she'd be a lot more tidier than you two," Hermione huffed, plucking one of Rons' crumpled red socks from the carpet and wrinkling her nose with disgust. Her mouth was set into a firm line and her chocolate brown eyes bore upon them sternly, almost as if she were scolding two young children that had misbehaved. She glared at Ron, awaiting an answer. Ron, however, just shook his head in disbelief, as if he couldn't quite believe she was prepared to argue over a sock - the stubborn side of her personality shining through in that moment. Harry shook his head and chuckled pulling on his jacket as he went, ruffling his already dishevelled hair in the mirror; his green eyes sparkled with anticipation as he turned towards the door.
"Speaking of Ginny, I'm off. I'll be back tomorrow... Please try not to kill each other while I'm gone." He winked at the pair and swiftly opened the door, stepping out into the cool night air. He hadn't seen Ginny since Sunday, 5 days ago and it was their 3 year anniversary. He wanted the night to be special.
"Oi! What about the bloody washing up, Harry? You're not getting out of this again." Ron grumbled, annoyed that his friend would not be contributing to the house work again. Admittedly, Ron knew he had no room to talk, Hermione was after all the tidy one, but still - why should he have to wash up? Again. He wasn't some kind of servant. Harry turned around, an expression of amusement plastered on his face. Quickly, he tried to exchange it for one that was of pity.
"Ah, sorry Ron I can't. I'll make it up to you tomorrow, I promise." Ron considered this for a moment, his red hair shining in the light. Suddenly, his scowl was replaced with a look of delight.
"Does that promise include a bucket full of chicken wings?" he asked hopefully. Harry nodded with a laugh and Ron grinned, "Brilliant! Say hi to my dear sister for me."
Harry turned; the stars, just visible through the cloud-strewn sky, glistened brightly as the moon cast it's spotlight upon the trio, bathing them in a pool of sliver momentarily before he closed the door.
The house was suddenly hushed and Ron was painfully aware of Hermione standing so close behind him; this would be the first time in a while it would be just the two of them and Ron couldn't help but feel a little self-conscious as he turned and grabbed the sock from her grasp, trying to ignore the shiver running up his spine the brief contact of their finger tips had caused. He swallowed in an attempt to calm his nerves - why was he feeling so nervous for god sake? He had only been her best friend for years, after all. As always, Hermione rendered him bereft of speech. Ron quickly recalled the first time he experienced a sense of clarity, realising the full extent of his feelings towards her only after the event; at the school disco, with her hair in an elegant knot, wearing a beautiful flowing gown, she had looked absolutely beautiful. And then he'd noticed who had asked her. Viktor Krum. The best rugby player in the whole school, Hermione was not his usual type, and yet he had asked her and Ron had realised he was absolutely furious. Furious was in fact an understatement. It felt as if a beast had stirred inside him at the sight of the two dancing and, with Krums' hands around her waist, the beast had practically roared, rearing it's ferocious head causing Ron to snarl at anyone who had spoken to him that night.
At the time, Ron hadn't known he was in love with her. He had known he was angry, hell he had known he was jealous - but he hadn't known why until he lay in bed that night. With his hands behind his head, Ron had stared up at the ceiling as if the answer to what he was feeling would suddenly materialise in front of him. The vision of Hermione laughing with Krum consumed him. Trying to order his tangled thoughts into something coherent, something had finally leapt out amid all the rage he was feeling - love... Ron suddenly snapped back out his thoughts at that, remembering he was supposed to reply to Hermiones' annoyed remark.
"Hermione, you love us too much, you know, you wouldn't ever send us away. After one day you'd be crawling on your hands and knees, begging for us to take you back." His blue eyes sparkled as they latched onto hers and he watched as she couldn't help but grin. However, the grin soon faded for she remembered she was supposed to be annoyed. Walking back into the living room, arms crossed, she strived to maintain her stubborn mood but found it had quickly dissolved as soon as the front door had closed. It was the first time in a while herself and Ron would be alone; at the very thought, her heart skipped a beat with excitement. She struggled to concentrate on Rons' comment.
"Don't kid yourself, Ronald." She smiled as she suddenly remembered, "Aren't you supposed to be doing the dishes?" For once, she thought. Ron grimaced, all thoughts of his feelings for Hermione presently pushed to the back of his mind.
"If only I could do magic." He sighed, "Well the dishes won't do themselves, I 'spose."
He reluctantly strode over to the sink and turned the tap on, filling the bowl up with fairy liquid as he went. Pulling his jumper off so he was just in his T-Shirt, he set to work scrubbing the dishes, the evenings spaghetti sauce still staining the plates. Perfect distraction. Well, almost perfect.
"It's good watching someone else clean for a change, now I know how your mum feels - oh you missed a spot, Ronald." Hermione teased, leaning up against the cupboards beside him. She began to observe the way his hands gently put pressure on the sponge to release the soap before scrubbing the plate in circular motions, the water droplets balancing on the edges as he placed them on the side. Hermione had coped with her strong feelings for Ron for years, but since he, Harry and herself had become flat mates, her feelings had increased to an extent that every time she was near him, she fought the mounting desire to feel his arms around her. She adored the way he was awkward yet funny, somewhat moody at times but the life and soul of their friendship. Yes he infuriated her to no end, but Hermione had finally admitted to herself that her anger was a defence mechanism replacing the hurt she would undoubtedly feel if she were to declared her feelings. "I could get used to this." She sighed, thankful it wasn't her plunging her hands into the bowl and scrubbing the plates.
"Hm, are you sure about that?" He asked, throwing a mischievous sideways glance at Hermione. Her eyes flew to his face with confusion.
"Wha-?" Before she could finish her sentence, he had scooped up some of the water and flicked it towards Hermione. She squealed as the bubbles nestled into her hair and Ron smugly turned his back with a "Ha!" He reached for the last plate that needed to be washed, but his hand froze as he suddenly heard Hermione's hand sink into the water. Turning, bracing himself, he came face to face with Hermione clutching bubbles in her small hands, her gaze fixed on him, a smile dancing on her lips. With her hair tumbling around her, and that trouble-maker glint in her eye she always adopted when she knew she was doing something wrong, Ron wasn't sure whether he wanted to run from the inevitable or take her in his arms and kiss her, wiping the smile off her lips as he swept her off of her feet...Stop it Ron, you know you can't!
"Hang on a bloody minute, Hermione... I- I think I had a right to blow bubbles in your face after that remark of yours-" Hermione stepped forward suddenly and Ron grabbed her wrists as she made to flick her hands forwards. Her spine tingled and she realised then she was in danger of forgetting her revenge completely; wrenching her hands back, without hesitation, she blew the bubbles in his face. There was a moments silence as she watched the bubbles settle into Rons hair satisfactorily, before reaching up and rubbing them in for good measure.
"There. We're even" She grinned, unlacing her fingers from his hair, a little later than necessary. Ron stood dazed for a moment, his heart pummelling against his chest at the sudden closeness. He struggled to find his voice, for Hermione had not stepped backwards. On the contrary she had moved even closer so she was an inch away, gazing up at him with those smouldering dark eyes. Her face was suddenly seriously and he could feel the warmth under the weight of her look. His whole body tingled as he imagined himself leaning forwards, closing the gap between them and feeling those soft, full lips against his - it didn't last long, however. She quickly moved away, tearing her gaze from him before grabbing the towel to dry the dishes.
"Hey, that's my job tonight." He started, taking the towel off of her, "Why don't you choose a DVD we can watch together?" He wanted to relish the time alone they had together, even if that was just watching a DVD.
"Okay, get set on the popcorn!" She smiled excitedly, "I know just the film." She turned to make her way back through in the living room but before she could;
"None of that romantic rubbish, you want to put something on that'll entertain me, too." Ron quickly averted his eyes from her backside as she turned around, and he was surprised to see a blush upon her cheeks. Damn, had he just been caught? That was the thing with Hermione, he had been in love with her for so long he sometimes forgot to act like just friends, and now he'd gone and got himself caught - brilliant! And yet her reply had nothing to do with his previously lustful stare, but left him shocked and practically gawping like a fish;
"Oh, don't worry, I'm perfectly capable of entertaining you, Ronald," she replied innocently.
And with that, she turned and walked into the living room...
Hope you enjoyed, please review - Not 100% sure on this story so feedback would be brilliant, thankyou, and I am also debating whether to add another chapter! Hope everyone had a good Christmas and New Years.x