Guess whose back? Yours truly with *drum roll please* Part II of The Privacy Problem! And before I start I want to say thank you SOOOOOOOOOO much for being patient, being the best darn reviewers/ readers in the entire world, and for making The Privacy Problem my pride and joy. You've motivated me and made me feel like I wasn't a cheesy cliché writer with too much time on her hands and not enough talent. I appreciate you guys more than imaginable, believe me. Thank you soooo much. Seriously, I love you guys (not in a creepy way). You awesome-sauce people, you! Anyway Keep Calm and Read on. Did that seem tacky? What-evs.
And Voila:
Chapter 1: Guess Whose Back?
Red. The sky was a mixture of red, orange, with a hint of purple. It was a beautiful sunset, and it looked even better illuminating Ron's red hair. We stood on the lake's dock, waiting for the rest of Ron's co-workers to arrive in time for the portkey.
I held Ron's hand as tight as humanly possible, not quite ready to watch him leave. And judging by the light tremble and clamminess of his hand he was also pretty nervous.
"The next month is going to be hell for me", I muttered as I looked out at the calm flow of the lake.
"I'll only be gone for three weeks, it won't be that bad", Ron replied squinting at the fish swimming in the gentle waves.
Tears threatened to fall down my face. I really was going to miss him. A lot. I miss him already and he hasn't even left.
"Are you crying", he asked looking down at me. And of course that's when the bloody tears fall.
"Yes", I replied quietly, looking in a different direction. But it was too late. He'd already spotted the tears flowing down my cheek, running past my sunglasses, which I thought would conceal them if I did cry. He pulled me into a tight hug, and I hugged his waist as tight as I could.
"I'm going to miss you so much", I told him in a choked sob.
"I'll miss you too. This is going to be my hardest task yet", Ron said. He pressed his chin on top of my head and held me tighter (which I didn't think was possible).
I pulled away and wiped away my tears. I felt guilty and embarrassed for crying in front of him and the twenty aurors' who'd shown up only moments ago. But my tears weren't anything compared to Ginny. She was weeping hysterically as she held Harry like her life depended on it. Pregnancy hormones getting the best of her, probably.
Ron pulled up my sunglasses. Now I was positive he'd see how tear streaked my face was. I'd been crying all morning. My fiancé was leaving for his Final Task for the next couple of weeks, of course I was going to cry. I just didn't want Ron to see me cry. I didn't want him to feel bad about leaving like Ginny had done with Harry.
I looked in every direction but his. I don't think I can bear seeing those crystal blue irises without completely breaking down. But his hand was tilting my chin up, and the warmth and gentleness of his hand forced my eyes to look into his.
I bit my lip and looked down again and wiped away the next batch of tears flowing down my cheeks.
"It's not that bad. These next couple of weeks will fly by. I promise", Ron said. But he couldn't promise that. I'd done two weeks worth of research, and I discovered that the longest Final Task had lasted up to a year. And with my luck this Final Task will be even longer. And an average of 37% of aurors-in-training have died during the Final Task.
"I love you, Ron", I said to him. Because this will be the last time I'll get to say it to him in person for the next three weeks or possibly a year.
"I love you, too", he replied. I looked around. The number of aurors showing up for the Final Task had tripled. And the Head Auror was there with a floor lamp in his hands approaching the base of the dock.
"Can I get a kiss before I leave", Ron asked anxiously.
I didn't answer. I just brought his head down to mine and pressed his lips onto mine, like I'd never see him again.
"A MINUTE 'TIL ROLL CALL AND FOUR MINUTES 'TIL TAKEOFF!", the Head Auror yelled over the loud cries and conversations between the other aurors'.
Ron broke the kiss and looked over at the portkey and his boss and then back at me.
"I love you", Ron said again. And began to run over to the portkey that was now surrounded by aurors'. He stopped in his racks, ran back to me and kissed me again.
"I love you, too", I replied loudly. He kissed me one more time before running to the crowd around the portkey.
I looked over at Harry and Ginny. Ginny smothered Harry with hugs and kisses, refusing to actually let him go.
I walked over to the couple and grabbed Ginny's shoulder lightly.
"Let him go, Ginny. They're about to start roll call", I yelled to her over the loud conversations going on behind us.
"They can wait", Ginny yelled back.
"They can, but they won't. Ginny, let him go. You'll see him again", I told her.
Harry mouthed a 'thank you' and kissed her briefly before running to the crowd of aurors.
Ginny burst into a sob and sat down on the bench Harry had just escaped from. I sat down next to her and placed my arm around my shoulder, telling her it would be okay and that it was only going to be three weeks. Just three weeks. But it's hard to cheer someone else up when tears are coming down your own face. I looked up at the crowd of aurors' and tried to spot Ron, but they'd left too quickly. And pretty soon there was nothing but a flash of light. And then-
Blackness?
I sat up and opened my eyes to find my red walls and dark wooded floors. I let out a breath I had no idea I was holding. My room. Our room. Ron and my room.
I collapsed back onto the bed and closed my eyes with no intention of going back to sleep.
It was the sixth time I'd had that dream all week, and today was only Tuesday! It's probably because those 'three weeks' of Ron's final task have escalated to its sixth week. I knew he was fine though because of all of the letters he has sent me. But I still missed him. His voice, his touch, his hair, his eyes, his lips, I missed him. I opened my eyes and turned so that I was facing his side of the bed. My left arm extended out and moved in circular motions where his torso would've been. I stared at the engagement ring he'd given me two months ago when he proposed. It was an elegant diamond ring. I was extremely anxious for the wedding ring to go above it. But even more anxious for him to come home.
The was a knock on my door, which I was positive was Ginny. I tossed back my covers and got out of bed and opened the door to let her in.
She was gnawing on a strawberry licorice stick looking into space.
"Good morning, Ginny", I said, pulling her back into reality.
"Hermione! Guess what, I've got some fantastic news! Harry told me that they might be leaving soon", Ginny exclaimed. Her eyes were sparkling, and her face just beamed with enthusiasm. But I wasn't thrilled at all. Ginny reports that our boys- our men- will be back 'soon' every week. But I wasn't about to burst her bubble. She's been looking forward to them coming back, we both have. But I think she's a bit more anxious than I am considering she's five months pregnant.
"How soon", I asked, trying to make it seem like I was just as thrilled as she was.
She walked into the house. I shut the door went into the kitchen and started to make each of us breakfast, tea and toast.
"Harry says the head Auror has been hinting that they'll return in about a week", Ginny said happily. She almost reminded me of a five year old on Christmas Eve.
"That's fantastic! Did you tell him you discovered the gender of the baby?", I asked.
"No, not yet. You know he was really looking forward to being there with me when I found out", Ginny said, "I don't think he'll be too upset though. Especially being that it's a boy. Besides, it's not like he's lugging a baby around in his stomach."
I laughed, "Well I think he'll be too happy about being back and seeing you to worry about you finding out whether the baby was a boy or a girl."
"So what about you? Have you made any arrangements for the wedding that you haven't told Ron about", Ginny asked.
"Well I have begun to save money on the dress that I've been wanting. And I've been debating on whether to have the wedding at the Burrow or a church."
"Ugh! Please don't have it at the Burrow", Ginny replied disgustedly. I poured a cup of tea for her and set it in front of her.
"Why not?", I asked, partially offended.
"Because it wouldn't make it Ron and Hermione's wedding. It would be Bill and Fleur's wedding. You don't want to make it Bill and Fleur's wedding Part Two. Besides the Burrow doesn't read Ron and Hermione, it's more of a sanctuary for everyone. And definitely not a church, they make Dad and Ron feel uncomfortable. Too formal and traditional for their taste, I suppose", she paused to take a sip of her tea, "You see a wedding is an event that proclaims your love, a promise. A promise that you'll love this person and never stop, and I mean ever. But when you dig deeper into the meaning it's also supposed to symbolize unity. And the question is what makes the two of you. . . click? Not what makes you Ron and Hermione but what makes you THE Ron and Hermione. What do you symbolize? Or better yet what does your love symbolize?" She takes another sip of tea and a bite of the toast I just handed her on a napkin.
Crunch. "Now I'm thinking-" Crunch. "That the two of you symbolize. . .taking a bludger to the chest as you try to catch it. Expected but not expected." Cough! Crunch. Crunch.
"What do you mean expected but not expected?", I asked her curiously. I didn't know whether or not to take her statement as offensive or blatantly honest.
"I mean we all expected the two of you to fall in love and start popping out ginger geniuses', but we didn't expect the extra stuff." Slurrrrp! Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.
"What extra stuff?"
"Like how no one expected you to not be celibate. No one expected Ron to propose to you so. . .spectacularly. No one expected your no-boundary love. The two of you just scream spontaneous, not rebelliously but emotionally. Emotionally spontaneous. That's what you are. Or perhaps rebelliously spontaneous."
"I'm not following", I replied taking a bite of my own toast.
"You don't exactly follow the rules of romance. You've created your own special category in the category of love."
I was starting to understand Ginny's theory on our romance. We didn't exactly follow Couple Etiquette. For instance we didn't get together when everyone expected us to (the unexpected), however we did fall in love when they expected us to (expected). Or our first kiss, completely spontaneous. We didn't share our first kiss at Hogwarts all romantic and planned (but not exactly planned) like Harry and Cho did, we shared our first kiss in a war. No one would've ever expected Ron to propose to me so romantically, and no one would've ever expected for Ron and I to expose our vulnerability to each other. And no one would've guessed that by us being vulnerable together for a short moment would've made us stronger. And no one needed or needs to understand us. No one needs to determine what is expected or not expected. That's between Ron and I.
Ginny was absolutely right, Ron and I are infinite and special in our own way (which sounds cheesy, but it's true).
There was a knock on the door for the second time that morning. It was probably Bill asking me to prepare a meal for Fleur because her ankles are swollen again and Mrs. Weasley refused to cook. I sighed got up in opened my door.
It was a red headed, freckly, Weasley standing at my doorstep. But it was my Weasley. It was Ron. Standing at the door looking exhausted and rugged. With a rugged and exhausted Harry standing behind him looking worried. Ron dropped his luggage at the door. And I stopped breathing.
I reached out my hand to make sure I wasn't going crazy, to make sure it was actually Ron. I felt the damp wool uniform they had to use at the Final Task. It was actually him. Real. Completely authentic.
"Are you alright? You're turning blue", Ron said standing there at the doorway. His voice. It was like his voice was caressing my sense of hearing. I let out the breath I had been holding and screamed, making Harry jump and a porcelain teacup clank against the table. I wrapped my arms around Ron so tight that he was probably the one turning blue now. Ginny ran, well jogged, into the room.
"What is it Hermione?", she asked. And then she saw Ron, and then she saw Harry. And then Ginny let out an excited screech. She covered her mouth with her hand and tackled Harry into a bear hug.
"What are you doing here?", Ginny asked him between kisses. So it went more like: 'What.' Smooch! 'Are'. Smooch! 'You'. Smooch. 'Doing.' Smooch! 'Here?" Smooch!.
I don't know how she expected him to answer with all the enthusiastic kisses she was planting on various parts of his face. But he didn't seem too focused on replying because he was too occupied trying to catch her lips with his own.
I turned to Ron and couldn't say much. I could only hug him. Or hold him rather. Tears were rolling off of my cheek onto his uniform. And he returned the hug- hold?- with as much power as I did. I inhaled his scent. Even though he was covered with layers of sweat and grime, I could still detect the warm cinnamon apple smell that only he could pull of as masculine. I squeezed my eyes shut and felt the gentle spring breeze sweep over my face.
"I missed you so much", I whispered to him. I was surprised I was even capable of whispering. My throat was practically clogged with emotions. My heart was thumping and racing at the same time.
"I missed you too", he whispered back. More tears came down as I felt his cool breath hit my ear. I was shaking lightly from excitement and shock. Ginny and Harry had already broken their embrace and were discussing the size of Ginny's stomach.
"It's huge", Harry said rubbing his hand over her stomach.
"It's ours", Ginny replied in that girly, playful voice she always uses when they're being romantic.
"It's huge", Harry replied, clearly at a lost for words.
"Is that a problem", Ginny asked, clearly getting a little upset at him for breaking their romantic moment.
"N-no, of course not. It's- it's just so weird. It's just amazing. It's beautiful", Harry said, his voice started to crack and become weak mid-sentence. Ginny smiled and pretty soon tears were falling down her eyes, too.
I snaked my hand around my own waist and found Ron's hand. I entangled my fingers in his and squeezed lightly. I finally let go of him and led him to our bedroom without saying a word to anyone.
Six weeks, 46 consecutive days, and 1,104 hours without my best friend, my first love, my only romantic love, and my souls mate. And the first thing I had planned to do when he got back was throw a Welcome Home party for him and Harry. It was going to be a surprise. But he was the one who surprised me. And now my only plans were to lie in bed next to him. For him to hold me as much as humanly possible.
I sat down on the un-made bed and he sat down next to me.
"I was supposed to be throwing you a surprise party so that you didn't come home to a messy house, a messy fiancé, and an empty fridge. And you've been fighting all this time, you're exhausted. I know that the last thing you want to come home to is a dirty environment. I've just gotten so lazy. I'm sorry, if I knew you were coming back- I- Ron I missed you so much", was all I could really say. That's all that I'd really had on my mind.
"I don't care about how messy you think the house is. I don't much care about a party. All I care about is finally seeing you again. And I missed you a lot too. More than you can even imagine. And I'm exhausted, and I'm filthy, and I just want to spend today in bed and just be next to you. That's all I want."
Tears fell from my eyes again. Not because I was sad or happy, I just felt like this wasn't real. Like I was living in a dream.
"Go get yourself cleaned up. And by the time you come out there'll be a huge breakfast for you out here. And we can just lie in bed together all day long. I promise", I say to him. I bite my bottom lip gently and observe him. He did look very dirty. His uniform that was originally supposed to be black and white was now a yellowish grey and dirt stained black pants. His hair looked like it hadn't been washed in months- it hadn't been washed in months. His face was dirty too. He looked the same way he did when we'd gotten back from the war, just a little less dirty.
"Sounds good", was Ron's reply before he got up and went to the bathroom.
Twenty minutes later, I'd finished cooking him a full blown breakfast that contained eggs, bacon, French toast, and tea. Ginny and Harry had left while Ron and I were talking, I assume. So it was just Ron and I. Perfect.
I put his food on a tray and carried it to the room. He was clearly just getting out of the shower. He had on a pair of plaid burgundy boxers and was using his towel to dry his face and hair. I straightened the bed and pulled back the covers and fluffed the pillows. I took off my robe and tossed it next to my slippers on the floor in front of my side of the bed. I hadn't been wearing anything warm and snug under my robe- just regular red pajama pants and a black t-shirt with white stripes. Goosebumps formed on my bare arms and I couldn't determine whether it was because I was cold or nervous to be next to Ron for the first time in six months.
I fumbled with my fingers as I waited for him to get into the bed so that I could hand him the tray. I watched him put on his teal t-shirt and grey sweatpants. They looked a bit loose on him, he must've lost weight during the final task.
He finally got into bed and I picked up the tray and put it in his lap.
Awkward silence.
I got in with him and waited for him to start talking. I bit my lip.
Say something! I thought to myself.
"Why didn't you tell me you were coming back?", I asked him.
"Because Harry and I wanted it to be a surprise", he replied with forkfuls of French toast in his mouth.
"What was training like?"
"A living hell. They really don't take it easy on you. Ever. The broom lessons were brutal, I don't want to see another broom for the next two months. And the there were those bloody battles with those stupid boggarts. It wasn't like the boggarts at Hogwarts, it was far worse than that. They'd send multiple amounts of them. Seven, ten, twenty all at one time. And then the tests. The tests were the worst part of the entire Training. Someone got a finger blasted off."
"Well you did it. And now you're officially an Auror. Besides you've been through worse with the war and all. There wasn't a doubt in my mind that you wouldn't be able to do it."
"And speaking of the war, the whole staff kept praising Harry. He barely lifted a finger throughout the whole Training. And they kept comparing me to him. 'Run Weasley! Run! Is that what you call running? Your pal Potter over here is already finished with his laps, and you can't even get through one!' I suppose they forgot that they were making me do fifth teen and made Harry do five. And when Harry and I confronted them they said that it was punishment for me not keeping the cabin clean. Bloody prats. I swear, at one point I considered quitting. It felt like Hogwarts all over again, except a billion times worse."
I pictured Run running through a snowy forest while Harry looked helplessly beside the staff. Just thinking of it made me angry. I mean Ron did have to be compared to Harry for a majority of his life. At home, at school, and now at work.
"That's horrible. I'm surprised you held out for so long."
"The only thing keeping me going was you. You're the only person who has never compared me to Harry. Or made me feel like Harry and I were in some kind of competition."
"That's not true, your parents and Ginny don't compare you to him."
"Mum's always comparing me to Harry. And Dad basically forgets that I'm his son when Harry's around. And Ginny, well she couldn't have made it clearer that she doesn't need me if Harry's there. After all he's the bloody Boy who Lived, and the Chosen One. Sometimes I wish w hadn't even became friends."
"Well it's not like it's his fault. Besides, let everyone compare you to him. Because the last time I checked, without you, Harry and I wouldn't be here. And Merlin knows you could devour him at chess with a blindfold on and one hand behind your back. Harry is Harry and you are you. And if no one can accept that you aren't Harry, so be it. Because there's so much more to you than just being Harry Potter's best friend."
"Like what", he asked. Hearing the vulnerability behind his words was painful. How could he not see it?
"Are you kidding? You're smart, funny, clever, loyal, brave, romantic, you're- you're brilliant! You're a great friend, a great son, a great brother, and a fantastic fiancé. And Harry's all those things too, well I wouldn't know about romantic, but you have your own uniqueness about it. It's what makes you Ron and what makes you not Harry."
"I wish everyone else could see that way", Ron muttered, chewing the last piece of bacon on his plate. He put the tray on his nightstand and lied down on his back with both hands behind his head.
I snuggled up next to him and he held me. Just like I wanted him to. My leg draped over his right leg and my arm was on his chest. Perfect. I was finally content. But this Harry vs. Ron thing was obviously still bothering him.
"You don't have to live up to other people's standards. Live up to your own. What other people think doesn't matter", I said to him, "And one day you will realize that there's only one red headed, blue eyed, number one Chudley Cannon fan, named Ronald Bilius Weasley whose fiancée is crazy about him. And being compared to Harry won't matter to you."
There was a long silence. It wasn't awkward like before, it was more of a calm quiet. Like a hot cup of coffee beginning to cool down.
"I really missed you Hermione", he finally said.
"I missed you too", I replied. He stroked my wild curly hair and kissed me on my forehead.
His lips. I missed them so much. And it was just now occurring to me that this was the first time he'd kissed me in six months. I sat up and held his face and placed my lips on his. He tasted like Cool mint toothpaste and bacon. I could feel stubble along his face. A beard in the process of growing. He must've forgotten to shave. But it was okay with me. Just finally getting to feel him was enough to make me happy.
We broke away at he same time and smiled.
"I love you, Hermione."
"I love you too, Ron", I replied.
We went back to our original snuggly, cuddly position. I kept lightly inhaling his scent and reveling in the feel of his warm body beneath/ beside mine as his fingers lightly ran through my hair.
We both drifted off into a deep sleep. And I dreamed of our wedding. The atmosphere of the dream was very. . . .infinite. Just like us.
Do you guys have friends or family in the military? (Review and Favorite if you do J)
Well than hopefully you can understand this chapter. And this Harry vs. Ron stuff may seem like an irrelevant, unnecessary part of the story, but trust me I know what I'm doing. Anyway, I hate to be that author that goes out of her way to make this a priority for her readers but Read and Review please! I neeeeed your feedback to tell whether or not this is a no-go or a. . . .yes-go? OH! And I almost forgot, for those of you who'd been reading Like You Mean t, I deleted that thing, because of this story. So for those of you who've read that you might have a clue on where this plot is heading, and I emphasize on the MIGHT part.
Sincerely,
Jay
