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Ronald and the Muggle Doodad
By Oriondruid.
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Story Summary: How Ronald Weasley learned to love muggle gadgets.
Author's Note: A million apologies to any readers awaiting updates of my currently unfinished multi chapter stories. The long delay has been due to several personal factors, including the threat of possible imminent homelessness and a bad bout of clinical depression, to which I am subject from time to time, the effects of which damage my creativity. However, my mood disorder at least is now 'on the mend' for now and hopefully my iffy housing situation can be resolved soon. As things are 'looking up' a bit I've found myself at least able to write this little Ron and Hermione drabble, based in my personal post war projection of the Wizarding World. Hopefully soon I'll be back writing at 'full power' and able to complete the outstanding stories. For now, thank you for your patience.
Many Blessings, from Oriondruid.
Disclaimer:With regard to the following story, the characters and settings in this story belong entirely to the works and 'world' created by our beloved J.K. Rowling and I am grateful that she so kindly allows us, her fans, to enter her world and 'play' for a while. This is an entirely amateur work and not for profit.
Several months after Ron & Hermione's marriage.
"Hermione, you and your muggle gadgets, I just can't keep up with them all. What the hell is this little doodad? It looks a bit like that mobile phone thingy you've got, but it has these weird little bits of plastic on the end of a wire coming out of it."
Hermione looked at her husband with an expression of long suffering patience and replied. "Honestly Ron, you're hopeless when it comes to technology, it's always been the same. I s'pose it's because your from a pureblood family and were raised without electricity, but you've always had trouble with muggle electronics, ever since I've known you. Even using something as simple as a land-line phone used to baffle you. This is my new iPod Ronald, it plays music through those two little bits on the end of the wire. You put them in your ear and you can listen to any music you like, as long as you've already got it stored on the machine. I use it when I'm out jogging along the riverbank or working out in the Ministry's fitness centre after work, it helps stop me getting bored whilst exercising. Here, I'll show you what it sounds like, you just have to pop the little earphones into your ears, select a track and push play.
"It won't make electricity shoot through my brain from those earphone thingies will it?" Ron asked, looking a bit worried."
"No Ronald, Hermione replied, slightly scathingly, "It's only sound that comes out of them. In any case I doubt any electricity would hit your brain even if it did shoot out, there's a lot of empty space in that skull of yours, it'd most likely miss what little brain there is in there."
"Very funny, I don't think," Ron replied, hesitantly putting the earphones in his ears. "Okay then let's have a listen."
A look of astonishment and delight appeared on Ronald's face as the music began to play. He had only previously heard recorded music on wind-up gramophones, on large, cumbersome and old fashioned wizard radios or on the small, tinny sounding, enchanted transistorised version of one that had been able to pick up wizarding broadcasts, which he'd carried with him when the trio were on the run from the Death Eaters during the war. Ron was astonished at the quality of the sound he was hearing from the little gadget and delighted at this new muggle innovation that Hermione had found. He soon began to tap his feet along with the musical rhythm he was hearing, saying, (much too loudly as he couldn't hear his own voice properly), "This thing's bloody amazing Hermione, I've gotta get myself one of these."
Hermione stopped the playback and smiled at him, saying, "Well, Christmas is coming up soon, I'll get you one of your own as one of your presents, but I'll have to show you how to download the music you like onto it from my laptop. In any case, I've been meaning to show you how that works and get you a bit computer literate. Now that the Ministry's researchers have found a way to shield electronics from magic it's about time you started to learn how to use a computer. Being muggleborn like me has it's advantages when it comes to using technology, but there's really no reason now why any intelligent witch or wizard shouldn't join the Information Age. Despite my little joke just now you are actually quite bright Ron, for a pureblood that is." Hermione said teasingly.
Hermione continued saying, "I'll teach you how to use the machines Ron. With the winter drawing in it'll give us something to do to while away the cold dark evenings. Well, that and the 'other thing' of course." Hermione smirked and winked at him.
"Sounds good to me Hermione my love, George has been saying that he wants to modernise the business now we're fully back up and running. Perhaps I can help with that if I can learn how to use one of those computer thingies. But as for this evening, well it's getting a little late in the day to start my 'computer course', however, I believe you mentioned another 'hobby' we both enjoy?"
Ronald winked suggestively back at Hermione and then leaned over and kissed her. A few pleasurable minutes later Ron used Dumbledore's old Deluminator to turn out the living room light, as together, hand in hand, they headed up the stairs of their little riverside cottage for an 'early night'.