A/N: I rather like this story.
"Hermione! There you are!" Harry called, waving her over. Hermione grinned and walked over to where he, Fred, George and Charlie were standing, holding bottles of Butterbeer. She gave each of them a kiss before standing next to Harry.
"How are you?" he asked. She shrugged.
"I'm okay."
"Ron said you looked tired," Charlie said. Hermione raised an eyebrow.
"Did he?"
"Yep. Said you looked like crap," George quipped. Hermione turned to him.
"Did he?"
"No I didn't. I said you looked beautiful," Ron said, coming up to stand next to her. He had spotted her from the kitchen.
She smiled. "That's what I thought," she said giving George a look. George just grinned.
"Come on, let's leave this lot to themselves," Charlie said, shoving his two brothers away. Hermione watched them leave before turning back to Harry and Ron.
"Can I ask you something?" she asked as they took a stroll down to the lake.
"What?" Harry asked. Hermione looked around, then turned to them.
"Have you been having any problems with creature attacks lately?" she asked. Ron frowned.
"You mean, like the attacks you had a few days ago?" he asked. Hermione nodded. Harry shook his head.
"Not that I can remember… but wouldn't you know? I mean you do specialize in creature wounds."
Hermione shook her head. "Sure, but I see so many wounds that I forget which patient's an Auror and which one is just some idiot messing around with a Hippogriff," she said. Harry watched her for a moment and frowned.
"That's not the only reason you asked us, is it?" he whispered. Hermione shook her head and took a deep breath.
"Look… we have a feeling that this thing, whatever it is, is Death Eater related. I want you two to be careful, okay? I know you two and at the first sign of danger, you two always seem to be there right in the middle of it." The two men smiled. Hermione gave them both stern looks. "I'm serious, boys. I don't want to see you two coming in with wounds like that. I don't think I could handle that. Please be careful," she whispered. Upon seeing her eyes tearing up, Harry and Ron sighed, feeling slightly ashamed of themselves. Ron put an arm around Hermione and pulled her into a hug.
"We promise to behave, okay" he said. Hermione sniffed.
"And promise not to take any dangerous missions for the next few days," she whispered.
"And promise not to take any dangerous missions for the next few days," Harry repeated.
"And you won't do anything stupid," she mumbled.
"Harry promises not to do anything stupid," Ron said with a straight face. Hermione pulled away and looked up at him.
"I was talking about you, Ron," she whispered. Harry chuckled as Hermione gave Ron a peck on the cheek before linking her arm with Harry and walking back towards the Burrow. Ron rolled his eyes and followed. Hermione leaned into Harry.
"So… how are you really?" she asked. Harry sighed; glancing over his shoulder to make sure Ron was out of hearing range before he turned back to Hermione.
"Ginny and I got into a fight," he whispered. Hermione frowned.
"What about? She never told me about anything."
Harry shifted uncomfortably, glancing down at her as they walked. "Well… that's the thing. It was about you," he whispered. Hermione almost stumbled from surprise.
"Me? Why are you fighting about me?" she asked, completely confused. Harry shrugged.
"I'm just guessing it's that time of the month again," he mumbled.
Hermione frowned. "Harry… you and I have been friends way before you and her even liked each other? Why is she suddenly getting all mad?" she asked, hurt.
Harry shifted and stuffed his fist in his pockets. "You know how Ginny can get," he offered.
Hermione didn't like this. There must have been more to the fight than just her. "What happened then? Did you do something?"
"What makes you think I did something?" Harry countered defensively.
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Look Harry. I spoke to Ginny yesterday and there was nothing wrong with her. So obviously you did something, or didn't do something and my name got pulled into the argument," she said logically.
Now it was Harry's turn to roll his eyes. "Damn it, Hermione. Just drop it, okay," he snapped.
"Did you break something?"
"No."
"Say something wrong?"
"No."
"Forget something?"
"Maybe."
"You must have done something bad," Hermione commented.
Harry let out a frustrated sigh and turned to her. "Can we please drop this?" he pleaded.
Hermione stood straighter, giving him a non-pitying look. "What did you do?" she asked.
Harry glanced back at Ron, who was taking his time then sighed. "Do you remember that night we spent discussing the Greyson case?" he asked.
Hermione nodded, frowning. "We stayed up all night talking about it," she whispered.
"Yeah, well, that was the night I was supposed to meet Ginny for her big promotion dinner," he murmured.
Hermione's eyes grew large. "What?" Before she could press the subject Ron caught up with them. As they walked up to the Burrow, Hermione shot him a look that clearly said that she'd be talking to him later about it.
Dinner at the Burrow that night was wonderful as usual. Mrs. Weasley asked them all several questions concerning jobs and such. The topic however that caught Hermione's interest was when Percy started talking about a particular person. Hermione's head shot up.
"You know Alex Benguard?" she asked curiously. Percy straightened his glasses and nodded.
"He comes around the office sometimes. Alex has several friends in high places you know, seeing as his father is Head at St. Mungo's. He knows his way around. You do know he's back in town," Percy said. Hermione nodded.
"We saw each other a few days ago," she replied. Mrs. Weasley looked interested at this point, her eyes glancing over at Ron before questioning Hermione.
"How do you know this man?" she asked casually. Not catching the tone, Hermione smiled.
"We used to go to training together after I graduated. He's sent me occasional letters, telling me how he is and such," she replied.
"Apparently they got cozy when studying the human anatomy," Ron muttered, earning him a nasty look from Hermione. This remark, however, heightened Mrs. Weasley interest in this popular man and she asked another question.
"Did you two used to date?"
Hermione, as well as several others including Harry and Ginny, spluttered on their food and drink, looking at Mrs. Weasley with surprised glances. Ron just scowled at the implication and stared at Hermione with an expectant look. Hermione coughed.
"I'm sorry, what?" she asked, hoping she had heard wrong. Mrs. Weasley looked completely unfazed.
"Did you two used to date, dear? You and this Alex bloke?" she repeated. Hermione's eyes immediately went over to Ron, who was watching her carefully. Hermione pulled away from his intense gaze, straightening herself.
"No, we didn't date. We were just friends, Mrs. Weasley," Hermione said, more for Ron's sake and her own than for Mrs. Weasley herself. The woman however didn't seem satisfied.
"That's what you said about you and Ronald, and if I can remember correctly-"
"Mum!" Ron protested. Hermione's face had gone completely red and her eyes were down at her plate. Mrs. Weasley flamed up.
"Well it's true!"
Arthur leaned in and whispered something to Mrs. Weasley but she only got angry.
"Well why should I be quiet and act like it never happened? If it hadn't been for that stupid war we might actually have some additional faces at the table," she stated, simply yet aggressively. At that implication more coughs could be heard as other family members choked on their food. Ron went completely pale and looked at his mother as if he was back in second year and meeting Aragog for the first time. Hermione threw down her napkin and stood up, her face redder than the Weasley's hair.
"I think I've stayed long enough," she muttered, leaving the table quickly. Ron glared at his mother before getting up. Hermione was just putting on her cloak when he came into the small hall. She was muttering to herself.
"And if I can remember correctly," she mimicked rudely. "Who the hell does she think she is?"
"She's my mum," Ron answered. Hermione looked up and then back down, hooking her cloak. Ron stepped closer.
"Look, Hermione," he started. Hermione held up her hand, shaking her head.
"Don't Ron… It's not your fault. I should have realized what your mother wanted and just shut up before she got on a roll," she whispered, looking up at him with a weak attempt at a smile. "It doesn't matter anymore. You've moved on and I've moved on and that's what does matter. You're mother's just going to have to deal with that," she said. Ron nodded, shoving his hands in his pockets and ignoring the screaming voice coming from his chest. Hermione walked over to him and gave him a small kiss on the lips before picking up her bag.
"Until then I'll just be avoiding this place for a while," she whispered. Ron chuckled.
"Oh yeah. Just let her cool down for a while," he said. Hermione smiled. They stood there for a moment before she pulled him into a tight hug. She stood on her toes and leaned into his ear.
"I'll see you later," she whispered. Ron nodded turning to her. Intense blue met soft chocolate and the gaze stayed for a moment before Ron leaned in and kissed her gently. Hermione's grip on his shirt tightened at the action as she let him come closer. One hand came up to cup her face as they held each other close, clinging to the moment and knowing that sooner or later they'd have to let go and move on. But for the moment she let him kiss her. She let him embrace her. It was nice to be in his arms again. She opened her mouth slightly to his, letting their tongues brush and causing her to inhale deeply. Ron's hand came up to her hair, pulling her closer, kissing her gently.
"Hem, hem."
Ron literally jumped a foot in the air from hearing the familiar cough of a teacher he'd much rather forget. Hermione and he turned to see Harry standing there, with a raised eyebrow and a questioning gaze. Hermione glanced up at Ron before going over and giving Harry a quick kiss on the cheek. Harry couldn't help but smirk.
"Ron gets a snog and I get a peck?" he asked cheekily. Hermione rolled her eyes and offered a smile.
"Goodnight, Harry," she said before going out the door. They could hear her Disapparate. Harry turned to Ron and gave him a worried look. Ron just walked past him, not saying anything. Harry stayed where he was, his mind on what he had walked into. Was it a sight of two lovers or just two friends holding onto what could have been? Harry closed his eyes. He could tell Hermione was trying to move on, but Ron… the look that came to his eyes every time she was around was hard for Harry to bear. He knew Ron was still trying to cling to what was left of his and Hermione's relationship but… Harry sighed. If Hermione didn't stop leading him into such situations, she'd end up in the middle of something she couldn't handle.
A/N: Sorry guys! Half way through the 13th chapter of Haunted I had a sudden blast of genius and completely deleted what I wrote and am changing it completely and seeing as exams are coming up in a week, I will definetly not be updating as often as you'd like so this will probably be the last update in a while. Hope you like it!
OzDust: I was looking that chapter over before I put it on and I actually decided to add that little fight sequence before I posted. The actual thing ended after Alex compliments Ron. I wasn't actually going to make the two hate each other so early in the story, but when I reread it I was thinking to myself. Come on! Ron's not Ron unless he picks a fight with the guy Hermione dates. Unless of course it's Victor Krum, then he picks a fight with Hermione, but seeing as Alex is there, go for it! I just had to add that little bit. Hope you liked it!
cellogirl: Well, things are just getting started.
Avanell: Don't worry about Alex. The men Hermione dates always have an interesting role.
charma10: From the looks of things, it seems as if Hermione's the one who is procrastinating.
Wesker888: Yeah... Ron's my hero!
Chapter Tease:
Ron watched her for a while then sighed, taking his hand away. Hermione instantly felt the loss of warmth and wanted it back. She reached out and took his hand again. Ron looked up at her with searching blue eyes and she blushed...
