A/N: I'm supposed to be writing a paper... Shh! Don't tell anyone that I'm procrastinating!
Tallyho!
Chapter 7: Interlude
31 December 1998
Ron walked into the small pub in muggle London, looking around. When he spotted the person he was meeting with, he smiled and walked towards her. She looked up at him and put her book down on the table, standing to greet him.
"Hi," she smiled.
"Hi," he replied, kissing her softly.
She slid back into the booth, him sliding in next to her. He entwined his fingers with hers and smiled at how easily her small hand fit with his. When the waiter came by, they placed their orders, then waited for him to be out of earshot before they began to speak. "I'm sorry I couldn't see you on Christmas," he said.
She shook her head. "That's alright; I wouldn't have been able to get away, anyway. Mum and dad were adamant that we spend this holiday together as a family. Not that there was much family chatter," she said, bitterly. "Mostly, mum and dad discussed business while my sister and I just waited to be excused so we could return to our room away from the 'family business' talk."
"How bad was it?" he asked.
"On a scale from one to ten? Seven." She sighed but said nothing else as their waiter returned to their table with their food. After he left again and they began to eat, she spoke. "They love us, I believe that. But they're so focused on the family business; even now. It's like they're ignoring that we went through a war; that my some of friends are dead; that I wake up screaming from terrible nightmares. It's like it's better for them to just pretend it never happened and expect my sister and I to do the same. I can't take much more of it."
Ron shrugged. "Everyone copes differently; your parents just chose the avoidance method." He brushed some hair behind her ear and gave her a small smile. "I just bought a flat near Harry about a week ago. It's kind of small and not decorated, well, at all but maybe when you're done with school, you could come live with me? It'd get you out of your parent's place and we'd be able to see each other more often."
She smiled at him. "You'd be willing to shack up with me that quickly?"
"If it meant I got to see you every day, then yes."
Her smile grew at that a little. "You know how scandalous that would be to pretty much everyone, right?"
He smirked and shrugged. "Probably; but what's life without a little excitement, right?"
She giggled and nodded. "Okay."
"Okay?" he said. "Okay, as in 'you'll move in after graduation,' okay?"
She kissed his lips lightly and nodded. "Yes."
He grinned and kissed her a little more passionately again. When they broke the kiss, she was blushing and a small smile was on her face. Ron smiled at her but jumped when he remembered what he wanted to give her. "I forgot, I got you something for Christmas."
"Oh, Ron, you didn't have to do that," she argued but he shook his head.
"I wanted to," he smiled. He pulled a rectangular black box out of his pocket and handed it to her. "Happy belated Christmas," he said.
She opened up the box and gasped at what she saw. Inside was a simple gold chain with a singular white pearl sitting in the center. "Oh, Ron," she began.
"I know it's not much," he cut her off, "but when I saw it, I knew I had to get it. It reminded me so much of you: beautiful and elegant yet strong and sincere. My pearl in a sea of diamonds," he said, taking the necklace out of her hands and clasping it around her neck.
She touched it lightly and smiled. "Diamonds don't come from the sea, Ron. And, aren't they more valuable than pearls anyway?"
"Not to me," he said.
She felt her heart swell as she understood the meaning behind his words. She gave him a soft kiss that, while it looked sweet, promised so much more that would come later. When they broke, Ron smirked at her. "You ready to get out of here?" She nodded and he signalled the waiter to bring the check.
Once he had paid and they left the restaurant, the couple wandered off to a secluded spot to apparate back to Ron's flat. Once there, her lips crashed against his and they stopped talking for while after that.
P.S. The pearl necklace is on the WCN Pinterest board.
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