Above her the clouds turned grey and started to group together in the sky, rain was coming, she knew that. She was just hoping that she could get home before it started. Walking quickly down the street with her beaded bag slung on her shoulder, and a shopping bag in her hand she sighed. Hermione hated going home to an empty house. She would put on music, turn on the fire and wear his shirt just for the smell of him, but it wasn't the same. It still felt strange. She missed talking to him, kissing him, just him being there with her.
Reaching their house, their first proper house together, they had finally bought last year she pulled out her key. She loved that they had keys, it was so ordinary, so muggle like. She didn't have to use her wand, she just had to put the key in the lock and the door would open. She smiled as she looked down at the key, it was weird but when Ron wasn't here she spent time reminiscing.
The keys were his idea, his magic. She was at work when the house was officially theirs. He came into her office, as she was getting ready to leave, so they could go home together, which they did as often as they could and gave her the key. At first she thought it cute, but when he explained the magic she thought it was amazing, and a great idea on his behalf. Only the two keys, and then two spares given to Harry and Molly, could open the door.
Pushing the key into the lock and twisting it, Hermione opened the door walked in and stood still looking at the already burning fireplace.
"Ron?" Hermione whispered, not sure whether to believe it.
"In the kitchen." Ron replied.
Hermione shut the door behind her, dropped her bags and ran towards the delicious smell coming from the kitchen. He was making her dinner.
"You're home!" Hermione said, wrapping her arms around Ron who stiffened as she did so, kissed the top of her head and then pulled back.
"How was it?" Hermione said, her concerned eyes running over Ron, trying to figure out if any serious injuries took place. Ron's hair was still slightly wet from the shower, his face had a few minor scratches, nothing that wouldn't be gone by tomorrow, he was wearing an olive green long sleeved jumper and his old baggy, grey track pants.
"Why don't I tell you during dinner." Ron said, flicking his wand and sending more ingredients into the frying pan.
"I'm just going to have a shower. Care to join me?" Hermione said, kissing Ron before he pulled away again.
"Maybe later, dinner will be ready in five." Ron said turning back to his cooking.
"Oh ok." Hermione said, trying to keep the disappointment out of her tone.
Leaving the kitchen, she ran up the stairs and she got a change of clothes from their bedroom and then jumped in the shower. After a long day of work, she loved the feel of the warm water running down her face, and the tantalising smells of dinner wafting under the door and filling the room. He was back, she loved it when he was home.
"'Mione!" Ron yelled as he plated up the dinner. Flicking his wand, he moved the parchment that he had spread across the table and shifted it onto the table by the fire, so he could continue it after dinner.
Hermione pulled her hair up into a messy bun, opened the bathroom window and placed her hairbrush on the sink, managing to knock her tweezers onto the floor as she did so. She groaned, then lowered herself onto her stomach and looked underneath the bath.
Finding her tweezers, she went to grab them when she spotted two droplets of blood, one smudged by the top of a finger, no doubt by Ron trying to clean them up. Grabbing her tweezers Hermione stood up and scanned the bathroom, looking for another sign, but she found none.
Not content with her search, but knowing there was nothing else left to find she made her way into the living room/dining room. Throughout dinner, Hermione filled Ron in on her last six days, how Harry and Ginny were doing, and what everyone had been up to.
Ron spoke briefly of his mission, he never really liked talking about what he saw or did there, especially this soon after coming home. Hermione didn't bring up the blood, although it often returned to the front her thoughts, whenever she saw him flinch, or was she just imagining it?
After dinner, they washed the dishes together like they always did, Ron washing and Hermione drying. It often surprised her how easy it was to talk to him, they never ran out of things to say. They had a routine, when Ron was home to uphold it at least.
When they had finished the dishes they would make their way through their pile of parchment, reading and writing as needed. Hermione would sit at the dinner table, the parchment spread around her. And Ron would sit on the floor, leant against the couch in front of the fire, parchment spread both on the floor and on the table in front of him. Every so often one of them would get up, make tea for them both, kiss, then get back to work.
Three hours and four cups of tea later Hermione was only halfway through her sizeable stack of parchment, when she could take it no longer.
"Ron." She said, turning away from the table and looking at him. He was leaning against the couch in a slightly contorted position, not in a way that she had often seen him in before.
"Yeah." He replied absentmindedly, still absorbed in the piece of parchment he was reading.
"Whats wrong?" Hermione asked, staring at him, concern clear in her eyes. Ron looked up at her as she spoke, his blue eyes finding hers.
"Wrong? Nothings wrong." Ron said blank faced, his whole body remaining still under her gaze.
"Then take off your shirt." Hermione said. Standing up from her chair, she began walking towards him, slowly but purposely.
"What?" Ron said looking puzzled up at Hermione as she approached.
"Take off your shirt." Hermione repeated, her eyes watching Ron's every move as she spoke.
"No." Ron said, backing away slightly as she reached out her hand. He moved his body quickly, and his face turned a little paler as he did so.
Hermione grabbed at the bottom of his shirt, and immediately felt his whole body stiffen when she made contact with him. He bit back any sort of sound, but his face went a tell-tale white, as he grimaced, and clenched his fists.
"Ron!" Hermione exclaimed dropping her hand and stepping back. "Whats wrong?"
Ron stood up shakily, pushing himself up with his right arm against the parchment covered table. His face was whiter still when he stood up, all night he had been able to cover up his pain, but he was no longer doing so well.
"Hermione, you have to promise me you won't freak out." Ron said staring into her eyes, pale faced and scared as he spoke.
"Ron.." Hermione muttered, her expression worried as she watched him, looking for some sort of tell.
Ron lowered his right hand to the bottom of his shirt and slowing pulled it over his head. Hermione raised her hand to cover her mouth, and turned whiter still as inch by inch more skin was exposed. She bit back a moan, as he gently dropped his shirt on the ground and looked up at her.
"Holy shit what happened!" Hermione said rooted to the spot, her hand still covering her mouth, her eyes wide with fear.
In front of her Ron stood shaking, he had a giant gash 2 inches long across his stomach, his forearm still soaked in blood, looking like he had been mauled by a tiger. They were the most pronounced injuries, but he was covered by many others ranging in size and depth.
"The healer said I just have to let them settle, in a few days he can do some work, and they should be gone in a week." Ron said, looking up at Hermione, biting down on his lip as she ran her eyes along him.
"Why didn't you tell me!" Hermione shrieked, her eyes trying to take it all in, but each time being more surprised at the added details she noticed.
"Because I didn't want to worry you!" Ron yelled back, watching Hermione closely as he did so, trying to gauge how upset she was.
"And you just thought I wouldn't notice!" Hermione moved slowly towards him as she yelled, taking in the severity of some of his smaller cuts as she came closer.
"Well.. I.." Ron started, he hadn't really thought that far ahead.
"You look like you've been hit with Snape's spell." Hermione whispered, her breath hot against Ron's chest, her hand stretching out to touch him, but hesitating as she drew near.
"Not that exactly, but something like it." Ron whispered, looking down at Hermione as she continued to look but not touch.
"How did this happen?" Hermione said resting her palm on the one part of his chest that held no abrasion.
"You know how I said about the last house raid and that we got them, all seven of them?" Ron said, speaking slowly, his right hand placed on Hermione's waist as he spoke.
"You kind of brushed over that. They're all in Azkaban right." Hermione said looking up at Ron, still looking worried.
"Five of them are, two are dead. I got off better than Norman and Steven, they are both still in St Mungo's." Ron said not looking at Hermione but fixed on a spot of the wall, above her head.
"You were in St Mungo's!" Hermione exclaimed, desperately trying to catch Ron's eye.
"Well yeah, I said the healer said that.." Ron looked down at Hermione as she spoke, looking surprised.
"Why didn't anyone call me!" Hermione yelled, glaring up at Ron.
"It was only about two hours before you came home." Ron said, giving Hermione a weak smile.
"I would have come!" Hermione yelled, she hated this part of his job. She knew that he loved it, she didn't even mind the endless paper work, but it was the injuries, the thought that he could be dead one day soon, that she couldn't take.
"I know, but they were worse then." Ron whispered. His eyes widening slightly as he finished, knowing that he shouldn't have added that extra part.
"Worse?" Hermione repeated, looking down at his torso then back at him, her fight drained out of her.
"Yeah." Ron answered lamely, looking down at the floor again, not wanting to upset or worry Hermione further.
"Ron." Hermione whispered as she gingerly placed her hands on his cheeks and kissed him as passionately, but at the same time as softly as she could manage. For the first time tonight he kissed back, and it was Hermione that pulled away after a few minutes.
Looking down at the table, she saw his pile of uncompleted paperwork, the piles he still had to read, to sort and to write on. Picking his cup off the floor, she headed off to her to the table and grabbed her cup off the windowsill.
"I'm going to make us some tea." Hermione said, flicked her wand and heating up the water in an instant.
Ron smiled at Hermione as she disappeared into the kitchen. One would think after the adventure they had with Harry she would be more accustomed to seeing injuries, and after years of Ron being an Auror, she would be more accustomed to seeing his injuries. But she worried and fretted over him, and in a way he loved that. He loved knowing that she cared. Pulling his top gently back on, he lowered himself gingerly to the ground and leant against the couch, biting down on his lip as he moved himself into a comfortable position.
He liked their routine, especially when Hermione finished before him, and sat on the couch reading, brushing her fingers through his hair absentmindedly as she did so. He missed it when he was gone.
XX
Hope that you enjoyed this chapter, please review I love knowing what you think :)
I am currently in the process of writing some Christmas drabble for both HermionexRon and HarryxGinny, I would love some suggestions as I am attempting to do 24 drabbles, counting down to Christmas.
