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The Get Together
Chapter 10: The Assembly
A subdued family restaurant, families with children, the occasional teen couple and (like the one consisting of the Granger's and Ronald Weasley) a few families without children.
However, the gentle atmosphere of the evening in the gentle décor of the establishment was being disturbed more and more by the voices being raised from a table off to the side of the restaurant,
"I-I think your boyfriend may have had a little too much to drink, dear." A shaky smile that didn't quite meet her eyes. The tone of Mrs Granger's voice desperate in her attempt to appease,
"Perhaps it would be best if you got him home." Not a question nor a suggestion, the words delivered a bit curtly as Mr Granger piggybacked off of the previous statement of his wife. Both stood up on their side of the table, looking at the red stain that was inching closer and closer to them from the tipped over glass. On the other side of the table, Hermione was also on her feet and very clearly lost for words, whilst her boyfriend was sat (half-slumped) over the table with a loopy grin on his face.
Far be it from him (at this point anyway) to back down or take the out he was given; Ron snorted loudly as he slurred and staggered into his, a bit too loud, declaration,
"Heh, hic, a nag and a buzzkill! Can see where you get it from, Hermione." He descended into a fit of giggles in the face of the offended Granger trio. "Hehehe, whole families no fun."
He unleashed a ripple of hiccups and shook himself, almost like a dog,
"Guess it can't be helped. Marrying in to a family of stuck up Muggles." There was the ghost of a derisive sneer on Ron's face as hazy, unfocused eyes tried to lock onto the more than unimpressed faces of Dan and Emma. The inebriated ginger uncomprehending of this, as well as the man snickered, "Merlin, don't know why dad likes you…"
"If you think I'm going to let my little girl marry such a-"
"Dan." A desperate plea from wife to husband as Emma Granger physically restrained her husband from stepping around the table and wailing on the younger, drunker man. Said man, however, seemed all sorts of unimpressed, hand itching towards the pockets of his jeans as his girlfriend watched on in horror.
SLAP!
"Go home Ronald." She hissed as the whole room went deathly silent and all eyes (including Ron's)
"Wh-What the-"
She didn't slap him this time. The blow she threw was a haymaker to the jaw that had him flung to the floor,
"Go. Home." She snarled, vicious anger barely pushed back by her desperate attempt to compose herself, "We'll talk later."
…
Dan Granger returned to reality with a sip of his drink, sighing as his eyes flicked onto the only red head in the building. That disaster that was on his mind, being the first time he'd actually MET the man his daughter had just…
Dan just seethed a little and his eyes met his wife's from across the room, having a small chat with his own mother. She met his gaze, followed his where his eyes fell (to young Mr Weasley helping himself to a beer) and immediately had the same thoughts that he did.
He wanted to step in, but she just smirked knowingly and shook her head. The disaster was telegraphed from the moment his beady, hazel eyes fell on the cooler in the garden. And Emma Granger was ready and willing to let it play out.
Lord he HATED this man, Ronald Weasley.
It may seem petty, but even if the school and his own daughter had forgiven him for nearly getting her killed over a decade prior, he hadn't. Even if his daughter (and the wizards and witches of their world) had forgiven him for abandoning her whilst she was fleeing for her life trying to bring down an evil, magical dictator, he did not.
Yet, somehow, this was not why he really despised the BRAT his daughter had fallen for.
…
Hermione tapped her fingernails against the glass bottle of cola in her hands.
The house was crowding up now. Her second cousin Ryan, with silver present throughout his formerly short black, was trying to start conversation with Ron in the back garden. His wife, Allison, was straightening out the grass stained skirt of their bright eyed toddler off to the side.
Her parents in conversation with her olive tanned grandparents in the kitchen window, doing that awkward dance around where (even to this day) the parents do not approve of their child's spouse. Hermione had never understood why his grandparents disliked her father, though they were cordial to him and were hyper-loving of her. So, she had never broached the subject.
Another subject she had never broached was her parents own distain towards Ron.
She was neither oblivious, nor stupid. She very much recognised that same distaste that Granny Pauline and Des had for her father in the eyes of the man himself (and her mother) whenever they talked about him. Which is one of the many reasons she understood why he didn't want to be here, why would you want to be around people who openly disliked you, right?
But, at the same time, this is her family and Hermione refused to have the people she loved unable to be together in one room. Even if it may cause some friction,
'Smartest witch of her age.' Echoed in her head she took a sip, scoffing just a little as she disapprovingly looked over at her Ronald, already on a second beer when Hermione could have sworn he'd only just been on the first.
A cold feeling settled across her spine like a cool blanket and she immediately made to act on her red flags. Ron lost what little filter existed between his brain and mouth with the ingestion of alcohol and this was the last place where any of that needed to happen. So, she made a move, stepping out of the back door and near-speed walking over to him to get him to put the beer down.
"My my, is that my sweet little niece over there!" But she was intercepted. Auntie Melly with her warm smile and ankle length frizz was barrelling towards her, her shorter husband Yancy trying to tame the overly excited woman, "Oh god how big my baby girl's getting!"
She was sufficiently side tracked by the two (pleasantly so, mind you, for Hermione truly loved most of her family) and her boyfriends alcoholism fell by the wayside in her own mind. So, she unfortunately left him to his own devices far longer than she should have ever allowed.
And that was what would set up the rest of the event, as well as their relationship.
...
It took about hour and a half after the first guest arrived before Dan and Jane decided that all their guests (the guests that were actually coming) were here. So, he called them all into the garden and made to address his extended family,
"Hello everyone and thank you for coming to this year's Granger family reunion." Dan Granger greeted the lot of them with a genuine grin. He had a bit of a back and forth with his brother-in-law as Jane's sister, Donna (all brown curls and flat face) and her bratty twins gave his daughter and her boyfriend curious side long glances, reminding Dan of something he had to address,
"I would like to give a welcome to a new man who has come to this year's reunion, Ron Weasley, who is Hermione's boyfriend." Dan announced, speaking the last part darkly, "Let's have a nice night everyone!"
Eyes fell on the man who'd been announced, teetering just a little on the spot with
who shrunk quite uncomfortably from some of the most incredulous looks he'd ever received (not seeing those same looks directed at his girlfriend also) and thus took a larger swig from his bottle than he had previously and offered a lopsided grin and shaky wave to the Granger clan.
Question after question followed. How did you meet? How long have you been together?
Basic questions, kind of weird to think about how he'd never really been asked. In this moment he recognised how many knew the details of his, Hermione's (and Harry by extension) lives were known by the public.
It was their eyes, openly appraising him and coming away… wanting. Little looks, small smirks boiling Ron's blood in his veins and causing him to drain more and more of the vile tasting beers and ale provided by the Granger family (ignoring the voice in his head that snapped at him not to, cause it was empirically a bad idea).
Ron already had a short fuse and, unsurprisingly, when he was drunk it was even shorter.
So, when a small kid accidentally ran into him, predictably, he lit up like a firework…
[TO BE CONTINUED]
Sorry for not having Ron make a scene this chapter, hope you're looking forward to it though.
Thank you for all the support yet again, see you guys next chapter.
And with this, I have officially caught up to where BoneBasher255 left it off. Thanks again to the dude for letting me adopt this one.