Author's Note: So very sorry for the long delay! Not only do I have a lot of projects for school (it's starting to pile up, it being one of my last semesters for university!), but I also have to update State of Grace. (How do other author's have multiple stories going on? I'm dying here!) I know that is no excuse, but sometimes, school just has to take precedence over my stories. But you don't have to worry about these stories being abandoned! I will update them all and they will be completed...eventually! So I hope you enjoy reading this chapter and hope you leave a review!
Chapter 9
It was officially a week after the wedding and Harry and Hermione were lazying about at the beach watching James frolic in the water. Hermione sat between Harry's legs and he played with her hair, she would sometimes lift her face to kiss him softly on the lips and he would push her hair to the side to kiss her on the neck. They looked every part of a happily married couple.
Harry was taking a whole month off to enjoy his married life with Hermione and James. He wanted to be blissfully rested and he was dutifully taking advantage of every moment he had with his wife and his son.
Hermione was dozing in and out of sleep while in Harry's arms, Harry noticed the lethargy in her face and signaled to James that it was about time for them to head home. Harry looked around the beach and charmed everything so that it could fit into the beach bag that Hermione packed that morning before they set off to the beach. Harry carried Hermione in his arms and had James walk in front of him so that he wouldn't lose sight of his son.
Harry looked at the face of the woman who meant everything to him all these years and softly kissed her on the forehead. They meandered slowly uphill to not jostle Hermione and once they reached their home, James ran off to his room, and Harry laid Hermione in their bedroom. Harry smiled one last time and closed the door and placed a silencing charm on the room so that she wouldn't wake if he and James made any noise.
"James, why don't you go take your nap now, that way later on, we can all help make dinner yeah?" Harry asks James. James pouts but complies anyway, he regrettably was feeling a little tired.
Harry was walking to the sitting room when he heard the loud knock resounding throughout the front of the house. His face screwed up in confusion, they weren't expecting anybody to visit and they weren't planning on visiting their home country until after the baby was born. He hurried to the front door and wrung it open, he stared in shock at the person standing there, what was he doing here?
"Ron? What are you doing here?" Harry exclaims, with eyes wide and a small frown marring his face, he ushers Ron inside his home.
Unlike Harry, Ron has a big grin on his face and happily walks inside the unknown house. "Well, I reckon I wanted to see my best friends, heard Hermione was with you here, visiting…" he says jovially.
The frown on Harry's face deepens, "What?"
"Yeah, Ginny said that Hermione was visiting you here!" Ron says with a grin.
"No, Hermione and I live here!" Harrys growls.
Slowly understanding starts to show on Ron's face, "Oh, no wonder Ginny seemed peeved when she got home…huh." Ron mutters.
Harry shakes his head, "When is Ginny going to get it through her head that I don't love her, that I'm not going to go back to her, never! IF she still wants to be with me, why is she with Neville? Last I heard, they were trying for a baby?"
Ron nods his head, "Well, turns out, that she lied….Well, they were trying for a baby, but she can't anymore. Apparently, she took a potion to stop fertility after James. She lied to Neville, and well they're not together anymore." Ron says meekly.
Harry rolls his eyes, "Typical Ginny Weasley, she doesn't get what she wants so she throws lies around to get what she wants. Wait, what are you doing here again?"
Rons guffaws, "I wanted to see you and Hermione, what else am I going to do here?" He says with a grin, "Bloody mad," he whispers.
"Oi!" Harry exclaims with a lopsided grin. "You didn't even try to hide that!"
They both start chuckling, then Ron gets a serious look on his face, "So how is Hermione?" He asks.
"Bloody tired," Hermione says loudly making them both jump in their seats. She laughs softly, "Hello Ronald," she says coming to a stand in front of him.
He stares at her intently, noticing the new curves she had acquired with age, the glow of her skin, the shininess of her long curly hair. "Bloody hell, come here!" he says with a wide grin and engulfs her in his arms. She happily goes into his embrace.
"I missed you!" she whispers against his chest. "More than I thought!" she says cheekily, pulling back to look at his face.
"Yeah, well, I reckon I'm a lovable guy, of course you would miss me!" He jokes.
"Cheeky bastard," she replies with a grin. She moves to sit by Harry and sidles up to his side.
"Well, look at that," Ron says, staring at them with a small smile, "I reckon this has been a long time coming…" he says softly.
Hermione stared at him intently, "You're not angry right?" she asks, almost afraid of his answer.
"Course not, if you would've asked me a month after or even a year after you had left, I would've sworn not to talk to you forever! But I've kind of regrettably grown up, I have kids of my own, I have to show them a good example. Plus, my mother would've murdered me if she knew that I still harbored feelings for you with my brood! No offense!" He says with a wave of his hand.
Harry chuckles and then Hermione elbows his side, "It was a legitimate question, you prat!" she whispers harshly.
"And that's why I love you!" Harry says casually, placing a hand on her stomach, right over where his child should be.
"No way!" Ron mutters looking at the couple cuddling on the couch. The couple themselves hearing what Ron said clam up and look at Ron with wide eyes.
"What?" Hermione says softly.
"Your with child?" Ron asks her.
Hermione nervously shakes her head, "Yes, we found out a few weeks ago. What do you think?"
"And did I mention we're married?" Harry hastily adds.
If it was possible, Ron's eyes widened even more, "Bloody hell, you guys work fast!" He declared. At his comment, they all start laughing belly aching laughs.
"Yeah, well, I've been waiting for years! I had to put a ring on her finger somehow!" Harry says with a grin and a wink for Hermione. She smiles indulgently at him.
"So I've been told that you have children of your own, that must be a handful, having so many children…." Hermione exclaims.
Ron gets a goofy grin on his face, "Yeah, its even better making them!" he adds with a solicitous wink.
Hermione turns crimson and splutters before Harry rescues her from their best friends suggestive comment. "Ron, you know how Hermione is with comments like those!" he jokes.
"Harry! Don't tell him that!" she shrieks, her face turning even more crimson.
"Well, it's not my fault you turn into a first year at the mention of sex!" he adds with a laugh.
She continues blushing and stares stonily at him, "You better treat me nicely mister! I'm having your child and I'm your bloody wife!" she adds with a playful growl.
"Well, mate, your still bloody whipped by her!" Ron adds with mirth.
Harry rolls his eyes, "Yeah, but how many get to call themselves husband to the brightest witch of their age? Eh!" he adds with a lopsided grin.
Ron guffaws at his reply, "Well, when you put it like that, of course not! Anybody would be lucky to be married to her!" he adds with a soft smile.
"Oh you!" Hermione adds with a wave of her hand, "You're both stroking my ego!" she says jokingly.
"Where's the munchkin?" Ron adds, glancing around the room as if James will pop out from behind the couch.
Hermione looks at Harry too, wondering where her son is, "Is he down for his nap?" Hermione asks.
Harry nods, "Yeah, he was a little reluctant to take his nap, but he managed!" he says quietly, they all settle down. Hermione's stomach rumbles loudly in the silence of their conversation.
Hermione giggles, "Oops, sorry, as the weeks have passed, my hunger has just skyrocketed!" she gets up and heads towards the kitchen.
The boys follow her and watch as she starts fixing up dinner. "What are we eating for dinner?" asks Ron pointedly, almost demanding of her!
Hermione rolls her eyes and chuckles, "You know, you are a guest here in our home, don't annoy the chef!" she jests, with a slight scowl.
Harry chuckles lightly, "Do you need any help?" he asks her. He prepares to stand up and help her when she declines.
"No, go and catch up some more. Wake up James, please?" She asks him kindly.
"Of course," he says, he kisses her temple and beckons Ron to follow him into the living room.
"I'm going to go get James, stay here, you'll be a surprise!" Harry says with a lopsided grin.
"Sure!" Ron replies with a grin of his own.
Harry watches as Ron looks for a place to hide, Harry shakes his head in amusement, "You'll never grow up, eh?" he asks with a lopsided grin.
"Never!" Ron replies with a twinkle in his eye.
Harry looks at Ron in amusement once more before leaving Ron to find a place to hide his tall lanky frame.
Harry tiptoes to James room, he removes the silencing charms to hear sounds of tinkering in the room. Harry's head cocks in bewilderment, "James?" he calls out.
He hears the sound of pitter patter heading towards the general area of James bed. He peeks in to find James laying stiffly underneath his blanket and his eyes shut tightly. "If I didn't know any better, I would say my son had been playing with his toys instead of taking his nap!" he says loudly in a mock stern voice.
James groans softly, "Oh no!" he whispers. "I've been caught!" he says more loudly. His eyes spring open and he looks at his father sheepishly. "Are you incredibly angry?" he asks softly, with big wide innocent eyes.
Harry's face soften's, "Of course not! I was just playing in jest. But, if I had been your mother, you know she would've gotten angry right?" James nods his head fervently, "Just this one time, I'll let this go unnoticed! But you have to promise that the next time we tell you, you have to do something, you better do it! Understood?" Harry asks seriously.
James jumps into his father's arms, "Oh I will! I promise!" Harry pulls his son tightly into his arms. "What's for dinner?" he mumbles into his father's neck.
"Well, I don't know, but you know your mother always makes something delicious. And we have a surprise for you!" Harrys says with suspense.
James eyes light up, "A surprise?"
"Yeah! Are you ready to see this surprise?" Harry asks playfully. James nods his head fervently, "All right, let's go into the living room!"
Harry carries James all the way into the living room to find that Ron has completely disappeared. He cocks his head in amusement, apparently Ron remembered the disillusionment charm! "I guess we'll have to have a scavenger hunt!" Harry says playfully.
"Yay! I love games!" James says excitedly. James hops down from his father's arms and roams around the room looking for anything out of place.
James searches for a better part of ten minutes and finds nothing amiss. He looks at his father with confusion. Harry looks around the room, "Umm, why don't you head to the bathroom to wash up?" James nods and heads to the bathroom to wash his face and hands.
Harry runs around the room casting finite on everything. And still no Ron appeared.
Where the bloody hell are you, Ron?