A/N: I'm glad most of you enjoyed the kiss. Now it's the day after the night before :)
Chapter Twelve: Cause, Effect and Clarification
Ron blearily opened his eyes and cursed. His head and stomach both felt like they were going to explode. Disjointed memories of the night before flooded through his brain; drinking until the early hours with his brothers and Harry, taking part in a very dangerous game of Quidditch, being manhandled home by Bill and Harry, talking to Hermione, kissing Hermione.
Shit. Ron sat up with a start, as the moment replayed in his mind. He'd kissed Hermione. He'd fucking kissed Hermione and she had kissed him back. But then everything went blurry and he had no clue as to what happened next. Did they part ways happily? Did Ron make a tit out of himself and pass out? Did they have sex?
Ron glanced around the bedroom for evidence. Only his robes were on the floor. Only his things were scattered around the room. Maybe she took her stuff and went after they had done it?
Oh Merlin, he was in trouble.
His stomach gave a queasy flip and Ron stood shakily to his feet. Quietly, he made his way out of the room and grimaced as he heard the unmistakable sounds of Harry arguing with his flatmate.
'He said Herm, so I'm taking it that you're real name begins with Herm.'
'My name is Rose,' Hermione snapped. 'I don't know why he said Herm.'
'I know you're lying,' Harry said evenly, 'and I don't like it. Why are you so desperate to stay hidden?'
'I've already told you,' Hermione said, sounding frustrated, 'I have to stay hidden now that I've turned my back on the agency. I can't just wander around England as if I've not got a care in the world.'
'I meant hidden from us,' Harry clarified. 'You're trying to keep your real identity hidden from us. Why?'
'What's going on?' Ron asked, entering the kitchen and looking between Harry on a bar stool and Hermione stood behind the counter. 'Why are you arguing?'
'Potter's playing the bad cop,' Hermione replied wryly, folding her arms and staring at his best friend with a frown. 'Apparently I'm not to be trusted.'
'I didn't say that,' Harry said, 'but I do want to know your real name.'
'What's a bad cop?' Ron asked confused, continuing to look between them.
'Muggle saying,' Hermione said, not taking her eyes off Harry. 'Why do you need my real name?'
'I want to know who you really are!'
'Why?' Hermione said, raising an eyebrow. 'What difference will it make knowing my real name?'
'I'll know exactly what we're dealing with,' Harry said, standing up. 'Cos at the moment, I feel like you're feeding us everything you want us to know and not everything we should know.'
'Harry,' Ron cut in, shaking his head. 'She's helping us stop the people trying to kill me. This isn't about her trying to trick us into anything.'
'Then why has everything gone quiet since she moved in?' Harry said calmly. 'Why haven't they continued trying to kill you?'
'They're planning their next move,' Hermione replied confidently, 'losing me would have hit them hard. They would never have seen it coming.'
'Are you sure this isn't some kind of trap?' Harry said, staring at her with his piercing green eyes. 'Are you sure you're not walking us into it Rose?'
'I'm trying to help you,' she said, not breaking his eye contact. 'Ron would have been dead by now if I hadn't been around.'
'She's right,' Ron agreed, rubbing his stomach and feeling nauseous from last night's drink.
'Are you alright?' Harry asked, taking in Ron's pale face and frown.
'Just hung over,' Ron muttered, 'but I'd rather not listen to the pair of you bicker. Rose is staying and we're working with her. You've never been this paranoid before and I don't understand why you don't trust her. She's proven she's with us.'
'Fine, I'll drop it,' Harry sighed, 'but I don't think Herm is tell us everything.'
Ron pulled a face at his blunder from last night. 'I was really, really drunk.'
'Yeah, I was there,' Harry said evenly. 'George can't wait to have words with you, by the way.'
'Why, what did I do?' Ron said shocked.
'You told Bill that he's shagging someone,' Harry replied, smirking slightly and ignoring Ron's blush. 'And judging by George's reaction, I'd say he definitely is.'
Ron glanced at Hermione to gage her reaction. She stared at the ground and reddened.
Oh fuck, maybe they did have sex. How could he not remember?
'So do you know who it is?' Harry continued, oblivious to the uncomfortable tension that had filled the room. 'Charlie reckons it's that girl that works for him in the shop.'
'I don't know,' Ron said, clearing his throat and staring back at Harry. 'He didn't tell me.'
'Are you sure you're alright?' Harry said, eyeing Ron with concern. 'You look like you're about to throw up.'
'Here,' Hermione muttered, placing a potion on the counter and sliding it over to him. 'It'll help.'
'Hangover potions don't work on him,' Harry noted, as Ron took the bottle and uncorked it. 'For some reason he seems to be resistant to them.'
'It's not a hangover cure,' Hermione said, avoiding Ron's gaze. 'It helps expel toxins in the body. It should work for alcohol in the same way it works for anything else that contaminates your system.'
'Thanks,' Ron mumbled, downing the potion quickly and closing his eyes as his stomach reacted to it.
'You're certainly well trained,' Harry said to Hermione, picking up the bottle and giving it a sniff. 'Did you make it yourself?'
'This morning,' Hermione admitted quietly.
'Well, as long as it's not poison,' Harry muttered, causing both Ron and Hermione to frown at him.
'Don't be a twat,' Ron said, rubbing his face. 'What are you up to today?'
'Nothing much, do you fancy coming Diagon Alley with me?'
'Why not, it's rare we both have a day off together,' Ron said honestly. 'What do you need to get?'
'Well,' Harry said, turning very red and glancing at Hermione as he hesitated to continue.
'I'm going,' Hermione snapped, rolling her eyes and marching quickly out of the kitchen. She slammed her bedroom door as she reached it.
'Thanks,' Ron said sarcastically, 'that's going to make me even more popular.'
'Why, what have you done?' Harry asked in interest.
'You don't wanna know,' Ron said with a sigh. 'But don't change the subject, what are you getting from Diagon Alley?'
Harry seemed to brace himself, before saying in a rush, 'I'm gonna ask Gin to marry me and I need to get a ring.'
Silence hung over the kitchen as Ron processed what Harry had just said.
'You're gonna ask Ginny to marry you?' He stammered, looking at Harry with wide eyes. 'As in proper marrying, with a ceremony and stuff?'
'Yeah, proper marrying,' Harry said with a small smile, 'as in husband and wife.'
'Merlin, Harry!' Ron exclaimed, grabbing him around the shoulder. 'So you're actually serious about each other?'
'Yeah,' Harry laughed, 'do you think she'll say yes?'
'Of course she will,' Ron chuckled, hugging him happily, 'she's been mad about you forever. I just didn't see it coming. When did you decide you wanted to do it?'
'Last night,' Harry admitted sheepishly.
'Fucking hell Harry, that's serious shit,' Ron breathed in awe. 'You're gonna actually marry my sister and be a proper adult!'
'If she says yes,' Harry nodded, pushing his glasses up as Ron pulled him into another hug.
'She'll say yes,' Ron laughed happily. 'You're gonna send Mum into a frenzy. She has been waiting for this for years!'
Harry laughed at Ron's glee. 'So you'll help me find a ring?'
'Yeah, give me an hour or so to get ready and I'll meet you at the Leaky Cauldron,' Ron said enthusiastically.
Harry grinned and clapped Ron on the back. 'I'll see you in an hour then.'
Ron nodded and waved him out, feeling unbelievably happy for his sister and best friend. They had been in love for so long and now they were taking the next step. Ron couldn't have been more proud of Harry in that moment. He had come so far from the specky kid with the world on his shoulders.
As he made his way back to his bedroom, Ron's happy mood began to quickly deteriorate. He still had to have an uncomfortable conversation with Hermione. What did he say to her? If they had had sex, he didn't remember any of it. If they didn't, he still needed to clear the air over the kissing. Hermione hadn't looked at him once during the exchange in the kitchen, which only highlighted the uncomfortable situation.
'Hermione,' he called as he reached her bedroom door and knocked gently. 'Hermione, is it okay if we have a chat?'
Hermione's door swung open and Ron came face to face with the brunette.
'Hi,' he said stupidly, feeling himself become tongue tied as everything he wanted to say flew out of his head.
'Hi,' Hermione said, looking as embarrassed as he felt. They stood avoiding each other's gaze as an uneasy silence took hold of them.
'What did you want to talk about?' Hermione asked, after a few minutes of waiting.
'Last night,' Ron mumbled, scratching the back of his neck. 'It's all a bit of a blur, but I know I need to apologise.'
'You don't,' Hermione said softly. 'I was just as guilty.'
'You were?' Ron asked, trying to think back to what she had done and coming up blank.
'I kissed you back,' she whispered, looking at her feet. 'You had no control over your actions, but I did.'
'I started it,' Ron said quietly, 'I was the one that initiated it all.'
Hermione nodded, but didn't look up. She looked pitiful, standing in front of him all forlorn and unsure of herself. Ron felt like a complete wanker for doing this to her. She had obviously been scared off by his stupid actions and now she felt uncomfortable around him. He really had fucked up.
'I'm sorry,' He said earnestly, 'I didn't mean to kiss you.'
'You didn't?' Hermione asked, looking at him for the first time.
'Of course I didn't,' Ron replied gently, 'I was off my face and I never should have done it. I'm so sorry; I didn't mean to make you feel uneasy around me.'
'You were drunk,' Hermione said slowly, 'you would never have done it otherwise.'
'Exactly,' Ron said, relieved that she understood that he hadn't meant to kiss her. The drink had just given him a confidence boast and he had foolishly allowed his feelings for her to take over. 'I just want us to forget anything happened and go back to how we were.'
'Forget that we kissed,' Hermione muttered with a nod. 'You wouldn't have done it without the drink.'
'I hope I haven't fucked everything up?' Ron said hopefully. 'You're still okay with being here aren't you?'
'Yes,' Hermione sighed, 'I'm fine here.'
Ron smiled, glad that they had cleared the air. 'I'm going to Diagon Alley with Harry, do you need anything?'
Hermione shook her head, giving him a sad smile.
'Are you sure we're okay?' Ron asked, watching her with concern.
'Weasley I'm fine,' she said, folding her arms around herself and taking a step back into her room. 'Let's forget it ever happened, like you said.'
Ron nodded, pausing as he moved towards his room. 'We didn't do anything else did we?'
'Sorry?' Hermione said with a slight frown. 'What do you mean?'
'I remember us kissing, but then everything went blank,' Ron admitted, running his hands through his hair. 'We didn't do anything else, did we?'
'Just kissed,' Hermione replied somewhat sadly.
'Oh good,' Ron sighed happily, before seeing the hurt look on Hermione's face. 'Not that having sex with you wouldn't be good. I mean, it'd be amazing. Not that I'm saying I thought we had had sex or that I've ever thought about it or anything. But I'm sure it would be.'
'Okay,' Hermione said, blushing as Ron continued to babble on.
'All I meant,' Ron said, feeling humiliated by his own words, 'is that I'm glad we didn't because I wouldn't have remembered, and that would have been horrible for us both – '
'– We kissed and you fell asleep,' Hermione cut in, looking extremely flushed, 'nothing else.'
'Right,' Ron said embarrassed. 'Well, I'll see you later.'
With that, Ron left Hermione and headed quickly to his bedroom. As he shut the door, Ron leaned against it and let out a long sigh. Never, in his entire life, had Ron been so tongue tied in front of a woman. What the fuck was wrong with him? Ron had never been this mortifying with the opposite sex, and yet he'd just acted as if he'd never spoken to a female before.
Hermione was seriously having an effect on him.
o0o
Ron spent the entire day helping Harry find the perfect ring. Eventually they had found a beautiful diamond and emerald creation in the smallest jewellers in Diagon Alley. Harry knew instantly that it was the right one and had handed over a small fortune, exclaiming that he would propose on Sunday.
The trip had been rewarding but tiring. Ron felt extremely glad to walk in his front door. What Ron didn't expect, was to see Hermione cooking in the kitchen. He'd lived with her long enough to know that she never cooked. Something was obviously wrong.
'What's up?' Ron asked, walking into the kitchen and taking in the scene before him with a soft smile.
Hermione had propped an old muggle cooking book on the counter and was reading over the instructions carefully. She had pulled her hair into a messy bun and placed a pretty apron around her waist. Pots and pans bubbled on the stove, as she tried to cook without magic.
'Nothing,' she replied, picking up a knife and beginning to chop a range of vegetables. 'I'm just cooking some dinner.'
'I can see that,' Ron said, moving around to look at things boiling in the pot. 'Why?'
'I was bored,' Hermione muttered, placing a handful of peppers into one of the pots.
'But I thought you hated cooking,' Ron said, as he sat on a bar stool and watched her.
'I don't hate it,' Hermione admitted, 'I'm just not very good at it.'
'But you're good at making potions,' he said, glancing at the old cookbook. It had small, neatly written notes inside the margin.
'That's not the same.'
'You're following a recipe,' Ron replied, pulling the chopping board towards him and beginning to cut some of the vegetables, as Hermione stirred the contents of the pots. 'I love curry by the way.'
Hermione smirked and raised an eyebrow, 'I thought you loved all food.'
Ron shrugged and gave her a smile of his own. 'Food is an important part of my life.'
Hermione laughed lightly, as she turned the heat down and moved back to the counter. 'I've noticed. I've put on loads of weight living here.'
'Nothing wrong with that,' Ron said truthfully. 'You looked like you hadn't eaten for months, when you arrived.'
'I had to eat on the go at the agency,' Hermione said, as she watched him quickly dice an onion.
'Not anymore,' Ron smiled, handing the board back to Hermione. She stared at him with an unreadable expression.
'What?' He said, when she continued to stare.
Hermione shook her head and blushed lightly. 'I'm just glad you're home and everything is alright.'
Ron felt his ears redden, as the conversation from earlier replayed in his head. She was right though, everything did seem to be okay. They could both still talk to each other at least.
'Do you want any help with this?' Ron asked, gesturing to the pots and smiling at the beautiful witch.
'You don't have to,' Hermione replied, 'but it would probably save it from being inedible.'
Ron chuckled and stood up, 'I highly doubt that. If you can make a potion, you can make a curry.'
'It's not the same,' Hermione disagreed, 'food is trickier.'
Ron tasted the substance in the first pot and gagged, causing Hermione to laugh.
'I told you, I follow the instructions but it never works. My food always tastes rubbish.'
'It's fine, we can fix this,' Ron said, rolling his sleeves up and taking the pan off the heat.
They spent the next thirty minutes turning the curry into an edible meal. Ron talked Hermione through each step and chatted happily about the food disasters he had made. Hermione laughed at his stories, watching him cook with ease.
'Some people are just good cooks,' she said, taking the glass of wine he had just offered her. 'It comes naturally to them. For people like me, it doesn't.'
'Everyone has the ability to cook,' Ron said, draining the rice. 'You just have it stuck in your head that you can't do it.'
'I can't!' Hermione exclaimed, grabbing plates, knives and forks for them both. 'My Mum was an amazing cook though. She could make anything and it would always be perfect.'
'Is that your Mum's book?' Ron said, watching Hermione lovingly graze her hand over the neat notes added to the book.
'Yeah,' Hermione said softly. 'She would've been horrified that her daughter couldn't make toast without burning it.'
'Or extremely proud that her daughter was so amazing, she didn't need to learn how to cook,' Ron said just as softly.
Hermione looked up at him with her beautiful, brown eyes and gave him a watery smile. Ron felt his stomach constrict and knew that it had nothing to do with the alcohol from the night before. He would've given anything to be able to kiss away her tears in that moment.
'Thanks,' she whispered shyly, dropping her gaze and busying herself with serving the food. Ron tidied away the pots and pans with a flick of his wand.
Both of them came to a halt at the counter and looked down at the two plates of dinner. Ron felt the air in the room change instantly and swallowed. Things may have seemed okay when they were busy. However, as soon as they stopped, an uncomfortable silence began. Ron had been foolish to think that they could forget what had happened.
'I've fucked everything up,' Ron stated into the silence.
'I wouldn't say that,' Hermione muttered, standing beside him.
'It feels different though,' Ron said with a sigh. 'I should never have done it.'
'I'm glad you did do it,' Hermione admitted in a small voice.
'You are?' Ron asked, turning to her in surprise.
Hermione nodded. 'I know it was just a drunken kiss for you and you would never have done it normally, but it was my first kiss. I never thought it would actually happen.'
'Your first kiss was with me,' Ron repeated stupidly. 'Your first kiss was with me; a drunk idiot.'
Hermione nodded blushing, 'but at least I know what it feels like now. I never thought I would.'
'Oh Hermione,' Ron exclaimed, rubbing his face in regret. 'That was the worst first kiss ever.'
Hermione opened her mouth to argue and stopped as a hurt look flitted across her face.
'I don't mean you're a bad kisser,' Ron said quickly, taking a step towards her. 'I mean that a kiss should make your heart rate increase and give you sweaty hands. It should make your brain go all fuzzy and cause all thoughts to leave. It should not be with a drunk bloke that hasn't got any control of his own body.'
'My heart rate increased,' Hermione admitted, confused by his speech.
'One day someone will give you a proper kiss and you'll realise what I mean,' He muttered shamefully.
Hermione stared up at him with the same look of bewilderment. 'I don't understand, I thought it felt lovely.'
Ron smiled despite his feeling of guilt. 'It should have felt amazing.'
'Well, it'll probably be the only one I'll ever get,' Hermione said with a blush, 'so I'm going to take it as a good kiss.'
'Don't be ridiculous,' Ron said, rolling his eyes at her. 'You're gonna have plenty of wizards after you.'
'Well, you said you would only ever kiss me drunk,' Hermione muttered, 'so if you wouldn't – '
'– No I didn't,' Ron said with a frown. 'I said I was off my face and I never should have done it. No one deserves to be snogged by a drunk prat.'
Hermione looked at him questioningly, 'so you wouldn't need to be drunk to do it again?'
'Of course I wouldn't,' Ron said truthfully, trying to understand where this conversation was going. 'Would you want me to do it again?'
'We have to have a professional relationship,' Hermione said, dodging his question and moving to pick up a plate of food. 'There is no question of wanting anything.'
Ron watched her fluster, as he came to terms with what she wasn't telling him. 'But if we weren't working on the Viper case together?'
'Weasley,' Hermione sighed, sounding tired, 'can we just eat dinner?'
'Fine,' Ron agreed, casting a warming charm on the food, and following her into the dining room. They sat down opposite each other and began to eat in silence. Ron couldn't help but replay what she had said in his mind.
Things did feel different between them. How could they not? Ron now knew what it felt like to kiss those perfect lips of hers. He now knew that she tasted like the most delicious dessert in the world. How could he not want to lavish her with more kisses? It was only natural to want to do it again and judging by Hermione's words, she wanted to as well.
Ron watched her slowly pick at her food and contemplated what to do next. Did he go for it and try to convince Hermione that they could still be professional? Did he just forget about it and try to ignore the thoughts and feelings rushing around his body? Both sounded equally terrifying.
Hermione glanced up at him and caught his eye. Ron watched as she bit down on her bottom lip and smiled weakly.
'I would want to,' he said lightly, watching her cheeks turn pink at his declaration.
'It's not possible,' Hermione admitted quietly.
'But if it was?' Ron asked, needing some clarification from her.
Hermione nodded slowly, never taking her eyes off him.
It was all the clarification Ron needed. Now he just had to wait for the moment when they could be unprofessional with each other.
He fucking hoped it wouldn't be too long.
o0o
