It's now Valentine's Day weekend (in the story), this chapter starts on February 13th, the day before Valentine's Day. It's been two days since Harry and Ginny broke up, and two days since Ron and Hermione left for Hermione's parent's house.
Chapter 14
As Hermione and Ron pulled into Hermione's parent's driveway, Ron looked up at the large house, overwhelmed.
"Now, are you sure they said that they wanted both of us at this dinner? I mean, they aren't going to answer the door and send dogs after me or something, right?" Ron asked as Hermione parked and shut the car off. She tucked a lock of curly brown hair behind her ear, sighing loudly. She smoothed a hand over her stomach, which was expanding everyday. It had taken Hermione two hours just to get ready; finally deciding on wearing a slimming black dress with a scoop neck and some white and green flowery pattern at the base of the skirt.
She had taken an extra hour to dress Ron as well, but had finally decided on a forest green sweater with a pair of gray dress pants. Hermione was exhausted already, just from anticipation of the dinner, and Ron was starving because Hermione wouldn't let him eat before they came so that he'd eat what her parents were serving, so he was more nervous than ever because he never ate muggle food.
"Ron, please. They want to see both of us, and I need you to enter my parent's house with an open mind, and be polite." Hermione said, and Ron took her hand, stroking it reassuringly while checking out the exterior of the house. It had a magnificent brick front, with cream siding on the sides and back of the house. The shudders were navy blue, as was the front door. Ron's favorite part of the outside of the house was the amazing white marble walkway leading up to the front door.
Just as Ron and Hermione were about to get out of the car and walk up to the front door, Hermione's mom came out of the house, running to Hermione.
"Hermione Jane! Come here, sweetie!" Hermione's mom yelled, and Hermione hugged her tightly, Ron standing awkwardly in the background. Hermione's dad came out as well, standing tall and still in the doorway. To Ron, he just looked like another barrier he'd have to overcome before this weekend was over. All of a sudden, Ron felt the wind being knocked out of him as Hermione's mother threw herself at him, hugging him tightly.
"Oh, Ronald, it's so nice to see you again!" She exclaimed as Ron looked incredulously at Hermione, who just shrugged.
"Erm, nice to see you too, Mrs. Granger," he grunted incoherently due to lack of air.
"Oh, mum, why don't we go inside and show Ron around the house?" Hermione suggested, and Mrs. Granger jumped away from Ron suddenly, grabbing his arm and pulling him up the front walk.
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"And this is the Gryffindor common room. We spend most of our time here, studying, hanging out, whatever." Ginny's ears perked up at hearing Harry's voice. She was about to get up, closing her book, until she saw him with another girl, leading her into the common room. Immediately, the little green monster of jealousy took its place in the pit of her stomach.
The girl wasn't necessarily gorgeous, but she wasn't ugly either. She looked about their age, but she had an unusually young, innocent-looking face. She had crimped-looking dirty blonde hair and striking gray-blue eyes that were shadowed by long, thick lashes. She had a pleasant smile across her full, red mouth with Listerine-white teeth.
"Harry, thanks so much for showing me around. I feel so much better now about coming here." The girl leaned up and kissed Harry softly on the cheek. At that, Ginny sprung out of her seat. Harry caught sight of Ginny, his hand on his now reddening face where the girl had kissed him.
"Oh, Ginny, c'mere! I want to introduce you to someone." Harry put his hand on the small of the girl's back, leading her towards Ginny. "Ginny, this is Abella Levey. Abella, this is my friend, Ginny." Harry said as Abella held her hand out, and Ginny shook it loosely, holding a fake smile the entire time.
"It's nice to meet you, Ginny." Abella tossed her long hair, and Ginny grunted and grimaced in response.
"Okay, well, Abella transferred from Beauxbatons. Her father just became the new minister of magic. We're going out to Hogsmeade so I can help her meet some more people. Want to come, Gin?" Harry asked, and Ginny crossed her arms, blowing a stray hair out of her eyes.
"I think miss Abella can flirt her way to meeting people herself." Ginny mumbled, and Harry raised his eyebrows. "I don't want to come, thanks. I have a lot of studying to do. And you do to, if I remember correctly." Ginny mumbled the last sentence just like the first.
"Alright, well I'll see you later, then…right?" Harry asked uneasily, and Ginny nodded, stomping back over to her table to face her schoolwork.
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Ron sat, chasing his dinner around his plate with his fork. Hermione was chatting with her parents, who hadn't said a word to Ron, let alone allow him get a word in edgewise since they sat down to dinner.
"Now, Ron, what've you been up to? It feels like we've been ignoring you all night!" Mrs. Granger exclaimed, and Ron looked up dully, a piece of cheese from his lasagna hanging from his lip. Hermione laughed, wiping the cheese from the corner of his mouth with her thumb, and her parents exchanged a frazzled look.
"Well, I've been playing Quidditch, and doing schoolwork mostly." Ron mumbled, looking at his plate.
"Oh, that's good to hear you're keeping up with your school subjects," Mrs. Granger said as Mr. Granger just grunted.
"What courses you taking?" Mr. Granger began, and Hermione groaned.
"Daddy, please! He doesn't need to prove himself to you." Hermione said, but Ron just took her hand in his, preparing to answer the question.
"Erm…I'm taking Transfiguration, Potions, Herbology, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Charms, and Astronomy." Ron rattled off, and Mr. Granger nodded.
"That's quite a workload…do you keep your grades up?" He asked, and Hermione groaned again, rubbing her forehead.
"Um…I do fairly well. My grades are mostly A's and E's." He said and Mr. Granger frowned.
"No O's?" He asked, and Ron shook his head slowly. Mr. Granger pursed his lips and crossed his arms on the table, apparently finished with his interrogation. Mrs. Granger seemed to notice the awkward change in the mood, so she stood suddenly and began clearing the table. She brought out dessert, which was a homemade chocolate pudding. The rest of the night was spent in awkward silence, and Ron and Hermione were nothing short of enthusiastic to leave the table.
"They hate me." Ron said shortly as Hermione shut the door to her room behind them. She sat down on the end of her bed, and Ron sat down at the end of the cot she had set up for him.
"Ron, they'd love you if we weren't dating. Trust me, nothing you could have said tonight would've impressed my father. You could've been a genius, and he would've accused you of overshadowing me. We just need to stay away from them." Hermione said, and Ron sighed, lying back on the cot.
"Ron, Hermione, please come here for a minute!" Mrs. Granger yelled up the stairs. They both stood up, exchanging confused looks before leaving the room to go downstairs.
"Now, your father and I have been talking, and we've come to an agreement. Sit down, you two, please!" Mrs. Granger insisted, and Hermione and Ron dropped into chairs.
"Hermione will finish her schooling to the best of her ability, and after the baby is born, and she can take night classes and leave the baby here with us. Ron will finish his schooling and then come and work for me. He will have to support a family, and at my firm he will make good money and be very successful." Mr. Granger said, and Hermione fired up immediately.
"How can you just sit there and plan our future for us? Ron is NOT going to waste all of his schooling to go work at your firm, dad. He wants to become an auror, and I'm ready to support him in any way I see fit. If I have to postpone my ambitions for a little, then it's my choice, not yours." With that, Hermione stood, ready to leave.
"Ron, we're leaving. Now." Hermione said, and Ron stood, bewildered, and grabbed their bags. Hermione started the car, and drove all the way back to Hogsmeade station in a bitter silence.
YAY! My first chapter in like, a month? I hope my faithful readers will forgive me for not being very consistent…and please REVIEW! I thrive on the feedback!