Their 19 Years: Chapter 29
All rights are JK's.
"I think it's best if we start in the kitchen and bedroom considering that is where you will be spending most of your time," suggested Mrs. Weasley adjusting her cleaning apron.
"Yeah like Harry is going to be doing any cooking," scoffed Ron and Harry sent him a good-natured glare.
"Besides the point Ron," Mrs. Weasley reminded him. "Now Harry and I will tackle the bedroom, and you and Hermione can start on the kitchen," she ordered handing Hermione a bucket with a bottle of 'Mrs. Pristine's Mess Remover in it, and a duster to Ron.
"Can we not just use magic mum," Ron whined.
"I hope you will only be using magic if it is necessary," she warned, "you should be able to dust magic-free dear," she said patting his cheek before leading a hopeless looking Harry up the stairs.
"Guess we better get to it," Hermione sighed leading the way into the kitchen. Hermione and Ron made sync noises of disgust as they surveyed the filthy room.
"Did Kreacher do anything?" Ron asked exasperated.
"Doesn't seem to have," Hermione answered running a finger across the wood of the long table, only to pull it back covered in a thick layer of grey. She quickly wiped it on her jeans and set to pouring some of Mrs. Pristine's Mess Remover into the bucket. She grabbed one of the rags and wiped it up and down the table several times.
Ron groaned loudly and took the duster and ran it across the top of one of the ancient cabinets. He lazily pulled it back and forth before it got caught on something. Ron grunted and tried to pull it back but it wouldn't budge. Looking over at Hermione who was picking up some scattered news papers they had left months ago, he quietly stood on the edge of the table to look over the top of the cabinet. Just as his eyes passed the wood trim something hit him straight in the nose and he toppled off the table.
"Ahh!"
"Ron!" Hermione shouted whipping around to find her boyfriend in a heap on the floor. "What happened?" Her question was answered when a small purple creature zoomed over her head. Cornish Pixie's. They were all to familiar to the pair when Lockhart had let them out of their cage back in second year.
"Hermione do something," Ron yelled swatting at the pixie as it landed on his head and began pulling at his hair. Hermione scrambled to get her wand and aimed it at the creature harassing Ron. But just as she was about the say the spell to freeze it, the pixie zoomed out of line of fire. Hermione grunted in frustration and swiveled around searching for it. She spotted it ripping up some of the newspapers she had neatly stacked on a stool. Slowly, and carefully, she snatched the bucket of soap she had used to clean the table, and she snuck up on the pixie before throwing the bucket over it. Soap went everywhere and the pixie could be heard pounding against the plastic.
"The perks of having a muggle girlfriend," Ron chuckled getting to his feet and kissing her cheek.
"Grab your wand and stun it when I lift the edge," Hermione ordered, knowing the battle was not done yet. Ron followed orders and placed his wand where the table met plastic.
"On three," Hermione said. "One."
"Two."
"Three!"
Hermione lifted the bucket and Ron quickly stunned the pixie, causing it to fall with a soft thud.
"Ron and Hermione one, Pixie zero," Ron laughed high-fiving Hermione, and followed it with a kiss.
"Now that that's done," Hermione said drying the puddle of soap with her wand, "let's get back to work." Ron groaned but obediently retrieved his duster the pixie had loved so much.
They worked in silence for about ten minutes before Ron playfully splashed Hermione with one of the wet rags. She squealed in response and threw her wet rag at him as well, leaving a dark wet spot on the middle of his shirt.
"Why you," he said running and scooping her up in his arms. Hermione squealed and tried to get away but to no success, and moaned when Ron wrung his rag out on top of her head.
"Ron!" she scolded.
"Well I see you two have been productive," Mrs. Weasley inturrpted from the doorway. Ron released Hermione from his grip and dropped the rag onto the table quickly.
"We have," Hermione added not very convincingly, "just there was a pixie and -"
"It's fine dear, just needed to grab a bag to trap the Doxy's in," she assured, "but I hope you two will have a little bit more done when we meet for lunch," she said grabbing an old potatoes sack from the chipped, worn-looking pantry, she winked at the couple and then disappeared as fast as she had appeared.
"Right, back to work Ron," Hermione ordered handing him his deposited rag.
"Aww, we've done enough let's take a break," Ron suggested, slowly wrapping his arms around her waist.
"No Ronald, you heard your mother," she snapped pushing his arms away.
"I will be a more successful cleaner if I get a kiss," Ron tried puckering his lips.
"You prat," she scolded affectionately, and leaned in to peck him quickly on the lips.
"Really?" asked Ron not looking satisfied at all. "That was not a kiss."
"My lips touched yours Ronald, that would be classified as a kiss," Hermione told him uninterested as she scrubbed a particular tough stain on the oven top.
"Well I want a proper kiss," Ron said wrapping his arms around her from behind and kissing her neck gently. Hermione allowed him to do this for a few moments before giving in and turning around. She placed her arms around his waist and let him lean in and kiss her. It was only a few moments before he pulled back and moved to release her so she could return to her stain scrubbing, but Hermione held him in place. Ron obviously did not have an issue with this and tucked her head under his chin.
"So you wouldn't kiss me, but you're up for a cuddle," Ron chuckled kissing her hair.
"Like you are going to object," she shot back against his shirt.
"You know me too well," he laughed rubbing her back quickly before releasing her. "We really do have to get back to work or mum will kill us," he said reluctantly.
"Yeah now you want to clean," Hermione rolled her eyes, but set to finishing cleaning the oven.
The pair worked relentlessly to finish the top to bottom scrub-down of the kitchen, only pulling out their wands a couple times, and were done by the time Harry and Mrs. Weasley walked down the stairs.
"Wow," said Harry, surveying what used to be one of the most filthiness rooms in the house. "Looks great!" he said thoroughly impressed, and Ron and Hermione shared satisfied looks.
"I packed some sandwiches," Mrs Weasley said setting her over-sizedbag on the table and pulling out some squished sandwich's that rivaled the one Ron had brought on the train during his and Harry's first train ride to Hogwarts.
"Uh thanks mum," Ron said picking up one of the balls of bread, unwrapping it, then shoving it in his mouth with no hesitation.
They all followed and soon Mrs. Weasley had the table cleared once again and they were back to cleaning. Ron and Hermione took the drawingroom while Harry and Mrs. Weasley tackled the bathroom. The trio had slept in the drawing room way back when they had stayed at Grimmauld place during the horcrux hunt, and Hermione had made an attempt to clean it up, but now all her work was covered in dust once again. This house produced dust like Mrs. Weasley did children.
"Ugh," Hermione coughed waving her hand as she batted out on of the mouldy couch pillows. "I can't believe we slept on these only a year ago," she said discarding the pillow into the garbage pile.
"Yeah we are going to need some heavy duty supplies, I will go see what else mum's got," Ron offered rushing back into the hallway.
While Ron was gone, Hermione continued to survey the rest of the room. There was a large cabinet in the corner that she figured probably had some old clothes in it that she should get rid of, so she opened it up and fell back in shock as a person retreated from the very door she opened.
She shrieked in fear at the person looming over her as she fell to the ground quivering.
Bellatix Lestrange stood before her. Hermione covered her eyes and cowered in fear, expecting a blow from the crazy witch. Instead she heard a cry of pain, and opened her eyes to find a duplicate of herself stumble out of the same door Bellatrix had, covered in blood and lacerations.
Bellatrix threw the second Hermione to the ground and shouted the dreaded curse that Hermione knew all to well at her. The first Hermione screamed just as loud as the second as she relived the worst moment of her life.
Ron had just finished shifting through Mrs. Weasley's cleaning basket when he heard the shrieks of his beloved girlfriend. He dropped everything he was holding instantly and rushed back into the drawing room to a sight he had hoped he would never see again.
"HERMIONE!" he shouted as he saw the re-enactment of Malfoy Manor unfold in front of him. He was about to pounce on Bellatrix and rip out her throat, but then saw the other Hermione cowering in the corner. It was then that he realised it was a boggart. Bellatrix gazed over at Ron now and gave a sickening smile before setting the curse on the fake Hermione once again.
Ron yanked his wand out of his pocket and pointed it at his worst nightmare.
"Ridikulous!" he shouted, and it turned into Ginny trying to braid Ron's hair as a child, then they skipped happily back into the cabinet. Ron slammed the door behind them with such force that the glass smashed into a million different pieces.
Glass crunched under Ron's sneakers as he rushed over to Hermione and pulled her onto his lap as he leaned back against the wall.
"Oh baby, it's alright sweetheart, it wasn't real," he soothed rocking back and forth.
Harry and Mrs. Weasley appeared in the doorway looking worried and flustered.
"What happened?!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed.
"Boggart," Ron said quickly between his soothing murmurs to Hermione. He kissed the top of her head and then rested his chin in her busy hair.
"Where?"
"Cabinet," Ron said gesturing with his head to the smashed antique.
"Arthur gave me a spell to get rid of it, so why don't you kids step out of the room and let me deal with this," she suggested.
Ron and Harry nodded and Ron hoisted Hermione up in his arms and carried her into the living room. He sat down on the couch and placed her back in his lap. Harry gave them a quick nod before going back upstairs.
"Shh," Ron cooed rubbing her back tenderly as she breathed heavily into his neck.
"Not real," Hermione assured herself.
"No, and she will never touch you again," Ron added with a kiss to her forehead. They sat quietly fo awhile until Hermione's tiny voice broke through.
"Ron?"
"Yeah love?" he asked rubbing his nose gently against her crown.
"Why didn't the boggart change for you?" she asked looking up at him, but her head never leaving his shoulder.
"Because what happened to you is my worst nightmare," he told her. "I never want to have to watch you go through that again, so that is my worst fear," he said stroking her cheek with the back of his hand.
Hermione seemed satisfied with this answer and settled back against him more comfortably.
"I love you," Hermione sighed.
"Love you too," Ron repeated kissing her nose.
Okay guys there we are! Hope you like this one, it was a bit fun to write, especially the part where Ron and Hermione battle the pixie:) Please Please review cause it makes my life happier!
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