Author's Rant: Okay, I guess it's getting time for me to talk about the 500-pound gorilla in the proverbial room. Hermione. Sweet, loving… she holds on to a grudge longer than an ill-tempered Dragon, Hermione. A lot of reviewers are saying how could Ron possibly end of with this Hermione for never, ever apologizing to Ron.
The answer is quite simple. That would be against HP Canon. Hey, I didn't establish it… talk to the rich lady in Scotland about that. After you've done that, then how about telling her to stop being sensational when she is promoting books/movies at the detriment of Ron and Hermione's relationship. Good luck.
Hermione, in canon, doesn't apologize to Ron for really anything. A fellow female author/friend/ex-Beta/Hermione-eques/love-of-my-life/vengeful bint flat out told me this:
"Not going to apologize for the way I feel, no one should."
That pretty much sums up why Hermione doesn't apologize to Ron. Best for Ron and the rests of us males to focus on getting over the past and re-building toward the future. By that I mean, when I wrote this several years back it's as much true as then as it is now.
"Ron will continue on in this story and the HP books knowing in the end that his accomplishments will always be overlooked by everyone, except maybe the one he cares the most about, Hermione, our fair maiden. While Draco Malfoy is the rich and powerful son who gets the girls and is able to get away from the ordinary responsibilities of work, and decency. I guess Ron's only reward, salvation in life, will be to win the heart of Hermione. With that a mature Ron could really care less about the assume riches of Draco Malfoy and the suppose fame of Harry Potter. Maybe in the end of book seven, we all realize that Ron winning Hermione's love is the only thing worth having."
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Chapter 55 – What's for dinner
Harry's POV:
Harry watched Mrs. Weasley busily start cooking dinner on the small oven. He happily sat on the couch smelling the warm delights of Lancashire Hotpot and thought of how Burrow-esque it felt. What with her and the rest of the Weasley gathered at the Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes on a Saturday afternoon.
As he watched Ron argue with his mother over letting Hermione cook, Harry realized that Ron would never fully appreciate how lucky he really was.
"I think, Hermione, is an excellent cook-"
"Thank you, Mrs. Weasley... I mean, Molly."
"Mum, she… you don't need, Hermione… NO!"
Harry was a bit confused as to why Ron was arguing with his Mum and Hermione, even though he was sure Ron was going to lose. Bill and Percy on the other hand had managed to separate a defiant Ginny from him. They were trying their best to have a brother sister discussion on the birds and the bees.
"I am old enough to make my own decisions!"
"Gin, we are not saying that you can't-"
"Bill's right. We're saying that maybe you need to be concentrating on school work instead of - you know, boys."
"Shut up, Percy. I never said anything against you when you went batty over Penelope Clearwater. As for you, Bill, I wouldn't even be talking what with you and Fleur-"
"We're a married couple!"
"Before you two were even married you were constantly running to the back of Mum's garden. I could hear the moaning through my window."
Harry smirked to himself, as he realized that Bill and Percy were also going to be in the loss column for the day.
"Hermione put down that spatula," Ron defiantly ordered.
All the while, Hermione started busying herself to help Mrs. Weasley cook and completely ignored Ron in the process.
"I swear to Merlin, I have nightmares of her giggling and moaning with that fake little-" Ginny described to an angry Bill with a look of horror spreading over her face.
"Ginny!" Bill roared for her to stop in defense of his wife.
Ron's a lucky bloke. I've grew up without a real loving family and he has no idea what it's like to be complete ignored and not loved, Harry reflected on his horrible childhood of living with the Dursleys'.
"Hermione-"
A now frustrated Hermione scowled at Ron before telling him off. "Ron, that's enough. I'm cooking and that's final. Now go over there and set the table with clean dishes and silverware."
"You heard her, young man, now get busy," Mrs. Weasley commanded, as she waved her wand and transfigured the couch into a huge dining room table. "As for you two," she looked pointedly at Bill and Percy, "Leave Ginny alone. Ginny, come over here and help me in the kitchen." Ginny gave a small snarl to a defeated Bill and Percy before walking over to Mrs. Weasley and Hermione. "William, Percy, start stacking those ledgers over in the corner; we can work on them after dinner."
"But-" whimpered Ron in one last desperate attempt.
However, Hermione gave the last word on the subject as she pointed at the dishes and silverware on top of the table.
"William, after you finish with that I want you to go to the bank and bring your wife back for dinner. Percy, I want you to do the same for Penelope. It's about time we had a proper family dinner with her as well."
"But-" began Bill and Percy only to stop just as quickly as Mrs. Weasley put her hands on her hips and stared at them with a message that clearly stated they were going to do it or else.
Harry couldn't help but snicker at a tight-lipped and frowning Ron and Bill, and Percy doing what their mother and Hermione ordered them to do. Unfortunately, his chuckling managed to catch Ron's attention as he snapped his head over toward him.
"Oi, what are you laughing at Harry? Get over here and help."
Harry watched as Ginny turned her head at him and started laughing as he walked over to a frustrated Ron. Loving family, thought a smiling Harry as he grabbed a stack of clean plates to use for dinner.
However, he wasn't sure if the notion of a loving family was going to hold up after hearing a voice from the front of the store.
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Mr. Weasley's POV:
Admittedly, he never liked working on a Saturday away from his family, but for the rarest of occasion his work was his family. He grinned a little at how proud he was to have such a brave extended family. It was times like this that he often remembered his Hogwarts days of being excluded from joining Professor Horace Slughorn's suppers. To think that blowhard Slughorn never thought I would amount to much - HA!
He glanced around the alley to make sure no one was following him and even managed to pass the boy's shop a few times to throw off anyone that might be watching. To the casual eye he was picking up weekly supplies on Diagon Alley for his family. His last stop at the WWW would be thought of more as a brief family visit after he had finished his shopping. No one would even suspect that his visit to the Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes was in fact, a top-secret mission for the Order of the Phoenix.
I can't believe they managed to get their hands on the Malfoy's vault records, Mr. Weasley reflected to himself as he tipped his hat at some elderly witches passing by. They respectfully nodded back to him and he continued on his way to the Owlery to buy some Owl treats for Errol his retired family owl.
Now if we can only prove it's being used for supporting He-who-must-not-be-named operations. Then I could have the Ministry confiscate all of the Malfoy's holdings, Mr. Weasley visualized the demise of the hated Malfoys and a major victory in the war.
After purchasing Owl treats, a small assortments of sugar mice, and a new ball of magical yarn for his wife he made his way back to WWW. He took one last look at the store's front windows' reflection in order to make sure no one was following behind him. When he was sure the coast was clear, he entered the store and immediately noticed the blazing display stand of his sons' new comic book, Dragonheart.
"Hello Boys, this is good. I actually saw all the kids up and down Diagon Alley with your comic books!"
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Harry's POV:
"What comic books?" Ron inquired to him after hearing Mr. Weasley's voice at the front of the store.
Immediately, Harry started to get nervous at what he was going to have to say to his volatile Best Mate. Before he even answered Ron, he looked over his shoulder to see a red-faced Ginny burying her head deep in the back of Hermione's jacket. Ginny was desperately trying to keep Ron from seeing her laughing. All the while a nervous Hermione started chewing on her lower lip as she gazed worriedly at a confused Ron.
"It's … it's a comic book about … er me," Harry finally said and shrugged his shoulders at an even more confused Ron.
"You have a comic book?"
Harry never got the opportunity to answer Ron as a proud Mr. Weasley confidently walked into the back room. He stopped dead in his tracks at the surprising sight of his scowling wife.
"Arthur Weasley, we will talk about this later, but for now take your seat at the table," Mrs. Weasley growled, as she pointed her wand at Mr. Weasley and then at the head of the table.
Mr. Weasley was never a man of fear or panic as long as Harry had known him, but from the quickness at which Mr. Weasley swooped down into his seat at the head of the table it was clear he wasn't a stupid man either.
"It... it smells delicious, Molly. Be ashamed to waste such a fine dinner," offered Mr. Weasley in a pleading fashion to his wife. She scoffed at him before turning around to finish cooking dinner.
Harry continued to watch as an agitated Mr. Weasley silently made strange faces to Ron. Ron in turn would either shrug his shoulders, grimace, or nod back to his father. All and all it was a bit strange even for them. Nevertheless, in and of itself, Harry wasn't particularly worried as he sat down beside Ginny and Hermione. Ron, on the other hand, nervously sat beside Hermione, as per her insistence. Hermione had to force Ron to move out of the seat farthest away from her to the empty seat right beside her. As for the twins, they sat opposite side of the table. Next to them sat Bill and Fleur then Percy and a quiet newcomer to the Weasley family dinner, Penelope Clearwater.
Before they all dug into all the food at the center of the table, Mrs. Weasley was the first to set the mood. "It's refreshing to have everyone here at dinner. I could only wish Charlie and his new girlfriend-"
"Tania," answered a knowing Ginny after her mother looked at her for the name of Charlie's new girlfriend at the Preserve.
"Yes, ah... Tania. It would be perfect if they were here too, I'm afraid we're going to have to wait for Easter before meeting her as well. Penelope-"
A nervous Penelope looked away from Percy and over at the Weasley matriarch who was warmly smiling at her.
"Yes, Mrs. Weasley?"
"Let me first apologize to you for the rude eating manners of my boys."
Percy seemed a bit outraged at his mother's statement while the twins snickered. Ron said nothing on the subject as he was busy watching Hermione like a hawk.
"You'll consider yourself lucky that Percy was the only exception to being an ill-mannered hungry Hippogriff," Mrs. Weasley commented as she looked disdainfully at the twins and then Ron.
Her remarks managed to cause a good bit of giggling from Hermione even though she was the only one laughing.
"Thank you, Mrs. Weasley," Penelope offered. For what she was thanking Mrs. Weasley, Harry had no idea.
"Yes dear," Mrs. Weasley dryly commented, as she was intently sizing up Penelope. "Well, Arthur, do you have anything to say?"
Mr. Weasley, who seemed to be setting in his chair frozen, snapped his head up to address the family. "I ah… Yes, let us remember those less fortunate than us by not wasting any of this fine food. Dig in."
Ron right away hurled his hands at a big bowl of mashed potatoes. He managed to snatch it away before any other member of the family could even reach out to get some. Even odder, was Mr. Weasley reaching out and forking Percy in the hand before Percy had a chance to pull a steaming pan of Lancashire Hotpot toward his side of the table. An unapologetic Mr. Weasley quickly captured the pan and scooped a large portion for himself. Mr. Weasley quickly followed this by directly handing the pan over to the ravenous twins bypassing Bill and Fleur beside him. Independently, Ron was copying his father's actions as he took a large portion of mashed potatoes then passed the bowl straight across the table to the twins as well. Ron had almost completely covered his plate with mashed potatoes. It was more mashed potatoes then Harry had ever seen Ron eat. The process wildly continued as both father and son worked the table to seize much of the food for themselves. Followed by handing the rest of the food off to the twins, ignoring everyone else at the table.
"Ron," snapped a disapproving Hermione with an empty plate compared to Ron's half a meter high plate.
"Arthur," warned a scowling Mrs. Weasley at her husband.
Ron feigned indifference, as did Mr. Weasley, before he rudely leaped across Harry knocking him backwards off his chair. Ron had furiously leaped to grab at Ginny's hand while she was reaching out for the gravy dish.
"Give me that," shouted Ron as he tried to yank the hot steaming gravy dish out of Ginny's hand.
"What is wrong with you?" Ginny balked at Ron in astonishment.
"Ron!" Hermione shouted in deeper outrage as she forcible tried to yank Ron back to his seat.
Harry, after getting up off the floor saw a furious Hermione grabbing at a resistant Ron holding onto the gravy dish as if his life depended on it. Amazingly, Harry continued to watch as Mr. Weasley took the opportunity to make a huge lunge down the length of the table for a pan of bread pudding. He came up short after Mrs. Weasley had already magically summoned it away from him.
"ENOUGH!" Mrs. Weasley roared, forcing everyone to be still.
Harry observed the worried look of Mr. Weasley and Ron as they looked at one another and then to Mrs. Weasley and Hermione. All the while, Bill, Fleur, and Penelope was wide-eyed with shock and a hurt looking Percy, was busy rubbing his hand where he was stabbed with a fork. Only Fred and George were happily oblivious to what was going on while they continued to eat all the food in front of them.
"You two will not make a mockery of this family dinner!" Mrs. Weasley ordered, withdrawing her wand from her pocket and pointed it at a defeated Mr. Weasley and then at a gasping Ron who had just gotten elbowed in the stomach by Hermione.
Harry had to ponder that he would never really understand all the strange family behaviors of the Weasleys', but he had to admit they were never boring.
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Author's Note: 8 chapters to go! And yes, there is a reason I didn't end the story when Ron got back from the Preserve. Next chapter we get back to the plot and storyline.
