Two Tickets to Rome
Summary: Two strangers. One train. A ten-hour journey. Who said magic can't happen on a train ride to Rome? A new take on the first meeting between our favourite Witch and Wizard. RomioneAU
A/N: I am immensely sorry for leaving you guys hanging. I have had a lot of school and other activities to deal with lately. Even the gyms have closed, so I'm mad at the world.
Therefore, it was very nice of the wonderful chemrunner57 to send me a message and remind me that this story is loved. Also, a huge thanks to maxisaraviamgs, AzureAlquimista, LindyAmy and ObsessedWithRomione for taking the time to tell me what you think. Here is a longer chapter especially for you.
Capitolo dieci: The Whole Story
They had driven for roughly three hours. Hermione felt slightly on edge, but she wasn't sure whether it was because the headlights of the car were flickering dangerously in the dark, or the fact that in one hour they would have reached their destination.
In one hour, she may have to say goodbye to Ron, and she may never meet him again.
It made her feel melancholy. He had a girlfriend, but she knew it was not going well. The fact sent joyous shivers up her spine. Maybe there was hope after all.
Ron just seemed so perfect.
Too bad they probably would never meet again after Rome.
She snuck another glance at him. He was tapping the wheel in rhythm with the music, humming along with the song. Hermione hadn't noticed how long his light eyelashes were before. They were lit up in the golden light from the instruments in the car.
He had high cheekbones, too.
She tried focusing on something else. Hermione felt warm, a blush creeping up her cheeks. She hoped Ron wouldn't notice that she had been staring at him. With her luck, he probably had.
With the lever on the door, she cranked down her window. Instantly, cold air flushed into the car.
Ron yelped, "That's cold, Hermione," he said, but his tone hinted that he didn't really care.
"But I'm warm," she chuckled, looking over him. He was wearing a dark hoodie, whereas she only wore a thin shirt, "I have no idea how you can wear that in this weather. You should be overheating,"
His eyes left the road for a second, meeting her gaze. They lingered, before he gave her a once over. Hermione felt the blood rush to her face again. The cold didn't chase it away. The blush burned in her face.
Before he could reply, a flash of something brown collided with the front window. A sharp bang followed straight after.
Hermione jumped and shrieked.
Ron swerved to the side of the road, instantly coming to a halt. The brakes whined in the dark night.
"What was that!" Hermione shouted. Her eyes were wild when she met Ron's.
He looked surprisingly calm.
"Why are you looking like that?" she asked, somewhat calmer.
"It's my owl," he deadpanned.
"What?" Hermione was taken aback. She was about to open her car door, when another bang sounded, this time from the window by the driver's seat.
Ron calmly opened his door. The pudgy owl crash landed into the cupholder between the witch and the wizard. Seemingly happy with its landing, the owl looked at Ron expectantly, waggling its leg tentatively in his direction.
Some of its feathers were stuck to the windows of the car. Trying to be of assistance, Hermione tried to flatten its feathers to the owl's body. At least, she didn't want it to look sick.
Ron untied the letter from its foot.
"Thanks, Pig," he said, before guiding it outside the car again. It responded by biting him in the finger, before flying off again.
"That was…" Hermione searched for the word, "wild,"
"It happens a lot," he explained, "Imagine how it is when he crashes into our flying car,"
She was speechless.
"We don't know what's wrong with him, but I guess it is a combination of old age and horrible balance," he smiled at her. One of his teeth stood out a little crooked. It looked nice on him.
Hermione pouted, "Poor bird. And what's with his name? Do you really call him Pig?"
Ron didn't stop smiling, "I got him from one of my older brothers. He named him Pigwidgeon. One time, Fred nicknamed him Pig. I guess the name just stuck,"
His smile wavered slightly at the mention of his deceased brother.
Hermione felt courage build up in her chest, spilling out from between her lips. She said, "Are you okay?" she shook her head. It sounded wrong, "I mean, if you ever want to talk about your brother, I'm here to listen,"
His expression was hard to read. His entire body had gone rigid. His eyes carried a blank look. "Hermione," he said ominously. She suddenly felt afraid that she'd said something wrong. She was proven incorrect when his face split in a shy smile, "It means a lot to me that you say that. Thank you,"
His words felt genuine. Hermione looked at him. It was a pleasant silence, before he spoke again, "I –" he took a deep breath, as if to collect the courage to say it, "I can tell you the whole story, if you want to hear it,"
She swallowed, "Yes, I would like that, Ron,"
Her eyes watered when he started telling.
He told her how the Death Eaters wanted Ginny as hostage for Harry Potter. During the war, their home had no longer been safe for any of the Weasleys. His mother had been constantly worried sick for all her children. Then, the Battle of Hogwarts began.
Hermione had also been there during the battle. His story alone brought back painful memories for her. Professor Lupin's dead face flashed behind her eyelids.
Ron told her how Lucius Malfoy, the horrible Death Eater, had noticed that Fred and George had been separated in the battle. Lucius had always hated Ron's father and he saw an opportunity for revenge. He had cursed Fred.
At this part, Hermione's vision was blurry with tears. Her hand had somehow found Ron's. She rubbed her thumb over his hand in a way she hoped felt comforting to him.
Ron's voice wavered and cracked, but he continued to tell her his awful story.
His story of how broken George had been when he'd seen his twin die. About his mother, and how she didn't function anymore. With a sigh, he even told her how fed up he had been with his family. How he had responded to his grief by closing off his feelings. He had felt overwhelmed and angry.
It was obviously difficult for him to speak about his feelings. Hermione felt proud at him for daring. She knew just how difficult it was. He continued, "Fred passed a year ago, but my family's still…" he paused, searching for the words. His brows were furrowed, his shoulders tense, and his eyes were glossed over with tears, "They're still not right. I don't know how to explain it, but it feels like we will never be happy again," he trailed off.
Hermione replied in a shaken voice, "I know it will never feel the same again. Time will help, but I'm afraid the grief won't go away,"
She didn't know how to console others when they were sad. She guessed it was a consequence of never having friends in the first place. Well, she did have Luna, but she was far from normal.
He added, with a tight smile, "In fact, I travelled to Italy to get some distance between my family and me. It was only meant to be a pause. A little time to catch my breath and figure things out. I never thought I'd meet someone as wonderful as you while I was at it,"
She didn't know what to say. In a way, she felt guilty, knowing he talked so highly of her while he had a girlfriend. At the same time, she felt honoured. It was seldom she got compliments, especially from sweet boys that she liked.
"Thank you, Hermione," he finished, taking her hand in both of his. He looked her deeply in the eyes. For once, the blueness in them didn't comfort her. She was almost afraid he'd kiss her.
"I just want to help. I know how it feels to be alone, surrounded by all these dark thoughts," she piped up. The words had just slipped out of her mouth. She didn't mean to say them.
He looked at her questioningly. The grim expression had disappeared, replaced with a worried face. "Do you want to talk about it?" he offered.
Hermione felt trapped, like an animal in a corner. Ron was the predator, ready to sink his teeth deep in her skin. Ready to shred her with his claws as easily as he could with the letter in his hands.
She was afraid of feelings.
She was afraid of opening up.
And he was asking her to admit her feelings. He was asking her to open up. It was the exact opposite of what she wanted to.
Hermione stared at him for what felt like a full minute, her eyes wide. Her thoughts were racing.
Forcefully, she inhaled a deep breath. After they reached Rome, the two of them would part ways anyway. It was not like they would explore Rome together like they'd toyed with. He would return to his hotel, owl his girlfriend and family, and solve his Rubik's Cube. She would retreat to her own hotel, open her favourite book, and watch Shakespeare plays alone.
They would never meet again after Rome. Love was like that for Hermione. Whenever she liked someone, they fled like she was the plague.
Hermione never opened up to anyone about her past. About her bullying. About her issues. She was horrified to face people after they knew that about her. They would think she was weak and lonely – and definitely not worth their time.
But Ron was disappearing from her life anyway.
Fuck it, she thought, she might as well tell him.
A/N: There we go! I have wanted to write this talk for so long now. A quarter for your thoughts?