Moments in Time

Author's Note: This will be a collection of one-shots and drabbles of moments between Ron and Hermione. They might be during Hogwarts, after Hogwarts, pre-battle, pre-epilogue etc!

None of them have any connection to each other. They each stand alone.

Fluff, smut and maybe a little angst ahead!

Please leave comments/review! Enjoy!

Title: It's… something

Idea: Hermione attempts to make Ron's favourite dessert… and fails miserably

Timeline: pre-epilogue, post final battle, post Auror training, Engaged Romione

Ron was very much looking forward to his first real break since he and Harry entered the Auror training program. They were due to graduate from the program, both at the top of their class, at the end of the week and since training and their courses and exams were done, they actually had a few days off before the graduation ceremony. He apparated outside the door of his and Hermione's flat, grinning and had his hand on the doorknob when a sound from inside made him pause.

"Oh no!" Came Hermione's voice and a loud clatter and clanging from some sort of metal object being dropped. "No! Blasted thing!"

Ron's brow furrowed and he carefully turned the knob, entering the flat with his wand at the ready in case something was wrong.

"Er… Hermione? Everything okay in there?" He called as he entered the main hallway and lowered his wand as everything seemed normal in appearance.

"Ron? No, don't come in the kitchen yet! I'm not ready!" Came Hermione's voice. It sounded a bit frantic and she didn't often sound that way.

"Everything alright?" He called as he took off his coat and hung it by the door. "I heard something fall."

"Everything is fine!" She called back to him and her tone conveyed the exact opposite. "It was nothing, I dropped a bowl." She finally poked her head out of the kitchen doorway and Ron noticed she looked a bit frazzled. She was flushed, her hair was wild and bushy on her shoulders and some of it was plastered to her forehead with sweat. He raised an eyebrow at her because clearly everything was not fine.

"Hermione, what's going on? Are you alright?" He reached for her hand as she sighed and moved towards him, resting her head on his chest.

"Oh, Ron, I was trying to surprise you! I was trying to do something special for you in honour of you finishing Auror training officially and… it all went wrong!" She kind of wailed the last bit,

"What went wrong, Hermione? Talk to me." He stroked her hair soothingly, kissing the top of her head. She mumbled something into his shirt. "What was that?"

She sighed again, lifting her head off his chest to look at him. "I said," she repeated, "I tried to make your favourite dessert."

He grinned. "You did, huh?"

"Clearly it did not go well." She said with a bit of a frown. He knew that look. Hermione did not like to fail at anything. "Your Mum even offered to help me but I told her I wanted to do it all on my own and I just… it looks awful, Ron! Like truly awful. Inedible, even." She sounded so defeated that it broke his heart a little.

"Oh come on, 'Mione, it can't be that bad." He lifted a hand and rubbed her arm a little.

"See for yourself." She said, gesturing to the kitchen. He followed her gesture and made his way to the kitchen, taking a deep breath and swallowing, knowing that his reaction to whatever he came face to face with in the kitchen was crucial.

What he saw on the countertop was something but it did not look like a treacle tart. He heard Hermione come up behind him. "See?" She asked, pointing to the something she'd created on the counter.

"Er… it's, erm…" He paused, don't say the wrong thing here, Ron. "It's fine! It's…" He paused, shrugging a bit and looked at her and she had her eyebrow raised in challenge, as if to say 'don't you dare lie to me' "...a good attempt." He finished and when he met her eyes again, he smiled and let out a laugh. She did too, though hers was more of a terry eyed one.

He could tell she was disappointed in her attempt. "Really, 'Mione, you made the effort! Treacle tart is a tough dessert for a seasoned cook and you're brand new." He reached over and tucked some hair behind her ear affectionately. "Plus, you know me, I'll eat anything! Got a stomach of steel, I have." He patted his stomach for good measure and saw her crack a smile. "Alright, let's have a try then."

She shook her head. "No, Ron, you don't have to! It looks awful. I'm sure it tastes awful too!"

He shook his head in response, closing his eyes and holding up his hand as if to say he would hear none of that. "Let me try it, love. Least I can do. You went through all the effort."

"Are you sure?" She asked, flicking her wand to summon a spoon for him to try it with.

"Yes, let me have it."

"Alright…" She levitated the spoon to him and he plucked it from the air. He took a deep breath and submerged the spoon into the treacle tart, lifting it to his lips. He tried not to wince. It didn't taste terrible, it was the texture that got him.

"It's good…" He mumbled through the bite in his mouth.

Hermione narrowed her eyes at him.

He swallowed roughly. "No, really, the taste is good! The texture's a bit… off. But the taste is the important part, yeah?"

She didn't seem appeased by his statement but he could tell she was trying to accept it and move on. She always did have trouble letting go of things that she wasn't good at. She wasn't used to it.

"I really tried!" She said with a bit of a huff.

"I know you did, 'Mione." He said, but he was sure she barely heard him.

"I'm perfectly adequate in the kitchen! Not spectacular, not as good as you are, but I'm not an awful cook!"

"Of course you're not!" He replied, and he did mean it. She wasn't amazing at cooking, but she wasn't horrible either. It just didn't come as naturally to her as it did to him.

"This is just one item I am not good at making." She said with a small nod, as if she was convincing herself. He was a bit surprised by her statement because he knew that was hard for her to say.

"Well, you're good at pretty much everything, Hermione. We were bound to come across something in our lifetime that you weren't good at. Just logic, isn't it? Statistics. Had to happen eventually." He joked a bit, hoping to lighten the mood and he saw the corners of her lips turning upwards a bit, though she seemed to be fighting it.

"I'm sorry your surprise turned out like complete shit." She said with a sigh and the sound of her using a swear word, even if it was one as mild as shit, lit up his entire face. When she noticed the look on his face, she finally allowed the laugh to escape her lips. "Oh honestly, I've been known to curse every so often, Ron, you don't have to look at me like I've hung the moon every time I do."

He laughed and swept her up in a hug. "A Hermione surprise attempt and a curse word? Today really is my day!" He rested his chin atop her head and her felt her snuggle in.

"You'll still love me if I can never make your favourite dessert?" She tilted her neck to look up at him.

"Just keep swearing every now and then and I think I can let it slide." He grinned and she rolled her eyes, but she was smiling and that was much better than the expression on her face moments before.

"I'll consider it." She said, responding to his proposition. "I love you, Ron, and I'm so proud of you. Congratulations on finishing training."

"Thanks, love. Means a lot. I really appreciate the attempt, regardless of how it turned out. But please, don't make me eat anymore of… whatever that is."

"Ron!" He just shot her a cheeky grin and headed towards the bedroom.

"Care to congratulate me in another way?" He asked, wiggling his eyebrows at her. "I'd like to show my appreciation for your attempt as well." He turned and headed down the hall, pulling his shirt over his head as he walked and for a moment he thought maybe he teased her one too many times… until he heard her footsteps behind him. Victory.