The Blood of Ronald Weasley
Yes, it's the weekend!! 48 hours w/o school. Good time to write fanfiction. I'm not JKR bla, bla, bla and all that…
CHAPTER FOURTEEN: NEVILLE'S SECRET
Saturday dawned a perfect autumn day. A cool breeze blew through the boys' dormitory from the open window. Harry shivered and made a grab for his blankets, but someone pulled them father away.
"Stop it. I'm cold," he moaned.
"But Harry Potter, sir, it is time to be getting up!"
Harry sat up and opened his eyes. "Dobby?"
"Yes sir, Harry Potter sir. Is you happy to see Dobby sir?"
"Yes, of course Harry Pot—I mean, of course I'm happy to see you," Harry said. Resigned to the fact that he wasn't going to get any more sleep, he slipped out of bed and pulled on his clothes.
"What's up, Dobby?" he asked.
"Dobby is hearing about what Professor Dumbledore is wanting Harry Potter to do, sir. He is wanting to help, sir."
Harry pondered the small elf for a moment. Could Dobby be of any help? He doubted it, but he'd have to run it by Hermione before he turned Dobby down. "I don't know, Dobby. I'll ask Hermione if there's anything she needs you to do."
Dobby grinned. "She is seeing your Weazey, isn't she sir?"
It took Harry a moment to understand what Dobby said. "Yeah, she's dating Ron."
"And you is seeing the miss Weazey, isn't you Harry Potter?"
Harry grinned and thought of Ginny, and how she said she loved him last night. He remembered the way her chocolate brown eyes lit up with joy, and the way her crimson lips uttered the three most beautiful words he'd ever heard. "Yeah," he said, "I'm seeing Miss Weasley."
"She is a nice lady, she is. Visits Dobby in the kitchens sometimes. She is talking to Winky, too. Winky likes the little miss."
Harry grinned. "I like her too. Do you want to come down to the common room and see if she's up yet?" Ron's bed was empty when Harry got up, and he assumed he must be downstairs.
"No, sir, Harry Potter. Dobby is needing to get back to the kitchens for breakfast. Winky will be mad with Dobby if he is late. Good bye, sir. Let Dobby know if you is needing any help sir." And with that, the house-elf hopped off the bed and before Harry could blink, he was gone.
"Crazy elf," Harry muttered as he climbed down the boys' staircase.
Ginny was sitting in the armchair closest to the staircase Harry was descending, and when she caught sight of him, she jumped up for a hug.
"Good morning, sunshine," she said.
"You're more of a sunshine than I am, I'm afraid," he replied bending down for a kiss. He brushed his lips against hers. They were warm and soft, and had a taste of strawberry lipstick to them.
"Doesn't matter to me if you sleep 'til noon."
"It's NOON?"
She smiled. "No. It's quarter to ten. I just said it wouldn't matter to me if you slept until noon, not that it was noon."
Harry smiled down at her. "I love you."
Ginny's smile lit up her face and she was practically glowing. "I love you too, Harry. And I love saying it."
"I love hearing it, Gin," he said.
Tears were brimming in her eyes. She sniffled and reached up to wipe away the moisture, but Harry took her hand.
"Why are you crying?"
"They're tears of joy."
"I know I promised I wouldn't bug Harry and Ginny about their relationship, but they're making out on the stairs and I think I should put a stop to it," Ron said. He was sitting in an oversized chair cuddling with Hermione.
"He only pecked her, Ron. SIT. STAY. Good boy."
"Very funny."
"I thought so." And with that, Hermione lowered her head and pressed her lips to Ron's.
She nuzzled her nose to his in an Eskimo kiss and then ran a string of nibbles down his throat.
Ron moaned. "I love you."
Hermione froze. Sure, Ron had said that many times, but lately not so much. She knew he did and she loved him back, but it was nice to voice one's feelings every so often.
"I love you too, Ronald Weasley," she said.
"What's with the full name?"
"I just wanted you to know who I was speaking to."
"How many men have you pledged your love to?" he asked indignantly.
"Just my one and only," she whispered into the hollow of his throat.
"Well in that case, I love you too, Hermione Radella Granger."
"How did you know my middle name?"
"I have my ways," Ron replied.
"What's yours?"
"Flynn."
"Oh. Well in that case, I love you too, Ronald Flynn Weasley," Hermione said, copying what Ron just said.
Ron grinned. Ginny was right. Wow, that was a phrase he didn't admit very often. Creepy. "Shall we go to breakfast then?"
Ron liked the way Hermione was acting. Their romantic moment seemed to have put her in an unwavering good mood. If he wasn't much mistaked, she was almost giggly. At breakfast, she kept playing footsie with him under the table. Of course he played back, but he hit Harry once and he gave him a funny look.
He wanted to do something special for Hermione. This romance stuff was intoxicating. He loved the way Hermione's brown eyes shown with excitement and tenderness that morning. He just loved her.
He decided on a romantic interlude. Tonight, in the library. The last time they went had been well worth it, but this time would be special. He'd get some food from the kitchens and make it really nice. He had never considered himself a romantic sort of guy, not like Bill or Charlie, but he thought he was off to a pretty good start.
Harry noticed Ron and Hermione playing footsie at breakfast. Ron had nudged his calf once by mistake and he'd shot him a funny look. The tips of Ron's ears had gone a little red, but he didn't say anything. Harry dismissed it and thought about his favorite thing. Ginny.
He wanted to do something special for her. But what? And when?
***
Around eight, Ron headed down to the kitchens to get some food. Eclairs would be good. Something sweet and romantic. Perfect.
Dobby and the other elves were more than happy to oblige. They filled a satchel with éclairs, tarts and tea cakes all the while smiling and chatting with him.
He nibbled on a few tarts on his way back to Gryffindor tower. He really didn't want to ask Harry if he could borrow the invisibility cloak again. It was embarrassing the first time and it would be doubly so the second. He decided they'd just have to chance it.
He climbed through the portrait hole and all he could see was Harry mauling Ginny in the corner. That was just too much. He lost it.
"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?" Ron's face was beet red when he pulled Harry away from his sister.
"Ron! I could ask the same of you!" Ginny screamed back.
Harry looked mortified, but he stood his ground. "It was just a kiss," he said.
"JUST A KISS? That was not just a kiss! You were mauling my baby sister!"
"He was not! Just—oh my God Ron, you are so insufferable. There are no words for how mad at you I am right now. I swear, if you say one more word I will never speak to you again." Ginny's eyes flashed with anger. Harry thought she really looked dangerous. "C'mon, Harry." She made her way to the portrait hole, but Harry didn't move. He was shocked at how angry Ginny was.
"Don't just stand there with that pig headed SOB. Come with me. NOW!"
Harry chanced a glance at Ron, who had gone completely pale. Harry walked out of the portrait hole with Ginny.
Harry followed her for a few minutes in uncomfortable silence, then she stopped and faced him.
"I'm so sorry I yelled at you. I didn't mean to be so…well, mean."
"I don't know what to say, Gin. I guess we shouldn't have gone at it with such, erm, vigor in the middle of the common room," Harry said slowly.
"We should be able to go at it with as much vigor as we please, anywhere we please," she replied. "That really didn't sound right, did it?" she added, flushing a little.
"No it didn't, but I know what you meant. C'mon, let's go for a walk," Harry said, taking her hand.
"Yeah. It'll give Ron some time to cool down. I hope he won't be too mad with you."
Ron just stood in the middle of the common room. He knew the whole of Gryffindor tower was staring at him, but he really didn't care. He was just thankful that Hermione wasn't there to see it.
Speak of the devil, he thought when she walked in through the portrait hole.
"Hi, Ron. Where have you been? I just had to speak to Professor McGonagall about our homework. What's the matter?"
Ron shook his head in an effort to clear it. "I uh, had an errand to run. And nothings the matter. Just had a spat with Ginny."
Hermione looked as though she was going to say something, but Ron plowed ahead. "I have a surprise for you," he said.
Her frown vanished and her face lit up. "What is it?"
"Come with me, but keep your eyes closed."
He led her all the way up to the library with her eyes closed. This is so unlike him, she thought. But she liked it.
Ron pulled out his wand and muttered, "Silencio." That way, he was able to open the library door and it wouldn't make any noise.
"Where are we? What's going on?" Hermione asked.
"Shh, be patient." Ron walked to the far corner between the stacks and the restricted section. This way, they could see the entrance but whoever might come in couldn't see them.
"Okay, open your eyes."
She did, and what she saw took her breath away. Okay, so it was just Ron and a few tea cakes, but it was the thought that counted.
"I love you," she whispered.
"I love you too."
The pastries lay forgotten as they kissed. Hermione couldn't hear anything over the pounding in her ears. She slid her hands down his back, and he lifted her off her feet. They stumbled away from where Ron had set the food, and moved around the rows of books as they kissed.
Hermione stepped back, and nearly lost her balance. She had stepped on something big and squishy, something that felt like someone's foot.
She pulled away and turned around, but banged into something solid.
"HERMIONE?"
"NEVILLE?"
"WHO'S THERE?" came another female voice.
"PARVATI?"
"WHAT'S GOING ON?"
"HARRY?"
"Oh, this is stupid," Hermione said. She grabbed her wand. "Lumos."
If she had known what the scene looked like, she never would have lit her wand. Neville and Parvati were sitting on the floor, and Neville's face was smeared with lipstick. It must have been his foot she stepped on. Harry and Ginny were standing at the opposite end of the row, holding hands. Harry's glasses were askew and Ginny's hair was coming out of its ponytail. And she didn't even know how she and Ron must look.
"Well, isn't this interesting…" Ron muttered.
"Embarrassing, more like," Neville mumbled.
"Um…I'm not sure what to say," Harry said.
"Shall we say this is a don't ask, don't tell kinda thing?" Parvati asked.
"Yeah, that'd be good," Ginny said.
"Well, uh, bye all," Ron said and he dragged Hermione out of the library.
"Ugh, that was the worst date ever."
"It wasn't that terrible. Parts of it were quite nice," Hermione said once they were in the corridor.
"Not really. Catching your sister like that…with your best friend…"
"But at least we know what Neville's secret is."
Okay, I know that this was extremely fluffy, but oh well. Hermione's middle name (which I gave to her) means "Elfin counselor" remember SPEW and all that? Yeah, I'm clever I know. And Flynn means "Son of the red haired man." That was perfect for Ron.