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TRUST IN ME
by Tyde

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Chapter Seven

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Harry and Ginny sat in a little café round the corner from his flat and sipped tea as they discussed the arrangements for that night.

"So you told Hermione to research blocking unfriendly spells?" Ginny nodded.

"And Ron told you to put away all breakables" Harry nodded also.

"What is this? A talk or a duel?

"It may very well turn into a duel. 'Mione is upset and angry and if this morning was anything to judge by, Ron is just the same. Although they both seem to want to talk it over"

"I can't believe he thought she was having an affair with Percy. That idea of hers is brilliant though, the Chudley Cannons. Ron'd fall over from shock if they turned up to the wedding. Why did she have to ask Percy though? I mean I am the order manager at Nimbus – all the Cannon players ride our new brooms, I could have organised a meeting or something"

"She said you'd probably let it slip...accidentally" she pointed out when seeing his reaction. "A night out with you, Finnigan and Thomas always turns into a bit of a drinking confession session. I hardly blame her for not trusting you with it. Plus Perce is a Ministry Minister. The clout that carries would help"

"Okay. So lets go over the details for tonight" he pulled some parchment from his briefcase and laid it out on the table. "At 8 o'clock Ron arrives and I take him into the kitchen. You Apparate in to the lounge room with Hermione at 8.02pm. Then I lead Ron in and we hold out our wands and warn them both to be civil or we'll do something drastic like..." Harry faltered.

"Threaten to turn them into badgers? Make them bald? Bewitch their eyeballs to tap dance in their heads?" supplied Ginny. He smiled at her.

"And Ron said I was getting weirder"

"Ah you like me for my weirdness, admit it! Admit that you're sitting there desperately trying to concentrate on your drink and the plan but all you're really thinking about is what is under my robes and whether or not I still wear those knickers that you liked so much in seventh year" She grinned at him triumphantly.

"How did you? I mean, um, no. 'Course not! I'm thinking about the plan" Harry suddenly became very interested in the string attached to the teabag.

"The plan to get Hermione and Ron back together or the plan to get into my pants?"

"Ginny" he hissed. "Public place! And anyway, I don't specifically have a plan for that. I was just going to play it by ear"

"You'll have to play with more than just my ear, Harry" she quipped sending him into a flurry of blushes just thinking about it.

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The two injured parties sat on armchairs opposite each other, the coffee table between them.

Hermione's face was fixed with one of disbelief and disgust and Ron's was a mask of anger and pain.

Harry, with his wand trained on Hermione, couldn't help a bemused look from dancing it's way across his lips. Ginny, whose wand had never looked so threatening as it did now pointed directly at her brother, elbowed Harry in the ribs.

"Not helping Harry" she said between clenched teeth.

Then aloud to the gathered people. "Okay then, you're both here. Talk!"

Almost simultaneously they both crossed their arms and avoided each other's eyes.

"Oh really!" exclaimed Harry. "Don't be childish. Listen I'll even start you off. Hermione, Ron is sorry that he jumps to conclusions and it a right royal git"

"I AM NOT!" the redhead exploded.

"Ron" Ginny warned. "Okay we'll start with you Hermione. Ron, 'Mione is sorry that she was being secretive, but really she had a very good reason for it – which she will explain now"

"No, I won't" It was like the spirit of a five year old had taken over the bushy haired young woman. "Not until, after he apologises for calling me a whore...and a traitorous little shit! Honestly Ron, I'm surprised you didn't stoop as low as to call me a MUDBLOOD!"

Her eyes were filled with fire and if Ron had been a field of grass he'd have burst into flames. As it was he was red to the roots of his hair anyway.

"How dare you even suggest that I was call you that! Who cares what blood you've got, you're Hermione and you're brilliant! And if anyone tries to say anything against you why I'd have 'em up in shackles before you could say 'Malfoy!'" he spat out.

His face flushed a little as he realised his stubbornness had vanished and he'd just defended her. Once Ron started his tirade Harry and Ginny has surreptitiously edged towards the door leading into the kitchen. On his last word they quietly closed the door and stood on the cold tiles smiling at each other.

"I think this talk is going well, started off a bit rough but I think they'll get there eventually"

A murmuring of voices from the other side of the wooden barrier indicated that a turning point had been reached. Hermione's ice-cold façade had melted at his sweet comments and the armchairs and coffee table had been pushed aside. The two lovers were sitting on cushions on the floor and looking at each other shyly. Hermione had just explained to Ron what exactly she was doing with Percy at the Ministry ball. Ron's eyes had lit up at the prospect of having the Chudley Cannons at his wedding.

"Why didn't you say anything then at the hospital? You just ran out. Made you look awfully guilty"

"You didn't give me a chance to say anything! You just charged on and started calling me horrible names. If you're really that stupid I can't think why I ever agreed to marry you in the first place" Her voice had started to rise again and the occupants of the kitchen looked at each other concerned. Just when it was going so well!

"All evidence pointed to it!"

"All your 'misconstrued, you're a nutcase' evidence pointed to it, you mean." Hermione muttered crossly. Sighing, her expression softened a little "If you were worried in the first place you should have just come and talked to me about it"

"Now you tell me!" try as he might, Ron found the tone of indignation very hard to get rid of.

"Why didn't you just do that in the first place?"

"Don't know. Maybe cause then it was admitting that it could be true. 'Mione, I just...I want to be with you for the rest of my life and I don't ever want anything to go wrong. Maybe I thought if I followed you around a bit I'd see that you two were just...oh I don't know. Using hindsight I have been a silly git, haven't I?"

"I would have thought that was obvious," she said, not unkindly, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. Ron reached out for her hand and caressed it with his own.

"I'm so sorry, Hermione. Isn't it obvious how infatuated I am with you?" he kissed the fingers of her upturned hand, lightly brushing his lips over her outstretched palm. She felt the skin tingle as his lips left her flesh. How could she not forgive him? Yes he'd been horrible to you, said some ridiculously shocking things but he was Ron...and she was Hermione. And they just plain fit together.

"I'm sorry too Ron" Hermione breathed into his ear.

His hand found her cheek and he lightly ran a finger along it. She smiled and took a hold of his hand, nibbling lightly on the fleshy part between his thumb and forefinger. He was also tingling a little.

 "I think a whole fortnight is just too long to wait to marry you, Ronald Weasley"

They were now lying stomach down on the carpet, propped up on their elbows and face to face, lips mere inches from each other. They leaned in for the kiss that had been in the back of their minds since Harry and Ginny had herded them in here when Ron pulled back quickly.

"MERLIN'S BALLS!"

Hermione looked alarmed. "What is it Ron?"

"The wedding! Um, well I got Mum to cancel all the reservations this morning, because...I admit, it was a bit rash" he winced slightly expecting her to explode.

But for once Hermione wasn't being Hermione and she threw caution to the wind, "I'm sure we can find somewhere. I figure the past few days have shown me that the most important things at the wedding will be you and me Ron. It doesn't matter where we are, as long as we are together" she kissed him softly and he pulled her into his lap.

"I want to make this day as special for you as you'd planned though" he thought quickly "We'll have it in that field behind the Burrow. I can get the boys to rig up something. No one owns it and the high hedges will hide it from prying Muggle eyes. Especially when" his heart leapt at this point "the Chudley Cannons turn up. They'll come on their broomsticks, won't they?" he said with a hopeful look on his face. He instantly scolded himself "Course they will. I mean, they're the Cannons, aren't they." He noticed the look on her face. "What's the matter?"

"I just" she sighed and got out of his lap. "I wanted it to be a really big, mind blowing surprise and now that you know, well it's going to lessen it, don't you think?"

Hermione looked at him with a wrinkled brow. It hadn't even entered her mind yet that she was yet to set up the whole thing and that her meeting with Joey Jenkins had yet to take place. But come hell or high water she'd manage it.

"Not at all" he took her hand in his and kissed it. "You're not thinking of obliviating it from my memory are you?"

"Well I was considering it"

"Don't. I mean, I know you're brilliant with just about every spell in the book but I don't want to forget anything about these last few hours"

"It hasn't been all that pleasant"

"Not at the beginning, but this is what marriage is about 'Mione. Working through problems, together. Besides if you take away any of the memories tonight, I'll be sorely missing something"

"And what is that Ronald Weasley?" she asked cuddling into his broad chest.

"The exact moment when I fell in love with you all over again. You're my everything Hermione Granger and I have never felt so complete as I do right now" He saw the tears starting to well in her eyes and kissed them away. "Wouldn't want to take that away now"

She spoke through choked tears "I suppose not. I love you Ron". He held her to himself tightly and stroked her hair lovingly.

"I love you too, Hermione. With all my heart. Together, forever, always" Light kisses started to decorate his jaw line and finally after what seemed like a lifetime they locked lips. Harry and Ginny pressed their ears harder against the door leading into the lounge room but all they could hear were muffled moans.

"Do you think they are just going to do it in your lounge room?" Ginny asked in disbelief as they heard the soft thud of shoes dropping on the floor and the flutter of material being flung across the room.

"Apparently so"

"Hmmm"

"Well I hadn't actually had dinner yet. I was going to go out to eat anyway, you can come with me if you want"

"Ever the romantic, Harry" Ginny's sarcastic tone was apparent.

Slinging her arm through his they prepared to dart through the living room and out the front door. Best to leave before the building starts to shake Harry had said quietly. He muttered a silencing charm on his flat as they scurried down the stairs. No need for the neighbours to be affronted by the sounds of two happy people making up for lost time.

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Author's note: Yay! Ron and Hermione, back together and being all smushy again. Surely nothing could go wrong now...

Li-chan – it's always fun to get out the old 'Alternate Ways to Say Slut' book and rifle through it :oP

cosmoz – thanks! I think it's going to unfold in more than ten chapters now. Unless of course the last chapter is about 6,000 words or something. I normally like to keep it around 1,500.

winnie – okay, okay, okay, okay! :o) Yes Sergeant Winnie, sir, er Ma'am!

ElvinTinnu – thank you for loving it!