Grave Revelation

By Redd Butterfly

Disclaimer: Characters are not mine.

A/N  I only started writing fanfics about three weeks ago, and one thing I've learned is that writing is not as easy as it seems. You have to stay motivated, make sure grammar is right (or good enough—it's not English class!), think of the write dialogue, etc. So props to all you writers who are successful in this fanfiction world.

Also, when I write, I write what comes to my head. And what went in my head was more fluff. You have been warned....

Chapter 4: Request

After making a rather rough landing in the Weasley's fireplace, I immediately heard footsteps running towards my direction.

"Ron! Is Hermione o—Hermione?!" Ginny got over her surprise quickly and gave me a hug. I saw Mrs. Weasley appear from the kitchen. She smiled and made her way towards me but stopped in her tracks when we heard the pounding of two sets of footsteps making their way down the stair hurriedly.

"Fred! George!" Mrs. Weasley seemed very annoyed at her sons' recklessness. "What are you trying to do, break down the hou—"

"Hermione's here," asked George, cutting his mother off.

After seeing me, the twins made their way over smiling and gave me a hug.

"So, where's our dear brother," Fred asked after he pulled away from me. At that moment, Ron appeared in the fireplace with a burst of emerald-green flames.

~ * ~

Ron stepped out of the fireplace and saw his siblings and mother standing around Hermione. They looked at him to acknowledge his presence, but quickly turned back to Hermione.

"Are you all right, dear," Mrs. Weasley asked her.

"I'm better," she replied with a shrug. Ron walked up to his family and best friend, and stood between his mother and Hermione.

"Mum, could you help us with something?" Mrs. Weasley stared at her youngest son and waited for him to continue. "Hermione's parents don't know about what's going on. Could you and dad—"

"Speak to her parents about it?" Mrs. Weasley finished for him. Smiling, she answered with, "Of course. I think we all need to talk about it, in fact. Where can we meet them?"

"My parents get home around six in the evening. Ron and I will go back to my place then and tell them that you're coming. Would eight be all right, Mrs. Weasley?"

"It's 'Molly', dear. We've known each other for three years now. We don't need to be so formal. And yes, eight will be just fine. Their father gets home around six as well. That'll give us enough time to eat dinner first. Will you two be eating dinner here, or at your house?"

Despite her casual tone in asking that, Ron knew that his mother really wanted them to eat here.

"Um...Ron and I could eat at my place. I'm sure my parents won't mind," Hermione replied before he could say anything. Ron saw a flash of hurt in his mum's eyes, and immediately began apologizing.

"Yeah...um...Sorry Mum. It's just this once. I promise. Tomorrow, I'll wake up early and eat breakfast with you, Dad, and Percy," he said softly. Mrs. Weasley smiled and took on that casual tone again.

"That's fine, dear." Then, turning to Hermione, she asked, "Would your parents mind if I brought Fred, George, and Ginny? I don't want to think about what mess Fred and George will make if I leave them without supervision."

"Hey! That hurts, Mum," remarked Fred with a mock hurt look on his face.

"We are very responsible," George said seriously. Two seconds later, he and his twin couldn't take it any longer and laughed out loud. The others followed suit. This laughter successfully lighted up the mood of everyone.

Sometimes, Ron really hated the way those two keep joking around. But now wasn't one of those times. In fact, he was very thankful that they had such perfect timing.

~ * ~

At a quarter to six, Ron and I made our way back to my place. I almost didn't want to go. Those three hours of talking, playing chess and exploding snaps, and eating snacks with Ron, Ginny, Fred, and George went by much too fast.

But now that we were alone in my living room, I decided to ask something that's been bugging me.

"Ron, remember when your mum asked where we're going to eat dinner?"

"Yeah...," he said with a slow nod.

"Well, why did she look hurt when I said we could eat here? I mean, I know she was saying it like it didn't really matter, but I swore I saw her eyes darken for a split second. And then she started giving us all food. I haven't eaten that much since...I don't remember when. I know she's always attentive to all her guest, but she seem extra attentive to me and you."

Ron turned away. "It's everything, you know," Ron began. "Mum's been affected by it hard. She just wanted us to be together as much as possible. You know, in case one of us—"

"Don't you dare say the next word."

Ron turned to face me again. For a moment, we just stared at each other until he sighed and turned away.

"So, do you prepare your parents' dinner, or do they do it themselves when they get home?"

I thanked him inwardly for the change in topic. But now I just realized something: If the Weasleys; a pure-blooded family that knew all about Voldemort for most, if not a good part, of their lives; are scared and worried; how are my parents, muggles who have no clue of what's going on, handle the whole of the situation we're in?

Even after five years of knowing I was a witch that went away every year to learn magic, they have never truly understood the magical world.

Well, this is going to be an interesting talk with my parents, I thought bitterly.

"Hermione?"

"What?" I suddenly felt stupid. Had I been thinking that long?

"Since we have nothing to do, you want to get dinner started?"

"You can cook?" I didn't mean to sound so surprised.

"No!" he said incredulously. "Do you?"

"We have some instant dinners in the freezer."

Ron snorted.

"What?" I was glaring at him now.

"You can't cook?" Now he was laughing. He could be such a prat sometimes.

"You can't either. And it's not like we have home-economics at Hogwarts."

"Home-what?"

"Home-economics. Muggle schools have them. It's where students learn to cook, and sew, and, you know—"

"Girls' stuff?"

I glared at him again. Then my temper rose to the point I just had to say, or rather yell, something.

"It's not just girls' stuff, Ron! If you did not realize it, men and women are now equals! It's not enough I'm being discriminated for not being pure-blood, now I'm lesser than you are because I'm a girl!? You're probably just going to make your future wife do all the housework, aren't you?! Yell at her to do things for you?! You sexist p—"

"Hermione!" That shut me up. Then he continued more softly, "I did not mean it like that. I was just...Look, I do not think of you less because you're a girl. In fact, I kinda like that fact about you. And of course I'd help you with the housework. Dad helps Mum whenever she asks him to."

Did he just say he'd help me with the housework? Does he realize what he just implied by saying that?

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Oops, was I staring?

"Oh, sorry." Turning away, I asked, "Do you know what you just said?"

"Yeah...I just said I was sorry."

"No, the last part."

"Dad helping Mum with the housework? Look, Dad is not whipped. Mum just allows him to use the vacuum he'd enchanted and Dad likes using it."

"No, you just compared us to your parents."

"And?" Sometimes, I have to wonder how thick his skull really is.

I just shook my head. Forget this! If he doesn't get it, I'm not going to tell him.

"Oh," Ron exclaimed. Finally! Took him long enough.

"I just mean, you know, if...if we were—"

"Married?"

"Look, don't get mad, okay. It just came out. That's all."

"That's all?" Oh, how I wished it wasn't just that. I bowed my head and my face fell.

He took a step closer to me.

Great! I thought. He's probably going to ask me 'What's wrong' or 'Are you okay.' Stupid prat. Doesn't know anything, does he?

So you can imagine the look on my face when instead asked—

"Hermione, may I kiss you?"

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Ending's kinda odd, but the next chapter starts with Ron's view of this last section so that might explain things. The story's moving a little slow, but that just gives me time to add some fluff here and there. ;) Thanks to all who reviewed. Happy New Year!