Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling.
CHAPTER IV
"And now, ladies, our next bachelor, Ronald Weasley," Bob proclaimed, while the buyers cheered.
Ron nervously got up from his chair and approached the front of the stage. When he had been sitting down, he'd felt rather comfortable but now he was feeling nauseous. Yet, for Hermione's sake, he was going through this. He stole a glance at Hermione. She was busy writing something on her clipboard. "Probably calculating how much money they've made so far," Ron mused to himself.
Bob was saying, "Ronald Weasley is the Ministry's top Auror. He also happens to be excellent at chess and is a huge fan of the Chudley Cannons, a team I greatly support as well. He's the youngest son of a family of-"
"Can we just get on with the bidding?" Crystal cut in.
Bob the auctioneer smirked at her. "Well, if you say. The bidding starts at 5 Galleons." Everyone raised their hands eagerly, while Ron smiled weakly.
Bob grinned. "6 Galleon," he stated hesitatingly. All the witches raised their hands higher, waving madly in hopes of being the lucky lady.
"I'll pay 15 Galleons for Ron," Crystal announced. Saying so, she left her table and hooked her arm through Ron's on stage.
Bob smiled at Ron. "What do you make of that, Ron?"
Ron turned to a beaming Crystal. "You'll pay 15 Galleons to spend an evening with me. Wow."
"Okay, going once. Going twice-"
"16 Galleons," a familiar voice interrupted. Ron, stunned, turned to face the speaker. It was…"Hermione?" Ron remarked, shocked. What an unexpected turning point!
Crystal, however, was fuming. How dare another lady contradict her? Standing her ground, she countered, "17 Galleons."
Hermione's brain wasn't working, however. All she was aware of was that instead of keeping herself occupied with her own work, she was getting involved in a man's bidding. She knew she was making a huge mistake bidding on someone, especially if that person would be Ron. But, without thinking twice, she joined Crystal up front and stated defensively, "18 Galleons."
Crystal glared at her, while Ron looked on in amusement. Both ladies were directly opposite of each other, with him in-between. He caught Harry's eye, who was looking at him with a funny expression on his face. He ignored him and turned his attention back to the ladies. Crystal was bidding for him at 20 Galleons and he noticed Hermione had had enough. She gave Crystal one last look and pronounced clearly, " 25 Galleons."
Everyone in the audience roared their approval, while Bob chuckled. This certainly was going to help the orphanage. "So, the current bid is at 25 Galleons. Will the lady take us to 26?"
Crystal shrugged her shoulders in a nonchalant way. "Take him. I could never explain 26 Galleons to my husband." With that, she walked off the stage.
"Husband?" Harry and Ginny whispered to each other, bewildered.
"Going once. Going twice. Sold to Hermione Granger for 15 Galleons." The audience clapped politely for her, as she nervously bit her lip. She looked at Ron, who was smiling and clapping his hands together in a mock behavior and presented her with a purple rose. She gave him a weak smile and slowly stepped off the stage. She wasn't ashamed of the attention. She was afraid of what would happen between them, once they got home.
~*~*~*~*
"So kids, how'd it go?" Mr. Weasley inquired, once they got home. The friends had returned home late at night, but Mr. Weasley had stayed awake to watch the Late Show with David Letterman on the Muggle television. Neville had accompanied them back home, for they were too afraid to leave him by himself. In other words, he was drunk.
"Dad, I got a great girl," Bill stated happily.
Neville hiccupped. "I got her grandmother," he said gloomily.
Mr. Weasley smiled sympathetically. "Awww, she can't be that bad."
Neville coughed. "I know. She must be creative since she wears a bird on her hat." Sighing, he swayed slightly. "I think I'll head home now."
"Oh no, you don't," Bill remarked, gripping his arm firmly. "I'll walk home with you."
"Sure Ron. Whatever you say. Bye."
"So, what about you four?" Mr. Weasley asked, turning off the television.
"Well, Dad. I bought Harry for 17 Galleons," Ginny replied, as Harry slid his arm around her shoulder.
Mr. Weasley smiled at them. "No surprise there, you two." He then turned his attention to Ron and Hermione, who were currently avoiding each other. He raised his eyebrows at them. "And what about you two?"
Ron grinned his famous lopsided grin. He gripped Hermione's shoulders tightly and answered, "Guess what, pops? Mione paid 25 Galleons to spend an evening with me."
Mr. Weasley stared at her in shock. "What are you nuts?"
"Hey that's what I said to her," Harry remarked, his emerald eyes twinkling behind his glasses. He immediately received a light punch from Ginny.
Hermione scowled at Harry and then turned back to Ron's father. "Well, it was for a good cause and I," she was about to say something else, but when she turned and saw Ron's expectant face, she finished, "So Arthur, how's everyone else doing?"
Mr. Weasley smiled to himself. No matter how hard Hermione Granger tried, she would never admit her feelings for her youngest son. And he was hoping she'd do it soon for secretly he and his wife had bet on who would crack first.
After some time, Ginny yawned. "I'm tired. I think I'll head back to my apartment."
"You want me to come with you?" Harry asked hopefully.
She smiled at him. "Why not?" And before Ron could protest at this prospect, she and Harry waved good-bye and quickly apparated away.
"Harry better not do anything to my sister, or I'll-"
"Ron, Harry's smart enough not to do anything to harm Ginny," Hermione reassured him.
Ron looked at her with a quizzical expression on his face. He seemed to be debating whether or not he should fight back or give in. "You're right. Harry's got enough sense not to mess with Gin, or he'll have to deal with me," he said tiredly. Sighing he got up from the couch. "I'm thirsty. I think I'll go get myself something to drink."
Once he was gone, Hermione flopped onto the sofa next to Mr. Weasley. He looked at her flushed face. She noticed the father of her best friend was looking at her strangely, so she asked, "What?"
He seemed to have prepared his statement quite well, for he replied, "You know, you could have had him for free."
Groaning, Hermione hit her head against the back of the sofa. When did she ever become the one who made the mistakes? She was the careful one and yet she'd gone ahead and bid against another lady to win Ron. It wasn't fair and who knew what was going through Ron's head after she'd won him. Thinking about that, she realized that she needed to have a serious talk with Ron. Hurriedly getting up from the couch, she headed for the kitchen.
When she got there, she found Ron drinking a glass of Butterbeer and leaning against the counter. He seemed to be deep in thought about something, so interrupting his reverie, she began, "Ron, we need to talk."
"Sure," he slid across the counter and continued, "About what?"
"About this auction," she replied, waving her hand in the air. "I don't want you to get the wrong idea, it's just that," she paused and wrung her hands desperately. "I don't know how to say this, Ron," she finished quietly. She sat down on the polished counter, and let her legs hang loosely, while Ron waited patiently. She wasn't saying anything, so Ron asked, "Does it have anything to do with Crystal asking me first?"
She nodded her head and gripped tightly onto the counter. Closing her eyes, she admitted resignedly, "I wanted to claw her eyes out."
"Really?" Ron exclaimed, leaving his drink and sitting next to Hermione. She gave him a small smile and got up. "I just couldn't stand seeing you going with another girl. I guess I was jealous after I saw all the attention you were receiving from those girls."
She was relating all her feelings, but she was tired of keeping it locked up inside, so she went on. "And who knows? Maybe, us going out on a date will help our relationship. Maybe it'll make us realize how we feel, or maybe it won't or maybe," she broke off, after she realized she was rambling, and turned to face Ron, who'd been listening with a dazed expression on his face. "Or maybe you should just shut me up before I say something I'll regret," she whispered softly.
Ron stared at her for a while, before replying ever so softly, "Okay." He slowly laid the glass of Butterbeer onto the counter and walked over to Hermione. Before she could make another move, he'd wrapped his arm around her waist and pressed his lips against hers.
He didn't know what made him do it. He could have done so many other things rather than kissing her, but at that very moment, it seemed the most logical thing to do. He heard Hermione sigh against his lips, as she hungrily accepted his lips. They were so wrapped up in their kiss that they never heard the door open and saw Harry walk in.
Harry stopped dead in his tracks upon seeing his two lifelong best friends remain wrapped up in a warm kiss. The first thing he did was gape at them in total shock. But after he thought that they'd remained like that for far too long, he cleared his throat. "Ahem."
They awkwardly released each other as they turned to face him. Hermione's face was flush, while the tips of Ron's ears were turning a shade of pink. Harry smiled at them. "Well, that certainly was a great auction, don't you think?"
Hermione looked at Ron, who was busy shuffling his feet. She knew what she had to say and it would be the only right thing to say at a time like this. "Yes, Harry. It certainly was." Saying so, she reached for Ron's hand and interlaced her fingers with his. Ron looked up at her after this sudden action. He seemed confused at first but after she gave him a small smile, he smiled back, and squeezed her hand tightly. Through his eyes, she knew what he was thinking. They'd never known that something that had started out as a good cause would eventually bring two people closer together.
***
CHAPTER IV
"And now, ladies, our next bachelor, Ronald Weasley," Bob proclaimed, while the buyers cheered.
Ron nervously got up from his chair and approached the front of the stage. When he had been sitting down, he'd felt rather comfortable but now he was feeling nauseous. Yet, for Hermione's sake, he was going through this. He stole a glance at Hermione. She was busy writing something on her clipboard. "Probably calculating how much money they've made so far," Ron mused to himself.
Bob was saying, "Ronald Weasley is the Ministry's top Auror. He also happens to be excellent at chess and is a huge fan of the Chudley Cannons, a team I greatly support as well. He's the youngest son of a family of-"
"Can we just get on with the bidding?" Crystal cut in.
Bob the auctioneer smirked at her. "Well, if you say. The bidding starts at 5 Galleons." Everyone raised their hands eagerly, while Ron smiled weakly.
Bob grinned. "6 Galleon," he stated hesitatingly. All the witches raised their hands higher, waving madly in hopes of being the lucky lady.
"I'll pay 15 Galleons for Ron," Crystal announced. Saying so, she left her table and hooked her arm through Ron's on stage.
Bob smiled at Ron. "What do you make of that, Ron?"
Ron turned to a beaming Crystal. "You'll pay 15 Galleons to spend an evening with me. Wow."
"Okay, going once. Going twice-"
"16 Galleons," a familiar voice interrupted. Ron, stunned, turned to face the speaker. It was…"Hermione?" Ron remarked, shocked. What an unexpected turning point!
Crystal, however, was fuming. How dare another lady contradict her? Standing her ground, she countered, "17 Galleons."
Hermione's brain wasn't working, however. All she was aware of was that instead of keeping herself occupied with her own work, she was getting involved in a man's bidding. She knew she was making a huge mistake bidding on someone, especially if that person would be Ron. But, without thinking twice, she joined Crystal up front and stated defensively, "18 Galleons."
Crystal glared at her, while Ron looked on in amusement. Both ladies were directly opposite of each other, with him in-between. He caught Harry's eye, who was looking at him with a funny expression on his face. He ignored him and turned his attention back to the ladies. Crystal was bidding for him at 20 Galleons and he noticed Hermione had had enough. She gave Crystal one last look and pronounced clearly, " 25 Galleons."
Everyone in the audience roared their approval, while Bob chuckled. This certainly was going to help the orphanage. "So, the current bid is at 25 Galleons. Will the lady take us to 26?"
Crystal shrugged her shoulders in a nonchalant way. "Take him. I could never explain 26 Galleons to my husband." With that, she walked off the stage.
"Husband?" Harry and Ginny whispered to each other, bewildered.
"Going once. Going twice. Sold to Hermione Granger for 15 Galleons." The audience clapped politely for her, as she nervously bit her lip. She looked at Ron, who was smiling and clapping his hands together in a mock behavior and presented her with a purple rose. She gave him a weak smile and slowly stepped off the stage. She wasn't ashamed of the attention. She was afraid of what would happen between them, once they got home.
~*~*~*~*
"So kids, how'd it go?" Mr. Weasley inquired, once they got home. The friends had returned home late at night, but Mr. Weasley had stayed awake to watch the Late Show with David Letterman on the Muggle television. Neville had accompanied them back home, for they were too afraid to leave him by himself. In other words, he was drunk.
"Dad, I got a great girl," Bill stated happily.
Neville hiccupped. "I got her grandmother," he said gloomily.
Mr. Weasley smiled sympathetically. "Awww, she can't be that bad."
Neville coughed. "I know. She must be creative since she wears a bird on her hat." Sighing, he swayed slightly. "I think I'll head home now."
"Oh no, you don't," Bill remarked, gripping his arm firmly. "I'll walk home with you."
"Sure Ron. Whatever you say. Bye."
"So, what about you four?" Mr. Weasley asked, turning off the television.
"Well, Dad. I bought Harry for 17 Galleons," Ginny replied, as Harry slid his arm around her shoulder.
Mr. Weasley smiled at them. "No surprise there, you two." He then turned his attention to Ron and Hermione, who were currently avoiding each other. He raised his eyebrows at them. "And what about you two?"
Ron grinned his famous lopsided grin. He gripped Hermione's shoulders tightly and answered, "Guess what, pops? Mione paid 25 Galleons to spend an evening with me."
Mr. Weasley stared at her in shock. "What are you nuts?"
"Hey that's what I said to her," Harry remarked, his emerald eyes twinkling behind his glasses. He immediately received a light punch from Ginny.
Hermione scowled at Harry and then turned back to Ron's father. "Well, it was for a good cause and I," she was about to say something else, but when she turned and saw Ron's expectant face, she finished, "So Arthur, how's everyone else doing?"
Mr. Weasley smiled to himself. No matter how hard Hermione Granger tried, she would never admit her feelings for her youngest son. And he was hoping she'd do it soon for secretly he and his wife had bet on who would crack first.
After some time, Ginny yawned. "I'm tired. I think I'll head back to my apartment."
"You want me to come with you?" Harry asked hopefully.
She smiled at him. "Why not?" And before Ron could protest at this prospect, she and Harry waved good-bye and quickly apparated away.
"Harry better not do anything to my sister, or I'll-"
"Ron, Harry's smart enough not to do anything to harm Ginny," Hermione reassured him.
Ron looked at her with a quizzical expression on his face. He seemed to be debating whether or not he should fight back or give in. "You're right. Harry's got enough sense not to mess with Gin, or he'll have to deal with me," he said tiredly. Sighing he got up from the couch. "I'm thirsty. I think I'll go get myself something to drink."
Once he was gone, Hermione flopped onto the sofa next to Mr. Weasley. He looked at her flushed face. She noticed the father of her best friend was looking at her strangely, so she asked, "What?"
He seemed to have prepared his statement quite well, for he replied, "You know, you could have had him for free."
Groaning, Hermione hit her head against the back of the sofa. When did she ever become the one who made the mistakes? She was the careful one and yet she'd gone ahead and bid against another lady to win Ron. It wasn't fair and who knew what was going through Ron's head after she'd won him. Thinking about that, she realized that she needed to have a serious talk with Ron. Hurriedly getting up from the couch, she headed for the kitchen.
When she got there, she found Ron drinking a glass of Butterbeer and leaning against the counter. He seemed to be deep in thought about something, so interrupting his reverie, she began, "Ron, we need to talk."
"Sure," he slid across the counter and continued, "About what?"
"About this auction," she replied, waving her hand in the air. "I don't want you to get the wrong idea, it's just that," she paused and wrung her hands desperately. "I don't know how to say this, Ron," she finished quietly. She sat down on the polished counter, and let her legs hang loosely, while Ron waited patiently. She wasn't saying anything, so Ron asked, "Does it have anything to do with Crystal asking me first?"
She nodded her head and gripped tightly onto the counter. Closing her eyes, she admitted resignedly, "I wanted to claw her eyes out."
"Really?" Ron exclaimed, leaving his drink and sitting next to Hermione. She gave him a small smile and got up. "I just couldn't stand seeing you going with another girl. I guess I was jealous after I saw all the attention you were receiving from those girls."
She was relating all her feelings, but she was tired of keeping it locked up inside, so she went on. "And who knows? Maybe, us going out on a date will help our relationship. Maybe it'll make us realize how we feel, or maybe it won't or maybe," she broke off, after she realized she was rambling, and turned to face Ron, who'd been listening with a dazed expression on his face. "Or maybe you should just shut me up before I say something I'll regret," she whispered softly.
Ron stared at her for a while, before replying ever so softly, "Okay." He slowly laid the glass of Butterbeer onto the counter and walked over to Hermione. Before she could make another move, he'd wrapped his arm around her waist and pressed his lips against hers.
He didn't know what made him do it. He could have done so many other things rather than kissing her, but at that very moment, it seemed the most logical thing to do. He heard Hermione sigh against his lips, as she hungrily accepted his lips. They were so wrapped up in their kiss that they never heard the door open and saw Harry walk in.
Harry stopped dead in his tracks upon seeing his two lifelong best friends remain wrapped up in a warm kiss. The first thing he did was gape at them in total shock. But after he thought that they'd remained like that for far too long, he cleared his throat. "Ahem."
They awkwardly released each other as they turned to face him. Hermione's face was flush, while the tips of Ron's ears were turning a shade of pink. Harry smiled at them. "Well, that certainly was a great auction, don't you think?"
Hermione looked at Ron, who was busy shuffling his feet. She knew what she had to say and it would be the only right thing to say at a time like this. "Yes, Harry. It certainly was." Saying so, she reached for Ron's hand and interlaced her fingers with his. Ron looked up at her after this sudden action. He seemed confused at first but after she gave him a small smile, he smiled back, and squeezed her hand tightly. Through his eyes, she knew what he was thinking. They'd never known that something that had started out as a good cause would eventually bring two people closer together.
***