Forever is Only Years Away
Chapter 1: Days of Grace
She had dreamt of this day for years upon years past and it still felt foreign on her skin. She tucked a strand of her smooth hair behind her ear and took a deep breath. Life was so less complicated when things were not complicated, were they?
She had often wondered what he looked like, was he unkempt... was some woman occupying his heart? Did he think of her at all? Even in his deepest dreams; did he murmur her name?
But it had been too long and hard for them to think back on those silly times when things actually mattered. iI was time for something different., It was time for a new approach. One, that she knew, would leave him gapping, dumb and confused. This time she was not going to lose him.
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He was tired of hunting ghost and ghouls in the night, shadows of a time too hard and too past for his liking. But the bitterness of it was what kept him alive. He needed the darkness of it all, he needed the murky waters of the gray area.
Coming to the Auror hiding was unlike anything he had ever scene, even wizards and witches had to awe at the magnificence behind the protection of these holy places. It was in these holy places were he resided, were he hid. Here they'll never be able to find him. Here, he too was a ghost and a ghoul.
"Can't go hunting without bait?"
He smiled, one of those fake smiles where only the thin skin above your lip is involved. The fake smile perfected by Muggles in times or darkness and uneasiness. It was that type of a smile.
"Didn't have to wait up for me, Professor?" Ron murmured, but loud enough for the werewolf to hear him.
Lupin came up next to him and took a bottle of Burning Beer. "You took forever. There was something I wanted you to know about before it got here."
Ron twisted his cap off and took a deep swing. "Nothing you all couldn't handle without the big gun, I hope." He burped.
Lupin wrinkled his nose at him, making hymn look younger than what he was. "Lovely manners you've developed there."
Ron ignored him and finished up his beer. "Don't need no manners for this life, now do I?"
"You left without Luke... again." Lupin pointed out.
"I always leave without Luke." Ron said, non-caring.
"Ron, we've discussed this before--"
"And I've damn well told you time and time again that I don't want no partner, I don't need no partner --especially Luke."
Lupin smiled at him. "Perhaps you're right, perhaps all you need is new company-- there's nothing like fresh air and perfume to liven up any man, eh?"
Ron gave him a side glare and took out his pack of fags. "I think we've left you 'ere too long, you're delusional."
Lupin laughed. "And Luke claims you have no sense of humor."
"Who'd you have in mind, anyways?"
They had worked together for a goof part of 5 years, Lupin who even though was Ron's superior beyond any doubt that he was not going to get a better man than Ron. Experience didn't even begin to tell the story of the younger man's talent.
"Well... you have to promise to be calm and think over the situation before jumping gun or anything like that." Lupin stated carefully.
"I always jump gun and no matter who it is, even Hermione herself, I wouldn't like. So let me ease your mind." Ron exhaled the dark smoke.
"Good to know, since it's her who you're going to be working with."
Ron flicked his ashes and calmly looked at Lupin. "What the bloody hell are you talking about?"
"You were usually slow, Ronald Weasley."
The voice that came to him made him freeze on the spot, alcohol and weed be dammed. He slowly turned, body rigid, just in case it was not his mind tricking him. Or maybe it was a sick joke, a nasty, sick joke. Maybe he was imagining her like he used to do, when he would see her before him in years past, just holding his hand on lying in his bed in the darkest moments of the night.
"I remember the first time I kissed you, really kissed you. You stared at me, gapped and asked me "why did you do that, 'mione?" I don't think I'll ever forget that."
His blue-fired eyes stared at her in what could only be described as confusion. "Hermione?"
And there she was, standing before him looking as glorious as ever, her hair cropped to mid shoulder, smooth and sleek, skin slightly tanned and cheeks with a bit of rouge (something he'd only seen once or twice) eyes dancing with mirth, lips rosy, breast accentuated and legs shown in a pleasant summer dress. She was standing there, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"Hello to you too." She told him softly, but those eyes betrayed her, she was ready to jump out of her skin like she usually was when something extremely wonderful was about to happen (usually coming out of her own lips).
"The Ministry has sent their best analyzer of Magical Mysteries in order to help you track down Draco Malfoy." Lupin said carefully, smiling back at Hermoine. "It's lovely to see you, Hermoine."
With difficulty she tore her eyes away from Ron and faced her old professor. "Thank you, Prof- I mean, Mr.Lupin."
"You're welcomed to call me Remus, everyone else does." Lupin nodded at her.
Hermoine looked at him as if it were the worst thing he could've suggested. "Right.... Re-Remus."
But their conversation was halted when Ron stood up and walked out of the room, fierce in his stride and determined in his look, without pausing or excusing himself. He just needed to leave. He needed to run away from here.
"I expect you both to start looking over the parchments tomorrow morning, Ron."
Ron grunted in the distance, upset for being told indirectly not to leave the premises without Lupin's permission.
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He felt sick to his stomach, not even Guaco Pills would help now. He was in a deep ditch, larger than what he cared to admit.
Finding the towel to dry himself off after the hot shower, Ron wrapped it around his waist and struggled to the thick bed. There he pulled out the small silver frame from his coat pocket. The picture of them together.
"Can you stop touching me enough for us to take the picture!" Hermoine squealed in his arms, there by the front of the school, under the large tree.
"Yes, stop touching so Harry doesn't feel sick." Harry told them from his angle were he held the camera, with a scrunched _expression on his face.
Ron sighed, burying his face in her newly washed hair, arms wrapped tightly around her waist. "Don't mind him, he's jealous because Ginny is not giving him the time of day."
"I'm not!" Harry protested.
"He's not, and Ginny has very legitimate reasons!" Hermione defended. "Harry was the one caught with Juliane Stuarts!"
"There, you see, I can touch you!" Ron exclaimed, happily, nibbling on her ear.
"I was not with Juliane Stuarts, I don't even like Juliane Stuarts!" Harry protested to the oblivious couple. "She was sad about her mother being killed and threw herself on me!"
"Consolation, wasn't it, Harry?" Ron agreed with his best friend.
"Exactly!" Harry growled, being seventeen was worse than being 15, he was sure of it. "Women are too much trouble."
"Consolation! Really!" Hermoine pushed Ron off her. "You two are really too much!" She stood up from the grass and stopped off.
"What is her problem?." Ron asked, aghast.
"She's your girlfriend, not mine." He was used to Hermoine stomping off. "How should I know what makes her tick? It's hard enough keeping up with Ginny."
Ron stood, and dusted his robes.
"Maybe we'd be better without girlfriends." Harry said.
Both of them stayed quiet, looking on to where Ginny and Hermione were talking wildly, both apparently quite miffed.
"Yeah, who needs them. I mean we can get snogs anywhere." Ron said quietly, it being quite noticeable in his voice that he didn't mean it.
More silence.
"Maybe we should go grovel?" Harry suggested.
"Yeah, good idea, mate."
And so they went to their girls, apologizing until they were safely in their arms once more. They were much happier this way.
Ron was startled from his memory as plates and cabinets were banged in his small kitchen, only a room away. He hastily took out his wand, making his body as quiet as possible. It was not the first time that the apartment had been broken into. In the past, he'd been attacked in his sleep. Since then he slept with one eye open, a rare ancient spell he had found in one of Old Moody's dusty books.
He crept quietly along the wall, squatting down almost cat-like, senses prepared for a jump.
But what he found was not what he expected. Instead of being met by a dark wizard bent on revenge. He was met by a round and perfectly shaped rump, covered in a bright flowery material that was almost transparent.
"What the bloody hell are you doing now?" he bellowed.
Hermione jumped, startled, but recuperated quite quickly. "Tea." She replied simply, turning her back once again on him and looking through the cabinets.
"Tea?" he asked.
"Tea." she responded back, ignoring him.
"Tea?" he repeated, even more bewildered.
"What, is there an echo? I said tea!" She snapped.
"Y-you're.... tea?! You can't just come 'ere, barge in to my well-set life, with your short dress, smelling wonderful and having the audacity to come in to my kitchen, rummage 'round and make tea!" He cried, dancing his arms around to make the point.
"You don't even have tea to make!" She told him, rather calmly for Hermoine standards.
He moved around her, placing his body between her and his kitchen. "This is not the type of kitchen to make tea in! I am not the type of person to drink it!"
She snorted, her cheeks glowing a lovely shade of rose. "While Vodka is a wonderful adjective for acquiring Russian-breath." She tossed an empty bottle at him.
He caught it and glared at her. "Russian breath? Why you--you--you--"
"You what?" she snapped, hand grasping her rounded hips.
Ron growled, resisting the urge to curse her into a rabbit.
"Listen to me, Ron --you're not living, *This* is not a way to live. This is not you!" She came closer, making every single red hair in his body stand to attention.
"That's it!" He cried and grabbed her upper arms, carrying her away from the stove. He placed her down and screamed. "You listen!" He pointed to the kitchen. "This is my kitchen, my space-- I like it this way! I don't want to change. Period. You are not going to invade my kitchen, my home or my life in any sort as a way!" he grumbled. "I like being dirty; grouchy and moody --this is me now. The Ron you knew is gone."
She didn't move at all, but clicked her tongue.
"Right."
She paused. "Should we order take out? I hear the Wondering Witches--"
He screamed in frustration, trashing the bottle against the wall. "You--you..... woman!!"
"Catching up, aren't we? Quite smart." she piped.
He took a deep breath and looked at her. "Hermoine, listen." All of his nerves were on shackles but he tried to contain himself, in a way he had not done in years. "I know what you're trying to do here, I do.... but it won't work. It just won't."
She stepped up to him, eyes soft and brown, beckoning him the way they used to do so long ago. "I love you, Ronald Weasley. I always have. So you're stuck with me and you ain't getting rid of me until I get you back."
With that she turned around and left her teasing perfume dancing on his lips. She was going to be the death of him.
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TBC....
(A/N: As you might've been wondering the Harry portions are coming up soon *g*)
