Hermione looked down the track, at her watch, and then again down the
track. Where was the train, she wondered? She found it perculiar as well
that she was the only one waiting for it. It was half past five in the
afternoon, where were the commuters?She was distracted from this thought as
something cold and wet fell on her shoulder. Odd, she thought as she
scanned the ceiling. Finally her eyes fell upon a tiny crack that was
slowly growing in size. The sporadic drip soon evolved into a steady leak.
"Where is the train!?" Hermione whispered, while she walked away from the leak. Unaware, though, that the crack in the ceiling was following her.
Ron stood in the bedroom doorway and watched as his wife slept. She was so beautiful, the light from the hallway falling upon her figure gave the illusion that she was glowing, gold highlights reflected in her shoulder length hair, a single curl rested in the hollow of her collar bone. Hermione murmured in her sleep as her body moved, searching for the warmth of her husband. Ron looked around their bedroom, the pictures of family members laughing as Hermione smashed a slice of wedding cake in Ron's face, the Weasley family group photo from last year's reunion, Harry and Ron at a Chudley Cannons match, Ron picked up the picture. He and Harry looked so happy even though they had been standing in the rain for hours, of course six rounds of firewhiskey didn't hurt either. Ron sat down on the edge of the bed, his shoulders sagging as he let the photograph fall to the floor.
"We love you, Daddy!"
Ron looked up and smiled. This year's father's day gift from the twins was talking to him. He reached over and picked up the framed photo of the girls. Gia and Wendy looked like miniature versions of Hermione, only with firey red curls, as they chased waves during a trip to the beach. Neville Longbottom had taught them a spell to enchant the frame to speak whenever it sensed Ron was sad. The picture began to shout as Ron's eyes welled with tears, before he finally burst into uncontrollable sobbing.
Hermione woke with a start. She was grateful, that she had only been dreaming, how odd to be waiting for a train while the station filled with water. As she slowly found her bearings she wondered why Gia and Wendy were screaming that they loved Ron. Looking at the foot of the bed, she saw that it was not the girls, but only their enchanted picture frame. She also noticed the hunched over form of their father, shaking violently.
"Ron, what's the matter? Ohmigod, the girls!" Hermione ripped off the blankets and grabbed her wand.
"No, the g-g-girls, the girls are f-f-ine." Ron managed to get out between sobs.
Hermione wrapped her arms around Ron's shoulders and laid her head upon his, catching the faintest scent of smoke. He grabbed her around her waist , tightly as though never wanting to let go. Ron's cries were muffled as he buried his head into her stomach.
"Ron, what is wrong? Why are you so upset?" She stroked his back as his crying began to subside.
"I love you, Hermione, you know this, right?"
"Of course, what a silly question."
Ron's grip around her waist grew tighter.
"I'm being serious, Hermione, you know I love you, right?"
Hermione looked into her husband's eyes, these were not the jovial eyes she knew, these were the eyes of a cornered animal.
"Ron," she whispered "you're hurting me!"
"And, and you love me, right?"
"Of course."
"No matter what?" His eyes raced back and forth across her face.
"No matter what."
Ron let go of Hermione. He stood up and walked towards the doorway and turned around to face her. The light from the hallway gave him a sickly appearance usually reserved for prisoners in Azkaban.
"Where are you going, Ron?" Hermione cautiously walked towards him, her wand hidden in the sleeve of her nightgown. She had never seen him like this before.
"I, I have to go, Hermione."
"Why? Where?" Hermione reached for the light switch.
"Hermione, no!"
Ron's robe was torn and burnt, a large wet dark stain crept from the edges and covered the front. He had numerous scratches on his face, and what looked to be bite marks on the backs of his hands.
"Ron, what happened? Who did this to you? Are you bleeding?"
Tears filled Ron's eyes once again. Hermione felt a knot form in the pit of her stomach. She suddenly felt cold and realized that her nightgown was wet. Looking down she saw a dark crimson stain, mirroring the one on Ron's robe, was on her nightgown. Trembling, she touched the new stain on her, bringing wet red fingertips up to her face. Shaking her head, she turned her palm towards Ron.
"This isn't your blood, is it?"
Ron slowly shook his head from side to side as tears poured down his face. The spell on the picture frame had worn out to the point where it only moaned the words love and daddy intermittently.
"Oh, Ron."
"Hermione, I 'm in trouble."
"Where is the train!?" Hermione whispered, while she walked away from the leak. Unaware, though, that the crack in the ceiling was following her.
Ron stood in the bedroom doorway and watched as his wife slept. She was so beautiful, the light from the hallway falling upon her figure gave the illusion that she was glowing, gold highlights reflected in her shoulder length hair, a single curl rested in the hollow of her collar bone. Hermione murmured in her sleep as her body moved, searching for the warmth of her husband. Ron looked around their bedroom, the pictures of family members laughing as Hermione smashed a slice of wedding cake in Ron's face, the Weasley family group photo from last year's reunion, Harry and Ron at a Chudley Cannons match, Ron picked up the picture. He and Harry looked so happy even though they had been standing in the rain for hours, of course six rounds of firewhiskey didn't hurt either. Ron sat down on the edge of the bed, his shoulders sagging as he let the photograph fall to the floor.
"We love you, Daddy!"
Ron looked up and smiled. This year's father's day gift from the twins was talking to him. He reached over and picked up the framed photo of the girls. Gia and Wendy looked like miniature versions of Hermione, only with firey red curls, as they chased waves during a trip to the beach. Neville Longbottom had taught them a spell to enchant the frame to speak whenever it sensed Ron was sad. The picture began to shout as Ron's eyes welled with tears, before he finally burst into uncontrollable sobbing.
Hermione woke with a start. She was grateful, that she had only been dreaming, how odd to be waiting for a train while the station filled with water. As she slowly found her bearings she wondered why Gia and Wendy were screaming that they loved Ron. Looking at the foot of the bed, she saw that it was not the girls, but only their enchanted picture frame. She also noticed the hunched over form of their father, shaking violently.
"Ron, what's the matter? Ohmigod, the girls!" Hermione ripped off the blankets and grabbed her wand.
"No, the g-g-girls, the girls are f-f-ine." Ron managed to get out between sobs.
Hermione wrapped her arms around Ron's shoulders and laid her head upon his, catching the faintest scent of smoke. He grabbed her around her waist , tightly as though never wanting to let go. Ron's cries were muffled as he buried his head into her stomach.
"Ron, what is wrong? Why are you so upset?" She stroked his back as his crying began to subside.
"I love you, Hermione, you know this, right?"
"Of course, what a silly question."
Ron's grip around her waist grew tighter.
"I'm being serious, Hermione, you know I love you, right?"
Hermione looked into her husband's eyes, these were not the jovial eyes she knew, these were the eyes of a cornered animal.
"Ron," she whispered "you're hurting me!"
"And, and you love me, right?"
"Of course."
"No matter what?" His eyes raced back and forth across her face.
"No matter what."
Ron let go of Hermione. He stood up and walked towards the doorway and turned around to face her. The light from the hallway gave him a sickly appearance usually reserved for prisoners in Azkaban.
"Where are you going, Ron?" Hermione cautiously walked towards him, her wand hidden in the sleeve of her nightgown. She had never seen him like this before.
"I, I have to go, Hermione."
"Why? Where?" Hermione reached for the light switch.
"Hermione, no!"
Ron's robe was torn and burnt, a large wet dark stain crept from the edges and covered the front. He had numerous scratches on his face, and what looked to be bite marks on the backs of his hands.
"Ron, what happened? Who did this to you? Are you bleeding?"
Tears filled Ron's eyes once again. Hermione felt a knot form in the pit of her stomach. She suddenly felt cold and realized that her nightgown was wet. Looking down she saw a dark crimson stain, mirroring the one on Ron's robe, was on her nightgown. Trembling, she touched the new stain on her, bringing wet red fingertips up to her face. Shaking her head, she turned her palm towards Ron.
"This isn't your blood, is it?"
Ron slowly shook his head from side to side as tears poured down his face. The spell on the picture frame had worn out to the point where it only moaned the words love and daddy intermittently.
"Oh, Ron."
"Hermione, I 'm in trouble."