Chapter Three: Surprises
Half an hour later, with no conversation interrupting the event, the two sundaes
were demolished and both parties were wiping their mouths. The server
approached them again, and Ron's companion ordered them coffee. Silence
descended over the table. Finally, the woman spoke.
"I guess you must be wondering who I am, how I know you and why I'm treating you to a sundae?" She said, softly, placing her napkin neatly on the table.
Ron risked a glance upwards.
"Yeah, I was actually." He said, his voice deepening slightly.
She gazed at him a moment or two before answering, but she was stopped by the return of the server again. When the coffee was before them and they had stirred in their sugar, she looked at him again.
"My name is Carole Elizabeth Bound, and I'm your new Defense Against Dark Arts professor. I know you, not only because of the hair, but because I attended school with your parents." She finished primly, taking a sip of her coffee.
Ron gaped like he hadn't gaped since he was eleven and Carole laughed at him,
shaking her head.
"Close your mouth dear, you never know what might fly into it."
He shut his mouth with a snap, feeling his teeth rattle in his head.
"But what happened to Professor Lupin? I heard he was going to come back."
She smiled slyly at him.
"He has other things to attend to. His honeymoon for one."
"Oh, yeah. I shoulda known that since I was at his wedding." He paused and thought briefly. "But that still doesn't tell me why you're treating me to ice cream."
"And it won't. And I won't tell either. I've decided not to." She said, placing her cup back into the saucer.
She stood suddenly, grabbing her bag from the floor and straightening her clothes a bit. Ron couldn't help but stare at her curvaceous form as it wriggled before him. He bit his lip, knowing he would dream about that later.
"Anyway, thanks for the company." She said, ruffling his hair. "I have to dash. Someone to see."
He stood, cracking his thighs on the table nearly knocking it over.
"Wait, when will I see you again?" He said, a little too loudly. He flushed deep crimson.
She paused, not turning to look at him.
"Oh, well at school at least, but before then, you never know, do you?" She glanced at him, her eyes inscrutable.
"Cheerio then!" She said as she marched off into the bright July sunlight.
Ron felt his face fall as he sat with a thump back into his chair. His thoughts were roiling as he felt both physical and emotional turmoil raging through him.
"But I have to see her again, soon. I have to." He mumbled to himself, not noticing that the light was suddenly extinguished. Finally, he glanced up as someone cleared their throat.
"Hullo Ron!" Came the booming voice of his old friend Hagrid. "Just enjoying a sundae I see, and not alone then. Where is Hermoine? Gone off to the ladies room and left you on your own?"
Ron looked up, stricken.
"No. Not Hermoine. I'm alone. All alone." He said, his voice trailing off.
Hagrid fell silent before bumbling on.
"Oh. I see, well, I just saw yer mum a few moments ago, asking me if I'd seen yez, and well, I guess she wants yer to meet her back at the Leaky Cauldron. Yer family is about ready to get back to the Burrow for supper."
Ron didn't hear him, but he stood and wandered out the door. He felt miserable as he stumbled his way to the Cauldron where he knew his family waited. He didn't want to go home. He wanted to follow wherever his new professor had gone. He wanted to kiss her and touch her and hear her laugh and make her smile. He thought about how beautiful she was and how her skin glowed from within. He felt sick at the thought that he would never know her kiss, or her body beneath his. His face went red at that thought but he kept it clear in his mind,
knowing that this imagined image of her womanly form lovely and aroused and ready for him would never come true.
He slammed the door of the inn open as he entered, startling the patrons,
including his mother, who stared at him over her cup of tea. His eyes blazed at her, then he looked shamefully away as he realized it wasn't his mother's fault. He stumped over to her.
Molly's face wore a resigned look as she finished her tea.
"Did you have a nice afternoon Ronald?" She said, her voice masking her true feelings perfectly.
Ron's heart sank as he heard the hurt in his mother's voice. He had not been an easy teenager and she had not been able to make things any easier for him. He knew she did her best and he felt guilty at his anger over a silly crush at first sight getting beyond him. He sat down, letting his ire drain away.
"It was alright mum. How about you? Did you get everything you needed?"
She glanced at him and gestured to the bags filled with fresh food stuffs.
"Yes, thank you Ronald. Would you mind carrying them for me?" She said, as she stood up, straightening her dress and smoothing her hair.
"No problem mum. What's all this for anyway?" He asked as he grabbed the heavy carry bags.
"I did say Ron. Your father and I are having an old school friend over for dinner tonight. She's recently come back to the area and we want to make her feel welcome." Said Molly as she marched to the fireplace with Ron in her wake.
"Oh, right, sorry. I forgot." He said quietly.
"Weren't listening more like it, but I'll forgive you dear. You have other things on your mind."
Ron tried not to feel too guilty as he and his mother stepped into the fireplace with a handful of Floo powder for each of them.
"The Burrow!" They both exclaimed loudly and together.
As they stepped from the ice cold flames and into their own living room, Ron heard his father's voice.
"It's so good to see you again. How've you been keeping, eh?" Boomed Arthur.
Ron winced. He hated when his father boomed. He sighed and went to deposit the shopping in the kitchen, as his mother rushed ahead of him to greet the visitor. Ron, groaned as his mother gushed out a greeting.
"Oh you are a sight for sore eyes." She said, with much smacking of lips against cheeks.
Ron exhaled sharply as he walked into the kitchen. He was not looking forward to meeting another one of his parents dotty old friends. As he entered the room,
the voice he heard made him drop the carry bags.
"Molly, Arthur, so good of you to have me." Said Carole Elizabeth Bound.
Ron stopped in his tracks as he stared at the woman he was now smitten with. She smiled at him as she approached, waving her wand at the discarded groceries.
"Now that will never do, perfectly good food all over the floor." She said and winked at Ron.
"Really Ronald." Snapped his mother.
In moments, the food was picked up and restored to it's perfect state and then Carole was taking Ron's hand in greeting.
"This is our youngest son Ron. A bit of a fumble fingers sometimes as you can see." Came his father's apologetic tones.
"Hello Ron." Carole said, holding his hand a moment too long. "Close your mouth, you never know what might fly in there."
Ron shut his mouth with a teeth rattling snap.
"I guess you must be wondering who I am, how I know you and why I'm treating you to a sundae?" She said, softly, placing her napkin neatly on the table.
Ron risked a glance upwards.
"Yeah, I was actually." He said, his voice deepening slightly.
She gazed at him a moment or two before answering, but she was stopped by the return of the server again. When the coffee was before them and they had stirred in their sugar, she looked at him again.
"My name is Carole Elizabeth Bound, and I'm your new Defense Against Dark Arts professor. I know you, not only because of the hair, but because I attended school with your parents." She finished primly, taking a sip of her coffee.
Ron gaped like he hadn't gaped since he was eleven and Carole laughed at him,
shaking her head.
"Close your mouth dear, you never know what might fly into it."
He shut his mouth with a snap, feeling his teeth rattle in his head.
"But what happened to Professor Lupin? I heard he was going to come back."
She smiled slyly at him.
"He has other things to attend to. His honeymoon for one."
"Oh, yeah. I shoulda known that since I was at his wedding." He paused and thought briefly. "But that still doesn't tell me why you're treating me to ice cream."
"And it won't. And I won't tell either. I've decided not to." She said, placing her cup back into the saucer.
She stood suddenly, grabbing her bag from the floor and straightening her clothes a bit. Ron couldn't help but stare at her curvaceous form as it wriggled before him. He bit his lip, knowing he would dream about that later.
"Anyway, thanks for the company." She said, ruffling his hair. "I have to dash. Someone to see."
He stood, cracking his thighs on the table nearly knocking it over.
"Wait, when will I see you again?" He said, a little too loudly. He flushed deep crimson.
She paused, not turning to look at him.
"Oh, well at school at least, but before then, you never know, do you?" She glanced at him, her eyes inscrutable.
"Cheerio then!" She said as she marched off into the bright July sunlight.
Ron felt his face fall as he sat with a thump back into his chair. His thoughts were roiling as he felt both physical and emotional turmoil raging through him.
"But I have to see her again, soon. I have to." He mumbled to himself, not noticing that the light was suddenly extinguished. Finally, he glanced up as someone cleared their throat.
"Hullo Ron!" Came the booming voice of his old friend Hagrid. "Just enjoying a sundae I see, and not alone then. Where is Hermoine? Gone off to the ladies room and left you on your own?"
Ron looked up, stricken.
"No. Not Hermoine. I'm alone. All alone." He said, his voice trailing off.
Hagrid fell silent before bumbling on.
"Oh. I see, well, I just saw yer mum a few moments ago, asking me if I'd seen yez, and well, I guess she wants yer to meet her back at the Leaky Cauldron. Yer family is about ready to get back to the Burrow for supper."
Ron didn't hear him, but he stood and wandered out the door. He felt miserable as he stumbled his way to the Cauldron where he knew his family waited. He didn't want to go home. He wanted to follow wherever his new professor had gone. He wanted to kiss her and touch her and hear her laugh and make her smile. He thought about how beautiful she was and how her skin glowed from within. He felt sick at the thought that he would never know her kiss, or her body beneath his. His face went red at that thought but he kept it clear in his mind,
knowing that this imagined image of her womanly form lovely and aroused and ready for him would never come true.
He slammed the door of the inn open as he entered, startling the patrons,
including his mother, who stared at him over her cup of tea. His eyes blazed at her, then he looked shamefully away as he realized it wasn't his mother's fault. He stumped over to her.
Molly's face wore a resigned look as she finished her tea.
"Did you have a nice afternoon Ronald?" She said, her voice masking her true feelings perfectly.
Ron's heart sank as he heard the hurt in his mother's voice. He had not been an easy teenager and she had not been able to make things any easier for him. He knew she did her best and he felt guilty at his anger over a silly crush at first sight getting beyond him. He sat down, letting his ire drain away.
"It was alright mum. How about you? Did you get everything you needed?"
She glanced at him and gestured to the bags filled with fresh food stuffs.
"Yes, thank you Ronald. Would you mind carrying them for me?" She said, as she stood up, straightening her dress and smoothing her hair.
"No problem mum. What's all this for anyway?" He asked as he grabbed the heavy carry bags.
"I did say Ron. Your father and I are having an old school friend over for dinner tonight. She's recently come back to the area and we want to make her feel welcome." Said Molly as she marched to the fireplace with Ron in her wake.
"Oh, right, sorry. I forgot." He said quietly.
"Weren't listening more like it, but I'll forgive you dear. You have other things on your mind."
Ron tried not to feel too guilty as he and his mother stepped into the fireplace with a handful of Floo powder for each of them.
"The Burrow!" They both exclaimed loudly and together.
As they stepped from the ice cold flames and into their own living room, Ron heard his father's voice.
"It's so good to see you again. How've you been keeping, eh?" Boomed Arthur.
Ron winced. He hated when his father boomed. He sighed and went to deposit the shopping in the kitchen, as his mother rushed ahead of him to greet the visitor. Ron, groaned as his mother gushed out a greeting.
"Oh you are a sight for sore eyes." She said, with much smacking of lips against cheeks.
Ron exhaled sharply as he walked into the kitchen. He was not looking forward to meeting another one of his parents dotty old friends. As he entered the room,
the voice he heard made him drop the carry bags.
"Molly, Arthur, so good of you to have me." Said Carole Elizabeth Bound.
Ron stopped in his tracks as he stared at the woman he was now smitten with. She smiled at him as she approached, waving her wand at the discarded groceries.
"Now that will never do, perfectly good food all over the floor." She said and winked at Ron.
"Really Ronald." Snapped his mother.
In moments, the food was picked up and restored to it's perfect state and then Carole was taking Ron's hand in greeting.
"This is our youngest son Ron. A bit of a fumble fingers sometimes as you can see." Came his father's apologetic tones.
"Hello Ron." Carole said, holding his hand a moment too long. "Close your mouth, you never know what might fly in there."
Ron shut his mouth with a teeth rattling snap.