Thank you rose and violetsnicket for your reviews. I was so happy that I actually cried. Anyway, here is some more of the story. Enjoy, read and review.
Disclaimer: All the characters that look familiar have been created by JK Rowling and have just been used to fit in a plot written by me. No songs used throughout the story are written by me. Any similarity of non-JKR characters and plot is purely coincidental. No money has been gained in writing of this fanfic and it is just for entertainment.
Chapter 7:Revelations
He sat bolt upright from the dream and inspite of the fatigue that was trying to put him back to sleep, the thoughts about the dream running wild in his head prevented him from doing so. So, he decided to sit up and try to figure out what exactly the dream meant and what he should do now.
Well, it was clear that, even in the dream, the feel of her hand in his felt just perfect, as if their hands were two puzzle pieces. Dream apart, in reality too, whenever he held her hand (un)consciously, when they were dating in their sixth year, he felt the same signs of the famous Weasley blush creep his neck and take refuge in the tips of his ears. Now, in the present, he felt the same thing. He always knew that there was always something special about her. Her strong mind, her intelligence, her loyalty, her determination, her wild chestnut hair, her soft brown eyes which flashed with anger whenever they fought. The more he thought about her, the longer the list of things he loved about her grew.
Wait a minute, did he just admit to himself that he loved her? Well Weasley, there is no need to be surprised about that. You know, you have been unknowingly contemplating that since you met her in the Ministry. Ron could not deny that now. But, what was he supposed to do now?
What do you mean by that? Tell her.
How?
Well, that's something to think about. Write a letter.
A letter. That was good idea. Forgetting about the idea of sleeping, he readied himself to write a letter…a love letter….to Hermione. Many crap ideas and crumpled parchments later, he read the final draft of the letter he had written:
Dear Hermione,
I had thought of so many mushy things to write in this letter, but now everything is just slipping away. So, let me just cut to the chase, as I know you like things straightforward.
The thing is that I have always had feelings for you ever since 6th year, but now they have grown a lot. I guess I would have to account the amount of time I spend with you for that. I think……no I know, I have fallen in love with you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. So, I want to ask you only one question and that is…Will You Marry Me?
Always Waiting For (Hopefully positive) Answer,
Love, Ron
Only after he had finished reading the letter did Ron realise that the sun had already risen and he could hear the hustle and bustle of his family downstairs. So he got up and freshened up. As he started to go to the kitched for breakfast, his cell rang again.
"Ron here!"
"Ron, its Hermione. Will you please come to Gloria Fleur Park at 10 o'clock today?"
"Oh No!Hermione. Not the park again! Anyway, what is this about?"
"Oh! What do you think we have been doing for so many days? It's a blind date of course. Just come. I'll meet you there."
"Oh OK. But Hermione. This is the last time I am doing this. Is that clear?"
"OK Ron. Whatever you say."
A click ended the conversation. The truth was that even though Ron knew that he need not go through a blind date again, he had reluctantly agreed to it since he did not have the guts to tell Hermione about his decision. Thinking so, he stepped into the kitchen only to see Ginny gazing lovingly at a bouquet of roses.
"Good Morning Ginny!"
"Oh!Good Morning Ron!"
"What's up? Wait, let me guess. Mark has sent you his third bouquet of roses in the week."
"Yeah," Ginny sighed, causing Ron to roll his eyes.
Suddenly, Ginny removed a rose from the bouquet and waved it in front of Ron's face. Ron caught the rose and started gazing at the rose, as if he were entranced by the rose. He looked away from from the rose, only to find Ginny's shocked look.
"What?"
"I never thought I'll see this! I don't believe it!"
"Don't believe what?"
"Don't deny it Ronald Weasley! You are in love, aren't you?"
Ron couldn't help but blush and that gave him away.
"Oh! Finally! It's about time! Who is it?"
"I'm not telling you!"
"Why not? Please tell me, Ron. Please, please, pretty please!"
"Ok Ok, don't grovel! Just promise me you won't tell anybody."
"Ok I promise."
Ron stood up and bent to whisper in Ginny's ear.
"Hermione."
Ron just walked away, leaving his breakfast and a shocked and speechless Ginny in the kitchen of his home.
"Hello Ron! I am sorry I won't be able to make it there."
"What?"
"Oh don't be upset. I am kind of held up here. Anyway, the girl I have arranged for you to meet will be there in a few minutes. Her name is Ashley Emberstone."
"Ashley?"
A voice behind Ron said, "Well, that would be me!"
Ron mumbled an "OK. She's here. See you later bye." And turned around.
Well, she was pretty, Ron could not deny that. But now, since Ron had his heart fixed on a brown-haired beauty, he could not help but try to ruin this date. Ashley's eyes were fixed on the rose that was being twirled between Ron's fingers.
"You know, you should give the rose to its rightful owner."
"Don't worry, I will."
Confused for a moment, Ashley broke the silence by saying, "Are you the same Ron Weasley, who helped Harry Potter defeat Voldemort?"
"Yes, I am,"Ron said curtly. He did not have even a slightest idea as to why he was being so rude to the girl. Had the situation been different, he was sure he would have appreciated her saying the name of Dark Wizard who nobody had yet gathered the guts to name. Seeing the hurt look on her face, caused by his rudeness, he decided to do just that.
He said, "You know, it has been a long time that I have heard anybody say Voldemort's name without half-fainting. I really appreciate that."
Ashley's face relaxed. "It's just that my Dad always says that it's no good living in a Voldemort-free world if we can't even gather the guts to say his name. You know he always says…"
Ron had long back stopped listening to her. Instead, he was watching a small kid about 7 years old playing on his own near the pond in the park. He was so engrossed in watching the kid, that he could only hear Ashley tell him something about her Dad.
"Er.. Ashley. I am sorry to interrupt, but let me get straight to the point. But, do you have any idea as to why we are on a date?"
"Yes, sort of. Hermione told me that you were looking for a steady relationship."
"Yeah, well, that's true. But…boy, this is awkward…..I have something to tell. Ashley, you are a very nice girl. Very pretty, and understanding. But, I have already chosen……"
"Oh, Then why did you have Hermione call me here",Ashley sounded hurt.
Ron took a breath and said, "Ashley, I know this will sound irresponsible of me, but the truth is that Hermione doesn't know about this at all. There was no time to tell her about this. If I would have met her today, I would have informed her so. I really did not mean to hurt you at all. I am really really sorry about how this has turned out."
Ashley softened up. "Well, I am sorry too. But it was really nice of you to be honest. I would be lying if I said that I wasn't hurt, but it's alright. Well I must be leaving now."
"Wait, I know that this is not enough, can I make it up with you by buying you lunch. Please?"
"Um, Okay."
Hermione was free this morning and she was enjoying it to the fullest. You would think, that now she must be curled up with a good book and a mug of hot chocolate. After all, that is what we have known Hermione to do. But over the years, Hermione had learnt various other ways of keeping herself occupied. Like cooking. Mrs. Weasley had told her that cooking was very therapautic for her. It helped keep her sanity intact when the Wealsey children were little, especially after Fred and George were born. Now she was used to it and found new ways of cooking. Mrs.Weasley had suggested Hermione to try cooking. She did and was amazed how much she enjoyed it.
Humming a tune, she reached the cabinet and opened it for some salt.
"BOO!"
Hermione was startled but regained quickly.
"Matthew Christopher Granger! What are you doing in the cabinet?"
"Sorry Mum! I just came back from the park."
"Its okay. Why don't you set the plates for breakfast? Aunt Ginny would be coming soon. Then you and I have to attend to Phil and Prissy."
"Oh! Are they coming? Cool. I love playing with them. At least they don't tease me."
Hermione could sense the hurt he faced. Not having a father around had already made him a target of all bullies at his school. Now, having the occasional bursts of magic within him had made him more scared of everything. So, he really enjoyed playing with the Weasley children, even if he was much older than them.
Matthew was a very bubbly 6-year-old. Truly speaking, he was all Hermione lived for. If it weren't for him growing in her womb, she woud've long taken her life. When she met the Weasley's with little Matthew in her arms, they immediately took her in. She got a job in the Ministry under Mr. Weasley, which was not very difficult, given her marks in the OWLs and NEWTs and her contribution to the Final War. If it weren't her need to stabilize her life to make it worth living for Matthew, she would have never kept him at a residential school away from herself. Long working hours were meant for keeping herself away from missing her son and wallowing in her past.
Now looking at him setting the table and helping her about at home, she realised the special relationship she shared with her son, of a mother, father, sister and a friend.
"Mum, what are these pictures all about?"
"Oh, Matt leave them alone. Would you? They are important for Mummy's job."
Just then the dooorbell rang. Hermione answered it to find Ginny with the two adorable kids, Phil and Prissy.
"Hey Hermione! What's up?"
"Hey Ginny! Just cooking some breakfast. Matt's here."
"Hey Matt! How're you?"
Matt loved Ginny. Although he call her Aunt Ginny, he considered her more like a friend. She did the kind guy stuff that a 6-year old could do. Of course, there was nobody else suitable for the job, other than Ginny, who was raised with 6 boys herself.
"Hi Aunt Ginny! Are you going to stay for some breakfast with us?"
"Sorry buddy! Got to go. I have a date."
Hermione, who was busy arranging the table, looked up.
"A date? Now? This early?"
"No, silly. I have a luncheon with Mark and his cousin's family. Very close to Mark, they are. Although, I am getting a little tempted to try something here."
Ginny dipped her fingertip in the food that was kept on the table and licked it.
"Hmmmmmm! This is so delicious. Wow, Hermione you are going to give Mum some competition. Believe me, if it weren't for the luncheon, I would have stayed right here."
Hermione blushed at this praise. Just then, Ginny noticed the pictures which Hermione had taken away from Matt, on the counter.
"Hey pictures! What are they for, Hermione?"
"Oh, those? They are for Ron."
"Oh matchmaker duty! But didn't Ron talk to you yet? I think he has found his match."
"What? He didn't tell me! Great! Here I am selecting prospective brides for him and there he goes and selects one without even informing me about it. Wait. On second thought, he did sound a little upset this morning when I called him to tell him about his date. He just told me that he wasn't interested in seeing any more girls. I wonder who could that be.Ginny, did he tell you anything about the girl?"
Ginny was about to tell her when she remembered the promise she had made to Ron, and instead she said, "Nah. I think that's for Ron to know, and you to find out."
Saying this Ginny left, leaving Hermione thinking about who that girl could be.
Actually, while on one hand she was glad that Ron had found a suitable bride and she was now free to enjoy her 'sabbatical', on the other hand, she felt a tug of sadness at her heart. She felt that she was going to…….lose him.
Lose him?She said to herself. How can I lose him when I never had him? He was never mine.
Oh Yes, he was. Think about itNo use. It's too late for that.
Hermione decided to ask Ron about his decision soon.
Halki halki mulaqatein thee
Door-door se baatein thee
Dheere-dheere kya ho-gaya hai mein kya kahoo
Kyon ladkhadayee dhadkan
Kyon thartharaaye tann-mann
Kyon hosh mera yu kho gaya hai mein kyaa kahoo
Kuchh maa kaho
(there were 'meetings' which had light moments
there were words exchanged from afar
but gradually, something has happened to me, what can I say?
Why does my heartbeat stumble?
Why do my body and mind shiver?
Why have I lost my conscious, what can I say?
Don't say a thing)
A/N: Hence, the name of the story. Sorry if this chapter was boring. But the story is picking up speed soon. If you have been reading from first, Thanks for sticking to it and Hang in there. More drama coming up. Meanwhile, pleeeeeeeeeeeeaaaase read&review. Any kind of review is welcome.