Chapter 5
Hermione wandered somewhat aimlessly through Ron's flat, not quite sure where she was going. She wanted a shower, she knew that. But she didn't want to look in the mirror, either. She walked back to the bedroom and decided that she would go back to sleep until Ron was awake. She peeked inside the room to find Ron awake and glancing around the room, quite confused.
"Oh, there you are." He said with a smile. "Why didn't you wake me?"
"Just thought you might want to sleep. What time do you have to go to the pitch?" Hermione asked him.
"I don't have to go today, Hermione..." Ron replied nervously.
"No, don't do that. You need to go, the team needs you there."
"It's just a meeting about seeker tryouts. Knabbe's out, so we need a new one. Besides, Wood is there and he's the captain. He can do it. I can just stay here with you."
"Ron, I'll more than likely just read all day." She shifted uncomfortably. "In case you can't tell, I'm not much in the mood to do anything."
Anger naturally flared up in Ron, he couldn't believe she'd think he would want anything like that after the ordeal she'd been in, but he kept it quiet. It wasn't worth getting upset over when she probably still upset herself.
"Maybe I should just stop by for a bit so that I can at least have say in the seeker. At least put a good word in. Wood said something about having someone in mind already. I'm sure it's someone from his Hogwarts days. We'll just see." He got up off the bed and walked towards Hermione. He put his hands around her face. "Will you be OK if I go? Harry and I put loads of shields around the flat, so you'll be safe, but will you be OK?"
Hermione smiled at his kindness. She also felt sick at her stomach and she didn't know why. "I'll be all right… Might stop out for a spot of lunch later on."
"Well, all right. I shouldn't be gone more than a few hours then tonight we can have a big dinner. I'll make you all sorts of amazing food. Who knows what all I can whip up?" Ron said with his own sheepish grin.
"That sounds great, Ron. It really does."
Ron felt how much she must hurt just from standing next to her. He felt as if he had to say something. "I'm sorry that I wasn't there Hermione. I really am. I swear to you that I'll do everything in my power to make sure that he gets what's coming to him. I'll do everything in my power, 'Mione. You mean far too much to me to let him go unpunished." He kissed her lightly as Hermione's soundlessly cried. "Look, why don't you get in the shower and come with me? We won't be there long and afterwards we can go eat lunch together. I don't want to be without you today." I don't want to be without you ever, he thought to himself.
"Yes," said Hermione. "I don't want to be alone today either."
Ginny sat in her shop looking outside. There were a fair number of customers in her store; she just wasn't paying much attention to them. She felt sick of everything. She was tired of Harry being miserable at work. She was tired of staring at that dress in the back and not showing it to her best friend. She missed her best friend more than anything. She hadn't seen Hermione since before she and Ron left and now, well, what was she to do? Harry didn't want to talk to Ginny about it; he just kept saying he needed to talk to Ron about something. These ideas of her perfect wedding were clearly being put to shambles. She'd wanted Hermione to be her maid of honor, and now the state Hermione was in, no time or need to worry her with such frivolities. She had wanted the wedding at Godric's Hollow. Harry bought it and was fixing it up and had told her it would be ready by the time of the wedding. But her mother had thrown such a fit, saying that all her children who had been married had done so at the Burrow, and she wanted the same to happen with her only daughter.
She simply sighed and stared out the window. She let out a small gasp, not exactly sure what to do with herself. Harry was walking down towards the shop with a cone of Fortescue's in his left hand. She couldn't help but smile. Even after everything that Harry had been through, all the deaths and all the fighting, he really was the same person she'd fallen in love with at 10-years-old.
"Hey Gin. Got you a cone." Harry said as soon as he opened the door. "Whoah, Gin. What's wrong?"
"What makes you think anything's wrong?" Ginny asked as she took the cone from Harry. "Thanks, by the way."
"Come on, Gin. Been an auror for a while now, hell that it is. I've been made to study Occlumency. I know how people act when they feel a certain way. Plus- I just know you Gin. Normally, you're so happy to be here. Today you look miserable. Just talk to me."
"I have customers, Harry. I can't just ignore them."
"You seemed to have been doing a fine job of that up till now. Everyone is all confused. You haven't even told those poor muggle-borns that these dresses are charmed to fit the wearer properly."
"Maybe they're not muggle-born. How do you know anyway?"
"Gin, please. They're looking for tags with sizes like muggle women. Of course they're muggle born. But no worries, love" Harry said as he kissed her lightly on the cheek. "OI! Hey! It's time for this poor woman's lunch! You lot can come back in an hour or you can make your purchases within the next two minutes. Otherwise, well, we all have to eat."
Ginny let out a bit of a giggle. She checked out two people and then looked at Harry. "Well, Mr. Potter, What can I do for you today?"
"Well, Miss Weasley firstly I'd like to know what's been bothering you so much these past few days. It seems like every time you speak to anyone you get upset. What's going on, Gin? What's got you so down?"
"I haven't been upset when I talk to you, Harry."
"Gin, even when you talk to your mum you get upset. Besides, I've been doing so much damn work with the aurors; I've barely seen you this past week. I'm miserable, Gin. I don't reckon I could take much more." He pulled her close to him. "You're the only thing keeping me sane anymore. So tell me what's going on, I can't stand it when you're not happy."
"I'm just upset in general. I really wanted to have the wedding at Godric's Hollow, I wanted Hermione to be my maid of honor-"
"I wanted Ron to be my best man."
"And my mother is going crazy because we don't want the wedding at the Burrow and I don't know what to do anymore."
Harry laughed. "Ginny. You can't let yourself get upset about this. I mean, this is our wedding. Ultimately, it's our choice of what we do and do not do. I know I want the wedding at Godric's Hollow, but if you really want it to be at the Burrow, we can have it there too. As for Hermione, all you can do is ask. No harm in asking, and I'm sure Hermione will say yes."
Ginny smiled. "I want it at Godric's Hollow, too. I mean- it's going to be our home. And the lake will be perfect… I just want everything to be perfect."
"It will be, Gin. It's me and you. This was meant to be for as long back as I can remember. It will be fine no matter what. Though I do need some new dress robes…"
"I already have them picked out, dear." Ginny said with a patronizing voice. "Well, I picked out three that were acceptable. You can pick from those."
"Ahh, the perks of marrying you, Gin. Great family, I love you with all my heart, you can cook something fierce, and you still dress me so as not to embarrass myself in front of everyone."
Ginny grinned as she felt much lighter and gleefully walked her future husband to the rack which held his choice of robe.
Ron held onto Hermione's hand tightly as Oliver Wood told him the seriousness of their situation. Unfortunately, compared to his situation- being a seeker short seemed not quite as serious. Hermione however, seemed deep in thought over Wood's words.
"I'll tell you flat out, Weasley. If we don't get a seeker soon we'll be disqualified for the season and we won't even get to play our first match."
"Well, let's just hold try-outs. I mean, who doesn't want to play for us? It seems like plenty of blokes would want to play professional Quidditch."
"It's not that simple, Weasley. We need to have someone that not only has had Quidditch experience, but also is determined and willing enough to quit all their jobs and be a full time Quidditch seeker."
"What about Corse? He's our reserve- We can just use him."
"He's just not experienced enough, and I don't mean in Quidditch. He's fresh out of Hogwarts and he just doesn't understand much yet. He has to get-"
"Excuse me," Hermione interjected with a strong voice. "I have a suggestion."
Wood had a large grin on his face. "I'm almost positive we're headed the same direction, Miss Granger."
"Well, he would be the obvious choice. I mean, it's not like it matters. He's miserable where he is. He wants to quit, but he can't. I'm sure he'll accept, Oliver."
Ron began to feel entirely out of place and confused. "What are you two going on about?"
"He means that you should ask Harry." Hermione told him without hesitation.
"No. No way," Ron said. "He's about to marry my little sister. If he joins up with the team, he'll never be there with her and she deserves better."
"Oh, Ronald," Hermione laughed. "Ginny loves Quidditch more than anyone else in your family. I imagine she'll begin selling Chudley Cannons memorabilia in her shop right after she gets the news."
"But Quidditch husbands are gone so much, 'Mione. You can't even begin to fathom… It turns out rather bad. It just doesn't fit well to be married to a full-time Quidditch man."
"So," Wood began with a curt grin, "Does that mean you never plan to marry, Weasley? Not even to the love of your life?"
"No, I never said that…" Ron said as he glanced toward Hermione who looked positively embarrassed, red-cheeked and all. "I just meant- I mean- Look, Gin's my little sister."
"Yes, but Ronald she's also able enough to handle her own decisions. You should allow her to do so. Besides, it's not like Harry couldn't apparate like you do… As if Ginny would mind being married to a professional seeker rather than a miserable auror."
"That's not what I meant at all, Hermione."
"Look, Weasley- are you going to ask him or am I going to have to ask Hermione to do it?"
"I'll ask him, Wood." Ron said reluctantly.
"Good. Now, owl me once you've talked to him so I know how to go about all this publicity. I've got to go- Katie's waiting for me out on the pitch. See you two later. Don't forget, Weasley- Practice starts in two weeks. So make sure you ask him sometime relatively soon."
Ron turned away from Oliver and pulled Hermione to his side. "Let's go grab a bite to eat."
"Why didn't you want to ask Harry?"
"'Mione you know just as well as me that Harry practically lives at the Ministry. He worked so hard to get where he is- plus, I was telling the truth. You know how often I'm gone with the team."
"And you're daft if you think Ginny wouldn't go with him. Absolutely daft."
Just then a male figure came out and grabbed Hermione's hand, "Hey, Love!" Hermione immediate cringed painfully and Ron swiftly jerked Hermione to his opposite side so as he could more carefully examine whoever it was who'd grabbed her arm. To Ron's great relief it was simply Cormac McLaggen. Wait, did he say relief? He must've mean utter annoyance.
"McLaggen, don't you have more important things to do? Shouldn't you be out with the Harpies?"
"Calm down, Weasley. I'm just here for a meeting about the first match. Coach sent me to ask if it could be here. We've had a surge of gnomes and we're trying to find they're source, but we wanted to be safe. I just saw Granger and wanted to say hello. Didn't mean to intrude on you two, whatever it was that you were doing…"
"Shut it, McLaggen. Anyone would've been surprised; you were walking down a dark corridor. We're just going to get lunch now, so if you please."
Hermione held that look on her face until she abruptly told Ron that she needed to find the loo quickly, she felt like she was going to throw up any second. As he stood outside the girl's bathroom, he began to realize just how strong Hermione was. She was trying to damndest to get back to a normal routine, to try and act like it hadn't bothered her. He just felt lucky, he supposed, that she didn't cringe at his touch and she was able to have him kiss her. He heard the door open and he saw Hermione looking quite frazzled while still trying to hold up a strong façade. He couldn't help but admiring her at that moment.
"How about we go grab a spot of lunch and then we head over to Gin's shop? She wanted to see you, 'Mione." He dared not tell her Ginny was worried about her.
"That sounds quite nice, actually, Ron. Only I'm not much hungry anymore." She said, slightly embarrassed.
"That's fine, no need to worry. We can just head over to Gin's shop now. I'm sure she'd be more than happy to see you. Maybe Harry's with her so I can talk to him…"
"You're really going to ask him?"
"Well, I was thinking about it, and you're right, 'Mione."
Hermione was absolutely glowing. "It will be quite nice to see Ginny again, I did want to know what she meant. You remember, Ronald? The letter she sent us? She did say she had something she wanted to ask me. I assume it's something about a new dress or moving to a new shop, it seems she likes my opinions about monetary situations, which is odd- she'd be better off just asking Fred and George, I mean- they have 4 shops now and are doing International trading! But she seems to be doing quite well... I mean she's-"
As Ron listened to every word Hermione said, he became more and more glad that he had her with him right now and how much he wanted to be able to be with her every single day just like this. He grinned.
"Are you even listening to me Ronald? Honestly, off staring into space with strange grins on your face."
And as he repeatedly swore he was listening to her every word he carefully slipped his hand into hers as they walked.
