Disclaimer: Everything belongs to J. K. Rowling.

Playing House

Chapter 9: Reconciliation

"Ron!"

"Wake up, Ron!"

Ron jerked awake from a voice and looked up to see Hermione standing over him, her face very close, shaking him slightly by the shoulders.

"Hermione," Ron was stunned, he blinked at her.

"How are you feeling?" asked Hermione, looking worried. And then, Ron felt the pounding headache; he touched the bandage and grimaced.

"Did you sleep here?" he asked, pushing back the covers, sitting on the couch. He tried to remember the last night.

Hermione walked over to the window and pointed her wand at the curtains. The curtains separated quickly and the bright sunlights lit up the room. Ron had to blink his eyes.

"I worried about you," said Hermione, finally turning to him.

Ron sent her a grateful look.

"Yesterday night, there was a raid," he explained, rubbing his eyes. "Someone hit me with a stone, I couldn't prevent," he said and got to his feet slowly. Before he headed to the bathroom, he looked at her.

"You didn't have to stay," he said, playing hurt.

"I told you, I just worried," stated Hermione, a bit quickly, avoiding her eyes, and her cheeks turning slightly pink.

There was a silent.

"I prepared something," said Hermione after a moment, "you should eat," she added before she brush passed him, and hurriedly headed to the kitchen.

Ron stood there for a moment; he felt his heart gave an odd thump. His lips curled into a grin uncontrollably, and at the moment he knew that she wasn't cross with him any longer. And he knew that she wasn't going to leave him in the halfway. He was almost thankful for the man who had hit that stone. Apparently, it had worked.

Whistling slightly, he went to the bathroom. While he was changing into his robes, he realised that it wasn't the shirt he had been wearing yesterday night. Then he barely remembered that Hermione had offered him to bring a clean shirt.

He went to the kitchen, and found Hermione pouring a cup of tea for herself. He settled across her, flashing her a wide smile. She smiled back.

"How was the mission?" she asked, as she sipped her tea.

"Excellent!" he grinned. "There was no flee, and we captured the whole gang!" he told her proudly. "Well done," she smiled at him.

"Then today, we will have you on the front page. That will do some good for the DRM job, right?" she asked, looking excited.

"I guess," replied Ron, munching on his bread. "There were Robert and Jul-," he quickly stopped. Mentioning about Julie would be the most stupid thing, he knew. He changed tack at top speed. "It isn't my victory!"

"Still, it's a big progress, isn't it?" she said conversationally.

"Yeah," Ron replied with a smile.

Moments later, she checked her waistwatch. "Oh," she said, looking worried, "it's already nine o'clock," she stated before wiping her mouth on the napkin, "I had better be off," she said and got to her feet.

"And you too, won't you be late?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, I deserved a little comfort after the big battle," he said, straightening in his seat. Hermione shook her head slightly and headed to the sitting room.

"Oi, Hermione," Ron yelled before she disappeared from the view. Hermione turned on her heels to face him.

"Well," Ron murmured. "I will see you in the evening, right?" he asked hesitantly, his puppy dog eyes on her, looking innocent. Hermione exhaled loudly.

"Right," she said, hiding a grin, right before she turned.

"Well, Hermione," Ron called again. Hermione turned, "I am late Ron, what?" she snapped, trying to sound annoyed.

"Well," Ron felt his cheeks went crimson, "I wondered that, umm, the shirt last night umm,"

Hermione turned several shade of red. She turned away before she answered. "I will see you in the evening, Ron!"

"All right," Ron mumbled to himself, grinning like a crazy, and continued to his breakfast, enjoying the comfort.

Nevertheless when he arrived at work, he saw that he had a bit exaggerated the comfort thing, because everybody was already at office, except him. He hoped that Kingsley had't visited yet.

"Good morning people," he greeted them cheerfully before he settled on his desk.

"Good Morning Ron," said Julie brightly and flashed him a big smile. Ron returned the smile awkwardly however he had no desire to raise her hopes. She was wearing a skirt yet again, and a tight white shirt. He had almost lost Hermione because of her. He shuddered at the thought. He tried not to pay attention to her.

He moved to the Robert's desk.

"Hey Robert, has chief dropped over yet?" he asked.

"No," Robert shook his head.

"Good," he gave a sigh of relief.

As he turned to his desk back, he saw a strange man. Then he remembered that it was the man who had come for the exchange mission. He greeted him with his head. To his surprise, the man smiled in return, gettingupto his feet and walked over him before Ron could settle back to his desk.

"Hello, Mr. Weasley, right?" he asked unexpectedly.

"Yes," answered Ron as he shook hands.

"Well, Mss. Peterson and Mr. Client just told me about the raid of the last night. From what I heard, it had been really successful."

"Yes, it was," Ron approved.

"This wound is from the battle, I daresay," he indicated.

"Yeah," Ron instinctively took his hand over his forehead. "But it's nothing important," he stated in an indifferent.

"They told me that it had been you who captured the murderer?"

Ron looked up to his man's face enquiringly. He didn't like his inquisitive questions about the mission. Why had he wondered about it? What was he trying to do?

"It was three of us!" he stated, narrowing his eyes, casting the man a threatening look, daring him to ask more. The man nodded, smiling awkwardly, and then hurriedly returned to his desk. Ron watched him as he wrote something down on a paper. He hadn't liked the man.

He looked at Robert. Robert merely shrugged. Then his eyes caught the sight of Scott. He was desperately working on a report. Suddenly he felt thrumpiant.

Just then, a man dropped in to inform that Kingsley was waiting for Mr. Weasley, Mr. Client, and Mss. Peterson.

Feeling proud of himself, Ron got to his feet, and cleared his throat intentionally to make Scott notice, which made Julie giggle.

When they arrived his office, Kingsley was waiting for them, watching out of the window.

Though the door was opened, Ron knocked on it respectively.

"Come in," said Kingsley without turning his head.

They entered quickly; Ron closed the door behind him.

"Lovely weather, today," stated Kingsley, finally turning to face them, a weak smile on his face, and looking positive and pleased.

They all grinned at him.

"Well, great job, last night," he said, holding a paper. "All of them alive, and the murderer himself."

"It was really fast, this time." He said, smiling. "And obviously, that's a plus for the DRM job, you made a big step comparing to your rivals."

They waited for him to continue.

"Well," he continued, "I gathered you here for congratulation actually," he remarked. "There is no mission for now, but I wanted to warn," he raised an eyebrow. "Don't you flatter yourself. You are still under inspection and there are people waiting outside to catch your mistakes."

Ron nodded seriously, looking impressed.

"Well, you can back to your work again," he concluded his speech. "But I 'll have a word you Weasley," he added.

Ron seated back to his chair, while the others left the room. Once they were out of earshot, Kingsley looked up to his face, this time looking serious than he had been five minutes ago. Ron was agitated with his sudden change mood. He waited patiently.

"Ron, I have some news for you!" he exclaimed finally. All colour drained away from Ron's face. He swallowed hard.

"What is it?" he asked nervously.

"I learnt that the president is going to visit you at the next weekend!" he declared and waited for a minute to let his comment sink. Ron was surprised. He had completely forgetten about the visit. He didn't tell that, of course.

"Oh," he said. "Saturday or Sunday?" he asked awkwardly.

"I don't know Ron," bellowed Kingsley, suddenly firing up. "It isn't precise yet! I am told so!" he stated. "But I expect on Saturday," he said after a moment, his voice softening.

"Well, thank you chief." Ron said, gratefully.

"Look Ron, I am doing it only for you, okay?" Kingsley said in a different voice, "And it's also dangerous for my own job, you understand?"

"I appreciate." Ron nodded in comprehension. "I owe you a lot chief."

"Ron, just take that job, all right?" Ron saw his expression for an instant. "I don't know what you're up to, I don't have a clue, not that I want to learn, but just do something!" he concluded.

"I will chief!" Ron said determinedly and got to his feet. Kingsley got to his feet as well and patted him awkwarly on the shoulder before he exited the room.

Ron was really excited. He had to tell it to Hermione.

When he came home, she hadn't arrived yet. Eagerly, he intended to prepare dinner for her. However the moment he entered the kitchen, he immediately regretted. There was no way he could prepare something that Hermione would like to eat. But a new idea hit him. He decided to take her out for dinner. And by the way, maybe he could explain the situation with Julie. It would be embarassing though; he wanted to make her believe that he didn't love her, not even close to that.

While he waited for her, he had a warm, relaxing bath. Then he got out the bandage. The wound seemed to heal. After that, spending a lot time in front of the wardrobe he decided what to wear for the dinner, even though he wasn't sure whether Hermione would agree.

He started to get worried when the clocks chimed eight o c'clock. He was getting impatient. Had she always come home so late? That wasn't just right. But he knew Hermione very well, probably she had insisted to finish all the work. He smiled at the vision.

While he was in the thoughts, he heard the door clicked. Grinning, he sprinted to the door to greet her.

"Hello!"

"Oh hello," she was surprised to see him in front of her.

"Well, you are late!" he remarked, resting againts to the wall as she hung his coat on the hanger.

"Oh, Am I?" She checked her watch. "I didn't notice."

"I was waiting for you, actually," he said, wrinkling his nose.

"Oh, really, for what?" she asked, looking at him curiously.

"I am starving and ther-"

Before he could finish, Hermione interjected quickly. "Did you wait for me to prepare you something?" she asked unbelievingly.

"Hell, no!" Ron opposed at once.

"I thought that we could eat something outside," he said, a touch of sadness behind his words.

"I am sorry Ron," said Hermione, looking apologetic. "I am so tired and distracted," she reasoned. "There were a lot of work to do," she started to tell, "and I couldn't even find time to have a proper lunch!"

"But I am hungry too, to tell the truth," she added quickly for Ron looked crestfallen. "If you give me some time, I would have a shower to gain some energy."

Ron's face lit up. "Of course," he said. "I will be in the sitting room," he declared and turned his back before Hermione could see his grin.

It was half past eight, when they left home. Once they were outside, Hermione asked him where they were heading. Ron hadn't thought about it, he struggled for a moment when Hermione looked at his face expectantly. At that moment, He suddenly remembered a café in the neighbourhood he had come acroos a while ago, which was pretty close to his house.

"What about spaghetti?" he asked turning to Hermione.

"Great," Hermione commented, giving him a bright smile as they walked down the street.

The weather was rather warm and fresh for such an April night. It had rained all the weekend. And now he could smell the intense odour of the soil. He had worn only a sport jacket. And Hermione did look casual as well, wearing a pair of jean, and a cardigan. They barely spoke to each other on the way. Ron cast side-glances at her. She looked tired but peaceful.

Once they reached the small café, Ron prayed that it was good enough.

As they walked inside the café, his nose covered with the nice spicy aromas. He quickly checked around. The inside of the café was dimly lit; there were a few customers. Most of them had already finished their meals, they were chatting merrily. At the opposite, there was a serve table. He noticed a waitress was casting a freshing charm on the plates. The tables were miniature; there was a soft music in the background. He immediately studied Hermione's face. She looked pleased anyway. He gave a sigh of relief.

"Welcome," a bold, short and old man with an amiable face greeted them cheerfully, coming out of nowhere. Hermione smiled at the man.

"Please sit here," he indicated a table for two, at the back of the café. "What can I have for this lovely couple?" he asked beamingly after they settled.

"Well, we will have spaghetti," said Hermione after they shared a look at the mention of the word 'couple'. They ignored the hint.

"Can I have a plate with cheese sauce, please?" she asked sweetily. "Of course," The old man nodded in agreement and then turned to Ron. "What would you like gentleman?" he asked.

"I guess, I will have the same," he stated, smiling at Hermione.

"What about drinks?" asked the man, turning to Hermione again.

"Red wine?" she looked at Ron for confirmation. Ron nodded. And with that the old man walked away.

Hermione started to examine the place, curiously.

"It is a nice place," she stated, her eyes wandering around the café.

"Yes, indeed, it is," approved Ron, but he kept staring at her.

"What?" Hermione suddenly looked at him. "Didn't you come here before?" she asked, her eyes huge.

"No," admitted Ron, smiling guilty. Hermione shook her head however corner of her lips twitched into a smile.

"Well today, we published your victory," she said enthusiastically after the waiter served their plates.

"Today Kingsley told me that the president is going to visit us this weekend!" he blurted out.

"Oh," Hermione looked rather surprised. "Finally," she commented, fixing some hair behind her ear. "Yeah," said Ron awkwardly. They stayed in silence for a moment, both looking embarrassed for some reason. Ron knew the reason of this silence though. They had to pretend like a married couple in the presence of the president, which meant that the gamewas about to start.

The rest of the meal, they remained silent. Ron had to give credit; it was the most delicious spaghetti he had ever eaten. But he couldn't deny the fact that it was because he was with Hermione and also he had been very hungry. Whatsoever, it was a really nice dinner.

After they left the cafe, they started to walk gradually to the house, enjoying the lovely weather. While walking, Ron gazed at her occasionally. She looked so… beautiful. Then his eyes slid to her hand, swinging next to his. He swallowed hard when a naughty idea hit him. But it was the perfect opportunity he had obtained for years that he wouldn't ignore.

Abruptly, he stopped walking. It took a couple of seconds until Hermione realise.

"What happened Ron?" she asked worriedly once she noticed. Ron remained silent, wearing an anxious expression. Narrowing his eyes, he stared at a point in the distant, in the dark.

"Hermione," he whispered, looking serious. Hermione stared at him, looking worried.

"What?"

"Come closer," he murmured, barely moving his lips. Hermione stepped closer to him and looked at the direction he had been staring.

"What is it Ron?" she asked, confused.

"Shhh," Ron silenced her.

"Ron you make m-"

"I guess there is someone watching us!" he cut in, whispering. Hermione's eyes widened.

"Where?"

"Over there," Ron indicated somewhere vaguely with his head.

"But I can't see," said Hermione obstinately.

"Hermione, he mustn't notice that we noticed him." He said in a serious voice. Hermione looked confused.

"What are we going to do then?" she asked in a whisper tone, still trying to see someone in the dark.

"Well," Ron mumbled. "We will play our game, I think," he exclaimed.

While Hermione stared at him in confusion, ignoring the looks she was giving him, he swiftly grabbed her hand.

"Well, it's just a precaution!" he stated hoarsely, feeling his cheeks hot.

Hermione didn't oppose but gave him an arch look. He was amused to see that she was fighting not to roll her eyes. Then her lips curled into a grin, her cheeks turning fairly pink, they walked the rest of the way, hand in hand, in a peaceful silence.

AN: It is a really nice feeling, after a long boring school day, I arrive at home, expectantly open the mails and receive your lovely reviews. Just wanted to share. Thank you!