I swear this sun is marvelous! Sunbathing rules! AND England had a fantastic start to their world cup campaign, although only the first half of the matchwas worth watching it has to be said. Anyway...
We're nearly there, as I've said previously there's still a couple of issues that need resolving and then that'll be it!
Hope you like this one. Please Read and Review.
Cheers, Step XxXxX ;)
Chapter 40
Hermione was sat in one of the armchairs in the lounge at the Burrow, a bottle of Butterbeer in her hand and a happy, but slightly tired expression on her face. She was looking at her boyfriend, the person who she had fallen in love with many months ago, and who loved her back in the same way.
She looked at him and smiled as she saw him burst into laughter from some sort of anecdote George was telling him and Harry. She suspected Harry had heard it before as she noticed he had been trying not to laugh for the couple of minutes before the punch line had obviously been delivered.
What Hermione had thought was going to be a small gathering of close family and friends had turned into quite a loud and very energetic party. She had been slightly worried about Ron, and wondered whether the excitement would have any bad effect on him, but then she remembered he had only been asleep; yes, it had been for a long time, but the Healer had told her there had been no lasting damage, and as long as Ron felt all right in himself, he could live life to the fullest.
Ron was, apparently, taking his words to heart. Hermione hadn't forgotten the look of utter shock on his face when Harry told him how long he had been unconscious, and she understood how he felt. They had all been leading sheltered lives for so long, so in a time when they were free from hatred, anger and suffering, it was cruel that he hadn't been able to do what the rest of the wizarding world had been doing and enjoy life.
So there he was laughing like he had never laughed before, talking to everyone in the room and wanting to find out everything the people around him had been doing. Hermione had joined in for a while, standing by his side not wishing to leave it, but pure tiredness had forced her to sit down and rest, having not slept very well for a long time.
As she looked at him she thought of all the things they would now be able to do, normal everyday things that they could enjoy together, going for a drink in the pub, going on a night out with Harry and Ginny, and the rest of their friends, going on romantic dates and spending hours talking about what they wanted out of life. In other words, living.
She drained her bottle and as she shifted in her seat realised she really should go and use the bathroom before a funny joke was told, making it probable she would lose all dignity. She stood and put her empty bottle on the table as she walked out of the room. She made her way upstairs and went into the bathroom. Two minutes later she emerged and was making her way back to the staircase. As she stepped onto it she saw Ron's feet disappear into his room on the floor above her. She frowned and silently prayed there was nothing wrong. She went up the stairs to Ron's bedroom.
She peered into the room and looked at Ron's back. He was facing the window holding a picture in his hand. Hermione quietly made her way towards him and stopped when she was stood a metre behind him. She looked at the photo and smiled when she saw which one it was. It was one of the two of them hugging and looking into each other's eyes. Hermione could see herself saying something to Ron in the picture. When the picture replayed the scene over again, she said the words her picture self was saying, out loud.
'The way I feel about you now, I know will never change,
For a while there, everything was new and felt a little strange,
But now it's good, the way we are feels right; I live to see your smile,
The one that takes me to heaven, somewhere I haven't been in a while.'
When she had started talking Ron had jumped at her voice but had smiled when he realised it was Hermione stood behind him. She had walked next to him and he had pulled her to his side as she finished speaking the rhyme. He set the picture back on the windowsill and turned towards Hermione pulling her into his chest.
She wrapped her arms around him and sighed a contented sigh.
'What did you come up here for?' Hermione asked Ron quietly.
'I came to find you, you disappeared and I wanted to know where you'd got to.'
'Well, I'd drunk too much Butterbeer and I needed to do something about it.'
'Ah, that would explain the quick getaway!'
'Yes it would,' she replied laughing. She turned to Ron and looked at him not ever wanting to take her eyes off his startling blue ones. 'Are you all right?' she asked him.
'Why wouldn't I be?' he asked in reply.
'No reason, I'm just making sure you are. It's a lot to take in, what you've been through, I just need to know you're coping with it all ok. Not that there's any reason why you wouldn't be…I just…wanted to be sure.'
Ron smiled, 'I'm fine Hermione, I swear I am. But if I'm not, I'll let you know, not that you'll need telling, you're pretty perceptive when it comes to knowing how I'm feeling.'
'I wasn't for a long time though was I? That's why I need to ask so much. I know it can be annoying, but I can't bear the thought of you being upset, especially if I can help.'
'Hermione, I don't mind you asking in the slightest, in fact I'd be upset if you didn't.' He pulled her tighter towards him. 'You still remember the words to that song then?' he asked, looking at the photo.
'Yes, every one of them. That's the first time I've said them for a long time though. I couldn't bring myself to think about them, or that song. It was too hard, remembering what we had and not really knowing when I'd feel like that again.'
'Can you listen to it now?'
'I'd say so.'
'Good.'
He turned around and took his wand out of his pocket as he did so. He pointed to the small radio that was on one of his shelves and a second later the song Hermione had recited lyrics from came out of the small device. He pocketed his wand and turned back to Hermione, taking her hands in his.
'Hermione Granger would you care to dance?'
Hermione blushed slightly, 'why thank you Ronald, I would love to!'
She placed her hand around his waist and he pulled her into an embrace. They rotated slowly on the spot, Ron humming the tune as they did so. For the entirety of the song both Hermione and Ron smiled, except of course when they kissed. It was the first time the two of them had been alone together properly, and they appreciated having a few minutes without any interruptions.
'I don't think I ever want to move from here,' Ron whispered when the song came to an end.
'I don't want to either. Can we just stay here forever?'
'Yeah ok.'
The two of them fell silent. Both felt so much comfort and happiness that the thought of moving wasn't something they wanted to contemplate. However they were brought back to earth when the bathroom door slammed on the floor below. They heard Ginny say 'Oops!' and then heard her giggle, Hermione suspected Ginny had had one to many drinks.
'I think you're little sister has been drinking.'
Ron laughed, 'I think so too. Do you think she'll make it downstairs without falling?'
They heard a stumble and a loud 'Oww!' come from Ginny.
They laughed.
'I'd say no. Come on, we'd better help her before she tries to heal any damage she's done. I don't think Healing when slightly drunk is a good idea.'
'Ok, just one thing before we go.'
'What's that?'
'I love you Hermione; you do know that don't you? Nothing's changed in the way I feel about you, or us.'
'I know that Ron, just like you know I love you too, with all my heart and soul.'
Ron was leaning in to kiss Hermione when a series of bangs echoed up the stairs. Hermione and Ron looked at each other and laughed at Ginny's apparent misfortune, before leaving the room hand in hand.
The next morning Hermione woke up, and for the first time in a very long time, she woke up with a smile on her face. Before she opened her eyes she had to remind herself that the whole thing hadn't been a dream, and today was the start of a new chapter in her life.
The previous night Harry had talked with Arthur about the best way he was going to play things with the Ministry, and so today he was to go in and talk to Kingsley Shacklebolt first, and then see if Rufus Scrimgeour would do Harry the small favour of not bringing charges against him and Hermione for not telling the Ministry about Malfoy. Then if that went well, ask him to consider Malfoy's offer of information in exchange for his freedom.
When she had been about to leave the Burrow last night Ron had insisted that Hermione go in to work the next day, as he wanted to visit his newly formed vault at Gringott's (and the stash of gold that was sat inside), and he wanted to go to the Ministry to talk about his probable career as an Auror with the head of the Auror office. They arranged to meet for lunch so they could spend Hermione's lunch hour together and talk about Ron moving in to their house.
Hermione got up and went about her normal morning routine but this time she did it all with a smile on her face. She met Harry on the landing after she had emerged from her shower and beamed at him.
'Morning Harry!' she said cheerfully.
Harry started to laugh.
'What?' Hermione asked.
'Nothing, I'm just happy to see you smiling and cheerful in a morning. It's been a long time since I've seen you this happy.'
'I know, I woke up with a smile on my face this morning. I'm guessing you did too.'
'Yeah I did.'
'What time are you meeting Kingsley?'
'Well he's not teaching today so he said to go in after ten, so he had time to sort his work out before I arrived.'
'Oh, ok. Do you want me to tell your tutors that you won't be there?'
'No, it's ok, Kingsley said he'd mention it to them for me.'
'Ok then.'
'Er…Hermione…'
Hermione had started to go into her room, but she stopped when Harry spoke.
'Yes?'
'Er…I hate to bring you back down to earth with a bump, but I have a feeling you've forgotten about what happened on Friday night, before you apparated to Hogsmeade.'
Hermione's eyes widened as the memories of kissing Cairo came flooding back to her.
'Oh God, I'd totally forgotten! And I wasn't in work yesterday either, he's going to think I skived off because I didn't want to see him isn't he?'
'Possibly.'
'Oh Merlin! Harry what am I going to say to him?'
'You're asking me? How the hell should I know what you should say?'
'Well you're the only one who I can damn well ask aren't you?' She closed her eyes as she realised something else, 'I'm going to have to tell Ron about this aren't I? Although technically I already did, he just happened to be unconscious at the time.'
'Yeah good luck with that!' Harry walked towards the bathroom and shut the door before Hermione had chance to question him again.
'Harry, seriously what shall I say to him?' she shouted through the door.
'Who? Ron or Cairo?'
'Oh God! Either!'
'I don't know Hermione, but you'll think of something! You're an intelligent girl!'
'Well thank you Harry, that was most helpful!'
She turned and went into her room. She got dressed and had her breakfast and got her bag ready for work, all before Harry had finished in the shower. She shouted her goodbyes to Harry up the stairs and apparated to the Ministry.
As soon as she arrived at the Ministry she opened her eyes and immediately wanted to close them again; she had, apparently, apparated to work at the exact second Cairo had, and they had appeared next to each other in the Atrium. They both stared at each other wide-eyed and mouths open. It was Hermione who broke the prolonged silence first.
'Morning Cairo,' she said stiffly.
'Morning Hermione,' he replied in the same tone.
Cairo opened his mouth to say something but changed his mind and turned around and started walking away from Hermione. Before Hermione realised what she was doing she called out to him.
'Cairo!'
He stopped and turned round to look at her. She took the few paces that separated them and looked at him.
'Look, Cairo, I'm…I'm sorry about what happened on Friday. I didn't mean to-'
Cairo had raised his hand to stop Hermione talking.
'Please don't apologise Hermione, it'll only make me feel worse,' Cairo said quietly, 'if anyone should be apologising it should be me. I wish I could say it was the alcohol I'd drunk or something like that, but the truth is it probably didn't make that much of a difference. I'd wanted to tell you something to that effect for a while. If I'd have been thinking straight, or listening to the way you were talking about Ron then I wouldn't have said a word. I know how you feel about him and I know you'd never cheat on him or anything like that…so I'm sorry.'
'Apology accepted. Can we put this behind us?' she asked.
'Yeah, I think we'd better.'
'Good.'
'Oh, and I did hear about Ron, I take it that's why you weren't here yesterday.'
'Yeah I was at the hospital. I can't quite believe it, I keep expecting someone to wake me up and tell me it's all been some elaborate dream, but as yet no one has so I'm enjoying every minute of it!'
'Well I'm pleased for you. No one deserves to go through that, especially you.'
'Thanks Cairo…Cai.'
He smiled.
'Shall we go up? We'll be late if we stay here much longer.'
'Yes we'd better.'
As Hermione walked next to Cairo towards the lifts at the far end of the Atrium she mentally sighed a huge sigh of relief. Well, she thought, that could have been a hell of a lot worse, at least he apologised. She decided to try and forget the whole thing as they had a few years training together ahead of them and there was no point in making that time uncomfortable. Now all she had to do was tell Ron.
Hermione left the room they had their last lesson of the morning in at five past twelve. She was last to leave the room as her book had refused to go into her bag. Eventually she managed to shove it in and left the room. As she turned right to walk down the corridor she heard a noise behind her.
'He Hem!'
She turned and beamed when she saw Ron leaning against the wall.
'I was starting to think you'd skived your lesson!' he said smiling.
He walked up to her and kissed her hello before taking her hand in his. They started walking down the corridor to the lift.
'I couldn't get my book in my bag.'
'Ah ok.'
He reached behind her and took her bag off her shoulder and carried it for her. She looked at him and smiled.
'Why thank you kind sir!'
'You're most welcome!'
They reached the lift and stood waiting for it to arrive. Ron turned to face Hermione and pulled her towards him.
'So where do you want to go for lunch?'
'I don't mind, you decide.'
'Well, where do you usually go?'
'The hospital canteen!'
'Surely you didn't spend every lunch time at the hospital?'
'Erm…yeah I did,' Hermione replied quietly.
'Seriously?'
'Yes Ron, seriously. Why is that so hard to believe?'
'It's not really. I just don't know what to say. I'm happy that you came to see me everyday but I don't want to have been the reason for you missing out on anything.'
'Ron don't even start saying things like that. I know you would have done the same had it been me in the hospital and I wanted to be there. I had to be there. Ok?'
'Ok, but thank you.'
He leaned forward and kissed her. The lift bell rang and the doors slid open. Hermione pulled back and looked at the lift. Cairo walked out the lift, staring at the floor as he did so.
'Hey Cai,' Hermione said, cringing inside as she watched him walk by. 'How come you're back up here?'
'I left my book in the room. See you later.'
'Oh ok…see you.'
She followed Ron into the lift.
'Do I know him?' Ron asked Hermione.
'Er…you might do, he was in Gryffindor, Ginny's year.'
'I thought I recognised his face. Is he in your group?'
'Yeah he is.'
Hermione fell quiet, guilt slowly forming inside her. She turned to Ron and looked at him, trying to convince herself that Ron would be all right with what she wanted to tell him. He was a jealous person; that she knew already. She would just have to convince him that there was no need to feel jealous about Cairo. She took a deep breath and looked at him.
'Ron, I've got something to tell you.'
