Author's note - Okay, so I am painfully aware that I've been MIA since April. Like. What. I still love writing, and I have every intention to keep writing. I have most certainly not abandoned my two current WIPs.
This, however, is a one-shot that I offer as an apology. Admittedly, I haven't written in a WHILE, so I'm not too sure how I feel about what I've just finished. Like literally stopped writing about 5 minutes ago. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it. I am so sorry for being so absent.
If you follow The Gaps to Fill then PLEASE read the second author's note at the end of this one-shot.
P.S. Thank you so much for reading and reviewing. I've missed this.
P.P.S. It is 3am right now when I'm uploading this. So I have proof read, but how sharp my proofreading skills are at such an hour is quite debatable. It might not be my best piece of work as a writer and/or as an editor, but I was just so excited to post. Love to all. Xx
Oo and happy new year! Okay I'll go now
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Borrowed Time
May, 1999
"Hey, Hermione."
"Hi, Gin," comes the uncommitted response from Hermione as she continues to scribble down her notes.
She doesn't know what Ginny wants, but frankly she doesn't have the thought capacity to worry about it right now. Though she is partly aware that the Quidditch uniform-clad girl is still standing before her.
One Ginny-related thought does manage to sift through Hermione's mind: how on Earth can she think to practice Quidditch with the Potions exam tomorrow?
"Fancy a lunch break?"
"It's not lunchtime," mumbles Hermione, eyes resolutely glued to her work.
"Um, it's half past two," chuckles Ginny.
Hermione's quill falls down to the page. "Merlin, is it?" she says, completely startled. She could've sworn it was only turning ten o'clock just a moment ago.
Frantically, she looks up at the library clock. "Goodness. And I've barely gotten through Hair Raising potions," she says, mostly to herself.
"Well, I think you can live without that one," smirks Ginny as Hermione runs her hands through her sweaty, exceptionally frizzy hair.
"It's the humidity," Hermione groans into her hands, which are now scrubbing over her face. She didn't have time for lunch, but a cold drink would be nice. "Ginny, do you think you could bring me up a goblet from the Great Hall whilst you're there?"
Ginny sits beside Hermione, wearily eyeing her mountain of books. "Why don't you just transfigure one of these into one?" she only half-sarcastically suggests.
"I need all of them," quickly retorts Hermione.
"You need a break," corrects Ginny, but Hermione just tuts her teeth before picking her quill back up.
Ginny places a hand on Hermione's, stopping her from writing. "Hermione, no. Come on, you can't starve yourself over Potions. I can't allow it."
Hermione rolls her eyes. "I'm hardly starving myself by missing one lunch."
"Oh, of course not. But what about lunch yesterday? Or breakfast this morning? In fact, I haven't seen you eat a meal for the last four days," Ginny says worriedly.
Oh, thinks Hermione. She hadn't realised it had been that long since she ate a proper meal. She'd had a piece of fruit or a muffin or something just as quick here and there, but Ginny was right, she hadn't had a full meal in a few days. Oh, but what was the harm? She'll be back to normal in a few weeks, but right now, the NEWTs just have to be a top priority. Harry or Ron never understood, but Hermione would've hoped at least Ginny might.
"I appreciate your concern, Ginny, but I promise I'm fine. I'll grab something later."
Ginny sighs. "It's not just food, Hermione. You need a serious break. When was the last time you went outside? Got some fresh air?"
Hermione outrightly laughs at that. "I'll survive without going outside into the sweltering heat for a few days."
"You will survive, but I don't think you'll be any healthier for it."
Hermione shrugs.
"Come on, Hermione. Just for half an hour. It's really not good for you to stare at parchment all day long. You know that."
"I'll be fine, Gin," she maintains, starting to lose her patience.
"Okay, but what if you-"
"Go, please. Just go away, I'm fine. For Goodness' sake, I'm revising for exams not planning to run away from home and turn myself into a Goblin," she snaps.
After a few astonished moments, Ginny says, "fine" and moves out of her chair.
Hermione sighs, shaking her head at herself. "I'm sorry, Ginny, I didn't mean to snap, I-"
"No," silences Ginny. "I know a far-gone case when I've seen one. It's time to bring in the big wands." And with that, she leaves the library, leaving a perplexed Hermione in her wake.
But she's too busy to even worry. Instead, with some sorely missed peace, she picks up her quill and begins writing again, her pace increasing with every word she jots down.
"Oh seriously, Ginny, can't we just-"
But this time when she looks up, about half an hour after her first disturbance, Hermione is astounded to see that not only Ginny is standing at the end of her desk. But Ron, too.
A passive smile on his face, hands shoved in his pockets. Goodness, she's missed him.
"Yep. Just like the good old days," he muses. But Hermione barely takes notice.
"What are you doing here?"
She stands as he makes his way toward her, an automatic smile growing on her face each step that he takes.
"Ginny Flood me," he explains as they meet in a tight hug, Hermione almost forgetting to glower at Ginny as she inhales her nose's most favourite scent.
"I'm sorry," says Ginny, hands up in surrender. In one of them she's holding her broomstick. "But you were the worst I've seen you. Now if you don't mind, I have a Quidditch team to whip into shape."
Hermione rolls her eyes the minute Ginny turns her back. She stands back out of Ron's embrace, looking up at him with a frightening amount of dubiousness.
"Are you really here to stop me from studying?" she accuses.
Ron shakes his head. "I know you don't think so, but you need a break."
"Oh, for the love of- can you all stop saying the word 'need' as if I'm incapable of looking after myself?"
"No one's suggesting that," he's quick to say, but he's also quick to remind, "don't you remember? That time in fifth year, when you fainted in the middle of the common room?"
"I didn't faint, I nodded off."
"Hermione. We're not going through this again. Me and Harry had to jump up and catch you before you fell on to the bloody floor."
"Oh, well I'm terribly sorry that I disturbed one of your riveting chess matches, Ron."
Her arms are folded now, a scowl fixed to her face.
Ron sighs. "You know we had no problem catching you. But it's the fact we had to at all."
He knows he's got a point. Hermione doesn't want to hear it. So now it's just a battle of stubbornness as they stare at each other, waiting for the over to give in.
After a few unwavering minutes, Hermione glances outside, before looking back up at Ron. "Fine. Seeing as we've wasted so much time already, I'll take a break. But only for thirty minutes."
A triumphant smile graces Ron's face, and Hermione has to bite her cheek to stop her own lips curving up. Bickering with him was much easier when she wasn't so in love with him.
"So, what did you have in mind? Use your time wisely," she advises as Ron is already shoving her books back into her bag.
"Don't worry. I've come prepared."
They walk out towards the Great Lake; the water shimmers quite prettily in the summer, even Hermione will admit.
She spots a wicker basket sitting under a large tree. "So you just knew I'd say 'yes' to this, did you?" she asks, raising an accusatory eyebrow at Ron.
"Well, when boyfriends ask their girlfriends on a date, that's usually what they say," he smirks back.
Hermione rolls her eyes, all in good nature. "Is half an hour really long enough for a date?" she asks, helping Ron to lie out a chequered blanket.
Ron doesn't answer, instead begins to pull out food from the basket. Sandwiches, pasties, pies, tarts, cakes - the lot. Hermione almost wonders how they'll ever get through so much food.
She sits beside Ron, putting her arms around his neck as she kisses him on the cheek.
"This is lovely. Thank you."
He responds by passing her a pumpkin pasty, but before she eats, Hermione takes Ron's wrist and sets a timer on his watch for thirty minutes.
At his disbelieving gape, Hermione says, "I was serious."
She's so happy to be with Ron, but she also hasn't forgotten the mountains of revision she's yet to do.
Shaking his head, Ron bites into a sandwich. "An hour?" he suggests, tweaking his watch.
"Fine. But that's it. Tell me about training, and the shop," asks Hermione.
He starts to ramble about his busy life, which excites Hermione about leaving school. She never thought she'd be so excited to finish school, but she was. She doesn't regret coming back, but she's definitely ready to move on.
"Doing both is exhausting," he says. She can tell it's hard for him to say so. "I don't want to stop helping George, but I can't keep this up. I definitely won't be able to once I finish my training."
"George will understand."
She brushes his fringe out of his face, and he turns his face towards hers. He plants a kiss on her lips.
Hermione's nose scrunches. "You taste like roast beef."
"Mum's sandwiches," he states as a smug way of explanation.
"You got your poor mother to make all of this food?" Hermione playfully whacks his shoulder.
"Oi! She wanted to. She was glad I went home on my day off."
In a rather small voice, Hermione says, "I'm sorry for making you come here on your day off."
"Are you joking? With you is the only place I want to be on my day off," he promises, leaning his back against the large tree and offering Hermione a one-armed hug.
She smiles at him, readily joining him in the cuddle.
"Let's go swimming."
Ron interrupts their perfectly pleasant conversation.
"What?"
Hermione watches him with furrowed eyebrows as he gets up, pulling his t-shirt over his head. Her expression softens at the sight.
"Come on," he says. "It's boiling."
"I can't," she chuckles incredulously. "I don't have my bathers or a bikini-"
"Neither do I."
"Well it's not really surprising that you don't have a bikini," smirks Hermione.
"Are you saying I wouldn't look good in one?" he teases, encouraging Hermione to stand up by taking her hands and pulling her to her feet.
She shakes her head. "I'm being serious."
"I'll just go in my pants," he shrugs.
"Delightful," deadpans Hermione.
"Come on, we're on borrowed time as it is," he smirks. "No one will see us, you're the only year with time out of your lessons to revise."
Despite what he's saying is true, Hermione shakes her head. "Ron, there is no way I'm going into that lake in just my bra and knickers." She whispers the latter part of that sentence, worriedly looking around for anyone to catch them. "Plus you're not actually permitted to just go swimming in the Great Lake!"
"That's the most ridiculous rule I've ever heard. What's the point in having a lake if you can't swim in it?"
This rule doesn't restrict Ron as he walks closer to the take, undoing his belt along the way.
Eyes wide, Hermione follows after him. "Don't, Ron," she admonishes.
"Hermione, it's Hogwarts. If they didn't want us jumping in the lake, then there'd be a spell or a charm or something that would physically stop us from going in."
Hermione crosses her arms over her chest. "Oh, you can't be serious. What about first year? There was no spell to stop us from reaching the third floor corridor? They just trust their students."
"Well, that didn't stop us in first year, did it?" grins Ron, undoing his trousers, toeing off his shoes and socks and leaping into the water.
"Unbelievable," utters Hermione.
"Bloody hell," exclaims a resurfaced Ron. "You need to come in, Hermione, it's lovely in here."
He paddles around, and Hermione can admit that it looks peaceful and cool. Oh, but she shouldn't. He was a terrible influence on her. And that was obviously something she hadn't grown out of since first year.
"What if someone catches us?"
"They won't," Ron states surely. "And even if they do, what's the worst that could happen? They're not going to expel you." He laughs at the notion.
Hermione sighs in contemplation. She sits down on the bank and reaches for her own belt, and Ron swims up to the bank. He looks around to make sure the coast is clear.
He was sure about what he said; he doesn't think anyone will see them. But as a protective boyfriend, as he would deem it, he'd rather make sure himself that no one caught his girlfriend getting undressed.
He helps her by pulling her t-shirt up and off of her. He's still in complete awe of her beauty. He never won't be.
Arms around her back, Ron smiles at her. "If I get in trouble for this, Ronald Weasley-"
"-you can get hex my balls off, I'll willingly let you," he chuckles.
She raises an eyebrow. "Well, I won't do that, but you'd better look out for other, less useful body parts."
He laughs, pulling her into the water.
"Oh my god, it's freezing!" Hermione squeals, separating from Ron to dunk herself under.
Once she's gotten used to it, the cold of the water is a welcome reprieve.
Noting her tranquil expression, Ron jokes, "I believe that makes me right twice in one day. Wouldn't you say?"
Instead of retorting, Hermione splashes him with water, swimming away as quickly as she can before he can do the same to her.
Ron catches up to her, but instead of splashing her or doing anything worse, he wraps his arms around her waist.
There's a determination in his eyes that she hasn't yet seen this afternoon, and she's missed it. Arms around his shoulders, Hermione kisses him.
They aren't sharing a sweet, familiar kiss. It's passionate and desperate and ignites a fire in Hermione that she's terribly, terribly missed.
Excitedly, she wraps her legs around his waist, as he cradles her bum whilst deepening the kiss.
There will never be a day where she forgets how much she loves Ron Weasley, but moments like these cause her love to spark, reminding her a thousand times over just how incredible it felt to fall in love with him in the first place.
"I love you so much," she breathes as his lips travel to her neck.
His hands caress her bum and she moans in his ear. They need to get back to that blanket.
And then, with absolutely perfect timing, chimes his watch. How has it been an hour already? Hermione doesn't care. She turns it off herself.
Letting her legs fall back to the sandy floor, Hermione bites her lip at Ron's adorably flushed face. "Come on," she says, swimming back to the other side of the bank.
As soon as they reach the blanket, Ron covers Hermione's body with his own, re-engaging in their deep kiss. Hermione hums into his mouth, running her hands down his back, feeling the muscles contract under her hands.
It's incredibly unfair how strong and toned he's become throughout his training.
Her hands meet at the waistline of his boxers, which she pulls down enough for him to be able to wriggle out. Ron moves down her body, laying open mouthed kisses along her abdomen, unclasping her bra.
Hermione sighs and moans, becoming impatient. She taps Ron on the shoulder, and he looks up at her only for a moment before he gathers what she's trying to say without words.
Hastily, he discards her knickers, moving back up her body. Hitching a leg high on his hip, he dips his head to kiss her again.
She smiles into his mouth, before lifting her hips up as a final nudge. He thrusts into her, and they both groan at the contact.
Tantalising bursts of pleasure course through Hermione with every thrust. She cries out her love for Ron, but other than that, there are no thoughts running through her head. It's the happiest her brain has been in weeks.
Her pants become more desperate as Ron's pace quickens. He reconnects his lips to her neck and she can feel herself reaching her climax. She tries to savour this moment. Merlin knows the next time she'll have an opportunity to feel this amazing.
Some euphoric moments later, after they've both soared at their peak, Ron's lying beside Hermione. He's pulled the blanket over them, so they're wrapped up together.
She leaves feather-light kisses on his shoulder as she curls into his side, but she knows it can't last.
"I hate to say this but I have to go."
Ron's eyes are closed as he groans in protest.
Hermione smiles, propping herself up on an elbow to kiss his cheek. "I have to," she repeats in a soft voice, using her free hand to delicately stroke his chest. "Thank you for today, though. I probably did need it. I snapped at your sister earlier. I think I even said something about turning myself into a goblin," she laughs, and Ron grins as he opens his eyes.
He runs his fingertips along her side. "Just stay," he pleads. "For a minute. I don't want to say 'goodbye' yet."
Hermione painfully relates to this. But she really can't stay. She wants to. More than anything. But she can't.
"For a minute. Please," Ron echoes, embracing her in a cuddle.
"A. Minute."
Hermione's stern with Ron, and with herself. One minute, that's all she can allow them.
One minute, then they'll have to go back.
It takes a bleary moment for Hermione to remember her surroundings. She drifts into wakefulness peacefully. The sun is low in the sky, and the air isn't nearly as stiflingly hot as it's been.
But realisation hits her like a train, and she's sat up so quickly she forgets she's completely naked. Bringing the blanket to cover herself up, she shakes Ron awake. Paying absolutely no mind to how gentle she is - or rather, how gentle she isn't.
"Stop," Ron mumbles sleepily, but Hermione has not one ounce of patience.
"Wake up," she almost spits. She's so angry at them for falling asleep.
Right now she hates how careless they are when they have sex, because she can't find her underwear anywhere. She needs to dress and leave and catch up on so much work. How could she let this happen?
Angry tears well up in her eyes as she tries to shove her jeans on in the fastest way possible. "Come on," she growls at the piece of clothing.
Once she's fully dressed, she grabs her wand, sparing only a moment to look at Ron. Under usual circumstances, she'd walk with him to whichever fireplace he used to Floo here, sharing a difficult and most likely tearful goodbye. But right now she barely has time to ensure that her top is on the right way around.
So as much as it hurts her, she begins walking up to the school without him. He's only asleep. It's not like he could mind.
But she barely makes it to the entrance door before she hears him calling her name.
"Not now," she mutters beneath her breath.
"Hermione, where are you going?"
Furiously, she turns on her heel. "I told you that I couldn't take a long break, Ron. I told you that I wanted to be back to do more work. Why couldn't you respect that?"
Ron looks flabbergasted, nearly dropping the basket - a painful reminder of how happy their afternoon was - out of his hold.
"What? We fell asleep, you obviously needed it," he argues.
"I will decide what I need!" she shouts. "How can you seriously not understand, after all these years, how important my education is to me?"
"Of course I bloody understand, Hermione, but-"
"No, you clearly don't because instead of letting me go back and revise, you're standing there, scrambling for a good enough excuse for the fact that even though I repeatedly told you that I couldn't break for long, you completely ignored me and did just whatever you wanted, not a second thought about what I wanted."
Ron shakes his head, thoroughly perplexed about how this transpired into such an argument.
"I'm sorry," he says, "but I think you're overreacting."
Hermione's face turns scarlett. But she's more upset than angry. All of these years, she's loved Ron because he understood her in a way no-one else could, but that pedestal she had him on has just been knocked down. This isn't just about revision. This is about understanding and respecting what she wants.
"And I think you should go," she says.
"You want to leave things like this? When we're not gonna see each other for months?" he asks.
She doesn't. But she also doesn't know how to have this conversation with him right now. It's the very last thing she needs, actually.
"Hermione, what's this about? Because you can't just storm off without talking to me when you're upset about something. We both accidentally fell asleep. It was an accident. You can't seriously think that was me 'disrespecting your wishes' or something?"
Hermione pauses. Her mind is so frazzled. She's so worried about these sodding exams. And some of it's just Hermione being Hermione. But a part of it isn't.
"I have to do well in these NEWTs, Ron. Or else what was the point in me coming back to Hogwarts? I've left you and my parents for ten months, just for my own selfish reasons. So if I don't at least do well in these exams, what would have been the point in me putting us all through that?"
Ron puts down the basket. A sympathetic look saddens his features. "You wanted to finish Hogwarts. That's something you've always wanted. And I don't think it will be an issue, but even if you don't do well, then it doesn't matter, because this is what you wanted to do."
Ron walks over to her and hugs her. Tears fall down Hermione's cheeks. "I'm sorry that I've been so up and down today. But I've hated being away from you. It's just not the same here without you, which I never thought I'd say," she chuckles.
Ron smiles, squeezing her tightly. "I hate being without you, too. But it's not much longer now. And, just for the record, I've been right three times today now."
Hermione laughs, "my mind really must be frazzled." She lifts her head. "I don't know what I'd do without you."
"You won't have to find out," he swears, kissing her lightly.
"I love you."
"I love you, too."
Second author's note (I'm a rambly bish): Hello, please feel free to read this AN, but I warn you that it'll only (potentially) interest you if you follow my story, The Gaps to Fill. If you do follow that story, then I have a kind-of proposal for you. So, I'm like 35 chapters into that story, and I love it, of course. But, I re-read the earlier chapters of it the other day and just thought, 'my god this is awful writing, why has anyone read this?' So, I have a thought to rewrite and then reupload the chapters - and then continue the story. I won't completely rewrite every single chapter, some chapters will just have minor edits. But, I feel that I have improved as a writer since those first few chapters and that I could write them so much better a second-time around.
You may be entirely unbothered about what I do with that story, but, if you are at all concerned, I would incredibly appreciate it if you could offer what you think I should do - whether you think I should just continue with the story's progression, or if you would enjoy a re-write. I'm all ears.
Thank you so much for reading this AN, and this fic, of course. Sending my love. See you soon x