Hi friends! Here we are at the last chapter! I'm so glad so many of you have enjoyed this little plot bunny as much as I have enjoyed writing it! Thanks for all the kind words along the way :)
It was Ron's day to open the shop, so he was surprised when George walked into his office not long after he had arrived. "What're you doing here?"
George held up the paper bag he was holding in reply. "I was sent on a mission for pumpkin pasties that the baby had to have for breakfast." He shook his head and propped himself on the edge of Ron's desk. "Just thought I'd pop in while I was in the Alley and see how your date went last night."
Ron raised an eyebrow at him. "It wasn't—"
"Spare me, I helped set the whole thing up. It was absolutely a date." George grinned at him. "So?"
Ron sighed and ran his hands through his hair. "Thanks for helping out the girls, but...nothing happened. Nothing's going to happen. Hermione goes back to New York today and…" He trailed off with a shrug.
"And what? The two of you are still starry-eyed over each other. What's the problem?"
"We hadn't even spoken in ten years, until this week, George. It's a miracle we got through it without killing each other. Anything more would've been…"
"Amazing? Perfect?" Ron glared at George, who showed no inclination to let him off the hook. "Look me in the eye and tell me you don't still love her, and I'll drop it."
"I—" Ron tried, but the lie wouldn't come out. All he'd been able to think about since he had first seen her in the shop last week was how much he still loved her. How much he had always loved her. "She doesn't still think of me that way."
"Bullshit."
"George."
"Look, as your brother, I say this to you with all the love in the world. But you need to hear it from her. Because you don't believe me, and if by some absolute bollocks I'm wrong, you need to hear that from her, too, so that you can move on with your life. When does she leave?"
Ron glanced at the clock on the wall. "Soon."
"What's soon? Enough time that you could still catch her at the Ministry?" Ron shrugged noncommittally, though the answer was yes. "Go on, then. The shop doesn't even open for an hour." Ron hesitated. What if George was wrong about Hermione's feelings? Hell, what if he was right? "Go or you're fired."
Ron rolled his eyes. "You can't fire me, I'm your partner."
"And yet, it's not your face over the front door."
"It's not yours, either. It's Fred's."
"Fair point. Two against one, we both say go or you're fired." George summoned Ron's coat from the hook on the back of the door and threw it at him. "You can thank us later."
Ron stood reluctantly and pulled the coat on. "If you're wrong…"
"I'm sure Hermione will be happy to offer you some creative ways to hex me when you get back. Now go."
With a deep breath, Ron took a handful of Floo powder and disappeared with a whoosh of green flames.
Hermione sat anxiously at the Ministry awaiting her portkey back to New York, a copy of the Daily Prophet open in front of her but failing to hold her attention. She couldn't stop thinking about the night before, and about Ron. She had had such a nice time with him at dinner, and even after all this time, he was so familiar. It felt like it would have taken almost nothing to just give in and try things again. Of course, the familiarity wasn't all positive; even as much as she loved him—oh, Merlin, had she really just thought that?—she knew that things would be difficult. They were both stubborn and hot-headed at times, and that had led to plenty of fights in the past, including the one that had ultimately meant the demise of their relationship. And it wasn't as if a relationship with him would be practical; at this very moment, she was waiting for the portkey that would put three thousand miles between them again. No, it was better for her to put these thoughts aside and maintain a friendly but distant relationship with Ron, for the sake of their daughters and nothing else.
Hermione hoisted the paper up in front of her, forcing herself to focus on a preview of the upcoming Quidditch season, which she wouldn't have bothered with at all except that Ginny had written it. She was halfway through when a freckled hand appeared over the top of the wide parchment and folded it down. "Hey, stranger." Hermione looked up and met Ron's bright blue eyes and tossed the paper aside immediately.
"What are you doing here? Is everything okay?" she asked urgently, standing to face him.
"Everything's fine. It just…" Ron paused and inhaled deeply. "Reckon it really hit me this morning that I didn't want to lose you again." Hermione drew in a sharp breath as Ron took a step closer to her. "I made the mistake of not coming after you once, Hermione. I'm not going to do it again."
Hermione was stunned speechless for all of one moment before the words started tumbling out. "And I suppose you just expect me to go weak at the knees, and fall into your arms, and cry hysterically—" Ron chuckled and raised an eyebrow at her as she gestured wildly with her arms. "Say we'll figure this whole thing out, a bicontinental relationship with our daughters being raised here and there, and…" She looked up at him, and her voice softened as she continued. "And you and I just picking up where we left off, and...growing old together, and…" Hermione sniffled as Ron took one of her hands in his and laced their fingers together. "Oh, come on, Ron, what do you expect? To live happily ever after?"
"Yes," he said sincerely, wrapping his other arm around her waist. "To all of the above." He shrugged and grinned at her. " 'Cept, y'know, you don't have to cry hysterically."
That bit was ironically the most imminent as Ron slowly lowered his face to hers. "Oh, yes I do," she murmured just before his lips met hers.
The Ministry faded into the background as Ron kissed her. Her hands slid up the lapels of his coat to tangle in his hair, pulling him closer as she raised onto her toes. She kissed him with all the passion she had, for once not caring in the slightest to be doing this in public. They had wasted far too much time already.
"Merlin, I missed you," Ron breathed when they finally pulled apart.
"I missed you too." Hermione wiped at her eyes, then glanced behind her at the clock. As much as she wanted it to, Ron's romantic declaration in the portkey terminal didn't change the immediate practicality of the situation. She had a job in New York she had to be at in the morning.
"Hey." She turned back to face him. "We'll figure this whole thing out," he said softly, echoing her words back to her. "A bicontinental relationship. Whatever we have to do. Because I want everything else you said. The growing old, and the happily ever after...I want you, Hermione."
"I want that, too." She leaned up and kissed him again to make sure he knew how much she meant it. "But I don't want a bicontinental relationship."
Ron looked nervous as he asked, "Then what?"
"I need to go back to New York, and sort things out. Find a job in London. Pack up the flat." She sighed. "It may take some time. But I want to do this properly, with you. For us, and for the girls."
As if to underline her words, the travel official's magically magnified voice announced that all nine o'clock portkeys were preparing to depart. Ron pressed his forehead to hers. "Do whatever you need to do to make this work. Just come back to me."
"I will." She put her hand against his cheek. "Remember what you said the other day? About being scared of everything but me?" Ron nodded. "I feel the same way. I love you, Ron. I want to be with you. But I just—"
"Wouldn't be Hermione Granger if you didn't sort everything properly?" he smirked. "Yeah, I get it." He nodded to the portkey. "You're going to be late."
"You're okay with this?"
"You're coming back?"
"Just try and stop me." Ron grinned and pulled her face back to his for one last, searing kiss before she stepped away.
"Hermione?"
"Yes, Ron?"
"I love you, too." She gave him one final wave as the portkey activated, and his smiling face was the last thing she saw of London. For now, she thought as her feet hit the ground in New York. Just for now...
six months later…
"I can't believe we're already through our first year," Rose said as she haphazardly stuffed her Quidditch robes into her trunk. She'd been wearing them practically nonstop since tryouts the week before had put her on the house team for next year, but as the train was only about five minutes from the Gare du Nord, she had finally been forced to ditch them in favor of muggle clothes.
"I can't believe you passed your potions final without revising hardly at all," Holly retorted, her nose still in her book.
"What can I say, it's a gift." Rose grinned and flopped back into her seat. "So, what do you reckon the big surprise is?"
Holly shrugged. "Don't know. Mum hasn't said anything to me."
"Maybe Dad finally got a crup puppy. He's always on about one, and Aunt Ginny reckons he needs a friend in that big house, with me gone at school."
"Doubt it. He probably appreciates the peace and quiet he hasn't had for the last eleven years of raising you." Holly lowered her book and smirked at Rose, who glared back.
"Oh, yes, très amusant." Rose rolled her eyes. "Suppose we'll find out soon enough. They're both meeting the train, right?"
Holly nodded. "That's what Mum said." The train began to slow, finally grinding to a halt with a final lurch. "Let's go."
The twins gathered all their things and said goodbye to their friends on the platform. Rose was skimming the crowd for their parents, and of course, spotted their dad first. He grinned at her and waved, and Rose tugged at Holly's elbow to lead her in that direction. As they were walking though, the crowd parted enough to reveal their mum standing with him, and Rose pulled up short. Their parents were holding hands. After her brief hesitation, she broke into a run, Holly yelling behind her and now burdened with both of their trunks.
"How did—when were—" Rose sputtered, and her parents shared an amused glance as Holly caught up.
"What is wrong with you?" she demanded, dropping both trunks with a thud.
"Look!" Rose exclaimed, pointing at Ron and Hermione's still-joined hands.
"Wait, are you—did you—" Holly shook her head as if to make all of her thoughts fall into place. "What?"
"Safe to say they're surprised," Ron said to Hermione with a grin before raising their hands to plant a kiss on the back of hers.
"This was the surprise?" Holly asked incredulously. "Are you really…really back together, then?"
Hermione gazed up at Ron with the dopiest smile Holly had ever seen from her mum. "Very much so," she replied.
Rose was hopping eagerly from one foot to the other. "When did this happen?"
"Right after Christmas," Ron answered, also looking quite like someone had taken a beater's bat to his head.
"Right after—" Holly began as Rose cried, "Christmas?! But...you didn't tell us!"
"Well…" Ron began as he dropped Hermione's hand to wrap an arm around her shoulders. "We thought after the first term shenanigan that you two pulled on us, that we owed you one."
Hermione nodded her agreement. "What do you say, girls? Call it even?"
Holly put her hands playfully on her hips and shook her head. "No way. You've now signed up for a lifetime of shenanigans."
Hermione laughed and pulled Holly in for a hug as Ron did the same to Rose, but the two of them had eyes for only each other as Hermione replied, "That sounds perfect."
