After pacing in his room for awhile, Ron decided the best way to handle his gaff was to take Hermione at her word and not make a big deal of it. He went downstairs to offer to help with dinner, but was surprised to see his mother in the parlor reading and Fleur, Hermione, and Ginny in the kitchen making dinner, or rather Fleur and Ginny were making dinner. Hermione was leaning against the counter drinking a glass of wine.

"I can't believe you skinned a rabbit," Ginny said. "I was raised on a farm and I've never done that."

Hermione swallowed a sip of wine. "It was right after I blew holes in Luna's house. I guess, I figured if I could do that, I ought to at least contribute to dinner, you know?"

"No," Fleur said. "That makes no sense."

"None at all," Ginny said.

"I know," Hermione said. "I don't know what I was thinking." She had another sip of wine.

"You did a fine job of it though," Ron said, coming into the kitchen.

"Oh, there's a shocker," Ginny said. "Hermione can do a spell well."

"It was so awful," Hermione said. "I'm sorry you were the one who did it all the time," she said to Ron.

He shrugged. "It doesn't bother me so much. Do you need any help with dinner?"

"I think we've got it," Fleur said.

"It's going a lot faster now that I've stopped helping," Hermione said, and poured herself another glass of wine. "I might be good at spells, but I'm definitely better at some than others."

"Your cooking spells are fine," Fleur assured her. "Ginny's are just a bit better."

"Oh, please," Hermione said. "I saw you cast another chopping spell on those carrots last night."

"I just wanted them cut a bit smaller, that's all," Fleur said.

Hermione shrugged. "At least I'm better in the kitchen than I am on a broom."

"That's certainly true," Ron said. "Which is too bad, it'd be fun to fly with you."

"You could always take her on your broom," Ginny said, waggling her eyebrows at him.

"Nah," Ron said. "Our Hermione's just not one to fly. Since you all have this, I'll go out and feed the animals."

"Seriously?" Ginny said, after the door closed behind Ron. "You don't even like to ride on the back of a broom."

"Not really, no. Not that I've done much of that, but between hippogriffs, dragons, and brooms, if I never fly again, it'll be too soon."

"Dragons?" Fleur said. "Are you saying the rumors are true?"

"I'm not saying anything," Hermione said and drank her wine.

xXx

During dinner, Ron sat next to Hermione like he always did, but was shocked when to get his attention to back her up on a story about Madam Hooch, she squeezed his thigh and then left her hand there for the rest of the meal. He didn't know what to do. Hermione was not one for public displays of affection. She was quite private in that regard, which left him to wonder exactly how much wine she'd had tonight. Her hand on his thigh was difficult to ignore. The last thing he wanted was a stiffy at the dinner table, but he also didn't want her to take her hand away. That hand was wonderful and disorienting. She giggled at something George said, that Ron had missed, because he couldn't concentrate on anything but where her hand was. Another bottle of wine was passed around and Hermione refilled her glass. He leaned over and whispered in her ear, "How many of those have you had?"

She shrugged and said something to Fleur about a museum in Paris. While she was distracted, he switched her full wine glass with his almost empty one. She didn't notice the exchange, but when he looked across the table, it was clear Ginny had. She raised her eyebrows at him. He ignored her. The very idea of a drunk Hermione made him nervous. He couldn't help wondering if this was how she felt when he'd gotten drunk. He was relieved when his mum began handing out pieces of Victoria sponge. At least dessert signaled the end of dinner. Then he realized that the end of dinner meant Hermione would be up and moving around. He blamed Fleur for bringing so much wine. George and Angelina offered to do the dishes.

When Hermione stood to leave the table, Ron did too. She turned and bumped into him. He caught her arm to keep her from falling back and she overcompensated and bumped into him again. This time she left her face pressed into his chest for just a moment too long before mumbling. "You smell good." He hoped no one else had heard in the hubbub of clearing the table.

"You should probably have a glass of water," Ron said.

"I'm fine with wine," she said, and picked up the full glass he'd swapped for his almost empty one earlier.

"Don't you think you've had enough?" he asked quietly.

She rolled her eyes. "You sound like my mum." She stopped and her face fell. "I really miss my mum."

"I know you do," Ron said gently and steered her to the back door. "Perhaps a bit of fresh air will do you good."

"We should have a fire," Hermione said in a louder voice. "Why don't we ever have a fire anymore? We used to always have one."

"It's summer for one thing," Harry said.

"And we're not camping," Ron said.

"It is a cool night though," Ginny said. "I think we've got rain moving in. A fire in the garden might be nice."

"Yes," his mum said. "It would be."

"Um, alright," Ron said. He opened the door for Hermione and ushered her outside before she announced any other plans. He was relieved that no one else immediately followed them out. Hermione began pulling various chairs and benches around the firepit, while he grabbed some wood from the enormous pile he'd made and got it arranged in the pit with some kindling, but before he could draw his wand, Hermione snapped her fingers and the kindling ignited. "Oi," Ron said, stepping back as the flames rose higher. "You want to tame that down a bit."

"Oops," Hermione said with a giggle and held out her thumb and index finger and squeezed them together, causing the flames to reduce in size. Ron had noticed her doing more and more wandless magic lately. She smiled at him. "Better?"

"Yeah," he said. She was both adorable and terrifyingly unpredictable like this. It was going to be a long night.

She had another drink of wine and sidled up to him and ran a hand up his chest. "You know what else it's been a long time since we've had?"

"Um," he glanced nervously at the back door.

"A good snog," she said. "I'd like a good snog."

"Okay, well, only problem is you've invited everyone out to sit around the fire, haven't you?"

"Why did I do that?" she said, crestfallen.

He smiled. "Dunno."

She ran her thumb over his bottom lip. "I like the way your mouth tastes."

He grabbed her hand. "Yeah, I like yours too, but now really isn't—"

Ginny and Harry came out. Ginny was carrying a radio.

Hermione made such a sad face, it was all he could do not to laugh.

"I thought a little music would be nice," Ginny said.

"Is it just magical radio or does it pick up Muggle stations too?" Hermione asked.

"I think it's just magical," Ginny said, scrolling through the dials.

"That's too bad," Hermione said. "Muggle radio has more music."

Fleur came outside with another bottle of wine.

"Oh, for goodness sake," Ron grumbled.

Hermione hugged Fleur, who laughed. "Someone's feeling good," Fleur said.

His parents came out to join them followed shortly thereafter by George and Angelina.

Ginny finally found a station playing contemporary music that was a mix of magical and Muggle groups. In school, Lee Jordan had once explained that musicians who were Half-bloods or Muggleborn generally played for both Muggle and Magical audiences because there was so much more money to be made in the Muggle world since the Magical community was so small. There were Pureblood groups, like the Weird Sisters, that only played for Magical audiences, but there weren't many of them.

"Ah," his mum said, sitting on a bench and stretching her legs out toward the fire. "This is nice."

"Yes," his dad said, sitting next to her. "It's a lovely night. Cooler than we've had lately."

"Ginny's right though," Angelina said. "They're calling for rain the rest of the week. June is supposed to be pretty wet this year." She sat on the other bench Hermione had dragged over and George sat next to her. Ron dropped into one of the chairs and Hermione shocked him by plopping down on his lap. Like at dinner, when she had her hand on his thigh, he didn't know what to do. He didn't want to draw attention to the fact that she was sitting on his lap, but it wasn't like anyone was going to miss it either. She leaned her head against his chest and closed her eyes, so he decided to leave her where she was.

Harry caught his eye and raised his eyebrows. Ron gave him a slight shrug in response. After all, he could hardly make her go sit by herself.

The garden gate opened and Bill walked in. "There you are," he said. Fleur stood and went to hug him. "I came home expecting to find my beautiful wife and instead there's just a note. 'Gone to the Burrow. Come get me when you get back.' Not exactly the welcome I was hoping for."

"I'm sorry," Fleur said. "But you didn't know how long you'd be and it was so grim sitting there all alone."

"She did the right thing," Arthur said. "No one should be sitting home alone right now. It's not safe."

"I'm sorry I had to leave," Bill said. "But it was a time sensitive situation."

"I understand," Fleur said.

"We were happy to have her," his mother said. "She's made two lovely dinners and brought wine."

"Very good wine," Hermione said from Ron's lap. She didn't open her eyes.

"Would it hurt your feelings if we didn't stay?" Bill asked. "I'm knackered."

"Go," his mother said. "Come for Sunday dinner though."

"Absolutely," Bill said. "See you then." He drew his wand and Disapparated.

"Thank you for having me," Fleur said. "It was lovely."

"Any time, dear," his mum said.

"Always good to see you," his dad added.

Fleur smiled and Disapparated.

"I should be going too," Angelina said. "I've got work tomorrow."

"I'll see you home," George said, standing.

When they had Disapparated, his dad let out a big yawn. "I've got work tomorrow too. I think I need to turn in."

His mum yawned too. "Alright dear, I'm right behind you." His dad went inside and his mum turned to the others. "Don't be out too late."

"We won't Mum," Ginny said.

"And don't forget to put out that fire." His mother stared at Ron for a moment, frowned, and then went inside.

"Bloody hell," Ron muttered.

Ginny turned to Harry. "Fancy a walk down to the pond?"

"Sure," Harry said.

Ron watched them leave and then looked at Hermione. She had her eyes closed, but was still holding the wine. He took the glass from her and set it on the ground. She opened her eyes. "Everyone left," he said.

"Good," she said, shifting in his lap, she leaned up to kiss him. Her mouth tasted of wine and he felt like he could kiss her forever. She clearly had other plans. She shifted again until she was straddling his lap and he agonized because he knew he had to stop her and he didn't want to. He so didn't want to.

"Hermione," he said pulling his mouth away from hers. "Wait."

Her fingers were tugging at the hem of his shirt.

"Wait," he said again, stilling her hands.

"I don't want to wait," she said, sitting back on his thighs. "I'm sick of waiting."

"We're in the garden. George will be back any time now. Harry and Ginny just went for a walk. What do you expect to do out here?"

She blinked at him. "You're right. Let's go to London."

"What? No."

"Why not?"

"Because you're drunk. You can't Apparate drunk. And you certainly can't do side-along drunk. That's crazy."

"I can do it," she said, shifting forward on his lap. "I'm not that drunk. I can do it and then we'd have time to ourselves. Just us. Come on, trust me."

Some part of Ron's brain, which he assumed was his libido, screamed 'yes! let's do it!' but the non-hormone-soaked part of his brain remembered the agony of Splinching."

"We can't," he said.

"We can," she said.

"Tomorrow, maybe, when you're sober, but not now."

She scowled at him and he knew that face. She was angry, very angry. She backed off his lap. "Fine. I'll go on my own then."

"No," Ron said, scrambling to his feet. "Don't do that." But she was gone. He frantically pulled his wand and shouted "Lumos!" he scanned the ground to make sure she hadn't Splinched and left behind a finger or anything, but there was nothing. He sighed in relief and then remembered that her parents' house hadn't been cleared by the Aurors. He needed Harry. "Oh, bloody hell," he muttered and began running toward the pond. He slowed as he approached the bend that would bring him in sight of the gazebo and the pond. "Harry!" he shouted. He had no desire to walk up on anything Harry and his baby sister might be doing. He was fairly certain he heard a zipper being zipped, but he didn't want to think about why or whose it was.

"Ron?" Harry shouted back. "What is it?"

"You need to collect Hermione," Ron shouted back.

Harry came down the path toward him with Ginny a couple of paces behind him. "Why?"

"She Disapparated to London," Ron said.

"Drunk? That's insane!" Harry said, pulling his wand.

"That's what I said when she suggested we go there, but she took offense."

"Oh, for—are you sure she didn't Splinch?" Harry asked.

"I don't think so. I checked the ground pretty well."

Harry turned to Ginny. "Go with Ron. Check again. I'm going to go get her."

xXx

Harry landed in Hermione's parents' back garden but the shed wasn't visible. He'd set up wards with Hermione so many times though that he knew how to open them. "Hermione? I'm coming in." He cast the spell to open the wards and stepped inside and closed them behind him. He opened the door to the shed to find her sitting on the workbench smoking a cigarette and drinking something out of the same mug he'd seen her use before. "You smoke?" he said, shocked.

She snorted a long stream of smoke. "No."

He raised his eyebrows.

She frowned. "Which is to say, not often."

"Huh," Harry said. "You seem a lot soberer than you did a while ago."

"Apparating drunk is a surprisingly sobering experience," Hermione said, and took another drag on the cigarette. "Also, I threw up when I landed and this is tea."

Harry nodded and hopped up on the workbench next to her. "And the cigarette?"

"There was a pack here. My father used to smoke. Actually, I don't think he ever really stopped. I thought it might help clear my head."

"Has it?"

She looked at him and breathed out another stream of smoke. "Some."

Harry sighed. "I've been sent to collect you. Ron's in a state."

"I can imagine." She shook her head. "What was I thinking? I shouldn't have had so much wine. Dutch courage is not something I should indulge in."

Harry chuckled, but then looked at her. "So why did you?"

She shook her head again.

"Come on," Harry said. "You're not a big drinker. What happened tonight?"

"It's stupid."

"Of course, it is," Harry said. "All drunk stories are stupid. Tell me."

She sighed. "Earlier tonight, when we were making dinner, Ron said it would be nice to fly around with me some and Ginny suggested he take me on his broom and he said 'our Hermione is not one for flying' or something."

"Okay," Harry said. "So?"

"So, he said 'our Hermione' like I'm just part of the family."

"Isn't that a good thing?" Harry asked.

"Probably. I'm just being stupid." She wanted him to say 'my Hermione.' She didn't care if it was stupid. She wanted him to think of her as his in the way that she thought of him as hers.

"What am I missing?" Harry said.

"Nothing. It's just semantics. It doesn't mean anything. I just wish…but we never…it doesn't matter."

"I feel like more words would make this all clearer," Harry said, smiling.

"Fine," she frowned. "You and Ginny go off on your own all the time. We never do."

Harry smiled. "The alone time is Ginny's idea. The stuff she gets away with is completely mental. We're going to get caught and she doesn't seem to care. Of course, her brothers aren't going to kill her now, are they?"

"They're not likely to kill you either. You did just save the world."

"Yeah, but how long can I rely on that old chestnut?" He smiled.

Hermione chuckled. "Let's hope long enough for you to get your own place."

"Yes," Harry said. "Here's hoping."

Hermione sighed. "You're lucky you both want the same things."

"Hey," Harry said. "Ron—"

"Please don't say he loves me," Hermione said, her voice cracking. "I know that. It's just how he loves me that's confusing and you don't know the answer to that any more than I do."

Harry sighed and put his arm around her shoulder. "I'm sorry. I know you guys are having a rough time."

She stubbed out the cigarette. "We're all having a rough time, not just Ron and me. It'll sort itself out. It always does."

He smiled at her. "We should go back."

She pressed a hand over her face. "What am I supposed to say to him? I made a fool of myself and then did something incredibly reckless."

"You should probably just say that," Harry said.

She frowned at him, but then raised her eyebrows. "You think?"

"The truth is usually the best option unless it's likely to get you killed."

Hermione slipped off the workbench. "Alright."

Harry followed her out of the shed and watched her collapse the wards. "Are you sober enough to Disapparate or do you want me to take you?"

She sighed. "You best take me."

He held out his arm.

xXx

When they landed in the Burrow's back garden, Ron was furious. "What were you thinking?" he shouted.

"Shhh," Ginny said. "You'll wake Mum and Dad."

"I don't bloody care," Ron said, but he lowered his voice. "Have you gone completely mental?"

Hermione didn't answer and instead sat down on the ground.

Ron shifted gears immediately. "Are you alright?" She put one hand over her mouth and then held up the other. "Is she alright?" he asked Harry.

"Likely just nauseated. Drunk Apparating is not a good plan, even if someone else takes you."

"You took her side-along?" Ginny said, looking askance at Harry.

"Yeah, no worries, I've done it loads."

Ginny made a face, but he didn't see it as he squatted down next to Hermione. "You don't look so good."

She lay down. "I just need a minute for the garden to stop spinning. We should have waited to come back. You should have just left me there." She pressed her hands to the earth trying to make the sensation of spinning stop.

Ron knelt next to her. "No, he shouldn't have. We've talked about this. I can't believe you would do something so stupid."

"Me either," Hermione said. "Won't ever do it again. Terrible idea."

Harry stood and took Ginny's hand. "We should go in."

"But—" Ginny said.

"Come on," Harry said. "It's late."

Ginny frowned, but let him lead her inside.

"I'm so sorry," Hermione said. "I made quite a fool of myself tonight."

"Nah," Ron said. "You were alright."

"No, I wasn't." She put a hand over her eyes. "I was ridiculous." She sat up slowly.

"Doing better?" Ron asked.

"A bit. I really am sorry."

He tucked a stray curl behind her ear. "Don't be. You know I'd do anything to make you happy, just not necessarily in the garden, in front of everyone."

Hermione groaned. "I'm so sorry."

Ron snorted. "You're fine. You're a less embarrassing drunk than I am."

"I don't know about that. I think I was behaving pretty atrociously."

"Nah," Ron said. "Besides, it's not your fault I smell so good and my mouth is delicious. Clearly, I'm amazing, so—"

"Please stop," Hermione said.

He chuckled. "Yeah, okay."

She sat there for a moment feeling humiliated and sick. She wished the ground would open up and swallow her. Then she heard a faint plaintive cry. "Did you hear that?"

Ron shook his head.

"Listen," she said. The cry came again. "There."

"Yeah," Ron said, getting to his feet and drawing his wand. "What is that?"

"It sounds like…" Hermione stood and pulled her own wand. There was another cry, closer this time. "Crookshanks?"

They hurried over to the garden gate.

"If it's him, why doesn't he just jump over?" Ron said.

"I don't know. Lumos," she held her wand out like a torch. "It is him." She opened the gate and the orange cat limped toward her. "Ron, I think he's hurt." She tucked away her wand and picked up the big tom. "He's favoring his back leg."

"Bring him in the house, where we can get a proper look at him," Ron said.

xXx

Hermione put Crookshanks on the kitchen table and he lay down immediately on his right side. "Poor thing," Hermione said. "Where have you been? I thought you must be dead."

The cat made a mewling noise in response.

"It's so good to see you," Hermione said, examining his back, left leg. "Oh, Ron."

"What?"

"There's a nasty abscess here. I think something's bitten him."

Ron leaned in for a closer look. "That looks pretty bad."

"His leg is hot to the touch too," Hermione said.

"I'll go get Mum," Ron said.

"Does she know about healing animals?" Hermione asked.

Ron shook his head at her. "Come on, look around, this is a farm, Hermione."

She blushed. "Right, of course."

xXx

Ron took the stairs two at a time and knocked on his parents' door. "Mum." He knocked again. "Mum," he said a bit louder. He heard shuffling and then his mother appeared at the door.

"Ron? What's wrong?" His mother held out her hand and her wand flew into it from the nightstand.

"I need you to come downstairs and have a look at Crookshanks. He's got an infected leg."

"Crookshanks?" his mother said. "I thought he must be dead. We haven't seen him since the night of the wedding."

"He showed up just now in the garden."

They hurried downstairs and his mother looked at Crookshanks' leg. "Where have you been, you clever tom?" she said. She looked at Hermione. "The wound is infected but I can heal it. You might need to hold him down."

"No," Hermione said. "He's half Kneazle. Just tell him what you're going to do. He'll understand."

Ron was amused that his mother used the same spell Hermione used to shave her legs to shave away the hair around Crookshanks wound. Hermione was paying close attention until Molly cast Diffindo to drain the abscess and the sight and smell of pus sent her running into the garden to vomit.

His mother looked at Ron.

"She's not normally so squeamish," Ron said.

"She's not normally so drunk," his mother replied with an arched eyebrow.

"Yeah, I don't know what that was about tonight."

His mother cast a cleaning charm on the wound. "And why does she smell as though she's been smoking?"

Ron shrugged. "Dunno, was wondering that myself."

"Go get the Essence of Dittany out of the potion cabinet."

Ron went into the parlor and opened the cabinet. He got the bottle of Dittany, but then noticed the hangover potion and pocketed a bottle of that as well. "Here you go, Mum," he said, coming back into the kitchen.

Hermione came back in a moment later. Her hair was wild and her face was pale. "Is he alright?" she asked weakly.

"Probably better than you," Ron said with a wink.

Hermione rubbed Crookshanks' head.

"He's a bit dehydrated and probably needs a good meal, but I think he'll be fine," Molly said, as she applied two drops of Essence of Dittany to the center of the wound, which immediately began to close from the inside out.

Hermione got a bowl out of the cabinet and used her wand to fill it with water. Ron got some leftover pork roast out of the icebox and cut up some in small pieces for the cat. His mother was running her fingers through the ginger cat's fur and he was purring. "He's been sorely missed. He does an excellent job of keeping doxies and gnomes out of the house and garden."

"Yes," Hermione said. "He's always been a good hunter." She set the water bowl next to Crookshanks and he got up and took a long drink. He ate all the pork and by the time he was done, the wound on his leg was much improved. "I know you usually stay out at night," Hermione said to that cat. "But how about come to bed with me tonight?" Crookshanks rubbed his head against her hand and she picked him up. Ron was oddly jealous of the cat. He wanted to go to bed with Hermione. "Thank you so much," she said to his mum. "I thought…when he wasn't here when we got back…I assumed…" She pressed her face into his fur. "I'm so glad he's okay."

"Me too, dear, me too," his mum said.

"I'm going to go to bed," Hermione said.

"G'night," Ron said. He watched Hermione walk upstairs before he turned to his mother. "Thanks, Mum. She loves that scruffy old thing."

His mother smiled. "Well, she is fond of a ginger."

Ron could feel himself blush. "I reckon," he said. After his mother went up to bed, Ron cleaned up the kitchen and then decided to take a shower. He couldn't recall a more wank-inducing or frustrating night in recent weeks. He needed the relief.

xXx

After showering, he was pulling his trousers back on and remembered the bottle of hangover potion in his pocket. He finished getting dressed and then knocked softly on Ginny's door. She opened it without getting out of bed.

"What?"

Ron held up the little bottle. "I thought she might need this in the morning." Rather than take the bottle, Ginny pushed the door open further for him. Ron stepped inside. Hermione was sprawled across her bed still wearing his T-shirt from earlier, but she'd managed to take off her shoes and jeans. Her knickers were Gryffindor red and clashed horrifically with his old orange Cannons shirt. He smiled. Crookshanks was curled up next to her. The cat lifted his yellow eyes to Ron as he approached. Ron set the bottle on her nightstand. When he turned around Ginny was frowning at him.

"What?" he whispered.

"Tomorrow, get her to give you her parents' address. I'm tired of Harry having to go get her every time you two have a row."

He frowned, but he understood her frustration. "Yeah. I'll see what I can do."