There was an awkward silence as they stared at the newspaper. Then, Hermione opened the centre pages to read the entire spread. There were a collection of photos, interspersed with tiny details, starting from the ones clicked around the Triwizard Tournament. It portrayed them loyal friends turned lovers. She groaned and put her head in her hands.
'Right.' said Harry, unfazed. 'The Burrow. Molly would be expecting you. Since you're here already, we'll leave together.'
She stared at him, incredulously. 'Are you sure we should go together?'
He snorted. 'Trust me, Ginny wouldn't care.'
'I know Ginny wouldn't.'
He looked at her. 'Ron shouldn't either. He knows there's nothing between us.'
She bit her lip. She knew Ron was unsure of her feelings towards Harry when they were still in school, but now that they were together, he knew he had nothing to worry about. Didn't he?
'My parents are arriving today. But that's later in the evening, so I guess I am free.'
'Excellent.' he said and picked up his fork to attack his pancakes.
They arrived at the Burrow and walked into the kitchen through the door. Mrs. Weasley hugged Harry and then her eyes fell upon her. With a welcoming smile on her face, she enveloped Hermione in a hug as well.
'Oh, my dear! I'm so glad you're here. Ron's out in the back, setting up the table. Lunch is outside. Can't let such wonderful weather go to waste.'
'Anything I can help you with?' she asked.
Mrs Weasley waved her off and said, 'It's all taken care of. You just go ahead and make yourselves comfortable.'
When they stepped out the back, they saw the two youngest Weasleys setting up the plates on a long wooden table, placed strategically under a tree. Ginny's eyes fell on Harry and she gave him a blinding smile. Then she saw Hermione stand next to him and her eyes took on a mischievous glint. With a side look at Ron, who was yet to notice them, she uttered a fake gasp.
"No! I don't believe it! The rumours were all true-?!"
Harry chuckled and cut her off with a bear hug, lifting her and squeezing her affectionately. She giggled. Ron had looked up at her gasp and promptly turned red at what was clearly, in his opinion, a poor joke.
Hermione glared at Ginny. 'It's not funny!' She whined.
Ginny looked over at Ron, who was steadfastly ignoring everything and rolled her eyes. 'Yes, it is. I can't help it if some people are too insecure to enjoy my sense of humour. Ron! Stop sulking and get the cutleries!' she barked.
He grumbled but heeded her and walked back towards the house, ignoring Hermione.
'I'm sorry about him, truly. Wish I could exchange him for a sister.' Ginny consoled her, trying to get Harry off of her.
Hermione sighed. 'It's not your fault.'
Around fifteen minutes later, the long table was set and groaning under sumptuous dishes made by Mrs. Weasley, even after attaching extra legs for support. The skies were clear with a gentle breeze swaying the leaves and the sun was bright. The smell of freshly mowed grass permeated the air and the large tree under which they were all seated provided a much wanted coolness in the shadow. Besides the Weasleys, Harry and Hermione, they had been joined by Kingsley, Andromeda and Teddy. Everyone was chattering away. George was hungover from the night before, but still animatedly talking to Charlie. Bill and Fleur were contently talking to each other in their own bubble of happiness. Kingsley, Percy and Mr. Weasley were discussing the post-war transition that the Ministry was undergoing. Andromeda and Molly were swapping recipes and Teddy was gurgling happily in his crib. Ron, however was silent and fidgeting next to Hermione, who had been listening intently to what Kingsley was saying.
'You left quite an impression on the Wizengamot during the Malfoys' Trial,' Kingsley spoke to her in his deep, almost entrancing, voice.
Surprised to be addressed so suddenly, she almost choked on her juice before sputtering 'Why?'
Kingsley laughed. 'It's not everyday that one gets schooled by a teenager. The head of DMLE, Wallace William, was keen to know if you'd be joining the ministry like your friends. He was quite disappointed to hear you were going back to Hogwarts, but is looking forward to your application next year.'
She was absolutely flattered. She smiled and nodded. 'I haven't made up my mind about the department yet, but I'm quite sure I want to work for the ministry.'
'Any department would be lucky to have you. There're a lot of advanced subjects you'll be studying. I suggest you take up Wizarding Law. It's useful information, no matter which department you decide to join.'
She was ecstatic to get some guidance. She eagerly asked him more questions about the DMLE and the Department of Mysteries, two of the departments she was most interested in. Before she knew it, time had flown and Mrs. Weasley had cleared the table. Ron opened his mouth to speak to her, when Kingsley's attention had turned to Percy, but Harry cut in.
'I'm surprised at you. I thought you'd want to know the fruits of our efforts at the Wizengamot.'
She looked up, surprised. 'Of course I would. What happened?'
He grinned at her. 'Well, Narcissa Malfoy was let off with a six month house arrest at the manor, after which she'll be a free woman. She's also been given the control of Malfoy wealth till the time Draco is done with his probation period. Oh, and she's also going to get an Order of Merlin, Second Class, for her role in the defeat of Voldemort.' Hermione's eyes widened at that. Harry continued, clearly enjoying her reaction, 'Lucius has been stripped off his titles, land and wealth. He will serve 5 years of rigorous imprisonment after which he can apply for parole. He got off with a lighter sentence in exchange for his help in catching the rest of the Death Eaters and for acting as a witness for the prosecution.'
She was glad to hear the news. Narcissa and Draco had been deserving of a fresh start. The Order of Merlin, was of course beyond what she had expected, but she had an inkling that Harry may have been behind that. She wondered if he really felt so indebted to her that he'd gone out of his way to help her and her family. She mentally shrugged at the thought and looked up at him with a wide grin on her face.
She was about to say more when she felt Ron nudge her thigh and mutter a quick, 'Could I speak to you back in the house?'
She had been expecting this. Fully anticipating a tantrum, she nodded and followed him inside and up the stairs to his room. As soon as the door shut, he pinned her to it and kissed her furiously. His hands grabbed her hips almost bruisingly and he ignored her attempts to break the kiss. She knew he was frustrated that he couldn't confront her about the article without sounding like a jealous cad after Ginny had brushed it off easily. The fact that she hadn't let his silent treatment affect her during lunch might have annoyed him even more, but she hadn't done anything wrong and she hated that she was receiving his ire over this.
His hands frantically groped her over her clothes and one hand pulled her hair, exposing her neck to him. She winced when he pulled a little too hard at the roots. His other hand had reached under her shirt to grope at her breasts as he unceremoniously shoved her bra up. He pinched at her nipple, and the pain was enough to peak her growing anger. 'Get off me!' she yelled, but he ignored her. Instead, he snarled, 'You're my girlfriend! I'll touch you as I like!' She shoved at his chest hard with all her strength but he didn't budge. Her anger bubbled over and she felt her magic crackle and burst, throwing him back with such force that he banged up against the opposite wall.
She was breathing in gasps, shocked at both his behaviour and the uncharacteristic display of accidental magic. Her anger gave way to worry when she saw that Ron wasn't moving and lay sprawled on the floor. She rushed over to him and touched his head to feel around for any injuries. There wasn't an open wound, but a slight lump had started to form at the back of his head. She then checked his pulse and breathed a sigh of relief when she realised he was simply knocked out. She took a deep breath and sat next to him, waiting for him to wake up.
He woke up around ten minutes later. He furrowed his brows and blinked a few times before his eyes fell on her, huddled up next to him with her head on her knees. He groaned as he sat up and winced when he touched the lump that had formed on the back of his head. He looked around, confused, as if trying to piece things back together. His eyes widened as he remembered what had happened. He gulped when he looked towards her, fearfully.
'Hermione?' he said, in a small voice.
She was silent, her face still hidden from view.
'I am so so sorry. I didn't mean to force you. I-I just lost control of my anger. I was angry at myself and took it out on you. I promise to never ever touch you like that again,' he looked at her with trepidation when he heard a sniffle. He gulped again and continued, 'Please, Hermione. Forgive me? I-I love you.'
At that she broke down and started crying audibly. He approached her like one would a wild animal and touched her arm before muttering, 'Please don't cry.'
She cried harder at that and he wrapped her in a gentle hug, so different from what he had done just fifteen minutes ago. He kept muttering apologies in her ear, fear still evident in his voice.
Finally, she calmed down and looked at him, eyes red. 'I could have killed you!'
'And I would have deserved it.' he half joked, but looked worried a second later when he realised what she said was true. But then he tried to smile and assured her, 'I'm fine! No harm done.' he broke the hug to feel around his torso pointedly and said, 'Look. No injury, no pain.'
She looked at him, but her mind was elsewhere. It was whirring with the weight of what had happened. He had hurt her, but it was nothing compared to what she could've done to him. He told her he loved her. The guilt at having hurt him was heavy on her heart. But the happiness she felt at his confession was real. Now if only he stopped looking at her like she had his balls in a vice.
'Oh, Ron!' she exclaimed and hugged him ferociously. 'I'm sorry as well! I was so scared for you.'
He patted her back and muttered more apologies. She finally got her emotions under control and they both sat on the edge of the bed, her hand held tightly in his.
'Promise me you won't get jealous over Harry ever again.'
He gulped and nodded. 'Never again,' he repeated.
She sighed and pressed herself up against him, glad to have his familiar self back. He rubbed her arms gently.
'I'm going to Hogwarts and I know you're not happy about that decision, but we'll meet every Hogsmeade weekend.'
He nodded. She prattled on about her plans for her last year at Hogwarts and spoke about her ideal job. Somewhere down the conversation, her hand had reached under his shirt, seeking warmth. This time, she was the one who initiated physical contact. She pushed him back to lie on the bed and gently kissed him. Her hands felt his pectorals and she took off his shirt with his help. She climbed on top of him and straddled him. Her nailed scraped down his abdomen and she rubbed herself against his hardening length.
'Hermione,' he pleaded, his hands grasping the sheets around him to restrain his hands. He was afraid to touch her now, so he was begging her for more. She ignored him and continued to seek friction over his clothes. She felt herself grow warm and her pulse speed up as she continued to ride his hard length, feeling closer to her first orgasm with him. She grabbed his right hand and brought it up to her left chest, rubbing them over her nipple. He took the hint and massaged her boobs with both his hands. She suddenly gasped and shuddered as her orgasm hit her just when he flicked her right nipple. She went still for a second before collapsing on his chest, draping herself over him langrously with a satisfied sigh. He simply held her, still uncomfortable as his own erection strained for some relief that he was sure wasn't going to come.
It was then, that Ronald Weasley finally realised with another gulp, what it meant to be Hermione Granger's boyfriend.
