No Time for Epilogues
Chapter 25
December 20, 1998
When Hogwarts let out for the holiday, Hermione volunteered to be one of the staff train escorts so she could take the train home with Ginny. Harry, Ron and Molly were at King's Cross to take Ginny home. Harry and Ginny practically melted into each other as soon as they made contact. They planned to spend as much time together as possible while she was home.
"Will we be seeing you for supper at the house?" Molly asked Hermione.
"Of course, wouldn't miss it. Would you like a ride? I have a car," Hermione asked. She got a parking violation for leaving it at King's Cross over night just in case. Oh well.
"Oh, I'll go in the car!" Ginny said excitedly.
"Why don't you four go ahead in the car? I've got something to pick up in Diagon Alley anyway then I'll floo home, have fun," Molly said.
As much as he rode around with Hermione, cars were still a fascination to Ron, made even more fascinating in that Hermione drove one, and Ginny had only ridden in a car once in her life. The Burrow was located about halfway between London and Dover, so the drive wouldn't be that long. After being on the A2 Motorway for about ten minutes, Ginny asked, "Hey Professor, can we stop at that place ahead?"
"The petrol station?" Hermione asked, looking at the fuel gage. She had plenty, but the oil light had been blinking on and off, so it might be prudent to stop and check.
"I've been reading the signs along the motorway about the hot dogs," Ginny explained.
"Sure, we can stop," Hermione said. She pulled into the station and popped the bonnet release while Ron and Ginny went inside.
"Something wrong?" Harry asked when he saw her checking the oil.
"The oil light's been blinking," Hermione said and looked at the level indicator, showing it to Harry. "It's fine, but this is an older car, so it might be a glitch."
They went inside to hear and see Ron and Ginny raving about "all the stuff you can get a petrol station!" until Ginny stopped abruptly at a display.
"Hermione, come quick!" she whispered urgently and pointed at a product. "A home pregnancy test! Right out here in the open!"
"Hey Harry, come see this!" Ron called out, waving a purple box of condoms.
Harry and Hermione didn't have enough pounds between them, so Hermione ended up charging £48 to her building society card for Ginny and Ron's petrol station shopping spree. It was like Christmas for them.
"I can't wait to show Dad this stuff!" Ron said. "I'll pay you back Hermione."
"Yeah, me too," Ginny said, taking a generous bite of her hot dog. Harry wiped away a spot of cheese on her cheek.
Upon arrival at the Burrow, Ron and Harry took Ginny's trunk into her room while Hermione helped Molly finish with dinner.
"What's in the bags that Ron and Ginny brought in?" Molly asked.
"Ginny wanted to stop at a petrol station," Hermione said.
"What's this about a petrol station?" Arthur asked as he walked in the front door.
"How was the office?" Molly asked, taking his hat and cloak.
"Dad!" Ginny called out and came into the kitchen, hugging him.
"Welcome home sweetheart," Arthur said.
"Dad, you have to see this stuff," Ron said, dumping out the contents of his bag. Arthur diligently examined each item.
2 double-A batteries: "Fascinating, a brilliant addition to my collection."
Blue ball-point pen: "Ingenious."
Beef jerky: "Teriyaki flavor?"
Travel size packet of clothing detergent: "Do Muggles wash clothes at petrol stations too?"
When he came to the box of condoms, he read the back of the box, blushed as red as his hair and said, "This I have to see." He took a small packet from the box and carefully tore it open to reveal the thin piece of latex. "Why do you suppose it's called a French Tickler?" he asked and what happened next would be remembered fondly for years.
He unrolled the condom and held it up for all to see, causing Harry and Hermione to burst out in laughter at the sight of Arthur Weasley holding up a purple, ribbed condom then accidentally popping himself in the face with it. Harry choked on his drink and Hermione's drink came back up through her nose when she snorted in hysterical laughter.
"Oi, what if a bloke pops himself while...putting it on? Kinda ruins the moment, doesn't it?" Ron declared.
"I simply cannot believe this is a form of contraception," Molly said, refusing to even touch the thing.
When Hermione arrived home that night, she told her parents about the oil light in the car and the parking violation for illegal parking.
"I told you that one of us could leave the car at King's Cross for you this morning," Elizabeth fussed. "We go to London everyday, you know that."
"I know mum, I just thought that no one would notice or care about an old Audi in a corner of the carpark," Hermione said. "I'll pay the ticket, don't worry."
After dinner, she told them about what she now called the "Petrol Station Shopping Spree" and Arthur's encounter with the condom. She could barely get through the tale she laughed so hard.
December 24th
Late that morning, the Grangers left for the annual Christmas party they threw for the staff and their families of their clinic. It started around noon at the clinic, where everyone met and went to a restaurant hired out for the day. Hermione politely excused herself to get the house ready for the Christmas party tomorrow. At the Burrow, Ron, Harry and Ginny ate breakfast then went to Diagon Alley for last minute shopping.
"I'm headed to see Hermione," Ron said, "can you take this stuff to my flat?"
"Sure, I've still got some things to get here anyway," Harry said. He tossed Harry the key and gave him the bag he was holding.
"Tell Hermione we'll be along later," Ginny said. Ron waved and apparated.
At Ron's flat, Harry slowly opened the door and peeked his face in. Ginny was perplexed.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
"Habit," Harry said shortly and walked in.
"You look as if you expect something to jump out and scare you."
"If you had walked in on the two of them, twice no less, while they were shagging you would be careful too," Harry said and laid the bag on the kitchen table.
Ginny giggled. "Twice?"
Harry rolled his eyes and nodded. "The first time, the morning of your birthday. They were going at right here, on this chair."
"That's why you had that funny look on your face," Ginny said. "When was the second time?"
"Two weeks ago," he said, "but that time, Ron forgot that he told me to drop by for something or other. They must have cast a silencing charm on the bedroom because I didn't hear a thing, so I went to the back of the flat and there they were, tangled up in the sheets, all over the bed. They didn't even notice me, so I high-tailed it out of here."
"Gotta use the loo, be right back," she said.
In the bathroom, she saw a lot of Hermione's things. She must stay here a lot, but they are a couple after all. She finished her business and stopped at the bedroom that was across from the loo. The small but tidy room had Hermione's things in it as well. A nightgown on the bed, a cat toy on the floor, some books on the bedside table and a pair of Hermione's shoes peeking from under the bed. She went back to join Harry. In the sitting room, he was on the sofa digging through a bag.
"I wanted to give this to you, but not in front of everyone," he said softly and gave her a gift wrapped box.
She gave a little clap, not expecting to open any gifts until tomorrow. She carefully opened the gift to reveal a black, lacy, silky new nightgown.
"It's beautiful," she said and held it against herself.
"Try it on, I've been waiting to see how you look in it," he said, his voice slightly husky.
"Oh really?" she asked and went back to the bedroom. She put it on and looked at herself in the mirror. She turned this way and that, blushing when she realized how sexy she looked. The back dipped to reveal the top curves of her bum and there was a slit all the way up the thigh. The v-neck dipped low enough to display cleavage. She ran her hands through her hair to make it look just a tiny bit sexily tousled and snorted to herself. Hermione manages to have hers look sexily tousled all the time, no wonder Ron always has his hands in it! She smiled at the thought of him thinking about her when he bought it.
He was attempting to open a bag of crisps, wondering why they were always a chore to open when Ginny strolled into the sitting room. Without knowing it, he squeezed the crisps, popping open the bag with a pop, chips spilling out of the bottom, but he didn't care. The sexiest, most beautiful thing he had ever seen was standing at the end of the sofa, her bright blue eyes seeing only him. He rose from the sofa and they met in a heated kiss, both seemingly sighing in relief at the intimate contact.
He took her face in both hands and whispered, "Do you know how wonderful it's been to see you every weekend, but agonizing that I can do no more than kiss you?"
"I was wondering if you...you were still interested in me that way," she replied.
"Oh, I am very much interested in you that way, Miss Weasley," he said. "I'm of half a mind to whisk you away somewhere for the holidays," he whispered and started suckling on her neck.
She shuddered and asked, "Do you think he'll mind if we use the bed?"
Wordlessly, he scooped her up in his arms and carried her to the bedroom.
Ron arrived at the Grangers', knocked on the back door and opened it. What he heard from inside made him reach for his wand. "Take that you vile beast!" the voice of Hermione called out. He hurried to the source of her voice to find her sitting at a computer, fingers to the keyboard, talking to the computer screen.
"Hermione?" he asked.
With a startled jump, she whirled around. "Ron, you scared me to death!" she exclaimed.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"Just playing a game," she said primly and stepped in front of the computer.
"That involves vile beasts?" he asked, leaning to the side to get a look at the computer.
She rolled her eyes and quickly turned around to resume her game. "I was fighting a owlbear when you arrived," she said, frowning and frantically pressing keys. "Damn!" she said, slapping the desk. "I only needed one more to finish the quest! They don't spawn for another four hours!" She pursed her lips in an adorable pout. She felt soft kisses on her neck, just below her ear, her favorite spot to be kissed.
"Still mad?" he asked and wrapped his arms around her. "Well, whaddaya suppose we can do while waiting for said owlbears to spawn?"
"Bake some cookies, finish decorating the tree, shag my fiancé senseless..." she suggested, counting each off on her fingers.
"While all those suggestions have merit, 'the shag my fiancée senseless' option sounds best at the present time," he said. She took his hand and led him upstairs to her room.
An hour later, Harry and Ginny apparated to the Granger backyard. Harry went to the back door, knocked and opened the door.
"Harry, don't just walk in!" Ginny exclaimed.
"Relax love, I'm over here all the time, this is how Ron and I do it, we almost live here," he said and opened the door.
"Ian? Mrs. Granger? Hermione?" he called out when he stepped in.
"Hey, look at all the sweets!" Ginny said when she saw platters of cookies, pies and cakes.
"Just a minute!" came the hurried, shrill call of Hermione.
"Is everything okay?" he said when heard a thump from the room above the parlor.
"Yes! Fine!" Hermione called out then both Hermione and Ron came down the stairs. It looked as if they had just rolled out of bed, which in fact, they had. After a passionate, toe-curling ravishing from Ron, they lost track of time cuddling and talking about when they would be in their own home, under mounds of warm blankets on cold winter nights.
And of course, her hair looks sexily tousled! Ginny thought as Hermione ran her hands through her hair to make it presentable. You missed a button on your shirt!
"Welcome!" Hermione said. "Have you two eaten? I can whip something up," she said.
"I'll help," Ginny said.
While Ginny was tossing salad, Hermione stirred the spaghetti sauce and glanced at Ginny from the corner of her eye every so often.
"You're looking good," she said.
"And you missed a button on your shirt," Ginny replied. "We didn't interrupt anything, did we?"
"No," was the casual reply.
"Not this time anyway, right?"
"So Harry told you about his coitus interruptus adventure?" Hermione asked then both burst out laughing.
In the living room Harry and Ron heard the laughing from the kitchen. "They must be talking about us," Harry said.
The front door opened and the Grangers walked in. Ron and Harry met them in the parlor.
"The girls are in the kitchen," Ron said.
"Oh, your sister's here?" Elizabeth asked and made her way to the kitchen.
"I could use your help with something, some strings of lights detached from the roof," Ian said.
"Again?" Ron asked.
"No problem," Harry said.
"I'll get the ladder," Ron said.
In the kitchen, Elizabeth warmly greeted Ginny. "My dear, you are positively glowing. Your family must be so glad to have you home. I know we were when Hermione was in school."
A loud thump and something large falling into the rose bushes right outside the kitchen window startled the three in the kitchen, then an urgent shout of "Elizabeth, Hermione, come quickly!" from Ian.
They hurried outside to find Ron lying on the ground, cursing in pain. Harry was casting "Episkey" to a cut on Ron's forehead.
"What happened?" Hermione exclaimed and rushed to Ron.
"Ladder broke, he was up there putting a string of lights back up," Ian said, pointing to the roof.
"I tried casting a spell to slow him down, but the lights fell on my face and knocked my glasses off," Harry said.
"I think it's broken," Ron gasped, pointing to his leg.
"I don't have any Skelegrow here," Hermione said.
"Mum doesn't keep that stuff around anymore," Ginny said.
"St. Mungo's it is then," Harry said. "Ginny, run home and tell your folks, Hermione and I will get him to St. Mungo's."
Ian looked at the broken ladder, smashed rose bush and the imprint of Ron's body in the snow. "I feel bloody awful, I shouldn't even have brought up the lights," he said.
An hour later, Hermione came home and saw her parents in the parlor.
"You didn't have to wait up," she said.
"Is Ron okay?" Elizabeth asked.
"He's home and his leg should be mended in a few hours," Hermione said. "He's being pampered by Molly as we speak. He says he's been hurt much worse than this playing Quidditch."
"Is he angry?" Ian asked.
"No Dad, he's not angry, accidents happen. In fact, he loved telling Mr. Weasley about falling off a ladder while putting up lights. I however, am a little upset that Ron was hurt. Dad, he and Harry are magical, they didn't have to use a ladder or get on a slippery roof."
"I know that pumpkin, I just don't think about using magic for everything little thing," Ian said.
Hermione took a deep breath and clenched her fists before saying something angry. They could tell she was trying not to get angry. She finally spoke with urgent, soft emotion.
"You must understand that we are magical, and it comes as natural to us as breathing, and using magic will be the first thing we think about. We havebeen through too much, too much, just to get hurt doing something as inane as falling off ladders. I love him so much, and to see him on that cold ground, in pain..." she said, quickly wiping away a tear and left the room. They heard her slow steps on the stairs.