Chapter 8: Work Party
"Jeez, Hermione, how much of that have you eaten in the last hour?"
"I don't know, but all I know is I want more!" Hermione replied, shoving another mouthful of ice cream in her mouth. Ron looked at her in mild disgust.
"Oh, you're one to talk, Ron!" She shot at him, glaring. He laughed, putting his arm around her. She finally placed the ice cream aside and settled into his arms. It was springtime in London, and the weather was very fickle. One day it' be sunny and warm, the next raining and cold. It was raining at the moment, and the pitter patter of the raindrops on the roof of their apartment made it feel very cozy inside.
She rested her head on his chest as his arms wrapped around her. He was so much bigger than her, standing at well over six foot and her only five foot four. Sometimes she hated that she was so much shorter, like when she was home alone, had to restock the ingredients on the top shelf, and forgot she could use magic. His hand stroked her hair and she could feel herself getting a little sleepy.
"Mmm, how was your day?" She asked. He was back at work and avoiding Cormac McLaggen like the plague. It had been a week since they had told the family about her pregnancy, and Hermione was getting used to the constant owls and congratulations at work.
"It was okay, I guess. I missed you."
"I missed you too, Ron. It was lonely here today." She had told her supervisor that she would be taking a few days off, to get used to when she took a long-term break from work. Of course, this hadn't been the best idea. She had spent the day puttering around the apartment, cleaning random rooms, making the bed, and cooking massive amounts of soup. The steam and heat of the kitchen had made her hair puffy, frizzy, and wild. Her face had little smudges of soot on it from fixing the fireplace.
He smiled down at her, wiping the soot off with his thumb. "Yeah?"
She nodded, curling towards him so she was practically in his lap. "Yeah."
A comfortable silence fell between them, each just enjoying the other's company. Ron suddenly remembered something.
"Oh, Hermione?"
"Yeah?"
"Um, the date was changed for our mission was changed."
She sat upright. "What? When are you leaving?"
He looked uncomfortable. "Tomorrow."
"What?" She looked very sad, her eyes a little wet.
"But it's okay, I'll only be gone for a week!"
A few tears spilled onto her cheeks and he brushed them off with his hands. He pulled her back into his arms and whispered into her ear, "We can still use the time we've got left." He tickled her ribs a little.
She let a small smile lift the corners of her lips. "We can." She leaned into him, bringing her mouth to his. Their kiss intensified, her legs wrapping around his waist as he stood up, her hands tangled in his hair. His hands rested under her arse, holding her up. They stumbled into the bedroom, collapsing onto the bed.
**********************************SCENE BREAK******************************
When Hermione awoke the next morning, her body was covered by the sheets, which somehow were perfectly made. She sat up, squinting as bright sunlight streaming through the window momentarily blinded her. Regaining her sight, she looked around. Ron wasn't there. There was a note on the pillow where Ron had last been. She pushed the blankets off and scrambled to read it.
Dear Hermione,
I'm sorry I left without saying goodbye, I didn't want to wake you up. I've gone on the mission; I'll be back next week. I'll miss you the entire time. I love you.
Ron
She placed the note back on the bed sheets and lay back on her own pillow. It was going to be a quiet week. She was so wrapped up in her job and in Ron that she hadn't made all that many personal friends as an adult. Or as a kid, for that matter. She wasn't on speaking terms with Lavender Brown. She and Parvati had an uneasy friendship, and of course Luna and Ginny were her closest friends. Of course, Luna was a little…strange. She lacked social skills.
After reading a few more chapters of her book, she got out of bed. It was Saturday, and she had a day off. Stretching, she made her way to the kitchen. She found a plate there, with a stack of pancakes on it and a little piece of paper with a heart on it. Her heart warmed. Sometimes Ron knew exactly what to do. Sometimes.
*********************************SCENE BREAK*******************************
"Alright guys, good day!" Harry clapped his hands. They'd spent the day investigating circumstances, and so far had come up with nothing. Harry was just trying to lift their spirits by saying it was a good day. It hadn't been. He clapped Ron on the back as they headed to the Wizarding hotel they were staying at. It was a little shabby, but great accommodations weren't necessary. They just needed a place to sleep and eat.
They pushed through the doorway; Harry, Ron, Patrick, Cormac, and a few other Aurors named Jay and Oliver. Ron and Cormac weren't looking at each other, and Harry was doing his best to make sure they didn't even have to make eye contact.
"Let's get some drinks," Patrick suggested. "Might take our minds off our failure."
"Hey! We're doing fine. We'll do better tomorrow." Harry snapped, adding "But drinks do sound like a good idea."
The group made their way into the bar and ordered a round of firewhisky, taking seats on the raised chairs. Shot after shot, for over an hour. They began getting drunker, rambling off random sentences. Harry, trying to remain responsible, started looking around the bar, trying to locate his Aurors. There were Oliver and Cormac over by some witches, Jay and Patrick were drinking some more. But there was something missing. Harry shook his head to clear it.
Ron! Harry looked wildly around, trying to locate Ron. He couldn't see him anywhere.
SCENE BREAK
Heavy breathing came from the bathroom of the bar, presumably two people. If anyone had looked under the crack on the door, all they would've seen was a pair of bright red high heeled shoes.
"Come on, ginger, you know you want to." A woman's voice purred.
Ron, his mind completely hazy, mumbled something incoherent. He felt his face being caressed and lips brush his. He blinked, trying to focus on the woman opposite him. He could tell she had golden brown hair, hazel eyes, and a red dress. His mind finally shifted into focus.
"L…L—"
"Shhh, don't talk." He felt the woman place a finger on his lips. "Don't talk, Ron."
"How…how do you know my name?" Something clunked into his brain. "Lavender!"
The woman didn't answer, just grabbing the front of his shirt and pulling him close to her. Their bodies were almost touching.
Ron shook his head violently. "Lavender, I—"
He was interrupted by the sound of buttons flying and cloth ripping as Lavender tore his shirt apart, stroking her fingers along his chest. He finally realized the full extent of what was happening and started pushing away. "Lavender, get off!"
"What if I don't want to?" Lavender said, running her fingers through his hair. He yanked it out, grunting at the pain as her nails scratched his face.
"Lavender, get the hell off! And put your dress back on! What the hell are you doing?"
"What we always used to do."
"Lavender!" He snapped, shrugging the shredded remains of his shirt off and pushing her farther away. "What. The. Hell? What's happened to you? You used to be…better. And anyway, I'm married now, so get off!"
Lavender did a double take, her cheeks flushing. "Married? To who? You married someone else?"
"What do you mean someone else? Lavender, we broke up when we were sixteen! That was a really long time ago! I'm married to Hermione now!"
Lavender's face was turning the same color as her name as she slipped her dress back on. "Hermione? Really? You can't be serious! You think she's better than ME?" She was almost screaming.
"Yes, Lavender, I do! Now get away! I don't know how you got me here, but it's a mistake. I can't be here!"
Just then, the door flew open. Harry stood there, and when he saw what was happening, he slowly backed away. Lavender, still hitching her dress up gave Ron a look of utter disgust before stalking out past Harry. Ron, shirtless, wiped his face and looked at Harry as he walked out of the bathroom. Harry was looking at Ron with anger and shock.
"Ron, what were you doing?" He asked. He looked furious.
"No, really, it was not what it looked like!"
Harry's eyebrows raised. "Really? And where is your shirt?"
Ron pointed at the bathroom floor, and then realized his mistake. "Really, Harry! Come on, you know I would never do that!"
Harry sniffed the air. "Ron, you're drunk. So…"
Ron looked outraged. "You cannot be serious, Harry. I would NEVER do that to Hermione!"
Harry glanced backward. "Is that Lavender?"
Ron nodded. "Yeah, she was—"
Ron heard a laugh behind him and whirled around. Standing there, smirking and looking between the half-naked Ron and scantily dressed Lavender, was Cormac McLaggen.
A/N: Ok, this was REALLYYY slow to write, I thought it would be more fun. Ahhh well. I'm very sorry to those Lavender fans, but I'm sorry, if you like Lavender, you shouldn't be reading a Romione fic anyway. And I know, I keep bringing up McLaggen, but it's actually pretty fun! If you don't like it though, just message me and I'll see what I can do! It's actually pretty fun to write though. ANDDDD AGAINNN
REVIEWWWW!
Let's say…15 more reviews until next chapter? Deal? Pleaseeeee? Say one word, say one page, I don't care please write! I will love you forever if you do! (Wow, I sound desperate!)
Allrighhhtt, XOXO, Sparkshine