Papers were piled high throughout the brightly lit room. Hermione thumbed her way through a large stack of old and creased journals; she bit her lip lightly in frustration. There was so much to finish in such a short amount of time. Now she had three major assignments in the works, a wedding to plan, and a trip to America to get ready for. With a sigh, she glanced towards the window. The wind was howling outside. Rain splattered against the glass every few minutes, continually drawing her out of her work.
How she wished to be in the Hogwarts library right now, a place where life was simpler. She closed her eyes, imaging herself seated at her favorite table, in the very back, far from all the commotion of anxious first years and immature third years. With a sigh, she felt herself relaxing. Hogwarts had always made her feel safe, and untouchable by harmful forces. With a life as full and hectic as Hermione's, feeling safe made everything possible.
The door behind her creaked, sending her back to reality, back to the Burrow. She threw down her journals with a huff and rolled her eyes. "Yes?" She asked, clearly annoyed.
The intruder cleared his throat, Hermione turned in time to see Ron slide his hands in his pockets. He frowned at her. "Sorry. I didn't mean to- I mean I didn't know you were busy. Are you busy?" He said in a rush, leaning against the doorframe.
Hermione's expression changed immediately when she saw him. Her eyes widen with cheer. "Oh no! Well I was, but I seemed to have hit a block. You're just in time." Ron blushed at her enthusiasm. "Where have you been? It feels like I haven't seen you in ages…" She asked, when he didn't reply.
Ron shrugged his shoulders, pushing himself off from the frame, taking a few steps closer. "Around, I guess. I've been spending a lot of time at George's flat trying to get some writing done." He gazed out the window at the swaying trees.
"Oh," Hermione sounded, leaning back in her chair. "Why George's?"
"No real reason. It's just been busy here. This house hasn't been this active in a while, what with you, Ginny and Harry all here." Ron saw Hermione's eyes turn apologetic and quickly added, "Not that it's a big deal. George's has wanted to rent out Fred's old room for some time; this is like a… trial run."
Hermione's eyes lit up at that. "Oh, that's great, Ron. I'm not sure how wonderful of an idea it is to live with George." She giggled, "But that would be great, for you."
Ron nodded with a chuckle. "I think so too. I haven't decided yet, but its looking good. Besides, I think Harry will be receiving the majority of the shenanigans from Fred and George. I hear him and Ginny are their new product testers." Hermione smiled.
"So you heard as well?" She affirmed. She watched his face for any sign of discontent. Ron was never one to like Ginny's boyfriends. Just because Harry was his best friend, didn't mean he automatically would receive a congratulations from the Weasley brothers. "So?"
"So?" Ron mocked, crossing his arms once he made it to her desk. He sat half way on the desk, in the emptiest place he could find. "I'm glad they're finally together. Aren't you?"
Hermione rolled her eyes at him. "Of course I am. Ginny has done nothing but complain about Harry since he first left England. I figured you would be less than excited about your best friend with your sister. Or have you realized Ginny is a grown woman?"
Ron looked taken aback. "Ginny? A woman? We must be thinking of another tempered redhead, Hermione. I don't remember Ginny ever being declared a woman." He shook his head, with low laugh.
"You know, she is practically our age? Don't you think I'm a grown woman?" Hermione asked, absentmindedly as she threw the journals in front her onto a nearby pile. She hadn't noticed Ron's Adam's apple moving at an incredibly fast rate as he gulped, trying to find a response.
When a response could not come to mind, Ron did was he does best, and ignored the question altogether. "Ginny's my sister, and Harry's my best mate, I don't know how I could have asked for a better match. Harry knows what he's up against if he ever hurts Ginny. That's the plus of having her with someone who's seen what we do to old boyfriends."
Hermione sighed, "You know, that could be why he stayed away for so long. How does that make you feel? Having dented your only sister's happiness for so very long?" Hermione teased, twirling her chair to face Ron. She crossed her legs, relaxing into the rhythm of her and Ron's banter.
"If that be the case, we've helped him in the long run, toughened him up a bit. Anyone with Ginny has to be able to take the heat when the time comes. They can't be afraid of taking a hit now and then. She's not exactly Miss Nonchalant." Ron stretched his arms out with a yawn and nodded towards Hermione's desktop. "What's all that?"
"Oh," Hermione muttered. "That is everything I need to do by next week. The pile over there is full of exciting research involving past werewolf rights and treaties." Ron raised his eyebrow at her, disbelieving. "It is quite fascinating really. And those journals have my notes and testimonies on the lack of equality for werewolf wizards and witches. All of which I need to organize yet… I forgot about that."
Hermione grabbed a quill from nearby and jotted down a note for herself to organize her other notes. Her eyes crinkled in concentration, Ron gazed at her in silence. He watched her place the end of the quill near her mouth and breathed a sigh when she bit her lip.
"So," He grumbled, shifting uncomfortably. "What's that big book down there? Some more of your light reading?
Hermione blinked, jarred from her thoughts and glanced quickly down at the large book near her feet. She laughed, bending over to lift it onto her lap. "Actually, this is something that has been nagging me all day." She turned it up so Ron could read the title, Cakes, Cakes, Cakes: 182 pastries for the perfect wedding. "I have to decide on a type of cake. And I have no idea where to start." With a look of uncertainty in his direction, she heaved the book onto the desk.
"I could help." Hermione looked at him curiously. "I mean, I love cake, and I know you well enough to sort through the cake you wouldn't want. That way you could read through your notes at the same time…?" He tried.
Hermione's throat tightened at the thought of Ron helping her plan her wedding. A slow churning started in her stomach. He made a point though; it would be more efficient with him weeding out the unlikely candidates. She gave him a soft smile. "Sure, that would be delightful."
Ron conjured a chair up, and pulled the book to his lap. The two of them sat in silence for many minutes. Hermione opened another journal and pulled it close, as she backed away from the desk. Her eyes ran over the words, only occasionally stealing glances Ron's direction. He was bent over the book, scanning the list of ingredients for each cake with his finger. He looked like he was in deep concentration.
While reading about a particularly distasteful werewolf trial, Hermione saw Ron's foot move out of the corner of her eye. It inched ever so closely to hers, just barely touching her. The light touch sent a shiver up her spine, even through their shoes. She tried to control it, leaning back into the chair she was seated in again. Ron's eyes were still focused on the book in front of him. He hadn't noticed, or at least showed no noticed of the contact.
Hermione shook her head and sighed, cursing herself for being ridiculous. "Find anything yet?" She croaked, coughing at the sound of her voice.
"Just now, yeah. How about chocolate with strawberry filling? The picture looks delicious." He stated, turning the book around to show her. His eyes were bright, awaiting her reaction.
"That does look quite good." She replied. "Why don't you mark it?"
He nodded and added a piece of paper to the page. Hermione swallowed loudly, and tried to focus on the work before her. Her eyes kept wandering back Ron though. It had been so long since she had sat in a room with only him. He licked his lips, turning the page. Old electricity surged through her. She had thought that those feelings had disappeared as her love and respect for Caden had grown. But now she was beginning to see that perhaps the stories were right. First loves never die. If you could call, what she had for Ron, love. She had tried to tell herself it was a stupid teenage crush. That analysis normally worked, especially now that she had Caden. Nonetheless, she couldn't seem to tear herself away from Ron's mouth…
As if sensing her thoughts, Ron licked his lips again. She closed her eyes, scared of whatever she was feeling right now. Being in this little room with Ron Weasley had somehow taken her back in time. She took a few calming breaths, trying to release some unwanted tension and confusion.
"You okay, Hermione?" Ron asked his voice full of concern. She nodded, opening her eyes and playing off a smile. He narrowed his bright blue eyes at her. "I don't believe you. Maybe you should take a break?"
"Perhaps, I should. I think I'll write to Ginny. Let her know that Harry has nothing to worry about when it comes to her big brothers." Hermione suggested with another smile.
Ron laughed. "I don't know, I'm not promising anything." Hermione twirled back to her desk and grabbed a busy of paper to busy herself. Ron stared at her. "You know, I always knew they'd find their way back to each other."
"Hm?" Hermione inquired in thought. "Why's that?"
Ron shrugged. "It just seems like they're one of those couples where you just know. They've been through so much together that they can't be themselves unless they're with each other. They're a part of each other, and always will be. We all knew that, it just took them time to figure it out." Hermione's breath caught in her throat at such a profound statement coming from Ron. She glanced at Ron, he was grinning at her. "First love never dies, isn't that what your muggle stories say?"
She couldn't speak, afraid that her voice might betray her. It was as if he had read her thoughts, which couldn't be possibly because Ron had never learned the art of Occlumency. He was waiting for an answer, so she merely nodded, before turning her eyes back to her letter. "So, are you saying you still have feelings for Rebecca?" She found herself mumbling. The moment the words escaped her lips, she had hoped Ron wasn't paying attention. But of course, he decided now to finally listen to what she was saying.
He shook his head, his expression unreadable. "I miss her sometimes. But Rebecca wasn't my first love per se, if that's what we're talking about. We never had something like Ginny and Harry have." He was looking at her intently now, trying to gauge her reaction, or perhaps where this conversation was leading.
"I guess I always thought, you know, you two seemed so… happy." Hermione finished, somewhat disheartened. She gazed out the window, focusing on the pouring rain. Memories flooded her mind, her heart clenched at the renewed vision of the two of them together; Ron holding Rebecca, them laughing together at the dinner table, or even worse, the awkward moment in which Hermione ran into Rebecca coming out of Ron's room in only a bath robe. Her eyes glazed over, although she willed herself to shake off the images.
Ron saw this, and narrowed his eyes in confusion. "We were, happy I mean. Of course we were… Everything seemed perfect on the surface, but I don't think we could have ever made it. We weren't as strong as Ginny or Harry when we were together…" He gulped, flipping through the pages of the cookbook quickly, not reading single word. "If I've ever been truly in love, it happened a long time ago. Sort of snuck up on me. I didn't even know what it was until it was too late."
Hermione was surprised by the news. Her thoughts drifted back to 6th year. Her face darkened, as she retorted mockingly, "So what, you think you were in love with Lavender once upon a time?" Her voice was cold, unable to hide the disappointment and irritation she still felt. She couldn't understand why she was continuing this topic… It wasn't a good idea for her to pick through their past again. Bringing up Rebecca was bold enough for one night. She couldn't remember the last time the two had talked about something as controversy as their love lives.
Ron's head snapped up. "What? Lavender?" He said at a loss for words.
"Well she was the first girl who let you stick your tongue down her throat, was she not? As a boy, you must have thought that was love. You did wear that ridiculous necklace for her after all." Hermione said coolly. At this point, she had stopped writing and dropped her quill. She was now glaring at Ron, who sat bewildered a few inches from her, the cake book still open in his lap. It seemed this was always how they ended up. She couldn't seem to let him get away with the hurt he'd caused her so long ago. Hours after this fight, she would regret it, because he didn't know any better.
"I-I never wore that necklace. You really think-" Ron stammered, his cheeks flushing at the memory.
Hermione interrupted him, "I don't quite understand how you could have loved that girl though. You hardly knew her. But I suppose most teenage boys wouldn't past up a good snog every once and a while. Pity it ended so soon." With an eyebrow raised, she waited for him to retort to her sarcasm. Like clockwork, his expression turned fierce.
"I suppose I learned from the best, eh? Or have you forgotten your fraternization with the enemy fourth year? You knew him so well, didn't ya?" He slammed the book shut, the sound making Hermione jump in her chair. Her eyes fluttered with surprise, only to open again with a renewed annoyance.
"Don't you dare compare my friendship with Viktor to your pathetic excuse for a relationship with Lav-Lav." She scolded, leaned towards him in fury. Her hands were at her sides, clenched in fists. "You hardly knew the girl. All you cared about was getting a snog whenever you wanted."
"Like you never snogged Vicky." Ron mocked. He pushed himself up from the chair, craning over Hermione. His tone was dripping in ridicule. "We all know he wasn't much of a talker."
Hermione, wanting to even out the battlefield, shot up from her seat, causing Ron to take a few steps back. Her hands flew to her hip. Ron could see he was getting to her. Her eyes were ablaze. Before he could stop himself, he heard the words falling from his mouth, "Lavender may have been a fluke and a stupid mistake, but at least I've learned from that."
Hermione's eyes narrowed. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"I tried the next time. I tried with Rebecca. You went from Vicky to what? Caden? Real improvement. You're the same scared girl you were fourth year. Afraid that no one will ask you to the dance, so you have to say yes to the first bloke to ask. You aren't ready to get married. And you know it!"
Hermione's jaw fell, her eyes widened at the hit. "How dare you." She fumed.
Ron took a step towards her, wanting nothing more than to add fuel to the fire. "You know it. Everyone knows that you're with Caden because you're afraid there is nothing else out there. You hardly know him, not enough to decide to spend the rest of your life with him. I'm the only one who's willing to tell it to your face. So there, it's said."
"You take that back." Hermione whispered. Tears sprang from behind her eyes. She would not cry in front of him though, she would not give them that glory.
"There's no point in that is there? Why bother, it's the truth." Ron said, harshly. His eyes bore into hers. She knew he could see the water building up.
"Get out." She said as calmly as she could. "I'm done trying to understand you. I'm done trying make you happy. This is my life, Ron. If you don't like it, you don't have to be a part of it. Get out."
Ron glared at her, "If you marry him, you're ruining your life."
She shook her head, "Ronald Weasley, you're still the same insufferable, selfish boy from Hogwarts. Silly me for thinking that just because you're taking a big boy step and moving out of your parents' house, you might be growing up." She exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air as she turned her back on him.
"And you're still the same brainy girl from Hogwarts, who thinks she can control everything." Ron replied, with a cold laugh as he stalked to the door. It caused shivers to run up Hermione's spine. "So, big surprise. Don't listen to me. Go on and plan you're perfect wedding. Like I care."
I obviously do not own anything Harry Potter. It's all the wonderful J.K. Rowling. Thanks for reading! Please review!