Prompt of the Day: Secret

Pairing:Ron/Hermione

Rating: K+

Summary: Ron has a secret...shhhhhh! But don't tell Hermione!

A/N: So here is my newest plot, a little fluffy! Oh poor Ron... Starring: Crookshanks, Hermione, Ron, Harry, and guest star: Cannon.

…

When Hermione Granger walked into the Burrow's kitchen, right before the start of her third year, to pick up her beloved orange cat...thing..., Crookshanks, she did not expect to see her little baby sitting perfectly innocent on the cracked tile floor, licking his paw (actually she expected the cat to act well-behaved), while on the other hand, Ronald Weasley was standing, comically, on a less-than-rickety chair, eyes wide in horror, mouth poised to yell at the cat. Harry on the other hand, was plastered to the wall, arms covered with bleeding scratches as he stared at her pet.

"What in the wizarding world?" The brunette gasped, kneeling down to stroke the poor things bitten ears as she glared horrified at the two incompetent boys. Crookshanks purred lovingly, running himself up and down her shins as she stood to her full height to reprimand the two.

"RONALD BILIUS WEASLEY, WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY POOR CROOKSHANKS?" she shrieked,hysterical, as Ronald stared at her, wondering absently if his best friend had finally lost a few strings from studying to much. So, he decided to point out helpfully,

"That's no cat 'Mione! That thing is a bleeding menace to society!" He tried to growl (even though it ended up like an odd whimper) as the cat shrank back, yellow eyes glowing. Hermione just glared pointedly at the red-head, hand on hips, before cooing sweetly,

"Oh, my poor baby! How could Ron do such a thing?" Harry snickered in the background, his small cuts closing up slowly, as the irate witch spun on him,

"And you Harry, what did you do to Crookshanks?" Harry stared in disbelief, looking at Hermione, to his cuts, to the cat, and back to Hermione.

"Do you not see these cuts Hermione? That thing nearly clawed me to pieces!"

"Crookshanks would never have done that!" she stated heatedly, unwilling to believe that her beloved pet was anything but a perfect angel. The boys just stared, unable to comprehend what their previously very smart friend had just said.

"You've got to be kidding me 'Mione!"

"That thing is the devil's spawn-"

"Almost as evil as You-Know-Who-"

"Deserves to be locked up in-"

"Is a public nuisance-"

"Is pure evil!" They both yelled, pointing a shaky finger at the cat in her arms. Harry's glasses were askew, hanging off his nose as he scrambled back at the cat's menacing hiss. Ron's blue eyes gleamed wildly as he danced comically on top of the chair, holding onto the kitchen counter for support.

"I have no idea what you are talking about!" She shouted out loud, hair billowing around her head like a storm cloud. Hermione's eyes narrowed as the boys scrambled from their perches, warily making their way towards the door as she let the cat back down.

"Its staring at us!" whispered a scarred Ron at the equally scared Harry, as indeed, the cat fixed its yellow irises on the escapees.

A loud crash could be heard echoing from the garden into the kitchen as Crookshanks jumped up in surprise and came crashing back down, letting out a suprised yelp.

"Oh Crooky! Let momma hold you!" murmured Hermione, oblivious to "Crooky's" discontent expression as Harry stuck a tongue out immaturely. Another yelp could be heard as Ron winced,

"And there goes the Flutterby bushes..."

"What, is that?" She stated, enunciating each syllable slowly and deliberately.

"Um, well you see-"

"Ron has this-"

"Well-"

"I might have-"

"WHAT?" Harry winced, gesturing for Ron to elaborate on their stuttering as Hermione's face slowly turned bright red, squeezing the poor cat till it scrambled for release.

"Well-" He stuttered to another halt at their previously nice friend's glare; Harry stepped back, inching closer and closer to the open door.

"Don't. You. Dare. Move. One. More. Inch. Harry. James. Potter." Hermione hissed, long ago letting go the suffocating cat, letting it bolt under the table. Fixing one eye on Harry as he plastered himself to the wall, she turned her attentions straight back to the red-head, energy crackling in the room,

"So Ronald, what were you saying?" He was glowing beet red now, his cheeks threatening to surpass his hair, glowing maroon. As the petite witch stared, - or threatened to disintegrate with eyes alone for a better word- the lanky boy shrank twenty feet down under.

"Its not our fault I swear! We were just bringing in Cannon when that crazy cat attacked us and we had no idea what to do! So we tried to pull them apart but now we have scars because of that demon!" He blurted this all out in one breath, huff-ing and puff-ing as Hermione's face became deceptively calm. Of course, Ron did not realize that, with his lack of common sense and self-preservation, and so thinking that he was in her good books once again, if he ever was, he started off again.

"So 'Mione-" But of course, he was cut off by the stony witch in the room,

"And who is this Cannon, might I ask?" Harry and Ron exchanged glances conspiratorially, Should we tell her? They seemed to speak with eyes alone, Harry's worried, and Ron's just plain acceptance.

"WHAT?" Hermione was now on her last thread of patience, that really wasn't a thread at all but just an invisible string, indignant with what horrors that her two best friends could have dreamt up with this Cannon. Or maybe she was just jealous. No, that's not it, no sane man/woman would name their kid Cannon... Well Ron might... Shaking her head, she turned back to the freckle-faced boy as he opened his mouth to answer. Of course, he decided he need to wait for the dramatic pause(Harry was shaking his head, palming his face in exasperation at the idiocy that was his best friend) a loud yip vibrated across the room. In streaked a brown-patched little puppy, tongue hanging, ears flopping.

Everyone disregarded the fact that the moment he entered the room, the forgotten deranged cat had yowled and hid behind a chair leg.

"Um well-"

"Who?"

"This is- uh- bloody hell-"

"Excuse me-"

"Hermione! Let him finish!"

"Hmph!"

"Well "Mione,"

"Don't 'Mione me!"

"Hermione!"

"Meet Cannon! Ta...da...?"

"..."

There was a long, tense silence, none able to breath for fear of Hermione's wrath, as her brown eyes slid from Harry fiddling with a patch in his shirt, to Ron's red face, then Crookshanks cowering in the corner, and the poor Cannon jumping up and down in excitement at the newcomer.

"So, this, is Cannon..." she said slowly, kneeling down and running a tentative hand down its back, scratching the dogs twitching ears. The boys in the corner let out a synchronised sigh of relief, until Hermione stopped cooing about how adorable the puppy was, leaving it to corner the screeching Crookshanks, and turning back to them.

"Oh no, as adorable as wittle Cannon is," she grinned dreamily for a breathtaking second before snapping back to them, "You are not getting off!"

"Look Hermione!"

"You have a dog and didn't tell me, even after I specifically told you poor Crookshanks abhors dogs!"

"Trust Hermione to say abhors," whispered Harry before snapping back to attention at the punch landing on his arm,

"Well, we didn't think-"

"You're right, you don't think!"

"Oi!"

"And when, did you get Cannon?" she demanded, watching Harry and Ron's glance at anywhere else but straight at her.

"Um-" murmured Ron, glancing away from Harry's shifty eyes,

"Maybe-"

"A week ago!" Harry couldn't take the pressure anymore, (for all the saving-the-world activities he got up to, he could never win against an agitated woman) breaking down completely, and staring straight at the brunette, formidable witch.

"So you are telling me," she started slowly, breathing in and out, calming her anxiety slowly... Until she saw Cannon tackle Crookshanks. The trio gasped in synchronised horror as Cannon clawed at Crookshanks fur. Tthe cat lept from his perch, screeching in horror and proceeding to run wildly around, skidding and crashing into tables and chairs as Riley yipped right behind him. She snapped, stalking up to them both and simultaneously slapping them both on the cheeks.

"OI!"

"OW! 'MIONE!"

"So you bought Riley, just to annoy Crookshanks!" She screeched, literally pulling out her hair in annoyance as the incompetent boys stuttered, red faced.

"Well not annoy perse, more mess around with." Ron winced at his loss of tact at Hermione's brassed off expression. Harry just bolted, dashing for the door before the irate girl could catch up with them, leaving Ron to deal with her. Hermione grinned suddenly, slightly manically, as she latched onto his arm like an octopus, tearing Crookshanks away and dragging them both into the garden,

"Let me tell you a secret!"