Like Parents, Like Teens

Part 13

Disclaimer: These are not my characters, I'm just playing with them.

A/N: Another chapter has finally been turned out of the writing mill! Sorry for the long wait…hopefully I get another one out sooner! Hope you like, please review, yada yada. Thanks a bunch to all of you that have reviewed and stuck with me throughout this entire story so far! Enjoy.

The sigh escaped her in a torrent of relief. Hermione looked down at Athena Hazel, who had finally stopped wailing. It was surprising, really, how much noise a flour sack could make. Rocking her, (it, Hermione mentally corrected herself) Hermione tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and attempted to open her Potions book to the assigned chapter.

It had only been a week since she'd gotten out of the hospital wing, but so much had happened. Thoughts spiraled through her mind, making the sentences she read fragmented and meaningless. Hermione sighed again, closing the book in defeat. She just couldn't stop thinking. Only a week. Hermione couldn't believe it.

As soon as she'd returned, the flour sack children had become active, and were extremely needy. They constantly required food, attention, sleep, entertainment, everything! Feedings had been especially troublesome. With what did you feed a flour sack, and where was its mouth? This question had kept her puzzled for hours as Athy and Harry Sirius had cried and deflated. Finally, she had determined that they needed more flour. Inside a cupboard she found bottles filled with flour that she emptied into the tops of both children. Hermione had mentally slapped herself for not looking in the cupboards in the first place, but secretly wondered if the bottles would have been there had she not figured it out.

The children were so difficult, Hermione and Ron had decided to split up the care, he taking Harry, and she taking Athena. Thinking of Ron, Hermione sighed yet again. She had barely seen him in the past week, and the times they had been together he'd somehow always avoided being alone. This was quite annoying, as she desperately needed to speak with him.

The creak of the staircase behind her alerted Hermione to his presence. She spun around in her chair, jostling and waking Athena, in time to see Ron pausing on a step. He froze, staring right at her, and started to back up the stairs.

"Ronald Weasley, you can't avoid me forever," she said sharply, hoping that this would make him come down.

"You'd be surprised," Ron whispered under his breath, so low he doubted Hermione could hear. "I'm not avoiding you!" He called loudly instead, not looking her in the eye. This caused a group of second years to twitter. Both Ron and Hermione turned to glare at them, then looked back at each other.

"Then why don't you come here and sit with me?" Hermione demanded, and Ron could sense his defeat. She'd just follow him if he left, might as well get it over with. Though he wouldn't mind going somewhere a little more private. Trudging down the stairs, Ron settled himself in the armchair across from Hermione's.

"What makes you so eager to see me all of a sudden?" Ron asked with what he thought was a nice tone of polite interest. Hermione scoffed.

"You kissed me, Ronald. That isn't exactly a day to day occurrence." It would be nice if it became one, though, she added mentally.

"You kissed me back!" Ron cried. Hermione raised her eyebrows and leaned forward, and he hurriedly continued. "Of course it wasn't normal, it was a…get well soon kiss! Just a little, uh, friendly encouragement for you to heal." He attempted to stare her down, knowing that his explanation was less than brilliant.

"Do friendly kisses usually involve tongues?" Hermione shot back, aware of the giggling groups of second and third years edging closer to them. She just had to know what he really felt.

Ron opened his mouth and stuttered noiselessly. His face was on fire. How could she do this to him? This humiliation? After that kiss he'd thought maybe she fancied him back. Maybe… But no. Here she was, taunting him about his feelings in front of the whole damn house, not giving a bloody twit what he felt. He had to get out of here. Ron stood up, muscles clenched. After staring at Hermione for several long seconds, he stormed out of the portrait hole.

Ginny and Harry stood snogging right outside of it.

"Get a room," he sneered furiously, and stormed past them, out of sight.

Knock, knock. Hermione stared at the swirling patterns of the wood door. A muffled voice yelled "Coming!" from inside, and there was the sound of papers being shuffled.

"Tonks, it's me," Hermione stated loudly through the door. The shuffling stopped, and in a few seconds the door was open, showing a bedraggled Nymphadora Tonks.

"Wotcher, Hermione," she smiled as she ushered the younger woman into the messy office. "I thought you were Remus, and, uh," she gestured at the general pandemonium. Hermione smiled half-heartedly, then looked down at the ground. Tonks' gaze hardened.

"What's wrong?" she asked, clearing a space for herself on the desk.

"Everything," Hermione replied heavily, settling on a chair in front of Tonks.

"Care to narrow it down a bit?"

"Ron. Ronald Weasley and his idiotic behavior," Hermione growled. Tonks raised her eyebrows delicately.

"What's the bloke done this time? Something worse than usual, I'd wager, by the look on your face."

Hermione groaned and put her face in her hands, rubbing her eyes.

"It's complicated," she replied. Tonks sat silently, waiting for the rest. Hermione studied her briefly, then sat up, as if deciding she might as well get it out. "We kissed."

Eyebrows disappearing into her wavy, lavender bangs, Tonks ran her tongue over her teeth.

"Well that puts a bit of a kink in things. Can't say it wasn't, well, expected," she said, cocking her head. Hermione nodded.

"I know. I was just sitting in the hospital wing, and there he was, and then…" she trailed off and shrugged. "It was perfect. It felt perfect." She stared sadly at the wall.

"But then…" Tonks prompted, thinking that perhaps Hermione was being a bit melodramatic about things, but knowing (from experience) that sometimes things seemed very bleak concerning the world of romance.

"But then he just walked away, and I haven't had a chance to talk to him. Until tonight, that is," she added severely. Then she looked up at Tonks, with such intensity, Tonks had to look away briefly. "I just couldn't wait any longer! So I confronted him. Tried to make him own up to any feelings he has. And then he just left. Again. All angry, as if I had offended him!" Frustration and confusion poured across her face. "I just don't understand," she said, suddenly tired, and sat back in her chair. "I don't understand."

Tonks stared at the girl in front of her. She wanted to help, but couldn't see a way to comfort Hermione without being matronly. She sighed and looked down at her feet, knocking softly against the side of the desk. She could try and help Hermione and Ron, but she wasn't exactly a romantic guru. I can't get my own feelings across, she thought. How terribly would I ruin Hermione's hopes?

Hermione wished Tonks would say something, but was also somehow glad for her silence. After getting it all out, her story seemed even more surreal. How long had she waited for that one moment? How long had she silently wished for it, never really letting herself know how she felt? A horrible thought crossed Hermione's mind. What if it was her fault he left? Maybe she was unromantic, or had bad breath, or maybe…Even worse, maybe he just hadn't felt anything. Perhaps Ron had kissed her and come to his senses, realizing there really wasn't a good reason he fancied her. Shoulders sagging, Hermione dove into the other possibilities explaining why things had turned out so wrong.

A knock at the door brought both witches back to their senses. Tonks slowly lifted herself off the desk, and walked to the door. She opened it, a pained expression on her face.

"Hello--Remus!" Eyes widening, Tonks experienced emotional whiplash as she jumped from tired to shocked.

"Good evening, Nymphadora," he replied, pressing back a smile that showed through in his eyes. He held up a box. "You implied earlier that you had no plans for tonight, so I took the liberty of bringing some 'Magick Delite's Pizza'."

Face flushing, Tonks forgot to correct him on her name. She was having dinner with Remus! "That would be fantastic!" She grinned at him. "I love M.D.'s!"

"Who doesn't?" Lupin smiled back. His smile melted to a concerned frown. "Miss Granger? Are you quite all right?" Tonks turned to see a disheveled Hermione by her side.

"Yes, thank you Professor, I'm fine. Just leaving, actually." She squeezed past the two bewildered adults and headed back to Gryffindor Tower.

"What was all that about?" Remus asked, a few slices later.

"Oh, Hermione is having some difficulties." Tonks replied from her stretched out position on the couch. She felt perfectly content, worries from the conversation before melting from her mind. "With Ron," she clarified, biting into a big slice.

"Really?" Remus sat up straighter, and pushed up his glasses. "I ran into Ron in the corridor a little while ago, and he told me about some problems he was having with Hermione."

"The kiss?" Tonks raised her eyebrows.

"Yes. It would seem that Miss Granger has been tormenting young Mr. Weasley about his feelings for her."

"Not so!" Tonks frowned. "Hermione was just in here, practically crying, because Ron has been ignoring her!" A few moments passed in silence as the information was digested.

"Oh my," Remus said, as realization dawned on Tonks' face. "It would appear that there has been quite a misunderstanding between these two."

"You've got that right," Tonks chuckled humorlessly. She sighed and laid back on the couch. "Bugger! I just wish I could help somehow."

Lupin stared at the empty pizza box, and cocked his head. "Perhaps we can," he stated quietly.

Tonks blinked, then sat up slowly, a grin tugging at the corner's of her mouth. "Remus? Are you suggesting we make a little mischief?" she asked.

He looked up at her, a somewhat devious smile spreading across his face. Tonks felt her heart leap just looking at it. She was so unused to Remus being this lively. Maybe Hogwarts was inspiring a bit of that old Marauder spirit in him.

"Actually, my dear Nymphadora, that is exactly what I'm suggesting we do."

A/N: That's the end! This story just keeps getting longer and longer. The end is in sight, though. I think.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. A little bit longer, but still not long enough to be worth the wait. Ah, well. I hope you liked it anyway. Please review!

KW