A/N: I know this prompt is old, but I finally found time to knock it out. Ron mentioned the only way anyone can pass like him is under polyjuice so that's a bad idea. (His words!)

Rated T because Ron has a filthy mouth – and innuendo. – DG

"Merlin, what a cocked up day!"

Ron tapped his wand on the door and banged his head on it. It'd been a long day and the kids were more annoying than usual. He'd had to chase the fanged Frisbees all around the shop – twice – not counting the little girls who kept trying to pass muggle cards saying they were of age to purchase love potions. Throw in George disappearing for a few hours without telling him – making him miss lunch 'til Verity took pity on him and got him lunch from the Leaky – and he'd been in a fit of temper most of the day.

But then maybe it was his nerves that were worn out. Hermione'd been in a strop for a couple of days and was trying to take it out on him. They'd rowed the night before, yelling things that weren't really important but still came out in harsh words and even worse accusations.

Ron put his size 12s in his mouth – both feet really – and Hermione stopped and just stared at him. "You actually believe that? How can you say that?"

She turned around and walked out of their bedroom, slamming the door in his face.

The buggered up part was that he couldn't get the door unlocked for an hour. He'd called Kreacher to assist and only then did the little blighter get the door open. By then, Hermione was locked in her bedroom and wouldn't come out, much less open the door for anything.

He gave it up as a bad job at half eleven when all of his pathetic attempts at begging were ignored.

Kreacher wouldn't even help, saying Mistress Hermione instructed him to secure her room until she woke.

He'd woken early the next morning, hoping to catch her before she went off to work – begging forgiveness, really, even if he wasn't the one who mucked things up – but when he walked into the kitchen, Ginny was sitting at their table, drinking her tea, and told him in no uncertain terms that Hermione left at 5 am for work.

So, instead of spending the day together, like they'd planned, she was at work, refusing his owls, and he was helping George in the shop. He wasn't scheduled but the look on his face when he walked in told George everything he needed to know. "There's a shipment coming in from Madagascar I would use your help with," he said in a too-cheery voice.

So he stayed, helping George, making some extra galleons, and writing Hermione every few hours.

He had a little bit of a walk in the cool fall air. Sure, he wanted to get home and see Hermione, hoping that she'd actually talk with him, but he needed to clear his head before seeing her. He didn't want a repeat of last night's blazing row.

'Maybe a book as a peace offering will suffice,' he thought as he pulled the itchy wool scarf around his neck to avoid the chilly air. The bookstore wasn't that far, and he was sure that he could find something she didn't already have on her shelves. She'd talked over the weekend about getting a History book regarding Centaurs in England so that might suffice.

Ron stepped up to the door of Flourish and Blotts and stopped. Bloody hell! What's she doing here? And who is that tosser who is with her?

Ron stood immobile in front of the store and watched Hermione standing close to some sod there next to her. Probably discussing that book she wanted, arsehole! But he wasn't going to ignore her while she was right in front of him.

Ron took a step towards the door and froze. Oh bloody hell no! Fuck that!

He grabbed the door to the shop and ignored how it banged on the outside wall. I know I just didn't see that!

Ron stomped into the shop and walked back to where he thought he saw Hermione. He walked with a purpose, especially since he saw her snogging some strange bloke in the store.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

He reached for Hermione, not caring of the row that he was about to start when the other bloke stopped and looked up from her face. Ron knew this face and stopped. "you!"

Cormac McClaggen stood there with his girlfriend snuggled into his arms. "What do you want, Weasley? Can't you see I'm snogging my girlfriend."

"But that's my girlfriend, you git."

Hermione turned around and Ron stood there gobsmacked. The hair wasn't exactly the bushy hair he loved running his fingers through, or the warm chocolate brown eyes staring up at him, threatening him bodily harm. The tits under the jumper weren't small, fitting his large hands perfectly, or were the hips curvaceous enough. This wasn't Hermione at all. He'd made a terrible mistake.

"Oh, shite, sorry Romilda. I could have sworn you were Hermione from the outside window."

"You need your eyes checked, Weasley. We look nothing alike." She looked him up and down once, in his garish work robes in shocking chartreuse. "And I'd not be caught out with you looking like this anyway."

Ron stammered, trying to find an apology sincere enough but everything was stuck in his throat.

"Ron? What are you doing here? I thought I saw you storming in here."

He spun on his heel and saw Hermione standing behind where he had confronted Romilda and Cormac. "I… I mistook Romilda for you when I saw her in through the window."

Ron stepped aside and saw the other couple staring at the new arrival. "Ah, Granger. Can you inform your boyfriend that Romilda looks nothing like you? The prat though I was snogging you."

She turned and saw the glare from Romilda before turning her complete attention on Ron. She snorted in consternation. "You've got to be kidding! Romilda and I look nothing alike."

"But I saw the hair from the outside!"

"Granger, you might want to teach your boyfriend some manners. I don't appreciate him presuming I'm snogging you." He sneered at her. "You aren't my type."

"That's funny, Cormac, because you're hardly my type either." Hermione reached her hand out for Ron. "He's all yours, Romilda. Mine's a keeper."

The other couple stared at Hermione and Ron as they were departing the bookstore. They left hand in hand, walking around the corner to the apparition point before she stopped and turned on Ron. "What is your problem, Ron? Did you honestly think that I would, after a row with you, go find the most loathsome man I know and snog him? Are you daft?"

Ron rubbed the back of his neck and tried to fight down the furious blush on his head. "I saw her hair and thought it was you. I wanted to talk to you then I saw her kissing him and I lost my shite." He looked at her and saw her stoic face. "It's stupid, but I thought it was you for a moment."

Ron watched Hermione's face roll with the emotions running through her mind. Her face stopped moving and he prepared for the worst.

"Ron, just because we're having an intense disagreement doesn't mean I'm going to run away and snog the first bloke that crosses my path." She reached her hand out and took his in hers. "You know that, even if the echo in your head tells you otherwise."

Ron kicked a pebble beneath his shoe. "I'm being a prat, I know. But she looked just like you from the back and I didn't bother to see the clothes. I only saw the hair and that tosser and just went stupid."

Hermione took another step forward and wrapped her arms around his waist. She leaned her head onto his chest and felt him rest his head on the top of hers. She smiled, hearing his deep breath from the shampoo she used on her hair.

"Let's go home and we can talk about it. I also need to apologize to you for taking my work frustrations out on you."

Ron pulled Hermione from his chest and looked intensely at her. "You're barking, right?"

"No, Love, I'm not. But I'm not discussing that here, in a grotty alley." Wicked mirth crossed her face. "I rather make my heartfelt apology at home, where other ways of making it up to you can happen." She smirked. "I don't want your other girlfriend to be in an audience."

"Oy! She's not my girlfriend."

"I know." Hermione gripped his hands. "I'm enough of a witch for you."