For the Random Ship Challenge and Contest.

Ship: Arthur/Hermione

Disclaimer: I do NOT own anything. All characters belong to JK Rowling.

Your fingers run through her always bushy hair, which you absolutely love. But then, you love all of her. Every single bit of her is sacred to you.

You gently push her against the wall, kissing her just so lightly when suddenly…

You wake up.

Of course it was just a dream, you sigh as you glance over the sleeping figure of your wife beside you.

It is so wrong, to dream of having someone else in your arms when your wife is just by your side. It is even more wrong, when that someone is young enough to be your daughter. It is especially wrong when that someone is the object of your son's affections.

But love doesn't seem to be aware of the supposed 'rights' and 'wrongs'. Love just happens, whether you want it to or not.

And so it happened. To you. To her. To both of them.

It happened slowly, and then all at once.

It started when she was the only one to talk to you about his weird muggle fetish. You remember when she used to patiently sit by you, answering even the silliest questions you asked. She told you much later, that it was because she loved to see your eyes twinkling.

And from there, it escalated day by day. You remember sitting on the kitchen table, staring at her from across the room and feeling subsequent joy when you find her doing the same.

You love her passion for everything. For her studies, for knowledge, for goblins and house-elfs and everything. She is passionate about everything she does and she understands your passion for everything you do.

You love her maturity. Her sensibility goes beyond her years and you love how she handles everything in the most complacent manner. Yes, she does get a bit too loud sometimes, but then again, pure perfection would get a bit too bland.

You love her. You love her despite the many years between the both of you. You love her despite the voice in the back of your mind that tells you not to.

You get up and go down to make yourself some tea. It's not a surprise when you find her down as well. Sleepless nights are a companion of love.

"Arthur."

"Hermione."

You two just whisper each other's names again and again, slowly closing the distance between your bodies. You lips crash down on hers and suddenly you are living the dream which was left incomplete.

You both know it's wrong, but the feelings that course through you feel just so right.

You know you both would have to go back to pretending soon. You would play the perfect husband, and she would play the perfect friend. But after every day of pretending, you know you would find her here in the nights. She is your only consolation.

It's morning now and you can't wait for the night to engulf the world again. You glance at her across the table and almost get lost in the brown pools of her eyes when Fred asks you to pass the bacon.

It's getting serious, and you know you wouldn't be able to hide it any longer.

She leaves for Hogwarts the next day and you spend the whole time thinking how to break it to your family. You love Molly, of course, but you just aren't in love with her anymore.

So when she comes back to the Burrow, you sneak out in the night to meet her.

And right now, as you lay in her arms you just wonder how in the world she fell for you.

"Tell me?"

"Hmmm?"

"How did you fall for me?"

She looked at him with amazement.

"I don't really know why would you ask this question and I don't know what to say. Love doesn't have any reasons, Arthur. I just love you and that itself is my reason."

Arthur smiled.

"I was thinking we should tell them."

She kept silent, and he held his breath waiting for her reply.

"I would want nothing more Arthur. I'm tired of this clandestine affair."

Her answer was all he needed.

So the next day, he revealed their love to his family. His sons were shocked and unaccepting . His daughter was disgusted.

But his wife shushed them all.

Arthur was bewildered at her calm reaction. She might have been smarter than he gave her credit for.

She turned to him with a question in mind.

"Why?"

He turned to Hermione with a smile on his face.

"Well, I've always had a fascination for all things muggle."

And everything else vanished into the background as Hermione laughed and wrapped her arms around him.

The battle wasn't won yet, but as long as he has her with him, he knew he would do it.

He smiled as he heard Fred and George bickering inside, with Molly shouting in the background. He knocked the door and Molly opened it.

"How is she?"

"She is amazing, really. The baby started kicking today."

Arthur smiled and went up to see his wife. Hermione Weasley was pregnant four months and the couple couldn't have been happier.

What made them happier was that they had managed to preserve the other precious relationships in their life as well. The Weasleys and Molly were angry. They were hurt and felt deceived. It took some time but some of them came around eventually. Of course, not everyone had accepted them. Ron was still hurt. Percy still felt it was wrong.

But they had more than they had ever hoped for.

They had each other.

To think he had thought it was wrong.

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