Traveling Salesman

The first thing Sunday morning, Hermione Apparated to her parents flat. As usual the dogs went wild at her appearance, but her father got them calmed down.

"To what do we owe the pleasure, darling?" her mother asked, handing Hermione a cup of tea."

"Ron is leaving on a business trip and needs a nice attaché. I thought you might know where I can get one."

Her mother smiled and held a hand to her heart. "You've come for shopping advise. How lovely. The shops don't open until noon though."

Hermione kissed her mother's cheek. "I'll be back." She Disapparated back to Heathgate.

Ron and Harry were sitting at the kitchen table eating breakfast. "Where have you been?" Ron asked.

"I popped out to see Mum and Dad." Hermione took a seat and reached for the platter of bacon and eggs.

Ron set down his tea. "So early?"

"I wanted to catch Mum before she went out for the day."

"Why?" Ron asked around a mouthful of toast.

"Because you're going on a trip and you don't have luggage."

"I was just going to borrow a bag from Mum and Dad. They got a bunch of luggage when we went to Egypt."

Hermione looked at Harry who raised his eyebrows in a way that meant he wasn't going to say anything. She frowned at him. "But this is a business trip. Egypt was just touring with family. Don't you think you should have something a bit—"

"Oh. I hadn't thought of that. I'm going to have samples. Whatever bag I take is going with me into the shops."

"Right. And you don't want to have to do a glamor charm on the bag every time you go out."

"No. I might forget and that would be embarrassing."

Hermione was relieved that she didn't have to spell it out further. "So, Mum will know a good place to get a really nice attaché, and then I'll cast an extension charm on it like the one on my beaded bag, and you'll have what you need."

Ron looked relieved. "What would I do without you?"

"Muck about willy-nilly," Harry said.

"Thanks a lot."

Harry shrugged and stood. "I wouldn't do much better. Off to work for me then."

xXx

That night when Ron got home from work there was a beautiful, chestnut tan, Italian leather attaché on the coffee table in the parlor. Hermione came out of the study when she heard the Floo open. Ron looked at the briefcase. "Is that for me?"

"Yes, do you like it?"

Ron sat down on one of the sofas and opened the case. "It's really nice. It looks expensive."

She smiled at him. "You're worth it. The top part is normal but if you lift the flap on the bottom section, you've got a full extension charm with stairs. I installed shelves to make it easier to keep track of your samples, and there's a trunk in there for your clothes. I wish I'd known how to do all that when I cast the charm on my bag."

Ron lifted the flap and stuck his head in. "Hermione this amazing." His voice echoed.

"Thank you. I wanted it to be nice for you."

He pulled his head out and stood to kiss her. "Thank you so much. He held her loosely in his arms and looked at her. She was biting the corner of her lip, and he knew she was as nervous about him going as he was, but he suspected it was for completely different reasons. He was nervous about messing up, about not making enough sales, about letting George down. Hermione, he thought, just didn't want him to go, full stop. She hadn't said as much, and he knew she never would, but the idea of him so far away made her nervous. It made him anxious too, hence the ridiculous concern over Muggle ailments and injuries. "So, what's your plan while I'm away?"

"What do you mean? I've got work."

He smiled. "I know. What about in the evenings?"

"I guess Harry and I will have dinner here and things will proceed as usual."

"Isn't Gin due home in a couple of days?"

"Is she?" Hermione said her brow furrowing.

"I'm pretty sure, yeah."

"Oh, well, I'm sure I'll think of something. You won't be gone that long."

"You should go out to dinner when Harry's not home. Don't sit around here by yourself. Or maybe you could stay with Bill and Fleur or at the Burrow."

"I'm a big girl, Ron. I'm sure I'll be fine." Her words sounded confident, but her expression told a different story.

"I'll try and write, but I don't know how busy I'll be and—"

"Writing has never been your strong suit." She smiled.

"No," he admitted. "But I'll try, yeah?"

"Thanks."

"I need to start packing. I've got to get my clothes done tonight, because I've got to go in early tomorrow to collect all the samples I'm taking with me and then pick up the Portkey."

"When is it set to go?"

"Eight o'clock tomorrow morning."

"Right. You remember the translation spell?"

"Yeah, I'm good."

She smiled at him. "I know you are."

He pulled her closer and whispered in her ear. "Are you sure? Maybe you should check before I go."

She nodded. "Maybe I should."

xXx

The next morning, Hermione bid Ron an anxious farewell. Harry had already said goodbye and left for work to give them a few minutes alone before Ron had to leave. Once Ron Disapparated, Hermione wished Harry had stayed. The house seemed cavernous when she was there alone. She'd never been so grateful to go to work.

xXx

For Ron, the following two weeks were a roller coaster ride filled with soaring highs and desperate lows and endless Portkey trips. The sales went well, which didn't really surprise him. He knew the products were good, and he managed to plaster on a smile and shake hands and let the merchandise sell itself. As it turned out, going to fifty-six funerals after the battle of Hogwarts was fairly good prep for a business trip. He knew what it was like to wear a false front to get through the day, no matter what the night before had been like, and most of the nights had been pretty bad.

He missed Hermione. He woke himself up two or three times a night reaching for her. When she wasn't there, he'd jolt awake in a panic. He had nightmares, the kind he used to have all the time, and he wondered if she was having the same problem. She hadn't said so in any of her letters. He hadn't managed a real letter, but he had sent her several postcards. He tried to keep them light. Wish-you-were-here sort of messages followed by how much he couldn't wait to see her. She had, of course, responded with two-or-three-page letters of the same neatly spaced script he remembered from the holiday letters she used to send. He was so tickled whenever one arrived. The letters were descriptions of her daily experiences and filled him both with a longing to be home and nostalgia for those holiday letters of his school days. Like his postcards, she kept her letters light. She was keeping herself busy making the rounds for dinners with friends and family. She'd spent the weekend after he left with her parents and had apparently shopped in every store in London with her mother. He smiled. Hermione's mother was a shopping juggernaut. Hermione, on the other hand, was not and found those trips exhausting.

Finally, after fourteen days going through the magical capitals of Europe, Ron picked up his last Portkey in Prague. It took him to Diagon Alley, where he deposited all the samples and gave George a quick debriefing, which was essentially, "I sold loads of product. Here's a stack of orders. I'm going home."

George was laughing as Ron stepped into the Floo and went hurdling toward Heathgate. When he stepped into the parlor, Harry was sitting on one of the sofas reading. "Hey, you're back." He stood to shake Ron's hand. "It's feels like you've been away for ages."

There was a soft cry from the kitchen, and Hermione came running into the room. She stopped short about five feet from Ron. "You're back."

"I am."

"Oh no. I forgot something somewhere. Must go find it." Harry drew his wand and Disapparated.

"Did you miss me?" Ron asked.

Hermione nodded and a single tear slipped down her cheek.

"Come on." Ron stepped toward her. "None of that."

She wiped the tear away quickly. "Sorry. It's just that's the longest we've been apart since…" She stopped and bit her lip.

"Since I abandoned you in the woods," Ron finished for her, feeling his throat tighten.

She nodded and more tears fell. "It's stupid. I knew you were coming back."

"Bad dreams?" Ron asked, but he already knew the answer. She nodded and he took her in his arms and held her tight. "I know. Me too."

She pressed her face to his chest for a moment and breathed him in, hugging him tighter. Finally, she stepped back. She wiped her face again. "What is wrong with us?"

Ron chuckled. "I don't know. I reckon we're delicate flowers now. Can't be separated or we wilt."

Hermione shook her head. "Pathetic."

He nodded and ducked his head for a kiss. She kissed him back, at first sweetly and then with more ardor. He slid his hands around her waist and pulled her against him.

She pressed her palm against his chest. "Wait."

"Why? It's been too long," he insisted, but she held him off.

"Purdy?" Hermione called.

The little elf appeared in a spotless tea towel. "Yes, Miss?"

"I'm going to need the house. The whole house."

"Even my cabinet, Miss?"

Hermione smiled. "No, not there."

"Yes, Miss. Welcome back, Mr. Ron."

"Thanks, Purdy. It's nice to see you."

"You too, Mr. Ron. Have a good night, Miss." Purdy disappeared.

Hermione was pulling at his clothes the moment Purdy was gone.

Ron lifted her off her feet. "It's so good to be home."

xXx

It took three tries before they could make it all the way upstairs. Ron sat submerged in the big soaking tub in their en suite bathroom. Hermione sat in front of him with her back against his chest. They were surrounded by multicolored bubbles. He loved it when she cast that spell. I reminded him of the prefects' bathroom at Hogwarts, and all the things he'd imagined about her, when he'd bathed there. He smiled. Reality turned out to be a lot better than he'd imagined. She leaned her head back and kissed his neck.

"This feels so good. I really missed you."

He chuckled. "I could tell."

"Was it obvious? I was trying to be subtle."

"I'm sure no one else would have noticed."

"Oh, good," she said with mock relief.

"How was it while I was gone? Your letters made it seem like you kept pretty busy."

She sighed. "I tried. Mostly I worked and looked for places to have dinner, so I didn't have to eat alone."

"That makes sense. I hate eating alone. I had to do it a lot on this trip."

"I'm sorry."

He shrugged. "Couldn't be avoided. A few times though, I took clients out to lunch or dinner and that was nice."

"I ate dinner with your parents one night. They're doing well. Your mother is putting in a rose garden in the side yard."

"Good. She's wanted to do that for a long time."

"Yes. She's very excited about it. I also had dinner with Landen and Rosmerta one night."

"How did that go?"

"Good, I guess. They invited me, because they needed some help selling his flat in London and wanted my thoughts. Naturally, I don't know much about that, but of course, Mum and Dad do, so I suggested they would be better able to answer his questions."

"I thought he was homeless."

"I thought so too, but apparently he was just too ill to take care of himself, so he'd spend all day in the Leaky Cauldron, probably out of some innate sense that he needed to be near magic, and then go home to sleep at night."

"That's so weird. I wonder why he stayed away for so long." Ron was befuddled by Landen's actions.

"Mostly shame, I think. He profoundly regrets giving Mum away to Gran."

"I can understand that. Is he going to buy a place in Hogsmeade then?"

"Actually, I think he's living with Rosmerta now. I suspect that will continue. They seem very happy."

"That'll be quite a scandal if people find out."

"Apparently, a good scandal runs in the family."

Ron let out a soft snort. "How's your Mum doing with all this?"

"She seems better. When we went shopping, we talked quite a lot. I think it's taken a while for her to wrap her head around it all, but she seems to be okay with it now. Gran remains a sticking point, but then they've never had an easy relationship."

"Your Gran is a bit prickly."

"Yes, but it's understandable given what she's been through. She just feels so profoundly betrayed."

"I know."

"Anyway, it is what it is. One night, Ginny stayed with me while Harry was on a stakeout in Bristol. We went broom shopping and then had dinner in a private room at the Leaky Cauldron with Hannah and Neville and Luna and Rolf."

"That sounds like a fun night."

"It was."

"What kind of broom did Ginny buy?"

"I think she settled on a Firebolt."

Ron let out a low whistle. "Great broom. Pricey though."

Hermione shrugged. "I don't think she lacks for money. I expect she makes a good salary with the Harpies, and it's not like she's a spendthrift. And like us, she and Harry won't have rent or a mortgage to pay so why not buy a great broom."

Ron shook his head. "I guess."

She half turned so she could look at him. "You could buy a broom like that too, you know."

"Nah. I don't need a top tier broom."

"I'm just saying, you could have one if you want one."

He shrugged. "I like my Cleansweep."

Hermione settled back against him. "For someone who complained so bitterly about money for so long, you don't seem to spend much of it now that you have it."

"I'm concerned about making it. Not so concerned about spending it. I thought I'd leave that to you."

She huffed. "I'm not my mother."

"No, thank goodness. I'm not sure we make that kind of money."

She laughed lightly.

"Although, while we're on the subject, George said I need new clothes."

Hermione turned to look at him again. "Why? What's wrong with your clothes."

"He says I don't look the part."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"He says my suits are boring, not in keeping with the proprietor of a joke shop."

"Please tell me you're not planning to go buy purple velvet suits like he wears."

"Um, no. We don't want to wear matching suits. I was thinking dark green with colorful shirts or funny ties."

"You look quite good in green." She arched an eyebrow at him. "Possibly too good. Am I going to have to put protection charms on your suits to keep the other witches away?"

Ron laughed. "I don't think so, but even if every witch in the world decides they want me, I only want you."

Hermione rolled her eyes.

Ron pulled her in for a kiss. They were soon out of the tub and into bed.

xXx

Saturday night, she and Ron went to a dinner party for Landen at her parents' flat. He'd recently been cleared by his healer to visit the Muggle world for a few hours at a time. Unfortunately, from the moment her grandmother arrived, the evening was strained.

In an attempt to break yet another awkward silence over dinner, Landen said, "This really is a lovely home you have, Monica."

"No thanks to you," Gran said acidly from the other end of the table.

Landen looked stricken. "Um, well, no. I wasn't trying to imply that I…"

Hermione had had enough. All evening her grandmother had been throwing barbs and either directly wounding someone, or at the very least, making everyone else extremely uncomfortable. She got to her feet. "Enough!" she shouted at her grandmother whose mouth dropped open in shock. "You've got to stop this. I know you're hurt over what your parents did to you, but they aren't here. So far this evening you've managed to make Landen out to be a monster and imply you didn't really want Mum at the same time. He was devastated and grief stricken when he gave her up, but you got a beautiful baby girl out of it, and I know you love her. All this vitriol you're spouting is just isolating you. Is that what you want?"

"What would you know about it?" her grandmother shouted back. "You're just a child."

"I'm not a child! I know what it's like to be abandoned, and so hurt and so angry, that it's hard to breathe much less think rationally. I understand the desire the lash out, I really do. But I also know that forgiveness got me more than I lost in the first place. It can do the same for you, Gran. You should try it before it's too late." She turned to her parents and Landen and Rosmerta. "I'm sorry for the outburst. Thank you for dinner, but I don't think I can stay for dessert. Goodnight." Ron was on his feet too, so when she Disapparated, he was right behind her.

He popped into the foyer a moment later and had her in his arms before she could say anything. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"No," she said, tears spilling over. "No. I didn't say that to make you feel bad. I'm the one who's sorry."

He pulled back a bit and looked down at her. There were tears in his eyes too. "We're okay?"

"We're better than okay. We're amazing. I only said that, because I didn't want to be dismissed as a child without life experience. We might be young, but no one can say we lack experience."

Ron let out a soft snort. "That's certainly true. I bet we were the only people at dinner tonight who've ever robbed a bank."

Hermione laughed. "I don't know. Mum was pretty wild before she met dad."

"Okay," Ron laughed. "But have any of them ever flown on a dragon?"

"That I doubt." She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tight.

He nuzzled his nose against her cheek. "Let's go upstairs and be amazing."

"Grand idea," she said.

xXx

Sunday afternoon, Ron and Harry went to play Quidditch. Ron and George had traded weekends minding the shop. Hermione promised to meet them for dinner at the Leaky Cauldron and then Disapparated to her parents' flat. Instead of popping into the foyer as she would if invited, she appeared in the alley next to the building and went inside and took the elevator up to give herself a little extra time to sort out what she wanted to say. She met her father in the hallway when she got off the elevator. He was dressed for squash.

"Hullo," he said.

"Hi Dad, I thought I'd pop in and see if Mum's up for a bit of shopping."

"I'm sure she is. I'm happy you're here. I think she could use the company. I would've cancelled my match, but Stan and I have rescheduled twice already."

"Not to worry. Enjoy your game." She continued down the hall and let herself in. Her parents' Yorkshire terriers came tearing down the hall barking.

"Quiet!" her mother shouted. "Did you forget something, Wen?"

"It's me, Mum," Hermione called back.

"I'm on the balcony, come join me."

Hermione walked through the flat, followed by the terriers, to the large glass doors that lead to the balcony that ran the length of the flat and afforded a view of the park next door. Her mother sat at a small round table with a large pot of tea in front of her. She sipped from a cup as Hermione approached.

"Hi," Hermione said.

"What brings you out?" her mother asked, picking up Cleo.

"I wanted to apologize for last night."

"Don't. I think Mum rather needed to hear that actually. I'm more worried about you."

Hermione took a seat at the table. "Me? There's nothing to worry about there. I'm fine."

"Really? Because what you said last night…" Her mother shook her head. "Has he cheated on you?"

"What?" Hermione was shocked. "No, Mum. No. That's not it at all."

"But you were talking about Ron. I could see it on his face."

"Well, yes, but it's not what you think."

Her mother's brow wrinkled in concern.

Hermione sighed. "Okay. But if I tell you this, you mustn't tell anyone else. I'm serious. Not even Dad, and Ron must never know you know. It would hurt him deeply."

Her mother sat up straighter. "Of course."

"In the middle of the war, when we were on the run, Ron was hurt. It was my fault. I Splinched him out of complicated double Apparition." She shook her head. "It was awful. There was so much blood and…anyway, we got him bandaged up, but it took a long time to heal, and we had this Horcrux, which is…it's hard to explain…it's an evil thing. We had to destroy it, but we didn't know how at the time, so we had to carry it with us and it…well…it sort of…made you feel things that weren't real. Evil things. It was hard for Harry and I when we had to carry it, but it was even harder for Ron, because he was injured."

Her mother's eyes widened. "All right."

"The short of it is, that thing twisted his thinking so badly, that he thought Harry and I were consorting behind his back or conspiring against him or something, and they had a huge row and he left."

"Okay."

"No. That's not okay. We were fugitives. Harry was number one on the Ministry's Most Undesirable list. I was number two. Ron wasn't even on the list because he's a Pureblood. He…I thought they were going to hit each other, so I cast a shield between them and ended up on Harry's side. Ron stormed out, and I had to get the shield down, before I could go after him. I screamed for him not to go. I begged him, but he left anyway. It was…" She swallowed hard. "Devastating."

"I'm so sorry," her mother said.

Hermione shook her head. "I know now that he tried to get back to us straight away, but he ran into trouble, and then he couldn't find the site."

"I don't understand. Couldn't he just pop back?"

"We cast shields around our campsite, like I do around the house, only more. There was no way he could find us once we left the sight we'd been at. Unfortunately, he ran into sna—bad people, and by the time he could get back to us, we were gone."

"Oh," her mother said. "That must have been…"

"I couldn't stop crying. I felt like I'd lost everything. We weren't even really together, but I knew I loved him, knew I wanted to be with him. I'd already lost you and Dad. I just…" She wiped a stray tear from her cheek. "It was awful."

"How long were you and Harry on your own?"

"Weeks. It felt like we'd be out there forever. When I finally managed to stop crying, I kind of withdrew. Harry was devastated too, so we were just going through the motions. We didn't talk much, but most importantly, I never said Ron's name."

Her mother cocked her head. "Why was that important?"

"Because the moment I did, he was able to come back to us."

"I don't—"

"Ron has something called a Deluminator. It's ostensibly able to pull and push light, but it's more than that. The night I finally said his name, he heard me through the Deluminator, he clicked it and a small ball of light appeared. He was able to use it to Apparate to where I was, only he still couldn't see the camp because of the shields, so he had to wait, hoping we'd show ourselves. Harry went outside the shields, and Ron ended up saving his life that night."

"You must have been so relieved to have him back."

"I was furious," Hermione said. "I'd never been hurt like that. I'd never felt so humiliated, so vulnerable. If Harry hadn't taken my wand, I think I might've seriously hurt Ron."

Her mother's eyes widened.

"I wasn't kidding last night when I said I understood Gran's desire to lash out. It took me longer than it should've to forgive him, and even longer to really trust him again, and longer still to let myself love him or let him love me. You know I have a temper, and I can be stubborn, but every time I've forgiven anyone for anything, they did to me, it's worked in my favor. It's not easy, but forgiveness really might be the secret to happiness."

Her mother smiled. "You really have grown up."

Hermione smiled back at her. "Which, given the last few years, is somewhat of a miracle."

"Sounds like. I wish you hadn't had to suffer all that, but it seems you're stronger for it."

"We both are."

Her mother sighed. "Good. I hope Mum heard you, but she's an old woman, set in her ways. I don't know that she can change."

"I don't either, which is why I came to apologize. Shouting at her probably didn't help."

Her mother smiled. "I don't know. Perhaps she needed that. Time will tell. What have you got planned for the rest of your day?"

"You mentioned something the other day about a new exhibit at the Wallace Collection. Interested?"

"Absolutely. I just need a moment to change."

"Great," Hermione said.