Hi and welcome to this story! It was a plot bunny for so long and I really wanted to write a dark-ish post-Hogwarts adventure with Aurors Ron and Harry. The fic is Ron-centric and his love for Harry and Hermione is key... There will be two parallel storylines, exploring the many what-ifs of their friendship.
I appreciate your comments and would love to hear your thoughts as the story unfolds. Thank you for reading! :)
"Well, sound the alarms and alert the Prophet, Hermione has joined us for lunch," Harry chimed, grinning at his friend. She looked tired but sat down opposite him with a wide smile and a content huff. He could tell she had been at it again for hours - the bags under her eyes were almost the same color as the ink stains on her hands. Hogwarts was nothing compared to the way Hermione had tackled the Ministry since she got her first job there, and she wasn't stopping any time soon… at least not until Ron made her, and he had in fact ordered her to take this lunch break with them.
"Oh, hush Harry. You act like I don't eat lunch with you at all," Hermione replied, pinching a crisp from his plate.
"Hey! Your fiancé went to get you food as soon as he saw you walk in," Harry said, swatting her hand away as she reached for another one.
Hermione rolled her eyes. "No need for name calling."
"Name-calling?! Is fiancé a dirty word?" Harry gave her a questioning look and then glanced at the register where Ron was next in line, holding Hermione's favorite ham sandwich and coffee.
"No, of course not… It's just…" Hermione looked down, rolling the crisp between her fingers, glancing at the dainty ring on her left hand, "It just takes time getting used to, is all," She sighed.
"I don't think you two being engaged changes a whole lot… I mean, you've been acting like a married couple since… well, forever," Harry chuckled and tossed a crisp at her.
Hermione gasped and gave him a mock-scandalized look, but put the crisp she was holding in her mouth instead of retaliating and Harry laughed.
"What's so funny?" Ron asked, his bright blue eyes darting between the pair, and the wooden bench creaked as he pushed it back to accommodate his long legs.
"Hermione here won't engage in a food fight with me," Harry snickered and stuffed his face with several crisps.
"Merlin, he's inherited my table manners," Ron sighed as he set the sandwich and coffee in front of Hermione, giving her a quick peck on the cheek as soon as he settled beside her.
"Oi! Enough of that!" Harry quipped, not even trying to cover his mouth as pieces of potato fell on his navy Auror robes. Hermione just shook her head and unwrapped her sandwich, taking a large bite with an appreciative glance at Ron who tucked a stray curl behind her ear so it wouldn't get in her mouth.
"So, the stakeout continues tonight…" Hermione began after she swallowed, looking at her two favorite men.
"It's so thrilling, Ron fell asleep mid-conversation last night," Harry said, quirking a brow at his friend.
"Mate, that says more about you than the mission," Ron grinned and snatched a large crisp from Harry's plate.
Harry stuck out his tongue as he pulled his plate closer, and an old eavesdropping witch at the opposite table, dressed in flashy lime robes, let out a scandalized gasp. Ron and Hermione looked over their shoulders, then back at Harry before all three covered their mouths to muffle laughter.
"Hermione, we have failed as parents," Ron shook his head dramatically and received a crisp to the head a moment later. To Hermione's disgust, Ron picked it up from the table and ate it.
"I curse the drunk night Ginny made that observation," Harry groaned, pushing his plate to Ron.
"Speaking of Ginny, have you spoken to her lately?" Hermione asked nonchalantly. She sipped her coffee and Ron stirred in his seat, looking down at the plate.
"No, I haven't," Harry replied, pushing his glasses up. Why did he have to mention Ginny?
"Ron surely told you she has a week off," Hermione continued, ignoring Harry's disgruntled look.
"Yeah, Mione, he knows," Ron answered for him, squeezing her knee under the table, trying to convey to lay off the topic.
"Ron, we should be heading back," Harry looked at Ron tight-lipped, indicating the end of lunch and Ginny talk.
"Right," Ron sighed and turned to Hermione who vanished her empty paper cup and sandwich wrapper, "… See you home around five. We'll need some shut-eye before we head out at midnight." Ron said, standing up and waiting for her to do the same.
Hermione stood up, straightening her maroon Magical law department robes, and Ron caught a glimpse of regret when she looked up at Harry. For a moment, Ron thought about scolding her for ruining Harry's good mood – he was the one who had to spend the night with Harry. However, one annoyed best friend was enough for now.
"Harry, come over for breakfast in the morning, will you? I'll make you boys some tea and Molly made more scones than we can eat," Hermione said, walking around the table and wrapping an arm around his shoulder apologetically.
"Hey, speak for yourself," Ron interfered as he walked around too, coming to stand in front of both, and pulling them into a bear hug a moment later. Some years ago, Harry would have winced at such an open display of affection, but Ron and Hermione were ruthless huggers, even more so since they were a couple. Harry scoffed and nodded, leaning into the hug. Suddenly, he heard the distinctive click of a magical camera, and the trio quickly untangled themselves. Ron was the first to spot the wrongdoer, sitting at the same table as the lime witch and he immediately marched over. Harry and Hermione didn't even try to stop him - Ron took it upon himself to deal with nosy meddlers for some years now, much to Harry's amusement.
"Hey there," he said, towering over the bearded wizard who failed to hide the camera, "did your mother drop you on the head as a baby?"
"I'm his mother!" The lime witch screeched at once, her hand clutching her chest in disbelief.
Ron blinked at her and crossed his arms: "Well, did you?"
Hermione suppressed laughter and covered one side of her face as she turned to Harry: "Merlin, have mercy."
"You, young man, are preposterously rude!" The old hag continued, her wobbly cheeks shaking with astonishment.
"So are you lot," Ron said calmly, "we work here, we were having lunch and a private conversation, we're not on display for your entertainment at any given moment, so bugger off with your camera."
Without another word, Ron turned on his heel and walked back to Harry and Hermione, then wrapped an arm around each and escorted them out of the lunch hall.
Inside, Ron was seething, but his Auror training taught him how to contain his temper. Looking down at the polished dark-green tiles that covered the hall that led to the lifts, Ron was reminded exactly where he was and why it was important to remain calm. As they walked across the hall, another Magical Law department wizard waved Hermione aside and she gave Ron a quick kiss before she followed her colleague.
Harry waited until she was out of earshot before he turned to Ron: "So, why did she have to bring up Ginny? I tell her everything I tell you."
"I know, mate," Ron sighed, his eyes fixed on the green tiles once more.
"Then why does she keep egging me on?" Harry asked, nodding at a group of hit wizards in passing.
"Excuse me, is this your first day with Hermione Granger?" Ron laughed, glancing at Harry.
Harry groaned, then turned his head away from several giggling interns who were shamelessly staring at the two young Aurors walking past them in the hall. Seven years had passed - an entire Hogwarts generation, but wizards and witches still pointed and talked in hushed voices around them. Most days they ignored it, but some days it was tiresome.
Harry and Ron stepped into an empty lift, their backs against the wall, and fell silent; it was a habit they picked up when they started their Auror apprenticeship. You could learn a lot by observing and listening in the crowded lifts where Ministry officials were too preoccupied with their destinations to pay attention to the robe colors around them.
"I won't finish with these until next year's Halloween!" A much younger dark-haired wizard grunted, shoving himself and more scrolls than he could handle next to Ron. As soon as the lift moved almost all scrolls came tumbling down and Ron crouched to help him collect them.
"Your boss giving you a hard time?" Ron asked, handing him several bent scrolls.
"Honestly, she's a nightmare, she's - " The young wizard finally looked up from behind a small mountain of rolled-up parchments and his face was instantly drained of all color.
"Bossy?" Ron suggested, seeking confirmation in his dark brown eyes, now wide with shock.
"I-I-I didn't see you there, Auror Weasley, m-my apologies," the now pale wizard stammered as he frantically loaded the scrolls into his arms again.
"All good," Ron replied casually, stacking the last three law proposals under the wizard's nose. The lift stopped a moment later and Ron could tell that the horrified apprentice was eager to step off no matter where they had stopped.
"Don't worry, he won't tell her," Harry shouted after the boy as he scurried out, his robes fluttering behind him. Biting his lips, Harry gave Ron a pointed look.
"What? I like her bossy," Ron shrugged and leaned back against the wall next to Harry, "...especially - "
"Nope! Stop right there! I am already scarred for life," Harry interrupted, shoving Ron playfully before they both gave into childish horseplay of shoving and trying to get the other into a chokehold. They almost forgot themselves when the lift doors flung open at the next stop and they jumped apart, panting heavily and red from the necks up.
"Potter! Weasley! I see you've managed to squeeze in some Auror workout before tonight's stakeout."
"Sir," both men exclaimed, as they swept their foreheads with the back of their hands.
The balding middle-aged wizard had stepped into the center of the lift, his burly frame taking the space of two men. He narrowed his eyes at his most trouble-prone Aurors, disguising his admiration for the two war heroes as he always did.
"Quick briefing and off you pop. Need you fresh and alert tonight," Ashwood grunted, reaching for the handle above his head.
"Yes, sir," Harry and Ron nodded, their breathing coming back to normal, their eyes fixed on their superior.
"Does that mean no paperwork today, sir?" Ron asked hopefully after a minute of silence.
"It does, Weasley," Ashwood confirmed and Ron happily wiggled his eyebrows at Harry.
"Hope you lads have an uneventful night," Ashwood added as the three men stepped out of the lift and quietly walked across the narrow corridor leading to the Auror department.
Ron stretched his arms above his head until he heard the satisfying crack in his shoulders. Extensive Auror training surely helped his scarred arms regain their former strength, but his shoulders did go numb if he stayed in the same position for longer periods of time and the couch was a bad idea from the start. He had fallen asleep there instead of their comfy king-sized bed because he had been waiting for Hermione to come home. Glancing at the clock above the mantlepiece, Ron stood up and looked around the apartment. It was almost ten and Hermione still wasn't home. He conjured his patronus and was about to convey his message when the front door flung open, revealing a smiling Hermione.
"Hey sleepy-redhead," She chimed, stepping inside with a paper bag in each hand. The mouth-watering smell of Chinese take-out reached Ron's nose and he circled the couch to meet Hermione.
"I thought you were still at work," he said, taking the bags from her so she could take off her coat and boots.
"I got home around six, but you were snoring heavily and I didn't want to wake you. I decided to get you food before you left, knowing how grumpy you are on an empty stomach," she grinned, watching Ron unpack the bags on the kitchen counter.
"You know me so well, wi-... Love," Ron corrected himself, adding a small cough, hoping she didn't notice what he almost called her. He knew she was still adjusting to their new relationship dynamic, while he felt it was the most natural thing ever. Ron scolded himself internally and opened a box of noodles.
"Well, it's actually soon-to-be-wife," Hermione replied, wrapping her arms around his waist and nuzzling her head between his shoulder blades. Harry was right - the ring, the officiality of it wouldn't change what they already had, what they had been building ever since they finally admitted their feelings mid-battle. Even though Ron wanted it more than she did, Hermione suddenly realized that marrying him wouldn't feel as odd as she thought it might, because it was him. No matter the label, they were Ron and Hermione, and nothing could change that.
Ron slowly turned around in her embrace. When she looked up at him, Ron cocked an eyebrow, and mischief was written all over his face. He snaked his arms under hers and leaned down for a kiss, but before their lips met, Ron quickly grabbed her bum and lifted her up. Hermione let out a surprised yelp and found herself sitting on the counter next to the open noodle box a second later.
"Alright, soon-to-be-wife," he began - relishing in the moniker she had used for herself, pushing back her hair, and Hermione tilted her head to the other side instinctively, "I was thinking…"
"Yes?"
"About starting with dessert," he said trailing kisses from her earlobe, down her neck, his hands on her waist, playing with the hem of her black joggers.
"This time, and this time only - I will allow it," Hermione gasped as she felt his fingertips on the small of her back, pulling at her jumper. It was gone in one swift move, and Hermione found herself leaning into a kiss, her hands already tangled in his long locks. Hermione pulled back a moment later and eyed the food next to her.
"Shall we move dessert to the couch?"
"No fucking way," Ron smirked, kissing her neck again.
"Really, Ron?" Hermione sighed.
Without even looking up, Ron pulled out his wand from his back pocket and waved it over his head, sending the food dancing to the dining table.
"That's quite impressive," Hermione giggled as he pulled down her bra strap with his teeth.
"Wait until you see my next move," Ron countered, dropping his wand on the floor. The cockiest smile ever was plastered over his face and a single thought crossed Hermione's mind just before he pulled her to the edge and lowered his head to blow raspberries on her belly: This is pure happiness, and I want it forever.