Nothing Like Ron
Harry's arm was numb the next morning. He hadn't opened his eyes or put his glasses on, not quite yet. He was focused on the numbness in his arm, and for a moment he worried that it was some strange jet-lagged induced infliction that had caused it. He went to move it but found that it was firmly pinned under Hermione. She was still asleep for the moment, her face pressed against his chest. His heart began to race in anticipation, though he willed it to stop. She shifted her leg pinned between his. Heat rushed to his cheeks as he realized he was getting aroused with each passing second. He didn't want her to wake and pull away, but if he remained this close to her things were certainly going to happen between them. He knew he wanted to, but he couldn't be certain she would be ok with it.
`Until I am certain she would be ok with this, I am not doing anything,' Harry thought as she snuggled closer to him. Her breath tickled his chest a bit and he desired to taste her lips again.
"Hermione," Harry whispered wiggling a bit to jostle her awake.
"No, Harry, not yet," Hermione said with her eyes still closed. "Just a minute more, ok?"
"Yeah, ok," Harry said. He watched her smile slightly before she sighed and rolled away from him. They didn't say much of anything as they dressed their backs to each other. Harry wanted to peek, but he didn't dare look. If she caught him peeking, she'd blast him right back to the caves at Golden Valley.
`I am never going back there,' Harry thought as he buttoned his jeans. `I will have David send me my books or something.'
The two headed down to the kitchen for breakfast where Ron was already waiting, standing frozen to his spot in the doorway. He looked terrified, and the kitchen was filled with the tiny giggles that could scare no one. Hermione sighed frustrated and pushed past him. Harry peeked in the kitchen over Ron's shoulder to see large spiders crawling here and there. Harry shivered involuntarily.
"They are only Gigiluses, honestly Ron," Hermione snapped as she scooped a handful up off the table and dumped them out the open window. Harry pressed his way into the kitchen and helped her scoop the giggling spiders out the window.
"Yeah, honestly Ron," Harry parroted. Ron snorted at him as he entered the room.
"You wouldn't be so flippant if you had woke up to find that you were covered in them," Ron said as he opened the ice box looking for something to eat. "No roaches today?"
"They sleep in the day time, Ron, and really, it was one time," Hermione defended as she picked one off Ron when he had his back turned. Harry grinned as she made a face at him and chucked the final giggling spider out the window. "They are harmless."
"But, you knew I hated spiders, Hermione. Why'd you let them cover me?" Ron whined a moment before he threw himself into one of the chairs. He had a bucket of cold, week old chicken in his hand.
"They liked you, Ron," Hermione said. She made a face and shook her head. "I have been gone for more than a month. That can't still be good."
"I am sure it's fine," Ron said as he sniffed a piece of chicken that was looking a little soggy and gray. He retched and threw the chicken back into the bucket. Ron magicked it back into the ice box to let Hermione deal with it on her own time.
"Why don't we grab something to eat at the corner cafe?" Hermione suggested as she closed the window. Ron nodded and Harry followed the two of them out of the house.
"So, how long have you been divorced?" Harry asked casually as the three of them walked along the street. Hermione scowled but Ron smiled broadly.
"The lovely little witch just recently granted me my divorce," Ron said brightly. He jabbed his finger Hermione's way. "I filed two years ago, and she just now got around to signing her papers and getting them back. It finalized a month ago, and then she was gone."
"What took so long?" Harry asked curiously.
"Oh, nothing," Hermione lied. Harry raised his eyebrow at her blatant lie.
"Now, now, dear ex-wife, Harry is our very best friend, isn't he? He should know," Ron said maliciously. Harry regretted bring it up, and almost said so but curiosity got the better of him. "She thought that she could fix our marriage. She very nearly did, and then she went called your name out, and well, let's just say that was the last time she and I were together."
"I said I was sorry Ron," Hermione snapped at him.
"You know, I don't really need to know any of this," Harry mumbled as Hermione and Ron began bickering loudly on the side walk. Harry continued walking a few feet ahead of them when a car slammed on its breaks, changing course and heading right toward Hermione and Ron. Harry saw the car, heading at a break-neck speed, but the two were oblivious. Harry ran at them and dove, the three of them rolling out of harms way.
"What the hell!" Ron asked gasping for air at the force of Harry's tackle. Harry jerked out his wand and pointed at the little old man who stumbled from the car.
"S-sorry," the old crippled man mumbled. "I don' know what `appened to ol' Bessie `ere. You ok, right?"
"We are fine," Hermione said as she brushed the dirt from her jeans. Ron, Harry, and Hermione continued down the street to the cafe. They stopped and Hermione looked back to where the old, crippled man was just to find that he and his car were gone. Hermione frowned but they headed inside to order coffee and Danishes. The three took a table by the window.
"Thanks, Harry," Ron said with his mouth full of food. Hermione looked away in disgusted but Harry nodded. "If it weren't for you, I'd have been road kill and that would have really put a damper on my sex life, if you know what I mean."
Harry smiled politely as Ron jabbed him in the ribs with his elbow. Hermione was fuming from her side of the table, not want to hear the details of Ron's life now that he had moved on from Hermione. She hadn't moved on, but then again, she never really moved on from anyone. She certainly didn't want to hear about Harry's escapades while he was abroad. It was enough for her to know that he hadn't married and that he didn't have any kids. The rest was irrelevant in her eyes. She hoped he felt the same.
"You are thinking about Malfoy, aren't you?" Ron asked with a sinister smile on his face.
"Malfoy?" Harry asked. Ron's smile turned smug as heat visibly rose in Hermione's face, her cheeks pink and flushed.
"She hasn't told you?" Ron taunted mercilessly.
"Not yet, Ron, you git," Hermione said through gritted teeth.
"Told me what?" Harry asked curiously.
"She and Malfoy," Ron said making a face of pure disgust.
"What?!" Harry exclaimed. He looked at Hermione horrified. She neither confirmed nor denied anything, just continued to stir her tea. "You and Malfoy did what?"
"Nothing," Hermione said flatly.
"Nothing my arse," Ron said hotly. He pointed at her. "Don't believe her for a second. She still presumes innocence in all this. She was working late at the lab with Malfoy and he came on to her, and she didn't tell him no, if you know what I'm saying."
"That's not true," Hermione said quickly. Her temper flared. "I told him I was married. Damn, he knew. He was there."
"Always after the pretty Quidditch players, aren't you?" Ron taunted. "You had Krum, check. Me, check-check, almost had Harry, half a check for you there, my dear, and then… ta-da! You and Malfoy, fucking in the lab without a care that your dear, sweet, innocent husband was at home waiting."
Hermione snorted and laughed with this, her laughter cruel. "Innocent my arse, Ron. I am not stupid. I know about the affair with that hot little nymphomaniac in the Misuse of Magic department. What was her name? Calais? Diriment?"
"Her name was Kate," Ron said flustered.
"Yeah, well I knew about her," Hermione said quickly. Harry excused himself silently and headed to the restroom to wash his face. He didn't want to hear his two best friends tear each other apart. He loved them both, as wrong as they may have been, and he would have given anything to have been there at their wedding. What in the hell had happened to life when he left?
`I bet the book would say something like- his top two advisors kept proving to the prince all the more reason not to trust them, or something like that,' Harry thought without laughter as he dried his face. He wondered if the battle was over, and who had won. He didn't dare poke his head out and peek, though, so he waited and read the funny little saying written all along the walls. One stood out from all the others, though it was no more intrusive:
He is watching you, and he will come to you soon. Be ready.
"What a weird thing," Harry said as the hair on the back of his neck stood on end. He shivered and pushed his way back into the cafe. Ron was gone and Hermione was crying over her tea. Harry sat down and patted her shoulder.
"It'll be ok," Harry said soothingly.
"I screwed up so badly," Hermione said. Harry couldn't disagree.
"You still have me," Harry said positively as he shoved a bunch of paper napkins into her hand. Hermione nodded and smiled at him with teary eyes. Harry scooted his chair closer to her and lowered his voice. "We all make mistakes, Hermione, even you the brightest and talented witch of our time. We learn from the mistakes and move on. Ron seems to have moved on, so maybe now should you."
Harry hugged her tightly, and he could feel her fingers pressing into his flesh firmly. It was all new experiences. Before he had a fling here and there to occupy his time, now he had this very attractive woman gripping on to him in such a way that he desired to kiss her. He contemplated it, a kiss. There faces were already so close, he could practically taste her on his lips; he could practically feel her tongue snaking in to his mouth, their tongues caressing. It felt so perfect and so real. Harry opened his eyes to see her eyes wide with surprise.
"I am so sorry," Harry said as he pulled away. He had kissed her. Heat rose to his own cheeks as he settled back with an uncertain grin.
"Harry, I don't know what to say," Hermione said in shock. She fought against the pleased smile that threatened to consume her face. Harry smiled and shrugged.
"Nothing has changed for me," Harry said. Hermione grinned.
"I wouldn't necessarily say that," Hermione said biting her lip, biting back laughter. "You are so much bigger than you were when you left."
"Hey," Harry said patting his firm stomach. "I gained like five pounds. Shoot me."
"That's not what I meant," Hermione said laughing. "I guess you working in the mine for the last six years had really defined your chest." She blushed.
"Ah, well, yeah," Harry grinned as he scratched his chest slightly embarrassed. "Manual labor will do that to you. I am not too big, am I?"
"Nah," Hermione said blushing. She turned her head to suppress the smile on her face. She pulled herself together and turned back to him. "Look, I would be more than happy to sitting around and kiss you. But so much has changed since you have been gone and right now, we need to keep our heads straight about why you are back."
"Teddy, right," Harry said nodding. He knew she was right. She was always right. The two stood and headed out of the cafe back to Hermione's house. Ron was sitting gloomily on the steps.
"Back?" Hermione asked with her arms cross.
"Yeah, and your stupid door won't let me in now," Ron said as he crossed his own arms. He looked like a spoiled child when he did it compared to Hermione, who just looked annoyed.
"What did it ask you?" Hermione asked curiously.
"It didn't," Ron said. "It just moaned and quaked."
"Damn it," Hermione swore, running up the stairs to the door. Wand drawn, she tapped on it. The door struggled weakly to speak.
"Friend or foe?" It moaned softly.
"Friend, door, as always," Hermione whispered to the door. "Who has been in the house since we have left?"
"Mr. Malfoy," the door whimpered.
"Oh, god," Hermione said. "Open, door!"
"Who was your first love?" the door asked. Hermione leaned forward, her mouth nearly touching the door, and whispered something unheard by Ron or Harry.
"C-correct," the door shuddered as it dissolved away again. This time, it did not have the strength to re-establish itself and the hole in the wall remained. Hermione, Ron, and Harry walked into the house in a state of shock. Where Harry had felt his world turned upside down, they were just confused by the state of Hermione's house.
"I don't understand," Hermione said as she looked around. They hadn't been gone more than half an hour, the house just couldn't have been this dramatically changed in less than half an hour.
"I don't either," Ron murmured. He looked around. "I don't think I have ever seen this house look so…"
"Clean?" Hermione asked in near hysterics. The house was clean, scrubbed from ceiling to floor, the wood polished bright the painted surfaces fresh. It looked like a brand new home, completely with shiny fixtures. The chandelier in the front foyer was replace to an ornate thing with crystals that reflected rainbows.
"Wow, I wish someone would break into my place and clean it up," Ron murmured as he looked around. Harry saw a not tacked to the new refrigerator, which Ron had determined was stocked with lots of new food.
"Look, Hermione," Harry said as he took the note and handed it to her.
He is coming soon, so be ready.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Hermione asked as she looked around her kitchen.
"I don't know, but it seems familiar," Harry said as he looked at it. He had seen the same handwriting in the restroom at the cafe. Hermione looked at him fearfully. "This seems so… Draco," Hermione moaned. "He was always trying to do nice things for me. He must know you are in town, but how could he have found out where I lived? I moved after the fact, the house is in someone else's name, and it has the Fidelus Charm on it. Only a secret keeper could tell, and we are the only three who have the knowledge."
"Don't look at me," Ron said quickly. "I don't even like this place, well I didn't until it got cleaned up. I wouldn't have told, and anyways Malfoy and I don't run exactly in the same social scene."
"I-I think it might have been me," Harry said slowly. "I think I might have lost the paper you gave me."
"And you are just now telling me?" Hermione snapped. She pulled him and Ron upstairs to gather some things. "We can't stay here, now. It's not safe. Ron, we will be staying at your place whether you like it or not, and it better be clean otherwise I will curse you a hypocrite."
"Ah, I will meet you there then," Ron said quickly as he headed back down the stairs, leaving Hermione and Harry alone in the bedroom.
"Hermione, I am sorry," Harry said as he placed his hands on her shoulders.
"You should have told me sooner, Harry. The minute you realized, because we have been in danger since that moment," Hermione chastised.
"If he knows where I am and wants me dead, wouldn't he have come and done it already?" Harry charged quietly. "I don't think he wants me dead."
"Harry, you don't know what Draco wants," Hermione said as she went to turn away.
"But I think you do," Harry said. Hermione looked up at him with a little fear in her eyes. She didn't say anything to him. Harry took it as confirmation. He shook his head, dropping his arms from her. "You know, I really do love you Hermione. I wish you would be more honest with me."
Harry grabbed his bag and his book, heading downstairs. Hermione heard the door to the bedroom slam and every single loud step on the stairs. Each one drilled an icy cold spike into her heart. She sat down on the edge of her bed, tears flowing down her face. She hadn't been honest, no. Hermione wiped the tears from her eyes and stood. She gathered her stuff and headed down the stairs after Harry.
`One of these days, you are going to have to tell him the truth, the whole truth,' Hermione said to her self as she glanced at her reflection in the mirror by the front door. Harry must have magicked it.
"Hermione, you succeeded!" A cold cruel voice echoed the door slamming before she could exit. Hermione knew that voice and she turned but was slow in drawing her wand. She fell lifelessly to the floor with a large thump.
-->