High Dudgeon or the Love Affairs of Hermione Granger

A Golden Hour or the Love Affairs of Hermione Granger

Part IV

Summer after Sixth Year~

The day was drawing to a close, and my grateful feet were propped up on a settee in the Weasleys' living room. Gifts were strewn here and there, and my carefully wound hair was falling out of its knot. I scratched at a spot on my white silk gown where one of Fred and George's Whiz-Bangs had singed it. I was relieved to escape the party. I had gotten up early to help Mrs. Weasley prepare for the dinner after Bill and Fleur's nuptials. Ron and I had been enjoying the privilege of being able to perform magic this summer, now that we had come of age.

As I sat there, I wished I knew a spell to ease the pain in my feet from dancing and socializing and cooking all day long. I stood up and walked outside again, wondering what the others were doing.

Ron was sitting aside from the others, watching Harry and Ginny dancing along with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Bill and Fleur, Remus and Tonks. I sat down next to him. He was glancing at the dancers thoughtfully, and then he suddenly turned to face me. His hair was disheveled from the heat of the day, his cheeks flushed.

"Hermione, I was wondering if -"

"You aren't going to ask me to dance, are you?" I grimaced.

"No, I wasn't, I -"

"Oh, good," I said thinking of my feet. He laughed a little. Then he stood up.

"Come with me," he implored.

"Where? Ron, we've got to stay and help your mum clean up!"

"Oh, they won't notice we've gone -they're all too busy...." he motioned towards them. I glanced at them a little enviously. Ron was looking at me impatiently. He had unbuttoned his shirt underneath his blue robes. I gave in and winced as I stood up. The shoes Fleur had conjured for Ginny and me weren't exactly comfortable, but she assured us that they were all the rage in Paris. I couldn't resist anything Parisian, so I put up with them.

Ron was already a good fifteen paces ahead of me, when he turned around to see where I had got to.

"Come on, it's perfect!" He stopped as he waited for me to catch up.

"I'd like to see you stand all day in these!" I pointed at my feet.

"Take them off, then," he smiled at the prospect of me trudging around in stocking feet. He waited as I took off the shoes. Now as I walked next to him, I asked him where he was taking me.

"You'll see," was all he said. We marched to the top of a hill on their property, and I looked questioningly at Ron, as I struggled to catch my breath.

"Look," he said, turning me around by my arm. I gasped as I saw the whole of Ottery St. Catchpole, sprawled out amongst innumerable trees that went on for miles, ending in moors that skirted the outline of the view like the edge of a quilt. I could see the wedding party still gathered in Ron's backyard, and I spied the hill where we climbed to find the Portkey that morning when we journeyed to the World Cup. I turned around to face Ron. He was a few paces away but walking slowly toward me with a faint smile on his face. Soon, he was right next to me, and he snaked an arm around my waist. I gasped a little in surprise, and when I looked into his eyes, I was impelled to move toward him, breathing faster. We were inches away -

"Oh, hello," said a dreamy voice behind us. We separated quickly, as though nothing had happened, to see Luna Lovegood traipsing up the other side of the hill.

"Luna? What are you doing here?" Ron asked in a demanding, annoyed tone. I moved farther away from Ron.

"I heard music and thought I'd investigate. I didn't really expect you to remember that I lived right on the other side of the hill. I suppose I've interrupted your kissing?" she stared blankly from one of us to the other. Ron had turned bright red and looked at me imploringly.

"The music came from the party just down the hill," I told her. "Ron's brother Bill got married to Fleur Delacour. I suppose you remember her from the Triwizard?" Luna nodded.

"Well, I suppose Ginny is down there as well. I'll just go and say hello." She marched off down the hill, and after a moment of looking at each other, both Ron and I bolted after her.

"She wouldn't say anything - would she?" he gasped, and as we glanced at each other, we raced down the hill.

"I wouldn't put it past her to just let it slip out accidentally," I gasped.

We made it back down to the party just as Luna was saying hello to Harry and Ginny. Not a single guest failed to look at the pair of us, red-faced and sweaty as we ran up on either side of Luna. Harry recovered first, grinning a bit.

"Where have you two been?" he asked.

"Oh, they were just up on the hill -" Luna began.

"We remembered suddenly that Luna lived here as well, and we wanted to go and invite her to come visit with us," I spoke rapidly. Luna simply gazed from one of us to the other. I tried to attract Tonks' attention by waving rapidly over Harry and Ginny's heads as they turned to glance up the hill. She squinted back at me. I gave Ron a meaningful stare and said, "You'll excuse me for a moment, won't you?" as I sidled off to talk to Tonks. I ran up to her imploringly desperate.

"Tonks, quick - I need you to modify Luna's memory."

"Wot?" she asked thickly, clearly stunned.

"Please, Tonks! It won't hurt anything, and a lot is riding on this... for me, I mean... personally. Just make her forget what she saw on the hilltop!"

"So this is where you and Ron got off to, is it?" she asked slyly. I looked up at her with a pleading expression. "Alright then, I'll do it - but on one condition - you have to tell me all the gory details," she winked at me. I was covered - nothing serious had actually happened. She deftly pointed her wand at Luna, whispered something and waited for a blank expression to come across Luna's face. It wasn't easy to recognize - Luna's face simply went from dreamy and out of it, to completely out of it. I hugged Tonks, whispered - "Something almost happened," and ran off.

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

That evening, we all sat around a fire in the Weasley's kitchen and relaxed. Ron and I were avoiding looking at one another. I knew that if I so much as glanced at him, I wouldn't be able to resist it any longer. Mrs. Weasley bustled into the kitchen, looking resigned.

"Fred, George, Charlie... I know I'm going to live to regret this, but you'll be in charge of the house for a while. Your father and I are traveling with Bill and Fleur on their honeymoon. Fleur suggested it," she said at a questioning look from the men in the room, "and I thought it was a grand idea for us to have a bit of a vacation. So, I'm putting Charlie in charge here, and you're all to behave. The aurors are still keeping watch. In fact it was Tonks who convinced me that it was safe enough to travel... Right, then, we're off. There's plenty of leftovers, of course, and don't stay up too late!" she scolded, and goodbyes were said.

As soon as they had left, Charlie stood up and cleared his throat.

"Ahem... Now that those four are off, I expect each and every one of you to follow my commands. As my first act of duty, I command each of you... to do whatever the bloody hell you want!" he bellowed. Fred and George set off a series of loud whoops that eventually led to a suggestion of midnight Quidditch in the garden. Harry, Ginny, Fred, George and Charlie each ran out to grab their broomsticks from the shed, but Ron backed off, saying he ate some rotten quail eggs. Nobody had asked me why I wasn't playing, so I went to talk to Ron instead, breathing a sigh of relief.

As soon as I got in the door, Ron started laughing.

"I thought we were done for when Luna started talking about how she saw us up there, you know."

"I thought so too," I said, staring out the window at the lot of them. "It would have been a shame if we were done for when we haven't exactly... begun, wouldn't it?" I turned around to look at him, amazed at my own bravery.

Ron was red again. "Hermione, I know I haven't acted like it... I've been a complete prat most of the time, but I think I've fancied you since -"

"Fourth year, I know," I finished for him.

"I never thought you... What with Krum, and then McLaggen, I just lost track."

"Ron," I said, square with him, barely six inches away, "I haven't truly liked anyone but you since third year," I told him.

The moment before he kissed me seemed to take an eternity. There was nothing hasty about it, and I rather liked it. Krum was trying to catch me off guard, and wanted to snog whenever we were alone, that bothered me. McLaggen was drunk and forceful, which disgusted me. Ron took his time, and I suppose so did I. The pressure we put on each other steadily grew stronger until Ron's dress shirt couldn't stand the tension anymore. That was the first thing to come off. My tank top was decided to be an obstruction, so that had to go as well. All of the kissing I had done before this melted away in comparison, as my flesh touched his, and sent my spine shivering. He moved his fingers up and down my back and I trembled. He was taking off other clothes now, and I remembered last summer when I had stumbled upon him in a compromising state. Every part of me seemed to let go, every muscle relaxed that wasn't trembling as I found myself on his bed, half dressed. Moving faster, forgetting all about the cares of the world, all inhibitions, this was Ron - Ron loved me. The world no longer seemed pointless and depressing as I felt his weight on top of me, showing me the door into a whole new world.

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

"Do you know what I think?" he asked me later that night.

"What's that?" I asked curling myself into the crook of his arm and tracing my finger along his torso.

"This entire house is gonna need its memory modified tomorrow morning."

"I don't see why," I told him after laughing for a long while. "We both have most of our clothes on, and they all know I'm too responsible to let a prat like you make a move without consulting me first..." He playfully shoved me, but it ended up in him kissing me again.

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

The household awoke the next morning to find Fred and George passed out in a heap over the kitchen table, Charlie sprawled out on the sofa, a butterbeer in one hand and a plunger in the other, Harry and Ginny lying in each other's arms in a chair near the fireplace, and Ron and me, half dressed in Ron's bed, arms and legs everywhere, as we were the first to wake up. I wondered if we ever went to sleep.

I managed to creep back into Ginny's room without a soul noticing, and I was able to sink into a pleasant sleep before Ginny crept back in a half an hour later.

"Good morning, Ginny," I told her sweetly as I sat up in bed.

"Good morning, Hermione," she said equally innocently. I smiled at her and she winked back at me. There would be no need to modify any more memories in the Weasley household - the memories were too precious to lose.

By the time everyone woke up around noon, we all seemed remarkably composed and collected in comparison with the events of last night. Fred and George retired to their room clutching their heads and moaning, Charlie asked each of us in turn if we knew why he was holding a plunger, and Harry and Ginny casually avoided each other's eyes. Ron came down after I did, and gazed at me with a smile that made me want to kiss him in front of everyone. I restrained myself instead and made tea. I stepped out into the yard and gazed at all the chaos - gnomes dizzily finding their way back to their holes, broomsticks strewn here and there among bottles of butterbeer and gardening tools.

I heard a step behind me, and turned to see Ron approaching me. Looking at him I felt like I was coming home. I never felt that way even when I was coming home. The only safe place for me now was with Ron. He wrapped an arm around me.

"What are we going to do now, Miss Know-It-All?" he asked kissing the crook of my neck. I couldn't answer. There were too many conflicting emotions inside of me. After awhile I told him -

"I'm with you, wherever you're going," I told him. I had never believed in anything more in my life.

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

It was a sad occasion, packing up all our things from the Burrow a few days later. The wedding party still hadn't returned from France yet, but Harry thought it was time we got going. I was slightly anticipating the trip to Harry's aunt and uncle's house. They were Muggles as well, and I was desperately curious to see how bad they really were. I was prepared for the worst, but thought I could manage it.

Ron came into Ginny's room, just as the last of my books was being tucked safely away into my bag.

"Are all those really necessary?" he asked leaning in the doorway and frowning at the accumulating stack.

"If you want to find the Horcruxes, I'd say that they were necessary, yes." I smiled over my shoulder at him. I sat down on Ginny's bed and sighed. "Why can't we just stay in this moment forever?" I asked him. He approached me on the bed.

"More important things to do," he said, killing it.

I nodded my head in resigned agreement nevertheless.

"I'm glad we're going with him," I said. "I couldn't have stayed home and let him go out there alone," I rubbed Ginny's pillow affectionately. It was tear-stained, because although Ginny did her best to put on a brave face for the world, I would still hear her at night, sobbing with violence. I placed my hand on Ron's knee.

"I love you," I said quietly, "and I don't care who knows it."

He nodded, stood up, and walked to the door. I was slightly hurt that he hadn't returned the sentiment. He turned around and walked back to me, as though he had hesitated before. He bent down, kissed me, and whispered half-scared, half-relieved, "I think I love you too... Can't see why I would, but-" I punched him, and he laughed, walking out of the room.

What I had fought with and longed for during four long years had finally been resolved and with great satisfaction. I had learned something along the way, though. I learned to be honest with myself and with others. Telling Viktor to let me alone, and holding my ground with McLaggen had given me a lot of confidence in the area of romance, so even though it was horrible, at least I had learned something from it. Now I had gotten my wish, and was following my heart, and I wasn't planning on going anywhere anytime soon. It has been impossible for me not to love such an insensitive wart as Ron is.

Standing up, I looked out the window and admired the path that brought me here. It was bumpy, and full of unexpected twists, but worth every second.