Sacrifice

~ o ~ o ~

Ron sighed and took a deep breath. "In my own stupid way, what I'm trying to say is ... why don't we find somewhere to live together, just the two of us?"

"What! Oh, Ron, I, er, ... I don't know what to say, I just wasn't expecting that."

"Well, that's a first!"

"Are you being serious, Ron?"

"Totally serious, Hermione. Don't you like the idea?"

Hermione finished her drink slowly and then replied, "I'm not sure. I mean yes, I like the idea in theory, one day, but it's a big step and I wonder what our parents would think."

"Ah, I hadn't really thought about your parents."

Ron paused, then resumed more enthusiastically, "But I know my Mum and Dad approve of you and -"

"Ron! You haven't talked to them already, have you? I can't believe -"

At that moment Beryl approached with another tray in her hands.

"I trust you enjoyed your appetisers? Here are some more drinks and your main courses."

Carefully she moved the empty oval dish to one side and put a huge plate down in front of Ron, saying, "Extra-large venison sausage, roast potatoes, red cabbage and carrots. And for you, madam, fillet of prime Angus beef with a jacket potato and green beans." She dropped a slightly smaller plate onto the table near Hermione.

"Is that OK for you, Hermione?" asked Ron worriedly.

"Yes, yes, that's fine," replied Hermione dismissively as Beryl cleared away the used plates and glasses.

"Good. Enjoy your meals," said Beryl as she started to walk back towards the kitchen area.

Ron sighed again. "I thought you liked a good steak from time to time, Hermione. But you could always have a nibble of my big sausage."

Hermione dissolved into a brief coughing fit, but recovered after Ron slapped her on the back and she had some of her drink. They both took a mouthful of their food, then Hermione turned to Ron with a determined look.

"OK, Ron, leaving aside what our parents might think of us living together, do you really think we could afford it?"

"Well, we could probably only manage a flat to start with, but we'll both be earning reasonable money and we could save for something bigger. I mean, we'll soon need a proper house, won't we?"

"Why? I suppose it would be nice to have a spare room for visitors, but a cosy little flat would do."

"But, but ... what about the kids?"

"Kids!? Hold on a minute, we haven't even started living together yet! And anyway you don't even like children. I remember the way you treated some of those poor first and second year students."

"But it will be different if they are our kids. It'll be great!"

Hermione appeared rather angry. "Ron, did you stop for even a minute to ask yourself whether I actually want children? I've got several excellent job offers including one from the Department of Mysteries, so I'm not about to start popping out babies."

"Oh," was all Ron could mutter in reply. He looked completely crestfallen.

The couple continued eating their meal in silence, occasionally looking up to admire the rapidly-changing view through the window as the sun set over the ocean. Having finished his food, Ron slurped the rest of his drink noisily and glanced sideways at Hermione. She had also finished and was contemplating her fingernails. Ron was just plucking up the courage to say something when Beryl appeared at his shoulder.

"Here we are, you pair, the final part of our special menu for two."

The waitress cleared away their dinner things and then gave them each another drink and a heart-shaped chocolate mousse topped with a strawberry.

Ron and Hermione both sampled a bite of the mousse and couldn't help smiling at each other; it was deliciously rich, definitely the equal of Honeydukes' finest. Ron took a large gulp from his drink and reached somewhat nervously for Hermione's hand.

"Please Hermione, can't we at least consider it? I can't wait to have kids with you and you'll be a great mother. Loads of wizards have children soon after they leave Hogwarts. We can do other stuff later, while we're still relatively young."

"Ron, I want to do 'other stuff' first, such as work and travel. We can have a family later when we are more mature and financially stable."

"But I don't want to be a geriatric father. And besides, Mum would be thrilled; can you imagine how she'll spoil her grandchildren?"

"I'm just not ready for that, Ron. I do want to be with you, but -"

"I've been dreaming about this for ages and -"

"It's an attractive dream, but right now that's all it is. As much as I love you, you are not going to dictate the entire course of my life for me."

"But Hermione, -"

"No buts, Ron. If we're going to be partners for life, then that's what it must be - a partnership. We have to discuss things together, then do what's best."

"You mean we'll do what you dec-" muttered Ron under his breath.

Hermione was becoming more agitated and exclaimed loudly, "Ron! I thought we agreed that we were going to stop this bickering. Why do -"

"Shh ..."

Once again the waitress was coming towards them at an inopportune moment. She had an odd look on her face as she rested her hands on the backs of their chairs.

"It's probably none of my business, but I couldn't help overhearing you. I've seen plenty of couples in my time as a waitress. It's obvious that you are in love but you need some time to discuss your future. How would you like to borrow my holiday cottage? I sometimes rent it out to tourists, but it's empty this month. It's the only house on a nearby small island and I've made it Unplottable so you certainly won't be disturbed. How does thirty Galleons for the week sound?"

"Hmm, that seems like a good idea," said Ron thoughtfully. "We could take a few days to talk everything over, maybe discuss it all 'logically'?"

"I'm not sure," replied Hermione. "What would the others say?"

"Can't we do something for ourselves for once?"

"There's already some food there and I can bring more over from the restaurant when you need it," Beryl added.

"Great!" enthused Ron.

Beryl continued, "And it's near some ancient standing stones with pre-Celtic runes."

"Oh, alright then, let's be a bit rebellious," agreed Hermione.

Ron and Hermione rose to their feet. Both staggered slightly and steadied themselves by grabbing hold of each other. They paid Beryl for the meal and the cottage and shook hands with her. They were surprised to find that all the other customers had left the restaurant without them noticing.

"I have to close up now," announced Beryl. "You can use our fire to Floo home for whatever you need. I'll see you back here in about twenty minutes."

~ o ~ o ~

On their return to the Burrow, Ron and Hermione found it even more deserted than The Seal and Stag. There were two notes on the old wooden table in the kitchen. The first was from Ron's parents, announcing that they had been invited out to dinner with some high-ranking Ministry officials.

"Boring!" commented Ron.

The second message was from Harry and Ginny to say that they would be back later after visiting Dudley in hospital. Hermione called Crookshanks, but he was presumably out hunting, as he did not reappear.

"Typical," Ron exclaimed. "We could have stayed at home and been on our own after all."

"Oh, come on Ron, I've had a lovely evening so far. You're right - we should make the most of this opportunity," replied Hermione with a smile.

They hurried upstairs and each packed a small bag. Then they left a note on the table with the other messages:

Dear Mum, Dad, Ginny & Harry,

We're going on holiday for a few days!

Don't worry, we'll be in touch soon.

Love from Ron & Hermione.

They used the Floo network to return to The Seal and Stag and were met by Beryl, who was now wearing a travelling cloak.

"Are you all ready to go?"

"Are we going to apparate there?" asked Ron.

"No. You haven't been there before, and besides I think you've both had more than enough to drink this evening," Beryl replied. "It's only five minutes' broom ride, around the headland out of sight of the village. Come on, you can follow me on a couple of my old brooms."

They soon landed in front of a low stone cottage with green painted shutters. Hermione's complexion matched the paintwork; she had not enjoyed the flight. The sign on the door read, 'Pinguicula Cottage'.

"That's an unusual name," Hermione commented unsteadily. "I can't quite place it ..."

"Sounds like something to do with penguins. There aren't any around here, are there?" asked Ron merrily.

"Don't be silly, Ron - penguins only live in the southern hemisphere. Where are those stones you mentioned, Beryl?"

"I'll show you in a minute. The standing stones are behind the house; you can see them from the lounge. I promise you'll have plenty of time to look at them later."

Beryl pulled open the heavy wooden door, which opened outwards. She showed them around: there were two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a rather compact kitchen next to a spacious lounge.

"Just look at view from here ..." announced Beryl.

"Wow, it's a bit dark now, but from what I can make out, this looks even better than from the restaurant!" Hermione exclaimed. "Oh, and I can see the stones just over there!"

"Fabulous. Maybe we should get somewhere like this ..." commented Ron.

"Ron!" retorted Hermione, hitting him on the arm almost playfully.

Beryl walked back to the front door and pulled out a stubby-looking wand.

"What do you need that for?" asked Ron curiously.

"I just need to activate a Muggle repelling charm for you."

Beryl waved her wand: the door glowed green and some runes appeared in the stone frame around it. She stepped through the doorway and it immediately glowed red.

"And now I shall say goodbye, for ever! I could have taken you by surprise and perhaps even killed one of you, but this is more fun," she cackled. "My father is in Azkaban, thanks to you two. You're a disgrace to the true wizarding world, you -"

Before Beryl could finish her sentence Ron had both pulled out his wand and yelled, "Stupefy!" However, his spell fizzled out in sparks at the doorway.

"It's no good, Muggle lover, you're trapped!" she spat. "This cottage is now covered by curses including an anti-Disapparation jinx and an Impeturbable spell. The layers are sealed and locked with an unusual Singleton Charm inscribed by my father himself."

"A Singleton Charm?" Hermione queried.

"Yes, you filthy Mudblood," sneered Beryl. "That means the lock will only release when there is just one person remaining in the house. In order to escape, one of you will have to kill the other. Or of course you could just wait until one of you dies. The Dark Lord himself used our humble cottage more than once when testing the resolve of would-be Death Eaters."

"You tricked us, you lying b-" cried Ron.

"I wasn't lying about the food, about the repelling charm or about the house being Unplottable. No one will ever find you. Who knows, you might even last more than a week if Weasley can restrain his gluttonous appetite. Do enjoy your romantic little holiday!"

Beryl slammed the door and disapparated with a loud crack.

Ron hurled himself at the doorway, but bounced back from an invisible barrier without even making contact. Hermione hurried to the front door to inspect the runes. She seemed puzzled at first. Meanwhile Ron rushed in and out of each of the rooms.

"I've checked the perimeter," he said on his return. He was panting for breath and had a blackened arm and face. "There's no escape - the windows, back door and roof are all sealed, looks like an Impeturbable. We can't even blast our way out, I tried that and Alohomora too."

Hermione's eyes widened and her jaw dropped. She turned to Ron and said in a horrified voice, "I've deciphered those runes and she's absolutely right. There is no way out of this house unless one of us dies."

~ o ~ o ~

Author's Note

Pinguicula is a family of carnivorous plants. For example, Pinguicula grandiflora is the Large-flowered Butterwort, which is native to the British Isles.