Separate Worlds

Chapter One

"Good God, woman, it was only a kiss!" Ron Weasley yelled in frustration, banging his fist on the table. His unbuttoned dress shirt swayed a little, as if to dispute his claim.

"A kiss? Is that was you call it?" Hermione Weasley retorted. "If I had come back a few minutes later, you'd both be in that bed!" She gesticulated madly towards the cramped room they had designated as their bedroom, chest heaving due to her rapid breathing. Her husband sat back in his chair, astonished.

"Do you really believe that? Do you think that I'd stoop that low?"

"What do you expect, Ron?!" She knew she was losing control of herself but didn't care at the moment. "If you came in and saw me making love with someone on the living room floor-"

"We weren't making love!!!" He roared. He stood abruptly, running his hands agitatedly through his fiery red hair, mussing the neatly combed locks. "Why can't you get that through your head? I admit that kissing her was wrong, but I'd never cheat on you!" She looked up at him through angry slits of eyes and hair that, despite liberal application of Sleakeazy's Hair Tonic, began to curl into fluffiness.

"I don't know if I can believe you."

"Why not?" He asked, pacing the length of the living room, knocking over a glass of champagne that had been placed on the floor.

"THIS is why not!" She answered hotly, referring to the wicker picnic basket, stocked with (very expensive) delicacies and the very expensive bottle of the aforementioned bubbly.

"Look. I wasn't expecting her. She came over with all of this stuff, and well...I was missing you..."

"I've only been gone for a week! A week and you can't control your libido?! You just HAD to press yourself to the nearest female, is that what you're saying?" He eyed her, evidently hurt, and answered, "No, that's not what I meant, I was trying to say-"

"That's the trouble with you, Ron! You're always so confused! So immature!" She hurled at him, wishing he would just apologise and tell her that she was the most important thing in the world to him. She would forgive him, eventually. But Ron said none of these things as he warily crossed to her side of the floor and said,

"Come on, 'Mione...go to bed. I'll clean everything up for you. You're making a mistake, honestly-" Livid with anger (his conciliatory words had only refuelled her temper), she interrupted him, "The only mistake I ever made was deciding to marry YOU." He opened and closed his mouth several times, apparently at a loss for words before finally saying,

"That's a mistake we can easily correct." He strode towards the door, grabbing his cloak from the coat rack and slamming the door shut behind him.