Weasley, Ron Weasley

Chapter 5: Just Like Old Times

After I dropped the bodies of Malfoy and Blaise unceremoniously at Sirius' feet, talked briefly to Harry and Ginny, and reassured my parents that I wasn't dead, I went to our arranged meeting place. It was a small inn on an island in the Mediterranean where we had begun our relationship all those many years ago.

I found her pacing the room when I arrived. She had showered and changed, and was now in a very attractive bathing suit top and colorful sarong. Her hair was down in waves and she had a red flower tucked behind one ear.

As I entered, she turned and started to say, "Ron--"

I stopped her mouth with mine. It felt so good to be kissing her again. A voice in my mind was saying, 'This is Hermione. I'm kissing Hermione.' It felt wonderful.

After a few minutes she pushed me away and sat, or fell rather, onto the bed. She sighed.

"I won't deny that it's lovely to kiss you, Ron, but we can't do this."

I sat down next to her. "Oh? Why not?" My breath was tickling her ear.

She pushed me away. "Stop that. It would never work. Our jobs for one..."

"So transfer back to England. I've missed you."

"I've missed you too," she moaned, "but it would never work!"

"Why not?" I asked, pulling her close to me. She tried to resist, but I refused to let go.

"Besides the fact that we argue constantly? I can't let anyone know what I do, Ron. It's part of my job description. And you have your own job to do. How can we make a life out of that? Ron, we're dreaming if we think this can work. And I can't trust you."

I backed off right there. "Can't trust me? When have I ever given you a reason not to trust me? If anything I should be the one not to trust you!"

She turned to me, her big brown eyes filled with tears. "See? There's doubt between us, Ron. And there always will. What happens the first time you get an assignment that involves hurting me? Would you do it?"

"Are you insane?" I cried. "I'd never hurt you!"

"You already have," she murmured softly. I didn't quite hear it.

"Look, I'm not saying you have to marry me, or anything, but can we have a pleasant holiday together at least? I think we deserve that much."

I kissed her, so hard I started seeing stars. I couldn't help myself, I had missed her. She was everything that was missing from my hundred or so causal relationships. I didn't even mind her acid tongue or her criticisms. I was falling hard all over again.

When she pulled away, she gently touched the cut above my eye and I winced.

"You're injured all over," she scolded. "Let me help you."

I submitted to her ministrations and felt much better once she was finished. There wasn't time to finish the discussion however because I fell asleep immediately.

* * *

By the third day, I knew that I was an idiot.

I tell you, there were parts of me that still hated the woman. I couldn't trust her, not really. I loved her, but I also hated her. We were a dissimilar pair, like two socks that didn't match. I often wore mismatched socks, but still, sometimes you want socks that match.

I wasn't sure what was wrong with her, but my nasty jealous side wondered if she was harboring lingering feelings for Malfoy. I couldn't forget the way she had said 'Draco' that last time.

She was playing a part, that was what Hermione did. I don't think that anyone had ever known the real Hermione. When we were in school she played the part of the little smart girl. Devoted to school, brave and clever, that was the part she played.

Now she was playing another sort of part, attempting to cover up something. I didn't know what it was, but I was going to find out.

I cornered her in the bathroom. Not the most romantic place, to be sure, but it would serve the purpose.

"Hermione, we have to talk."

"About what, Ron?" she asked innocently.

"About whatever it is you're hiding."

"Hiding?" The familiar gleam of Hurricane Hermione was in her eyes. "I'm not hiding anything."

"Then stop playing games, Hermione. Are you harboring feelings for Draco Malfoy?"

She stopped dead in her tracks. For a minute I thought she was crying, until I realized she was shaking with laughter.

"No!" she cried between the laughs. "You really are daft aren't you? I don't give a damn about Malfoy. I care about you! But you're such a moron that you just don't get it!"

"I don't get what?" I shouted back. "That I can't trust you? That you've done nothing but lie to me? And stolen from me? What is it that I'm not getting, Hermione?"

"That I'm afraid to start a relationship with you! Can I trust you to be faithful?"

"Trust me to be faithful?" I repeated. "What sort of man do you take me for?"

"I heard what Blaise said," she said angrily, her lips quivering. "Don' t tell me you didn't sleep with her!"

I started laughing and she swatted me. "It isn't funny," she insisted. "I hate this!"

I managed to calm down. "I have not slept with Blaise. For one thing, she reminds me of my sister. For another, she was Malfoy's and I never went near Malfoy's women. Malfoy's men, on the other hand...Ouch!"

She had swatted me again. "I'm serious! I hate you sometimes! Sometimes you make me so mad that I just want to squeeze your neck and other times I just want to snog you senseless! What the hell are you doing to me? I used to be such a sensible person, but you get me all worked up! No one else can annoy me the way you can and no one else can make me melt like you can! I hate it!"

I was very relieved by her outburst. "I feel the same way. No one else can get to me the way that you can." I reached out and stroked her cheek and lifted her chin so I could look into her eyes. "And no one makes me want to get under their skin like you do."

"Congratulations," she said wryly, "you've succeeded."

"Good." I kissed her again. "Just like old times, eh?"

"Except that I'm not throwing things and you're not calling me names," she pointed out. "Do you remember what you said to me before I left ten years ago?"

"I recall something about where you could stuff your useless opinions." I noticed her eyes were suspiciously wet. "Why, was there more?"

She nodded. "You said that you hated me and that I was a control-freak with a bad temper."

"Oh." A pause. "I didn't mean it."

"I know." She took a few steps away from me and stood on the balcony. Her hair blew gently around her shoulders and the sun shined on her simple floral print sun dress.

I was about to go and talk to her when there was a knock on the door. Assuming that it was room service, I opened the door. When I saw who it was, my jaw dropped.

"Harry? Ginny? What are you doing here?"

My sister and my best friend stepped into the room. I didn't have a chance to warn Hermione, but when I turned around I saw that she had gone.

"We know, Ron," Ginny said quietly, surveying the room. "Malfoy's been talking."

I froze. "You know what?"

"About Hermione," Harry said. "Where is she?"

"Why?" I asked suspiciously.

"Ron, she's working for the enemy," Ginny said gently. "She's a double agent."

I didn't know what to say. Hermione couldn't be a double agent. She couldn't have been lying about what she said only a few minutes earlier. That was too hard to believe.

"We're sorry, Ron," Harry said. "We didn't want to believe it at first either. Just tell us where she is and we'll take her in."

I shook my head sadly. I was hurt by this betrayal, more than I let on. But I had to trust somebody sometime, even if I didn't want to.

I faced my best friend. Harry's green eyes were watching me, filled with concern. I smiled and he smiled back.

"I'm sorry," I said to him. Then I kicked him and he dropped to the floor. Ginny looked at me in horror.

"Ron! Have you lost your mind? That's Harry!"

"No," I said equably. "It's not. Just like you're not Ginny."

Her face contorted in fury and she became quite grotesque. In a movement of anger, she ripped a chain from her neck and she gradually shifted into another shape.

"Hello, Pansy," I said cheerfully. "I do like your new nose."

She looked ready to spit nails and claw my eyes out. "You sent Draco to Azkaban. And that mudblood girlfriend of yours is responsible for ruining everything. I'll kill you!"

She pulled out her wand. I hadn't had a chance to replace my wand yet, unfortunately.

"Once I'm finished with you," Pansy hissed, "I'll kill her too. Avada Ked--"

There was a loud bang, a shot, which had in fact come from the gun I held in my hand. I blew the smoke from the tip of it, feeling oddly dashing despite the fact that I had just killed a woman. I hadn't picked up another wand, but I had grabbed a gun. No sense in going unprotected, even on vacation. When you're a dead sexy super spy, with a hot new broomstick everyday of the week, there's always someone trying to kill you.

A sudden breeze caused a chill to run down my spine. Then I felt a soft and gentle hand descend on my shoulder.

"I thought you were going to believe them," Hermione whispered in my ear.

I shook my head. "Why should I have?"

"How did you know that wasn't really Harry and Ginny?" she wanted to know.

I pointed at Pansy's prone figure on the floor. "She's wearing Aberzombie & Witch. Ginny detests name brands."

She went to the desk and scribbled a note which she then pinned to Pansy's robes. I read it over her shoulder. It read: 'Compliments of Ron Weasley'; I grinned appreciatively. Hermione started a fire and threw on some Floo powder. "Azkaban!" Then she threw 'Harry' onto the flames. Once he had disappeared, she did the same with Pansy's body. Then she returned to me.

"You had to do it, you know," she said, when she saw the look on my face.

"I know," I replied. "I'm just not really a fan of killing people."

"It was kill or be killed," Hermione said matter-of-factly. "Just don't make a habit of it."

I was shaking slightly. Hermione brought me a butterbeer from the mini-fridge and I took slow sips.

"I wish this was something stronger," I said wistfully.

"The last thing you need now is to have your physical abilities dulled by alcohol," Hermione said in her 'lecturing' voice.

I stared at her. "Why, Miss Granger, I do believe that is the first lewd advance you have ever made towards me."

She scowled. "It was unintentional, I assure you."

"Oh, you know you can't refuse the Weasley Charm," I said grinning at her.

"I can perfectly well!" she said, rather shrilly. "I think you ought to sleep. Killing people takes a lot out of a person."

"Sure, I'll go to bed," I said casually. "Care to join me?"

* * *

When I woke up the next morning, and reached out expecting to touch Hermione, she was gone. I wasn't surprised. Disappointed, yes, but not surprised.

I sat up and rubbed my eyes, surveying the room. Nothing was out of place, except that there was a letter on the night stand. I picked it up.

I smiled to myself. She was right, it was better this way. I noticed a small box which had been under the letter. There was another note attached.

I opened the box and laughed. Nestled inside was the Diamond of Calliope. I always knew she had stolen it.

I stood up and put on my clothes before heading out onto the balcony to look at the sea. Our paths would indeed cross again. Many times in the coming years no doubt.

And I'd just have to meet her when we did; the damned woman had taken my wallet.

A/N: Okay, that's the end of this adventure, but you may notice that I left it open for a sequel. Yup, you heard me, a sequel. This was fun, easy, and fast to write, not to mention it got great reviews so I might as well write another one. I also feel that Bond!Ron lost a little of his Bond-ness so I'm going to try to recreate that in the next one. Look for it, coming soon!