It Must Be Love

Two fifteen came and went. Ginny still had not arrived, and Ron's temper was rising steadily with every passing minute. Where the hell is she? He thought to himself furiously. Why can't she ever be on time for anything? I should have known she'd do this to me; it's just so damn typical of her... As he was thinking this, a dark shadow loomed up behind him and collapsed onto the seat to his left.

"Hey Ron, are you ready to go?" Ron jumped at his sister's voice, but turned to face her angrily.

"Why the hell are you so late? You're the one who said two fifteen, why can't you keep an appointment for once in you life? This is important, Gin, you're not taking this seriously are you? I..." But Ginny cut him off.

"Why do you only ever think about yourself Ron? I'm sorry I'm late, I dropped my watch in a puddle and it stopped working, not that it's any of your business. And do not be under the impression that I'll stick by you and help you out if you're only gonna yell at me. There are other places I'd much rather be right now, and other people I'd sooner be with too, but I'm here with you Ron - I'm here to help you, so are you going to appreciate it or not? Because I can just leave right now if you like, I - can - just - leave!" She stared at him defiantly, daring him to answer back, almost looking like Professor McGonagall as she glowered at him darkly. Ron felt a little guilty then, although he still hadn't quite forgiven her, but there was no time to chase her round Hogsmeade begging for help and forgiveness, so he bowed his head, and sounding humble, he apologised.

"Right... Let's go then," Ginny said. "You don't want to be giving her chocolate or flowers or anything, so let's start off in Lady Goodwhiffs, OK?" Ron had only been in that shop once before. It was in the very centre of Hogsmeade and mainly sold perfume, but makeup and other "girlie things," as Ron referred to them, were sold there too. He pushed his two empty Butterbeer bottles away, got to his feet, and together, he and Ginny set out into the rain.

The Impervius charm Hermione had placed on his cloak worked well, and only his nose upward were wet. However, Ginny who was constantly being pelted with the rebounding water from his cloak, forced him to take it off and put it in his bag.

By the time they reached Lady Goodwhiffs, Ron was colder and indeed wetter than he had ever been in his life, or even thought possible. Ginny grabbed the silvery-purple door handle, pulled it open, and hurried in, closely followed by Ron. In Ron's opinion, the shop hadn't improved in the slightest since the last time he was there. The walls were still a pale glassy pink, with lilac clouds swirling around inside them. The fluffy carpet was still hidden under several inches of thick bright pink smoke, and soppy music was still playing gently from invisible speakers. Looking around, Ron couldn't help but notice he was the only male in the entire shop.

"Come on, let's start over here," Ginny said, tugging on his arm. Ron groaned as Ginny pulled him over to the pinkest side of the shop to the make-up. How was he supposed to choose make-up? He knew what colours looked good on Hermione, but make-up was an entirely different thing. There were so many different shades and brands - which ones would she like? Tentatively, he reached forward and picked up a long silver pencil. As he was examining it, he heard giggles from the girls around him. He threw them a furious look and they scattered. Ginny laughed at him, them took the pencil from his hands and placed it back on the rack.

"This is eyeliner Ron, it's been charmed to sharpen itself. It's a bit of a rip-off though you know, one Galleon, fourteen Sickles and all it does is re-sharpen itself! But that's to be expected from the "Excel" brand I guess," Ginny said knowledgeably. "What about this?"

Ron walked over to where she pointed him. Hundreds of coloured tubes lay in rows in front of him, with slips of paper before each row, listing the special features.

"Lipstick?" He asked cautiously, "Hermione has loads of lipstick Gin, by the time she's finished those, the one I get her will be lost or broken or something." Ginny sighed impatiently at her unenlightened brother.

"Ron, girls don't finish one lipstick, or any item of make-up for that matter, before they open another one," she began to explain, "They chose an outfit then choose make-up that matches it, understand? The more make-up, the better."

Ron nodded, annoyed at his sister's patronising tone, and quickly looked down at the tubes of lipstick. There were so many to choose from - maybe make-up was a bad idea.

"Ooh!" Ginny squealed excitedly. She had opened one of the tubes to reveal an almost transparent substance that glittered mysteriously in the light. "Look Ron! This lipstick's a new make - wow, they've really pulled out all the stops for this one! Look, the colour changes to compliment the person's outfit and skin colour, the colour doesn't fade, and it's waterproof and smudge resistant! It's perfect! And only one Galleon, five Sickles, and twenty Knuts!" Although Ron could see that this was very good lipstick, and by Ginny's excitement, he knew it was at a good price, but he really couldn't see himself giving it to Hermione.

"No, sorry Gin, it looks great and all, but it's not really what I was looking for. Let's try a different shop, OK? I don't really want to give her make-up. Besides, the smell in here's making me a bit sick." Ginny looked at him and sighed, then grabbed another tube of the lipstick and two similar eyeshadows. He looked at her curiously. Seeing his glance, she smiled at him.

"It's a good deal! Buy any two products from the Spark range, get a third free. So that's my present to Hermione sorted, and I got me some too - the eyeshadows do the same as the lipsticks, so I don't need to worry about them matching things either. Go wait for me at the front of the shop, OK? I need to go pay." And with that, Ginny dashed off to the tills, clutching the lipsticks and eyeshadows in her hands.

Quickly, Ron made his way to the doors, not wanting to hang around any longer than he had to. Glancing up, he saw the clock, which flashed from electric pink to bright purple every few minutes. They had left the pub at three; it was now twenty-five to four. How was he supposed to search all the shops in Hogsmeade by five? Maybe he should decide on one shop to go to? But Ginny knew far more of the shops around the village than he did - he Harry and Hermione tended to stick to familiar territory, and didn't often go further into the village. He would have to wait for her next suggestion and just decide faster whether he wanted something in there or not.

At long last, Ginny joined Ron at the entrance, loosely swinging a pink bag with moving purple clouds - it was very much like the walls of the shop. She put it in the bag Ron had slung over his shoulder, and then strode out, back into the rain. Sighing, Ron followed her.

"Where are we going now? You choose, you know more shops around here than I do."

Ginny looked around, then shrugged.

"We don't have much time Ron, we have to be back at school by five and I told Michael I'd walk back with him. Tell me what you want to get her and I'll take you to a good shop."

"I don't know what I want to get her, Gin, that's the problem. I know exactly what I don't want to get her, but..."

"Then name some things that you haven't listed as a bad idea and I'll tell you the best one," Ginny said, vainly trying to seek shelter under her cloak. Ron thought for a moment, and then slowly, he began listing some items that he didn't think were such a bad idea.

"Err, a game of some sort...Some kind of ornament...Err...Jewellery..." But Ginny cut across him there.

"Jewellery! It's perfect, come on, let's go. There's a place called Sparkler's Treasure Chest just down that alley. She grabbed his hand and pulled him along with her.

Ron thought about this. It wasn't at all like holding Hermione's hand... Maybe it was just because Ginny was his sister, but Ron had the sneaking suspicion that no-matter whose hand he held, it just wouldn't be the same as holding Hermione's. Hermione was different. She was... She was special. He couldn't describe his feelings any better than to just say to himself - It's love. I love her and I always will.

A few minutes later, they were standing before a chest-shaped building, with huge golden letters spelling,

Sparkler's Treasure Chest

A Hoard of Esteem

As Ron stepped inside, a gush of hot air met him, and he felt himself dry instantly. The walls were a moody purple, and the dark, wooden floor was well polished. Looking up, Ron saw that the ceiling was the same purple as the walls, but black smoke drifted and swirled beneath it, as though in a strong wind, making it seem darker. Silver dust glittered as it fell from the enchanted ceiling, and disappeared just before it reached their heads. Large mahogany cases were lined up around the walls, and purple tinted glass cases were in the main area of the shop, lit up by bright lights in the floor beneath them. All in all, it gave the illusion of being inside a dome-shaped chest whilst a party was going on.

"Cool!" Ron said, nodding his head in time to the quiet music in the background - he recognised it as the Weird Sisters. Ginny grinned at him, then walked over to one of the wooden cases, and began examining it. Ron merely stood in the doorway for a few minutes, taking in the room. It was a seriously cool place, he decided - he would have to bring Harry and Hermione some time. Slowly, he began to stroll around the shop, looking in at the cases. He was intrigued by what he saw there, for not only did the shop contain more silver, gold and gems than he had ever seen - or indeed hoped to see in his life - but mountain elves, dwarves, pixies, and even centaurs had crafted and placed enchantments upon some of the jewellery, making it not only beautiful, but magical.

One case, to Ron's surprise, was filled with dragon teeth on chains. On one side were some hoop earrings with fangs on them (I wonder if Bill got his earring here? thought Ron amusedly) and on the other side was some jewellery made completely of dragon teeth, the sharp points glistening at the joints, as though waiting to strike. In another case, Ron found moonstone and ebony, bewitched to enchant the beholder. Hurrying away before it affected him, Ron passed cases full of coral, carnelian, amber, onyx, lapis lazuli, topaz, rhinestone, and jasper. Stopping, he turned to his left. A small black and silver counter was there, an old warlock sat behind it examining a large piece of Cairngorm through an eyepiece. Suddenly, Ginny spoke from his right.

"Have you found anything yet Ron? It's five past four - we should go at quarter to."

"No. Everything looks great though; this is definitely the shop. What's this counter for?"

"It's to get things custom made, but you need to tell them what you want, so it's kinda useless for you," Ginny said grinning. "Come on, the stuff over here's good." And she walked over to one of the mahogany cabinets.

"Rubbish!" The warlock spat in disgust. Ron jumped, having forgotten he was there. He looked at the gem the old man had been inspecting and laughed.

"I'll have it off you if you like!" The warlock looked at him in surprise then shoved it towards him.

"Enjoy," He grunted, then picked up a chunk of ivory and got back to work.

Ron was surprised, but pocketed the Cairngorm gratefully. It would be given to Hermione of course, but he still felt the need to buy her something. He went to where Ginny still stood - she was grinning at him.

"That's Tony Lepidus, the one who decides what jewellery is good enough to put on display. He always gives the stuff he thinks is rubbish to the kids in here. He gave me an emerald necklace last visit, look." Ginny pulled at a golden chain around her neck, to reveal a stunning necklace. Thousands of minuscule pieces of emerald had been forged together to form an elaborate G. It really suits her, Ron thought. Maybe I can find something that suits Hermione just as well.

He looked into the cabinet Ginny had led him to. It was filled with chunky platinum rings, and bangles with ornate designs. They were pretty, but he didn't think they were "right" for Hermione. He walked along slowly, peering into every case and judging everything critically. Once he had looked through all of the wooden cabinets around the wall (and been very tempted to buy her an elaborate coral ring, entwined with twisted lengths of sparkling silver that turned russet when someone the wearer cared for was thinking of them), he strode into the centre of the room to the glass cases.

He was looking carefully this time, not just glancing at the various shelves randomly as he went. The lights coming up from under the cases made the jewellery sparkle constantly, and seem to get more alluring the longer he looked at it. Ron found himself being drawn to the diamond case though. It glittered insistently and the light beneath was like a searchlight, calling to him, beckoning him to the treasure within.

He turned, looking for Ginny, and spotted her having a conversation with the surly warlock behind the counter. Ron approached the diamond cabinet slowly, almost cautiously. There was a slight feeling of unease in the pit of his stomach that he just couldn't seem to shake. He stood squarely before the glass and looked down, his attention caught immediately by the item in the centre. It was perfect! He could just see himself giving it to her, see her wearing it...

"Ginny! Ginny!" He cried, excitement running through his veins. He couldn't let anyone else take it, he had to have it, and nothing else would do! "Ginny!" She at last looked up quizzically. "I've found it, Gin, I've found it!" She grinned at his enthusiasm, never quite having understood why it seemed so important.

"The loud boy wants to buy something?" The warlock inquired, trying to hide a smirk. Ginny grinned back at him and nodded. "He's my brother, but don't hold that against me," she joked, then rushed off to see what Ron was looking at, followed closely by the warlock. Ron was jabbing the case with his index finger excitedly, red in the face and practically jumping up and down.

"Oh, Ron! It's beautiful! 'Mione's going to love it," Ginny whispered in awe. Tony looked down at it and grunted,

"Want that do you? Stand aside then, stand aside."

And without waiting for them to move, he pushed them either side of him and placed his hand on the glass. It disappeared beneath his fingers, leaving a hole large enough for him to reach in and grab the Jewellery. As soon as his hand was safely out, the glass resealed itself. He thrusted the item at Ron, then stood there expectantly. Ron examined every inch of it as thoroughly as though he had Tony Lepidus's job. His face lit up, and he smiled at the warlock.

"It's perfect, I'll take it." He and Ginny followed Tony to the black and silver counter, where he showed Ron a selection of gift boxes to chose from. He chose a black one, where silver sparks occasionally shot through it like fireworks, and Tony engraved 'Hermione' into the centre and filled it with fast drying liquid gold. He then sat back down, picked up the chunk of Ivory and bid them farewell.

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

Ron and Ginny stepped out of the warm shop to be hailed by cold winds and the occasional droplet of water from the shop's roof. The rain had at least stopped, and the sun was feebly poking out from behind a cloud, causing the wet road to shine, and twinkle like a river.

Though the winds were cold and he didn't have his cloak on, Ron felt a bubbling warmth brewing up inside of him. He had bought Hermione a perfect present, all his worries were over, all he had to do now was work up the courage to give it to her and not make a fool of himself. Daunting as this prospect was, Ron found he was smiling to himself. Ginny looked up at him happily. Maybe now he would stop blowing up at people for no apparent reason, stop lapsing into those long thoughtful silences that drove everybody crazy - start acting normally again - whatever that was for him. Ginny smiled.

Thinking these thoughts, the two walked back up towards The Three Broomsticks in companionable silence. Up ahead, they saw Michael Kingswood talking animatedly to Hermione and Harry. Speeding up a little, they joined them. Michael put his arm around Ginny's shoulder, and the two walked back up to Hogwarts together. Ron scowled and opened his mouth to object, but Hermione elbowed him in the stomach.

"Leave them, Ron! Where did you go anyway? Me and Harry were about to give up waiting for you and go, we only have ten minutes to get back up to the castle." Ron grinned at her.

"Oh, we pretty much spent the whole day wondering in and out of shops. That girl's such a fussy shopper!" His and Hermione's eyes met for a moment, and they stood staring at each other avidly. Blushing, they quickly looked away, as Harry's snorts of laughter brought them back down to earth.

"Come on, let's run again, you two prefects can't possibly be late, what a terrible example to set the little firsties!" He said sarcastically through his laughter, but nonetheless, he grabbed Hermione's hand again and began to run. Taken by surprise, Hermione gasped, but then she joined in the laughter and grabbed Ron's hand before he fell behind.

Hand in hand, the trio left Hogsmeade the way they had entered it - laughing and joking as they ran hurriedly along the wet road. Ron smiled to himself. This is the way we're meant to be.