By Any Other Name

By Any Other Name

"You've got to be kidding me," Ron said to Hermione, looking dumbfounded. They had been sitting down on the couch, having a nice, relaxing conversation, until she had dropped this bomb on them.

"No," Hermione said in a clipped voice. "I am not."

"Well, way to tell me now," he said sarcastically.

"Would you rather I have informed you from the beginning? I'd like to see how you would have handled it then."

He hated to agree with her, but she was right. There was no way he would have not flown off the handle had she told him sooner. He stood up and started pacing the length of the coffee table. "Still, you could have let me know of your intentions."

"And have you try to talk me out of it every single day?" Hermione scoffed. "I don't think so. You know that I can't resist you. Why do you think I waited until the last possible moment?"

Despite his anger towards her, Ron warmed up slightly at her comment and stopped in his tracks. "You really can't resist me?"

She rolled her eyes. "You know that very well, you devilish prat. I shouldn't have to feed your ego any more than I already have."

Ron shook his head and resumed his pacing. "If this is what you call 'feeding my ego' then I can't help but cringe at what you would consider putting me down."

"Ron, that's--!"

"Dammit, Hermione! What the hell am I going to tell my family?"

She jumped up at this stalked over to him until she was almost in his face. Or at least, she would have been if he didn't tower a good foot or so over her.

"Don't you dare, Ron! Don't you dare try and guilt me into changing my mind by bringing your family into this. Tell them the truth! What should it matter anyway?"

"You know damn well that it matters? How's mum going to feel? And, oh God, the twins--!"

"To hell with the twins!"

Ron's eyes widened. Hermione hardly ever swore! He knew he must have made her really mad for that. A part of him felt regretful for it, while the other part was beaming with pride. I made Hermione swear! I made Hermione swear! Childish he may be, but she was hardly being fair to him either.

"You know this isn't about them anyway," she continued. "Or any of your family for that matter."

"Oh yeah? Well, since you know me so good, then what is this about?"

"This is about you and your stupid pride! You think that you have the right to own me. But I have news for you - you don't. You can't stand the fact that I want to be independent."

"This is ridiculous! Of course I don't want you to be independent; we're getting married, for God's sake!"

Hermione stared at him coldly and he knew that he had just planted his foot firmly in his mouth.

"No, what's ridiculous is that you actually expect me to take your last name."

This time it was Ron's turn to roll his eyes. "It's hardly unheard of, you know."

"It is when your name would become Hermione Weasley."

"And what's wrong with that?" he pouted.

"Oh nothing," she said scathingly. "It only sounds like one of Luna's imaginary, absurd creatures."

Ron took offense at that. "I personally don't think it sounds that bad. And maybe if you can't accept my name, well...then maybe you can't accept me."

There. There was the real root to their problems. Hermione was obviously having second thoughts about marrying him. Can't blame her, he glumly thought. He plopped down on the couch. Who's want to be shackled to me their whole life?

Ron felt like he was always waiting for the proverbial other shoe to drop. He felt like he was living somebody else's life, somebody very very lucky. But somebody that wasn't him.

Realistically, he had it all. Their world was safe now that the three of them had found the horcruxes and defeated Voldemort (the name still gave him chills) for good two years ago. He and Harry were doing well in Auror training while Hermione was actually making headway in her elf organization. She had also, amazingly enough, agreed to marry him a couple of months ago. It had all felt too good to be true. And he was right.

"You're talking rubbish now. How could you even say that? I love you and I want nothing more in the world than to marry you. I thought you knew that. I thought we were past all of the stupid insecurities by now. I want you. You! I just don't want your name. I don't think it's too much to ask to want to keep my own name. I like being with you, but I also like knowing that I'm my own person. And if you think by this point, just weeks before our wedding, that I don't love you enough...It's insulting, Ron, and I think I'll just go home now."

She was standing there in front of him, a single tear running down her flushed cheeks. Ron felt like the biggest arsehole to walk the earth.

Hermione started to leave and Ron stopped her with a quiet "don't go" that he wasn't even sure she would here. She slowly turned around and her normally warm brown eyes pierced into his.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't walk out this door right now?"

Ron rose from the couch and took small steps in her direction until he was right beside her. "I'll give you two."

She folded her arms, stuck out her hip, and arched her eyebrow, all, it seemed, in one fluid movement. Must be a girl thing, he thought appreciatively. Looked kind of cool, actually...

"Well?" she asked acidly.

"I love you, and I want to be with you forever," he said simply.

"Yeah, I've heard that one before," she said dryly, though he sensed a little bit of the ice was melting.

"I was...I was wrong. Okay? I was wrong to suggest you wouldn't want me. I was just hurt and--"

"I didn't mean to hurt you, and I'm sorry for that," she said, her frosty demeanor slipping. "But admit it, 'Hermione Weasley' doesn't exactly roll off the tongue, does it?"

Ron could actually see the humor in it now and smiled. "No, I guess it doesn't." He took her soft hand in his and lead her back to the couch. He eased her down and sat beside her. Ron pulled her on his lap and wrapped his arms around her, while she leaned her head on his shoulder. They sat in a comfortable silence. It was the moments like these with her that he loved the most.

"You know what?" she whispered.

"What?"

"I'll do it anyway."

"Do what?"

Hermione sighed in exasperation and looked him in the face. "I'll take your name."

On the inside, Ron beamed in triumph. On the outside...Ron beamed in triumph. "It's because I'm irresistible, aren't I?"

She punched him lightly on the shoulder. "I wouldn't say that. I just don't want your mum to feel bad, that's all."

Ron smirked. That wasn't the real reason and they both knew it. He appreciated that she cared about him enough to recognize how much this meant to him. He also now understood how much giving up even an ounce of independence meant to her. Still, he couldn't resist teasing her. "Right," he said. "And let's not forget the fact that I'm irresistible."

"Oh, I should have never told you that!"

They laughed together, and all the while Ron was thinking of how lucky he was. He did have it all, and he's be damned if he let it go.

"By the way, what was the second reason?" Hermione asked Ron later.

"What are you talking about?" They had left the house hours ago to catch a muggle movie (he actually liked them, as did his father), and as usual, Hermione was talking through it. Ron liked to be quiet since the experience was so new to him, and she was, surprisingly, the chatterbox.

"Earlier, you said you had two reasons for me to stay. What was the other one?"

"Oh!" he laughed. "It was dinnertime and you would have been back within minutes anyway, since you can't even boil water without almost setting your flat on fire."

Since for once Ron was completely right, and the horror movie had just gotten to the horrific part, Hermione kept silent and didn't utter another word for the entire movie.

Author's Note: This was a bit of the stretch from the stuff I usually do, and I've never done post-Hogwarts before, so I would really really really apprecaite reviews. Thanks!