Sorry for the delay but I had major writer's block. I must have rewritten it four times. I've also moved the rating to M.
I don't own Harry Potter…
The week between Christmas and New Year's was excruciatingly long. I spent the days working for George and avoiding Lavender. Once she realized I was working at the shop, she seemed to drop constantly. According to Verity, she had been dating the wizard she took to the celebration over the summer but had a very nasty and public breakup at the beginning of December. When she said public, she meant it! It apparently happened outside the neighboring café and spectators actually gathered around to watch.
"I couldn't figure out why everyone fled the store suddenly. I looked outside scared I was going to see deatheaters and there were two people having a shouting match while breaking up. It was quite a scene. Then George came out and told me it was an old girlfriend of yours. I was so embarrassed for her." Verity explained.
Lavender dropped by daily to see if I wanted to go to lunch which I always had a ready excuse for. Now she was here again, but this time looking for someone to go to a New Year's Eve party tonight.
"Ron, I can't help but notice that you've been all alone this week. It seems that we are both on the mend from terrible relationships." She said after I politely but firmly refused her invitation.
"Lavender, is your hobby to jump to the wrong conclusions?" I asked.
"Whatever do you mean?" She batted her eyes in a way where I couldn't tell if she was trying to be sexy or if she had something in her eye.
"Hermione and I are very much together."
"That's an understatement." George said under his breath while he counted the till.
"She's at Hogwarts and letting me spend time with my family." I finished.
"Feeble excuse Ron. I heard she not only got the boot from her own parents but was kicked out of the Burrow too."
"Where did you hear that?"
"A little birdie told me."
"Well your wrong. She and her parents don't see eye to eye on the magical world and she was never at the Burrow for Christmas." I defended and I could hear George laughing at the end of the counter.
"What's so funny?" Lavender demanded.
"Nothing, but can't you give it a rest? You're quite pathetic you know."
"Excuse me? How dare you! Are you just jealous I'm not here to ask you out?"
"Hardly. Besides you'll probably want to go before Hermione gets here. It's about closing time Ron."
I looked at my watch and it was almost noon. We were closing early and Hermione was meeting me for the rest of the day. We were going to go to a New Year's party at Seamus' and I assume it was the one that Lavender was trying to get me to go to.
As if on cue, Hermione waltzed through the door looking as fabulous as ever. Her nose and cheeks were slightly red from the cold wind outside.
"Oh, hi Lavender. How are you doing?" She asked in fake politeness.
"Fine." Lavender stared Hermione down.
"Good." She then walked up to me and gave me a quick kiss then a hug. "I'm missed you."
"Me too." Neither of us noticed Lavender leaving.
"Okay you two, no fornicating in the shop. Go on, I'll see you both next year." George said as he ushered us out the door.
Hermione and I went to grab a quick bite at the neighboring café before heading off to Muggle London to do some things Hermione wanted to do. I told her about Lavender's public break-up here but it seemed her mind was somewhere else.
"Hey, what's wrong?"
"I've just missed you is all." She gave a sweet smile.
"There's something else, I can tell."
"Oh, well being at the castle without you this last week has been miserable. Viktor has also taken the opportunity to start bothering me again."
"But McGonnagal put him on warning."
"Well she's gone to visit her great-niece in America for the holidays." She took a sip of her pumpkin juice. "It's not been that bad really. He just assumes your absence is proof of a break-up."
"I knew I should have gone back to Hogwarts too." I felt guilty.
"No Ron! You needed to be with your family, especially this year." She reached across the table and grabbed my hand. "Besides, we're together now."
"You know mum's been feeling right guilty. She's petrified you hate her and never want to see her again." I laughed.
"Merlin…I was just so embarrassed." She said and her cheeks became a little pink. The waitress brought our food and we began to eat.
Things were going along great until, "Oh, here you guys are." Lavender pulled up a spare seat. "Don't worry," she said to Hermione, "I'm not here to ask Ron to the party tonight."
"Oh, I'm not worried." Hermione retorted and continued to eat.
"I just wanted to see if you two were coming because it's going to be great. I heard Seamus has cleaned out the stores of Firewhisky."
"We plan to stop by but probably won't stay too late. We want to ring in the New Year together." Hermione gave me a suggestive wink.
"Okay," Lavender said then gave me a sympathetic look. "I'll see you both tonight." She then left as quickly as she came.
"What is she up to?" I asked aloud.
"Who knows and who cares. Just stay away from anything she gives you to drink." We both laughed and finished our lunch in peace.
Before heading to Muggle London, I convinced Hermione to stop by the Burrow. She reluctantly agreed as long as we didn't stay too long. The moment we walked in the door, Hermione was enveloped in a hug from mum. She then went on and on about how she felt horrible that she left. Hermione seemed relieved and grateful for the apology and did her own apology for leaving so abruptly.
"Oh, I didn't know you guys were here." Ginny said as she stepped into the kitchen.
"We just stopped by on our way to London." I said.
"Gin, can I talk to you for a minute?" Hermione asked.
"Um," Ginny looked around the room and finally said, "sure."
They both disappeared up the stairs, I assumed to Ginny's room. I then realized that my mum was staring at me.
"What?"
"I'm so proud of you. I'm not exactly ecstatic about what you've been doing but I'm very happy that you and Hermione are together. I never thought you two would come around." She took a seat opposite me at the table and I couldn't help but feel a bit uncomfortable.
"So tell me," she started again, "when do you think you two will get married?"
"WHAT?" I was surprised and shocked by the question so my reply naturally woke any sleeping creature in the vicinity.
"Don't act so surprised. I'm your mother; I know you've been thinking about it."
"Well, I don't know." I began to shift uncomfortably in my seat.
"You should really ask Hermione what her future plans are. Muggles don't get married as young as witches and wizards you know and have children much later."
"What do you mean?" I asked genuinely curious.
"Well, your father and I were married at your age; of course we had graduated school the year before. Then Bill came along a year later. I don't think Hermione would be anxious to get married so soon."
"Maybe a few years from now or something – I don't really know." I was becoming very irritated for some reason. I began to wonder about how are different backgrounds would affect our future plans.
My mum sat there smiling strangely, "you two will have the most wonderful children. I can just see the little redheads carrying copies of Hogwarts, a History around all day."
Luckily, Hermione and Ginny reappeared in the kitchen. There were arm in arm and drying some tears.
"What's wrong girls?" Mum asked.
"Nothing, we were just sorting some things out." Ginny said then turned to Hermione, "I'll see you tonight have fun in London."
"You bet and don't forget what I said." Hermione said before exchanging a giant hug. Girls were just plain weird.
We had a wicked time in Muggle London. We basically went to places that she missed. Our plan was to stop by George's flat above the store to freshen up before the party. So we were happy we made it there just before the snow started falling.
"I've always loved snow." She said as she went to the window after removing her coat.
I came up behind her and put my arms around her. She instinctively leaned back into me and I began to kiss her neck. "Ron, stop! You know what that does to me."
"I know exactly what it does." I responded before continuing in earnest.
"Ron, you said that you promised George no funny business." Her eyes began to flutter and eventually closed as she became lost in the sensation.
"Well George and I had a little talk this morning and he's agreed to stay away from here and give us some much needed privacy." I brushed her hair aside and started on the other side of her neck as my hand reached up to cup her breast.
"Oh, you did, did you? Won't your mum get a little suspicious if he bunks at the Burrow?"
"I have a feeling he has plans of his own with Verity."
"What? Really?" She spun around to face me looking ecstatic. "That's wonderful! I've always liked her and I thought there was a connection…"
"Hermione," I interrupted, "shut up." I said before my lips came crashing down on hers.
Anyone watching the window from the street below was probably getting a good show. Well, it was nothing more than some heaving snogging. Once I reached my hands under her sweater to unclasp her bra, Hermione stopped the proceedings, insisting that we needed to get ready to go to Seamus'.
"Don't worry; it will just build you up more for later. I don't know about you but I have no plans on staying until midnight. I want to ring in the New Year with you in my arms." She wiggled her eyebrows and darted off to the restroom.
Hermione was surprisingly…well…sexual. One would think she would be timid, shy and rigid but in fact she was quite adventurous. I needed to pull my mind away from my thoughts of wild night in the prefect's bathroom. We had almost been caught by Polly Prince who unceremoniously broke through Hermione's locking spell and insisted that she needed to use the facilities. I never knew I could hold my breath so long underwater and thank goodness for those well placed bubbles. I shook the memory from my head and I grabbed my clothes I had left earlier and went to the bedroom to change.
Harry arrived at George's flat just a few minutes after Hermione started to have a panic attack over being late. I didn't really understand what was going on with her since she didn't really want to go to the party in the first place. Once he arrived, we apparated not too far away to a residential block of Diagon Alley.
Even outside the building we could hear loud music and I expected Hermione to chicken out be she determinedly marched into the building to find the flat.
"Ron, Harry! You both made it." Seamus yelled making his way to the front door. "Oh, hey Hermione. Didn't really expect to see you come."
"Why not?" Hermione asked in a huff.
"I don't know; parties, drinking and well…fun never seemed to be your thing." Seamus said with a bit of a slur making me think he opened the firewhiskey early.
I squeezed her hand, not to comfort her from his rather nasty remark, but to stop her from hexing him. "Come on Seamus."
Suddenly Hermione let go of my hand, "There's Ginny, I'll be back in a minute."
The moment she left, Seamus started pouring the firewhiskey. "You could have knocked me over with a quill mate when Dean told me you and Hermione were actually going out. I don't see how you can take it."
"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked and Harry, looking a bit weary, slipped away to talk to Dean.
"Come on mate. She's certainly no Lavender. I mean, she's always been a cold fish. I can't imagine that you'd be getting any action other than a quick snog."
"You'd be surprised." I said under my breath before I took a swig and glanced around for Hermione who seemed to have disappeared.
"What was that?" He asked.
"Nothing."
"Well, never fear. There are plenty of girls here. Being out of school is fantastic. I don't know how you let Granger talk you into it."
"Granger?" I asked wondering when he had adopted Malfoy's term of endearment.
"You know, Hermione." He said punching my shoulder in strange but brotherly way. "Anyway, Lavender's here and I'm sure she wouldn't mind giving you a little something on the side."
"No thanks; not in the slightest interested." I continued to scan the room for any means of escape.
"Really, then I might have a try. Was she as good in bed as she likes people to believe she is?"
"I wouldn't know I never slept with her." Giving a rather disgusted look.
"Are you serious?" He said flabbergasted.
"Why do you sound so shocked?"
"Well, the way you two used to go at in the common room and from what Lavender hinted at, we all just assumed."
I rolled my eyes. I had heard Lavender's name too many times already today. "Lavender is liar. We never did anything but snog." I finally saw Hermione come out of what I assumed to be a bedroom with Ginny.
"Poor fellow." Seamus said slapping my back. "Still a virgin. I'm sure that any bird here would love to sleep with a war hero with an Order of Merlin, First Class."
"Look Seamus, I never said I was a virgin and trust me, Hermione pretty much keeps me exhausted."
I left him looking quite shocked and made my way over to a grateful Hermione who was now standing pretty much alone by the food table.
"What were you and Seamus talking about?"
"Oh nothing, where did you disappear to?"
She motioned her head over to Ginny who appeared to be having a deep conversation with Harry. "She's going to try to work things out with him."
"Finally." I said then watched them grab their coats and head for the door.
"Hopefully that's a good sign." She turned toward me, "you know I'm already ready to go. It's not like Seamus gave me much of a welcome."
"Oh, I think he's been talking to Lavender."
"Figures…"
"Hermione, all that matters is us – no one else." She smiled at me and we stood there kissing before someone yelled for us to get a room.
Hermione agreed to stay a little longer and was happy when some others from our year that were in her Arithmancy class showed up.
"Hey you two." Said Lavender who appeared out of no where. "We are going to play a little drinking game…Bluff. I brought a truth orb." She pulled a smoky crystal out of her robe pocket.
Hermione rolled her eyes but others were encouraging us to play so we took a seat in the circle.
"Okay guys, the rules." Seamus announced. "We keep the orb under this." He showed us a dishtowel. "A person is asked a question and if you think that they are lying then you shout LIAR. Everyone can do it; it doesn't have to be just one person. Then, if the orb is blue showing they told the truth, then everyone who called them a liar has to drink. But if it's red, the person has to drink."
"But what if no one says anything?" Someone asked who had obviously never been subjected to the game.
"Then we'll never know if they were lying or not." He said then taking his seat. "It pays to tell the truth, be a good bluffer or know whose lying."
"Okay, I'll start!" Lavender said, "I pick Hermione. Hermione, who was your first kiss?"
She didn't even hesitate a second, "Guy Peters, a Muggle boy." It wasn't the answer I expected and my head spun around to look at her.
No one said anything. Most looked at me wondering if I was going to explode – people must have really been weary of my jealous streak.
"LIAR!" Yelled Lavender looking at everyone, "Come on, we all know it was Viktor Krum."
No one else seemed to join in. Seamus pulled the cloth away and the orb shown a bright blue. Everyone laughed and watched as Lavender was the first to drink and looked pretty bummed.
The game went on for a while and it seemed that each time Lavender got a chance, she'd ask Hermione a question and this time was no exception, "Hermione, where is the craziest place you've ever had sex?"
Hermione sat there for a moment. "It's okay to admit you're still a virgin Hermione. No one's surprised." Lavender smirked.
"Oh, thanks Lav I'm actually just thinking about the question." Everyone watched as Hermione seemed to be lost in thought. "Oh! A magic carpet." She said triumphantly.
Everyone but me yelled "LIAR!" but when Seamus removed the cloth to reveal a blue orb everyone was shocked into silence.
"On that note, it's getting late and we should go Ron." She hopped up.
"Good idea." I said getting to my feet and trying not to laugh and the stunned faces.
We quickly apparated and found ourselves back at George's flat. The moment our eyes met we both burst into laughter.
"I can't believe you admitted to that." I said.
"I know what they think of me." She said recovering a little from the giggles. "I don't mind giving everyone a little shock."
"I'll give you a shock!" I said as I lifted her and carried her off to the bedroom for a private New Year's celebration.