Fic Request Fulfilled for charma_10
Title: Keeping Secrets
Author: i_am_girlfriday
Beta: nebakanezer
Rating: PG
Word count: 1,650
Summary: Hermione discovers things people would rather keep hidden.
Warnings: Deathly Hallows compliant, but any other information from interviews, etc. has been disregarded.
Notes: None
Hermione is a studier of people and of things, and always has been. When she was young her mother nagged her not to stare or pry, so Hermione trains herself in the ways stealthy snooping and secret keeping.
She remembers the summer when she was twelve and found old pictures and letters tied up with string in her mother’s bedside table. The edges were a bit yellow but the stack looked like it had been handled with care over the years. Her mother blushed and quickly took them from her daughter’s hand. She shoved the keepsakes back in her drawer. One day while her parents were at work, Hermione snuck into their bedroom to investigate further. She flipped through the stack and found a picture of a plain looking building with a willow tree in front. Written on the back, in her dad's messy handwriting, was Our First Flat. It was dated two years prior to her parents' wedding anniversary. Hermione had always been told since she was a little girl that her mother had her own place and a flatmate until she'd married her father. She stores the secret for future use.
The memory comes back to her like déjà vu almost ten years later when she takes over a drawer in Ron’s dresser. Hermione tells herself it’s more practical to leave extra knickers and socks there than to tote them back and forth. Not long after that, when Ron folds her favorite nightgown, eight pairs of socks, and a week’s worth of knickers, and stacks them neatly atop his freshly laundered clothes, Hermione concedes that maybe she and Ron are ready for the next step in their two-year relationship.
***
Hermione isn’t supposed to know about Harry’s mother’s ring sitting in his desk drawer. She was only looking for a quill to jot down a quick note. It’s a hellish week and a half keeping it to her self before Harry makes it official. She is outwardly elated when Harry and Ginny announce their engagement, but she can’t help that sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. She knows that soon the pressure will be on her and Ron to get married. As much as she loves Ron, the idea of getting married terrifies her. She knows he's hers forever already--she knew practically from the first moment she met him on the train, before she could comprehend love like this. Still, it took them almost eight years to even share their first kiss. And it’s taken almost two years of dating before she’s been willing to think about a future.
***
On the Friday after Harry and Ginny’s announcement, Ron and Hermione share an awkward dinner. They’ve both been working long hours, and everything feels out of sync. Hermione thinks it’s because she hasn’t made much of an effort to see Ron all week. She’s been busy making lists, weighing the pros and cons of cohabitation, but she’s still not quite sure what the tally has revealed. She wants to talk about all the innuendos she’s been getting from her mother about settling down. She wants to discuss Mrs. Weasley’s pleas for more grandchildren. Only she can’t bring herself to say anything at all. Ron is the only person she wants to talk to about this kind of stuff, but he is simultaneously the last person she can talk to about this kind of stuff.
Hermione’s conflicted mess of emotions keep her physically distant, but there is undeniable electricity between them. She trembles. Ron thinks it’s from the chilly October night and offers to light a fire. He tells her to grab her favorite Weasley jumper to keep warm. Hermione fetches it from his drawer, but not without spotting his Gringotts vault book at the bottom of the drawer. Before she can stop herself (and she never really can) she sees an alarming figure. Hermione discovers that Ron’s salary is nothing to balk at now that George is remembering to do payroll regularly. It’s in that moment that Hermione gives up on the notion that Ron will take a (serious) job at the ministry. She suddenly realizes that though Ron loves his job, the pay is just a bonus, and this is just one more secret she has to keep to herself.
***
Over the next week Hermione tries not to think of Ron’s growing nest egg. She can’t imagine what he’s planning to do with that kind of savings, but if he’s following the same trend as their peers, then she can guess that it might have something to do with a proposal. Hermione just prays that he won’t blow all his galleons on a goblin-made ring and insist on a lavish wedding. Dread pools in her stomach, and so does guilt, because she can’t even muster pride or happiness for her lovely boyfriend who’s managed to save so much gold.
“What’s wrong, Hermione?” Ron asks in earnest during lunch at the Leaky Cauldron the following week.
“Nothing,” Hermione replies quickly.
“It’s not nothing, it’s something. Tell me.”
Normally Hermione appreciates his persistence, but her present worries aren’t something she’s willing to risk discussing just yet. Worse than an unwanted marriage proposal would be a proposal offered in the midst of a heated row because he thinks she’s sulking.
It’s times like these that she’s glad to know just which buttons to push to get Ron to react, to deflect the mounting tension. “I don’t have to tell you everything, Ronald.”
His reaction is immediate. His face turns red. His pride has been wounded.
“No, you don’t have to, but it’s the kind of thing couples do, Hermione. Aren’t you always the one going on about that kind of rubbish?”
“You don’t have to mock me!” Hermione retorts. She feels better replacing confusion with a straightforward emotion like anger.
“I’m not mocking you! It’s just not fair that your rules don’t apply to you!” Ron is indignant and stands his ground.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. You’re mad!” Hermione flinches. She knows that nothing bothers Ron more than being told his intuition is wrong when it concerns her.
“You can’t be serious! I’m mad? You’re the one who’s obviously got a bee in her bonnet but won’t let me try to fix it! If it’s something I’ve done or not done you should just come out with it already. Nobody likes the Long-Suffering-Hermione Act!”
“You know what? I can’t deal with this right now!” Hermione launches herself out of the booth and prepares to Disapparate. “Do me a favor, and don’t follow me.” With a pop, she is gone and back in her cold and unfriendly flat.
***
The next morning Hermione sends an apologetic owl and asks Ron to accompany her while she looks for a new flat. She has decided that taking action is the best solution. Just like their first kiss that was rushed and in the midst of a battle, so too will be their next step as a couple.
They meet up with an estate witch who has plotted an afternoon tour of small flats in magical London. Hermione looks in closets, peeks in cupboards, and pokes around the drawers when she thinks no one is looking. She can’t help herself; she is a discoverer and a keeper of secrets.
The last flat they visit takes Hermione’s breath away. It’s much too big for a single person and way out of her price range, but it’s perfect for them. She envisions the spare bedroom will double as a study and a room for all of Ron’s Chudley Cannons memorabilia. It’s the only two-bedroom flat they’ve seen, and this seems to perplex Ron.
“Hermione, you don’t want a flatmate, do you?”
“I was hoping I wouldn’t be alone…”
Ron’s shoulders slump in defeat.
Hermione rolls her eyes, “I didn’t want just any flatmate, Ron. I was hoping you’d--“
“--I’d love to.”
Hermione is stunned silent, wondering if they’re talking about the same thing.
“I’ve been wanting to ask you to move in, but we’ve been off ever since Harry and Ginny announced their engagement.” Ron says sheepishly, shoving his hands deeper in his pockets. “I was afraid you were expecting me to propose like Harry, with some grand gesture. Not that I don’t want--“
“--I did think you were going to ask me to marry you,” Hermione interrupts, “but I was hoping you wouldn’t. But not because I don’t want to marry you!” She finishes quickly.
“No, just not right now.” Ron says, seeming to understand. “Someday?” he asks hopefully.
“Someday.” Hermione replies with a grin, “It’s just. . .”
“. . .Too fast for us, yeah?”
“Yeah. I’m just getting used to this.” Hermione grabs his arm and squeezes it affectionately.
“To us,” Ron says, scooping his girlfriend up for a bone-crushing hug.
For as bad as their timing used to be, and for all their misunderstandings, they have finally found their rhythm.
***
Everyone expects Ron and Hermione to be like Harry and Ginny or even Bill and Fleur: they’ll end their courtship with a big wedding. But nothing about Ron and Hermione is predictable. It’s their decision not to get married and instead live together that surprises everyone. Their families are less than pleased and are vocal about their disappointment. Hermione merely hints to her parents that she knows about the flat with the willow tree in front before they stop reprimanding her. Ron reminds his mother she’s got enough to worry about with Ginny’s wedding and that seems to distract her.
Ron and Hermione are adamant that they didn’t give up a year to hunt for Horcruxes and help save the magical world from a madman to simply hurry up with the rest of their lives. Marriage can wait. They finally have the luxury of time.
------------------------
ORIGINAL REQUEST
Briefly describe what you'd like to receive: a defining moment in Ron/Hermione's relationship...preferably not an obvious one like marriage, or proposal or birth of kids.
Preferred Genre(s): romance, gen
Preferred Rating(s): anything, but if you are comfortable writing R, then please do :)
Canon or AU?: canon
A specific you want: a bit of a bicker
Deal Breakers (what don't you want?): 'mione', baby, babe or any of those other awful nicknames, angst, incest, breakup
Thanks for participating in the Love in Full Bloom Exchange!
Author: i_am_girlfriday
Beta: nebakanezer
Rating: PG
Word count: 1,650
Summary: Hermione discovers things people would rather keep hidden.
Warnings: Deathly Hallows compliant, but any other information from interviews, etc. has been disregarded.
Notes: None
Hermione is a studier of people and of things, and always has been. When she was young her mother nagged her not to stare or pry, so Hermione trains herself in the ways stealthy snooping and secret keeping.
She remembers the summer when she was twelve and found old pictures and letters tied up with string in her mother’s bedside table. The edges were a bit yellow but the stack looked like it had been handled with care over the years. Her mother blushed and quickly took them from her daughter’s hand. She shoved the keepsakes back in her drawer. One day while her parents were at work, Hermione snuck into their bedroom to investigate further. She flipped through the stack and found a picture of a plain looking building with a willow tree in front. Written on the back, in her dad's messy handwriting, was Our First Flat. It was dated two years prior to her parents' wedding anniversary. Hermione had always been told since she was a little girl that her mother had her own place and a flatmate until she'd married her father. She stores the secret for future use.
The memory comes back to her like déjà vu almost ten years later when she takes over a drawer in Ron’s dresser. Hermione tells herself it’s more practical to leave extra knickers and socks there than to tote them back and forth. Not long after that, when Ron folds her favorite nightgown, eight pairs of socks, and a week’s worth of knickers, and stacks them neatly atop his freshly laundered clothes, Hermione concedes that maybe she and Ron are ready for the next step in their two-year relationship.
***
Hermione isn’t supposed to know about Harry’s mother’s ring sitting in his desk drawer. She was only looking for a quill to jot down a quick note. It’s a hellish week and a half keeping it to her self before Harry makes it official. She is outwardly elated when Harry and Ginny announce their engagement, but she can’t help that sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. She knows that soon the pressure will be on her and Ron to get married. As much as she loves Ron, the idea of getting married terrifies her. She knows he's hers forever already--she knew practically from the first moment she met him on the train, before she could comprehend love like this. Still, it took them almost eight years to even share their first kiss. And it’s taken almost two years of dating before she’s been willing to think about a future.
***
On the Friday after Harry and Ginny’s announcement, Ron and Hermione share an awkward dinner. They’ve both been working long hours, and everything feels out of sync. Hermione thinks it’s because she hasn’t made much of an effort to see Ron all week. She’s been busy making lists, weighing the pros and cons of cohabitation, but she’s still not quite sure what the tally has revealed. She wants to talk about all the innuendos she’s been getting from her mother about settling down. She wants to discuss Mrs. Weasley’s pleas for more grandchildren. Only she can’t bring herself to say anything at all. Ron is the only person she wants to talk to about this kind of stuff, but he is simultaneously the last person she can talk to about this kind of stuff.
Hermione’s conflicted mess of emotions keep her physically distant, but there is undeniable electricity between them. She trembles. Ron thinks it’s from the chilly October night and offers to light a fire. He tells her to grab her favorite Weasley jumper to keep warm. Hermione fetches it from his drawer, but not without spotting his Gringotts vault book at the bottom of the drawer. Before she can stop herself (and she never really can) she sees an alarming figure. Hermione discovers that Ron’s salary is nothing to balk at now that George is remembering to do payroll regularly. It’s in that moment that Hermione gives up on the notion that Ron will take a (serious) job at the ministry. She suddenly realizes that though Ron loves his job, the pay is just a bonus, and this is just one more secret she has to keep to herself.
***
Over the next week Hermione tries not to think of Ron’s growing nest egg. She can’t imagine what he’s planning to do with that kind of savings, but if he’s following the same trend as their peers, then she can guess that it might have something to do with a proposal. Hermione just prays that he won’t blow all his galleons on a goblin-made ring and insist on a lavish wedding. Dread pools in her stomach, and so does guilt, because she can’t even muster pride or happiness for her lovely boyfriend who’s managed to save so much gold.
“What’s wrong, Hermione?” Ron asks in earnest during lunch at the Leaky Cauldron the following week.
“Nothing,” Hermione replies quickly.
“It’s not nothing, it’s something. Tell me.”
Normally Hermione appreciates his persistence, but her present worries aren’t something she’s willing to risk discussing just yet. Worse than an unwanted marriage proposal would be a proposal offered in the midst of a heated row because he thinks she’s sulking.
It’s times like these that she’s glad to know just which buttons to push to get Ron to react, to deflect the mounting tension. “I don’t have to tell you everything, Ronald.”
His reaction is immediate. His face turns red. His pride has been wounded.
“No, you don’t have to, but it’s the kind of thing couples do, Hermione. Aren’t you always the one going on about that kind of rubbish?”
“You don’t have to mock me!” Hermione retorts. She feels better replacing confusion with a straightforward emotion like anger.
“I’m not mocking you! It’s just not fair that your rules don’t apply to you!” Ron is indignant and stands his ground.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. You’re mad!” Hermione flinches. She knows that nothing bothers Ron more than being told his intuition is wrong when it concerns her.
“You can’t be serious! I’m mad? You’re the one who’s obviously got a bee in her bonnet but won’t let me try to fix it! If it’s something I’ve done or not done you should just come out with it already. Nobody likes the Long-Suffering-Hermione Act!”
“You know what? I can’t deal with this right now!” Hermione launches herself out of the booth and prepares to Disapparate. “Do me a favor, and don’t follow me.” With a pop, she is gone and back in her cold and unfriendly flat.
***
The next morning Hermione sends an apologetic owl and asks Ron to accompany her while she looks for a new flat. She has decided that taking action is the best solution. Just like their first kiss that was rushed and in the midst of a battle, so too will be their next step as a couple.
They meet up with an estate witch who has plotted an afternoon tour of small flats in magical London. Hermione looks in closets, peeks in cupboards, and pokes around the drawers when she thinks no one is looking. She can’t help herself; she is a discoverer and a keeper of secrets.
The last flat they visit takes Hermione’s breath away. It’s much too big for a single person and way out of her price range, but it’s perfect for them. She envisions the spare bedroom will double as a study and a room for all of Ron’s Chudley Cannons memorabilia. It’s the only two-bedroom flat they’ve seen, and this seems to perplex Ron.
“Hermione, you don’t want a flatmate, do you?”
“I was hoping I wouldn’t be alone…”
Ron’s shoulders slump in defeat.
Hermione rolls her eyes, “I didn’t want just any flatmate, Ron. I was hoping you’d--“
“--I’d love to.”
Hermione is stunned silent, wondering if they’re talking about the same thing.
“I’ve been wanting to ask you to move in, but we’ve been off ever since Harry and Ginny announced their engagement.” Ron says sheepishly, shoving his hands deeper in his pockets. “I was afraid you were expecting me to propose like Harry, with some grand gesture. Not that I don’t want--“
“--I did think you were going to ask me to marry you,” Hermione interrupts, “but I was hoping you wouldn’t. But not because I don’t want to marry you!” She finishes quickly.
“No, just not right now.” Ron says, seeming to understand. “Someday?” he asks hopefully.
“Someday.” Hermione replies with a grin, “It’s just. . .”
“. . .Too fast for us, yeah?”
“Yeah. I’m just getting used to this.” Hermione grabs his arm and squeezes it affectionately.
“To us,” Ron says, scooping his girlfriend up for a bone-crushing hug.
For as bad as their timing used to be, and for all their misunderstandings, they have finally found their rhythm.
***
Everyone expects Ron and Hermione to be like Harry and Ginny or even Bill and Fleur: they’ll end their courtship with a big wedding. But nothing about Ron and Hermione is predictable. It’s their decision not to get married and instead live together that surprises everyone. Their families are less than pleased and are vocal about their disappointment. Hermione merely hints to her parents that she knows about the flat with the willow tree in front before they stop reprimanding her. Ron reminds his mother she’s got enough to worry about with Ginny’s wedding and that seems to distract her.
Ron and Hermione are adamant that they didn’t give up a year to hunt for Horcruxes and help save the magical world from a madman to simply hurry up with the rest of their lives. Marriage can wait. They finally have the luxury of time.
------------------------
ORIGINAL REQUEST
Briefly describe what you'd like to receive: a defining moment in Ron/Hermione's relationship...preferably not an obvious one like marriage, or proposal or birth of kids.
Preferred Genre(s): romance, gen
Preferred Rating(s): anything, but if you are comfortable writing R, then please do :)
Canon or AU?: canon
A specific you want: a bit of a bicker
Deal Breakers (what don't you want?): 'mione', baby, babe or any of those other awful nicknames, angst, incest, breakup
Thanks for participating in the Love in Full Bloom Exchange!