Fic Request Fulfilled for manda_lalala
Title: Forward Motion
Author: greysgurl
Beta: jamyg98, threwyoureyes
Rating: G
Word count: 1682
Summary: Their lives were moving so fast, and all they could do was to hold on tight.
Warnings: --
Notes: --
‘Where are we going, Ron?’ she laughed.
As far as mornings go, for Hermione Granger, this was slowly chalking up to be the strangest one ever.
She had spent the entire night with a pillow pulled over her head as her boyfriend shivered uncontrollably behind her. Despite her concerned questions, he insisted he was fine. As soon as she tried to resume her slumber, however, he would begin all over again.
Somehow, amidst all of that she had fallen asleep, only to be awoken a few hours later.
She had been startled awake by the sound of swearing and had opened her eyes to find Ron in the corner of their bedroom, tearing through his sock draw desperately.
As soon as he had realized she was awake he had frozen, his hands clutching a pair of socks. His face turned roughly the shade of porridge and he stared at her wide-eyed with fear.
All morning he had been on edge, just like that. When she told him that she had given her mother a ring that week, he spilt his coffee down his shirt. When she told him about the new medical trial proposal she had made to the board, he dropped the empty mug on his foot.
And finally, with his ashen face, and trembling hands, he had asked her if maybe they should go out for the day.
That was how she had wound up here, in amongst the foliage walking through a park.
‘Jus’ somewhere…’ Ron mumbled, looking down at the lush grass beneath them. Trees loomed just above their heads, green leaves surrounding them.
Her fingers intertwined with his as they walked along in silence. The birds sang around them and Hermione sighed. This was nice.
She looked at Ron, with his eyes clouded as he studied the ground. He was all hers…
‘What are you thinking about?’ she asked him sweetly, bumping her hip with his.
‘Just stuff,’ he said vaguely, squeezing her hand.
He was in one of his moods. From time to time it would happen, and Hermione had learnt to accept it.
For five years, ever since the Battle had ended she had fought with this knowledge. Her boyfriend would be fine one moment, and then the next fall into a deep trance. Sometimes she knew that he was thinking about his life. How much it had changed since the Battle and what he could never do again. Sometimes she knew that he was thinking about Fred and how afraid he was to admit he missed him.
Whenever he got like this he was always too far away for her to try and hold. His mind was off, somewhere, five, maybe even ten years in the past.
She had learnt to deal with it, to leave him be when he got like this. But this morning it was different. He seemed preoccupied with something a little closer.
The path they were travelling inclined upwards and she had to work a little harder to navigate her strappy sandals up the hill.
‘Wait…’
She slowed down as the path opened to a clearing. A familiar looming gate and a well-worn road veering to the right. She knew this place like the back of her own hand.
Her heart felt light as she studied it fondly. Home.
‘We…we’re at Hogwarts, Ron!’ she stated blankly.
‘McGonagall said it was okay,’ he mumbled, shoving his hands in his pockets.
He then looked up at her expectantly. ‘I-Is it okay?’
‘Okay?’ Hermione questioned, a giddy smile spreading over her lips, ‘This is fabulous, Ron!’
Ron offered her a lopsided grin in return to her sentiment and squeezed her hand tightly.
‘Good…I just wanted to make sure.’
‘Can we go in now?’
He lifted his wand and waved in a very complex figuration. Then he sent a sideways glance to Hermione to see whether or not she had noticed. She had.
The gates swung open and Ron led her in.
Her heart sang as she walked through the gates she hadn’t been on the inside of in six years. It seemed like such a long time since she had been home.
The grounds were exactly as she remembered them. The same carpet of soft green grass and the same rolling hills. The castle came into view, large, looming, intimidating and welcoming all at the same time.
She let Ron’s hand guide her to a destination clearly only he knew. She was happy just to absorb it all again. She was home.
Finally he stopped.
‘Sit,’ he ordered gruffly.
He tugged on her hand, lowering her to the lush grass. He had chosen a beautiful spot.
In the midday sun, the great lake that lay before them sparkled and shone as it rippled. Flowers smiled happily towards the springtime sun. It was beautiful this time of year.
‘This is amazing, Ron,’ she sighed, looking across the lake thoughtfully.
Hermione looked up to see Ron staring forcefully at his empty hand, muttering something under his breath.
‘Ron…’ she said slowly, trying to gauge exactly what he was doing.
‘Fleuricuss rouge,’ he hissed.
Finally, a pert, vibrant flower appeared in his hand. He sighed heavily, slumping down before looking up at Hermione.
He shrugged sheepishly, flushing crimson.
‘It was supposed to be a rose,’ he explained.
Hermione beamed at him, plucking the flower out of his hand. ‘It’s nice,’ she assured him.
She twirled the perfect, beautiful lilac in her hand. It was the sweetest thing he had ever done for her.
‘Come over here.’
She shuffled across the grass, kicking off her sandals as she went, submerging her feet into the cool water.
She smiled luxuriously as Ron’s body scooted in beside hers. She let her head drop onto his shoulder and sighed.
‘This is amazing, Ron,’ she repeated, her entire body humming with happiness.
‘Yeah,’ he breathed, ‘I think so too.’
They lapsed into a comfortable silence. The only sounds were their heavy breathing and the water lapping against the bank.
‘Everything has changed, hasn’t it?’ he said suddenly.
‘What?’ she asked sleepily. Her brain was sluggish with all the sunshine.
‘Just…everything…’ he sighed.
Hermione frowned and Ron continued, ‘I mean…it seems like…you know…yesterday, that we were tearing this castle to shreds because Dumbledore had just died. And now there are kids in there who were only just old enough to be walking when You-Know-Who was around.’
Hermione nodded into his shoulder. ‘I know.’
‘It…it just moves so fast!’ he protested, ‘It seems like the other day that we met for the first time. And then we were yelling at each other, and then we weren’t speaking and then we were kissing… and now…’
‘And now what?’ she probed gently.
‘And now…’
Ron paused, his face pale. He swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing. When he spoke again, his voice was shaky and tremulous.
‘And now I think I want to marry you.’
Hermione froze, her heart stopping for what seemed like an eternity. His words echoed in her head, bouncing off the walls of her skull. Think. Marry. Want. You.
She blinked furiously. She needed to hear. She needed to understand…
Ron was fumbling awkwardly with his pockets. His eyes were wide with horror, as if he too didn’t quite understand what was happening.
‘I…I just mean that…maybe…it could be good,’ he stumbled, ‘if perhaps we got…married…if you wanted to.’
His shaking hands emerged from his pockets, a velvet box gripped tightly in his fingers. He fumbled with it, cracking it open.
Hermione felt detached from her body, like she was studying the small, sparkly diamond from the other side of the lake. This was real. This was…
She realized he was looking up at her expectantly; abject horror filling his eyes with each extra second that she took.
‘Everything moves so fast, ‘Mione,’ he said in a low, pleading voice, ‘I just don’t wanna get left behind…’
Hermione opened her mouth to reply, trying to force her vocal cords to work in her favour for once. Where was the sharp-tongued girl that usually inhabited this body?
‘But…if…you don’t want to then…’ Ron mumbled gruffly, beginning to tuck the ring away, ‘then…s’okay.’
‘Yes.’
Her voice came out distorted and croaky, and she frowned. Where were the big words and the perfect phrases? Where were the sharp, intelligent things that usually rolled off her tongue so perfectly?
Ron froze, turning back towards her. ‘Yes?’
‘Y-yes,’ she stammered.
A slow, unsteady smile began to lift on his lips turning into the adorable, crooked grin she loved.
‘You…want to marry me?’ he clarified.
‘Yes.’
Her voice was firm this time, something new and excited swelling in her chest. She was marrying him. She was marrying him.
‘And you’re…doing this because er…you want to?’
‘Yes.’
Hermione’s voice rose confidently and she was suddenly unable to stop the giddy laugh rising in her throat.
Ron met her infectious smile with a matching one of his own. He plucked the ring from its nest amongst the velvet proudly.
She extended her left hand, grinning. Her witted, clued-on brain had suddenly turned to fairy floss and for once she didn’t care. She let herself giggle uninhibitedly as he slid the small diamond over her knuckle.
And then she sighed.
She leant up against him once again, rocking her hand back and forth, letting the springtime light catch on it.
She was being that girl. The girl who giggled and turned to mush at the sight of a diamond. The girl who was loved and cherished. And that was exactly who she wanted to be.
‘I’m sorry I screwed this up, ‘Mione,’ Ron said regretfully. ‘It definitely wasn’t perfect.’
‘Yes it was,’ she countered. ‘It most definitely was.’
They lapsed into an easy silence where she knew they were both thinking about what would happen in the not too distant future.
It could be perfect.
She thought about what had just happened. Hogwarts, the lake, the lilac…
And then she snorted, laughter escaping her mouth. ‘Honestly, Ronald… only you could turn a rose into a lilac!'
------------------------
ORIGINAL REQUEST
Briefly describe what you'd like to receive: Spring, in between the final battle and the epilogue some time. Ron asks Hermione to marry him.
Preferred Genre(s): Fluff and sweetness
Preferred Rating(s): Any
Canon or AU?: Canon
A specific you want: Lilacs and fluffiness
Deal Breakers (what don't you want?): I dunno, anything's fine
Thanks for participating in the Love in Full Bloom Exchange!
Author: greysgurl
Beta: jamyg98, threwyoureyes
Rating: G
Word count: 1682
Summary: Their lives were moving so fast, and all they could do was to hold on tight.
Warnings: --
Notes: --
‘Where are we going, Ron?’ she laughed.
As far as mornings go, for Hermione Granger, this was slowly chalking up to be the strangest one ever.
She had spent the entire night with a pillow pulled over her head as her boyfriend shivered uncontrollably behind her. Despite her concerned questions, he insisted he was fine. As soon as she tried to resume her slumber, however, he would begin all over again.
Somehow, amidst all of that she had fallen asleep, only to be awoken a few hours later.
She had been startled awake by the sound of swearing and had opened her eyes to find Ron in the corner of their bedroom, tearing through his sock draw desperately.
As soon as he had realized she was awake he had frozen, his hands clutching a pair of socks. His face turned roughly the shade of porridge and he stared at her wide-eyed with fear.
All morning he had been on edge, just like that. When she told him that she had given her mother a ring that week, he spilt his coffee down his shirt. When she told him about the new medical trial proposal she had made to the board, he dropped the empty mug on his foot.
And finally, with his ashen face, and trembling hands, he had asked her if maybe they should go out for the day.
That was how she had wound up here, in amongst the foliage walking through a park.
‘Jus’ somewhere…’ Ron mumbled, looking down at the lush grass beneath them. Trees loomed just above their heads, green leaves surrounding them.
Her fingers intertwined with his as they walked along in silence. The birds sang around them and Hermione sighed. This was nice.
She looked at Ron, with his eyes clouded as he studied the ground. He was all hers…
‘What are you thinking about?’ she asked him sweetly, bumping her hip with his.
‘Just stuff,’ he said vaguely, squeezing her hand.
He was in one of his moods. From time to time it would happen, and Hermione had learnt to accept it.
For five years, ever since the Battle had ended she had fought with this knowledge. Her boyfriend would be fine one moment, and then the next fall into a deep trance. Sometimes she knew that he was thinking about his life. How much it had changed since the Battle and what he could never do again. Sometimes she knew that he was thinking about Fred and how afraid he was to admit he missed him.
Whenever he got like this he was always too far away for her to try and hold. His mind was off, somewhere, five, maybe even ten years in the past.
She had learnt to deal with it, to leave him be when he got like this. But this morning it was different. He seemed preoccupied with something a little closer.
The path they were travelling inclined upwards and she had to work a little harder to navigate her strappy sandals up the hill.
‘Wait…’
She slowed down as the path opened to a clearing. A familiar looming gate and a well-worn road veering to the right. She knew this place like the back of her own hand.
Her heart felt light as she studied it fondly. Home.
‘We…we’re at Hogwarts, Ron!’ she stated blankly.
‘McGonagall said it was okay,’ he mumbled, shoving his hands in his pockets.
He then looked up at her expectantly. ‘I-Is it okay?’
‘Okay?’ Hermione questioned, a giddy smile spreading over her lips, ‘This is fabulous, Ron!’
Ron offered her a lopsided grin in return to her sentiment and squeezed her hand tightly.
‘Good…I just wanted to make sure.’
‘Can we go in now?’
He lifted his wand and waved in a very complex figuration. Then he sent a sideways glance to Hermione to see whether or not she had noticed. She had.
The gates swung open and Ron led her in.
Her heart sang as she walked through the gates she hadn’t been on the inside of in six years. It seemed like such a long time since she had been home.
The grounds were exactly as she remembered them. The same carpet of soft green grass and the same rolling hills. The castle came into view, large, looming, intimidating and welcoming all at the same time.
She let Ron’s hand guide her to a destination clearly only he knew. She was happy just to absorb it all again. She was home.
Finally he stopped.
‘Sit,’ he ordered gruffly.
He tugged on her hand, lowering her to the lush grass. He had chosen a beautiful spot.
In the midday sun, the great lake that lay before them sparkled and shone as it rippled. Flowers smiled happily towards the springtime sun. It was beautiful this time of year.
‘This is amazing, Ron,’ she sighed, looking across the lake thoughtfully.
Hermione looked up to see Ron staring forcefully at his empty hand, muttering something under his breath.
‘Ron…’ she said slowly, trying to gauge exactly what he was doing.
‘Fleuricuss rouge,’ he hissed.
Finally, a pert, vibrant flower appeared in his hand. He sighed heavily, slumping down before looking up at Hermione.
He shrugged sheepishly, flushing crimson.
‘It was supposed to be a rose,’ he explained.
Hermione beamed at him, plucking the flower out of his hand. ‘It’s nice,’ she assured him.
She twirled the perfect, beautiful lilac in her hand. It was the sweetest thing he had ever done for her.
‘Come over here.’
She shuffled across the grass, kicking off her sandals as she went, submerging her feet into the cool water.
She smiled luxuriously as Ron’s body scooted in beside hers. She let her head drop onto his shoulder and sighed.
‘This is amazing, Ron,’ she repeated, her entire body humming with happiness.
‘Yeah,’ he breathed, ‘I think so too.’
They lapsed into a comfortable silence. The only sounds were their heavy breathing and the water lapping against the bank.
‘Everything has changed, hasn’t it?’ he said suddenly.
‘What?’ she asked sleepily. Her brain was sluggish with all the sunshine.
‘Just…everything…’ he sighed.
Hermione frowned and Ron continued, ‘I mean…it seems like…you know…yesterday, that we were tearing this castle to shreds because Dumbledore had just died. And now there are kids in there who were only just old enough to be walking when You-Know-Who was around.’
Hermione nodded into his shoulder. ‘I know.’
‘It…it just moves so fast!’ he protested, ‘It seems like the other day that we met for the first time. And then we were yelling at each other, and then we weren’t speaking and then we were kissing… and now…’
‘And now what?’ she probed gently.
‘And now…’
Ron paused, his face pale. He swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing. When he spoke again, his voice was shaky and tremulous.
‘And now I think I want to marry you.’
Hermione froze, her heart stopping for what seemed like an eternity. His words echoed in her head, bouncing off the walls of her skull. Think. Marry. Want. You.
She blinked furiously. She needed to hear. She needed to understand…
Ron was fumbling awkwardly with his pockets. His eyes were wide with horror, as if he too didn’t quite understand what was happening.
‘I…I just mean that…maybe…it could be good,’ he stumbled, ‘if perhaps we got…married…if you wanted to.’
His shaking hands emerged from his pockets, a velvet box gripped tightly in his fingers. He fumbled with it, cracking it open.
Hermione felt detached from her body, like she was studying the small, sparkly diamond from the other side of the lake. This was real. This was…
She realized he was looking up at her expectantly; abject horror filling his eyes with each extra second that she took.
‘Everything moves so fast, ‘Mione,’ he said in a low, pleading voice, ‘I just don’t wanna get left behind…’
Hermione opened her mouth to reply, trying to force her vocal cords to work in her favour for once. Where was the sharp-tongued girl that usually inhabited this body?
‘But…if…you don’t want to then…’ Ron mumbled gruffly, beginning to tuck the ring away, ‘then…s’okay.’
‘Yes.’
Her voice came out distorted and croaky, and she frowned. Where were the big words and the perfect phrases? Where were the sharp, intelligent things that usually rolled off her tongue so perfectly?
Ron froze, turning back towards her. ‘Yes?’
‘Y-yes,’ she stammered.
A slow, unsteady smile began to lift on his lips turning into the adorable, crooked grin she loved.
‘You…want to marry me?’ he clarified.
‘Yes.’
Her voice was firm this time, something new and excited swelling in her chest. She was marrying him. She was marrying him.
‘And you’re…doing this because er…you want to?’
‘Yes.’
Hermione’s voice rose confidently and she was suddenly unable to stop the giddy laugh rising in her throat.
Ron met her infectious smile with a matching one of his own. He plucked the ring from its nest amongst the velvet proudly.
She extended her left hand, grinning. Her witted, clued-on brain had suddenly turned to fairy floss and for once she didn’t care. She let herself giggle uninhibitedly as he slid the small diamond over her knuckle.
And then she sighed.
She leant up against him once again, rocking her hand back and forth, letting the springtime light catch on it.
She was being that girl. The girl who giggled and turned to mush at the sight of a diamond. The girl who was loved and cherished. And that was exactly who she wanted to be.
‘I’m sorry I screwed this up, ‘Mione,’ Ron said regretfully. ‘It definitely wasn’t perfect.’
‘Yes it was,’ she countered. ‘It most definitely was.’
They lapsed into an easy silence where she knew they were both thinking about what would happen in the not too distant future.
It could be perfect.
She thought about what had just happened. Hogwarts, the lake, the lilac…
And then she snorted, laughter escaping her mouth. ‘Honestly, Ronald… only you could turn a rose into a lilac!'
------------------------
ORIGINAL REQUEST
Briefly describe what you'd like to receive: Spring, in between the final battle and the epilogue some time. Ron asks Hermione to marry him.
Preferred Genre(s): Fluff and sweetness
Preferred Rating(s): Any
Canon or AU?: Canon
A specific you want: Lilacs and fluffiness
Deal Breakers (what don't you want?): I dunno, anything's fine
Thanks for participating in the Love in Full Bloom Exchange!