"Enjoying the party, Hermione?" Ginny asked with a giggle. "I tell you, it is so good to be out! Not that I don't love looking after Cathy - and Harry come to that! But I feel like I haven't been properly out in ages!"
"I know what you mean," Hermione agreed, smiling in the dim lighting at a young wizard who was dancing next to some brightly coloured banners. The young witch he was dancing with, however, seemed rather disgruntled as she saw him return Hermione's smile.
After a few minutes, he joined her. “What drink can I get you? Sherry?” he asked, leaning towards Hermione to make himself heard over the loud music.
"Don't you think you've had enough?" Ginny asked her warningly, as Hermione accepted the drink and took a sip.
"Probably!" she agreed with a laugh. "This'll be my last one, honest." With that, she turned her attention to the wizard, leaving Ginny to shrug and go over to talk to an old friend from school. Hermione was old enough to look after herself, Ginny reasoned, and everyone was allowed to let loose once in a while.
Ron was talking to an aunt of Tiffany's when he saw Hermione dancing with the wizard, and he couldn't honestly say that he didn't still feel that twinge of jealousy. It was just like when he had been forced to watch her dancing with Krum all those years ago; through sheer morbid fascination he couldn't tear his eyes away. He glowered at the sight and memory of Hermione, quite scaring Tiffany's aunt as she hurriedly excused herself to go and talk to someone else.
"May I have this dance?" Ron uttered the words he hadn't dared to at school, causing Hermione to smile in much the same way she probably would have done then.
"Sure," she said amicably, leaning against him as she missed a beat in the song and tripped over an abandoned streamer. "Whoops! Good party, isn't it?"
"Yeah," Ron agreed, without much enthusiasm. "Hang on - you're not drunk, are you?" Ron had only seen Hermione drunk twice before. Once had been at a spirited Christmas party with the twins, who vehemently denied spiking anyone’s drink. The second time had been at another party when they weren't dating, but Hermione had broken up with her boyfriend. The fact that he had seen Ron kiss Hermione in a way that he couldn't honestly say was platonic was irrelevant, Ron was sure. But both of those had been quite a long time ago, and as a rule Hermione didn't generally drink. It struck Ron how long it had been since he had properly seen and been around Hermione; for all he knew, a lot could have changed since then.
"No! Well, not really!" she laughed, swinging away from Ron in time with the music.
"Come on, let me take you home before you do something you'll regret." Ron led her off the dance floor and over to Harry and George. "We're going to be off now; Hermione's probably had a bit too much to drink for her own good."
"No, I haven't - you have!" Hermione insisted, nodding to Harry and George, who both grinned at Ron in return. "Ron, I'm fine, honestly!" Personally, Harry didn't think that Hermione looked more drunk than many of the other people there, but despite himself found it rather touching that Ron did, and wanted to take her home safely.
"Alright - I've had too much to drink, and you need to get me home then," Ron agreed, rolling his eyes. "Seriously, let her go like this and she'll end up trying to Apparate to Africa or something! I’d take her on my broom except she’d never get on it, and if somehow she did she’d probably fall off. Plus, it'd be even more risky when she's drunk! I’ll probably just have to go after her with Floo powder, make sure she gets in okay.” Harry nodded, unconsciously putting down his own drink as George gave a wry smile.
“I take it you won’t be coming back afterwards?” George asked, putting his drink back on the bar also, ignoring the girl opposite who was trying to catch his eye.
“Nah, I don’t think so. I’d better make sure Hermione’s okay. Besides, I wasn’t having that much fun avoiding Hermione’s relatives anyway!” Ron laughed, but Harry and George didn’t join in: instead, they stared at him. Harry with an open mouth, but George with another wry grin.
“Hermione’s relatives? Funny, I thought you were marrying Tiffany!” George commented, this time breaking out into laughter as Ron blushed, his ears turning slightly red.
“I meant Tiffany! Must have had more to drink than I thought! Well, I’ll be off then, see you later Harry,” Ron said quickly, ushering Hermione away as she waved to Harry and George, and over to the fireplace, where he threw in some Floo powder and called out the name of Hermione’s flat. “After you,” he gestured, as Hermione stepped forward.
Ron coughed as he stepped out a minute later into Hermione’s living room to see her sprawled out on the sofa. He hesitated in front of the fireplace, unsure of what to do or where to go. It struck him again how long it had been since he had been with Hermione properly. He had never been to this flat before; they had lost contact for a quite a while before she moved, and had very rarely spoken or seen each other afterwards.
He took in all aspects of the living room, noticing how much it reflected Hermione’s tastes, from the extensive bookshelves against one wall to the comfy sofas and picture of her cat alongside another. He walked over to the coffee table, where the picture of Crookshanks was, and crouched down to examine the other assorted frames next to it. One was a Muggle picture of Hermione with her parents, which Ron was greatly tempted to prod with his wand. It was only the thought of him turning into his father and collecting 'fellytones' or something of the like that made Ron focus on another photograph. The one he chose depicted Hermione with a group of other people, whom Ron could only assume to be people she worked with; they were all waving, chatting and rearranging things in the room they were in, which Ron also didn't recognise. Another frame caught Ron’s eye, of Hermione and a man he didn't know. He clenched his fists unintentionally, so quickly moved his gaze to the last picture on the table: one of Hermione with Harry, Ginny and Cathy, standing by a swing set in a park that Ron didn't know. Cathy was sitting in one of the swings and the adults took it in turn to push her gently. Ron smiled; it was a nice picture. But where was he? There wasn’t a single photograph, snapshot or even part of a picture of himself there, maybe torn up after another of their fights, then stuck clumsily back together with Spellotape after the inevitable and wonderful reconciliation. Ron silently berated himself for even thinking about that, but Hermione herself interrupted his thoughts.
“Ron?” she said, slightly groggy after the Floo travel - which you weren't supposed to use if you'd been drinking. “What on earth were you thinking? We shouldn't have Flooed here - we've had alcohol, and you know it isn't advised to use the Floo Network when you've been drinking more than a glass of wine, as you're more liable to get out of the wrong grate or hit your head and knock yourself unconscious!" Hermione scolded. "Wait - what are you even doing here?”
“I was just making sure you got back alright. But I’ll go now,” Ron said rather coldly, the photographs still weighing in his mind.
“No! Don’t go - you're not Flooing again! I didn’t mean it like that; only it was your party. Sort of.” Hermione pushed herself up onto her elbows and looked inquiringly up at Ron. “They were all your friends and family, wouldn’t you rather be there?”
“No, not really. I wasn’t enjoying it that much to tell the truth. Stupid idea really, to have a party just before the wedding - I’m nervous enough as it is!” Ron laughed throatily as he went to sit down next to Hermione, but paused, recalling his earlier mistaken comment, and decided to sit instead on the chair opposite her.
"So,” Hermione said hesitantly. “What's Tilly -"
"Tiffany," Ron corrected her, though he had a funny feeling that it wasn’t just the drink that had caused Hermione's 'forgetfulness'.
"Sorry, Tiffany, like?" Hermione had now fallen back down on the sofa again, feeling about for a cushion to prop her head up slightly, though the truth was she didn’t really want to read Ron’s expression at that exact moment.
“Tiff’s great, she’s really nice and sweet. She’s funny, but in a sort of sarcastic way. She works in a clothes shop; Twilfit and Tatting’s, as she’s really into fashion. You should see all the magazines we’ve got lying around the house! She’s kind of small, blonde hair and brown eyes, though not really like yours,” Ron noted, pausing for a moment to look into Hermione‘s eyes before quickly averting his gaze. Hermione could see he hadn’t even needed to think about what he was saying as he talked animatedly about his fiancée. “She didn't go to Hogwarts, she was home schooled for a bit before she went to this small school in the Midlands. Well, she's really determined - when she wants something, she'll go to any means to get it! That's how she got me!" Ron laughed, but Hermione didn't join in. Ron looked over her to check that she was still awake, which she was, before continuing. "That's how she got her job, too, there was a lot of competition to be an assistant buyer, but she worked really hard. I bet someday soon she'll even open her own shop. Anyway, she has this cat that I hate, worse than Crookshanks! But this one’s all sooty and stripy and it’s got this really evil glare that never seems to blink - it’s really creepy! I wanted to throw it out the window, see if it would land on it’s feet, but Tiffany said, ‘No way, what if he doesn't?’ I didn’t mention that that was what I was hoping!” Ron grinned as he leaned back in his chair, stretching his feet out further. “No, Tiffany’s great, really great. I love her. Well, obviously, I’m marrying her!”
“That’s... great. Really great," Hermione echoed with a yawn. "I can’t wait to meet her. But what about you, Ron? What’ve you been up to? I feel like I haven’t spoken to you properly in ages.”
“I was thinking the same thing earlier,” Ron admitted. “Well, I haven’t been doing too much, really. Oh - the other day when I was at Harry's, Cathy fell over into her paddling pool, and it reminded me of that time in second year when...”
Ron smiled as he realised that Hermione had drifted off halfway through her story. Things had seemed almost like they used to, with them both laughing, reminiscing and bickering lightly, but Ron could still sense almost an edge around it. Something that might go unnoticed by anyone but them, something that went unsaid, but something that was definitely still there. He wasn’t altogether sure what it was; the feeling was somewhat familiar, although he hadn’t felt it in a long time. But then, I haven’t seen Hermione in a long time, Ron reasoned. Maybe it’s just a feeling that comes with her?
“Ron...” Hermione murmured in her sleep. "Remember to buy some eggs.” Ron grinned, lolling back in his chair as a realization slowly began to dawn. “I love..." she murmured again, causing Ron to sit up sharply as she slumped further down in seat, her eyes still shut. "...Chocolate Frogs." Ron sighed.
"Of course,” he said to no one in particular. No one was there, apart from Hermione, who was asleep. Besides, he’d made it a point not to reveal his feelings to Hermione when they were at school, why break the habit? “Who doesn't? But I've been thinking I might love someone else more... Good thing you can't hear me now Hermione, as I think, that maybe I -" Hermione's eyelids batted open. "Er - love Chocolate Frogs!"
Ron scowled as once again he found himself in the wrong room. It wasn't as if Hermione was particularly heavy, but he was tired too, and he didn't like to think what Tiffany or anyone else might think if they saw him carrying a sleeping Hermione back to her room.
Eventually he opened the right door and dropped Hermione unceremoniously onto her bed. Then, although Ron knew he should probably leave, curiosity got the better of him and he went over to the window. It was dark outside, so he couldn't see much apart from the outline of a building and a few trees. Ron wondered how late it was as pulled the curtains shut rather violently. He'd lost track of time when he had been talking to Hermione. He poked around the rest of the room, quite scaring himself as a pile of her robes fell on him out of the cupboard. It took a great deal of self restraint when Ron saw an envelope written in the untidy scrawl he had come to recognise as Krum’s for him not to tear it apart; Ron felt rather proud of himself as he left it on the bedside table. But then his attention was soon drawn to the picture lying beside it.
It was nothing but a snapshot, not even in a frame; it had obviously been well fumbled and moved about. It was the one Ron had been searching for, hoping for, downstairs. It was of him, Harry and Hermione; they were sitting outside on a summer's day, though the sky was still grey and cloudy and he was even wearing a coat at the time. Typical British weather, Ron thought with a wry grin. He smiled as he caught himself and Hermione exchanging glances. Whether they were of annoyance or just trying to see what the other was doing he couldn't tell. Harry obviously could though, as he seemed to get frustrated with it and stormed out of the picture altogether, leaving himself and Hermione standing awkwardly together.
Ron leapt up as Hermione rolled over, her nose only a centimetre away from his, and gave a small snore, reminding him that he really shouldn't still be there. He pulled the duvet cover over her to keep her warm, and he couldn't conceal the smile on his face as she smiled in her sleep, pulling the duvet, along with his hand, closer to her.
No Other Way by Oppungo
Chapter Notes: Many thanks to my lovely beta, ms weasly, for all her help on this and everything. Also, I am so so sorry that this has taken so long to be updated - the entire story is written, and my beta already has the next chapter back to me, so as soon as this is posted I'll put the next chapter up in queue, so there won't be so long a wait!