Fic: Before Me 9 (Harry Potter, HarryxRon)
Title: Before Me
Fandom: Harry Potter
Words: 2,930
Warnings: None
Rating: PG
No one was in the Burrow when I exited the fireplace. I instantly stepped to the side to do a quick check of the clock told me where the rest of the Weasley family was in the world. Many spoons had been added over the years accommodating the new places we Weasley children resided.
Dad was still at Work and Mum was outside gardening.
George was busy in The Workshop.
Ginny's spoon was Traveling.
Charlie was permanently on Abroad.
Bill and Fleur were under Long Nap which was really appealing to me. Maybe I could take one once I returned.
It took me a moment to realize Percy's spoon was under Dad's on Work.
I watched my spoon rotate next to mum's at the Burrow and Harry's spoon move from Work to Traveling to Apartment before I started looking for the book. I was able to locate the cookbook, and taking out a roll of parchment from my cloak, I tore off a messy inch or so and left a quick note in its place, letting my mum, Molly, know that the book was being borrowed and that it would be returned in a day or two. It may ruin the surprise of her gift but considering the twins would undoubtedly prank mum so bad she would appreciate the non-surprise, surprise.
Walking over to the window I took a moment to watch my mum work in the garden which used to be the bain of my existence. Seeing Molly hunched over humming as she gently moved away plant leaves to inspect the ripeness of her fruits of labor I couldn't help but smile. Molly loved her family, that was never a question, but it couldn't have been easy to raise the seven of us Weasley brats. It was nice to see she finally had the time to return to her hobbies.
I knew as a dutiful son I ought to go out there and offer to help, so that's what I did. Pulling off my cloak and already rolling up my sleeves to my elbows I headed outside. It was warmer than it ought to have been and way too humid for the time of year. It had to be a spell to help the garden maintain the perfect atmosphere to continue well past the harvesting season. I suspected Hermione was the one who had cast it. Perhaps as an early birthday gift.
"Would you like some help?" I greeted her.
Molly jumped, startled as I came out of the back door. In her hand was a ruined beefsteak tomato which she crushed when I scared her. I grinned at that, remembering the incident with Harry in the kitchen. Mum matched my smile even as she huffed at the tomato. I leaned down and kissed her cheek and we exchanged hellos.
"Is there anything I can do?" I reasked as she conjured a glass jar and placed the smashed tomato inside. I had no doubt it was so she could separate the seeds for the next planting season, always planning ahead, my mum.
"I'm almost done here. You can take the baskets into the house."
"Sure. No problem."
I gathered up the two wicker baskets of fresh fruits and veggies and headed for the house.
"What brings you home? Is everything okay? Harry! Is he alright?" Trust my mum to worry over someone who wasn't even in the same room.
I held up my hands to stay her questions. "Everything is fine. Harry is fine. Do I need a reason to visit my favorite person?"
Molly sat heavily on the stool near the backdoor and pulled off her garden boots. "You may not need a reason to visit, but you usually have one."
"I wanted to borrow a book is all," I said trying to sound as vague as I could.
She huffed in a way that meant she had been right about me needing a reason to come to the Burrow. "Did you find it?"
"Yep," I said, looking over to where my cloak was I double-checked to make sure I had placed my robe over the book. It would ruin the surprise if she saw which book I had taken. It won't be hard for her to figure out why I was borrowing it. Hopefully, she thought it was an old-school textbook that I needed for a case at work and nothing to do with her birthday.
"Well, that's good." She got to her feet and moved over to the sink. With a wave of her hand, the basket with the vegetables floated over and settled under the tap. Molly began opening various drawers and exclaimed in triumph when she found the potato peeler. "Would you like to stay for dinner? Though I am not sure what I'm making yet. I was thinking a beef and barley stew, but I don't have enough flour for every-" She trailed off and shook her head, strands of her greying red hair shaking loose from her favorite gardening hat. "Sometimes I forget I'm not cooking for so many anymore."
And well, didn't that just pull at my guilt strings? "Er, normally, I would love that, mum..."
Molly cocked her head to the side, pinning me with a knowing look. "But?"
"But I told Harry I would be home right after I grabbed the book. He'll be expecting me."
"Harry's more than welcome to join us."
"I am not entirely sure he's up for being out right now."
Molly's knowing look softened. "I am so glad you two have each other."
I blinked at that. I thought she didn't know about Harry and Ginny, but there was no other reason for her to say something like that. Add the way she asked about Harry's well being and I couldn't help but wonder if my mum had somehow divined what was going on. I must have done a horrible job of hiding my thoughts because Molly chuckled.
"You don't have to look so stricken. It's been a relief to know that you have Harry's back and he has yours. Merlin knows that boy has been through the wringer, more than once, I might add." She rinsed off her hands and walked over to the pantry, picking up a large mixing bowl on her way. I scooped up my cloak and trailed after her.
"Uh, yeah. He has." I flushed with embarrassment. This was not a conversation I was planning on having, well ever, but certainly not now.
"How is he holding up? He is always putting on such a brave face especially when dealing with such a painful breakup too," Molly shook her head in exasperation.
"What? How did you know about that?"
"Oh, a mother has her ways," Molly answered cryptically. "Just because you don't visit regularly doesn't mean that none of your siblings don't."
"Ginny told you?"
"Ginny told me," she confirmed, then sighed. "I can't say I'm surprised. It's been a while since the last breakup and I figured it was time for another one." I was just about to ask if Ginny had told her about Dean, but her next words answered my unspoken question. "I hope it doesn't last as long as last time. It's about time they settled down and give me a grandchild or two." She laughed merrily at the idea of more grandchildren. "You'll give Harry my love, won't you? And maybe you could mention that no matter what he is a part of this family. Always."
So, Ginny hadn't mentioned Dean. Interesting. I supposed it made more sense to want to wait until she told Harry before breaking the news to the family. I only knew because I'd found out on my own. I wanted to be in control when telling everyone about Hermione and me splitting up. It was hard enough letting her go and coming to grips with what I wanted in my life without having to deal with the family drama that often accompanied the complicated sort of relationships our infamous trio were in.
That was when I realized I was standing in front of the fireplace. Mother had ushered me to the living room without me even knowing it. That woman was a force to reckon with. Not surprising since she raised the lot of us trouble-making Weasleys.
"Yeah. Yes. Sure."
"That's my good boy. I am looking forward to seeing everyone. I can't wait to see Harry for myself at the end of the week. Though he doesn't have to wait that long to stop by, you know."
"I know," I said, hugging her tightly. "See ya this Sunday, mum," I added, planting a quick kiss to the top of her head.
Grabbing a hefty handful of Floo Powder, I stood in the grate and gave Molly as big a grin as I could. "Bye, mum," I said before throwing the powder into the fireplace and the brilliant green flames enveloped me.
My eyes were watering as I exited the fireplace grate. We didn't have a real fireplace in our flat, but we made do with a facade of one in the living room. All it needed was to be hooked up to the Floo Network and the magician who had handled the connection had done the best they could do. Unfortunately, there was an after-effect where some smoke from the Floo Powder exited along with the user. I was used to it by now but that didn't mean I enjoyed the prickling sensation at the corners of my eyes.
Quickly wiping at my face I called out for Harry and followed the sound of his answering response from the kitchen. "How's it going in here?" I asked unable to stop myself from inhaling the delicious scents of tomato and garlic. I spotted an empty jar of mum's tomato sauce (a gift from the last visit to the Burrow) and smirked. It seemed I would be having a bit of Mum's cooking after all.
"Did you get it?" Harry asked looking over his shoulder before returning his attention to the boiling pots on the stove.
I flopped the recipe book down on the kitchen table. "What do you think?" I countered and raised an eyebrow, wondering just how long we could keep this conversation of questions but no answers going.
Harry matched my smirk. "Did you manage not to get caught?"
"Would I have been home sooner if I hadn't?"
Harry laughed. "The real question is what are we going to make?"
"We still have time to figure that out." Once again, I lose. Sneaky Potter.
I pulled out a chair. Harry returned to the stove where he dumped a handful of pasta (penne by the looks of it) into a boiling pot of water. "I was thinking of making this," I said shoving the book across the table so Harry could see the page.
"Whoa, slow down there," Harry cautioned. "When was the last time you even baked anything?"
The fact that I had to think about it made me see Harry's point. "Okay, fair enough. Maybe we start with something simpler?"
"Now you're talking."
So that's how we spent the week. When we weren't on the clock we were tried to successfully make the perfect dessert. Those first few days felt less like baking and more like potions class. Most of our attempts ended with swearing and laughter. In the beginning, our co-workers were less than happy to play guinea pig and taste test our baking diasters. But by the end of the week, there was a line in the Auror lounge for the leftovers.
To say that Harry and I were feeling pretty good about our baking skills would be an understatement. It's amazing how much I could learn when I actually wanted to learn it. I now knew the difference between shortcrust and puff pastry and how to make them both in addition to custard and how to whip a perfectly stiff meringue. We learned so much that Harry even started making our own owl biscuits, much to Pig and Nora's delight.
As I stood in the middle of my room I growled with impatience. Unsurprisingly, I was having trouble tying a simple bowtie. What I thought was going to take mere seconds ended up with me frustrated and cursing under my breath. That was what I got for attempting to wear a bowtie at the last minute. I was reaching for my wand to spell it when Harry's voice cut in.
"And here I thought we were trying to avoid a trip to St. Mungo's tonight."
"Ha-ha, very funny Potter."
Harry's smirk turned into a grin as he stepped into my bedroom. "Hold still, Weasley. Let me do it."
My back and shoulders stiffened as Harry drew closer to me and took both ends of the burnt orange bowtie into his hands. I held my breath, not wanting to move in case it provoked Harry. That didn't prevent me from staring at him as he expertly worked. Harry didn't appear to notice the small crisis I was undergoing at him being so close. Granted, he remained solely focused on his task. It was so easy to slip into a mini daydream of placing my hands on the sides of his face and tilting his head up in order to plant a soft kiss as a thank you.
"There you go," he whispered moments later.
My throat had gone dry and I compensated by being loud. "Thank you!"
Harry's eyes crinkled in self-satisfaction as his gaze moved away from his handiwork to my lips. "My pleasure."
My fingers itched to move, to bring to life that silly little vision. I balled my hands into fists, flexing them until that feeling passed. I swallowed and looked over Harry's head to look at my reflection in the mirror behind him...and my ears and cheeks were red. Dammit. Hopefully, it was the remnants of my war with the bowtie than it was my reaction to Harry's touch. "It looks good," I managed to say, desperately believing Harry hadn't seen any of the panic and longing in my expression.
Harry stepped to the side so I could get a better look. I was glad I chose to add the bowtie. It really went well with the rest of my getup. I'd taken a long time deciding what to wear. And I was happy with how the cream cable knit cardigan paired with the midnight blue button-up shirt. Plus, I was very comfortable in my favorite pair of denim pants. Hermione had drilled into me how a little pop of color can really transform an outfit. Hence the bowtie. And I wanted to look nice, if not for my mum then for myself. I smiled at my reflection once before moving my attention to Harry. "Aren't you going to get ready?"
"Now who's being funny?" Harry batted at my arm playfully until the all too familiar look of doubt entered his face. "Unless...you don't think this is okay."
"You look stunning, mate," I answered without thinking. In truth, he looked gorgeous. Honestly, Harry couldn't have looked better. He'd put on one of my favorite shirts a forest green dress shirt that really drew out the green of his eyes. Combine that with the black slacks and rust-brown suspenders (which also doubled as a wand holster) he looked sleek and professional, very much the opposite of the casual look I was wearing. And because he tended to go more formal in his dress when it came to gatherings, I was sure there was a matching black suit jacket laying somewhere nearby for him to complete the look.
"Oh, er, thanks."
"Sorry," I said mentally cringing. Why can't I kept my big mouth shut? "Was that too weird?"
"Oh, no," Harry said doing his best to sound reassuring. "It's fine. I don't mind. Don't worry about it."
"Cool," I replied lamely.
There was a quiet moment as we stared at each other, both trying to come up with something to say.
"I wrapped everything," Harry started. "The desserts, I mean. They're in the kitchen. On the counter. I think you should give them to Molly as soon as you arrive."
And just like that, the tension between us cracked. I jumped at it, hoping to break it completely.
"Yeah? Great. Thanks, mate."
Harry nodded and gestured behind him, at the door. "Oh, and, ah, I came in to let you know I gotta check on something real quick. So, I'll meet you at the Burrow."
"Oh, okay. Sounds good."
"Cool." Harry turned and strolled out of the room.
I blew out a breath and ran a hand through my hair. I really needed to get a grip on my life.
Fandom: Harry Potter
Words: 2,930
Warnings: None
Rating: PG
No one was in the Burrow when I exited the fireplace. I instantly stepped to the side to do a quick check of the clock told me where the rest of the Weasley family was in the world. Many spoons had been added over the years accommodating the new places we Weasley children resided.
Dad was still at Work and Mum was outside gardening.
George was busy in The Workshop.
Ginny's spoon was Traveling.
Charlie was permanently on Abroad.
Bill and Fleur were under Long Nap which was really appealing to me. Maybe I could take one once I returned.
It took me a moment to realize Percy's spoon was under Dad's on Work.
I watched my spoon rotate next to mum's at the Burrow and Harry's spoon move from Work to Traveling to Apartment before I started looking for the book. I was able to locate the cookbook, and taking out a roll of parchment from my cloak, I tore off a messy inch or so and left a quick note in its place, letting my mum, Molly, know that the book was being borrowed and that it would be returned in a day or two. It may ruin the surprise of her gift but considering the twins would undoubtedly prank mum so bad she would appreciate the non-surprise, surprise.
Walking over to the window I took a moment to watch my mum work in the garden which used to be the bain of my existence. Seeing Molly hunched over humming as she gently moved away plant leaves to inspect the ripeness of her fruits of labor I couldn't help but smile. Molly loved her family, that was never a question, but it couldn't have been easy to raise the seven of us Weasley brats. It was nice to see she finally had the time to return to her hobbies.
I knew as a dutiful son I ought to go out there and offer to help, so that's what I did. Pulling off my cloak and already rolling up my sleeves to my elbows I headed outside. It was warmer than it ought to have been and way too humid for the time of year. It had to be a spell to help the garden maintain the perfect atmosphere to continue well past the harvesting season. I suspected Hermione was the one who had cast it. Perhaps as an early birthday gift.
"Would you like some help?" I greeted her.
Molly jumped, startled as I came out of the back door. In her hand was a ruined beefsteak tomato which she crushed when I scared her. I grinned at that, remembering the incident with Harry in the kitchen. Mum matched my smile even as she huffed at the tomato. I leaned down and kissed her cheek and we exchanged hellos.
"Is there anything I can do?" I reasked as she conjured a glass jar and placed the smashed tomato inside. I had no doubt it was so she could separate the seeds for the next planting season, always planning ahead, my mum.
"I'm almost done here. You can take the baskets into the house."
"Sure. No problem."
I gathered up the two wicker baskets of fresh fruits and veggies and headed for the house.
"What brings you home? Is everything okay? Harry! Is he alright?" Trust my mum to worry over someone who wasn't even in the same room.
I held up my hands to stay her questions. "Everything is fine. Harry is fine. Do I need a reason to visit my favorite person?"
Molly sat heavily on the stool near the backdoor and pulled off her garden boots. "You may not need a reason to visit, but you usually have one."
"I wanted to borrow a book is all," I said trying to sound as vague as I could.
She huffed in a way that meant she had been right about me needing a reason to come to the Burrow. "Did you find it?"
"Yep," I said, looking over to where my cloak was I double-checked to make sure I had placed my robe over the book. It would ruin the surprise if she saw which book I had taken. It won't be hard for her to figure out why I was borrowing it. Hopefully, she thought it was an old-school textbook that I needed for a case at work and nothing to do with her birthday.
"Well, that's good." She got to her feet and moved over to the sink. With a wave of her hand, the basket with the vegetables floated over and settled under the tap. Molly began opening various drawers and exclaimed in triumph when she found the potato peeler. "Would you like to stay for dinner? Though I am not sure what I'm making yet. I was thinking a beef and barley stew, but I don't have enough flour for every-" She trailed off and shook her head, strands of her greying red hair shaking loose from her favorite gardening hat. "Sometimes I forget I'm not cooking for so many anymore."
And well, didn't that just pull at my guilt strings? "Er, normally, I would love that, mum..."
Molly cocked her head to the side, pinning me with a knowing look. "But?"
"But I told Harry I would be home right after I grabbed the book. He'll be expecting me."
"Harry's more than welcome to join us."
"I am not entirely sure he's up for being out right now."
Molly's knowing look softened. "I am so glad you two have each other."
I blinked at that. I thought she didn't know about Harry and Ginny, but there was no other reason for her to say something like that. Add the way she asked about Harry's well being and I couldn't help but wonder if my mum had somehow divined what was going on. I must have done a horrible job of hiding my thoughts because Molly chuckled.
"You don't have to look so stricken. It's been a relief to know that you have Harry's back and he has yours. Merlin knows that boy has been through the wringer, more than once, I might add." She rinsed off her hands and walked over to the pantry, picking up a large mixing bowl on her way. I scooped up my cloak and trailed after her.
"Uh, yeah. He has." I flushed with embarrassment. This was not a conversation I was planning on having, well ever, but certainly not now.
"How is he holding up? He is always putting on such a brave face especially when dealing with such a painful breakup too," Molly shook her head in exasperation.
"What? How did you know about that?"
"Oh, a mother has her ways," Molly answered cryptically. "Just because you don't visit regularly doesn't mean that none of your siblings don't."
"Ginny told you?"
"Ginny told me," she confirmed, then sighed. "I can't say I'm surprised. It's been a while since the last breakup and I figured it was time for another one." I was just about to ask if Ginny had told her about Dean, but her next words answered my unspoken question. "I hope it doesn't last as long as last time. It's about time they settled down and give me a grandchild or two." She laughed merrily at the idea of more grandchildren. "You'll give Harry my love, won't you? And maybe you could mention that no matter what he is a part of this family. Always."
So, Ginny hadn't mentioned Dean. Interesting. I supposed it made more sense to want to wait until she told Harry before breaking the news to the family. I only knew because I'd found out on my own. I wanted to be in control when telling everyone about Hermione and me splitting up. It was hard enough letting her go and coming to grips with what I wanted in my life without having to deal with the family drama that often accompanied the complicated sort of relationships our infamous trio were in.
That was when I realized I was standing in front of the fireplace. Mother had ushered me to the living room without me even knowing it. That woman was a force to reckon with. Not surprising since she raised the lot of us trouble-making Weasleys.
"Yeah. Yes. Sure."
"That's my good boy. I am looking forward to seeing everyone. I can't wait to see Harry for myself at the end of the week. Though he doesn't have to wait that long to stop by, you know."
"I know," I said, hugging her tightly. "See ya this Sunday, mum," I added, planting a quick kiss to the top of her head.
Grabbing a hefty handful of Floo Powder, I stood in the grate and gave Molly as big a grin as I could. "Bye, mum," I said before throwing the powder into the fireplace and the brilliant green flames enveloped me.
My eyes were watering as I exited the fireplace grate. We didn't have a real fireplace in our flat, but we made do with a facade of one in the living room. All it needed was to be hooked up to the Floo Network and the magician who had handled the connection had done the best they could do. Unfortunately, there was an after-effect where some smoke from the Floo Powder exited along with the user. I was used to it by now but that didn't mean I enjoyed the prickling sensation at the corners of my eyes.
Quickly wiping at my face I called out for Harry and followed the sound of his answering response from the kitchen. "How's it going in here?" I asked unable to stop myself from inhaling the delicious scents of tomato and garlic. I spotted an empty jar of mum's tomato sauce (a gift from the last visit to the Burrow) and smirked. It seemed I would be having a bit of Mum's cooking after all.
"Did you get it?" Harry asked looking over his shoulder before returning his attention to the boiling pots on the stove.
I flopped the recipe book down on the kitchen table. "What do you think?" I countered and raised an eyebrow, wondering just how long we could keep this conversation of questions but no answers going.
Harry matched my smirk. "Did you manage not to get caught?"
"Would I have been home sooner if I hadn't?"
Harry laughed. "The real question is what are we going to make?"
"We still have time to figure that out." Once again, I lose. Sneaky Potter.
I pulled out a chair. Harry returned to the stove where he dumped a handful of pasta (penne by the looks of it) into a boiling pot of water. "I was thinking of making this," I said shoving the book across the table so Harry could see the page.
"Whoa, slow down there," Harry cautioned. "When was the last time you even baked anything?"
The fact that I had to think about it made me see Harry's point. "Okay, fair enough. Maybe we start with something simpler?"
"Now you're talking."
So that's how we spent the week. When we weren't on the clock we were tried to successfully make the perfect dessert. Those first few days felt less like baking and more like potions class. Most of our attempts ended with swearing and laughter. In the beginning, our co-workers were less than happy to play guinea pig and taste test our baking diasters. But by the end of the week, there was a line in the Auror lounge for the leftovers.
To say that Harry and I were feeling pretty good about our baking skills would be an understatement. It's amazing how much I could learn when I actually wanted to learn it. I now knew the difference between shortcrust and puff pastry and how to make them both in addition to custard and how to whip a perfectly stiff meringue. We learned so much that Harry even started making our own owl biscuits, much to Pig and Nora's delight.
As I stood in the middle of my room I growled with impatience. Unsurprisingly, I was having trouble tying a simple bowtie. What I thought was going to take mere seconds ended up with me frustrated and cursing under my breath. That was what I got for attempting to wear a bowtie at the last minute. I was reaching for my wand to spell it when Harry's voice cut in.
"And here I thought we were trying to avoid a trip to St. Mungo's tonight."
"Ha-ha, very funny Potter."
Harry's smirk turned into a grin as he stepped into my bedroom. "Hold still, Weasley. Let me do it."
My back and shoulders stiffened as Harry drew closer to me and took both ends of the burnt orange bowtie into his hands. I held my breath, not wanting to move in case it provoked Harry. That didn't prevent me from staring at him as he expertly worked. Harry didn't appear to notice the small crisis I was undergoing at him being so close. Granted, he remained solely focused on his task. It was so easy to slip into a mini daydream of placing my hands on the sides of his face and tilting his head up in order to plant a soft kiss as a thank you.
"There you go," he whispered moments later.
My throat had gone dry and I compensated by being loud. "Thank you!"
Harry's eyes crinkled in self-satisfaction as his gaze moved away from his handiwork to my lips. "My pleasure."
My fingers itched to move, to bring to life that silly little vision. I balled my hands into fists, flexing them until that feeling passed. I swallowed and looked over Harry's head to look at my reflection in the mirror behind him...and my ears and cheeks were red. Dammit. Hopefully, it was the remnants of my war with the bowtie than it was my reaction to Harry's touch. "It looks good," I managed to say, desperately believing Harry hadn't seen any of the panic and longing in my expression.
Harry stepped to the side so I could get a better look. I was glad I chose to add the bowtie. It really went well with the rest of my getup. I'd taken a long time deciding what to wear. And I was happy with how the cream cable knit cardigan paired with the midnight blue button-up shirt. Plus, I was very comfortable in my favorite pair of denim pants. Hermione had drilled into me how a little pop of color can really transform an outfit. Hence the bowtie. And I wanted to look nice, if not for my mum then for myself. I smiled at my reflection once before moving my attention to Harry. "Aren't you going to get ready?"
"Now who's being funny?" Harry batted at my arm playfully until the all too familiar look of doubt entered his face. "Unless...you don't think this is okay."
"You look stunning, mate," I answered without thinking. In truth, he looked gorgeous. Honestly, Harry couldn't have looked better. He'd put on one of my favorite shirts a forest green dress shirt that really drew out the green of his eyes. Combine that with the black slacks and rust-brown suspenders (which also doubled as a wand holster) he looked sleek and professional, very much the opposite of the casual look I was wearing. And because he tended to go more formal in his dress when it came to gatherings, I was sure there was a matching black suit jacket laying somewhere nearby for him to complete the look.
"Oh, er, thanks."
"Sorry," I said mentally cringing. Why can't I kept my big mouth shut? "Was that too weird?"
"Oh, no," Harry said doing his best to sound reassuring. "It's fine. I don't mind. Don't worry about it."
"Cool," I replied lamely.
There was a quiet moment as we stared at each other, both trying to come up with something to say.
"I wrapped everything," Harry started. "The desserts, I mean. They're in the kitchen. On the counter. I think you should give them to Molly as soon as you arrive."
And just like that, the tension between us cracked. I jumped at it, hoping to break it completely.
"Yeah? Great. Thanks, mate."
Harry nodded and gestured behind him, at the door. "Oh, and, ah, I came in to let you know I gotta check on something real quick. So, I'll meet you at the Burrow."
"Oh, okay. Sounds good."
"Cool." Harry turned and strolled out of the room.
I blew out a breath and ran a hand through my hair. I really needed to get a grip on my life.