one jealous wizard pt. 2
This story took over 4 months to write, believe that? Well, it was mostly written (part 1) back in August and it had been left on the back burner while other things in real life took over. Cue in Darla who came to the rescue by proclaiming that it needed to be finished, as well as added the much needed inspiration to do so. Add to that the fact that the biggest disappointment in the world of fanfiction are forgotten WIPs, so there was no way I was going to post it knowing that I wasn't done with it. Especially as this one had left so much unsaid. So, my New Years Day was primarily spent lounging about at home, feeding baby, and finishing said story.
Warning: this is another tie-in with a popular series as of late. I'm going to forego trying to perfectly fit in canon and real-life timelines just for the sake of author's jurisdiction. And unfortunately, one should be a Twilight fan (having read all 4 books and watched movie) to really appreciate this fic. Most apologies to those who haven't, but hopefully you can still read along, and understand from the viewpoint of one of the guys...
TITLE: one jealous wizard
SUMMARY: The girls have been a bit obsessed lately... and Ron's had it up to here...
TIME FRAME: after DH, before epilogue, H/G and R/Hr are both married, and some children
CAST: Harry, Ron, Ginny, Hermione, James. Mentions of other characters.
RATING: PG-13.
WORDS: 7,187. Holy crap. So therefore, this is will be in 2 parts. You're welcome.
part 1 -- part 2
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Ginny -
Please have the third book ready. I’m on my way to pick up Rose.
- Hermione
Ginny gave Petruchio, Hermione’s tawny owl, a handful of owl treats, and yawned.
She peeked out to the garden and watched Rose and Albus toddle around Harry and James for a moment. She grinned to herself and opened her book again.
Thanks to Harry, she hadn’t been able to get much further in the book than she had the other day. However, she was grateful that he was more than willing to get up with the kids this morning so she could have a lie in. And she had needed it.
She could only hope that Hermione had straightened out Ron. Furthermore, she didn’t want details. Luckily, Hermione was not the sort that felt the need gush about intimacy, unlike some of her old Harpie mates. True, there are times when those conversations are fun, but not where it may concern a brother.
The thought alone was enough to make her feel nauseous.
Ginny hunched over the table, reading her book, absentmindedly biting into a biscuit.
However, when she turned the page, she gasped.
Not a chance!
She jumped up and realized that her first real instinct was to floo Hermione and ask if it was possible that vampires could - but No! How agonizing! Even though Hermione was on her way over, there was no possible way she could risk spoiling the fourth book to her for this silly question. Instead, Ginny made her way to Harry’s study, relieved that she had kept her old textbooks from Hogwarts. Surely something in there would justify -
“Ginevra,” she chided herself. “You’re honestly going to research a vampire’s procreational abilities? This is a fictional Muggle novel!”
A soft knocking at the doorway and Ginny turned to see Hermione smiling at her. “Talking to yourself, Ginny?”
Feeling the heat of her cheeks, Ginny smiled back. “When did you get here?”
“Just a minute ago. Harry said that he was letting you have a have a lie-in this morning. That doesn’t sound like you, Ginny.”
She shrugged. “I guess the boys tire me out. So, how did last night go?”
To this, Hermione sighed, and promptly handed over the second book. “Complete disaster. Before I could even start the conversation, Ron had huffed off to bed. Not before he - well, let’s just say that there was no talking to him last night.”
“You’re joking!”
“It was pathetic, but never mind him. I did finish the book, and I’m dying for the next one.” Hermione grinned.
“And?”
“And what? It was alright. I don’t care much for cliff hangers, so do you have the next book ready or not?”
Ginny yawned and started out of the study to retrieve the third book. When she realized that Hermione wasn’t following her, she turned around. “What is it? The book is upstairs. Why are you looking at me like that?”
Hermione had a slight smile on her face, looking at her with scrutinizing eyes. “Pregnant?”
Ginny’s eyes widened in shock. “What?! No! Er, what made you think that?!”
“I’m right?” Hermione looked gleeful.
Ginny felt awful. Had she ruined the whole series for Hermione? How on earth could she have - “How did you know?”
“Well, look at you! You’re tired, still in your night clothes and it’s nearly time for lunch, but most of all you are positively glowing!”
“Are you mad?”
Hermione’s smile dropped. “You’re not?”
“Me?! You think I’m - Oh, no! No, no, no, no. We’re just fine at the moment - I mean, I! I am just fine. You just -“ Ginny babbled.
“Ah, well, I’ve seen this before. Twice, actually, with you. You just tell me whenever you’re ready.”
Ginny uneasily stepped back from Hermione, and ran up the stairs to her and Harry’s room. Pregnant? She’s off her trolley, Ginny thought, shaking her head. Hermione had thought she was pregnant? It was laughable!
It was possible.
Sobered at the thought, Ginny passed by the book sitting patiently on the bedside table and looked at herself in the mirror. Hmm… Another little nudger. She giggled.
So, she dressed herself properly, ascended the stairs with the third book in hand, and found Hermione and Harry with the kids in the kitchen. Harry had brought in a copy of a Muggle newspaper, and was perusing it carefully.
Ginny set the book next to Hermione on the table. She flashed Hermione a cautious look.
“No, I didn’t say anything,” Hermione said.
Ginny sighed. No sense is hiding anything anymore, is there?
“Do you two want me to leave so you can carry on about your books?” Harry asked nonchalantly, still reading the paper.
“No, no,” Hermione smiled. “I’ve got to get Rose home.”
“How is Ron this morning,” Harry asked.
“Fine,” Hermione clipped, as if reminded of a horrible memory.
He looked over at her above the newspaper with a knowing eye.
She sighed. “I don’t think the sofa agreed with him last night.”
“Well, if we’d just tell him, then he’s stop all this nonsense, you know,” Ginny said.
Harry folded the newspaper. “How about we ask your mum to watch the kids - Rose, too, and we all go to the movies?”
“No. No! We are NOT going to another Star Wars movie again, Harry!” Hermione exclaimed.
He raised his eyebrows at her, but grinned and showed the girls a movie theatre advertisement in the London Times.
“It’s a movie!?!” Ginny squealed. Oh, how much better could this day be? A good book, a possible pregnancy in said book, she herself could possibly have a similar little surprise for Harry, and a movie to boot? She exuberantly hugged Harry, nearly toppling him off the chair in the process.
He chuckled and straightened them up again. “Well, anything to keep you happy.”
Hermione looked slightly doubtful. “Is it going to be just like the book?”
“Oh, who cares! Look at who’s playing Edward! How can it possibly be not good?” Ginny exclaimed.
Hermione smirked at Harry. “You mind at all - her swooning over a movie star?”
He shrugged and with a wolfish grin added, “I reap the benefits gladly.”
“Harry!” Hermione chided. Then she sighed. “Yes, let’s go to the movie.”
“Hermione, so why not Star Wars?” Harry smiled.
The girls groaned.
He shrugged. “If you girls like this movie half as much as Ron and I had enjoyed Star Wars, I guess we can’t ask for much more. I’ll go over and talk to Ron. Alright, Hermione?”
She blushed. “What are you going to say to him?”
He sighed, and stood up. “I’m going to suggest to him that we ought to take our wives out for a date, as, I don’t know. Maybe I’ll make something up; like Gin’s all mad at me for something that I did.”
“Bloody fantastic. You can tell him I’m having hormone issues.” Ginny quipped. She tried to ignore the fact that Hermione was giving her a suspicious look.
“Er, right.” Even Harry looked slightly embarrassed at her statement. He ran his hands through his hair as he went for his cloak.
“Daddy? Where you going, Daddy?” James cried. Suddenly the little boy was wrapped around his leg.
“Gerroff, James. I’m going to pay a visit to Uncle Ron.”
“I come too? Pees?”
Harry smiled down at him. “Just this once. And we’ll keep the conversation safe for his ears,” Harry promised Ginny.
--**--
“Bloody fantastic idea, Harry,” Ron whispered from behind.
Harry nodded his head. Ron had been quite excited at the idea of going to the movies in a concerted effort to please the ladies. Even though his smile had fallen a bit when he realized there were probably no exciting explosions or space ships or lightsabers, Ron was still eager to go.
Harry paid for the tickets, something that he didn’t mind at all over the years, and while Ron bought them popcorn and drinks, he pondered the plan.
The mission tonight was to break the news to Ron that he’d been jealous of a fictional vampire.
What better way to do that, he thought, was to bring Ron to a movie that featured said fictional vampire.
However, as they waited by the movie poster, he couldn’t help the odd feeling of recognizing that the actor who was playing this vampire reminded him of a pretty boy Hufflepuff from Hogwarts. As he still didn’t really care to remember what happened back in those days, he found himself welcoming the fact that Ginny was periodically grabbing on to his arm excitedly and squealing to herself. He grinned and looked down at her. “Right. I might get jealous, you know.”
She laughed, and stood on tiptoe to whisper something in his ear. “If you accomplish the mission tonight, I have a special surprise for you.”
He grinned. “Fantastic incentive. I promise a success.”
“Good luck.”
He stood up straight and faced Ron, taking one of the popcorn buckets. “I just remembered, mate. I have a lead on the case we were discussing earlier.”
“Really?” Ron looked at him wildly, and threw a panicked glance to Hermione. “And you’re bringing this up now?”
“No better time, really,” Harry said, leading them forward to the ticket taker. He motioned for Ginny to find the seats that she and Hermione preferred, while he and Ron followed. “In fact, it’s not as much of a case, just as I had thought.”
Ron scoffed.
“No, mate, listen to me. The good news is that you’ve been worried over nothing after all.”
“You talked to her, have you?” Ron hissed.
“Not really, but I did figure out everything. That’s why we are here.”
“You’re barking mad, you know that?”
“One would think that you’d be grateful it’s really nothing. Now, sit with your wife,” Harry instructed.
Ron squeezed himself past Ginny and Hermione, and sat down angrily on Hermione’s free side. Harry took his place beside Ginny. Ron leaned over and whispered to Hermione, “Harry and I want to sit next to each other - we’ve got work to talk over.”
She rounded on him. “You’re not going to talk throughout a whole movie! You can talk to Harry later!”
He leaned past her, and hissed at Harry. “Get over here, you git!”
Harry waved him off just as the lights were dimming down.
“Harry, dammit,” Ron grumbled. “Git!”
“Christ, are you going to shut up? You best not keep this up during the whole thing,” a women’s voice threatened behind them.
“I’m so sorry,” Hermione said apologetically to the people behind them. “Shush, Ron!”
Ron groaned, and reached into his back pocket.
“And don’t you dare,” Hermione hissed at Ron in a threatening tone, “pull out your wand. This is a Muggle theatre, and you WILL NOT cast Muffliato!”
“No one will ever know, Hermione!”
“Right, shut it, you!” Ginny whispered, throwing a bit of popcorn at Ron. “It’s starting!”
“Oi, Harry!”
Harry looked down the row at Ron. “Pay attention to the movie, mate. Pay attention.”
Ron reluctantly leaned back and watched the fawn leaping gracefully on the screen. The look on his face was skeptical and spoke clearly that he did not think for one moment that the movie could possibly have all the answers.
Harry peeked down the row at his friend throughout the movie. Surely, Ron must have noticed how the girls clutched at each other when this Edward Cullen loped into the school cafeteria on screen, or even when the main character assembled the clues about the vampires. Ron did seem intrigued by the fast car scene, though.
Harry thought the flying through the trees part was a bit campy, as nothing is better than a good broom ride any day, but the movie excited Ginny. Then his mind wandered at what kind of surprise she might have for him. He suddenly felt a bit heated at the thought, and immediately reverted his attention back to the movie.
He glanced at Ron down the row. What if Ron wasn’t catching on? The movie so far hadn’t shown any werewolves, but he was sure that there was a Jacob character somewhere. Bugger. Perhaps a bite out after the movie was over was in order.
While the credits rolled, another look at Ron cemented the fact that he hadn’t connected his personal issue with the cinematic solution.
“Well, Ginny, Hermione, what did you think?” Harry asked the girls.
Ginny grinned at him, but Hermione wore a scrutinizing look on her face. “It wasn’t exactly like the book.”
Ginny frowned a bit. “Yeah, they did change a few things. For example, do you remember a scene where they jumped through trees? But I do have to admit, I never knew what baseball was all about. Looked like fun.”
Hermione shrugged. “I don’t know if I really liked the meadow scene. I always thought Edward sparkled better than that.”
Ron simply yawned and stretched. “Fantastic. Shall we go now? I’m starving.”
Harry decided to try something. “So, Ron, what did you think of the movie?”
“It was fine. Good fight scene, I guess.”
“Yeah, I never thought that vampires could live off a diet of animals, did you?” Harry felt like he was trying too hard to be subtle.
“Huh?” Ron looked at him puzzled.
Ginny giggled. “Yes, Ron, what did you think of the vampires?”
“Blimey, is that what they were?”
“Oh, let’s get you something to eat. Perhaps the Leaky Cauldron is still open,” Hermione said, pulling on Ron’s arm.
When they arrived at the Leaky Cauldron, Harry realized that either he himself was desperate for purely personal reasons, or perhaps Ron really was as thick as a troll. “Look, Ron. Here’s the ticket. They were in the movie. That vampire named Edward and Jacob. Didn’t you see it?”
Ron looked at him but seemed to mistake the straightforwardness for something else. “I don’t think we should talk the case in front of them,” he hissed, gesturing at Hermione with his head.
“Oh, Harry, I’m suddenly starving!” Ginny wrapped her arms about his waist as they sat down.
“Whatever you want, love,” he gently hugged her back.
“Order a butterbeer and treacle tart for me, please.”
“Consider it done, then,” the waitress answered, who had just appeared. “And for everyone else?”
Hermione ordered a butterbeer, Ron asked for firewhiskey and a platter of bangers, and Harry ordered a pint of mead and treacle tart for himself.
Harry cleared his throat, and attempted to accomplish his mission yet again. “Right. So, Ron, your impressions of the movie?”
“It was fine. Why do you keep asking me that?” Then his voice dropped to a whisper. “Is this a special code or something?”
“Yes,” Harry whispered back, playing along. “The movie and the case are one in the same.”
“Really? That doesn’t make any sense.”
Ginny laughed. “It makes perfect sense, Ron!”
Ron glared at her. “Do you mind!?” He turned back to Harry. “You’re having me on, aren’t you?”
“No, I’m not,” Harry said, most seriously. However Ginny’s giggles made Ron’s face burn red. “Ginny, this isn’t helping.”
“I’m - I’m so sorry, it’s just so - so ridiculous!”
“Oi! What’s so ridiculous?”
“Fine. Let’s try another tactic,” Harry said. “Ron. Please tell Hermione your concern.”
Ron gave him a look that clearly warned Harry to stop the conversation. “I’ve no idea what you’re talking about. You’re barmy.”
“Hermione?” Harry offered her the chance to speak.
She looked at Ron smugly. “I actually rather did enjoy the movie, as I think on it.”
Ron groaned. “What is with all this movie talk?”
Ginny grinned. “The movie talk is for your benefit. I can’t believe you haven’t caught on by now!”
“Oi! Don’t you dare imply that I’m missing the mark on something here. Right fun the three of you have, trying to drive me bonkers like the rest of you.”
Their drinks and food had arrived, and Ginny tucked into her treacle tart with gusto. Harry watched her curiously for a moment then turned back to Ron. “Seriously, mate, we’re not trying to have you on. The point of the matter is that -“
“Harry, just give up,” Hermione sighed. “He won’t listen.”
“I won’t listen? I won’t listen?” Ron nearly exploded. “I’ll have you know-“
“Ron,” Harry started again. “Ginny and Hermione have been reading these books lately, and the movie we went to was an adaptation of the books.”
“The first book,” Ginny corrected, her mouth full.
“Right. Well. So, you’ve been worried over nothing.”
“Harry! I confess something to you in private, and now everybody knows!” Ron cried, waving a fat sausage on his fork.
“And you asked me to investigate, and I’m merely reporting back to you!” Harry grumbled, finally finding his fork to dig in to his treacle tart. He looked down, and the plate was empty. “Where’s my tart?” He looked over at Ginny, who still had her mouth full and half-eaten slice of tart before her. “I did order one for myself, didn’t I?” Was it possible that she had swallowed her piece in one go and then started on his?
“Er, yef,” Ginny managed, and forced herself to swallow. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me.” She reluctantly swapped the plates back.
He smiled despite himself, took one good-sized forkful, and slid the plate back to her. “You could have ordered two, you know.”
Hermione started laughing. Both Ron and Harry looked at her in surprise. “I’m sorry, just - thought I saw something…” she trailed off. Harry on the other hand didn’t miss the glare that Ginny had just tossed her.
“Anyway, Ron, I’m merely reporting to you that --”
“Harry, I’ll do it, alright?” Hermione interrupted him.
He sighed. “By all means, please do.”
Hermione steadied herself before Ron. “I’m not seeing anyone or having an affair. I’ve just been reading these books that Ginny loaned me -“
“And that was the movie we went to tonight,” Ginny piped in.
“Yes, well, it wasn’t until Ginny and Harry said that you were thinking that I - Well, it’s simply not true, Ron. All the Edward and Jacob business were just from these books, Ron, nothing else.”
Ron looked at all of them around the table and resignedly slid his plate of bangers to the middle of the table. “Honestly, Hermione? There’s nobody else? No vampires or werewolves?”
She smiled. “Nobody else, whatsoever.”
Ron grinned and leaned over to give her a hug. “Thank god.”
Harry smiled and turned to Ginny, who was alarmingly turning three shades of green. She was staring fixedly at Ron’s discarded plate of bangers which was now directly in front of her. Automatically, he pulled her up. “Hermione, can you help her to the loo?”
“Oh, right!” Hermione pulled away from Ron, and carefully walked Ginny away.
Worried, Harry met Ron’s eyes, who looked positively gleeful.
“Looks like you’re going to have another mouth to feed soon,” he grinned.
--**--
fin.