Chapter 3, finally :D
Chapter 3:
Hermione had returned from the funeral in an unusually giddy mood. She was so happy that she was going to teach at Hogwarts. She wondered what her family would think about it. After apparating to the front step, she turned the doorknob and entered her house. Ron was sitting at the kitchen table sipping a cup of coffee and looking rather disheveled. She sat down next to him and rubbed his back.
"Rough day at the ministry?" Hermione asked with what she hoped sounded like true concern in her voice. Ron glared back and her, and then gave a mournful sigh.
"No. My brother, George, is up at St. Mungos. Apparently he was testing a new produce for Weasley's Wizard Wheezes and a spell backfired or something. Took of his other ear. Healers were able to magic it back on, though. Mum was hysterical."
Hermione covered her open mouth and hugged her husband. He needed support, after all. After his sister, Ginny, being taken into the Chamber of Secrets and almost being killed and his father getting attacked by Voldemort's great snake, Nagini, and his brother, Bill getting mangled by a warewolf and his other brother, Fred getting killed by a blast at the battle at Hogwarts, his whole family was really afraid of losing another one of their number, though their fear had subsided a great deal more since the fall of the Dark Lord.
"He'll be fine." Hermione reassured him. "I have some good news. I got a job teaching at Hogwarts today."
Ron raised his eyebrows at her. A job at Hogwarts?
"Yes. Professor McGonagall asked me at Flitwick's funeral if I could fill in until she could find a replacement. I think it will be wonderful. I can keep an eye on Rose and Hugo, too." She explained. Ron didn't say anything more than "That's great, hun."
Hermione furrowed her brow. She had expected this. Whenever she had good news lately, Ron just shrugged his shoulders. She figured all married couples went through a distant phase. They had been married close to twenty years, after all. Still, she was feeling deprived. Ron was boring, always eating or sleeping. The fun had been sucked completely from the relationship. He never wanted to shag anymore. She tried, but he was always too tired or irritable. She kissed him on the cheek, trying to reassure him.
Ron looked at her lovingly. She was still as sweet as she ever was, always being a good wife and being right by his side. He wondered why they were having so many problems. They weren't as close as they used to be. It was almost as if they were in Hogwarts again and she was being distant on purpose because she was mad at him. He knew that it was like that, though. This he had no explanation for. It was official. Their marriage was in some serious trouble. He had asked Harry countless times if he knew what was wrong with Hermione, but he wouldn't tell at all, vowing that he would never betray Hermione because she was as much his friend as Ron was.
"Are you alright?" Hermione inquired a while into her husband's long pause. Ron shook his head and guessed that he must have gone someplace else for a moment. He kissed Hermione on the forehead and exited the room quickly, leaving Hermione quite confused.
Hermione hugged herself and wished that there was a spell for instant relationship repair.
Later that night, Hermione went looking for her children, who were in the parlor deep into a game of wizard chess. Hermione smiled to herself at the sight of her children. They were absolutely brilliant, which was certainly expected with herself as their mother. Both of them knew complex spells before they could properly hold a wand. Thanks to their father, they were also unbeatable at wizard chess. It was always fun to watch the two of them and see who is victorious in battle. She sat down amongst her children.
"Hey Mum." Rose said. "What's up?"
Hermione gathered her courage. She wasn't sure how her children would react to her being at Hogwarts for a moment.
"I'm teaching at Hogwarts." She blurted out. The kids stopped playing. Rose studied her for a moment.
"What are you teaching?" She finally asked. Hermione sighed.
"Charms." She admitted. "Since professor Flitwick has passed and McGonagall needed a replacement on short notice."
"That's great, Mum." Hugo said as he smiled and hugged his mother. "But what about Dad? Won't he be lonely?"
Hermione considered this for a moment. She hadn't thought about that. She'd be staying at Hogwarts as long as she was teaching.
"I don't really know, honey." Hermione admitted. "He was all broken up about Uncle George being in the hospital again when I told him..." Hermione trailed off as she stood and went to go find Ron.
It didn't take long. Ron was in the bedroom, talking to his father by floo. Arthur Weasley's head was talking out of the fire, the flames dancing around his head.
"The healers say that he's doing well. He should recover over the next few days. Now what was it you wanted to tell me about Her-" Arthur was cut off by seeing Hermione appear in the doorway.
"Whoops, gotta go." He said quickly, and his head vanished from sight.
Ron wheeled around and saw Hermione in the doorway, a look of suspicion in her eyes.
"What were you going to tell him?" Hermione asked as she raised her eyebrows.
Ron gulped. He was obviously nervous about something.
"We need to talk, Hermione." He said, a slight quaver in his voice. Hermione sat down on the bed.
"Sure, sweetheart. What is it?" She asked, her amber eyes full of curiosity. What did Ron do?
"I'm worried about the state of out relationship." Ron began carefully, his face matching his flaming-red Weasley hair. "I mean, you've been so distant lately. I never know what's on your mind. We barely talk anymore, and we haven't shagged in almost a month."
Hermione considered this. He had to be right. Although he had been distant too, she imagined she wasn't being much better. She at her twisted hands in her lap. "I know, Ron." She finally admitted. "I've been feeling the same way. Do you think every couple does this?" Ron shrugged.
"I dunno." He said, his eyes completely fixated on his sneakers. Hermione hugged him and gave him a small kiss on the lips.
"I'm going to be staying at Hogwarts as long as I'm teaching... maybe the distance will benefit us. We'll have time to work on ourselves and miss eachother. And I can always come back on weekends." Hermione said as her eyes welled up with tears. Ron returned her kiss.
"I hope so." He said. They embraced for a long time. Although they didn't make love that night, they slept closer together then they had in a long time.
Hermione had returned from the funeral in an unusually giddy mood. She was so happy that she was going to teach at Hogwarts. She wondered what her family would think about it. After apparating to the front step, she turned the doorknob and entered her house. Ron was sitting at the kitchen table sipping a cup of coffee and looking rather disheveled. She sat down next to him and rubbed his back.
"Rough day at the ministry?" Hermione asked with what she hoped sounded like true concern in her voice. Ron glared back and her, and then gave a mournful sigh.
"No. My brother, George, is up at St. Mungos. Apparently he was testing a new produce for Weasley's Wizard Wheezes and a spell backfired or something. Took of his other ear. Healers were able to magic it back on, though. Mum was hysterical."
Hermione covered her open mouth and hugged her husband. He needed support, after all. After his sister, Ginny, being taken into the Chamber of Secrets and almost being killed and his father getting attacked by Voldemort's great snake, Nagini, and his brother, Bill getting mangled by a warewolf and his other brother, Fred getting killed by a blast at the battle at Hogwarts, his whole family was really afraid of losing another one of their number, though their fear had subsided a great deal more since the fall of the Dark Lord.
"He'll be fine." Hermione reassured him. "I have some good news. I got a job teaching at Hogwarts today."
Ron raised his eyebrows at her. A job at Hogwarts?
"Yes. Professor McGonagall asked me at Flitwick's funeral if I could fill in until she could find a replacement. I think it will be wonderful. I can keep an eye on Rose and Hugo, too." She explained. Ron didn't say anything more than "That's great, hun."
Hermione furrowed her brow. She had expected this. Whenever she had good news lately, Ron just shrugged his shoulders. She figured all married couples went through a distant phase. They had been married close to twenty years, after all. Still, she was feeling deprived. Ron was boring, always eating or sleeping. The fun had been sucked completely from the relationship. He never wanted to shag anymore. She tried, but he was always too tired or irritable. She kissed him on the cheek, trying to reassure him.
Ron looked at her lovingly. She was still as sweet as she ever was, always being a good wife and being right by his side. He wondered why they were having so many problems. They weren't as close as they used to be. It was almost as if they were in Hogwarts again and she was being distant on purpose because she was mad at him. He knew that it was like that, though. This he had no explanation for. It was official. Their marriage was in some serious trouble. He had asked Harry countless times if he knew what was wrong with Hermione, but he wouldn't tell at all, vowing that he would never betray Hermione because she was as much his friend as Ron was.
"Are you alright?" Hermione inquired a while into her husband's long pause. Ron shook his head and guessed that he must have gone someplace else for a moment. He kissed Hermione on the forehead and exited the room quickly, leaving Hermione quite confused.
Hermione hugged herself and wished that there was a spell for instant relationship repair.
Later that night, Hermione went looking for her children, who were in the parlor deep into a game of wizard chess. Hermione smiled to herself at the sight of her children. They were absolutely brilliant, which was certainly expected with herself as their mother. Both of them knew complex spells before they could properly hold a wand. Thanks to their father, they were also unbeatable at wizard chess. It was always fun to watch the two of them and see who is victorious in battle. She sat down amongst her children.
"Hey Mum." Rose said. "What's up?"
Hermione gathered her courage. She wasn't sure how her children would react to her being at Hogwarts for a moment.
"I'm teaching at Hogwarts." She blurted out. The kids stopped playing. Rose studied her for a moment.
"What are you teaching?" She finally asked. Hermione sighed.
"Charms." She admitted. "Since professor Flitwick has passed and McGonagall needed a replacement on short notice."
"That's great, Mum." Hugo said as he smiled and hugged his mother. "But what about Dad? Won't he be lonely?"
Hermione considered this for a moment. She hadn't thought about that. She'd be staying at Hogwarts as long as she was teaching.
"I don't really know, honey." Hermione admitted. "He was all broken up about Uncle George being in the hospital again when I told him..." Hermione trailed off as she stood and went to go find Ron.
It didn't take long. Ron was in the bedroom, talking to his father by floo. Arthur Weasley's head was talking out of the fire, the flames dancing around his head.
"The healers say that he's doing well. He should recover over the next few days. Now what was it you wanted to tell me about Her-" Arthur was cut off by seeing Hermione appear in the doorway.
"Whoops, gotta go." He said quickly, and his head vanished from sight.
Ron wheeled around and saw Hermione in the doorway, a look of suspicion in her eyes.
"What were you going to tell him?" Hermione asked as she raised her eyebrows.
Ron gulped. He was obviously nervous about something.
"We need to talk, Hermione." He said, a slight quaver in his voice. Hermione sat down on the bed.
"Sure, sweetheart. What is it?" She asked, her amber eyes full of curiosity. What did Ron do?
"I'm worried about the state of out relationship." Ron began carefully, his face matching his flaming-red Weasley hair. "I mean, you've been so distant lately. I never know what's on your mind. We barely talk anymore, and we haven't shagged in almost a month."
Hermione considered this. He had to be right. Although he had been distant too, she imagined she wasn't being much better. She at her twisted hands in her lap. "I know, Ron." She finally admitted. "I've been feeling the same way. Do you think every couple does this?" Ron shrugged.
"I dunno." He said, his eyes completely fixated on his sneakers. Hermione hugged him and gave him a small kiss on the lips.
"I'm going to be staying at Hogwarts as long as I'm teaching... maybe the distance will benefit us. We'll have time to work on ourselves and miss eachother. And I can always come back on weekends." Hermione said as her eyes welled up with tears. Ron returned her kiss.
"I hope so." He said. They embraced for a long time. Although they didn't make love that night, they slept closer together then they had in a long time.