Interruptions
The Burrow was not a quiet place; Hermione Granger had come to realize this. However, even with the dozen or so people that milled the halls, she normally could concentrate enough to at least read. However, today was a different story. A constant stream of laughter was causing Hermione to reread the same sentence several times.
Hermione let out a frustrated sigh and peeked over the edge of her book at the source of commotion in the center of the Weasley's living room. Her annoyed look quickly melted when she saw that Ron Weasley was the one causing Teddy Lupin's incessant giggling.
Since the end of the war, the Weasley house had become the center for all gatherings: birthdays, holidays, "family" dinners. Andromeda Tonks, among others, had taken to joining the festivities; it had been particularly hard for her, losing her daughter and husband in such a short time. The Weasleys had become a shoulder for support for many people.
Nymphadora Tonks and Remus Lupin had given their lives in the fight and had left behind their son, Teddy. Although Harry Potter was the godfather, Mrs. Tonks gladly took guardianship of her grandson. Harry was simply too young to care for a baby on his own. Now, Andromeda and Teddy spent a good deal of time at the Burrow (as did Harry); the Weasleys were like family.
It was nearing the end of July, and that meant another gathering at the Burrow. It seemed especially important to celebrate Harry's birthday this year. It was thanks to Harry that the war was over; it was only fitting to make his birthday extra special. Mrs. Weasley and Mrs. Tonks left earlier for a day of shopping in Diagon Alley for things for the party. This left little Teddy Lupin under the watch of Hermione and Ron.
A large blanket was spread out on the floor of the living room, giving ample room for Teddy to play. At the moment, Ron was laying on his stomach, blowing raspberries on the baby's stomach, causing Teddy to squeal in delight. Hermione had been trying to read the same page for the last ten minutes, but could not concentrate. She marked her page and closed the book with a snap.
Ron looked up from the giggling Teddy at Hermione. His smile fell a bit. "Oh, Herm," he cleared his throat. "I'm sorry. I can take him out -"
Hermione quickly shook her head, immediately feeling guilty for being upset over Teddy's laughing. She could not believe how heartless she was acting! She slid off of the couch and sat down on the edge of the blanket. "Don't be silly Ron," she reached out for one of Teddy's little hands and smiled.
Ron grinned, watching Hermione admire the baby. A smile slowly spread across her face, and Ron noted how she seemed to simply light up. Since the war, Ron had been feeling a particular twinge in his stomach whenever a moment like this happened with Hermione. In all honesty, it did not take much: she could smile at him, brush his arm, or hold Teddy. Her existence was enough to make Ron's stomach tighten.
"It's amazing, isn't it?" Hermione said suddenly. She leaned down to kiss Teddy's little forehead and smiled at the baby.
The youngest Weasley male shook his head, in an attempt to clear it. He had never really been very good at focusing; the difficulty only increased when Hermione was around. "What's amazing?"
"Babies," she said simply. "I mean, just… the creation. It's amazing." She was wiggling her finger around as Teddy grasped it tightly. "Two people make something so… amazing."
Ron chuckled. Hermione never seemed quite this inarticulate before. It was nice to see that even Hermione could be left speechless by the miracle of children. "Yeah, it is pretty amazing," Ron said, smiling. He sat up and stretched his arms above his head. He scooted across the blanket to rest his back against the couch, leaving only inches between himself and Hermione. One of her hands laid beside her leg while Teddy still claimed the other.
Ron swallowed the lump in his throat as he looked at Hermione. Over the last few months, Ron had realized that they were not children anymore; it seemed like a simple realization, but for Ron, it was rather important. It meant that these feelings he had for Hermione -- the twinge in the stomach, the dizzying effect she had on him in general -- were not the result of a schoolboy crush. He felt content watching Hermione play with Teddy; he felt like this is where he wanted to be.
Ron gently placed his hand over Hermione's free hand. Hermione froze for a moment; contact between the two was still awkward since their kiss at Hogwarts. In fact, they had not kissed since then. Hermione thought everything would have changed after that kiss, but things seemed to be the same. It wasn't for a lack of trying on Ron's part however; they just never had time alone. There were always people all over the Burrow.
The redhead leaned toward Hermione, a smile playing on his lips. He took a deep breath and squeezed her hand briefly. "Hermione, I've been thinking." Hermione took her eyes off of Teddy to look at Ron. She tilted her head and smiled at him, waiting.
"GEORGE!" a very loud, angry voice shouted.
A flash of red hair shot past Ron's head, landing with a thud on the couch. Ron groaned, as Hermione's attention was immediately drawn away from him.
Ginny Weasley ran into the room, her face flushed with anger. "Give it back." She stood in the doorway, her hands on her hips, looking remarkably like Mrs. Weasley. "You are being so childish."
Teddy, shocked by the sudden commotion, began to cry. Hermione sprung to action, scooping the baby up in her arms, seemingly forgetting that Ron was about to tell her something. "Oh, shhh, Teddy, it's okay." She stood up with the baby, glaring in turn at Ginny and George. "Honestly."
Ron smiled to himself as Hermione walked into the kitchen, shushing the baby softly. She looked so natural as she patted Teddy's back gently. Ron sighed happily. Ginny momentarily obstructed Ron's view of Hermione, causing him to remember the interruption. Ron quickly spun around to glare at his older brother. George, in turn, swiftly struck a look of innocence. "What did you do?"
"Nothing," George said casually. He was stretched out on the couch with one arm behind his back, propping his head up with the other arm. He smiled at Ron, shrugging a shoulder.
"Liar," Ginny hissed. She glanced over her shoulder towards Hermione who had begun to calm Teddy down. Ginny was probably the most courteous of the Weasley children, and as a result, she realized she had upset the baby and did not want to do so again.
Ron leaned slightly to the right to glance around Ginny at Hermione and Teddy. He felt that twinge in his stomach again and at the same moment felt anger well when he realized the moment that had been broken up by his siblings. "Give it back to her, you twit," Ron said, standing up.
Pulling a small book from behind his back, George chuckled. "Okay, Dad." Ginny lunged forward, but her brother was too quick for her. He jumped over the back of the couch and began to thumb through the small book.
"George," Ginny pleaded. She kept her eyes on the book, looking increasingly upset.
Ron glared at his siblings. "You know, there are other people in this house besides you two," he said, grumpily. He looked over at Hermione. She caught his eye and briefly smiled at him before taking a seat at the kitchen table. He turned back to Ginny and George, shaking his head.
Hermione smiled down at Teddy, patting his back softly. His eyes were becoming droopy, and he let out a yawn. "Awe," Hermione cooed, giggling at the child.
The back door open with a creak, causing Hermione to look up to warn the incomer to keep quiet.
"Oh, Hermione," Andromeda Tonks said, walking through the back door of the Burrow with bags in her arms. "Has he been fussy?" She craned her neck to look at Teddy. She smile meekly, noticing that he was nearly asleep. "It looks like you have it all under control," she said, quietly.
Molly Weasley followed behind Mrs. Tonks, levitating her share of the bags. She smiled brightly at Hermione as she spotted her and the baby. "Hello dear," she said, gracefully placing the bags on the counter. She patted Hermione on the shoulder and leaned down to kiss Teddy on the head softly. "It looks like he's had a long day," she mused.
Hermione nodded, careful not to wake Teddy. "Ron has been playing with him all afternoon. I think he tuckered him out."
Mrs. Tonks put her bags on the table and leaned against a chair across from Hermione. She smiled at Molly and nodded towards Hermione and the baby. "Now, there's a picture for you, Molly." She smirked. "A daughter-in-law and a grandbaby."
Hermione laughed nervously, turning bright red. It had not occurred to Hermione that other people might notice something between herself and Ron. After all, it only recently occurred to them!
Molly shook her head at Andromeda, but could not help but smile. Hermione was like a daughter to Mrs. Weasley; she would not lie, the thought of Hermione as a true daughter made her happy. Molly knew that Hermione would be good for Ron; she made him happy and balanced his immaturity.
Hermione shifted uneasily under the stares from the older women. She loved Mrs. Weasley and Mrs. Tonks, but together they had a knack for making her uncomfortable.
At that moment, Ron walked into the kitchen, looking disgruntled from the interaction with George and Ginny. He stopped behind Hermione and put his hands on the back of the chair. "Hi mum, Mrs. Tonks." He looked down at Teddy and Hermione and smiled as he brushed Teddy's tuff of hair.
Andromeda grinned broadly. "And to finish the picture." She gave a knowing wink at Mrs. Weasley.
Hermione bowed her head, feeling her cheeks burning. Things with Ron had not even officially begun yet, and Mrs. Tonks was going to scare him away talking about a baby.
"What?" Ron said, glancing between his mother and Mrs. Tonks. Hermione let out a sigh of relief; for once, Hermione was thankful for Ron's thickness.
"Nothing!" Mrs. Weasley said, quickly. She shot a scolding look to the other woman. "Ron, why don't you and Hermione put Teddy down for a nap? And could you send your sister down to help with dinner?"
Ron nodded, still looking confused. "Yeah, sure." He held Hermione's elbow as she stood up with Teddy. Hermione was more than relieved to get out of the kitchen. She let out a very long sigh as she walked out of the room, followed shortly by Ron.
"What was that all about?" Ron asked as he followed Hermione up the stairs. He put his hand on the small of her back, helping her balance as she walked.
Her breath caught in her chest at the gesture. It took everything she had to keep walking. "I - I don't know really," she said, walking into Percy's old room. Percy had moved into a small flat with his Hogwarts girlfriend, Penelope, in London. Mrs. Weasley had yet to completely clear out the room, but she had set up a crib in the center of the room for Teddy's visits. Mrs. Weasley always encouraged Andromeda to stay as long as she wanted, and it was easier to persuade her if Teddy had a place to nap.
Teddy was already fast asleep, so Hermione gently laid him down on the blankets covering the bottom of the crib. Teddy let out a small yawn as she tucked the blankets around him. She gently put her hands on the side of the crib, watching as Teddy snuggled in the blankets.
Ron had been watching from the doorway, happy to simply observe. He realized Hermione was going to stay there, so he walked forward to enjoy the moment with her. He attentively put his hand on her waist, leaning over to look at Teddy. "He's cute, isn't he?"
Hermione turned slightly, looking up at Ron. "Yes, he is." She straightened up a bit. "So, earlier," she began, smiling slightly, "you said you had been thinking." Ron nodded, letting her continue. "Well, that's important for you."
Ron faked a look of hurt as Hermione smirked. There was a moment of silence as she stared expectantly at him. She raised her eyebrows and tilted her head to the side.
"So," she said, laughing slightly. "What was it?"
Ron shrugged, playing with her. If she was going to insult him, he at least had the right to mess with her. He turned her slightly, to face him. "Well," he began. He pressed his forehead against hers, staring deeply into her eyes.
"Ron?" She looked up into his eyes, confused. It had been an awkward few months since their kiss at Hogwarts. She was not sure where they stood exactly. She knew how she felt about him, of course. They had spent all of their time together since then, but that was not unlike previous summers. At times, she wondered if it had just been the likely death of them all that caused that kiss. Perhaps there really weren't any feelings on his part. She worried that she was getting her hopes up for something that would never happen. At this moment however, all of that doubt fell away.
"Hey, Ron, your mum said you two were…."
He groaned, looking up towards the doorway. Hermione pulled away from him and began to stroke her hair nervously. Harry stood in the doorway, looking highly uncomfortable.
"Up here," Harry finished lamely.
Hermione smiled quickly at Harry. "Hi Harry," she said nervously. "I'm going to read a bit before dinner," she added quickly as she brushed passed Harry.
Ron leaned his head back and let out a sigh.
"Sorry, mate," Harry said, walking into the room. He looked in on his godson before turning his attention back to his best friend. Harry was trying to be apologetic, but it was slightly amusing to him. His best friends were together -- or something. Harry was not sure what was going on between them, and it seemed they were not sure either.
Ron shrugged. "It's all right." He rubbed the back of his neck roughly. "That seems to be happening a lot lately."
"What has?" Harry asked, not sure what Ron was talking about.
"Interruptions."
Disclaimer: All characters and such belong to J.K. Rowling
Authors Note: Okay, this was previously "Interventions" but I had a different idea and revamped the story. More chapters to come.
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