Yuleride

Chapter 19 ~ Communication

Ron walked into Hermione’s bedroom to find her sitting on the side of the bed, staring into space. He stood there a moment, then cleared his throat. Hermione’s brown eyes shifted toward him, her face drawn.

”What are you doing?” he asked her softly.

Hermione stared at him.

”I was trying to imagine what it would be like without you in my life,” she said quietly.

Stunned, Ron sat down on the bed next to her.

”No. Don’t think about that. That’s bad, Hermione! Bad!” he said to her, taking one of her hands.

”If I broke up with you, then I’d be severing my ties with your family,” she said hollowly, her brows furrowed. “I’ve been so involved with your family, Ron, I’ve never made any friends of my own.”

”Hermione, don’t think about being without me. I can’t imagine my life without you,” Ron said to her. “It would be so empty, Hermione.”

”No it wouldn’t, Ron. You’d have your family,” she said to him. “They’d fill in the void.”

Ron’s heart began to pound. Suddenly, he got off the bed and fell to his knees in front of Hermione.

”No, they couldn’t fill the void, Hermione. Nothing could fill the hole being without you would leave behind. It’s like, like you’re the heart of me. I think if you left me, I’d never be able to feel anything for anyone else again. I love you, Hermione . . . I really do. Don’t try to imagine a life without me in it. Please,” he breathed passionately.

“There’s so much wrong between us, Ron,” Hermione said to him. “I don’t know if we can fix it.”

Ron held on to her hand, his blue eyes pained. .

”We can fix it, Hermione. Whatever’s wrong, we can fix it. It’s not over for us. I’m sorry what I said in the living room. It’s hard to hear that I don’t satisfy you . . . kind of makes a bloke feel like less than a man when his witch says something like that. But, I’ll try harder, Hermione. I do appreciate you, it’s just I’m so used to you being here for me. It’s a little like mum, you know? Except for the sex. You’re always here for me. But you’re not my mum, you’re you.

Hermione stared down at him.

”Hermione, you’ve got to believe I love you more than anyone else in the world. You know that question if your mum and your girlfriend were plunging to their deaths on a malfunctioning broom and you could only save one of them, who would you save?”

Hermione nodded.

”I’d save you,” Ron said softly. “I really would.”

Hermione didn’t know whether to be flattered or horrified at Ron’s declaration, but she’d love to see Molly’s reaction to it. She smiled a little.

Heartened, Ron got back on the bed, sitting closer to her now.

”Hermione, I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. I’m a git. A big git. But, I’m not stupid. You’re the best thing that’s ever come into my life and I don’t want to lose you. I really don’t Hermione. Listen, just give me another chance. I’ll be better. I’ll treat you better.”

Hermione didn’t look convinced.

”I’ll be more patient, and make sure you want me before I try anything,” Ron said, “I’ll—I’ll read some books on it. I’ll talk to some other wizards to find out what they do to keep their witches happy—“

Bill seemed to keep Fleur happy, and she had to be a handful.

“And, and we can do some things that are exciting if you want. We can go—go to amusement parks—or – on some of the Ministry expeditions they have. You know, they need volunteers all the time to go into dangerous areas where there are trolls and dragons and other creatures to take censuses. That’s exciting and dangerous—though not all the volunteers come back. But that’s okay. We’ve fought Death Eaters. Trolls can’t be that bad. We beat one in our first year, remember?“

Actually, Harry had beaten the troll, but Hermione appreciated the sentiment.

”Maybe we can do some traveling too,” Ron said, “go to different places together. Would that be enough excitement for you, Hermione? If not, I could think up more things.”

Hermione looked at Ron. Did he really mean these things or was he just trying to appease her.

”Hermione, please. Just give me a chance to make things right,” Ron said to her. “We can put getting married on the backburner if you aren’t ready right now. I just don’t want to lose you. Say you’ll give me another chance. Please.”

Hermione looked into Ron’s beautiful blue eyes. They were rather frightened. Her heart softened. Maybe she really did love him. She could have just been resentful that he was so thick all the time. But it seemed as if he’d finally seen the light.

”All right, Ron. We can try to fix things,” she said softly.

Ron heaved a big sigh of relief, then gave her a small, rather chaste kiss.

”Thank you, Hermione,” he breathed, relaxing. “I’ll show you I can be what you need. I promise I will.”

”We’ll see, Ronald,” Hermione replied, the use of his full name not lost on the wizard. Whenever she used “Ronald” she meant business.

Shortly afterwards, they retired. Ron made no attempt to have sex with Hermione. He determined he wouldn’t make any moves on her until he had a plan to make as romantic an approach as possible. He had some major adjustments to make.

The couple lay side by side, lost in their own thoughts, Hermione wondering if Ron could indeed make a change. The ideas he proposed for adventure sounded very challenging. Maybe not as challenging as opening a tomb full of living severed limbs, but still enough to make her blood race.

The appeal of professor Snape’s proposal was beginning to fade, although the physical aspects of being his companion were still very compelling. Could Ron ever become the kind of lover Snape was? Hermione didn’t think so, but Ron had something in him that Snape didn’t. Love. Ron loved her. Snape just wanted her. If Ron could become more loving and appreciative between the sheets, then they just might make it.

It had happened just as Snape feared, despite the blowjob he arranged for Ron. There was a connection between Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger that went deeper than what appeared on the surface. It was true that they both had dirty little secrets to keep from the other, but people kept secrets all the time. Which offense was worse was a matter of conjecture. Ron had received a blowjob from a stranger, and Hermione had sex with the Potions master on Christmas morning.

Both were in the wrong.

But, that aside, if Snape wanted to win Hermione over, he’d have to find a way to up the ante. Right now, the Quaffle was very much in Ron’s pitch.

And Ron intended to keep it there.

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Hermione woke up, immediately aware of two things. The first was Ron wasn’t in the bed snoring beside her, and the second, that the smell of sausages permeated the air. She started to get out of the bed, when Ron appeared with a tray of food in his hands. There was a little vase with a flower sticking out of it in the middle.

”Don’t get out of bed, or you’ll ruin it,” Ron said to Hermione, who stared at him in shock as he approach the bed. Ron making her breakfast? In bed? He hadn’t done that in ages. She got back under the covers and sat up against the headboard as Ron deftly placed the tray over her lap, adjusting it, then stepped back and bowed, smiling at her.

”The first day of a new Ronald Weasley,” he said to the witch as she looked down at the plate. He’d made sausages, fried eggs, beans, toast, fried bread, sliced tomatoes and black tea. It was a huge breakfast.

”Ron, I can’t possibly eat all of this,” she said to him.

”I’ll help you,” he said, sitting down on the edge of the bed. Hermione noticed there were two forks and two knives. She gave him a smile, very pleased as she cut into a fried egg, the yolk thickened but runny.

Ron smiled too as she ate a bit of egg, the expression on her face blissful. Ron really could cook. He just didn’t anymore.

”I’m going to cook dinner myself when I come over, Hermione, so you don’t have to stop what you’re doing to accommodate me. I’ll bring the food, too,” he told her as she scooped up some beans. She chewed, then swallowed them down, looking at him, her head a bit cocked. Finally, she responded.

”That’s nice, Ron. I’ll appreciate that. Sometimes I don’t feel like cooking,” she replied.

”Well, when you don’t feel like it, just tell me. I’ll cook or get some take-out,” he told her.

Hermione gave him another smile, and continued eating, Ron finally joining in and the couple eventually feeding each other, laughing as they clumsily dropped food or shoved too much in each others’ mouths.

It seemed Ron was off to a good start.

The couple spent a good week together, giving each other a little space during the day, because Ron still had to work. He spent every night at Hermione’s flat, but they didn’t have sex at all. They snogged a bit, but Ron didn’t press for anything more. Hermione was rather glad about that, because her night with Snape was still fresh in her mind. She occasionally thought about it, becoming all warm inside at the thought of the sensual dark wizard. But still, this new, improved and patient Ron was very appealing. When Hermione did cook, he even helped with the dishes. They could have cleaned them magically, but it was more fun to do them the Muggle way. They had several water fights, Ron splashing suds on Hermione and Hermione flinging a full pan of dishwater on him.

It seemed things were going to be all right.

Ron had a heart to heart with his brother Bill about his problems with Hermione in bed.

”You’re bloody lucky she didn’t leave you ages ago, you selfish prat,” Bill chastised him, before setting him straight on how to make love to witches in a way that would make them want to stay forever.

”Oral sex. Important. Important. Important,” he told Ron, who made a face.

Bill scowled at him.

”Don’t tell me you don’t like eating pussy? What’s wrong with you?” Bill said, an incredulous look on his face.

Ron shrugged.

”I just think it’s dirty. I mean, my cock goes down there,” he said lamely. “And it’s all juicy.”

”Oh, and having a strange witch salivate all over your cock isn’t dirty?” Bill asked him pointedly. Ron’s face took on a painful expression.

”Don’t talk about that,” he said softly. “I try not to think about it now. Hermione’s all that matters, Bill.”

“Ron, you’ve got to grow up. Everything about a witch is to be enjoyed. It’s not just about how she feels when you’re inside of her. It’s how she tastes, smells, looks and sounds when you’re with her period, before, during and after. Gods, Ron, it’s like you’re sitting at a banquet and only eating peas,” Bill said, shaking his head. “You’ve got to get into Hermione. Think what she means to you and show it when you fuck her. Don’t make it all about you. She feels pleasure too, or she should. You have to be creative and alternate. Kiss her body, not just her mouth. Ron, you’re making the Weasley men look bad.”

”You know, Bill, she doesn’t like to blow me,” Ron complained..

”Of course, when you won’t give her any tongue down there. Why should she get on her knees for you when you won’t spread her thighs for her?. Reciprocation is the keyword, Ron. If you want Hermione to give you that kind of attention, you’re going to have to give her the same attention. Besides, a witch gets so hot after coming by mouth, that the sex is incredible. You can ride her until the nifflers come home and she’d be fine with it.”

”But the taste,” Ron whined.

Bill sighed.

”All right, there are ways to work around that. Flavored lubes.”

”What?”

”Flavored lubricants. You can pick a flavor, lube her down and you won’t really taste her, just the lube. Problem solved.”

Ron looked thoughtful.

”I like banana,” he said shortly.

Bill chuckled.

”An ape like you would,” he replied, shaking his head.

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A/N: Thanks for reading.