#cw: artificial lemon zest

[romioneficfest]

The Right Decision

Title: The Right Decision

Prompt/Day: Day 4 - Ron catches Hermione in a moment of Self Doubt

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Rating: PG

Brief Summary: Hermione questions her decision to return to Hogwarts for her seventh year.

TW: Insinuations of lemons ahead, but no actual lemons.

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Ron finds himself wandering around aimlessly outside the Burrow. Somehow, three months have passed since the end of the war. His life has finally fallen into a comfortable rhythm, only for things to make a drastic change at the beginning of September.

He’ll be starting Auror training with Harry, and Hermione and Ginny will be returning to Hogwarts. Reality is setting in now that the girls have received their Hogwarts letters, and Ron still isn’t sure how he and Hermione will handle being away from each other for an entire school year. It will be the longest time apart since they first met and became friends.

Of course, they’ve talked about this at length, and Hermione has already worked out a timetable of opportunities when their schedules will allow them to see each other in addition to the holidays.

Things will be fine, he tells himself. We’ve survived much worse, and we’re finally sorted.

He continues roaming the property, looking for Hermione, newly appointed Head Girl. The woman who has been the focus of his thoughts since she disappeared shortly after receiving her letter.

Ron sees her sitting against a tree, her letter lying forgotten on the ground next to her, and he hears sniffles. Is she crying? He walks up to her with quiet footsteps and sits down. There’s no need to say anything, not yet anyway. Instinct tells him to wait it out; she’ll talk when she’s ready. He places a comforting arm around her shoulder as she leans into his embrace.

“Am I making the right decision?” Hermione’s voice is small and unsure.

“What do you mean?” Ron asks for clarification. He thinks he knows why, but he needs to hear the barmy words come from her mouth.

“Going back to Hogwarts? Is it the right decision? Maybe I should search for an entry-level job at the Ministry instead so you and I can—”

“Hermione, stop.”

Ron turns his body, bringing his hand to tilt her chin up so she meets his gaze. “We’ve talked about this. I know how much finishing your education means to you. So yeah, you’ve made the right decision.” He attempts to sound reassuring, but worries his tone may have been a bit harsher than intended.

“But what about us?”

Ron lets out a snort. “Reckon we’ve been through a lot worse, don’t you?”

“But what if you—what if—”

Ron raises an eyebrow and tries to anticipate the rest of that thought. “What if I…” he urges her to keep going.

“What if you meet someone else?” Hermione averts his eyes as she finishes the question.

His first instinct is to laugh at the absurdity of her question, but in all honesty he’s faced the same thoughts when he can’t sleep at night. It’s more likely that she’ll meet someone else than he will; at least that’s what his demons have convinced him of.

“I’ll be so busy with training, and helping Harry at Grimmauld Place, plus picking up shifts at Wheeze’s that I won’t have time for a social life, ‘Mione. I’ll be just as happy writing to you and reading your letters during my down time.” He squeezes her shoulder. “Plus, Harry’ll be caught up with Ginny, too, so I doubt anyone will want to spend time with us two lonely gits.”

Ron kisses her forehead and she offers a weak smile. “Things are just going so well that I—”

“I know. I’m worried, too,” he cuts her off, “but we’ll make it work, and I’m not letting you drop your plans to be Head Girl and graduate at the top of the class just to be with me. Don’t s’pose I’d look too great in the history books if I got in the way of the ‘brightest witch of her age,’ do you?”

He grins and finally Hermione returns his smile. “Thank you.”

“No need to thank me. Just don’t go running off next time you’re upset, yeah?”

Hermione nods before nuzzling into Ron’s chest. “At least we’ve still got two weeks.”

“That’s true.”

“And there’s a lot we can accomplish in two weeks.”

The insinuation is not lost on Ron. He feels his cheeks grow hot as her hand trails across his chest. “Think we should get started now?”

He can feel her smile against him. “You read my mind.”

Part of Ron wonders if she planned this all along, but the thought slips away as fast as it appears. She’s right. They’ve got two weeks and if she wants to make the most of it, he’s happy to oblige.