5 times Harry Cockblocked Ron and Hermione and the one time they got him back.
Year 7:
Hermione wasn’t sure what hour of the night it was. She only knew that she had woken up, and the familiar body that had been keeping a vigilant watch over her in the tiny bedroom wasn’t there, causing a tightening in her chest.
Attempting to slow her breathing, Hermione swung her legs over the bed and slid her feet into her slippers before standing up. He was probably in the loo, or getting a cup of— The door opened just then, and Ron walked in, causing relief to flood over Hermione.
“Hey, what are you doing out of bed,” Ron said in a quiet voice.
“I didn’t know where you were,” her voice was full of trepidation.
“Was just getting some tea. Here, let me help you,” Ron said, putting the two cups down as he reached out to lower her back on the bed.
When he was about to tuck her in, Hermione stopped him. “Will you sit with me?”
Ron gave her a peculiar look as he handed her the mug of warm liquid. “Er, Hermione, last I checked, I’ve been sitting with you since we got here,” he chuckled awkwardly.
“No, I mean, sit with me. Here.” She gestured toward the bed.
Ron’s eyes widened in surprise. “Oh! Er, yeah, I—are you sure that’s what you want?”
Hermione nodded. “Please?”
She made room on the bed before pulling the covers back, allowing him to climb in next to her. They drank their tea in silence, and once finished, Ron placed the cups back on the nightstand. He reached his arm tentatively around her shoulder as she leaned into his side.
“I’m really glad you’re okay,” he said quietly, burying his head in her hair.
“Me too,” she agreed. “It’s all because of you, you know.”
“No, Dobby was the one who saved us.” Ron refused to take credit, which didn’t surprise Hermione in the least.
“Dobby wasn’t the one shouting for me.”
Hermione propped herself up to look at him squarely in the face. There would be no more playing this game of back and forth with him. It wasn’t that she didn’t understand the constant danger they were in—she did. But her torture in Malfoy Manor showed her that they could very well die at any point, and she was no longer willing to let that happen without telling Ron how she felt.
His face was red, highlighted by the moonlight filtering past the curtains. “No, ‘spose it wasn’t.”
“Ron, I—I don’t want to wait any longer. I need to tell you—”
“I know. Me too,” Ron said, his hand reaching up to cup her face gently.
“But I still need to say it. I don’t want to die without you hearing it,” Hermione insisted.
“You’re not going to die.”
“You don’t know that!”
Her voice was barely a whisper, but the desperation in her tone had the same effect as if she were shouting. Ron opened his mouth to say something, but the turn of the door handle deterred him.
“Are you awake? I heard whispering, and I couldn’t sleep, and—oh! Er, sorry. Was I interrupting something?”
Harry stuck his head inside the door, no doubt wanting to be with his best friends. For the first time, Hermione thought, at least she and Ron hadn’t jumped apart at Harry’s entrance. They simply turned to look at him. His timing was becoming old and tiring at this point. She immediately missed Ron’s touch as he reluctantly dropped his hand from her cheek.
“No, mate, it’s fine,” Ron said, despite Hermione’s internal opposition.
As Harry took the vacant chair next to the bed, Hermione felt she should be thankful that Ron hadn’t left her side. She resolved to resume their conversation the next day as their best friend ruined yet another moment.
I’ve been waiting about a month to post this fic. It was written for the 2020 HPRomione Discord Secret Santa Exchange for @gurinpotte ! I really enjoyed writing this Shell Cottage fic that explores where Ron and Hermione’s relationship stands. I know it’s not Christmas related, but I hope you enjoy this fic filled with nightmares, pining, angst, and fluff (with a teensy bit of some side hinny as well). I promise the title will make sense once you get to the end!
Please like and reblog/leave kudos on Ao3
Also stay tuned for my Hinny Incognito Elf fic that will be posted soon, too!
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Hermione assured him she was fine. That he could go take a break. Eat something, have a shower. Get some sleep of his own. Fleur had just given her a new dose of potions, and had changed her bandages, and Luna would be sleeping in the extra bed. So at her insistence, Ron gave her some space when he saw Luna come into the room to settle in for the night.
He turned back to Hermione, who smiled and gave him a firm, “go,” and he turned to exit the room, swapping places with Luna. But Luna didn’t enter right away. Instead she shut the door and looked at him pensively.
“You truly care for her, don’t you?” she asked.
“I- yeah,” responded Ron, a bit taken aback.
“She cares for you, too. And I don’t think she really wants you to go, but she’s worried about you just as much as you are for her.”
Ron looked at Luna in confusion. “She doesn’t need to be worried about me. I’m fine, I’m not the one who was tortured,” he said low in his voice.
“No, but you haven’t slept, you’ve barely eaten and no offense, Ron, you do have a smell to you. Hermione probably feels guilty that you’re so focused on taking care of her that you are forgetting about yourself. You will make her feel better if you take some time for you. I’ll keep an eye on her, and if she needs you, I’ll come find you,” Luna told him.
She really was brilliantly insightful, even if she came off as rather aloof much of the time. “Thank you, Luna,” Ron said sincerely. “I’ll be-”
“Downstairs. Now go on, so I can tell Hermione all about the plimpies in the pond near my house.” Luna smiled happily as she turned to enter the room.
Ron found himself wandering into the bathroom first to take a long, hot shower. He didn’t entirely believe Luna when she said he smelled, but just in case. He turned on the faucet, undressed and stepped into the hot water, which admittedly felt good against his skin. Ron began thinking about what Luna said. That Hermione was just as worried about him. She didn’t need to be! He could take care of himself just fine. It was her who needed the attention.
He’d never admit it, but he was afraid that something would happen and she would relapse into unconsciousness again if he was gone for too long. Plus, he wanted to care for her, show her how much she meant to him. He needed to tell her how he felt. Time was proving much too short, what with his close call running into the snatchers after he’d left, and now their capture and her subsequent torture. The likelihood that they were going to make it out of this alive seemed to become slimmer with each passing day.
Ron turned the water off and stepped out with a new resolve. He’d figure it out. He’d find a way to tell her. Maybe tomorrow, when they both were fresh off of a steady sleep. He couldn’t say good, not when the nightmares of her screams taunted his mind. After he’d toweled off, he’d summoned a fresh outfit, and got dressed. He went downstairs and attempted to eat some more of the leftover supper Fleur had made earlier, and then tidied up so she didn’t have to worry about it.
Dean and Harry were laying on their respective sleeping bags as Ron grabbed a blanket and flopped onto the sofa. “How’s Hermione doing?” Dean asked.
“She’s okay. Insisted I leave, so here I am,” Ron sulked slightly.
“Everyone likes their space now and then, I reckon,” Dean offered.
Dean had a point, and maybe Hermione just needed some space. Maybe he was smothering her a bit. Not that he cared. He made a vow that he’d never leave her again, and he wanted to be there for her, especially right now. Ron still felt guilty about his abandonment, even though she told him she’d forgiven him. He figured he’d never make it up to himself for doing that to her, and wasn’t everyone their own worst critic?
Ron looked at Harry, who was laying there quietly, staring at the Marauder’s Map. “Harry…” Ron said slowly.
“I know. It’s just a habit,” he said as he tapped it and put it back in his mokeskin pouch silently. “Are you staying down here, then?” he asked.
Ron felt slightly guilty. He’d been spending so much time at Hermione’s side that he’d neglected his best friend. Sure, he’d gone out for Dobby’s burial, but his mind had been distracted. Hermione hadn’t woken up yet, and he kept looking up at her window, half expecting Fleur to come open it and summon him in.
“Yeah,” Ron said slowly. “Listen, Harry, I’m sorry I’ve-”
“You don’t need to apologize, Ron. I get it. I’d have done the same thing,” Harry said, giving him a hard look. They didn’t talk much about Ginny, but he knew that’s what Harry meant. “Just, when Hermione is well enough, we should discuss next steps.”
Ron gave Harry a curt nod. “Yeah, alright.”
Harry then waved his wand to extinguish the lights, which meant he didn’t want to talk anymore. Ron was perfectly fine with that as he rolled over and figured he should at least try and get some sleep. He chanted the same mantra in his head to help him relax. Hermione’s safe now. No one is going to hurt her here. She’s safe upstairs…
Ron wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but he was awoken to the sounds of blood curdling screams. He wasn’t sure if he was even conscious as he found himself running up the stairs. Luna was on her way down to get him and he almost bowled her over. “What happened,” he said in a panicked voice.
“She’s having a nightmare. I can’t get her to wake up,” Luna called after him since he didn’t bother to stop.
Ron tore into the small bedroom to find Hermione thrashing wildly in the bed. As soon as he’d broken the barrier of the silencing charm Fleur must have cast seconds ago to keep the rest of the house quiet, Hermione’s shouts of terror and screams hit his ears.
“I don’t know anything! Please, no! I don’t know anything!” More screaming ensued as Ron went over to her.
Ron let his instinct take over, and sat on the side of the bed. He placed his hands firmly on her shoulders to help steady her and stop the wild movement. He began speaking softly to her.
“Hermione, it’s okay. It’s just a nightmare. It’s not real. Not anymore. Please wake up.” Her screaming dulled to a whimper, and he watched her eyes scrunch tighter than before. “Hermione, wake up. It’s alright, you’re alright,” he reassured her until finally he saw her eyes open.
Ron watched as it took her a moment for her vision to adjust. The look on her face said it all as he helped her sit up. “It was a nightmare, that’s all. She’s not here, she can’t hurt you.”
Hermione nodded as understanding began to flood her system. She looked around the room and noticed Bill, Fleur and Luna looking on in concern. That’s when the tears started to flow down her face. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I probably woke the entire house up.” She placed her head in her hands.
“Hermione, you don’t need to be sorry,” Bill said immediately. “You just went through a terrible trauma. It’s normal. I’ll admit I had nightmares for a spell after Greyback attacked me. I’d turn into a full on werewolf at the full moon and I didn’t know.” Bill shuddered at the reminiscent thought as Fleur rubbed his back consolingly.
“ ‘Ermione, are you sure I cannot give you dreamless sleep? It eez no trouble,” Fleur offered.
“You didn’t take any tonight?” Ron asked her.
“No. I’m trying to wean off the potions. I don’t want to become reliant on it,” Hermione told him.
“But-”
“No, Ron.” Hermione then looked at Fleur. “I’ll be okay.”’
Fleur nodded reluctantly. “Let us know if you need anyzing,” she said as let herself and Bill out of the room.
“I’m going to go downstairs for a bit,” Luna said, wanting to give Ron and Hermione some privacy.
Ron was just realizing as Luna shut the door that his arm was still around her shoulders, and she was leaning into his side. “What do you want me to do, Hermione? I’ll stay if you want. I can sleep in the chair again. It’ll be fine. Please let me-”
“Ron, you’re not sleeping in the chair,” Hermione started.
“Fine! The floor then-”
“Will you let me finish?” Hermione interrupted him again. Ron stopped and looked at her. “I want you to stay. I was stupid to think I didn’t need you here.” She turned her head away from him.
“So the floor, then?” Ron asked.
“N-no. I was hoping that you’d...that you’d…” Hermione’s face turned pink at her cheeks.
“Where do you want me, Hermione?”
“Next to me.” Ron didn’t need her to gesture to the bed to know what she meant.
“Yeah, of course,” he said without thinking. He gently released her as he stood up while Hermione moved over and held back the blankets for him. Ron climbed in, hardly believing that he was about to spend the night in a bed with her. It didn’t even matter that it was only because he wanted to provide some comfort for her if the nightmares started again.
“Thank you,” Hermione said as Ron lifted his arm up and she gladly settled into his side. She felt so right there, almost as if she fit like a perfect puzzle piece. He breathed in the scent of her hair as he committed this very moment to memory.
You should tell her, he heard his brain murmur. Maybe it would help comfort her to think about something happy. Well, he hoped it would be a happy and welcome thought. He really needed to stop over analyzing things and just go for it.
“Hermione, I’ve been so stupid,” Ron heard his voice say. What the hell was that? That’s how you’re choosing to start your profession of love to her?
And yet, her response surprised him more than he surprised himself. “So have I.”
“I should have been more obvious-”
“Me too,” she agreed.
This was going to be harder than he thought, not that he was complaining about her interjections. But he kept going. “I promise I’m always going to be there from now on. You’ll have to hex me away. I shouldn’t have even left you tonight-”
“I’d never hex you away,” she said. Hermione adjusted her body as she turned on her side to face him. He rolled over to meet her.
“Er, Hermione, I hate to break it to you, but you have done before,” Ron smirked, flashing his famous lopsided grin.
“I won’t anymore, how’s that?” She smiled shyly back at him.
“I suppose that works. Hermione, I’ll- I’ll respect whatever you want, but I need to be honest with you and- I don’t want to waste any more time. I know we’re in the middle of the war, and helping Harry is our main focus, but I can’t let this go any longer without telling you-”
Hermione raised a finger to his lips to stop him. “I don’t either, but Ron….”
Ron kissed her finger as he lifted up his own hand to gently move hers away. “Don’t. Don’t think of all the reasons it’s not the right time. Feels like we’ve done enough of that already.”
“I know…”
Ron could tell Hermione was thinking intently about something. He was holding his breath, waiting for her to go on. Maybe he hadn’t outright said it, but he knew deep down that she understood him, so the quaffle was on her side of the pitch now.
“I want this. I really do,” her eyes were pleading with him. “But I’m scared. Scared of losing this before we’ve even had a chance…”
He knew what she meant. He feared the same thing. “Me too,” he admitted. Then he had an idea. “So, what if we don’t give it a title. At least not until the war’s over. Y’know, so it doesn’t feel like we’d be losing anything if...if…” Ron couldn’t bring himself to say it.
Hermione nodded slightly. “O-okay,” she said.
Whether they decided to put a title to it or not, it was clear they were past the point of ‘just friends,’ what with the fact that they were about to fall asleep in the same bed. Without thinking, Ron leaned in and kissed her on her forehead. They lay there quietly for a while before Hermione reluctantly turned over to make herself more comfortable. Ron kept his arms around her as his fingers interlaced with hers. He closed his eyes and listened to the steady sound of Hermione’s breathing as he fell asleep.
When he woke up again, the sun was shining brightly into the window. For a moment, he forgot where he was. It took a moment to realize he was lying in bed, his arms still wrapped around Hermione, who had shifted at some point in the middle night. Her head was nestled in the crook of his shoulder and her arm was draped around his stomach, her legs tangled with his. He smiled at the sight of her there. He turned to check the watch on the bedside table. It was 8:00. He’d slept through the night. She’d slept through the night. As he adjusted himself to sit up a bit, he must have disturbed her.
He felt her stretch out, and her eyes opened lazily. It took her a moment to realize he was there. “Morning,” he said, his voice deeper than usual from sleep.
“Morning,” she returned. “What time is it?”
“Eight,” he said. “Did you sleep okay?”
“Y-yeah, actually, I did,” she said surprised.
“So did I.”
Hermione sat up in bed. “So...it appears sleeping together keeps the nightmares away.”
“Yeah,” Ron agreed. “Or maybe it’s just a fluke?”
“Maybe.” Hermione pursed her lips as she thought for a moment. And then a smile crossed her lips. “But we should definitely try again tonight to see.”
“That sounds like a brilliant plan,” Ron grinned back at her as he heard Luna call for them on the other side of the door. For the first time in a long while, Ron had something to look forward to.
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Looking for more great romione SS fics? Check these out and give them a like/reblog, too!
Prompt Ask #1 Fluff, 50 ‘Stay’ Maybe shell cottage, Hermione asking Ron, cause can we ever have enough of those?
PS- Reading all your stuff right now and having all my feels after so many years of reading ron and hermione! You’re too good
Thank you so, so much anon! I wrote some Shell Cottage for you! But not in the way you’re probably expecting. As much as I agree with you on never having enough, I’ve written my fair share of “stay” stories, so here’s a new twist that I hope you enjoy :)
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Stay
Hermione wandered into the kitchen and noticed Fleur was in the kitchen, working on supper. “What are you making?” she asked, her curiosity evident.
“Oh, hello Hermione. I did not realize you would be out of bed so soon. I’m working on a simple stew tonight for dinner. It eez one of Bill’s favorites.”
“Is there anything I can do to help?” Hermione asked.
Fleur had been so wonderful to all of them when they’d shown up at her doorstep, and it was the least Hermione could do.
“Oh, sure. All of zeese vegetables will need to get chopped and thrown in to cook before ze broth can go in. I ‘ave already browned ze meat, and eet is resting until everyzing can be combined.”
Hermione nodded eagerly. It seemed simple enough, she thought as she made her way over to the counter and began chopping some of the vegetables. She’d just found a rhythm when Ron entered the kitchen.
“Er, Fleur?” he said, getting her attention.
Fleur paused what she was doing and turned to look at Ron.
“Griphook is complaining about something, I kind of stopped listening, but he sounded insistent that he needs your assistance.”
Hermione looked up and noticed Ron’s face turn slightly red, but she could tell it was because he felt bad about sending Fleur to do Griphook’s bidding. She turned to Fleur who looked conflicted about leaving the cooking.
“It’s fine, I can handle it,” Hermione said with a smile.
Fleur looked gratefully at Hermione as she bustled around the table and up the stairs. Hermione noticed Ron standing awkwardly as she continued cutting various vegetables.
“I should probably—”
“Stay,” Hermione said as she felt her cheeks grow hot. “I wanted to help Fleur, but I’m afraid I’m not really sure what exactly needs to be done after I finish this.”
Ron looked relieved as he walked over to her and examined what was in progress. “I recognize this. It’s Mum’s recipe,” he said as he picked up where Fleur left off.
He didn’t notice the smile that crossed Hermione’s lips as she watched him work. He seemed like a natural in the kitchen, much unlike herself. They both set to work, and it wasn’t lost on Hermione how well they seemed to work together.
“It was nice of you to offer some help,” Ron said after a while. “Even if I don’t think you should be doing too much yet.’
“I’m fine, Ron. I won’t get better if I don’t push myself. Besides, Fleur deserves a break, and if I can help, I’m going to. She shouldn’t have to do all this alone.”
“Yeah, you’re right,” he agreed.
“You know, Fleur really is a wonderful person. If we make it through this, we’ll need to find a way to thank her properly for all of this. Bill, too.”
“What, making dinner isn’t enough?” Ron said with a slight smirk. Hermione shot him a look. “I’m only joking. You’re right, as always. We will, for sure.”
“Make it through this? Or thank them properly..” Hermione asked hesitantly.
“Well considering you can’t do one without the other…” Ron paused as he looked up at her, his blue eyes locking onto hers. “Both.”
There was something more weighing on Ron’s words that wasn’t lost on Hermione. The way they’d just spoken of making it through the war, and planning things together. Hermione hoped that they would live to see the end of the war, and that together could mean something more. So much more.
