Happy Saturday, all! Here is one of my submissions into this year's @romioneficfest! I had a lot of fun participating, and I absolutely loved reading all of the amazing ficlets that came out of it 😍 thanks to @divagonzo for hosting!
This one is a TV Fusion with one my favorite shows to binge watch, Grey's Anatomy. I see so many similarities between Owen/Christina and Romione, and I hope you all do, too! Cheers!
Romione Ficlet Fest - Movie/Book/TV Fusion Prompt
Grey's Anatomy - Season 5, Episode 1 "Dream a Little Dream of Me"
A Practical Stranger
Hermione Granger strives for perfection in all aspects of her life. She prides herself in having been at the top of her Ravenclaw class at Hogwarts, and now an experienced and competent Healer at St. Mungo's.
She approaches healing magic like she did school; theoretical and by-the-book, not often straying away from wizarding methods that don’t have factual evidence behind it.
She doesn't consider herself to be an emotionally cold person — despite having colleagues describe her that way — but she also isn’t one to devote time developing personal relationships with her patients.
It's mid-January as she steps just outside of the hospital doors for some fresh air during a particularly stressful evening, and her lime-green robes fail to keep her from going numb in the cold. As Hermione reaches for her wand to cast a warming charm, her feet slip on a patch of ice beneath her shoe, sending her crashing back onto the solid, snowy pavement.
Hermione grunts in pain as she rubs the side of her head. It’s a bad day that has somehow gotten worse, and the forecast for improvement isn't faring well.
Try to focus on something calming.
Hermione’s eyes land on spikes of ice hanging above her. Little droplets of water fall from the tip of the centermost icicle onto her face. She's transfixed by the jagged, crystallized surface, combined with its pyramidal shape and transparent color.
A soft cracking sound shifts her attention, and she sees the icicle breaking free from its position. Before she can even move, the needle-sharp edge plunges down and punctures her straight through the stomach. A sharp pain ripples through her body and the intensity of the wound feels like a cold flame burning her nerve endings. The sensation numbs her to her core, stilling all movement, like she's just been petrified.
When she finally remembers to breathe, she sucks in a strangled gasp of air. Panic sets in as she realizes how difficult it is for her to breathe or even speak. Her hand flails through the white snow, searching for her wand that has somehow left her pocket.
Help. I need help, quick.
In the next moment, a tall, dark figure looms above her, and she wants to scream, but no sound comes out. All she can think about is the throbbing pain.
She barely registers her body being elevated up into the air. The unknown man hooks an arm under her knees and carries her at a swift pace into the hospital.
His ginger hair and ocean blue eyes strike her with a sense of familiarity, and she wonders if they've ever met before.
It only takes her another second before she realizes — of course.
Ron Weasley. Gryffindor.
She knows of him from her time at Hogwarts and has certainly heard the stories of his escapades over the years with Harry Potter.
And yet, he's much different than she remembers from Hogwarts. She recalls him always being tall and lanky. Now, he has the strong build of an Auror, and the thought alone makes her cheeks redden.
A loud commotion and flurry of movement around her disrupts her inner thoughts, and she can see she is now in a full room with other Healers and Mediwizards.
"What happened?" She vaguely hears another witch call out.
"Just take it out," she moans as loud as she can muster. All she can think about is the pain and how she needs it to end.
"Leave it in!" Ron's stern voice demands beside her.
Hermione lets out the smallest of tuts, unimpressed by his attempt to call the spells when he is certainly not in the field of medicine. "Take it out!"
Ron's eyes lock on hers, and for a moment, she forgets that she's just been stabbed. Instead, the intensity of his gaze blinds her, and his clipped tone cuts through her just like the chip of ice did. "Leave it in."
Hermione decides she doesn't have the strength to argue further.
Ron speaks towards the Healers at a frustratingly low volume, and she grows concerned when they all shuffle out of the room, leaving her alone with the man with flaming hair and a matching attitude.
"So, Hermione Granger."
"Ron Weasley."
His eyes brighten in surprise. "She recognizes me."
"It's not hard," Hermione shrugs, wincing as she tries to sit herself up on her cot without jostling the melting icicle. "Your red hair sticks out like a dirigible plum. What are you, an Auror, now?"
A small smile plays on his lips. "Something like that."
His cool tone sends a wave of heat through her body, and she doesn't think she can attribute it to her current puncture wound.
Hermione's trusty assistant-Healer, James, pops his head through the door. "Miss Granger, is everything alright—"
"Go find my chart," Hermione snaps at the young wizard. "I'll need to see a list of recommendations before I can allow anyone to proceed with any form of treatment."
He scrambles out the door just as fast, and Hermione turns her head to see Ron sending her an incredulous look with his eyebrows raised.
"What?"
"He seems pretty scared of you."
"I am not scary!"
Ron takes a step forward, then another, and then another. The pace of her heartbeat picks up, and she chastises herself for allowing this man to control her bodily reactions.
"What are you doing?" Her breath is shaky and uneven.
Ron leans closer, so close that she smells the aftershave from his chin stubble. He's gazing at her like he's about to...
Just as fast, Ron yanks the icicle from her belly, resulting in a piercing screech from Hermione's lips. Ron flourishes his wand, and Hermione gazes at her stomach in awe as her wound grows smaller and smaller. The traces of fresh blood start to disappear, and the pain dissipates.
"What-you-just—"
"Took out your icicle? Yeah, I did."
Now that she is free of any pain aside from a dull headache, Hermione clenches her fists together out of anger. "Nobody gave you permission to do that!"
"So?"
"But you're not a—"
"Healer?" Ron finishes her thought with a knowing glance. "You know, our professions aren't so different. We both do what we can every day to save lives. It's not about being the best, or having the best marks in school. It's about the people."
Hermione closes her mouth, processing Ron's words. It's like he knows that other colleagues have gone around saying that Hermione has a "hairy heart" — cold and unfeeling.
"You needed my help, and that's what I do. That's what you do. We help people." Ron steps back, choosing instead to sit on the edge of her cot. "So, you're welcome."
Hermione chews on the inside of her lip, contemplating how to save herself from this embarrassing situation.
"You know, you're pretty tough," Ron continues.
Hermione scoffs, pushing her head back into her pillow. "I assure you, I am not."
"Really? Cause I think getting stabbed by an icicle, and still having the energy to yell at people, makes you a bloody badass."
Hermione's eyes go round from Ron's profanity. "A bloody…"
A teasing grin splits across his face. "Oh, don't tell me you're afraid to curse, Miss Granger."
"I am not!"
Ron crosses his arms, arching an eyebrow. "Then prove it. Say you're a bloody badass."
"I—"
Her hesitation only eggs him on further. "Do it."
One deep breath later, Hermione shouts out, "I'm a bloody badass!"
His pearly whites shine through, and Hermione finds the joy etched on his features. "Didn't it give you a rush of adrenaline?"
One exaggerated eye roll later, and Hermione mumbles, "Sure, it did."
"You know, Hermione, you could've been in Gryffindor."
Hermione pivots her head with piqued interest. "What makes you say that?"
"Well, you're brave, for one." Is that a blush she sees on his cheeks? Ron points to the faint outline on her stomach. "You've even got your own battle scar now to prove how tough you are!"
She has never thought of herself as brave, or courageous, or bold enough for that house. But now...
She's distracted by the sound of Ron's wand clicking the lock on the door. Her mouth opens to ask what in Merlin's name he's doing, when she's silenced by his lips on hers.
A startled gasp escapes her mouth, but she finds herself melting into his embrace, letting all rational thoughts leave her brain.
At the start of her work shift, she would've never guessed that she would end it recovering from a severe trauma while also kissing a practical stranger — yet, kissing him didn't feel unnatural at all.
When he pulls away, leaving her flushed dizzy, Hermione exclaims, "I barely even know you!"
Ron Weasley only responds with a challenging smirk and a single word. "So?"
