Her face buried in the fabric of his jumper, Hermione drew in a long breath. A day at the Ministry was never stress-free, but the look on Ron’s face made all thoughts of her own irritation flutter away. Still, the feeling of his arms curling about her wasn’t unwelcome, and she was content to stand there in silence for as long as both of them needed.
Ron’s chest rumbled when he spoke, and Hermione tilted her chin upward in response. A small smile twitched to life across her lips, but Ron’s eyes betrayed him.
“Not any rougher than usual,” she replied softly. “And I hate to break it to you, but you’re not that difficult to read. Of course, that could be because I’m your wife.”
He snorted. “Oi! I will have you know that I am incredibly mysterious and full of illusion and hidden depths.”
The snicker that followed belied any seriousness in the comment. “And it could also be because you have known me since I was eleven,” he suggested, a grin coming over his face. “I mean, who knows me better than you?”
He kissed the top of her head. “It was just a difficult day, is all. There’s another shit article in the Prophet and George was taking the piss about it all day and I just wanted to come home and lock the fucking door, y’know?”