Life after Hogwarts - A Hermione & Draco x Dramione Story

Chapter Twenty Three

"So...what are we doing, exactly?"

Hermione and Ron meandered through Diagon Alley, the first time either one of them had willingly put themselves in a situation where it was just the two of them since she left for New York. His hands were shoved into the pockets of his pants while she walked with arms against her chest, a decent amount of space between the two of them as they walked. "I have to find a present for Draco's birthday," Hermione reminded him for the second time that morning. "It's next week."

"Oh...right then," Ron replied. More awkward silence consumed them as Ron followed Hermione into Flourish and Botts. "You're gonna get him a book? That's awfully boring."

Hermione shot him a glare. "He likes books."

"Yeah, but for a gift? It's boring, 'Mione."

Rolling her eyes, she shifted her purse strap on her shoulder and stared. "Certainly you have a better suggestion then?"

Ron shifted back and forth on the heels of his feet, shrugging his shoulder. "Harry says they go to quidditch games – why not buy him tickets for the upcoming season for the Chudley Cannons...or something."

She dropped her shoulders and let out an exasperated sigh. "That's actually quite brilliant. Why didn't I think of that?" Hermione took another glance around the bookstore and realized that Ron, much to her general dismay, was right. "Since that problem is solved...we may as talk about how to fix yours."

Snorting, Ron followed her back out of the bookstore and towards the ice cream parlor. Hermione figured if she had any chance of getting anything out of Ron, it'd be easier done with sweets of some sort. Ice cream cones in hand, the two perched themselves on opposite ends of a small bench, Hermione's purse sitting between them as they watched the passersby. Tired of the silence, Hermione arched an eyebrow at Ron's direction, which he immediately picked up on with a sigh. "I've made a giant mess of things. Lavender's decided to go stay with her sister in Scotland. I haven't seen her in almost a month – though she's perfectly fine with sending me daily howlers for reasons I don't pretend to understand."

"Are you certain Lavender is pregnant?" Hermione cautiously asked. "I mean, I know I already asked – "

"She's pregnant – I went with her to the first appointment," Ron stated flatly. "But there's more to it...I just haven't told anyone yet. Well, Pansy knows I guess –"

Hermione took a lick of her ice cream. "You've talked to Pansy about this?"

"I was right pissed when I did," Ron said. "Everyone deserted us the night of the anniversary celebration." He wiped ice cream off of his face with the back of his hand, blushing as Hermione gave him a look while handing him a napkin. "Thanks," he mumbled. "We're friends, I guess you could say. I think she's finally over the fact that you and Malfoy are getting married."

"Are you?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"I suppose not."

Ron sighed. "Sorry. Pansy and I are just friends. We hang out every now and then, and sometimes we just get pissed and talk about anything. That's how she knows."

Hermione took a bite out of her ice cream cone. "Knows what?" she asked with a mouthful, a hand coving her mouth slightly so that she wasn't completely without manners.

"It might not be mine."

"What!" Hermione shrieked, causing a few people to stare as Ron's face turned beet red. "Sorry!" she hissed. "But what the bloody hell!"

"What the bloody hell is right," Ron muttered. "It's either mine or...Seamus Finnegan's." Stunned, Hermione didn't know what to say. Her appetite lost, she dumped the remainder of her ice cream cone in the trash receptacle. Clasping her hands tightly together, she looked at Ron, feeling completely sorry for the situation he was in. "Apparently," Ron continued, shifting uncomfortably in his spot on the bench. "Once we figured out when she got pregnant, it was the week we got together, so to speak, and she'd slept with Seamus before she broke things off with him...my mum is going to bloody murder me when she finds this all out."