Winds of Desire

Moving On Is Hard To Do

It is nine in the morning on a crisp, cool spring day, a couple weeks after Hermione had showed his family pictures of her and the Malfoy's baby and the image hasn't left his mind yet as if she had burnt his brain with it.

He keeps looking down at his phone with saddened eyes and doesn't know if this is the right thing. Doesn't he like Lavender? He did cheat on his fiancée with her so there must be some sort of feelings for her. Should he talk to her? He thinks Lavender might even love him although he has never loved her. He has always loved Hermione and probably always will. Lavender is beautiful, he has always known that. Her blonde, elegant ringlets that flow down her think back and bright blue eyes that always makes his heart skip a beat. Her dimpled smile and her vanilla perfume.

His heart beats fast as he sits in on the rusted wooden swing on the back porch of the Burrow that his father built just a year ago. The wind is strong and wisps his blazing red hair tightly around his forehead. His heart is defeated right now, but he no longer feels sorry for himself because he did this to himself, and now it is time to move on from Hermione because she no longer wants to be with him.

Lavender seems like the perfect second girl for him besides Hermione, she always has been. Because he can't be with Hermione anymore, it just isn't going to happen. It was over, they were over. Even if she wants to ever be back with him, the thought of her with Malfoy will always be on his mind.

He needs to stop staggering in the past and look forward. He is Ron Weasley; he is not a weak person. He is squeamish sometimes, wimpy sometimes like with his fear of spiders. But he is not weak as he did help his best friend defeat the darkest wizard of all time. He has been through hell and back at his tender age of twenty years old.

Swirly gray clouds settle over the horizon, more storms must be in the forecast as they are frequently lately. The weather matches how he feels, sad but determined. It looks like a storm is coming and as if it will be raining all day once again.

Finally Ron brings up all the courage he has inside and flips open his phone, finding Lavender's name as he sits in a debate once again for another ten minutes if this is the right thing. He has seen Lavender at work lately and she just stares at him with sad eyes every time she gets the chance. She must still like him even though he told her to piss off. He bought Lavender a mobile just as Hermione did him so they can stay in contact without Hermione knowing when he was cheating on her.

He clicks on her number and the dial tone starts to ring. "Hello?" A light, confused voice answers.

"Hi, uh, Lavender, erm... it's Ron."

"Oh hi. Are you okay?" Lavender asks with concern in her voice.

"Yes I'm fine, how are you?" His voice is a little shaky.

"Good I am getting by, why have you called me? I am at work," she tells him. Her tone laced with surprise.

"I want to have a talk with you tonight. Can we have dinner?" Ron asks her, his heart sinking. He wishes he can go on a date with Hermione and prove how wrong he is and sorry, but she will never agree to that now.

"Sure, of course!" Lavender squeaks in excitement. "Great!"

Ron is smiling now for the first time in months. "I'll pick you up at your house at seven."

He feels a little ray of hope. Like maybe he can be happy again. Even if it isn't with the person he really loves.
________
(Hermione's POV)

Hermione awakes from a deep sleep. She had a dream last night about her baby being a little girl. Draco and she gazed at their newborn with affectionate eyes in the dream, but Ron looked sadly though the nursery window next to Ginny and Molly. Why is Ron still in her dreams?

The rain is pounding hardly on the window and wind whistles severely through the cracks. Suddenly there is a snore from beside her, and she jumps as she forgot she had stayed overnight with Draco for the first time as he has finally convinced her to.

She turns and admires his masculine figure as he sleeps. His muscular body surrounds her and it gives her a feeling of pleasure and happiness. She lifts her hand and rubs his cheek with her thumb, then leans in to kiss his cheek.

He grunts in surprise and opens his eyes in startle, whispering, "Good morning beautiful."

"Good morning love," Hermione answers, blushing a little as she has never used those words before. "I had a dream last night that we had a baby girl," she gushes, smiling ear to ear.

"I would love a little girl," Draco comments, smiling hugely and rolling over to face Hermione.

"Me too," Hermione agrees, beaming.

"What would you like for breakfast?" He asks.

"I can cook," Hermione tells him, her brunette hair surrounding him as she lies atop his broad chest. She hears his heart beating into her ears. Quickening as their skin touches.

"You are my guest and my mother is gone. Besides, the elves cook our breakfast so what would you like?" Draco scowls in annoyance as he sits up, making Hermione fall off of him and back onto her fluffy green pillow.

Hermione rolls her eyes at his tone. "Fine, scrambled eggs and sausage! But you have to cook it yourself, not the house-elves. It will make it more... special."

Draco rolls his eyes as he knows of her 'save the house-elf campaigns' and sits up to get out of bed, pulling on his pants as Hermione goggles over his half-naked body. Pregnancy hormones are crazy lately for her. He then walks out of the room, leaving her alone to find Elaina to teach him how to cook breakfast.

Hermione stays lying down as she hasn't been nauseated yet this morning and doesn't want it to start, so she waits to see if Draco will bring her breakfast in bed...

About thirty minutes later, he brings it to her on a marble white tray but she is fast asleep again. He clears his throat, making her jump out of her slumber.

"Oh, thanks. I'm sorry, guess I may still be a bit tired..." Hermione apologizes with a yawn.

Draco chuckles to himself. "Well you are in the process of making my child, and I can only imagine that would be a tiring job."

Hermione laughs in reply at this, he never will get over his conceitedness, she knew that much.
_________
(Ron's POV)

Ron apparates to Hermione and his old apartment for one of the last times since he plans on giving up his lease to move back in with Molly and Arthur. He paces throughout the apartment, thinking of what he will think to say to Lavender tonight on their first date since the breakup with Hermione.

His heart sinks as he wonders of what Hermione will think when she sees him with Lavender again. But she can't say anything because she is with Malfoy, the enemy and the one they always loathed. It makes him sick to even think of them together. About him touching her, making love to her, it makes him want to throw up. He wants to take back everything, but he can't, he just has to take a step forward now and Lavender is the start to the new leaf. He likes her a lot, and she is the only one he can ever see himself with besides Hermione.

The day passes on as thunderstorms progress all day just as Ron predicted, and when a quarter to seven arrives, Ron gets dressed in his best clothes and apparates to Lavender's house in London where she lives in a town home with her roommate, Cho Chang, Harry's former girlfriend before Ginny.

When he knocks on the door, Cho answers shyly, "Oh, hi Ron."

"Hello Cho, how have you been?" Ron asks her politely.

"Good! Erm, let me go get Lavender, I am sure she's almost ready." Cho says with a huge smile. Then she disappears to the back of the small house.

Ron steps inside the small two bedroom house, where Cho, her boyfriend (who is also former Gryffindor mates with Harry and Ron) Dean Thomas, and Lavender all share a home. He has only been here once before, on one of the nights they snuck around.

Lavender walks into the entryway where Ron waits, and all of his thoughts disappear- She walks down the short flight of stairs in a bubble gum pink dining dress. She looks absolutely stunning as it hugs each one of her curves and her makeup is done perfectly. Hermione escapes from his mind as he steps forward to take her hand.

"I've missed you Lav," he says without realizing, hugging her to him.

Lavender giggles and kisses him on the cheek. "You ready to go then?"

Ron takes her hand and leads her out into the rain as she holds an umbrella over their heads. They apparate to Diagon Alley in front of Enzo's Italian Eatery where is a line in front of the restaurant. As they walk nearer they see the last people in line are a couple, a man with shaggy blonde hair and a barely pregnant woman wearing a red dress and elegant bun. Apparently, Draco and Hermione have also decided to eat dinner at Enzo's tonight to Ron's horror.

Ron's heart starts to palpitate, this is the first time he has actually seen them together and his anger starts bubbling inside him like hot water.

Lavender notices he looks upset and squeezes his hand. "What is wrong?"

Ron starts to breathe rapidly as he watches Draco lightly rub Hermione's back as they continue to wait in line to be seated; this makes him blind with rage.

"Ron!" Lavender whispers loudly looking at them and back at Ron. "Do you want to go somewhere else?"

Ron suddenly comes to his senses, he is working on getting over Hermione and he is on a date with Lavender. If he was alone Malfoy may not be moving right now, but Lavender is with him and he wants to keep her now for the health of himself- he needs another woman in his life.

"Well, look who it is!" Says Draco's drawling masculine voice. Hermione also turns around in shock when she sees who is behind them.
________
(Hermione's POV)

"Hi Ron, and erm, Lavender," Hermione says politely, smiling at them even though she feels stunned. When she sees Lavender, the memory of Ron's actions flood back into her mind. She turns around, her heart racing. Draco keeps chatting to them, and Hermione knows Ron probably just wants to hit him.
_________
(Ron's POV)

Ron tries to keep his anger under control as he clings onto Lavender, not even listening to Malfoy as Lavender notices Hermione's little bump from the side.

"Hermione, are you pregnant?" Lavender asks in shock, interrupting Malfoy's sentence entirely.

All of them face Hermione and Hermione turns around once again, her face a dark red. She just looks at Lavender blankly for a moment before answering.

"What? I was just wondering!" Lavender states, thinking Hermione is offended and hoping she isn't pregnant but just gained a few pounds.

"Yes, I am pregnant Lavender, about twelve weeks along," Hermione admits in a sharp tone.

"Congrats to you!" Lavender lies with a fake, excited smile. But she then looks at Ron and glares.

After Draco takes Hermione's arm when they were called for a table, Lavender digs into Ron's arm with her finger nails and makes him stop from moving forward.

"Oy! What the hell?!" Ron yelps in pain.

"Ronald! Is she pregnant with your baby?!" Lavender whispers fiercely.

"No Lav! It's Malfoy's! They have been together quite a while now and we haven't slept together in months by the time we broke up!" Ron says fast, he can see Lavender wants to hit him hard.

She relaxes when he says this and grabs his hand softly again. "Good because I am not about to go on a date with someone whom currently has another girl pregnant!"

Ron frowns. "Well it isn't mine Lavender-"

Lavender looks at him with piercing eyes. "And you are upset about that?"

He hesitates. "No! No way Lav, let's go, people have cut in front of us now."

"I never liked her Ron." Lavender sneers at Ron.

The couple catches up to the line, falling quite behind since Lavender stops him. He wants to scream back at her that he doesn't give a damn whether Lavender likes her or not, Hermione is still the girl he loves, no one can change that... but he doesn't say a word.

Ron notices that Hermione doesn't turn around to look at Lavender and Ron again as they are led to their seat. Unfortunately, they are seated quite closely together and Ron starts to watch Draco's every move, Lavender luckily doesn't notice.

He watches how he touches Hermione so gently. Hermione laughs at him, kissing him back. She really is happy... he doesn't want to ruin her happiness; a great sense of jealousy overcomes him again. He wants to be where Draco is... this just isn't right or fair to watch Draco live the life he is supposed to be living.

Lavender clears her throat bringing Ron back to reality and he looks at her.

"So what is it you wanted to talk about tonight?" Lavender asks with a smile.

"I want to talk to you about us," Ron tells her quietly.

"Us? What about us?" Lavender looks at him, waiting for a good answer.

Ron then focuses just on Lavender and reminds himself what he wants now. Her blue eyes pierce his lovingly and it reminds him that he's here for her right now.

"I want us to get back together. You see, you are beautiful and I want to be with you again. I want to treat you well, and be your boyfriend for real this time. I am sorry for how I took advantage of you, and how I just told you to piss off... I do like you."

"Yes!" Then Lavender kisses him all of a sudden, Ron accepts. He notices Hermione look down on him as she passes them to go to the toilet room. She looks sad. Does she still feel something for him too? But... that doesn't matter anymore; she is pregnant with another man's baby.

Lavender looks at him after a short moment of silence. "You are acting a bit weird, Ron. Are you sure this is what you want?"

Then their food comes and Ron drinks his firewhiskey quite fast, wincing as his throat burns.

He starts coughing, making Malfoy turn around and laugh at him. Ron wants to throw a curse at him and Lavender watches with daggers for eyes.

"Ronald, stop looking mad at him just because he is with Hermione!" She says sharply, clearly hacked off.

Ron looks at Lavender and shakes his head and lies. "No Lav, you know my past with Malfoy! I told you I am with you now!" She believes him luckily and quits accusing him.

Finally they finish dinner after Ron looks at Draco and Hermione off and on for an hour and his insides are still inflamed with anger but he controls it. They leave before Draco and Hermione to apparate to Ron's apartment as soon as Ron finishes is fourth firewhiskey.