After the War (HP Fanfiction)

Muggle Curiosities

Exactly 11 days after her dinner with Ron, he visited the Museum of Muggle Curiosities. They had not spoken since the enjoyable evening, much to her annoyance. Julia tried to not read into it. She focused on her manuscript. She lead tours at the Museum. She visited the Leaky Cauldron far more than she needed to. She didn't set foot near the Weasley's store.

The Hogwarts school term began just the other day and the crowds at Diagon Alley thinned to a ghost town. The Museum saw even less visitors, which meant Julia spent her day cleaning the displays.

It was her luck that Ron arrived when she was covered in dust, from her hair down to her shoes.

"Julia!"

She froze, wiping layers of grime from her face. "Ron? What are you doing here?" Her tone sounded shrill and frantic, accurately mirroring the somersaults in her belly.

The Weasley had the good sense to look ashamed. His ears burned red. "The shop is closed to restock. So...I wanted to see you."

"Me? Why?" Julia turned away from him. She searched her robes for her wand, but couldn't find it. She groaned and then made a swishing movement with her hand and muttered a spell. The dust cleared from her entire person, but left her hair a bedraggled mess. She spun back to him.

Ron's face was beet red. "I had a great time the other night and wanted to know how you liked tea."

Julia worked on rearranging her hairpins, and answered him distractedly. "It runs through my veins."

"There is a tea shop nearby." Ron observed, voice strained.

"Yes?"

He coughed. "Did you want to join me for a cuppa?"

"A-Absolutely!" Wayward tendrils fell from her bun, framing her face. She frowned and tucked them out of the way. "Did you want to go now?"

"If you're free."

Julia nodded. She shouted over her shoulder, "I'm taking my lunch." She looked Ron over, noticing he had traded in his ostentatious work robes for a quiet blue shade that matched his eyes.

They walked side-by-side toward the tearoom. Diagon Alley quieted down with the start of the Hogwarts term. As they rounded the corner, Ron grasped her hand in his with a gentle squeeze. Julia turned her head to inspect the brick facades.

 They strolled through Carkitt Market, heading towards a tea shop in Diagon Alley. Julia tilted her head back, basking in the weak autumn sunlight. The crispness in the air promised a chilly winter and she couldn't wait to experience a good English winter with frozen lakes and snow higher than her. She slanted a glance at Ron. His lips quirked up into a small smile. She thought his face seemed particularly freckly today. Perhaps it was the lighting?

As they rounded a corner, he took her hand in his with a gentle squeeze. Julia turned her head to him with a silly grin.

"Is the museum very busy?" He asked. "It always seems empty when I go by."

"Eh, business has picked up from before, I've been told. But, I doubt it will ever be bustling. Still, my expertise is desperately needed. Wizards really have no idea how muggles live, do they?" She did not wait for an answer as she shook her head. "The curator claims that he has seen wizards helping airplanes stay up in the sky!" Julia tossed her head back and laughed.

"How do they stay up?" Ron asked.

Julia lifted her shoulders. "I have not the slightest idea...but I know it's not wizards. There is some science behind it...with, like, jet propulsion, physics...or something."