The Wedding Rings

Chapter 4: The Jealousy

"Hurry up, Hermione, I'm sure you look fine!"

Rolling her eyes in annoyance, she let out a deep sigh. Her nerves were on the edge and she felt like it wouldn't take a lot for her to snap and hex him into oblivion. Usually, Hermione'd try and suppress these violent thoughts, but they were happening more often lately and it seemed like she stopped caring. It was awful and freeing at the same time – like letting go of a safety rope and throwing yourself into an endless pit.

"I'm not ready, Ronald, stop being so impatient!"

She heard him mumble something but decided to ignore it, too concentrated on the event that made her stomach clench in anticipation.

Her S.P.E.W. movement kicked off quite fast after Draco's generous donation and she managed to gain a lot of investors. Her dreams now were quite different from the one's of a foolish teenage girl. Instead of forcing the house elves to accept weekly salaries and take vacations, she decided to help the elves with no masters - the ones who, like Winky, couldn't find their place in the world. She dedicated the cause to Dobby, her lower lip trembling slightly in the memory of him. It felt as if the the war ended just yesterday, because the pain of the ones they lost always seemed to linger in the air. Or maybe it was suffocating her only.

"Hermio-"

"I'm coming!" she snapped and threw one last look at the mirror, a satisfied smile meeting her eyes.

The long strapless emerald green dress looked lovely on her, fitting enough to emphasize her hips and chest, and long enough to make her seem taller than she really was. A simple golden necklace was standing on her collarbone, her curls pulled up in a messy bun. She slid her hands over her hips to straighten out the dress and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.

"You look lovely, now let's go," he offered, his voice tight.

She took a deep breath and grabbed his hand a bit too roughly, her eyes set on their living room. Soon enough, she felt a pressure around her belly button and the familiar feeling of Apparation took her over, her feet landing on the soft carpet after a moment.

"-your coat, Madam?"

She looked to her left and smiled at one of the butlers who was in front of the main entrance, letting go on Ron's arm. The quiet storm in her stomach was getting bigger and she swallowed nervously and looked around, hoping to see him.

They were attending one of Ministry's galas and it was the perfect place, she thought, to improve her S.P.E.W. organization and gain some important supporters. She knew Harry would be there and that was probably the only reason Ron wanted to go with her – he usually avoided situations like those since he didn't feel comfortable with his picture being taking every time he tried to have a conversation with Harry or her. She couldn't blame him really, the pressure she felt after the Final Battle knew how to take its toll on her, but at the moment, every single thing Ron did annoyed her. Barely persuading him to come with her and keep her company was one of those things, but she let it go right away.

She felt his hand on her lower back guiding her forward, the door opening itself as soon as they stepped closer to it.

The room was magnificent. Old painting of some of the most famous wizards and witches or the Ministry as well as the luxurious furniture and sculptures made the room alive, several fire places and candles enlightening it in an almost romantic way.

The moment she stepped in, she looked around for the people she had hoped she'd meet. She heard Ron mumble something but it was too late for her – her eyes locked with the gray ones and she felt as if the whole room stopped existing. Her hands were suddenly shaking and it took a great deal of effort to look away from him.