||Now It's Just Us||

Chapter 16 ||Flashback||

Hermione glanced anxiously at the wall clock. It was past midnight.

Where was he?

Just when she had decided to floo call Harry, she heard a crack of apparition. She turned towards the kitchen.

"Wherever have you been, Ron?" she asked crossly, "I was worried sick, do you even know what the time is?"

"No, what time is it?" he asked groggily, giving her a funny smile.

"It's past midnight," Hermione said incredulously.

"Oh," he said, unaffected by how worried Hermione was. 

Hermione could not believe him. Who did he think he was? Did he think he could just come and go as he pleased? That she'd wait up for him every night and not ask questions?

"You've got to tell me what's wrong," Hermione beseeched. 

"Nothing's wrong," his voice came out a snarl. Hermione sucked in her breath and stumbled back a few steps. Noticing that, he grinned at her, and took a step closer.

"Are you afraid of me?" he was still grinning at her. It was highly disturbing. 

Hermione stuttered and took another step back. He was drunk, she could smell it off him. He reeked of firewhiskey and smoke. His hair was dishevelled, his jacket unbuttoned. Hermione felt dread well up inside her.

"Step away, Ronald," she said in a shaky voice, "step away, please."

"So you are afraid of me," he sounded-satisfied. Hermione could feel her heart beating frantically inside her chest. She didn't even know why she was so afraid.

She didn't have her wand.

"You don't trust me, do you?" Ron snarled, roughly grabbing her upper arm and shaking her, "you still don't trust me."

Hermione's lip trembled, "Let me go, Ron, you aren't thinking straight."

"Oh I'm thinking as straight as possible," he said, bringing his face closer to hers, "I know that if I try to kiss you now, you won't let me."

Hermione's rage flared up at this.

"Ron," she said, hey voice shaking with fury instead of fear now, "let go of me."

"You don't even have a wand, what are you going to threaten me with?" he scoffed and shifted his weight.

"You've been drinking too much," Hermione said, "now I know where you've been going every night."

"Shut up," he growled, his grip on her arm becoming like a vice.

Hermione winced. Get anger faded away, giving way to fear again.

He was right, she was no threat. She didn't have her wand.

"Did I tell you how lovely you look?" he said suddenly, his sinister grin replaced by a look of wanting and lust. Hermione grimaced, desperately trying to shake herself free.

"Get your hands off me Ron!" she was shouting now, and she tried to swat his hand away with her free one. He grabbed a hold of it and pushed her into the wall.

"I'll make you regret ever asking me where I was," he growled in her face. He bent down to nuzzle his face into her shoulder but she pushed him away. He crashed into the coffee table. 

If he had been angry at her before, now he was positively livid.

"Just let me do what I want," he snarled at her. When she swerved out of the way of his grabbing hands, he grabbed hold of her shoulders.