A Slip of the Tongue

Disclaimer: I solemnly swear that I am up to no good. JK Rowling owns it all, but I promise to return her characters in 'like-new' condition when I am done with them.

Ron, Harry, and Hermione had been friends since their first year at Hogwarts. At the end of their sixth year, there had been the horrendous Death Eater attack on Hogwarts. Harry had then decided it was best to not pursue any sort of romantic relationship with Ginny during their search for the Horcruxes or the fight against Voldemort, for fear that it would interfere with their concentration

Ron had just started to admit to his feelings for Hermione after a year of dating Lavender, but instead of eagerly starting their own romantic relationship, Hermione decided she and Ron should follow Harry's example. She reasoned that it would make them all more focused on what was most important ... helping Harry to gain control over his own life and defeat Voldemort once and for all.

Now, however, the war was over. Voldemort was dead and not coming back. Most of the suspected Death Eaters had been rounded up and had already undergone trial by the very slow wheels of justice in the Wizengamot. But now that the battle was over and that things were finally settling down, Ron found that whenever he tried to bring up the topic of their relationship, Hermione would change the subject or they were interrupted. Living at number twelve, Grimmauld Place, was like living in a train station – everyone came through.

Ron was growing increasingly impatient. He paced in his room at Sirius' old house, pondering how to best deal with the issue. He had been interested in Hermione for such a long time that the lines between being "just friends" and "girlfriend" seemed to have blurred some time ago. The flirting that they had been doing since they were students at Hogwarts was now second-nature to both of them.

His patience grew thin as he noticed his baby sister and Harry growing closer each day. The first moment after Harry had finally killed Voldemort, Ginny was sobbing in Harry's arms and peppering his face with kisses. When Ron turned to Hermione, she gave him a warm hug, and then, all too soon, she told him they needed to go and make sure the others were all right.

It was now several months later and things were no different. The moment that Ron tried to do anything more than hug her or give her a soft kiss on the cheek, she became distracted, or they were interrupted. He was certain that Hermione was just nervous; they had just spent too much time trying to suppress their feelings for each other.

No point in mentioning that their adolescence had not been exactly what one would call a "normal" wizarding upbringing. He snorted. Still, there was no way he'd trade their days at Hogwarts for anything.

Ron knew that all he had to do was just get Hermione to admit her feelings for him, and then they could build the relationship that they were always meant to have. He loved her, he knew that, and of course she loved him. She just needed to voice it. After all, it was the truth.

"Bloody hell! That's it!" he exclaimed, as he stopped his frenzied pacing. "Congratulations, Ronald Weasley, you are brilliant."

~*~

Hermione walked in the front door and up the stairs at Grimmauld Place. She knew that she only had a short time to dress and be ready for dinner at the Burrow that evening. Sighing, she rubbed her eyes as she entered her room.

Following the war, she, Harry, and Ron had taken up residence at Sirius Black's childhood home. It suited their needs for the time being, while they were each settling into their various new jobs. Harry was currently the second-string Seeker for the Wimbourne Wasps and was likely to be made first-string next season. Ron was in his first year of Auror training, which he had begun before the conclusion of war with Voldemort and his Death Eaters. Being her normal, behind-the-scenes self, Hermione was working a desk job in the Portkey Office at the Ministry of Magic. It wasn't very exciting work.

She threw her cloak on the bed and stripped off her work robes, before opening her wardrobe to flip through the garments to find something suitable to wear to the Weasleys' for dinner. This was going to be a large gathering, with most of the Order present as well. Harry and Ginny were set to announce their engagement.

Hermione heaved another heavy sigh and settled on pale-yellow robes; they looked more festive than she felt. She was a mass of confusion over her feelings. It was not that she didn't want to progress her relationship with Ron. She did. Well, at least she thought that she did. "If that's the case, then why haven't you done anything about it before now?" she muttered.

Summoning the brush from her vanity, she tried to run it through the bushy, unruly mass of curls, before finally giving up and instead tying it back with a large elastic. Perhaps, like her hair, relationships weren't worth the trouble. However, seeing how happy both Ginny and Harry were, she knew that she was likely missing out on something.

Maybe it was time she took the next step with Ron.

Looking at her watch and realizing the lateness of the hour, Hermione grabbed her cloak and rushed to meet Harry and Ron. "Sorry," she said as she descended the stairs.

Both young men flashed her a smile; however, Ron held her gaze, extending his arm for her. Feeling a touch flustered, Hermione accepted the arm and allowed him to lead her to the door.

Harry smiled at his friends. "Are we ready, then?"

Ron attempted to discreetly pat the pocket of his robes just before nodding his head; he feigned ignorance at the puzzled glances that Hermione and Harry shared as Harry led the way out the front door and onto the Disillusioned porch. Hermione released her grip from Ron's arm so they could each Apparate on their own. The trio each disappeared in turn with a loud Crack!

~*~

They arrived just outside the gates to the Burrow.

Ron carefully rubbed his hands over both of his eyebrows before they began heading up the path. He grabbed Hermione's hand again. "You know, you could've snagged us an official Portkey and then we wouldn't have had to Apparate here," Ron groused.

"Just because you hate the way it makes you feel, Ron," Hermione said, rolling her eyes as they trudged up the path.

"That and he's paranoid about losing half an eyebrow like he took his Apparition test," joked Harry, laughing slightly at his own jibe.

"Apparition is much more practical than Portkeys," Hermione began in her lecture tone.

"We know, we know," Harry said. He held up his hands to stop her usual explanation of why she couldn't go around issuing them Portkeys without the proper forms signed in triplicate. He looked at Ron and they shared a sympathetic look with one another.

As the trio neared the house, they could hear the voices of those gathered outside in the yard. Hermione disengaged herself from Ron and gave Harry a reassuring squeeze on his shoulder before he went off to find Ginny.

The entire Weasley clan was gathered and mingling outside, along with other members of the Order. Hermione caught sight of Professor McGonagall nattering with Neville's grandmother. She went into the house through the back door and greeted Mrs. Weasley, finding herself momentarily engulfed in the older woman's arms.

Harry and Ginny made the announcement of their engagement, which was applauded and cheered. Within minutes, Hermione was helping the Weasley matriarch Levitate platters and bowls laden with food out to the tables in the grass, where people eagerly began filling their plates.

Hermione mingled throughout the crowd, sharing in bits of conversation and nibbling off of her plate of food. She paused for a bit longer to enjoy part of a discussion on the new Border Patrol Laws and how they were affecting her job, as well as those of Tonks and Percy Weasley.

After wandering around for awhile, she stopped to gaze at the people she was surrounded with and found herself wondering who was missing. Of course, she thought. Professor Snape never comes to these things if he can help it. The only person who ever would have been able to force him to attend such an event would've been Dumbledore, and even for him, that would've been a feat.

Hermione shook her head and went to find Ron. She found him out in the garden with Harry and Ginny. Ron put his arm around her, but the moment his hand began to move down her shoulder to the small of her back, Hermione stiffened.

"Er... Hermione, would you like something to drink?" Ron asked.

"Please, that would be nice," she answered as he stepped away.

"I'll go with you," Harry offered.

"No, that's okay," came Ron's quick reply.

"What's going on with you two?" asked Ginny, once Ron was out of earshot.

"Nothing at all."

"That's what I mean," said the redhead, rolling her eyes. "Why ever not?"

"I don't know," Hermione answered defensively. "We've all just been busy. Things are still settling right now. First there was the war, then the trials, and now we're all starting our jobs..."

"Hermione, the war has been over for three months, Ron started his Auror training four months ago, and you've been working in the Portkey Office for nearly two months. I think that other things should be starting to settle, don't you?" Harry asked. "Is there something else you're not telling us?"

"No, of course not."

"Everything all right here?" Ron asked from behind them, handing Hermione a drink and trying to lead her away from his sister and Harry.

"Yes, thank you," she said, eyeing the remainder of the group and taking the proffered glass from Ron. Smiling, she took a sip of the sweet, elf-made wine, followed in quick succession by another, not noticing as Ron watched her closely for any reaction.

Hermione felt the effects of the wine after only the first few swallows and looked at Ron quizzically. He shrugged his shoulder, took her arm, and again attempted to lead her away from Harry and Ginny.

Sensing an ulterior motive and no longer trusting him, she yanked her arm from his grasp and nearly fell to the ground when she was overcome by a sudden wave of dizziness. Her cheeks felt flushed, her vision was slightly blurred, and her mind began to feel slightly numb. Once she caught her balance, and trying to keep her thoughts straight, she started to yell, "WHAT THE BLOODY HELL DID YOU DO TO ME?"

"I-I-I... Are you all right, Hermione?" Ron stammered, trying to help her to steady herself.

She hopelessly tried to push his hands away as other people began to crowd around them. "NO, I BLOODY WELL AM NOT 'ALL RIGHT.' YOU DID SOMETHING TO ME. WHAT DID YOU DO?"

The group of concerned people around them grew swiftly due to Hermione's unusual outburst, and they each began asking her questions.

"Are you all right?"

"What happened?"

"What did you drink?"

At each question, she found that she could not help but answer each question as she heard it. "No! I'm NOT all right. Something is very wrong. Ron gave me that drink!" she cried, indicating the spilled glass of elf-made wine on the grass, "and I only had a few sips of it and I feel like I've had half a bottle of firewhisky!" She swayed slightly as she wrenched herself out of Ron's grasp. "I just drank the wine. There must have been something else in it." As the last words fell from her lips, she whipped herself around to face Ron. "What did you put in my drink, Ron?"

"Why would you think I put something in your drink, Hermione?" Ron asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

The crowd that was gathered around continued to watch with bated breath as the bickering pair continued their spat.

Hermione was on the verge of screaming at him again when her first word changed mid-stream, and she again found herself compelled to answer him, "Ro-! Because from the very minute I took a sip of that wine, I felt like I had drunk over half of Madam Rosmerta's stock, and now I feel compelled to answer every single question people have asked, honestly." Hermione's eyes unblurred slightly when she said the last word. She narrowed her eyes at Ron as the fuzziness of her brain seemed to clear and realization dawned.

"You can't mix Veritaserum and alcohol, Ronald, without it being noticeable! It makes the drinker nearly instantly drunk," she said, tears welling up in her eyes. "Besides that, the use of Veritaserum is controlled by very strict Ministry guidelines. I'm not the one in Auror training, and even I know that!"

"Hermione, I'm..." he started to say as he reached for her.

Instead, she stepped away from him and nearly fell, tripping over her feet as she staggered sideways.

"Stay away from me," she warned.

At that, Mrs. Weasley stepped forward and put her arm around her. "Come here, dear. I'll take you inside so you can have a lie-down. Minerva has already gone to Floo the school for an antidote. All will be well." The older witch shot her son a nasty glare and she led the young witch to the house.

Hermione was barely aware of the confused mumblings of her friends, although she could quite clearly hear Tonks berating Ron in front of all and sundry, but inwardly that only made her feel slightly better.

Once inside, Mrs. Weasley led Hermione up the three flights of stairs to Ginny's room, where she flicked her wand, turning down the bed, and then helped the young witch to climb in.

Hermione gratefully laid her head to rest on the pillow. She expected Mrs. Weasley to leave her to sleep off the effects of the potion, which she knew would last much longer than normal due to the alcohol; or wait until Professor McGonagall brought the antidote like she was told. Instead, she felt the end of the bed dip as the older witch sat down.

"How are you feeling, dear?"

"Still a bit dizzy," Hermione dutifully replied. "I would like to try to go to sleep."

"Of course, dear. Of course."

Closing her eyes, Hermione slowly began to drift off when the older woman asked her another question.

"When are you and my boy Ron going to be making the same announcement that Ginny and Harry made today?"

"Never," she heard herself mumble.

"What? Well, why ever not?"

"Because," she replied a bit more alertly, "I don't love your son that way. I fancy Professor Snape."

"Bloody hell!" came a shout from the door, causing the weight of Molly Weasley on the end of the bed to jump.

Hermione opened her eyes and saw two people standing in the doorway: the tall, lanky one was quite obviously Ron; the black, ominous man was none other than Severus Snape.

A/N: Thank you to my wonderful betas, SnarkyRoxy and JuneW!

This story will be multi-chaptered and was inspired by Potion Mistress' Truthsayer Challenge over at OWL.