WISHLIST: What Ron Doesn't Know (Percy/Hermione)

[too-dle-oo.livejournal.com]

Author: too_dle_oo
Recipient: amorette
Title: What Ron Doesn't Know
Pairing: Percy/Hermione
Request: Losing a bet, performing sexual favor (but really wanting to anyways, so dub-con), secret relationship.
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 1,500
Summary: While Ginny and Harry celebrate their engagement at a big party, Percy haggles out the terms of a bet lost to Ron. Loser gets Hermione. (Could be seen as a follow up to 'Announcements', written earlier in the summer.)

'Angelina.'

'No.'

'Luna, then,' Ron offered.

'I have never even spoken with Miss Lovegood before,' Percy replied, crossing his arms across his slender chest. He shook his head. 'If I were to walk up to her, in the presence of this company assembled, and kiss her for the duration of five seconds, she would protest.'

'You really haven't hung around Luna before. She might not even notice that your lips are on hers,' Ron stated. He glanced around the room for another target. After all, he'd won this bet, and now he just had to select someone for the prim and fussy Percy to snog in public as his penalty.

The bet itself had been fairly straightforward, having emerged from a disagreement between the brothers about the reason why Harry and Ginny had announced such a short engagement before their upcoming wedding. A seven-month engagement. Who was engaged for less than a year these days? It took time to plan the affair and order all the food and finery. Regardless, Percy had bet that the young couple was simply in love, while Ron's wager was for a bun in the oven.

The loser had to snog someone of the winner's choosing at the engagement party, a big affair with dozens of guests from Hogwarts and the Order of the Phoenix in attendance. Mrs. Weasley had been prepping the garden space outside the Burrow for weeks, and was now watching over all the guests like a mother hen over her chicks.

Percy just hoped this kiss managed to slip by the woman.

Ron's eyes settled on his sister-in-law at the drinks table. He'd made an arse of himself in front of her on more than one occasion, and it might be nice to settle the score amongst all his brothers. 'Fleur.'

'No,' Percy said, rejecting the idea outright.

'Why not?' Ron asked, a slight whine to his voice.

'Would you prefer a chart or an itemised list? One, she is already a member of our family. Two, Bill would murder me if I laid a hand on his wife. Three--and perhaps I should have listed this first, Fleur is a powerful witch in her own right, and has an arsenal of spells at her disposal to maim me before one iota of a second has passed. I have no desire to risk my own health for your amusement.'

Ron frowned. What was the fun in winning a bet against your older brother if he refused to carry out the terms of his loss? He looked around again for a bird.

One with curly brown feathers presented herself at the garden gate.

Ron grinned. 'Hermione, then.'

Percy's attention shifted to the young woman in question. Dressed in blue, she looked as delicious as ever. True, she'd kissed Ron once when they were trying to figure out if they'd ever work, but that had never turned into anything. How could it? She and Ron made no sense. To Percy, however, she was ideal. Feminine and whipsmart, ambitious and caring, he'd admired her for years. He'd even made inroads with her of late, a few late evenings working together on some projects for Gin and Harry's wedding, but assaulting her in public would undoubtedly set back their budding... could he call it a relationship? He wasn't sure. Whatever it was that they had, it was too new to stand up to public scrutiny.

Percy swallowed. 'Hermione... Granger?'

Ron snorted. 'Do you know another?'

This was met with a silent glare.

'Listen, Perce, you've refused all the others, but you can't do that forever,' Ron said, poking his brother in the chest. 'I still won, didn't I? You've got to snog someone here for a minimum of five seconds. I say it's her.'

Percy narrowed his gaze at his kid brother and shrugged. 'Fine. Miss Granger it is.'

*

So that was how Percy Weasley ended up kissing Hermione Granger in the middle of his parents' yard.

She'd been walking over to greet his Mum or put her wrapped gift down with the others or something, and Percy pounced. Before he lost his nerve, that is. He marched over to her, and before she had a chance to open her mouth, he braced her, taking her upper arms firmly in hand before pressing a kiss to her lips. The encounter was awkward for every reason imaginable: the wrapped box in her arms bumped up against his ribcage, a dozen or more people were staring, and he'd somehow landed a little off-center when he first pulled her close, and couldn't figure out how to move smoothly into a better position. And yet she didn't push him away, despite the fact that it was a terrible kiss.

Surely five seconds had passed, hadn't they?

Percy couldn't be sure.

He couldn't very well do anything else with his mum watching, so he just sort of stood there for awhile longer. Looking down the end of his nose, Hermione appeared quite confused. Percy took a step back, ruffling the hair on the back of his neck while he sputtered out his apologies.

With one free hand, she grabbed his arm to stop him before he bolted. 'Percy...' she whispered. 'What was that?'

Percy leaned down to whisper his explanation in her ear. Before he'd had a chance to finish telling Hermione about what he'd hoped their first kiss would be like--how he'd been working up the courage to ask for a physical sign of affection on the first few dates they'd shared--she pulled away, shoved her gift into Percy's arms, and rounded on Ron.

Seeting, sparks of angry energy electrifying her every move, Hermione poked and prodded her old friend with one finger to the chest. 'Ronald Bilius Weasley, I am not a thing to be won! I am a person, you wanker!'

Percy grinned while Hermione took Ron apart in front of his mum, his dad, and all his other brothers. He was beginning to feel a little smug about this turn of events, but--

'And you!' Hermione shrieked, turning on him. 'You went along with this idiocy?'

Percy blanched, clutching the gift tightly. She wouldn't destroy the present she brought, would she?

'I had a higher opinion of your good sense, Percy!' she said, throwing up her arms in exasperation. She was making a big show of all her movements. More than usual. Percy suspected that Hermione was angling for something, but he couldn't quite tell what. 'Just for that, you're helping me with this.'

And with that, Hermione pulled him back into the Burrow to help her with some chore or other.

As soon as they'd made it into the kitchen, Hermione slammed the door. Percy loved a woman who knew what she wanted, even if that meant that he'd be chopping vegetables or rewrapping the gift or whatever it was that she had in mind.

He waited for her orders.

Instead, she plucked the box from his hands, set it on the counter, and wordlessly locked the door.

Percy swallowed as the woman he admired slowly advanced on him, backing him up against the cold wood.

When she was practically on top of him, she leaned up and wrapped a hand around the back of his neck. Her breath was hot on his neck, and he didn't breathe as she stood on her tiptoes to reach him. She wasn't timid or shy as she kissed him confidently, and the force of a small woman attacking him up against the door rattled him.

A nip at his lower lip, and he opened his mouth to her.

Ah, yes. This was more like it, all heat and passion. Wanting more, he lifted her in his arms and guided her legs around his waist. Then he flipped their positions, pressing her up against the door as she handed control over to him. She was soft and smelled of lavender, gasping for breath as his lips traced the column of her neck.

A few moments passed, and he set her down, feet on the ground once more.

When she spoke, it was a whisper. 'That was more along the lines of how I thought our first kiss should go.'

He settled his hands on her hips before he found his voice. 'Can I convince you to forget all about that display in the garden?'

'I don't know what you referring to, Percy,' Hermione said, eyes unnaturally wide as she tried to look ignorant.

'Good,' he said. He smoothed out the fabric on her dress and tucked a loose curl behind her ear. 'I didn't want what... what we have to be public without talking to you about your desires.'

'So you kissed me instead?'

He blushed. 'It really was just a frivolous bet, Hermione. I didn't think I stood a chance of losing. Your timing, though, could not have been better. I admit to feeling a great relief when you arrived, as I wasn't about to kiss another woman besides you.'

'Ron just happened to name me, then?' she asked, reaching up to straighten his bow tie. 'He doesn't know about us?'

'Not yet,' Percy said, emphasizing the last word. 'Not until you want him to.'

'Good,' she said. Hermione reached up, pulling Percy down into another kiss, this one softer than before. 'We'll tell everyone when we're ready. In the meanwhile, what Ron doesn't know won't hurt him.'