Title: The Finer Things in Life pt. 4/4

Author: Deathangelgw

Challenge: Post Hogwarts- Ron and Harry try to prepare Hermione dinner with humorous results.

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and co. belongs to J.K. Rowlings. Bless her heart! :P I waaaaaaaaant em!!

Warnings: AU, fluff, humor, sap.

Word Count: 1286 words.

Rating: PG-13 at the worst!

Pairing: trio! Hr/HP/RW

Summary: Harry and Ron want to do something special for Hermione. But who knew Muggle cooking was so hard!

A/N: First, thanks to MA for the beta! I wuv yooooou! Secondly, this is for the triofqf on LJ. A special thanks to calliope_14 for 'leading' me here and to tarie for just being a great mod here! This is my first time writing Trio, so be brutal! A very special thanks to my sis for brainstorming with me on this one and the next part! Also thanks to my mom for the previous three!! Much thanks and feedback is very much appreciated! Enjoy!

A/N2: After looking at how it had gotten such a plot…expect an epilogue!

'thoughts'

Hermione hummed softly as she came home, wondering what the boys were up to this time. She stood still, listening in the silence for a sound that would clue her in on what to expect. Frowning as she heard nothing, she went inside, looking around. "Harry? Ron?" Her voice floated out softly, the silence surrounding her encouraging that hushed tone. She came into the living room and stopped, smiling at the sight before her.

Ron lay sprawled on the couch, with Harry between his legs and resting on his chest. They were both fast asleep, books on either their laps or chest as they slept on peacefully. She shook her head as she came over and tucked a blanket around them, noting the protective arm encircled around Harry's chest as well as the long fingers that were laced together. Her boys.

For as long as she could remember, Hermione had always considered them her boys. And she loved them…deeply. No matter what had happened, she knew that she could always count on them to be with her and they could count on her. They were a team…partners. More than friends.

Now if she could just get *them* to realize that…

Shaking her head again, she glanced around and picked up one of the books. She stifled a giggle as she read the title. 'One hundred ways to impress her with cooking...oh Merlin what are they up to?' she wondered not for the first time since that fateful night she had come home to find them trying to make soufflé. Or…something of that nature. The next night it had been cordon bleu, of which she'd had to drink six gallons of water to get rid of the taste in her mouth. Last night it had been an over-boiled chicken soup that had been so dry and salty she had barely been able to eat the broth, much less the meat and vegetables.

She sighed in relief that at least tonight; she'd be the one making dinner. Setting to it, she went about making a simple salad, lasagna, and garlic bread dinner. Whatever her boys were planning, she just hoped that they didn't kill them all off first.

*~~**~~*

"Harry…are you sure we should be here?" Ron's voice was filled with doubt as he glanced around the Muggle TV station before looking at his best friend.

"We need *some* kind of help, Ron. And I think if we go to one of these, we'll be able to pull off something nice for Hermione!" Harry replied, grinning in what he hoped was a reassuring grin. He didn't feel too reassuring at the moment as they stared up at the tall building before them.

They went inside and were directed towards a studio that already had a sizable crowd waiting for the TV show to begin. A Muggle came out, giving them some quick directions on conduct for the show as well as looking for volunteers for certain parts of what they'd be taping. Ron fidgeted next to Harry, then stilled as Harry laid a reassuring hand on his thigh, grinning at him playfully.

Sitting forward eagerly as the show started, both young Wizards watched in fascination as the chef made what appeared to be a rather simple dinner, in which a steak was cooked on a plate with alcohol. Flambéed steak with a side of a pasta salad and fresh vegetables.

Looking at each other with hope, Ron and Harry knew that they could do *this*. So, with an excited step to their walk, they headed home and began preparations once more.

*~~**~~*

A soft humming alerted the two young men of the return of their third flat mate and they quickly cleaned up the kitchen and set the table before she came into the dining room. Smiling together in delight, Ron and Harry hugged Hermione in welcome. "Hey! What are you two up to?" Hermione asked with a grin as she returned the hugs and allowed Harry to hang up her coat.

"We made you dinner!" Ron said, his smile slipping only a little as he saw her quickly hidden horror. He shook it off as he sat her down and they stood facing her as she sat nervously in her seat.

"R-Really? So um…what did you make?" Hermione asked uneasily as she glanced at the vegetables, which looked rather runny with the butter and water that hadn't been cooked out, and then at the pasta salad, which looked like the noodles hadn't been cooked all the way and the sauce had too much seasoning in it judging by the color consistency.

"You're gonna like this, Hermione. It's something we learned," Harry stated proudly as they brought over some half-way decent looking steaks on a plate.

She relaxed a little, thinking that maybe they had indeed finally managed to not mess up something. Her relief faded as Ron brought over some cooking wine and proceeded to douse the steaks quite thoroughly. 'Oh…they aren't…'

They were. Harry frowned slightly as Ron saturated the steaks, not even seeing the small trickle of the alcohol as it sloshed over the shallow dish. "Um…Ron?" he started, then stopped as Ron grinned at him in excitement, feeling it fade to the back at seeing Ron so hopeful that they had done something well.

With a flourish, Ron put the wine down next to him and brought out his wand. "Incendio!" He cried, sending a flame at the wine soaked steaks, lighting them up with a soft blue fire. Gasps went around in both delight and astonishment that nothing had gone wrong as the flames gently licked at the alcohol, spreading quickly

Ron's beaming smile faded slowly in consternation as the flames continued to grow. "Um…Harry? Are the flames supposed to be that big?" He squeaked out, eyes widening as the flames began moving to the table cloth, causing them to scramble back.

"No they aren't!" Harry shouted as the fire began to spread, going to the chairs as Hermione screamed and scrambled away. Suddenly, a loud explosion sounded as the cooking alcohol that Ron had forgotten was on the table heated up and exploded, sending fire all around.

"Put it out!!" Hermione cried as she grabbed her wand and, all three working together, put out the raging fire.

Standing together, the three stared at the smoking blackened dining room, two disheartened and embarrassed and one rather irritated. Hermione huffed and walked out, grabbed her cloak as well as a midnight bag, and Apparated to Ginny's place for the night.

Looking at each other, Ron and Harry sighed softly before they began cleaning up. Another mess down the tubes.

TBC