Title: The Finer Things in Life Epilogue

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: 1307 words

Rating: PG-13 at the worst!

Pairing: trio! Hr/HP/RW, hinted Bill/Remus

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 last part as well as the one before! Also thanks to my mom for the previous three!! Much thanks and feedback is very much appreciated! Enjoy!

'thoughts'

Roars of laughter washed over the house of Remus and Bill as the males of the Weasely family sat around, listening and going over the miserable tales of Ron and Harry's attempts at home style cooking. Ron sat slumped in his chair as the laughter and comments floated out while Harry sat with his chin on his fist, glaring at them half-heartedly.

"And you set fire to the dining room!? Oh that would have been something to see!!" Fred cackled out as he slapped his knee, causing renewed laughter to echo around the house.

"Yea well how was I to know?!" Ron demanded as he sat up, jaw set as he glared at his brothers.

"Ronald…how else do you think? Moderation is indeed a good thing," Percy said with a smirk as he pushed his glasses up and took another swig of his butter beer, ignoring the glare he got from his youngest brother.

"Oh and I'm so sure that you bloody well know everything, Percy!" Ron shot back, growling.

"Asking doesn't hurt," Percy replied pointedly, looking down his nose at his brother, even though he was sitting and Ron was standing. "Mum knows quite a bit, but following directions are good as well."

Growling as he humphed, Ron sat back down as the other men laughed and nodded. Harry patted his knee, sighing inwardly. Who knew how fast Ginny's mouth would have spread the word?

Hermione had told Ginny all that had happened with their recent kitchen fiascos and the red head had made the mistake of telling the twins. So, when the weekly get together of the remaining Weasely men came about…everyone knew.

Much to Harry and Ron's chagrin.

"What it seems to me is that you need to have someone walk you through a dinner," Remus said thoughtfully as he sipped his wine, smirking at his lover from the corner of his eye. "Bill has learned several meals that way."

"So have I. And so have the twins. There's nothing wrong with asking," Percy added with a tilt of his head.

"Yea but we went to one of those Muggle cooking shows! What more could we do? I ain't askin' Mum!" Ron cried, glaring at George as he started laughing.

"Well…why don't I teach you something? It's real simple and you can't go wrong once you get going," Bill offered as he leaned back and put an arm around Remus' shoulders, grinning. "We can get together, go shopping so you know what to get, and then I'll help you learn."

Harry glanced at Ron and they had a silent conversation with their eyes. After a minute of expectant silence, the two looked over at the eldest Weasely. "Deal."

*~~**~~*

Sighing inwardly as she shut and locked the door behind her, Hermione leaned back against it, eyes closed tiredly as she relaxed. Home…it had never felt so good. Her office mates had celebrated her birthday with a little bash, which had been a delightful surprise, but now she was glad to just be home. Even though she was inwardly somewhat dreading coming home to finding another cooking attempt waiting for her.

She took another deep breath and headed for the kitchen, slowing down as she noted how dim the lights were. She frowned slightly, wondering if maybe her boys had forgotten what day it was. Saddened and a little hurt at the thought, she went into her bedroom and changed into her lounging outfit of silk pajama bottoms and top, then went to the dining room.

Reaching to turn on the lights, she stopped as she saw that the table had been set for three, candles lighting the room with a soft glow. She tilted her head as she heard her favorite classical music playing, and then noticed the small wrapped packages near where she would sit. She smiled, blinking back tears as Ron and Harry came into the dining room, holding dishes.

"Welcome home, birthday girl," Harry said warmly, as he placed his dish down, then went over to her and kissed her cheek.

"What he said. Happy Birthday, Hermione," Ron murmured quietly as he did the same, giving her a warm hug.

Sniffling, Hermione giggled as she hugged them both tightly. "Oh thank you! You didn't forget!"

"Hell no! We've been plotting for a couple of weeks now!" Harry proclaimed and both young men flushed as she giggled even more.

"Is that what those disasters of cooking were?" she asked teasingly, cupping their cheeks as their faces burned. "I should've known."

"Yea well…come on then! Come and eat! We promise that this time, it's good," Ron replied gruffly as he took her hand and they went to the table. She sat down, smiling as she was pushed in. Harry placed a napkin on her lap while Ron dished up the food.

Blinking in surprise, Hermione watched as soft glistening penne noodles were placed on her plate, followed by shrimp that was covered in a rich sauce of garlic and butter. A crisp green salad followed, little ripe tomatoes rolling out before being covered in her favorite bleu cheese. A couple of slices of Italian bread completed the stunning dinner and she looked up at them in wonder.

"Bill taught us and he taught us a couple of others so you don't have to do the cooking anymore," Harry murmured as he saw the look, grinning. "And we have dessert too, so don't fill up!"

Hermione giggled and looked back at her plate. Slowly, she brought up her fork and took a bit of the pasta and shrimp. Hesitating only for a few seconds, she took the bite and chewed.

Harry and Ron watched her intently, both tense with anxiety as they watched her taste their work. Her eyes suddenly fluttered closed and she moaned in delight. "Oh this is excellent! The garlic mixes so well with the shrimp and the butter! And the pasta is perfect!" she cried as she looked up at them, beaming.

Breathing sighs of relief, which earned more giggles from her; the two young men sat down as well and dug into their own food. The three talked quietly about their days, laughing here and there at the funny bits as they ate. After dinner, Harry brought in three small plates that each held a small pastry filled with tapioca pudding and berries. Hermione squealed in delight and ate it slowly, savoring the mixture of the pastry, the sweet pudding, and the berries. Afterwards, they moved to the living room where Hermione opened her gifts from them, which were some books, a necklace, and some hair clips.

Content, the trio sat before their fireplace together, curled around the other as they dozed in and out of peaceful sleep. Feeling her two boys around her, Hermione smiled sweetly. Now these…were the finer things in life.

FIN

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