A/N- Hello everyone! Sorry not to write for awhile, school has been crazy. I got all inspired to post this R/H fic after I saw the new HP movie-the little awkward handshake at the end made me so happy! Even Chris Columbus wants them to get together, hehe! Anyway, here's the first of my new fic-if you notice anything similar to Monica and Chandler's early relationship from "Friends", that was intentional. I might steal a few scenarios and lines every now and then. They just remind me a little of Ron and Hermione sometimes, the goof and the control freak. Anyway, enjoy, and please leave me a review!

Disclaimer- Any and all characters from HP-verse belong to J.K. Rowling. Anything similar to the "Friends" storylines belong to Warner Bros. Enjoy!

It Happened One Night
Chapter One- 007 and the Third Degree


Hermione Granger stood before the mirror in her dorm, brow furrowed. She should feel excited-after all, tonight was a dance, and she loved dances. But she felt kind of…blah. She had turned sixteen just as school was about to start, and her whole life, it had seemed like that was some kind of magic number. That was when you truly grew up. That was when you fell in love. That was when everything started for you. But her sixteenth birthday had come and gone, and she hadn't noticed any major changes. No boyfriend. No big life-changing events. Just the same old Hermione.

Dumbledore had decided everyone needed a little cheering up after a hard summer with Voldemort steadily gaining power, so he decided they'd have a dance. Dumbledore seemed to love having parties. And, just for a night, it might ease some of the fears and worries of everyone at Hogwarts.

Hermione was wearing new dark purple dress robes, and her hair was shiny and curly. She felt pretty enough, but couldn't muster up much excitement. Generally, dances were more fun when you went with someone. And of course, neither Harry or Ron even seemed to consider asking her. Harry had eventually asked Cho, and she had (finally) agreed. Harry was elated, but Hermione knew that wouldn't last. She couldn't really decide who Harry would be good with. Despite many people's assumptions, she just couldn't look at him that way. He seemed too much like family-someone she could always count on and would always love, but never in a romantic sense.

And then there was Ron. He was dateless, just like Hermione, and they had both commiserated about this fact many times. But it seemed his revelation about her being a girl had long since been forgotten, because he'd never broached the subject of them going together. That was fine with her-Ron and her were probably better as friends. Probably.

~*~

"Ron…Ron…Ron!" Harry shook his best friend out of a deep sleep.

"Gerroff…" Ron mumbled, pulling his covers over his head.

"Ron, the dance starts in an hour."

Ron pulled the covers down, rolling his eyes.

"Why would this concern me?"

"Aren't you going?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll go. But under protest. You know it'll just be me and Hermione sitting at a table bored to tears while you have fun with dream girl."

"I know this is a radical concept for you Ron, but you and Hermione might consider dancing."

"Me and Hermione?" Ron ran his hands through his bed head hair, and reaching for his new black dress robes. Ginny said they'd look very dashing with everyone else wearing colors. Fred and George openly mocked.

"Yeah, Ron, there is this thing that some people our age do called dating. Besides, what's wrong with Hermione?"

"Nothing's wrong with her. I just…I don't know. That'd be weird."

"Fine, fine. Be loveless and alone." Harry smiled.

"Shut up." Ron laughed, throwing a pillow at him.

~*~

Harry, Ron, and Hermione met up in the common room.

"You look great." Ron smiled at Hermione.

"I'm liking the black robes. Very 007." She smiled back.

"007?"

"Muggle thing, never mind." Hermione laughed.

Harry was barely even paying attention.

"Nervous, Harry?" Hermione asked.

"No, of course not." Harry said, laughing in a much higher pitch than normal.

Ron and Hermione exchanged a glance, grinning.

"Well, I guess we should get going. Don't want to keep Cho waiting." Harry said, trying to smooth down his hair for the umpteenth time.

"Ah, young love." Ron said quietly to Hermione as they left the common room, and she smiled, rolling her eyes.

~*~

The Great Hall was just as spectacular as it usually was for these events. House banners, signs proclaiming "Welcome Back!", tables lined with food and drink, and a dance floor lit with thousands of twinkling fairies.

Harry met up with Cho, looking perfect as usual in dark red robes.

"Poor Harry. Think we'll talk to him at all tonight?" Hermione laughed.

"Somehow I doubt it." Ron said, pulling out a chair for Hermione.

"Thank you." She smiled, sitting down.

Ron sat down next to her, and they both resumed their usual positions of watching everyone else dance. This was interrupted by the sudden appearance of Draco Malfoy, Pansy Parkinson clutching his expensively dressed arm.

"Don't tell me you two are here together." Draco sneered.

"Hello, Malfoy." Ron said, making sure every syllable dripped with disdain.

"Careful, Weasley, you'll sprain something." Draco rolled his eyes.

"Can we help you with something?" Hermione asked.

"Can they help us with something, Pansy?" Draco looked at his bored girlfriend.

"Why are we here?" She whined.

"Valid question." Draco nodded.

Just then, Harry and Cho walked up.

"What are you doing here?" Harry looked at Malfoy, confused.

"Oh, so you finally paid Chang enough to come with you, eh, Potter?" Draco laughed.

"Drop dead, Malfoy." Harry said dismissively.

"Can we go?" Pansy stomped her foot.

"Catch you crazy kids later." Draco said sarcastically, walking away.

"Well, there's a regular breath of vile air." Ron said, watching them walk away.

Hermione nodded in agreement.

"Care to join us?" She motioned towards Harry and Cho.

"No, we just needed a drink." Harry handed a glass of pumpkin juice to Cho, and took one for himself. Without another word, they were back on the dance floor.

"This is boring." Hermione sighed.

"Want to go for a walk?" Ron suggested.

"Sure."

They walked outside, both shivering slightly. The fall air was already turning chilly. The notes of a violin carried outside.

"I hate slow songs. They just make me more depressed about being alone." Hermione said, listening as the violin became accompanied by a piano.

"You're not alone." Ron looked down at her.

"You know what I mean."

"Yeah. I do." Ron looked away for a moment, both of them suddenly feeling awkward.

"Do you ever get that feeling like you're never going to find someone? Like everyone else is happy and in love, and you're just kind of standing around?" Hermione looked at him curiously.

"You're going to find someone, Hermione. Come on, you're beautiful. And smart. And funny. Who wouldn't want to--"

"You think I'm beautiful?" She interrupted him, feeling a strange flip in her stomach.

Ron suddenly felt very nervous.

"I-I just meant…yes, I do think so, but I was just saying--"

"Ron?"

"Yeah?"

"Shut up."

Hermione practically knocked him over she kissed him so hard. Ron reacted faster than his stunned mind could catch up with, responding to the kiss with just as much intensity. She held onto him tightly as the kiss got even more passionate, afraid that if she let go, she'd pass out. Suddenly, Ron pulled away.

"Wait-wait, Hermione, what are we doing?" He asked breathlessly.

"Making out?" She grinned, her cheeks flushed.

"We don't usually do that."

Hermione moved closer again, their lips about a centimeter apart.

"Do you mind?"

Ron never got around to answering her.

~*~

"Ron! Hermione!" Harry set out to looking for his two best friends outside, since they had seemingly left the dance. It had just ended, and Cho had said good-bye. No kiss, just a hug. Harry almost felt like she regarded him as something of a little boy. Cute, not bothersome, but not even close to her league. He shook his head. Whatever. So the night hadn't been all he had wanted. Where were Ron and Hermione?

"Ron? Hermione?" He said a little louder.

Ron and Hermione snapped apart from each other at the sound of Harrry's voice.

"That would be Harry." Hermione said, still breathing hard, her hand on Ron's cheek.

"So we'd better stop." Ron said reluctantly.

"Yeah." Hermione wiped a dirt smudge off his cheek with her thumb as he smoothed down her now messy hair.

They got themselves straightened out just as Harry came around the corner.

"There you two are. I've been looking all over-what are you two doing out here? It's freezing."

"So we wanted some fresh air, Harry, enough with the third degree!" Hermione said shakily.

"Er…okay. Are you okay, Hermione? You look a little…"

"So how'd things go with the lovely Miss Chang?" Ron interrupted abruptly.

"Oh, well, not so great. She's kind of…dull. And I think she still looks at me like the lovesick thirteen year old I was when we first met." Harry said dejectedly.

"Well, that's the breaks, we're all alone again!" Ron said, laughing strangely.

"You sure you're both okay?" Harry looked at them curiously.

"You okay, Hermione?"

"I'm okay, Ron."

"So looks like we're okay. Wow, I'm exhausted. Let's go to bed! To sleep! In separate…beds." Ron trailed off, running a hand through his hair, laughing again.

All three walked wordlessly up to the Gryffindor common room, lost in their thoughts. Hermione and Ron were working extremely hard to not look anywhere near each other, and Harry was walking in the middle.

"So goodnight, Hermione." Harry smiled, waving slightly.

"Night, Harry and Ron." She said quickly, racing up to her room.

Hermione and Ron both hardly slept. What on earth had just happened with them?

~*~

A/N- I hope ya'll liked this- please review! A continuation's coming, please give any suggestions you might have in your review.