A Ride with Ron
A fanfiction by Andrea Schmidt
Did you ever notice that just about anything can happen at Hogwarts? Just when you think you had solved all its mysteries another pops up. When you think you've had all the adventures that this old castle can throw at you, it throws you a curve ball.
Ron Weasley was walking up the endless staircase that lead to the astronomy tower; in his rush to leave class that day he had left his half-done homework behind, and Hermione, being who she is, had refused to let him copy. So here he was.
'Useless,' Ron thought, as he skipped a trick step, 'all this room and all they put in this tower is a staircase, not one room, except for the astronomy room at the top…' he stopped. Ron closed his eyes, and shook his head, he could have sworn that he just saw a door.
He opened his eyes; yes, there was a door. Hermione's voice spoke in the back of his mind, 'Ron, you've been using this staircase for years, there's never been a door there before, it could be dangerous. Ron, remember the 3rd floor corridor first year? Do you recall what was behind it? RON!' her voice started fading out of his mind as he thought, 'maybe it's a secret passage, that the twins and the marauders never found.' His curiosity got the better of him. He walked up to the door, cautiously, wondering if he would have to tickle it to make it open. Then he put his ear next to it, after determining that Fluffy was not in there, he relaxed and studied the door. Stepping back from the door Ron noticed something quite odd. Instead of a handle this door had something that looked like an iron hand, waiting to be shaken.
'Ok,' Ron thought, 'what the hell,' and he grasped the hand in a firm grip and shook. To Ron's surprise and faint amusement, the door shook back in a business like manner, while slowly opening into what looked like a storage room.
The room was about 10 X 12, and two stories high. Much smaller than most rooms you'd find in Hogwarts. The room had boxes of rolled up carpets around the edges, and a big, beautiful Arabian rug was laid out, right in the middle of the room, sitting in front of a small, empty fireplace.
As soon as Ron released the door hand and stepped into the room the door slammed shut. Ron turned around in alarm and realized that he could no longer distinguish where the door had been from the wall. He spent the next 15 minutes throwing spells at the wall, starting with alohomora, and a charm that was supposed to reveal secretes. After those failed to open the door Ron tried just about any spell he thought could help. But none did.
He then walked up to the wall and tried to find the cracks that had been the door. Let me tell you, that wall was as solid as Voldemort is evil.
After determining that the wall no longer housed a door Ron sat down in the middle of the Arabian rug and started tracing the pattern on the rug with his finger. He had resigned himself to wait until he was let out, during the time he had paced the room for an exit (which he had found none, except a decent sized window next to the ceiling) Ron had noticed that, while the room looked as if it hadn't been used for years, there wasn't a speck of dust anywhere, meaning someone (most likely the house-elves) came in here to clean.
Ron was a bit stunned when the large carpet he was sitting on started to rise towards the window. Ron shot out the window and circled the top of Hogwarts 3 times before he figured out how to control the carpet, and could slow it down.
It was beautiful. The lake and the big tree that Ron, Harry, and Hermione studied under when it was nice out, looked so peaceful from the sky. A few first years were standing at the edge of the lake tossing pinecones into it, and the giant squid, being in a playful mood, was tossing them out of the lake and right back to the first years.
It was amazing, Ron thought, the view, the breeze, and room for more than one. Not to discredit his broom, but this was wonderful, and much more comfortable. Ron felt the urge to share this. Harry was out of the question now, he was probably still cleaning out the potions cabinet for the detention Snape had given him in class that day.
Hermione! Hermione was done with her homework when Ron had left the common room. Homework, oh, yeah. Ron sped the carpet into the empty astronomy tower, grabbed his forgotten homework from the professor's desk, then headed to an empty classroom with an open window. Leaving the carpet on the floor, looking like any innocent rug, Ron ran up to Gryfindor Tower. "Filibuster Fireworks," Ron said to the Fat Lady when he reached her, then he climbed through the portrait hole.
Ron spotted Hermione as soon as he entered the common room, she was curled up on the couch, reading, with Crookshanks at her feet. She was unconsciously twisting and untwisting a stray curl around her finger. 'She's so cute when she does that,' Ron thought.
Ron walked up to her quickly. "Hermione I've got to show you something!"
Hermione looked up and dropped the stray curl, "what Ron?" she asked.
"I want to show you," he said, putting an emphasis on the word show. "Come on!" he said as he grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet, causing her book to fall to the floor. 'If we hurry,' Ron thought, we might catch the sunset.'
Ron rushed Hermione through the corridors to the empty classroom he had left the carpet in, then they stopped. Hermione was about to ask what they were doing in there when they began rising towards the window.
She fell into a sitting position in surprise. Ron chuckled a little as he sunk down beside her. He directed the carpet back up to the top of the castle.
Hermione looked out in awe, they never got this high on their brooms, and frankly, she never felt very comfortable on one, always feeling like she was going to fall off.
Hogwarts grounds were amazing, She looked down at Hagrids hut, and the Forbidden Forest, at the lake, and she spotted Ginny walking with a bunch of friends, she knew that Weasley red hair anywhere, even from this far off the ground.
They noticed the sun sinking lower, and turned their full attention to it, (well, almost.) The skyline turned an amazing array of colors; pinks and peaches sunk into glorious purples and dazzling oranges. It was perfect. Ron found himself watching Hermione's reaction more than the sunset. She looked so beautiful, her face framed by her thick brown curls, and her chocolate brown eyes reflecting the wonder of the breathtaking sunset.
Ron leaned towards her and surprised her with a sweet and gentle kiss. It was very short though, Hermione didn't have enough time to respond, except to allow his tongue entry. As soon as Ron realized what he had done he pulled back, horrified; had he just ruined 6 years of friendship with Hermione? She hadn't kissed back.
Ron started to apologize, but only got "Hermione, I'm sorry, I didn't…" out before he found himself flat on his back, being kissed passionately by Hermione. When they separated, a minute later, Hermione said quietly, "You sure took your time, Ron, I've been waiting for you to do that since the Yule Ball fourth year."
"I've hardly been able to keep myself from doing that since the Yule Ball fourth year." Ron responded, with his trademark lopsided grin, before pulling Hermione back onto him for another kiss.