Arthur's Note: Hello, yes, I know, I know! It's been done before. This is my version. So there!
Disclaimer: The characters and their wonderful worlds do not belong to me. They are the sole property of J K Rowling.
Hermione had just finished dusting an old transistor in Arthur's garage, when a cough behind her startled her. She turned to see Ron standing at the door, peering at her intently.
'Oh, hey Ron.' She said awkwardly. They hadn't talked about their kiss during the war yet. It had been two weeks, and the sexual tension between them was becoming hard to ignore.
'Hi Hermione.' He coughed again. 'Um. Mum sent me to get you. Nearly done?'
'Yes, I'm all finished. I'll be right there.'
'Actually, I was hoping we could talk.' Ron said in a rush.
'Oh? About…?'
'Well, about- about the kiss. And how I left. And I just wanted to apologize.'
'Ron, you are already forgiven for that.'
'Yes but I never really apologized for anything I've done, have I? All the fights and making you do my homework-'
'You didn't make me do anything, Ron. More like begged and pleaded.'
"Yeah, I guess I've messed up several times over the years" he went on, running his hands through his hair haphazardly.
She looked up at him, trying to figure out where he was going with this.
'I was a right git, wasn't I? I called you a nightmare in first year and made you cry.'
'But you burped up slugs for me in our second year.' she said, in an effort make him feel less guilty.
'Yeah, well, then I had this huge fight with you in third year about Pettigrew. And you were right, as always!'
'Ron, you couldn't have known that Scabbers was actually an animagus living as a rat for so many years! You were just trying to protect your pet, I understand that.'
But Ron was not to be deterred, 'Then there was that whole Yule Ball fiasco with Krum in fourth year and the Lavender disaster in sixth.'
'Are you actually just trying to change my mind? You don't want me to be your girlfriend, is that it?'
'No, Hermione, listen, I just- I'm trying to show you that I'm a prat who doesn't deserve you. I left you when you needed me! And you still forgave me.'
'Exactly, I forgave you! So why are you bringing this up now?' said Hermione, anger laced through her question.
'Because if you realized all this later, and decide to leave me, when I've fallen even deeper in love with you, not that I think it's even possible to fall any deeper- ugh that's beside the point! I just need to know now, Hermione, 'coz you're it for me! You are the person I want to marry and have kids and spend the rest of my life with! I don't think I could bear it if you just up and left me one day! You are brilliant and I am just Ron!'
Hermione looked near tears. 'Ron, do you love me?'
'Well…' Ron looked down at his shoes, turning a deep shade of red.
'You said all that just now! I think you can tell me if you are in love with me, Ron, without acting like a typical boy!' she said sharply.
Ron sighed. 'Yes Hermione, I love you.' He said simply, looking into her eyes.
'Good. That's all I needed to know. Because I love you too. And I am never going to leave, Ron. Not as long as you want me. All those things that you did, yes they were pretty foolish. But that's not to say, I wasn't at fault either. We both did some stupid things and we could have had years before the war too, if we could have just stopped dancing around each other. But that's all done now, and here we are, declaring our love for one another. So what does it matter if you left? You came back, didn't you?'
Ron smiled at her gratefully, before she slapped him round the head.
'Ow! What in the bleeding hell was that for?'
'For saying that you are JUST RON! What the hell does that mean? Yes I swore, that's how angry it makes me when you put yourself down like that, Ron. Don't you see that being Ron is the best thing you can be?'
Ron looked at her as if she'd gone mental. 'Hermione, I am Ron, another Weasley, another redhead, not much to look at, Harry Potter's best friend. I get average grades and the only thing I'm better at is Chess.'
'Ron, you are wonderful! I would never fall for anyone average, you know. You are one of the bravest-' Ron snorted at that and Hermione glared at him. 'As I was saying, bravest, shrewd and most loyal person I have ever met. And Ron, if you played as much chess in the muggle world, you would be called a nerd as much as me, because chess is associated with strategy, and cunning. You need a sharp mind to be able to do that. Just because you are not interested in textbooks doesn't mean that you are not intelligent! Please, just can't you see how amazing you are?'
'You are the one who's amazing for believing that, Hermione. I always did say you were mental!' Ron grinned at her.
She smiled and stood on her tiptoes to kiss him.
'We should get back, yeah? Lunch should be ready by now.'
'Of course, Ronald, here we are having a moment and you think of food!' she huffed as she lead the way out of the garage. Just at the door though, she paused and looked back. 'Oh, and by the way, you might need to re-evaluate yourself in the looks department too. Not much to look at? I happen to think you are very very sexy.' With that and a mischievous wink, she was gone, leaving Ron to gape at her, speechless.
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