AN: Thanks for checking this out! Please review! Also, take a look at my other stories, R/H abounds!
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A Revealing Christmas
Ron lay in his four-poster bed, unable to get to sleep. The next day was Christmas and Ron found himself dreading it. He had always bought his friends gifts, sometimes having to save for weeks and weeks just to afford a half decent present. Usually, he would buy them candy, Chocolate Frogs for Hermione and Sugar Quills for Harry. Maybe throw some Every Flavor Beans in the mix too. But this year Ron had chosen to do something different and he wasn't entirely sure his friends would enjoy the surprise.
Embarrassing as it was, Ron had gotten his mother to teach him a few sewing techniques. It wasn't much and it wasn't something he was proud of, but it was enough to be able to sew Harry a special pair of Quidditch gloves. Quietly Ron lit his wand and leaned over to a drawer beside his bed. He opened it softly and pulled out the gloves. They were rather nice, but they were still a homemade gift. A homemade gift because Ron Weasley couldn't afford to walk into Quality Quidditch Supplies and buy a new handsome pair of gloves. He fingered the gloves, which were tied together with a single ribbon and sighed. He tucked them back away in their drawer and pulled out the gift he was the most worried about: Hermione's.
It was a scrapbook of sorts. Ron had compiled photographs of the three of them together with a lot of help from Colin Creevey and things like test results and notes passed during class that he was sure no one knew he had kept. He had even had Ginny steal a few things from Hermione (a test in which Hermione had only scored one point higher than Ron). The scrapbook looked rather nice with a white cover and gold script written on the front. The problem was, Ron was wondering if the gift was too personal. Sure they had been best friends for five years, and maybe something a little more, he thought to himself, but he wasn't sure if Hermione would like it or just think it was a horrible stupid present because Ron couldn't afford to buy things.
He flipped through the book and smiled as pictures of himself with Harry and Hermione waved back at him. There was a note that Ron had passed to Hermione in class in second year, which read, "Oy, Hermione! What was the third property of a Mandrake again?" To which Hermione had replied, "Ron I'm not giving you any answers! Professor Sprout just said it three minutes ago." Ron chuckled softly to himself.
One particular picture put a soft serene grin on his face. It had been taken last year at the Quidditch World Cup. Harry had gone off to the loo and Ron and Hermione were standing next to each other, admiring the scenery. She had a small smile on her face and Ron wore his trademark grin. They were standing rather close together. Ron almost regretted putting that particular picture in the scrapbook, as it was a very nice photo.
The next page made Ron laugh so loud that he was sure he had almost awoken everyone in Gryffindor Tower. However, not one of the boys in his very own room made any noise and while Ron stuffed his fist in his mouth trying to stifle the laughter, they slept on peacefully. Ron had been unable to resist including a note that had been passed between two unnamed classmates (though Ron suspected Parvati and Lavender) the past year when rumors had been floating around about Harry and Hermione's love life. The note read, "Have you heard about Harry and Hermione? I can't believe they of all people are together!" The reply was a short, "I know! They are totally wrong for each other as far as romance goes." Ron had found it last year on the ground in a Charms class and had not been able to resist showing it to Harry. Harry, who had been rather grumpy that day, had said shortly that he agreed with them and did not elaborate any further on his opinions of the note.
The next page contained the test results that had been stolen from Hermione's room. Ron had always been fairly good at Charms, but he had even surprised himself when he had scored only one point lower than Hermione on a test. The two tests sat next to each other on the page with a small comment from Ron, "You better watch out! I'm catching up!"
The next two pages held nice photographs of all three of them. Ron grinned at the Harry in the second photograph who was pushing his glasses up his nose. Hermione looked kind of nice in the picture too. Her bushy brown hair was pulled back with a few loose strands that had managed to escape framing her face. He stared at the Hermione in the picture for a while before breaking out of his trance and continuing on to the next page. There was a picture of Harry and Ron. Harry had his leg up in an attempt to kick Ron, and Ron had thrown out a fist to punch Harry. They both wore identical grins. Ron snickered to himself as he saw the piece of paper on the next page. It was the fake predictions they had written last year. Ron grinned as he remembered the scene rather well. That was when Hermione had introduced sp…S.P.E.W.
He flipped through the rest of the scrapbook until he came to the last ten or fifteen pages, which had been left blank for Hermione to keep adding to the book. He had also written a note on the back cover, but he didn't have the guts to read it again. He knew that if he did, he would regret putting the words there and use some sort of spell to erase them.
Ron tied the book with a single ribbon as he had done with Harry's Quidditch gloves, and put it back in the drawer. Looking at the scrapbook again had put good memories fresh in his mind. Soon Ron had drifted off to sleep.
~*~*~
Ron awoke early the next morning without explanation. Everyone else in his dormitory slept soundlessly. He eyed the large pile of packages at the foot of his bed, but decided to wait until everyone was up to open them. He took out Harry's Quidditch gloves and added them to Harry's small stack of gifts. Ron looked sadly at the five gifts for a moment; knowing that Harry deserved better.
He grabbed Hermione's present and set off down the steps to the Common Room, not expecting anyone to be awake this early, even if it was Christmas morning. However, his assumptions were wrong. As he padded down the stairs, he noticed someone sitting on the couch opposite the fire and further scrutiny revealed it to be Hermione. "Hey." He whispered softly.
She jumped and turned around quickly. "Ron!" She shouted. "You nearly gave me a heart attack." Ron snickered and she hit him on the shoulder.
"Ow." Ron muttered, rubbing the spot where she had smacked him. "Happy Christmas to you too." Hermione's expression softened.
"Happy Christmas, Ron" She handed him a heavy package wrapped in bright orange paper. "I thought the wrapping would you remind you of the Cannons." She said, smiling.
Ron grinned. "And here I thought it was just another tribute to your bloody cat."
"Ron!" Hermione yelled indignantly for the second time in the five-minute exchange. "Don't swear." She paused for a moment as they stared at each other. "Well…open it."
"Oh. Right." Ron said, feeling like an idiot. He unwrapped the paper carefully and found a book. He turned it over and read the title out loud. "Find Your Career: A Wizard's Guide To Choose What Comes Next." Surprisingly, Ron found himself genuinely interested to read the book. He had never considered himself particularly skilled in one area and when asked about his future he had always drawn a blank. "How did you know I could use something like this?" He asked her; quite amazed that she knew him so well even if they had been best friends for five years. "Thanks, Hermione." He opened the front cover and was surprised to see it covered in Hermione's neat handwriting.
"You're welcome." She said smiling, obviously pleased that he liked the gift.
"Hermione!" Ron shouted in fake indignation. "You wrote in a book! That's wrong."
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Trust you to ruin a nice peaceful moment between the two of us with a comment like that."
Ron smiled. "I try." He looked down at the message and was just about to begin reading when a hand flew out in front of his eyes.
"You don't have to read it now. Do it later." She said looking a little panicked.
Though Ron was extremely eager to read what it said, he wasn't too keen in making Hermione angry this early in the morning. "Okay." He flipped through the book quickly. "Hey…what's this?" He grinned as he looked closer. About every five pages or so, a Chocolate Frog was taped inside the book. Ron chuckled. "This makes the book ten times better!"
"I thought that it would motivate you." Hermione said, amused. They laughed together for a few moments, merely enjoying each other's company. After the laughter subsided, they stared at each other for a minute.
"Here." Ron said after a few moments of silence. He handed her the scrapbook. Hermione eyed it curiously and undid the ribbon. Her eyes went wide as she explored its contents. Ron stared at her nervously; he was desperate to hear her reaction. Did she like it? Did she hate it? Would she have rather had candy bought from a store?
"Ron…I…" She began, but didn't say anything else.
"If you don't like it, you don't have to keep it." Ron said quickly. "I can buy you something, really. It wouldn't be a problem." He felt so stupid. Why hadn't he just bought her a box of Sugar Quills like usual?
Hermione took her eyes off the scrapbook and looked into his. She seemed to be feeling…sad? Sorry for him? Ron wasn't sure. "Ron, how could you ever think that?" She put her hand on his shoulder and despite the serious situation Ron couldn't help but notice the tingling feeling that shot up his shoulder when contact was made. "This," She began firmly. "is the best gift that anyone has ever given to me. You've put so much time and effort into it. And thievery." She added as she saw the page with her test scores on it. She smiled. "You don't have to buy me a big expensive gift for me to appreciate it, Ron. Don't you know that? You're my…" She hesitated for a split second before saying "friend. It doesn't matter what you get me. I love you for you. Besides it's the thought that counts and this is the most thoughtful present I have ever received."
Ron grinned in relief. He searched her eyes for any signs of deception and saw none. He was glad; he didn't want to think that she had said all of those things because she felt sorry for him. The words had been too nice for that anyway. "Really?" He said.
Hermione nodded. They looked into each other's eyes for a moment and the silence seemed to stretch on forever. It wasn't uncomfortable silence. They were just too busy studying each other to talk. Before Ron knew what was happening, he had leaned in and his lips met with Hermione's. There was an explosion of emotion inside him and a part of him realized that this kiss was long overdue. Her lips were soft and warm against his and he was just starting to really get into it when a voice interrupted them. "Ron, thanks for the-"
Hermione tore away from him and looked towards the boys' staircase. Harry was standing at the top, openly gaping at the two of them. This is what awkward silence feels like, Ron thought as he glanced from Hermione to Harry. Harry's face slowly turned from one of great surprise to one of great amusement. Without another word, he went back to the dorm room.
Hermione's face was so red that Ron thought she might explode any second. She moaned in frustration. "I can't believe he saw that!" She shouted. "This is so embarrassing."
Ron didn't particularly care. He had just kissed Hermione Granger! Harry had just saved him the trouble of having to inform him of what was going on. Ron was a little upset that they had been interrupted, but…he had just kissed Hermione Granger. He worked hard to suppress the big goofy grin that was threatening to take over his entire face.
Hermione was still muttering about Harry, "Now he'll tease us, and what if he tells everyone else? What if he says something to Fred and George? I don't think I can take th-" Ron hadn't been able to stop himself. He didn't want to sit there, listening to her rant and rave about Harry for hours and God knows that's how long she would talk. Besides, he didn't think he could keep away from her for another second.
Their lips met softly and Ron knew this was better than anything he had ever done before. Hell, it was even better than Quidditch. Though he couldn't believe that he had actually just though that, Ron knew it was true. Quidditch could not compare to kissing. When they parted Hermione stared at him for a second. She seemed to be at a loss for words.
Finally one came to her. "Wow." She muttered. She licked her lips, and Ron felt himself strangely attracted to this simple gesture. He leaned in again, but Hermione put a hand out to stop him. "Ron, I don't think this is the place to the be doing this. We're in the middle of the Common Room if you haven't noticed."
No, Ron thought. To tell the truth, he really hadn't noticed. They'd been tiptoeing the line of romance ever since the Yule Ball and Ron was sick of it. He grabbed her hand. "Well, where do you want to go then?" He asked slyly.
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Nowhere. We're staying right here and celebrating Christmas. We can't just disappear on Christmas." Ron nodded though he wasn't sure why. He didn't particularly agree with her statement. "Now go talk to Harry and tell him not to say anything about…about…us."
Again, Ron nodded and as if following orders he marched upstairs and into his dorm before the full impact of her words had hit him. About us! Tell him not to say anything about us! Ron grinned. "Having fun, were ya?" Harry asked cheerfully.
"Oy, shut it you." Ron said and threw a pillow nailing him right in the back of the head. The other boys were still in their beds, but they were starting to awake. Ron had to make this quick. "Don't…er…can you not say anything to anyone about me and Hermione?" He whispered.
Harry had that amused look on his face again. "Fine." He said, but don't think that I'm not going to say anything. After all, you in particular thought it was rather funny last year when girls asked me to the Yule Ball."
Ron groaned and Harry laughed. "Thanks for the gloves, by the way." Harry said, thankfully changing the subject. He reached into his trunk and pulled out his old gloves. Two of the fingers had holes and there was a large tear in the palm in the other one. "It was a great gift! I really needed them." Ron could do nothing but nod. His mind was still on the events that had unfolded in the Common Room.
~*~*~
That night Ron lay in his four-poster thinking of what it was like to kiss Hermione. He picked the book that she had gotten him off of his nightstand, wanting to begin reading it. Ron hadn't thought about it all day. When he opened the front cover he saw the message inside. He had forgot all about it! Eagerly he began to read.
Dear Ron,
I'm so nervous to write this. We've been best friends for five years, but sometimes I feel that it's not enough. Just know that I care about you very much. I hope you enjoy this book and find the right career for you. Ron laughed at the abrupt change of subject in the letter and then continued reading.
I have noticed that you seem to be clueless as to where your life is leading you and I thought this would give you some assistance. I know you can do anything you put your mind to.
Love From,
Hermione
Ron ran his hands over Hermione's neat writing, relishing her words. She believed in him. She believed that he could do anything. And she cared for him, as more than a friend. Ron sighed, content with his emotions for the first time in over a year.
~*~*~
Hermione lay in her bed that night feeling like she would never get to sleep. Never in her life, had one day held so much meaning in her heart. She lit her wand and picked up Ron's gift. She still couldn't believe all the work that he had put into it. "And to think…" She muttered silent to herself. "He thought it wasn't good enough."
This time she looked at every page of the scrapbook instead of just a brief scan of it. When she reached the end, she was surprised to see a letter written in Ron's untidy scrawl.
Dear Hermione,
I can't believe I'm writing this. I didn't think I'd have the guts, but I've been ignoring this for far too long. We've been friends, best friends, for such a long time that for a while I never thought of you as anything more. But then came the Yule ball and other guys and…and…jealousy. That's right. I'll be the last to admit it. There was nothing wrong with you and Krum going to the Ball besides the fact that you weren't with me. I hope you like this gift. I spent loads of time working on it. Colin gave me a lot of the pictures and Ginny stole some of your papers from your meticulous filing system.
Love,
Ron
Hermione was not one for getting sappy and emotional, but this time she couldn't help it. This letter was the most meaningful thing anyone had ever written her. He called her dear, admitted that he liked her, and said love. Hermione spent the rest of the night in a familiar dream; only this time it was reality.
AN: Looking for some finished reading? My R/H story A Different World (which goes through fifth year) is completed and there is also a sequel that has just been begun. Thanks for reading this and please review!