SEQ CHAPTER \h \r 1Disclaimer: I refuse to take credit for Book 5. The lack of R/Hrm was disappointing.
A/N – I'm procrastinating and this is the idea that came to me awhile back that I chose to write now. Our favorite trio are hard at work, when they decide they want a little break to watch the sunset. This break leads to a lot of laughs, two serious conversations, a newfound romance, and some fluffy friendship moments.
SUNDOWN
By: Hopeful Writer
"Have you done your homework yet, Ron?"
Ron Weasley looked up from the fire, which his gaze had been fixed on. "Yes, Mum," he joked good-naturedly at the seventeen-year-old who was his best friend, Hermione Granger.
She sighed impatiently. "This is a very important year, Ron. Your NEWTs are coming up and–"
"'–and you have to do well or you won't be able to graduate and be successful,'" Ron finished for her. "I know Hermione. Just remember this, okay? It's October. NEWTs aren't until May. I have plenty of time."
Hermione started to argue, but was cut off promptly by the third member of their group, Harry Potter (a.k.a. The-Boy-Who-Lived or Scarhead for those who don't recognize his given name). "You know, we still have two hours before curfew. Why don't we go down to the lake and watch the sunset?" he suggested, stopping the impending fight.
Hermione's face lit up. There were few things in the world that were more beautiful than a sunset, and the sunset over Hogwarts' lake was the most beautiful of them all. Ron laughed. "That's a way to steal her attention, mate. Mention the s-word."
"Oh, shut up, you two," she snapped back, but she was smiling despite herself.
With an exaggerated flourish, Ron slammed his Potions text closed and ran his books and Harry's up to their dormitory. When he had returned, Harry and Hermione were waiting for him near the portrait hole.
It often amazes Muggles how the trio can maneuver through Hogwarts without getting lost, especially with all the magical staircases. Well, the thing JK Rowling neglected to mention is that they do get lost – and today was one of those days.
Upon stumbling into a room that they had never seen before, Ron voiced everyone's opinions. "Where the hell are we?" he demanded.
"A room," Harry stated dryly.
"Well said," Ron quipped.
"Look," Hermione gasped, pointing out the small window. "We can see the sunset from here."
Ron and Harry crowded on either side of her, both considerably taller than Hermione's 5'4" frame. Harry and Hermione watched the sunset, while Ron watched Hermione. He found himself doing that a lot lately, just watching her. He wondered what it would be like to kiss her. He wished he could.
Hermione's voice startled both boys from their separate reveries. "Do you ever wonder what it'll be like when it's all over?" she asked quietly, so quiet that they almost didn't hear her.
"I try not to," Harry answered honestly.
Ron regarded him with curiosity. "Why?" Harry said nothing in response, and Ron knew better than to push it.
"Do you, Ron?" Hermione pressed, looking like she needed an answer.
Ron was confused to how the conversation had become this serious, this quickly. "Yeah, sometimes," he replied after a moment's consideration. "What I'm going to do, how my life's going to turn out, how I'll celebrate when it's finally safe to be a good guy. That sorta stuff." He paused and looked at the girl. "And you?"
Hermione's lower lip trembled, but she valiantly fought against the tears. "I did," she admitted.
"What's wrong?" Ron asked in alarm, sensing a problem.
"I dreamed about it."
Ron and Harry exchanged sick looks. "What was your dream?" Harry asked with concern. By now, the sun had settled behind the lake, so the three seated themselves on the floor of the room.
Hermione choked back her sobs. "We were fighting, the three of us against Vol– Voldemort, and he..." Her voice caught. "He killed you."
Ron paled and looked at Harry so quickly he cracked his neck. Harry was equally as white. "It– it's just a dream, Mione," Ron stammered, desperately trying to reassure her.
"Dreams can be premonitions, can't they?" she asked, the tears now flowing unchecked. She looked up at them despondently.
Harry forced a grin. "Come on, Hermione. You're always saying what a fraud Trelawney is with all her dream-interpretation mumbo-jumbo. You know that dreams are just ms."
"Just last week I had one that, er, involved treacle tarts coming alive and attacking me because I ate some," Ron chimed in. "Does that mean it's really going to happen?"
Hermione stared at both of them for a long moment before exploding into laughter. "You had a dream about treacle tarts?" she giggled, wiping away the tears that now flowed from mirth.
Ron flushed brightly. "So?" he challenged. But even he couldn't stop the smile that threatened his lips, and it wasn't long before they were rolling on the floor hysterically.
When at the last the chortles had faded and they were lying near each other in peace, Hermione, who was sandwiched between the boys, whispered, "Thank you."
Harry ruffled her already bushy hair in a rare act of affection. "That's what friends do, Hermione," he stated firmly. "Merlin knows you two have cheered me up more times than I can count."
Ron took her hand and held it lightly in his own, much larger one, an action that both surprised and pleased Hermione. "Harry's right," he added. "No matter what happens when V– Vol–" Ron screwed his eyes shut and took a deep breath, "Voldemort is gone," he quickly glanced around as if the world would end because of that statement, "the three of us will always be here for each other."
Harry laughed. "Oh, I can just see us in a hundred years or so, real old, sitting on a porch talking about the past – well, now, actually, but it'll be the past then – with a whole bunch of little grandkids and great-grandkids running around, and you two bickering every five minutes, and Hermione telling us not to forget to clean our fake teeth or something."
Ron and Hermione laughed, too. "Hey, we don't bicker every five minutes," Ron exclaimed defensively.
"Yeah, it's every six," Hermione insisted, breaking down into giggles again.
"Well, it's either fight with you or kiss you," Ron protested.
There was a long beat of silence in which Ron realized what he had said. He swore silently. Harry, his eyes wide as saucers, looked between the two and muttered, "I'm knackered. I think I'll head to bed," and bolted from the room, not caring that he was lost and would probably take six times as long to get back to the Common Room as it would if he had waited for Hermione's astounding sense of direction.
The quiet stretched on, nearly deafening Ron and terrifying Hermione. They were looking everywhere but at each other. Finally Hermione's voice shattered the stillness. "Er… so are we fighting now, or do you want to kiss me?" she asked meekly.
Ron's lips turned into a very slight smile. "They're not mutually exclusive, Hermione."
She blushed, understanding exactly what he meant. "Oh."
"The real question is, do you want to kiss me?" Ron's voice held a challenging air to it, but it also quavered nervously, and he wondered how he had gotten so bold.
Hermione blanched, swallowing convulsively. She'd never been in this situation before. Oh, she'd had a few boyfriends in her seventeen years, but never had one asked her if she wanted to kiss him. They usually just did. "I… I…" She wasn't sure what she wanted.
Ron took a tentative step closer, close enough to rest his hands on her shoulders. Hermione trembled with anticipation. "I'll kiss you if you'd like," he offered, blushing profusely. His ears burned, and he was sure they were red too.
Hermione didn't trust her voice anymore. She nodded, shivering as he brought his face closer and bumped her nose with his.
Their lips met with a shock. It kind of hurt, but neither one pulled away. It was nothing but the simple touching of lips, no frenzied passion or feverish snogging, not like you read about in another story.
They did feel lightheaded and dizzy as they broke away, breathless with sensation. It was neither of their first kiss, but first kisses with a new person are always special. When the chemistry is there, it's even better.
"Wow," Hermione whispered, shocking both of them. "That was…" She couldn't find the right words.
"Yeah," Ron agreed, still only a hairsbreadth away. His eyes were lit up in a way that Hermione had never seen before, and his face was flushed slightly, like he had finished a long race. "I've dreamed about this too," he admitted. "Although I was mostly conscious during those dreams."
Hermione laughed. "So maybe some dreams do come true?"
He shrugged happily, pulling her as close as he dared, to which she responded with a smile. "Just as long as no treacle tarts start chasing me, I'm fine," he joked, and her smile broadened.
She took his hand. "Come on. If we hurry, we might be able to catch Harry before he gets horribly lost in this maze of a castle."
"I think we scared him away."
She grinned mischievously. "Come on, Ron."
"One more question." She looked at him expectantly, and he felt nervous all over again. "Will… er… will you go out with me?" he stammered.
She blushed to the roots of her hair, but nodded enthusiastically. "Next Hogsmeade trip?" she asked.
"Definitely." They shared an intimate smile, and then she tugged him out of the room.
**THE END**
A/N – Well, I hope you enjoyed my little fluff-net. This idea came to me from the song Sundown by the American Juniors, and it just sat here until I got up the stamina to write it. Let me know what you think. Thanks!