The Fling

Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Harry Potter; they all belong to the wonderful and talented J.K. Rowling

Summary: Ron and Hermione have a summer fling after they graduated… but how will it end?

It all started the last week of classes; Hermione was sitting in the Head Boy and Girls common room studying for her N.E.W.T.S when Ron came in. He casually sat down next to her but she could tell that something was on his mind, so she shut her books and stretched.

"What is on your mind Ron?" She asked concerned. He ran his hands through his hair and placed his hands over hers. "Moine' have you ever thought about us?" He asked in a whispered and cracking voice.

"What is there to think about? We are best friends."

"I know that, but have you ever thought that there could be more?"

Hermione stopped for a minute and pulled her hands away, twirling a piece of her hair, like she always does when she's nervous. "Well… I mean… I guess that there could be more but Ive never really thought about it… but we are graduating soon… and then going off to train in different fields… I don't know how it could work." She thought out loud. Getting up and gathering her books she ran to her room and shut the door, leaving Ron sitting at the table running his hands through his hair before getting up and going to his room. Hermione made sure that she was not alone with Ron anymore after their conversation and when they were around each other she seemed distant, leaving Harry and Ginny assuming that it had to do with the nearing graduation. On the day before graduation Ginny invited Hermione to stay at the Burrow with the Weasleys for the summer. Not wanting to upset Ginny she accepted the invitation hoping that Ron would be inviting Harry so that they would not have to be alone at all. However only hours after Ginny left the Head's common room, Ron showed up and looking determined to talk to Hermione this time. As Hermione got up to go to her room, Ron walked over and rather harshly snapped, "Sit Hermione I need to talk to you." Hermione stunned at his behavior sat back down nervous as ever.

"I know that it is not the best time for us to get into a serious relationship."

"That is a little more than obvious Ron, we graduate tomorrow."

"I know this, and Ginny just told me that you would be staying at the Burrow this summer."

Hermione only nodded as she internally cursed herself for accepting that offer.

"Well that made me start thinking, why don't we try just being friends having fun this summer?" He slowly suggested watching Hermione intently with each word spoken.

She blushed and whispered, "What do you mean?"

"Well I don't mean let's sleep together; I mean let's see where things go."

Hermione nodded, "Ill think about it, and let you know when I get to the Burrow."

"Alright, but I think I'm going to go to bed, big day tomorrow." Ron got up from the chair he was sitting in and walked casually up to the Head Boys room. Hermione sat in her chair confused at what she just agreed to thinking about. Graduation went well and Hermione went home with her parents only for a week before going to the Burrow like she had promised Ginny. All the while not being able to get what Ron had suggested out of her mind and when she finally made it to the Burrow she had made up her mind and couldn't wait to find Ron to tell him. However getting Ron alone to tell him was a lot harder than it sounded. Finding privacy to do it would be a little harder than she thought. With all the Weasley children, Harry and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley she would be lucky to get him alone at all. But at midnight that night after everyone went to sleep she snuck out of Ginny's room and made her way up to Ron's. She clumsily snuck in and luckily didn't wake anyone. Making her way over to his bed she began to have second thoughts about her choice. But before she knew it she was next to his bed looking down at a sleeping Ron. She shook him forgetting that he doesn't wake that easily. So instead she got down to his level and whispered in his ear, "Ron wake up I need to talk to you." Man this would be so much easier if we still had the Head's common room. Ron still didn't wake up. So she repeated herself louder this time. Finally after 10 minutes of trying to wake him up, he opened up his eyes slowly and sleepily asked "What?" Hermione looked at Ron speechlessly. "What Moine'?" Ron asked when he woke up a little more. Only Hermione was still speechless. What am I doing… is this right? "Moine' are you alright?" Ron asked placing a hand on her shoulder. Hermione shook from her thoughts, "I'm fine… but I need to talk to you."

"About what?" Ron asked.

"Id rather not do it right here… just in case someone wakes up." Hermione answered nodding her head towards the sleeping Harry.

"Alright," he said lifting himself out of his bed and grabbing her hand he led her to the garden outside. "is this better?"

She nodded sitting on a bench next to Ron. He yawned as she fought to find the nerve to do what she was about to do. "I thought about what you suggested." Ron nodded waiting for her answer hoping that she would say yes. She moved closer to him and put her hand on the nap of his neck. Moving closer she brushed her lips up against his lips. He tensed up not knowing what was going on. "I think that, that would be fun." She whispered before her lips fully crashed on to his. Stunned it took Ron a few minutes to register what was going on. When he finally did he began to kiss Hermione back with as much passion as she was putting into the kiss. She pulled away and he looked at her face flushed. "So we are really doing this?" She nodded, "Only it's going to be harder than probably we both anticipated."

"What do you mean?"

"Well it took me until midnight tonight to tell you my decision."

Ron nodded trying to come up with a plan. "Well there has to be somewhere that we can be alone around here."

"Well you think about that and I'm going to go to bed." Hermione stood up and so did Ron and before heading into the house they shared one more passionate kiss. Hermione snuck back into Ginny's room and laid in her bed thoughts swimming in her head. The summer went on and Ron and Hermione had their secret meetings in the broom closet every night. Ron used his wand every night to make it romantic and every night before they would leave he would transform it back. However as August approached Ron started to act weird. The meetings became fewer until they didn't exist at all. Hermione broken up about it barely came out of Ginny's room anymore. "What happened to her?" Ginny asked Harry and Ron one day as they laid in the yard watching the clouds. Ron sat up and looked to Ginny's window where he could see Hermione staring out it into the distance. "She never comes out of the room except to eat and she barely does that." Ginny continued, Ron still in his own thoughts, but staring up at the girl he loved.

"Ron!" Harry snapped, pulling Ron out of his thoughts. Ron spun around to see Ginny and Harry staring at him intently and then looking up to whatever Ron was looking at. "What were you looking at?" Harry asked.

"Nothing" Ron shot back getting up and going to see Hermione. He knocked on the door and waited for a response.

"Who's there" Hermione sniffled.

"It's me"

"What do you want?"

"I want to talk to you"

She opened the door and he entered cautiously.

"I'm sorry that we haven't had this talk earlier." He apologized sitting on the bed next to her.

"What is your point?" she asked holding back tears.

"Well… we are all going to be going separate ways soon and I was thinking maybe we should end this before it gets deeper than it already has."

"That's fine, I mean we were just friends having fun right?"

"Exactly." He jumped up and kissed her on the cheek. "I knew you would understand."

He turned and left the room, leaving the even more broken up Hermione to cry alone. He walked up to his room and threw himself down on his bed and stared at the ceiling for hours. At dinner that night Hermione didn't come down to eat and Ron was the only one that knew why. Ginny excused herself and went up to her room to check on her friend. She opened the door and Hermione hurriedly wiped the tears away. "What's wrong Hermione?" Ginny asked sitting next to him.

"I just don't feel well… I think I'm going to go back home."

"Why?"

"I just think I would feel better if I went home."

"Are you sure"

Hermione nodded and rolled over hoping that it would make Ginny leave. It did and Hermione went back to crying. The next day Hermione went back to her home with her parents hoping that within time she would forget about her fling with the man that she loved. The years went by and she kept in contact with Harry and the Weasley's; Ron included, but the memories of that summer with Ron never left. One night she decided what she needed to do. She sent Ron an owl telling him to meet her at their place. When Ron got to the broom closet he found it transformed how it was that summer. "Hermione?" He asked confused not seeing the bushy haired girl anywhere. She came out from the dark corner. "I wasn't sure if it was you." She confessed.

"What is going on?"

"I can't stop thinking about that summer" she admitted slowly.

Ron just nodded.

"I lied that day when I told you that it was fine… it meant more to me than a summer fling… I actually cared for you and it hurt me that you didn't feel that way to you… that I was just a booty call to you."

"That's not true at all"

"That's what it seemed like, that's what it still seems like"

"But that's not what it was like, Hermione…" he began stopping himself and sitting on the bed putting his hands in his face. Hermione sat down next to him and waited for him to finish his sentence. He could feel her gaze on him and lifted his face out of his hands, "I didn't want to see you hurt."

"Well you hurt me in that process."

"I figured ending it would stop the hurt faster than it going further and then us not being with each other."

"You thought wrong Ron" she almost yelled standing up. "You never thought to talk to me about it, to see what I wanted… I wanted to be with you whether we were actually near each other."

"But long distant relationships aren't easy Hermione."

"Not if the person doesn't love you, but I guess you never loved me." Hermione was now crying.

"Don't say that." He snapped. "You have no idea how I felt about you, how I still feel about you."

She snorted. "I'm sure I have a good idea."

He stepped closer to her and with his thumbs wiped away the tears running down her face. "I loved you then, and I still love you." He told her and then he kissed her. Hermione melted under his touch and melted into the kiss with desperation and passion. When they broke apart, she titled her head up, "I've always loved you." She stood on her tip toes and pulled his lips down to hers. Slowly they made there way back to the bed and slowly laid down. Ron unbuttoned her top and gazed at her, his eyes clouded over.

"You're beautiful." She blushed and helped him with his clothes. Before the both of them knew it they were laying on the bed both completely nude.

"Are you sure you want to do this" Ron asked.

"I've been waiting for this to happen since that summer."