Summary: Missing Moment Fic between chapters twenty-three and twenty-four of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. They looked into each other, so much fire in Ron, so much raw passion in Hermione. They made an unspoken agreement with each other that they wasted all those years with mere child's play.

Hermione was in Ron's arms, once again, and she was thankful for it. Even though her and her friends were captured, that bitch Bellatrix Crucioed her at least half a dozen times, and a chandler fell on her, she was thankful Ron survived to hold her in her arms like this.It felt intimate to her, even if it didn't feel intimate to him. It felt good to be held like this, especially after the complete hell she went through that night.

That they all went through that night.

She felt his soft, cold hands find the pulse at her neck to see if she was alive. It sent shivers down her spine at his touch. Fantastic shivers, but slightly painful because of the after effects of the curse. It was worth the pain to her, and will always be worth the pain.

Ron let out a breath of relief to know Hermione was still breathing. The screams he heard that night will haunt his dreams forever, and maybe the after-life. He couldn't lose her, at least not until after she knew how he felt about her. Her skin was cold to the hand, but he felt a warmness when he touched her. An incredible warmness that he longed to touch again.

"'Mione, don't ever scare me like that again. I don't know what I'd do without you; I don't even think God knows." Ron wiped a stray curl off Hermione's bloody, scratched up face. He wanted to cry when he saw the cuts and scratches. "I should've been the one Bellatrix tortured, not you. Hermione, I-I, I think I… oh, God, I think I lo…" Ron was interrupted by a familiar sounding French voice.

"Ron," He turned his head around to see Fleur coming towards him from the small cottage, "Can you bring 'Ermione inside so I can look at 'er?" He was angry at Fleur for interrupting him when he was trying to tell Hermione his deepest secret, his undying love for a bushy-haired bookworm, but she needed help. A lot of help, and he could tell her when she was actually conscious.

Hermione heard Ron say something about he should have been the one tortured and not her, she wanted to slap him. And hard. But getting the energy to do that now seemed physically impossible. But once she had enough strength, he was going to get it. Being tortured was a fate worse than death, and losing Ron to it was a fate worse than torture. She couldn't even stand the thought of him in her position, screaming and withering in horrid pain.

But on the brighter side of the situation, she was being cradled and carried by Ron. Ron, the object of her affection since third year, was handling her like fine china. It almost made the pain go away. Almost. It still hurt like a burning hell, she honestly felt like she would die if Ron wasn't there holding her.

Die right then and there.

But he was her angle, her savoir, one of the only reasons she was living. The most important reason she was living. He helped guide her when she charmed her parent's memories. He helped have fun and broke her out of her shell. He helped her understand love, and not even trying the process. It was official in her mind and she couldn't ignore it. Hermione Jean Granger was completely and utterly in love with Ronald Bilius Weasley.

Ron saw Hermione's eyes flicker open, and thanked Heaven above she was alive. She looked so innocent with her brown eyes full of wonder and question. She tried to speak, or just make a sound, but Ron wouldn't have it. "Don't talk, 'Mione, save your energy. You'll need it." Ron followed Fleur into an empty bedroom and put Hermione on a bed by the window. He knew she loved to look outside.

Ron watched Hermione down the Skele-gro potion and scrunched her face when she finished the unpleasant concoction. He always wondered what it tasted like, and figured he didn't want to know anymore. He moved some more stray curls off of her face and smiled. She might've been to hell and back that night, but damn, she was beautiful. He wished he told her, he wished she knew…

After five or six minutes of Fleur cleaning off Hermione's skin, she spoke, "All clean, should I leave?" Hermione nodded her yes to let Fleur go. "Be gentle," Hermione knew Ron said a quiet yes or a nod, and came into the room and walked towards her.

Don't hurt her, he thought, be gentle. She's counting on you, and you do the same. He knelt down next to Hermione and whispered to her in a whisper that sent shivers through her entire body, "I'll never leave you again, un-unless I have to. I promise." A tear rolled down her cheek.

"What about the last promise you made and broke? What the one before that? You promised to stay with us, and you broke it. How can I be sure you'll be true to your word this time?" Hermione wanted to ask Ron this before, but couldn't get enough Gryffindor courage to do it. But I didn't matter anymore, she did now and she was taking it to her advantage. "You always break my heart and then come crawling back and expect me to forgive you." He knew she wasn't playing games anymore, "I'm asking you this and I want to know the honest truth and no lies, why did you leave me?"

It was his chance, his chance to tell her how he felt about her. How he stayed up every night thinking about her and everything she did. How he got slapped across the face by saying her name instead of Lavender's in a snog session… maybe that was one was too much. He took the deepest breath in that was humanly possible and held her small hands with his large ones but couldn't look at her, "Because, Hermione, I'm scared, out of my mind. Before you interrupt, please let me explain. I-I, god damn it! How is it this hard?"

"How hard can it be to say anything to me, Ronald? I'm your best friend, and I have been for the past six years! So just tell me!" Hermione's words were so full of ferocious fervor with her heaving breasts made Ron's trousers were getting uncomfortably, and uncontrollably tight. "So whatever you want to tell me, just bloody tell me!" Tears were falling rapidly down Hermione's face it made her look so innocently passionate. It almost killed Ron.

You have to do it now, now or never, "I care about you," said Ron in an almost silent whisper, "More than a friend, more than a sister. I care about you more than I have with anyone before, and it scares the hell out of me." Her face was uncertain, she had a feeling what he was going to say, but never expected to be right and have a dream come reality. "I love you, Hermione, and I regret everyday not telling you."

She bit her lip so hard it might have bled and swallowed, and he knew she was thing hard, "I heard a Muggle song once, it was from a musical, but the girl sang 'Forget regret or life is yours to miss. No other road, no other way. No day but today.' I want you to forget not telling me, and not miss an opportunity anymore." She closed her eyes and led her lips to his, just acting with her heart, not her brain.

The kiss, Ron and Hermione's first kiss, was short but it was enough to take a breath away. Her lips were soft and had a sweet taste only to Ron, and his wore a smooth but rough texture. If they were one word to describe it to both it would be…

"Fantastic," They looked deep into each other, so much fire in Ron, so much raw passion in Hermione. They made an unspoken agreement with each other that they wasted all those years with mere child's play. They were meant for each other, that kiss said it all. Clothes were shredded of the young lovebird's bodies and both were about to experience, just between the two of them. Only the two of them together.