Disclaimer: I am NOT JK Rowling, therefore I do not own the Trio or Grimmauld Place.
Summary: Missing scene from DH where the Trio finds themselves in Grimmauld Place on the first night of their search for the Horcruxes. Can a certain redhead help Hermione get some sleep? Story inspired by unique.normality's chapter "Hands" in the fic Proof. This is my first HP fic so please be gentle. Any and all mistakes are mine to bear.
Midnight Confession
It had been mere hours since Harry, Ron, and Hermione had fled from the Burrow. And an even shorter time since they escaped from the two Death Eaters in the London café. They now found themselves holed up inside number twelve Grimmauld Place; once Sirius' home and headquarters to the Order of the Phoenix, now the starting place of the Trio's quest for Horcruxes.
All three of them were presently exhausted. They decided to spread out their sleeping bags in the sitting room since Hermione didn't want to sleep alone. Ron insisted they remove the couch cushions for Hermione to sleep on. She protested but was secretly touched by Ron's gallantry.
Hermione noticed how exhausted Harry seemed to be, and how fast he succumbed to sleep. Unfortunately, sleep seemed to escape from Hermione. She lay in her sleeping bag, upon her makeshift bed, staring up at the ceiling.
On one side of her she heard Harry's light snoring. On the other side of her was…Ron. Ron. For years she had squashed down the feelings she had felt for him. For years she reasoned with herself that they were just friends. Hermione first realized these feelings during their fourth year when it came time for the Yule Ball. She had secretly wished that Ron would ask her. When Viktor Krum asked her instead, she had reluctantly accepted. But as they danced, it didn't stop Hermione from imagining herself dancing with Ron.
Hermione had wondered if Ron ever had any feelings for her. She was resigned to think not; however, he had been more attentive towards her ever since she arrived at the Burrow over the summer. And him dancing with her at the wedding made her start to think otherwise. But she still wasn't sure.
Turning onto her side, she found herself staring into Ron's open eyes. She stifled her gasp and tried to calm her rapidly beating heart. I guess I'm not the only one having trouble falling asleep.
He noticed that she was also awake. "Couldn't sleep?" he asked, rolling onto his side to face her. He tucked his arm under his head.
Hermione shook her head and sighed. "I'm so worried that something is going to happen to us, to Harry, on this mission. What if we are in over our heads?"
"I don't think Harry would let anything happen to us; I won't let anything happen to us. We did decide – against Harry's wishes, mind you – to come on this journey with him. He's our best mate; we can't let him face this alone."
While shocked that Ron had supplied an answer that calmed her nerves, Hermione agreed with what he had said. But that didn't stop the fear she felt bubbling in her stomach.
"I'm so scared."
It came out in a whisper, and Hermione felt the tears forming in the corners of her eyes. She tried stopping them before they fell down her cheeks. Ron reached up and gently brushed away a tear from the tip of her nose. The fear rolling its way through Hermione's stomach turned into fluttering butterflies. Maybe, just maybe…
Ron's clear blue eyes stared into her own. "I promise you to never let anything happen to you," he whispered back.
Hermione reached down and grasped his free hand with one of her own. "Thank you, Ron."
They remained holding hands for a bit longer, falling asleep with their fingers entwined. While their hands did loosen as the night progressed, their fingers never strayed far from one another. The two teenagers would never know that on this very night, each dreamed of the other.
Go ahead...press that little blue button and leave a review! I will love you forever! :-D