Hey, welcome to my first piece of fan fiction in a long, long time. Don't be too harsh, please, if you decide to review. This one has all my favorite pairings, Ron/Hermione, Neville/Ginny, and Harry/Luna. There will be no Harry/Hermione unnaturalness here.
The Six Sides of the Triangle
Chapter 1: The Night it All Happened, Ron/Hermione
"See here? I've color coded all my notes. Look, Transfiguration in red, Charms in blue, Herbology in green, Care of Magical Creatures in orange, Arithmancy in yellow..." It was only September 3rd, and already Hermione was prepared to study for her N.E.W.T.S. Ron, the person she was addressing, felt the need to comment on this.
"Hermione," he interrupted, "you do realize that it is only September of our sixth year, right? Why on Earth are you starting this now?"
"Of course I realize that, Ron," she replied. "It's never a bad idea to get a good start on things, you know. By making this schedule well in advance, I'll be ready when the time comes."
"You haven't even started some of the courses that will be on your exam, so how can you study for them already?" Ron asked.
Hermione, surprisingly enough, did not give him her usual glare of reproach. She simply bowed her head and said, "Well, I needed something to keep my mind off of it all."
Ron's face immediately went scarlet. He should have realized that was what Hermione would do to occupy herself; study mercilessly and read every book she could get her hands on. He was surprised she hadn't cataloged all the plants they had ever studied or all the potions they had ever concocted. Then again, maybe she had. There had been no trip to the Burrow that summer, after all. She'd had the whole summer to think about what happened in the Department of Mysteries.
"I'm sorry, Hermione," Ron said. "I didn't realize."
"You're being unusually sensitive, mate," Harry said. Ron turned, not even realizing that he had been standing there. When Ron didn't reply, Harry said, "It's about time you were nice to the girl you love, after all."
Both Ron and Hermione gasped and their faces turned bright red. "Harry!" Hermione yelled. "What is with you lately? You're not yourself at all!"
Harry gave a smirk. "No, I'm not, am I?" he said. He shifted the Invisibility Cloak that was slung over his arm. "I'm going for a walk. You two get to making up or snogging, whichever you prefer, and I think I know which one you do." And with that, Harry turned and walked out of the portrait hole, leaving a stunned Ron and Hermione behind.
"Did you even know he was there?" Hermione finally asked. Ron shook his head. "Neither did I."
After a few awkward moments, Ron finally decided to say something.
"Do you, well, do you believe what Harry said?"
No one ever said the boy was witty.
Hermione laughed nervously. "He's so different lately. I know he's upset about Sirius and the Department of Mysteries, and all, but I can't believe the changes in him lately. I don't know if I can believe anything he says anymore."
Ron sighed. That was not the response he had been hoping for. He glanced down at his watch, and saw that it was after midnight. "We've been down here a long time," he said. "Maybe we should get to bed, like everyone else. Good night, Hermione." He practically ran to the stairs that led up to the boys' dormitories. He felt this urgent need to get to bed before he could say or do something even more stupid than he already had.
'If only she liked me,' Ron thought as he walked. 'I'd be so happy if she did...'
"Ron, wait," Hermione called after him. Ron's heart skipped a beat. She couldn't possibly want, well, anything related to what he was thinking, could she? He quickly dismissed those thoughts and turned around to face her.
The dying fire in the grate gave a warm glow to the room, highlighting the golden strands in her bushy brown hair that he had never noticed before. Her long eyelashes framed her big chocolate brown eyes and her soft pink lips framed her perfect teeth. She was smiling at him as she said, "Do you really need to go to bed just yet?"
He almost stopped breathing altogether. He took a few steps toward her. "No, I don't believe I am that tired, really," he said.
Hermione saw Ron coming towards her with a look on his face that she had never seen on him before. His mouth was curled up in an almost sexy grin, his bright blue eyes holding a new gleam in them. The freckles dusting his cheeks stopped at his hairline. His hair shined in the firelight, which was picking up the strawberry blond streaks leftover from the summer sun. He was tanner, more solid than she remembered.
"What have you been doing all summer?" she breathed as he got closer. "You look amazing."
Ron gave a furious blush as he stammered, losing his sexy grin, "Well, you know, a little of this, a little of that. I, uh, spent, erm, a lot of time out of doors, getting some sun."
They both stood a few feet apart, not saying anything until Ron asked, "What about you? Your summer all right?"
Hermione nodded. "It was all right. It was boring, I spent it with my parents, mostly. They wanted me close, after the, well, you know."
Ron nodded, staring at the carpet. He was admiring the gold strands woven into the pile of Gryffindor red, gold like the highlights in Hermione's hair...
He struggled to say what he most wanted to say, but he only could come up with something halfway to his goal. "You look amazing, too, Hermione," Ron said. "You always do, though."
Hermione could hardly believe her ears. Was Ron Weasley complimenting her, Hermione Granger, on something other than her intelligence? The thought could barely register, and she managed a weak and stammering "thank you" before directing her own gaze at the carpet. It really was quite nice, with gold streaks along the edges, just like Ron's hair...
Ron spoke suddenly, "They told me after it all, in the hospital wing, that you almost died in that place, the Department of Mysteries."
Hermione glanced up at him and nodded. "Dolohov hit me with a spell, I'm not entirely sure what it was, I have been researching it over the summer, and I think-"
Ron cut her off when he bridged the gap between them and took her chin in his hand. He gently tilted her head up to look at him and his heart broke a little when he saw the tears brimming in her eyes. "It doesn't matter what the spell was, as long as you're all right now. You are, aren't you?" he whispered softly.
Hermione nodded. Since when was Ron so caring and sensitive? Harry wasn't the only one who had changed. "I'm fine," she said, "I have nightmares now and then, but I'm okay."
"I have nightmares too. I have dreams where you are not okay, that you were killed, and I never get to see you again. I hate those dreams more than anything, especially now that I know they could come true." Ron shifted his hand from her chin to her cheek. "I have to tell you this now, Hermione. I - I like you. Very much. As more than a friend. And well, I have to do this, okay?"
He leaned down and gently placed his lips against hers. He just had time to register how soft and full they really were when he felt her begin to kiss back. She brought her hands up and laced them behind his neck, and he moved his hands down to her waist. It was a short, chaste kiss, but it was full of feeling nonetheless.
They pulled apart, but did not let go of each other.
"Well said," Hermione said, with a smile. "I couldn't have said it better myself, actually."
Ron laughed. "You aren't upset that I did that?" he asked.
Hermione shook her head. "I've been waiting for you to do that for a long time," she said, grinning. Ron smiled back at her.
He laughed and said, "Are you sure I'm not dreaming?"
"I don't know, let me pinch you and see."
"Not on your life, girlie," Ron said. He picked her up, ignoring her squeals and protests, and tossed her gently on the couch. She sank down into the soft cushions, giggling madly, as Ron sat beside her. "Hermione?" he asked.
"What?"
"Would you, well, do you want to be my girlfriend?"
Hermione sat up and smiled. "Of course, Ron. It took you long enough to ask!" Typical Hermione, scolding him while making him incredibly happy.
"Great! Um, can I kiss you again?" he asked her.
"You better," she said. He did.
Review, if you so desire.
The Six Sides of the Triangle
Chapter 1: The Night it All Happened, Ron/Hermione
"See here? I've color coded all my notes. Look, Transfiguration in red, Charms in blue, Herbology in green, Care of Magical Creatures in orange, Arithmancy in yellow..." It was only September 3rd, and already Hermione was prepared to study for her N.E.W.T.S. Ron, the person she was addressing, felt the need to comment on this.
"Hermione," he interrupted, "you do realize that it is only September of our sixth year, right? Why on Earth are you starting this now?"
"Of course I realize that, Ron," she replied. "It's never a bad idea to get a good start on things, you know. By making this schedule well in advance, I'll be ready when the time comes."
"You haven't even started some of the courses that will be on your exam, so how can you study for them already?" Ron asked.
Hermione, surprisingly enough, did not give him her usual glare of reproach. She simply bowed her head and said, "Well, I needed something to keep my mind off of it all."
Ron's face immediately went scarlet. He should have realized that was what Hermione would do to occupy herself; study mercilessly and read every book she could get her hands on. He was surprised she hadn't cataloged all the plants they had ever studied or all the potions they had ever concocted. Then again, maybe she had. There had been no trip to the Burrow that summer, after all. She'd had the whole summer to think about what happened in the Department of Mysteries.
"I'm sorry, Hermione," Ron said. "I didn't realize."
"You're being unusually sensitive, mate," Harry said. Ron turned, not even realizing that he had been standing there. When Ron didn't reply, Harry said, "It's about time you were nice to the girl you love, after all."
Both Ron and Hermione gasped and their faces turned bright red. "Harry!" Hermione yelled. "What is with you lately? You're not yourself at all!"
Harry gave a smirk. "No, I'm not, am I?" he said. He shifted the Invisibility Cloak that was slung over his arm. "I'm going for a walk. You two get to making up or snogging, whichever you prefer, and I think I know which one you do." And with that, Harry turned and walked out of the portrait hole, leaving a stunned Ron and Hermione behind.
"Did you even know he was there?" Hermione finally asked. Ron shook his head. "Neither did I."
After a few awkward moments, Ron finally decided to say something.
"Do you, well, do you believe what Harry said?"
No one ever said the boy was witty.
Hermione laughed nervously. "He's so different lately. I know he's upset about Sirius and the Department of Mysteries, and all, but I can't believe the changes in him lately. I don't know if I can believe anything he says anymore."
Ron sighed. That was not the response he had been hoping for. He glanced down at his watch, and saw that it was after midnight. "We've been down here a long time," he said. "Maybe we should get to bed, like everyone else. Good night, Hermione." He practically ran to the stairs that led up to the boys' dormitories. He felt this urgent need to get to bed before he could say or do something even more stupid than he already had.
'If only she liked me,' Ron thought as he walked. 'I'd be so happy if she did...'
"Ron, wait," Hermione called after him. Ron's heart skipped a beat. She couldn't possibly want, well, anything related to what he was thinking, could she? He quickly dismissed those thoughts and turned around to face her.
The dying fire in the grate gave a warm glow to the room, highlighting the golden strands in her bushy brown hair that he had never noticed before. Her long eyelashes framed her big chocolate brown eyes and her soft pink lips framed her perfect teeth. She was smiling at him as she said, "Do you really need to go to bed just yet?"
He almost stopped breathing altogether. He took a few steps toward her. "No, I don't believe I am that tired, really," he said.
Hermione saw Ron coming towards her with a look on his face that she had never seen on him before. His mouth was curled up in an almost sexy grin, his bright blue eyes holding a new gleam in them. The freckles dusting his cheeks stopped at his hairline. His hair shined in the firelight, which was picking up the strawberry blond streaks leftover from the summer sun. He was tanner, more solid than she remembered.
"What have you been doing all summer?" she breathed as he got closer. "You look amazing."
Ron gave a furious blush as he stammered, losing his sexy grin, "Well, you know, a little of this, a little of that. I, uh, spent, erm, a lot of time out of doors, getting some sun."
They both stood a few feet apart, not saying anything until Ron asked, "What about you? Your summer all right?"
Hermione nodded. "It was all right. It was boring, I spent it with my parents, mostly. They wanted me close, after the, well, you know."
Ron nodded, staring at the carpet. He was admiring the gold strands woven into the pile of Gryffindor red, gold like the highlights in Hermione's hair...
He struggled to say what he most wanted to say, but he only could come up with something halfway to his goal. "You look amazing, too, Hermione," Ron said. "You always do, though."
Hermione could hardly believe her ears. Was Ron Weasley complimenting her, Hermione Granger, on something other than her intelligence? The thought could barely register, and she managed a weak and stammering "thank you" before directing her own gaze at the carpet. It really was quite nice, with gold streaks along the edges, just like Ron's hair...
Ron spoke suddenly, "They told me after it all, in the hospital wing, that you almost died in that place, the Department of Mysteries."
Hermione glanced up at him and nodded. "Dolohov hit me with a spell, I'm not entirely sure what it was, I have been researching it over the summer, and I think-"
Ron cut her off when he bridged the gap between them and took her chin in his hand. He gently tilted her head up to look at him and his heart broke a little when he saw the tears brimming in her eyes. "It doesn't matter what the spell was, as long as you're all right now. You are, aren't you?" he whispered softly.
Hermione nodded. Since when was Ron so caring and sensitive? Harry wasn't the only one who had changed. "I'm fine," she said, "I have nightmares now and then, but I'm okay."
"I have nightmares too. I have dreams where you are not okay, that you were killed, and I never get to see you again. I hate those dreams more than anything, especially now that I know they could come true." Ron shifted his hand from her chin to her cheek. "I have to tell you this now, Hermione. I - I like you. Very much. As more than a friend. And well, I have to do this, okay?"
He leaned down and gently placed his lips against hers. He just had time to register how soft and full they really were when he felt her begin to kiss back. She brought her hands up and laced them behind his neck, and he moved his hands down to her waist. It was a short, chaste kiss, but it was full of feeling nonetheless.
They pulled apart, but did not let go of each other.
"Well said," Hermione said, with a smile. "I couldn't have said it better myself, actually."
Ron laughed. "You aren't upset that I did that?" he asked.
Hermione shook her head. "I've been waiting for you to do that for a long time," she said, grinning. Ron smiled back at her.
He laughed and said, "Are you sure I'm not dreaming?"
"I don't know, let me pinch you and see."
"Not on your life, girlie," Ron said. He picked her up, ignoring her squeals and protests, and tossed her gently on the couch. She sank down into the soft cushions, giggling madly, as Ron sat beside her. "Hermione?" he asked.
"What?"
"Would you, well, do you want to be my girlfriend?"
Hermione sat up and smiled. "Of course, Ron. It took you long enough to ask!" Typical Hermione, scolding him while making him incredibly happy.
"Great! Um, can I kiss you again?" he asked her.
"You better," she said. He did.
Review, if you so desire.