Meaningful.
"That first kiss...it's the passionate one. It's the one filled by desire and attraction, and all of that, but the second kiss is rational. You got time to worry, and over analyze and most women...they prefer that first kiss, but I'm partial to the second one because it's about something more. You'll get that second kiss Joey and when you do it'll be great. It'll be real. It'll be meaningful."
-Nina Repeta as Bessie Potter in Dawson's Creek.
A/n; Although i am no stranger to the world of fanfiction and writing my fair share of it as well, this is the first time ever I published a Harry Potter fiction. Mostly because I'm too afraid I won't do JK's characters justice in my writing but there has to be a first time for everything right? So i present you this small RonXHermione ficlet. I would like to hear your thoughts on it, naturally.
Thank you for reading!
(Also here is an illustration I made, based on this small story. .com/#/d41brru )
It was over, the war had been won. Ron couldn't quite believe the final battle had been won almost a fortnight ago. Voldemort had been defeated, forever gone from their midst. He had been conquered by Harry Potter, the boy who lived...twice. Ron couldn't stop the small chuckle that escaped his lips at that thought. Yes, Harry had forever banished the Dark Lord from their world and gained new levels of fame right with it but to Ron, he would always be Harry, his best friend since he was eleven years old when he met him on the Hogwarts Express. Harry was most likely sleeping by now. It was getting late already but Ron wasn't tired.
He knew he was lying to himself, in reality he was dreadfully exhausted but he knew sleep would evade him once he laid down. There was simply too much on his mind to rest peacefully. He quietly opened the back door and ventured into the Burrow's overgrown backyard. The lush green grass felt ticklish under his bare feet. He walked a bit further away from the house, gazing up at the darkened sky. It was literally scattered with stars. He always loved to just come out in the dark and watch them.
He shoved his hands in the pockets of his too short pajama bottoms and encountered something small hidden deep inside. He grasped the Deluminator in his hand, it felt cool to the touch as he took it out of his pocket. He observed it for a moment before clicking it and releasing the light he had captured in it. Since there was nothing for them to float into, the balls of light just sort of drifted above his head. He watched them with a trace of wonder in his eyes while his mind drifted back to where it had helped him so greatly. It was certainly a bit of extraordinary magic and sometimes he found it hard to believe that Dumbledore had left it to him. He was forever grateful for that fact, after all the tiny device had showed him the way back when he needed it the most. A twinge of regret engulfed him thinking back on how he walked out on his friends. How he walked out on Harry, knowing that he needed his help just as much as he needed Hermione's.
Hermione.
His frown deepened, he knew he had hurt her by leaving and even though it seemed she had forgiven him for it now, he still felt he needed to make it up to her somehow. His frown softened as his thoughts trailed back to the battle of Hogwarts. How grateful he was that they had survived, that she had survived...he didn't think he could express it into words. Another stab of sadness tugged at his heart when he inadvertently thought about the people that hadn't been so lucky. All the people that had died fighting for the Good side, it was maddening how much precious blood had been spilled. His breath hitched in his throat as he unconsciously glanced back to the Burrow, his eyes wandering up to the darkened window of Fred and George's old room. He knew his brother wasn't sleeping despite the lights being turned off. George hadn't slept at all it ever since Fred died which was understandable. Although Ron and the rest of his family mourned the death of Fred very deeply, he couldn't even begin to comprehend how George must feel right now. Those two had always been together, a unity and now half of him was ripped away from him. Ron blinked to prevent the few tears from falling. He had done his fair share of crying the past days and frankly just didn't feel like doing it anymore.
The soft click of the back-door closing in the distance alerted him he was no longer alone. He turned to face whomever was walking towards him. His breath almost caught in his throat when he saw it was Hermione. He swallowed thickly, only she could elicit such a reaction from him, even after all that had been going on. He cocked his head slightly to the side whilst taking in her appearance. She was looking a bit odd. He could tell she was wearing some of his sister's shorts but the faded orange Chudley Cannons shirt was certainly his. He blushed slightly as he realised that , while it was raggedy old and too small for him, it looked good on her albeit a bit on the large side. She had rolled up the sleeves several times.
Hermione approached Ron and noticed him looking at her. She unconsciously played with the hem of the shirt she was wearing as she stopped in front of him.
"I was a bit cold, your mum gave me this. You don't mind do you?"
Ron shook his head.
"Nah, you can keep it, if you want." His heart beat just a fraction faster at her small smile. He shivered at a particular strong gust of wind that swept past the both of him. It was May already but the nights could still be quite chilly. He directed his gaze upwards again, the sky had darkened to an almost deep blue now making the stars stand out even more. He felt a small tug at his hand. He looked down to see that Hermione had linked their fingers together. He marveled at how comfortable he felt. There was nothing awkward or tensed between them anymore it seemed. Not since...he blushed stopping the train of thoughts that tried to invade his mind. He felt her squeeze his hand so he squeezed back in acknowledgment.
"Aren't you tired?" She asked softly, already knowing the answer he would give her. Hermione didn't know how he could go so long without a decent amount of sleep. Then again, considering all that had happened she was amazed that she had managed to get some shut eye in. Nevertheless, she was beginning to worry about him. He looked almost sickly pale and the bags under his eyes didn't lie. He needed a good rest.
"I could ask your mum to brew a sleeping potion, it might help you get some rest." She started but Ron held up his hand effectively silencing her.
"There is no need for that, I'm fine. Sleep will come when I really need it." Ron turned to face her, the glow of the Deluminator lights surrounded them and the sight before him was simply breathtaking. He watched as small smudge of red splashed across her cheeks under his intense stare. With her free hand, she tucked some of her wild bushy hair behind her ear. The wind had picked up a little again so it didn't do much good. He heard her almost annoyed little grunt. His hands itched to touch the stubborn strands of hair so much that he didn't stop himself when his hand etched towards her face. He carefully wrapped a loose curl around his finger, marveling at the softness of it before he tucked it firmly behind her ear It stayed put this time. He let his hand linger for a moment before lightly brushing her cheek as he lowered his arm again.
That small little gesture had evoked something in both of them. The air around them suddenly felt thick, loaded with tension yet not the awkward or uncomfortable kind.
Suddenly his mind reeled back to their moment in the Room of Requirement. The moment that had changed everything between them forever.
She had kissed him. Full on the mouth and he had kissed her back. He blushed as he remembered how he had almost lost himself in that wonderful moment. He was certain that if Harry hadn't shouted at them about being in the middle of a war, he would have snogged her for a good while longer. But he knew Harry had been right. Even though they had refrained themselves for that sake, he had not left her side during the battle. He longed to have her close to him, needing to know that she was save and sound right beside him.
The past two weeks had been chaotic with the aftermath of the battle. There had been so much that had to be organized and done, they had barely had time to even begin to think about themselves. But Ron realised that even in all of that chaos, she had been the one solid point, the one thing that held him sane. She had been there , right with him when they buried all those people. Had tried her best to comfort him through her own pain when they said goodbye to Fred. As he observed her staring up at him, her brown eyes searching his for something he didn't know. She bit her lip, he knew she did that unconsciously, he wondered if she was even aware of herself doing that. His gaze was drawn to her mouth. Now that he stood here with her, in the silent Burrow garden, he wanted nothing more then repeat what they had done in the Room of Requirement. But something held him back. He didn't know what it was exactly.
Hermione swallowed nervously, the comfortable silence they had enjoyed just a moment ago had vanished. There was something in his gaze that unnerved her, then again it could also be contributed to the fact that they were truly alone for the first time since the war had ended. It sounded silly to her own ears, but she was almost frightened over the fact that she couldn't read his expression.
"Ron...?" She stared but once again, he silenced her. This time by softly caressing his thumb over her cheek, more firmly than the fleeting touch of just minutes ago. She let out a shaky sigh. This felt good, it felt right but where was it going? In the time after the war, she had thought about kissing him again. The time wasn't appropriate for it and she had known but she couldn't help the longing that surfaced inside of her every time they had been together. And now? Now it was stronger then ever before and part of her wondered why she just didn't act on it. Why did she hesitate? They were alone, they had blurred the line of friendship by far, there was truly nothing that should hold her back. And yet she hesitated this much. Why was it so much harder now to take this step?
Their first kiss had been spontaneous, more so because she had been overflowing with such affection and wonder for Ron in that particular moment, that her rational mind hadn't had time to analyze the situation correctly, she had just gone for it. But this moment was different. Ron murmured something she couldn't quite catch.
"What?" She was surprised at the soft almost whisper like tone of her voice. Ron didn't answer her, instead he brought their entwined hands up to his chest, she could feel the erratic beats of his heart, they almost matched her own.
Ron unconsciously licked his lips, it was getting to be too much. Her close proximity did wonderful yet almost terrifying things to his fast beating heart. He could practically feel the heat radiating from his ears and cheeks as he grasped her hand more tightly but not too much so he wouldn't hurt her.. He silently cursed the Weasley blush. For a moment he just held Hermione's gaze until he just couldn't take it anymore.
"Bloody hell, I want to snog you so badly right now." He whispered , a half smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. Hermione was taken aback by his bold statement, a fierce pink flush now spreading over her face. Her heart literally skipped a beat when she noticed him leaning in closer. She didn't realise she was doing the same until she was literally on her tip toes, her breath intermingling with his.
"I've wanted too ever since the end of the battle but the timing was never right..." Ron trailed off as he held her gaze. She involuntarily squeezed his hand.
"Until now." She whispered, finishing the sentence for him. In one split second she made up her mind. She wrapped her free arm around his shoulders, gripping the fabric of his Weasley jumper tightly before crushing her mouth against his almost frantically. For a moment, Ron was taken aback but that soon vanished as he closed his eyes and responded eagerly to her. His arm snaked around her shoulder, gripping it as he tugged her towards him. She almost stumbled forwards on her toes, her body colliding with his as he held her close to him.
This kiss was every bit as passionate as the first had been yet it was so very different. The feelings it evoked in the both of them were excitingly new yet oddly familiar as if they had been together forever and this was just one of many kisses they surely would share from now on. It felt so right.
Ron broke away just for a moment only to slant his mouth over hers again, nudging her bottom lip with his tongue.
Hermione startled a bit at that action but allowed him to deepen the kiss. She felt him drop the hand he was still holding and wrap both of his arms around her completely. She practically melted into his embrace.
Ron smiled against her lips as he held her firmly and the feel of her small soft hands on the back of his neck gave him goosebumps
This was good, no this was perfect and he intended to make it last as long as he could.
Unbeknownst to them, George Weasley was rooted to the spot in his old bedroom. He had planned on closing the curtains and trying to finally get some sleep so when his redrimmed tired eyes came upon the sight before him, he had to take a double take. He silently marveled at the courage his younger brother was displaying right there in the middle of their yard, snogging the girl he was meant to be with under the stars. Tiny balls of light surrounded them as well and George reasoned they must've come from his brother's Deluminator. With the ghost of a smile on his face, he closed the curtains. Stepping away from the window, he walked over to Fred's old bed while grabbing a photograph from his dresser.
"Well brother, you owe me some Galleons, about time Roinniekins got his act together don't you think?" He sadly caressed the photograph in the frame before laying it under his pillow.
"Goodnight Fred." He whispered softly, snuggling into the blankets and comfort of the familiar bed. Even though Fred was gone, he would remain with him, in his heart forever. George vowed to that.
END!