Disclaimer: I own none of it. Everything is due to JK Rowling, who has inspired me to write for going on seven years, and whose works defined my childhood and adolescence.

Summary: Ron and Hermione reach an understanding about the kiss that took place in the Room of Requirement.

Rating: K+/PG

Author's Note: Picking up the Harry Potter books once more, now reading them in a new language, I have rediscovered a passion I thought I had lost years ago. Not having written fanfiction since I was a freshman in high school, I now find the inspiration to write at least one more fic, this one dealing, as always, with Ron and Hermione. This takes place not long after the final chapter of DH, but before the epilogue.

Understanding

It was very late, but Hermione couldn't sleep. Although weeks had passed since the final battle, she was still plagued nightly by horriffic dreams replaying the events of that day, and chose to stay up whenever possible to avoid the nightmares. Silently descending to the ground floor of the Burrow, she noticed a faint light streaming through the windows leading to the front yard and decided to investigate.

Outside, Ron had been sitting for what seemed like hours staring at the stars and thinking. After an initial period of shock, anger, and grief over the losses suffered in the battle, he had taken to analysing all the moments that had seemed to blend together in his memory of the day. This night, he confusedly considered the incident in the Room of Requirement, inspired by the realisation he had come to earlier that day that Hermione had been acting a bit stranger than everyone else lately, awkwardly avoiding Ron's eyes at the dinner table. The sound of the front door opening and closing shocked him out of his reverie, and he turned to see Hermoine standing there in her nightdress, glowing a bit from the light of the moon shining on her bushy hair.

"Hey," he said softly, and indicated that she should come sit next to him on the porch step. "Can't sleep?"

"No." Her reply was equally soft, and tinged with the awkwardness he had recently noticed. "You?"

"Too much to think about."

They sat in silence for a long time, the awkwardness growing between them as Ron continued to ponder the moment that had passed between them weeks before. He was still unsure as to what the kiss had meant, whether Hermione had been expressing a true desire or just seizing what could be her final moments with the most convenient person. The latter didn't seem like Hermione, but as Ron knew stress could change someone drastically. As the tension between them drew on, Ron realised that the subject would have to be breached sometime, and that this would probably be better than any other moment. His curiosity became too much to contain and finally he stared up into the sky, purposely avoiding eye contact with his friend, and stated what he had been thinking all night.

"So… you kissed me."

Hermione's shock at the bluntness of his comment gave way quickly to embarrassment. With the melancholy atmosphere that had descended over the household following the death of Fred, she had spent a long time just assuming Ron was too grief-striken to explore the possibile romantic connection she had expressed in the Room of Requirement, but as the weeks passed, understanding had given way to paranoia. By now she had nearly accepted it as fact that Ron wanted never to acknowledge her action, that he was trying to salvage their friendship by mercifully ignoring her boldness rather than rejecting her outright. Apparently, however, he had just been waiting for a private moment so he could save her the shame of making a public scene.

"Yeah. There was a moment where… well I thought I might never get the chance again."

"Oh. I figured that might be it."

He was trying very had to maintain his composure, fighting neither to look horribly dissapointed nor to feign anger at her using him as a final thrill. He knew deep down that for Hermione, it probably hadn't seemed to be something that would hurt him as much as it did. Knowing once and for all, however, that she didn't seem him that way felt like his world was shattering all over again.

Hermione, for her part, was silently kicking herself for her lack of courage. Ron was right; she had kissed him, yet she could not bring herself even to admit that it was something more than spur of the moment. Once the possibility of imminent death had passed, old insecurities had overtaken her ability for boldness. Some Gryffindor, she thought.

"Well," Ron said softly, obviously straining and not quite loud enough to be heard well, "just so you know, it wasn't a bad kiss. I mean, I wouldn't have died wanting to vomit or anything."

"What do you mean vomit?! Did you actually think I wouldn't be able to kiss decently? I mean I know I'm not as experienced as Lavendar or anything but…"

"Oh I'm sure you're just as experienced as her. Ginny told me all about you and Krum. Bet that time in Bulgaria did plenty to help your talent in that area."

Hermione was flabbergasted. What exactly had Ginny led him to believe? She knew perfectly well that Hermione's time with Victor had been far from passionate, due to the realisation Hermione had had regarding feelings for a certain redhead.

"I don't know what you're on about, Ron, but I certainly don't appreciate being depicted as some sort of… loose woman!"

"Well maybe you should have thought of that before kissing someone you don't even like just 'cause you thought we might die!" And with that, he stormed off, not being able to hide his emotions any longer and sure he had already passed the point of straining their friendship to yet another breaking point. He already knew, as he had the night after the Yule Ball, that this fight was going to be one of the big ones.

Hermione didn't know whether to follow and continue the argument or sit and fume quitely. Knowing that if it escaleted any farther, their yelling would wake the whole house, she decided on the latter. When Ron showed no signs of returning several minutes later, however, she began to follow, using her wand to illuminate the path he had taken.

Far from settling her down, Hermione's fuming had only built up her anger, and she wanted more than anything to curse Ron Weasley for making the most brave and hopeful moment of her life out to be nothing more than a last-minute adventure. Coming upon his figure sitting by a pond at the end of the path, she began hissing with fury, letting him know that he hadn't gotten off as easily as he had thought.

"Ron! How dare you… how could you… what… why… argh!" Frustrated, she couldn't find the words.

"Just leave me alone Hermione, okay? I've known for a long time that you didn't feel like I do. I just think it was a little cruel to give me that bit of hope just to shatter it once again."

This statement confused Hermione utterly. She had no idea how they had gotten to this point, where Ron had so drastically misunderstood her. The one thing she did understand was that Ron had implied verbally the type of feelings she had hoped he held for her. Not knowing how else to continue, she called on the courage that had emboldened her weeks ago and knelt in front of Ron.

"Ron," she ventured, setting her hand atop his, "Ron look at me." He recoiled, stubbornly staring over the top of her head. Frustrated once more by his stubbornness, she clamped her hands on either side of his face and forced him to face her. His eyes still avoided hers, but she now could see his expression so that once and for all she would know that he understood.

"Ron, I'm not entirely sure what you're talking about, but you should know something. I'm only going to say it once so listen up, and if you make fun of me for this later I swear I'll never forgive you. I kissed you because I had wanted to for more than three years, because I was so unsure of how you felt that I couldn't make myself do so under normal circumstances. I kissed you because you are infuriating, but also because you know me more than I give you credit for, and you have moments when you're the most compassionate person I know. But mainly I kissed you because when faced with the possibility of death I knew that my biggest regret in life would be not letting you know how much I care."

Silence filled the night. Hermione, taking this silence as a sign that she had once again misread Ron's signals, dropped her hands and moved to stand up. Ron, however, finally roused from his state of joyful shock at the moment, and pulled her back down, forcefully bringing her mouth towards his. Finally, after seven years of friendship, several fights, and innumerable misunderstandings, Ron and Hermione had reached the same place. There were no fake girlfriends of Bulgarian Quiddich players to hinder their action, no battle surrounding them to cast doubt on the moment. As their lips met, passionately expressing what each had wanted to say for years without knowing the words, they understood one another perfectly.