Author's Note: This is dedicated to my friend Kelli, a big Hr/R shipper and Rupert Grint's future wife (Alex too). I wrote this specially for her. HOPE YOU ENJOY!
Hermione surveyed the state of the common room. She put her hand to her chin and began biting her lip. Thinking of the poor house elves, she decided it was up to her to clean up the mess. Butter beer bottles were lying everywhere. Shards of glass reflected the fire as it still blazed, orange flames licking the wood. Various candies, cakes, and other Honeyduke's products were askew over all the chairs. Removing her wand from inside her robes, she began to pick up, making conversation with the only person left downstairs.
Ron watched Hermione clean the mess that he and his fellow classmates had made. Crazy if you ask me. The house elves can do it without help. They're just going to get mad and I'll end up doing my own laundry because I've run out of socks. Then, he looked at Hermione again. Although it is nice of her... very caring and kind.
"Congratulations again, Ron. I'm really proud of you." came a voice from across the room.
"Oh, well…um…I didn't really do much." He responded sheepishly. All night he had been bragging about he saves and anyone who would listen was given a play-by-play starting with what he was thinking in the locker rooms. It might have been the butter beer giving Ron his new-found modesty, or it could have been the way her brown waves looked in the orange glow from the fire.
"Ron, you won us the game! I still wish I could have seen it!" she exclaimed.
"Well, I'm willing to bet Pig that I couldn't do it again," he said in a somber tone. He had no clue why he was being like this. Again, all evidence pointed to the glow from the fire.
Hermione stopped her cleaning and went to the armchair where Ron was sitting. A large ginger cat with a squashed face had just appeared on the arm of the chair. Hermione picked up her cat and looked at Ron. She leaned in, pecked him on the check, and turned towards the stairs. Stopping at the landing she turned back and said, "I'll bet Crookshanks you could."