Happy Birthday, BlackHawk13!!! This one's for YOU.

A/N: Thanks to my beta, EmmaleeWrites05, for giving me the confidence to post this. :-)

I Love You, Hermione

"'I love you, Hermione,' said Ron, sinking back in his chair, rubbing his eyes wearily. Hermione turned faintly pink, but merely said, 'Don't let Lavender hear you saying that.'" HBP, pg. 533, UK edition.

Hermione had pretended Ron's comment had not affected her, but if she were honest with herself, it more than affected her. Those four words, "I love you, Hermione" had lit her up and gave her more hope than she had allowed herself to feel in a long time. He may not have meant it in the way she'd hoped, the way she'd dreamed of, but he'd said it. She could only imagine how those words would sound if he weren't with Lavender, if they had been alone, if he had really meant them…

She was in the 6th year girls dormitory now, and in her night robes. She said a hasty goodnight to her dorm mates, then shut the curtains around her bed. She cast a few silencing charms around her; she had gotten good at them during her and Ron's falling out months ago, so as to silence her tears over his anger towards her, and then her tears over his subsequent relationship with her roommate, Lavender Brown. Before, it had been to drown out her sorrows from their prying ears. Now, it was going to be for another purpose.

Hermione rarely allowed herself to think of Ron this way. After all, he was with Lavender. Clearly, he didn't want her the way she wanted him. And they had finally gotten their friendship back on the ground after Ron's fateful birthday and near-death experience. She had nearly lost him once, and she wasn't prepared to lose him over anything so trivial as unrequited feelings on her part. She loved him. But she couldn't live if he rejected her love. So she'd live with his friendship.

Tonight, however, he had sparked something within her that she normally kept dormant inside her. Tonight, she was going to forget he had ever attached lips with that leech Lavender, she was going to forget they were just friends, and she was going to remember his words: "I love you, Hermione."

She settled herself into bed, under the covers, and snuggled the pillow. It was ridiculous, of course, but she imagined the pillow was Ron, who would be clutching her back just as tightly. He would hold her, rubbing small circles on her back, burying his face in her neck and hair. She would return the favor, nuzzling his sensitive ears and darting out her tongue into the shell, causing him to moan and shiver. He would grind his hips into hers, causing a small moan to escape Hermione's lips, which were already red and swollen from their hours of snogging.

Hermione's breathing hitched, and she loosened the belt on her night robe. She was glad she had cast the silencing charms… her dorm mates would surely know something was going on with her otherwise; her breaths were beginning to come out unevenly.

In her mind, Ron slowly rolled himself over her body, covering her completely. He rested most of his weight on his elbows, but left just enough pressure on her hips that she was both satisfied and desperate for more. He caught her lips again in a kiss which was soft but held promise of more. She clung to him, and hitched her leg around his, pulling their centers together. Their kisses become more intense, more needy, more desperate. Ron began slowly grinding his cock into her center. The fire between them was stoked infinitely more. A rhythm between their mouths and hips began, and while it felt incredible, they both needed more.

Hermione tore her lips away from Ron's, only to attach them to his neck. Using her teeth, she began marking him. Mine. Ron let out a low growl, and ground into her harder. Hermione gasped.

"Ron… we have to… stop."

"Mmm. Wh-… what? Why?" He began tracing a path on her neck with his tongue, and his hands found her breasts over her robes. He was pushing her limit, and she was starting to question why she even had a limit to begin with.

"If we don't… stop… oh Merlin… If we don't stop now, Ron, we'll… never… stop…." she moaned out.

"And your point is?" Ron groaned. His hand cupped her hot sex. Hermione nearly jumped off the bed; as is, her back arched off the bed and her hips met his even rougher than before. Her sounds were nearly animalistic, and Ron's weren't any better.

"Fuck, Hermione."

"Language, Ron!" Even in her fantasies, their interactions would never change.

They weren't even naked yet, but already Hermione felt herself on the edge. They either had to stop now, or they were going to do this. They were almost past the point of no return.

"Hermione… I need you," Ron gasped. A bolt of heat went through her body, resting in her core. He'd never needed her before, save to fix his homework. He needed her now. That fact alone propelled her forward to his lips, and made up her mind for her. This was going to happen.

Hermione was panting at this point, and she removed her robe quickly away from her body. Now, she was completely nude in bed, her hips involuntarily moving upwards. She found her breasts in her hands, massaging them lightly, imagining Ron had stripped them both of their clothes and was lavishing attention upon her nipples, grazing the sides with his rough palms. One hand found itself traveling south, over the smooth skin of her breasts, belly, hips, thighs… then finally to her center. Hermione moaned.

By now, Ron's kisses had meandered down her torso, his hands holding her writhing hips down to the bed. His tongue traced a path from hip bone to hip bone, and then he breathed lightly over it. Her body erupted in goose bumps. His ginger head was getting closer and closer to where she wanted it. Her body was pulsing with need. Ron reached her center. He looked up at her with pleading blue eyes, questioning her, begging her to allow him where they both so desperately wanted to be. Hermione nodded quickly. Ron complied.

When she felt his tongue on her clit, Hermione's eyes grew wide; her breath came out in a wild gasp, and her knees locked around Ron's head to keep him there. She felt him chuckle, and the vibrations were enough to send her over the edge. She came, hard.

Ron looked at her with wide eyes. "Did you… did you just…?"

"Yes, I…" Hermione was now embarrassed. Was that wrong? Was it too quick?

"I'm… good," Ron said incredulously. The smirk on his face was the biggest Hermione had ever seen.

"You, you prat!" Hermione shouted, as Ron wiped her juices from his face. The smile couldn't escape her lips.

"Admit it, I'm the best you've ever had," Ron grinned.

"You're the only one I've ever had."

"And therefore, the best." He winked at her, and she blushed. She chanced a glance down at him, and gulped. Past his pale, freckled torso, past his lightly muscled stomach, past his slightly bony hips, was… it. Holy cricket, he was huge! Hermione may have done her research in the restricted section of the library, but nothing prepared her for the sheer size of him. How on earth would it fit? She bit her lip and glanced worriedly at him. He had a shit-eating grin on his face.

"Like what you see, I take it?"

"Hush, you great git." She kissed him, firstly to get him to quiet his mouth, and secondly to alleviate her fears. His kiss was gentle and loving.

"I'll be slow, OK?"

She nodded nervously. They kissed again, while Ron slowly moved his body over hers again. She felt the tip brush her entrance. She tensed, and he hissed with pleasure.

"'Mione, this might hurt. My brothers said…"

"I don't care. I trust you."

He nodded, and moved to kiss her again. As their lips met, he slowly eased his body forward. She felt him enter her, fill her, stretch her. He reached her barrier, and broke the kiss.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, yes. Ron, please."

He pushed forward, and she felt her barrier break. She let out a strangled cry, and more than a few tears escaped her brown eyes. Ron kissed them away as he stilled inside her.

The pain started to subside, though it wasn't comfortable to say the least. Still, she began to feel something less like pain and more like pleasure, so she wrapped her legs around his waist and lifted her hips to encourage him to move.

"Ugh, 'Mione. Sooo good," Ron moaned out.

"Ron, don't… mmm… stop."

They found a rhythm as they had when they'd had their clothes on and the movement was just a simulation. Though it hurt, this was infinitely better. Ron's breathing had picked up, and Hermione was pretty sure that meant he was close. His hips were losing their steady rhythm.

"Ron… Ron, are you…?"

"Yeeeessss," Ron gasped. "'Mione, I'm sorry, I can't…" He gave a few more jerks, and then Hermione felt warmth inside her.

Ron looked down at her, with a mix of ecstasy and embarrassment on his face. His ears were red.

"Hermione, I'm so sorry. I couldn't help it. You felt so good and I…"

Hermione placed a finger at his lips to hush him. "Ron, it's OK. It felt wonderful, after awhile. And you made me… err… cum… earlier before. And we'll have other chances, and it usually doesn't happen the first time for girls, and I-"

Ron had silenced her with a kiss, which was full of passion and reassurance.

"I love you, Hermione."

She felt tears rush into her eyes, the best kind of tears. "I love you, too, Ron," she said softly. Ron's face flooded with relief and joy, and he began peppering kisses all over her face, finally resting on her mouth. They shared a deep, loving kiss, which stirred now-familiar feelings within them.

"So, Hermione. Suppose I get another try, make you cum with me this time?" He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"You prat," she teased.

"I know, and you love it."

"Yes, I do," she sighed, and pulled him into another kiss.

Hermione's hand finally stilled as she came harder than she ever had in her life. She was covered with a fine sheen of sweat all over her body, and her hand was coated in her juices. She cast a quick cleaning charm, and slipped back into her robes.

Tomorrow, she'd go back to being Ron's friend. Tonight, he was her lover, if only in her dreams.