And that was how it started
By Culf

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, and the first half of the story isn't even writen by me, but by the wonderful Joanne Rowling. You'll know who owns what.
Authors note: This story was written for a friend of mine, Bamsemums, for her birthday. Now, I'm finally posting it on my real profile, in her honor. I hope you like it Bamsemums, it's your favorite ship!

Ron had just raised his wand when the compartment door slid open again. The toadless boy was back, but this time he had a girl with him. She was already wearing her new Hogwarts robes.
"Has anyone seen a toad? Neville's lost one," she said. She had a bossy sort of voice, lots of bushy brown hair and rather large front teeth.
"We've already told him we haven't seen it," said Ron, but the girl wasn't listening, she was looking at the wand in his hand.
"Oh, are you doing magic? Let's see it, then." She sat down. (...)

"I hope I'm in Gryffindor, it sounds far the best, I hear Dumbledore himself was one, but I suppose Ravenclaw wouldn't be too bad... Anyway, we'd better go look for Neville's toad. You two had better change, you know, I expect we'll be there soon."
And she left, taking the toadless boy with her.
"Whatever house I'm in, I hope she's not in it," said Ron-

And that was how it started.

"Granger, Hermione!"
Hermione almost ran to the stool and jammed the hat eagerly on her head.
"GRYFFINDOR!" shouted the hat. Ron groaned.

And that was how it didn't end before it began

Ron was in a very bad temper by the end of the class.
"It's no wonder no one can stand her," he said to Harry as they pushed their way into the crowded corridor. "She's a nightmare, honestly."
Someone knocked into Harry as they hurried past him. It was Hermione. Harry caught a glimpse of her face – and was startled to see that she was in tears.
"I think she heard you."

And that was how it almost ended.

There are some things you can't share without ending up liking each other, and knocking out a twelve-foot mountain troll is one of them.

And that was how the almost-ending turned to a second start.

"Well, if you don't like it, you know what the solution is, don't you?" yelled Hermione; her hair was coming down out of its elegant bun now, and her face was screwed up in anger.
"Oh yeah?" Ron yelled back. "What's that?"
"Next time there's a ball, ask me before someone else does, and not as a last resort!"

And that was the first sign that something was brewing.

"Thanks for the book, Harry," she said happily. "I've been wanting that New Theory of Numerology for ages! And that perfume's really unusual, Ron."
"No problem," said Ron.

And that was when you knew things had changed.

Ron stole a quick glance at Hermione. They had grown so much closer during their stay at number twelve, Grimmauld Place, not to mention their time together fulfilling duties as prefects, but still, he found that lately he couldn't look at her without butterflies fluttering around in his stomach, and yet, he couldn't not look at her either. It felt strange, and yet the natural order of things. The way it should be.
Whenever her eyes met his, her cheeks would color slightly, he would feel his ears burn and they'd both turn away. Like now. Usually, Ron could turn to Harry and they could start discussing Quidditch, and Hermione could pick up a book on something boring. And Ron could let Harry get carried away with describing some dive at a breakneck speed, and Ron could look at Hermione and how she every other second had to push her hair away from her face. Usually, but not now. Now, Harry was on his way to number four Privet Drive, and Ron and Hermione were on their own, waiting for Hermione's parents. The rest of the Weasleys were trying to fit Ron and Ginny's luggage into the back of a taxi.

"I guess they'll be here any minute now." Hermione said, sounding a bit nervous.
"I'm going to miss you, Ron." Ron swallowed. The way she said it, it sounded like they were never going to see each other again.
"You'll come visit the Burrow, right?" he said, trying to sound cheerful and failing miserably. His voice cracked, the way it always did when he was nervous.
"Of course I'll come," she said. "Don't be daft. I wouldn't miss it for the world." Their eyes met for a moment, before they both turned away, embarrassed.
"I'll miss you too," Ron finally stuttered, trying to be as causal as possibe. He jammed his hands in his pockets, not knowing what to do next.

Before he knew what was happening, Hermione had flung herself at him, and was now sobbing into his shirt. Ron, unsure of what to do, patted her back awkwardly. Being this close to her sent warmth rushing through him, but the fact that she was crying was breaking his heart. He guessed everything that had happened in their 5th year had finally caught up with her.

"It's not fair, Ron. It just isn't! With Sirius, and Harry and... It's not fair!" She kept crying, klinging to his sweater until her knucles turned white, as if to make sure he never left her.
Ron stroked her hair, and Hermione lifted her head to look into his eyes. Her eyes were red-rimmed, and she looked tired. He knew how she felt. He felt that way too. A mutual understanding was formed in silence, and at once, Hermione raised to her toes as Ron bent his head down a little more. Their lips met, and Ron wrapped his arms protectivtly around the angel standing before him.

The kiss was sweet and innocent, and they parted before long. They eyes met, and a slight blush covered Hermione's cheeks and Ron felt his ears burn, if only a little.
"Didn't see that coming," Ron whispered. Hermione smiled at him.
"That's because you're a prat," she said, "but that's why I like you." At this, Ron's stomach did a funny flip, like it had never done before. Not quite sure what to do with himself, he just stood there, with Hermione clinging to him. Part of him couldn't for the world figure out what had just happened, or why Hermione would actually hug him so tightly. The other part just wanted her to never let go, but she did. She took a step backwards, and Ron suddenly felt cold.
"Harry can't know. Not yet. He needs us now," she said. Ron nodded solemnly, knowing she was right, even if he didn't like it.
"So what do we do?" Ron asked, trying to stop his voice from cracking. What if she just wanted to continue being friends? He didn't think he could stand that, now that he finally understood what he felt, knowing she might feel the same. Hermione bit her lip, looking pensive.
"We could keep it a secret for the time being," she answered, shifting her weight, still biting her lip. "Only until Harry feels better. Would that be all right with you?" she asked nervously, hoping it would be.
"Yeah," Ron said. "I guess. till Harry feels better."

"HERMIONE!" They heard someone call from somewhere behind Hermione.
"That would be my mother," she said to Ron, who suddenly understood that he was about to face several weeks without Hermione, and for a second, he thought he was going to choke.

"See you soon, then?" He said, giving a weak smile.
"Yeah," she answered, leaning in, giving him a quick peck on the cheek. "See you soon." Then she turned to meet her parents, and in moments, she was out of Ron's sight, buried somewhere deep beneath the sea of people.

"Right," he whispered, still able to feel the kiss on his cheek. He went to join his family, hoping against hope that the twins hadn't seen anything.

And that – that was the beginning

Fin