A/N: You really, really need to read The Nearness of you to get this.
Well kinda. Well maybe not, but. you know..
Disclaimer: As much as I wish I did, I don't own Harry Potter or any of the other lovely characters in this fic. I'm making no money off of them whatsoever.
Enjoy.
Hermione awoke Christmas Eve morning, dumbly wondering why she was laying on the Weasley's couch wrapped in a Chudley Cannons blanket. The previous night came flooding back to her when she spotted the mugs on the little table by the sofa. Ron, and hot chocolate, and.a kiss?
Hermione shut her eyes, trying to remember exactly what happened. She thought Ron had kissed her. It wasn't a perfect kiss, far from it, actually, but a kiss all the same. Perhaps Ron had been aiming for her cheek and missed? Had she imagined it?
Hermione sat on the couch, staring at the mugs for a while until she carried them off to the kitchen for cleaning.
One by one, Weasley's started to trickle down the stairs for breakfast. Hermione joined them. Everyone ate in silence, not wanting to be disturbed this early in the morning. Bill was the first person to speak.
"Snowed like a billio last night." And it had. It must have started sometime after Hermione fell asleep. Ginny was immediately snapped out of her sleepy stupor.
"Then we can go sledding!" she replied happily. She turned to Hermione and Harry. "Wait till you try it here, it's the best thing ever."
Hermione had been purposefully avoiding Ron's eyes the entire morning. If he had kissed her- and she was pretty sure he did- Hermione just didn't feel like she could face him. Not yet.
When breakfast was over, Hermione volunteered to clear up dishes with Ginny. She had to talk to someone about what was bugging her.
"Ginny, I need to tell you something. I think." Hermione said.
"Hmm?" Ginny grumbled in reply.
"Last night, I couldn't get to sleep."
"Mmm-hmm?"
"And neither could Ron. So we were both down here."
"And.?"
Hermione bit her lip, wondering how to put this. "Ron kissed me. I think. Not a real kiss, more like a cheek kiss, but not really. But of course I was half asleep, so I might have been imagining everything."
Hermione rambled on incoherently until Ginny interrupted her.
"Ron kissed you?"
"Yes. Well, as I said I could have been - "
"Ron?"
"Yes!" Hermione exclaimed, a bit too loudly. What was Ginny going on about?
"Then it's not just the red hair," Ginny said coolly, "that got him into Gryffindor."
"What?"
"Well he's liked you for a long time," Ginny said matter-of-factly. "so it was just a matter of time before he, you know."
"You're kidding," said Hermione, though she was almost one hundred percent sure that what Ginny was saying was true.
"No, I'm not," said Ginny. "You should have seen him this summer. He thought you might have went to Bulgaria. Terribly worried."
"He wouldn't," said Hermione shyly.
Ginny nodded spryly. "And he's got a picture of you in his room!"
"Ginny?"
"Yes?"
"I've been in Ron's room before."
"So?"
"Harry's in that picture too."
"Yes. well. you know." Ginny trailed off, then changed the subject, saying, "Let's get the boys and find something to sled on, shall we?"
***
Five minutes later, Harry and Ron had been interrupted from a chess game, and Hermione found herself in the Weasley's cellar with Harry, Ron, and Ginny. Hermione didn't know how they'd find anything worth sledding with this much mess. Here and there were boxes, with labels like "Bill's Head Boy things" and "Hogwarts letters." Along one wall were shelves full of potions ingredients and preserves. Scattered among the floor were old robes everyone out grew, and a few old toys. Ginny immediately started trying to uncover a sled.
Hermione spotted a box by her feet, labeled "Pictures-1989". She gave into the temptation to take a peek, dropped to the floor and lifted the lid.
She picked up a picture of a nine-year-old Ron, holding a cream-coloured furball with a long tongue. He looked positively delighted when the tongue went up his nose.
"This one's better."
Hermione started at the sound of Ron's voice behind her. Why did he have to sneak up on her like that? Couldn't he warn her or something?
She looked up at the moving photograph Ron was holding. In it, he looked the complete opposite of the other picture, sad and crestfallen.
"That was after Fred hit him with the Bludger," he said dryly.
"Ron," Hermione said firmly, "that's horrible."
Ron shrugged and sat down on the floor next to her. Hermione knew what she was going to have to say, but wasn't sure how to say it. Shooting a look towards Ginny and Harry, who were both scrounging around the clutter. Hermione turned to Ron and tried, "Ron, you know last night, when you were about to go upstairs, and I was on the couch?"
Ron started to look very, very serious. Hermione bit her lip and continued.
"Well, you did something. At least I think you did, but I was asleep so-" Before Hermione could make any less sense, Ron had interrupted her, saying.
"You were wide awake."
Hermione widened her eyes questionally, but all Ron did was sit there looking serious. She wished he would do something other than look serious, laugh, or grin, or say something, anything than looking so bloody serious.
But some dark corner of her brain had been dusted off; telling her this was good, that the way Ron was leaning towards her was good, that the way he was gripping her arm, leaning in closer, was all good.
Before Hermione could really think of what she was doing, and how it was happening, she felt her eyes close and Ron's lips on her mouth.
Somehow that old spot in her brain had been shut off, letting Hermione do everything. It was odd, Hermione thought when she was kissing Ron, that this was the Ron who had accused her of owning a mad cat, the same Ron who had called her a know-it-all, the same Ron who had infuriated her endlessly. Her mind just couldn't make the connection.
They broke apart at the sound of Ginny yelling "Aha!" Hermione and Ron both whipped their heads to Harry and Ginny. Ginny was valiantly trying to remove an old wooden toboggan from behind a set of shelves. She only succeeded when Harry stopped playing with a children's wizard game and helped her.
Ginny, sled in hand, turned to Ron and Hermione.
"You two were lots of help!" she said, grinning. Harry raised his eyebrows and gave Ron a wise, knowing look. The tips of Ron's ears went pink.
Hermione turned a bit red herself, to think that Harry - one of her best friends- had saw.
But that small corner in Hermione's mind came out again, telling her he would have to find out sometime, and this was easier than just straight out telling him would ever be.
Hermione walked calmly up the steps with Ron beside her, Ginny bounding ahead and Harry lolling behind. Ron had somehow slipped his hand in Hermione's, and they didn't let go until they got to the top of the stairs.
Disclaimer: As much as I wish I did, I don't own Harry Potter or any of the other lovely characters in this fic. I'm making no money off of them whatsoever.
Enjoy.
Hermione awoke Christmas Eve morning, dumbly wondering why she was laying on the Weasley's couch wrapped in a Chudley Cannons blanket. The previous night came flooding back to her when she spotted the mugs on the little table by the sofa. Ron, and hot chocolate, and.a kiss?
Hermione shut her eyes, trying to remember exactly what happened. She thought Ron had kissed her. It wasn't a perfect kiss, far from it, actually, but a kiss all the same. Perhaps Ron had been aiming for her cheek and missed? Had she imagined it?
Hermione sat on the couch, staring at the mugs for a while until she carried them off to the kitchen for cleaning.
One by one, Weasley's started to trickle down the stairs for breakfast. Hermione joined them. Everyone ate in silence, not wanting to be disturbed this early in the morning. Bill was the first person to speak.
"Snowed like a billio last night." And it had. It must have started sometime after Hermione fell asleep. Ginny was immediately snapped out of her sleepy stupor.
"Then we can go sledding!" she replied happily. She turned to Hermione and Harry. "Wait till you try it here, it's the best thing ever."
Hermione had been purposefully avoiding Ron's eyes the entire morning. If he had kissed her- and she was pretty sure he did- Hermione just didn't feel like she could face him. Not yet.
When breakfast was over, Hermione volunteered to clear up dishes with Ginny. She had to talk to someone about what was bugging her.
"Ginny, I need to tell you something. I think." Hermione said.
"Hmm?" Ginny grumbled in reply.
"Last night, I couldn't get to sleep."
"Mmm-hmm?"
"And neither could Ron. So we were both down here."
"And.?"
Hermione bit her lip, wondering how to put this. "Ron kissed me. I think. Not a real kiss, more like a cheek kiss, but not really. But of course I was half asleep, so I might have been imagining everything."
Hermione rambled on incoherently until Ginny interrupted her.
"Ron kissed you?"
"Yes. Well, as I said I could have been - "
"Ron?"
"Yes!" Hermione exclaimed, a bit too loudly. What was Ginny going on about?
"Then it's not just the red hair," Ginny said coolly, "that got him into Gryffindor."
"What?"
"Well he's liked you for a long time," Ginny said matter-of-factly. "so it was just a matter of time before he, you know."
"You're kidding," said Hermione, though she was almost one hundred percent sure that what Ginny was saying was true.
"No, I'm not," said Ginny. "You should have seen him this summer. He thought you might have went to Bulgaria. Terribly worried."
"He wouldn't," said Hermione shyly.
Ginny nodded spryly. "And he's got a picture of you in his room!"
"Ginny?"
"Yes?"
"I've been in Ron's room before."
"So?"
"Harry's in that picture too."
"Yes. well. you know." Ginny trailed off, then changed the subject, saying, "Let's get the boys and find something to sled on, shall we?"
***
Five minutes later, Harry and Ron had been interrupted from a chess game, and Hermione found herself in the Weasley's cellar with Harry, Ron, and Ginny. Hermione didn't know how they'd find anything worth sledding with this much mess. Here and there were boxes, with labels like "Bill's Head Boy things" and "Hogwarts letters." Along one wall were shelves full of potions ingredients and preserves. Scattered among the floor were old robes everyone out grew, and a few old toys. Ginny immediately started trying to uncover a sled.
Hermione spotted a box by her feet, labeled "Pictures-1989". She gave into the temptation to take a peek, dropped to the floor and lifted the lid.
She picked up a picture of a nine-year-old Ron, holding a cream-coloured furball with a long tongue. He looked positively delighted when the tongue went up his nose.
"This one's better."
Hermione started at the sound of Ron's voice behind her. Why did he have to sneak up on her like that? Couldn't he warn her or something?
She looked up at the moving photograph Ron was holding. In it, he looked the complete opposite of the other picture, sad and crestfallen.
"That was after Fred hit him with the Bludger," he said dryly.
"Ron," Hermione said firmly, "that's horrible."
Ron shrugged and sat down on the floor next to her. Hermione knew what she was going to have to say, but wasn't sure how to say it. Shooting a look towards Ginny and Harry, who were both scrounging around the clutter. Hermione turned to Ron and tried, "Ron, you know last night, when you were about to go upstairs, and I was on the couch?"
Ron started to look very, very serious. Hermione bit her lip and continued.
"Well, you did something. At least I think you did, but I was asleep so-" Before Hermione could make any less sense, Ron had interrupted her, saying.
"You were wide awake."
Hermione widened her eyes questionally, but all Ron did was sit there looking serious. She wished he would do something other than look serious, laugh, or grin, or say something, anything than looking so bloody serious.
But some dark corner of her brain had been dusted off; telling her this was good, that the way Ron was leaning towards her was good, that the way he was gripping her arm, leaning in closer, was all good.
Before Hermione could really think of what she was doing, and how it was happening, she felt her eyes close and Ron's lips on her mouth.
Somehow that old spot in her brain had been shut off, letting Hermione do everything. It was odd, Hermione thought when she was kissing Ron, that this was the Ron who had accused her of owning a mad cat, the same Ron who had called her a know-it-all, the same Ron who had infuriated her endlessly. Her mind just couldn't make the connection.
They broke apart at the sound of Ginny yelling "Aha!" Hermione and Ron both whipped their heads to Harry and Ginny. Ginny was valiantly trying to remove an old wooden toboggan from behind a set of shelves. She only succeeded when Harry stopped playing with a children's wizard game and helped her.
Ginny, sled in hand, turned to Ron and Hermione.
"You two were lots of help!" she said, grinning. Harry raised his eyebrows and gave Ron a wise, knowing look. The tips of Ron's ears went pink.
Hermione turned a bit red herself, to think that Harry - one of her best friends- had saw.
But that small corner in Hermione's mind came out again, telling her he would have to find out sometime, and this was easier than just straight out telling him would ever be.
Hermione walked calmly up the steps with Ron beside her, Ginny bounding ahead and Harry lolling behind. Ron had somehow slipped his hand in Hermione's, and they didn't let go until they got to the top of the stairs.