Ron wasn't even touching his breakfast, which was not like him at all.
"What's wrong?" Hermione said. Ron sighed heavily and sunk lower in his seat beside her.
"Lavender," he said. Hermione's eyes flashed across the table to meet Harry's. He looked at her as if to say, "Don't ask me, I don't know about this." Hermione sighed as well. It was no secret that Hermione couldn't stand Lavender. She wasn't about to give Ron advice about girls to better please that little twit, especially not after the way she'd acted about Ron's poisoning.
"I happen to be his girlfriend!" Lavender's voice rang through Hermione's mind for the hundredth time since Ron's near-death experience. Oh Please! Hermione thought. Ron's anguished groan next to her forced her to ask, "What about her, Ron?" though she felt she would rather not know.
"She just won't accept it's over," Ron whined. Surprised, Hermione sat up quickly in her seat, glancing from Ron to Harry, and from Harry to Ron. Harry was doing the same, between Hermione and Ron. Their eyes rested on Ron as he continued, "We got in this big row because of something I said in my sleep…she won't tell me, but she keeps bringing it up, trying to get me to apologize."
Harry and Hermione looked at each other, Hermione growing pink in the face.
"So…did you end it?" Harry said.
"Several times," Ron shrugged, "I mean, I wanted to end it ages ago…and after the first argument about the hospital I told her not to worry about it because we were over, but she just…" Ron's head snapped up to look from Harry to Hermione, "How could some one just say 'no' to that? I told her it was over and she just said 'no' and keeps coming round!" When Harry and Hermione said nothing, he buried his face in his hands.
"The worst part of it is," Ron's muffled voice said, "I don't even know what she's goin' on about! How am I supposed to apologize for something I said in my sleep?"
"Ron…" Hermione held a tentative hand above his back, unsure of whether to touch him or not.
"Just avoid her," Harry said.
"What do you think I've been doing?" Ron said, pulling his hands down his face and finally plopping them in his lap.
"WON WON!" came a shrill voice from the doorway of the Great Hall. Hermione dropped her hand and Harry winced as Ron put his head down on the table. The obnoxious girl approached anyway, throwing her arms around a non-responsive Ron.
"Why didn't you walk me to breakfast, Won Won?" She giggled.
"You know why."
"I'm sure I don't, Won Won!" She got off his back and pulled on his arm, "Come with me, Wonnikins! I want to feed you bweakfast!" Harry could barely hide his urge to throw up at the sound of Lavender's baby voice she was putting on. Hermione outright scowled.
"No." Ron refused to look at her, and remained in his seat. Lavender tried to laugh it off as a joke and tugged harder, half-pulling Ron out of his seat.
"Come on, Won!" Lavender yanked one more time and Ron fell backwards out of his seat on the bench, but Hermione was beside him and caught him. Lavender glared at her, saying, "I had him just fine, thanks!"
"He was going to fall!" Hermione said in a shrill tone.
"Stay away from my boyfriend, you…you-"
"Enough!" Ron bellowed. He stood up and walked away, allowing Lavender to catch up with him. Harry and Hermione exchanged pained expressions.
"She doesn't seem to be letting him go…" Hermione said.
"That's an understatement."
Later in potions class Hermione and Harry were working together on a potion when Ron shuffled up next to them and dumped his books on the desk.
"What are we doin?" Ron mumbled. They looked at him a moment while he flipped through the pages of his potions book. Hermione finally took his book and led him to the right page and helped him get started. After a while, Hermione murmured, "So…what happened?"
"Had another row…" Ron said. As he spoke he didn't look at Harry or Hermione and for once seemed really absorbed in his potion. Harry opened his mouth to say something, but was called to Slughorn's desk at the same moment.
"I'll be right back," he said over his shoulder as he walked up to the professor on the other side of the room.
"I told her I had some one else," Ron suddenly blurted, his ears turning red. Hermione's heart fluttered, but she tried to resist raising her hopes.
"What?" Hermione said.
"I told her that I was with some one else now, and so she had to accept me breaking it off with her." Ron avoided Hermione's eyes.
"It's not true, though, is it?" Hermione whispered.
"Of course not!" Ron looked at her with a slight pout forming on his lips. Hermione shrugged, saying, "Well it's not as if I've been able to talk to you for the past few months…"
"Well, hopefully that will never happen again…" Ron said.
"What are you going to do when Lavender sees you aren't with anyone?"
"I've been trying to think of the answer to that ever since I said it, to be honest with you." Ron was chewing his lip as he appeared to be in deep thought.
"You could ask a girl out," Hermione suggested. Her face burned, but she didn't look happy.
"No one likes me," Ron sighed.
"That's not true!" Hermione seemed surprised she had said that, and pressed her lips together, looking away.
"Really? Who…?" Ron said.
"Oh I don't know…I just – I mean, you probably have at least one admirer," Hermione said, flushing.
"It would take ages to find out though…" Ron sighed again.
"Maybe…" Hermione turned her attention back to her potion, which was boiling rapidly. Ron remained pensive for a moment, then suddenly was glancing around the room, checking to make sure no one could hear him.
"Hermione, I have an idea, but it's mad – promise not to shout when I tell you?" He was leaning forward, his face inches from hers.
"S-sure."
"Okay…you're not gonna like this, but how would you feel about pretending to be my girlfriend for a while?" Ron whispered this quickly, his manner in earnest.
"WHAT?" Hermione screeched. Ron clapped his hand over her mouth and said, "Shhhh! Blimey, you forget the only thing I asked you to do…" he looked around to make sure no one had started watching and then continued, "It would only be for a little while, Hermione. We would only have to do it when we are around people…" He searched her eyes for any hint of being persuaded and lowered his hand to hear her response. Her cheeks burned a red hue, and he wasn't sure if it was a good or a bad sign, but judging from her frown he assumed it was bad. She was breathing quickly and put a hand on her chest, which Ron found puzzling. She looked at him with narrowed eyes, and Ron whispered, "Please?"
Hermione stopped breathing so heavily as she observed his embarrassed blush and his nervousness. He seemed to brighten a little when the corner of her mouth twitched, and she appeared to be considering, instead of flat out refusing immediately.
"How would we even announce such a relationship?" She snapped suddenly.
"We could just start holding hands or something," Ron said this while his blush creeped up from under his collar. Their eyes locked, both of them with red faces, one pleading and the other peeved.
"I have never done something so…so…" Hermione shook her head.
"…I get it. I'm that repulsive, am I?" Though he said it with a grin, there was a hint of pain behind his joke and Hermione's stomach flip-flopped.
"Ron, if I say yes to this, you will owe me for life!" Hermione smiled, "I must be mad…" she muttered to herself.
"Madly in love with me, you mean?" Ron said, leaning in close to her. He wriggled his eyebrows and grinned. Hermione laughed and shoved him away, saying, "Presumably." Inwardly she said, you have no idea…
"Anyway, I'll make it up to you," Ron said while glancing around the room again. On spotting Harry returning, he quickly said, "And don't tell Harry, either!"
"We're hiding this from him, too?" She hissed.
"We have to!"
"We'll never pull it off!"
"Pull what off?" Harry said as he rejoined them.
"Oh just this potion we are working on," Ron covered.
"Oh," Harry seemed surprised it was something so trivial.
After classes Ron and Hermione had prefect duties, and finally had a chance to talk alone as they made their night-rounds through the castle.
"So it would only be temporary, you see," Ron was saying, "So it's not even a big deal, we need only hold hands, hug, maybe kiss once or twice…"
"Twice!" Hermione squeaked. Ron had no idea what this talk was doing to her. She hated to admit it to herself, but this plan was getting more dreadfully exciting the more they spoke of it. What's really pathetic, she thought, is that this is the closest I will ever get to being with Ron… Hermione looked at Ron for moment and noticed his ears were reddening profusely, and she reflected that they had been doing that all day…Then maybe, she thought, he is excited for this, too! "Don't fool yourself, Hermione. He is only blushing because he is embarrassed to have to do this with you," her mind countered.
"Well, yeah, or just however long it takes for Lavender to get over me for good." Ron's voice brought her out of her thoughts. Hermione blinked a few times, trying to clear her mind of what she had previously been pondering and instead answer Ron.
"I've read it takes approximately half the time you've been with someone to be able to move on if you weren't ready at the break up," Hermione recited mechanically, "It takes double the time you were together to stop feeling anything toward that person at all."
"Double?"
"Yes."
"Bloody Hell," Ron kicked at something on the ground, "Sorry, Hermione, this might take longer than I thought…"
"It's okay," Hermione sighed, "Just don't ever say I don't do anything for you!"
"I've never said that!" Ron stopped walking and looked at her, "And Hermione…" he took her hands in his, "I honestly can't thank you enough…" Hermione blushed furiously and broke away saying, "Ron!" while walking on with a smile.
"Okay," Ron said while falling in step with her, "Now all we have to do is devise a plan on how to reveal this…relationship…"
"We could just walk into the common room holding hands and the moment we see Lavender…" Hermione trailed off.
"We kiss," Ron finished for her. Hermione gulped. They looked at each other gravely and then nodded. They had reached the portrait hole.
"Amofungus" Hermione said in a trembling voice. As the portrait swung open, she felt Ron's warm hand take her own.
As they walked through the common room, it grew quieter and quieter as all eyes fell on Ron and Hermione's joined hands. Harry stopped short when he saw them, and then broke into a grin, striding over to them and clapping Ron on the shoulder.
"About time, mate!" Harry said. Ginny smiled and agreed with Harry. Ron and Hermione genuinely blushed and Ron said, "Yeah, I figured it was time I faced the truth." Hermione giggled beside him.
"Won Won?" Everyone turned to see Lavender at the foot of the girls' stairs, staring directly at Ron and Hermione. "What's this?" She demanded.
"You know Hermione," Ron said, "And now, well…"
"So it's like that is it?" Lavender screeched. She marched forward and slapped Ron across the cheek.
"Hey!" Hermione and Harry both shouted at the same time. The whole common room came to its feet, unsure of how to react. Hermione had dropped Ron's hand and was touching his arm now, as he was holding his cheek against his hand, scowling. Lavender huffed and stomped away up the stairs, shouting, "WE'RE OVER, RON!" as she went.
"I've been saying that for weeks!" Ron called after her, in a foul temper. The common room burst into gossip over this scene and Harry and Ginny began asking question after question. Ron and Hermione invented all the lies they could come up with, and when they grew weary of questioning, excused themselves for a walk together, saying they just wanted to be alone now that they were a couple. Harry and Ginny rolled their eyes, but let them leave. As soon as they were outside of the portrait hole, they started laughing and high-fived.
"It worked!" Ron was almost jumping up and down with joy.
"I'm sorry she slapped you, though," Hermione frowned.
"See? I told you I needed out of that relationship!"
"Yes, Ron! At first I worried that we were being too cruel, but now that I have seen her in action…I just hope she doesn't attack ME tonight."
Any hint of joy vanished from Ron's face.
"Oh hell, I didn't think of that before!" Ron said, "What are you going to do? You can't sleep there tonight!"
"I have to, Ron."
"Can't you sleep in my room, I'll let you have the bed!"
"That's against the rules!"
"So?"
"We are prefects, Ron, remember?"
"Oh yeah…" Ron slouched and put his hands in his pockets.
"Anyway, she's hated me all year, I think I have gotten used to ignoring her in the room."
"Well if she does anything, don't hesitate to come over to me, okay?" Ron seemed to take her hand without thinking. "You're my girlfriend, now, I have a sense of duty when it comes to your protection," he said with a wink. She smiled at him as her heart raced. They returned to the common room, which now had significantly less occupants. Ron and Hermione went to the sofa near Harry and Ginny who were playing a game of wizard's chess. They smiled at them as they approached. Ron sat down and pulled Hermione close to him, wrapping an arm around her. She was stiff at first, but after a moment relaxed against him. She had a part to play, after all. Harry and Ginny kept stealing glances at them, as if unable to believe their eyes. Eventually the common room emptied and only Harry, Ron and Hermione remained.
"Well, you two lovebirds…goodnight," Harry yawned while walking toward the boys' dormitory.
As soon as he was out of sight, Ron and Hermione moved apart.
"You're doing a good job, you know," Ron commented while looking at the dying fire.
"You sure are affectionate," Hermione said, "But that isn't surprising, seeing as how you and 'Lav' were…"
"Yeah…well…" Ron didn't know how to reply to that at all.
"Okay, I'm going to bed now," Hermione rose and walked toward the stairs.
"Hermione, don't forget what I said earlier! If anything happens-"
"I know, I know." She waived her hand dismissively and disappeared up the stairs. Ron sighed and walked up his own staircase, genuinely worried about what Hermione would face in the dorm room.
When he reached his own room, he found it quiet and dim, the only person awake seemed to be Harry.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Harry demanded abruptly.
"Tell you what?"
"That, you know, you liked Hermione."
" I dunno…why?" Ron's brow furrowed, "You don't like her, do you?"
"Of course not!" Harry said hastily, "She's like my sister! And besides, I like…some one else."
"Who then?"
"Oh…"
"Well?" Ron had climbed into bed and was looking at Harry with an indignant expression.
"It's actually – honestly I'm not sure yet how I feel, anyway. So…nevermind really."
"Alright then," Ron shrugged and lay down.
"So…about Hermione…"
"Yeah?"
"I have to say, it's about time," Harry said. Ron sat up and looked at him, puzzled.
"What do you mean?" Ron said.
"Well, we've all been able to tell for a while…"
"What?" Ron almost gasped.
"Well, yeah. I mean, you get so jealous of anyone who comes near her, Hermione cried and cried over you when you went out with Lavender –"
"She cried?" Ron said quietly.
"Oh…y-yeah, she did." Harry seemed worried he was saying too much. Ron was silent for a long time, and when Harry looked at him he seemed to be thinking really hard about something.
"Harry," Ron finally spoke, "Did Hermione ever mention to you that she liked me before?" He turned to look at Harry. "More than friends, I mean," he added. Harry didn't know if it would be okay to tell him what Hermione had confided in him, but he considered that it didn't matter much now that Ron and Hermione were actually together…
"She…well…" Harry seemed unsure of how to begin, "I mean, she didn't say it…in so many words, but she made it clear to me, I think." Both the young men lay back in their beds and stared at the ceiling.
"So you think she has liked me for a while, then?" Ron said after some time.
"Yeah, I reckon yeah, she probably has." Harry sounded a bit drowsy, but after a moment he added, "Maybe as long as you have liked her."
Ron sat up again. "What do you mean?"
Harry sat up again, too. "Look, it's like this…I reckon you've liked Hermione for years now, and it's been obvious to everyone except her, and probably because she liked you back and was insecure about it all."
"How do you reckon I liked her for so long?"
"Well…you've always worried about her more than me, you were so jealous of Krum-" Ron tried to interrupt, but Harry continued, "And don't even try to deny it!" Ron shut his mouth and Harry went on, "I mean, the whole reason you were so eager to date some one and snog all over the place is because Ginny mentioned that Hermione might have snogged Krum."
"That's-"
"True," Harry finished for him. Ron's expression was an amusing mixture of confusion, embarrassment, and wonder.
"Why are you acting so surprised by this?" Harry said, "I would think that you and Hermione would have said these things already."
"Oh…" Ron fumbled for a lie, "Yeah, we uh, already talked…I just didn't know you and everyone else knew is all." Harry smiled. Ron smiled back and said, "Throw a bloke a bone next time, yeah?" Harry laughed and said, "Okay, Ron."
For the third time they lay back down and within moments Ron heard Harry breathing the steady breaths of one asleep. He turned over in bed and tried to sleep, but his mind was swarming with thoughts of Hermione.
She really likes me. I really like her. This has been true for a while…she likes me…she actually likes me! More than a friend! If I had known this, oh if only…I could have had her years ago! What am I going to do now? Should I keep up this pretending we've invented? Oh Hermione, I do love you. I really do. Why didn't I realize this before? Well, I kind of knew, but I fought it. Wait, what if she likes me, but doesn't want to date? It would be just like her, to put off dating because of stressing over exams or something. Maybe after a while of us "pretending" we will just start dating out of habit. Yeah, I'll just keep up this jig until it feels natural for both of us…oh I do hope this works out.
Ron fell asleep eventually, while visions of bouncing brown curls danced in his head.
The next morning Ron came downstairs to find a sleepy Hermione waiting for him. He gave her a kiss on the cheek, smiling at the thought that she didn't know that he really wanted to kiss her, not that it was to keep up their lie.
"Why are you so tired?" Ron asked her when she yawned.
"I uh, slept on the common room couch and it's not that comfortable."
"Hermione!" Ron impulsively grabbed her upper arms, "I told you to come get me if anything happened!"
"Ron," Hermione frowned, "You know that it's against the rules for me to come to your room at night-"
"Hang the rules!" Ron drew her closer and kissed her forehead. Hermione's face burned. She wriggled free and Ron said, "What happened, anyway?"
"Nothing really…" Hermione didn't want to tell him that Lavender had pushed her and then sobbed so loudly that even after Hermione had tried to go to sleep, she couldn't. Part of her honestly felt bad for Lavender. She knew what it felt like to watch Ron choose some one over herself. Even Hermione had to admit she had been driven to some violence, with the birds and all.
"Well, I think that tonight you should stay with me and Harry. He wouldn't mind, and I…" He grinned in such a way that Hermione thought he might be joking, "I would like it."
Hermione rolled her eyes and started for the great hall. Ron was quick behind her and grabbed her hand.
"Hey, don't forget!" He said, giving her hand a squeeze. She sighed and he thought he felt her squeeze back ever so slightly, but he wasn't sure. When they entered the great hall, Harry was waiting for Ron with a note from Lavender. Harry looked extremely annoyed and passed it to Ron, who opened it and allowed Hermione to read it with him.
Dear Won Won,
I see what you did there. Did you think I would give up so easily? Just holding another girl's hand isn't going to prove anything to me. I know you still want me, so why don't you come back? I can tell that you and…her don't have the chemistry that we do.
I'll be waiting for you at breakfast! ;)
Yours,
Lav Lav xxxxx
With a look of disgust Ron passed the note to Harry to read. Hermione seemed annoyed, and she huffed, "Doesn't she realize that asking you back like this is futile? The way she treats you, Ron, honestly I can't believe you let it go on as long as it did."
"She is really possessive," he admitted. He looked up and caught Lavender staring at him. He shook his head at her, but she still smiled. Hermione was in the middle of saying something to Harry, but Ron cut her off by taking her face between his hands and kissing her mouth, hard. Harry just chuckled, glad to see Ron kissing some one he actually liked for once. Hermione froze in shock, and for a moment Ron was afraid she was going to reject him, then suddenly, he felt Hermione relax and after a moment of hesitation, she responded. Something in Ron clicked and his heart galloped in his chest as he realized he was finally kissing Hermione Granger, and she was kissing him back. Even if it was just an act on her side, Ron was elated that she was responding to him, returning his pressure with some of her own. Her hands eventually found a place on his chest, and they began inching their way to his shoulders when suddenly the Gryffindor table erupted in cheers and whistles. Ron and Hermione broke apart, confused. Their cheeks were pink and they reddened even more after catching each other's eye as the crowd around them clapped and hurrahed. Lavender got up from the table and left the room in a hurry, with a loud "HUFF!" as she stormed by. Ron grinned and gave Hermione a squeeze.
Every night during their prefects rounds, Ron and Hermione discussed their strategies for their plan. They came to the conclusion that because Ron and Lavender dated for just under 2 months, Ron and Hermione would keep up the act for 3 months. They were sure that Lavender would be moved on entirely and Ron would finally have peace. To keep their act believable, they held hands whenever in public, and snuggled on the couch now and then. They actually didn't kiss again, except for on the cheek and forehead, usually performed by Ron. They made it a point to sit closer during meals, and Ron took up the habit of carrying Hermione's books for her.
Harry was enjoying their relationship almost as much as they were pretending to, mostly because they had cut back on their bickering significantly. Also, he had to admit it was nice the way Ron and Hermione weren't always snogging as that was really annoying when Lavender would do it. The only part that had been uncomfortable was the first night he had discovered Hermione in Ron's bed. Ron had explained that Lavender was being rude to Hermione, and Harry had agreed that it was best if she slept in their room, under the invisibility cloak of course. When he fell asleep it was with an invisible Hermione on the floor between his and Ron's beds. When he woke up, he saw her head next to Ron's under Ron's quilt. At first it had been awkward, but after days and days of it, he didn't mind. As long as Hermione wasn't getting caught, which she wasn't because she always climbed the stairs and left under the invisibility cloak, and Ron kept his bed curtains drawn. Apparently, Hermione's story to her roommates was that she was sleeping in the common room until Lavender had blown off enough steam to treat her better. The whole thing was pretty unbelievable, but after a while it seemed normal.
Hermione, on the other hand, was feeling more and more mixed up as time wore on. Something in her was telling her that this charade with Ron was becoming less of an act. The day they kissed, Hermione had intended to sleep in the common room again, but Ron had insisted that she come to his room. Harry had agreed and so Hermione got her pajamas on and after avoiding some hateful speech from Lavender, announced that she would sleep in the common room until Lavender could be more forgiving and tolerant. The girls in her suite said nothing, and so Hermione headed to Ron's, hearing Lavender laugh at her as she left. Hermione donned the invisibility cloak and climbed the boys' stairs and creeped into Ron's room. She whispered to Harry and Ron and nestled between their beds, covering herself with the cloak. She fell asleep quickly, but awoke to the feeling of being lifted into some one's arms. She had been Ron's friend long enough to know his smell and after taking a quick sniff she identified Ron as the person picking her up. She gasped as she felt him place her in his bed.
"Ron, what are you doing?" She hissed.
"You were shivering," he whispered, "I could hear you. Also, it's weird for a girl to sleep on the floor."
"But Ron-" she protested.
"Shhh…" Ron climbed in next to her and covered them both in his thick quilt, "Just relax. I've shut the curtains, no one will know you are here."
"Harry will," she squeaked.
"He won't care," Ron yawned, "Anyway, are you warmer now?" Hermione had to admit that she was. Mostly she was thankful it was so dark and Ron couldn't see her red face. Ron turned over so he wasn't facing her and soon fell asleep. Hermione's heart thudded in her chest as she laid a timid kiss on the back of his neck and pressed against his back for a moment. He stirred a little and Hermione stopped touching him and eventually fell asleep. The following night she skipped laying on the floor and allowed Ron to pull her into his bed and he abruptly shut the curtains. That night passed as the night before, and things continued this way for weeks. Hermione got so used to sleeping in Ron's bed that she stopped thinking of how it was against the rules and just considered it normal. During the day she got to live out her dream as Ron's girlfriend and at night she got to sleep next to him. She also began to notice that Ron's affections would occasionally continue even when they were alone. Holding his hand had become so natural that she caught herself doing it long after they were in public. If they were the last ones in the common room, Ron would some times continue holding her, and he had kissed her cheeks and forehead several times when no one was watching. One particular night made her heart race when while lying next to him as usual, he turned toward her and in his sleep he had laid his hand right on top of her belly where her belly-button was. She didn't move the whole night lest he take his hand away. Nothing like that happened again for several nights, until one night she woke up and Ron was holding her in his arms completely. Her mind told her over and over again that he was just doing this in his sleep, but her heart hoped for more. When she awoke to him doing it again the next night, and the night after that, she allowed herself to believe he was doing it consciously.
Finally, when they were about 2 months in, Hermione cuddled up to him as soon as they were under his quilt, silently letting him know that he didn't need to wait for her to be asleep, he could hold her right away if he wanted. She was rewarded by Ron folding her in his warm arms and sighing contentedly against her hair. She let herself sigh, too. It felt good to fall asleep in Ron's arms. The next morning it was especially hard to leave the sleeping red head, as she had to disentangle herself from a tight embrace, and the morning air felt colder than usual. From that day forward, they went to bed together snuggling and cuddled the whole night through, each reveling in the fact that they were being so affectionate privately. Ron made it a habit to kiss Hermione's neck and cheeks when she was asleep, and there were times when Hermione's soft body would make him think thoughts he would rather not think when she was so close to him that she could possibly feel any…response his body had to hers. He awoke shocked now and then to find Hermione kissing his neck or bare shoulders, but then he would remember his secret of knowing how she felt toward him and he would try to encourage her by holding her closer or kissing her neck in return.
One morning Ron came downstairs to find Hermione speaking with Lavender in the common room. Lavender was smiling shyly, and had her hand on Hermione's shoulder. When she met Ron's eyes she smiled slightly, but still in a shy and embarrassed way, and quickly excused herself from Hermione and left the common room.
"What was that about?" Ron asked after kissing Hermione's forehead as was his morning routine. Hermione took his hand as they walked toward the portrait hole.
"She said that she was sorry about how she took your break up, and she said I can come back to our room again at night, that she wants me to forgive her and she promises to be friendly."
"Oh," Ron couldn't help the disappointment in his voice. Hermione didn't say anything, but he thought she looked a little glum, too.
"Your plan worked," Hermione commented.
"Yeah…how much time do we have left?"
"One week," Hermione said quietly.
"Right," Ron sighed. That day they seemed to be more affectionate than usual. They sensed that their time like this was almost up, and they tried to get in as much affection as possible. When it was time for bed, they lingered so long in the common room, everyone went to bed and they found themselves cuddling alone on the sofa. Hermione was lounging in Ron's lap, and he was cradling her head in the crook of his elbow while wrapping his arms around her. He looked down into her beautiful face and was shocked to see a tear trickling from under her closed eyelids.
"Hermione?" Ron's concerned whisper caused her to open her streaming eyes. Ron gathered her closer and said, "What's wrong?"
"It's silly," Hermione sniffed, as a blush flooded her cheeks.
"You can tell me," Ron whispered. Their faces were only inches apart.
"It's just," Hermione took a deep breath, "I got so used to sleeping in your bed that now…"
"You don't want to sleep alone?"
Hermione shook her head and buried her wet face against Ron's neck.
"Awww bless," Ron chuckled and readjusted Hermione so he was holding her closer. He stroked her hair as she cried and when she pulled away he kissed the tears off of her face until there were no more.
"I like sleeping with you, too," he whispered. She looked into his eyes and Ron's heart leapt as he read in her expression a desire he had never witnessed in her before. She was burning with a blush and her eyes were still wet, but she looked at him with pleading eyes and her plump, wet lips were slightly parted, inviting him to take a taste. Ron bent his head and kissed her, gently and lovingly. She responded immediately, whimpering and allowing Ron to sink her back into a lounging position in his arms. They kissed for a long time, and the common room was silent except for the occasional crackling of the fire and the sound of lips kissing and noses breathing deep, steady breaths. Ron broke their kiss for a moment and Hermione whispered, "But, we're alone…"
"Good," Ron said before devouring her mouth with his. Their next kiss was less gentle, and Ron laid her down entirely on the sofa, still keeping his arms around her. He slipped his tongue into her mouth and Hermione welcomed him, letting a quiet moan into his mouth as she found pure satisfaction in making out with him. Several minutes passed until finally they broke apart, breathing heavily.
"Hermione," Ron breathed, "Be mine…" He looked into her eyes and swallowed, "Look, it's just…I love you. For real."
Hermione nodded and took his face between her hands.
"Okay, Ron," she whispered, "Okay I'll be your girlfriend." Ron kissed her again, and she murmured against his lips, "I love you, too."
They kissed and kissed and kissed until their lips were so sore the only thing left to do was cuddle and fall asleep together on the sofa.
"What's with you two?" Harry said to them when he discovered them first thing in the morning. Hermione yawned and stretched and made her way up to her dorm to get ready for the day – she was still in yesterday's robes. Ron stood up and took Harry's shoulders as he led him back up the stairs to their dorm.
"I have a lot to tell you, Harry." And he unloaded the whole secret, from start to finish.
"So your plans worked?" Harry still sounded aghast.
"Yep. Both of them."
"Blimey, you're more clever than you let on," Harry said. Ron laughed.
"Hey, I have a secret to tell you, too," Harry ventured.
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah…" Harry hesitated a moment, then said, "I've been seeing your sister in secret, too."
"WHAT?"
The End.