A/N: Hey all. Here's some more R/H fluff from me. It's from Hermione's PoV. It's sort of a sequel to my first story, Twilight, but can also be a standalone. Thank you SO much to everyone who reviewed Twilight - you have no idea how much I appreciate it. It was a very good boost for my pathetically low self-esteem. Enjoy the story and please review - I'm not sure if I like this installment and I'd like to know what you think. Thanks!
Disclaimer: Nothing's mine, and don't try to sue me, because I'm totally and completely broke.
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I glanced up at the sound of Ron shoving his Potions notes away from him in frustration. "That's it. I've had it. Do these stupid Professors actually think I CARE what the eyes of a beetle and a handful of lacewings make?"
I sighed. "It's a sleeping potion, Ron, and yes, I think they know that you don't care. You have to learn this stuff, Ron. It's important."
"Yeah, whatever," he said with a wave of his hand. "Don't tell me you're not sick of this junk, either."
"Well…." I began, "it's very important to our futures, and we have to know it, it's the rules, and some of it's interesting…."
But Ron was giving me a Look, one that seemed to go straight through my head and read all my thoughts. I groaned and threw up my hands in defeat.
"Fine! I admit it! Even I'm sick of this stupid, pointless workload! Will the ancient Goblin Rebellion of 1642 really help me to 'pick the correct path in later life'?" I finished my outburst, breathing heavily. Ron was looking terrified as he stared at me. He began to back away from me slowly.
"Who are you and what have you done with Hermione?" he demanded. I made a face at him.
"I don't appreciate your making fun of me, Ron."
He bowed at his waist. "I'm sorry, Hermione, my lady, dearest." I rolled my eyes. "To make up for it, your Highness, I would like to inform you of the perfectly beautiful sunset just beyond these castle walls." He held out a hand to me. "Interested?"
I looked uneasily from Ron's outstretched hand to the clock on the common room wall. Half of me longed to go with him; the other half knew that it would be wasting valuable study time.
"Ron - it's so late…"
He let out an exasperated sigh.
"Hermione, seven o'clock is NOT late. It'll only be for a little while, I promise. Are you coming or not?"
I glanced longingly out the common room window at the orange sky, and then back at my History Of Magic notes. A feeling of unpleasantness washed over me just looking at them, and I knew that even if I didn't go with Ron, I wouldn't be able to study. I turned my head up toward Ron, and saw a small grin playing at the corners of his mouth. Even he could see me succumbing to the temptation of a sunset. I grabbed his hand.
"Okay, you win. But just for a little while, okay?"
"Sure, sure," he said as he pulled me off the couch and toward the portrait hole, "we'll be back before you know it."
* * *
So now, here we are, sitting among the grass and the cherry blossoms once again. The sunsets at Hogwarts are truly amazing - swirls of yellow and orange and gold, dotted with the pinks and whites of the fading clouds. As the golden sun disappeared behind the Forbidden Forest, the stars began to appear, winking down at us from their spots so high above. I leaned my head on Ron's shoulder and he rested his on top of mine, and we sat, two best friends, enjoying the peace and beauty of the sunset.
It was amazing, really, that we'd ever be out here - it was so unlikely that I'd ever take a break from studying. But there was something so…enchanting about the swirl of the wind and the darkening sky that made me want to lie there forever. Perhaps rules weren't so important after all.
With these thoughts in mind, I sighed heavily and lay back in the grass. Ron grinned down at me, and I smiled wistfully back.
"I had no idea I was such a sentimental wimp until now," I said, selecting a blade of grass from the ground beside my head and attempting to blow on it in such a way that it gave a whistle. I failed. Miserably.
"What do you mean?" he asked, also pulling a blade from the ground and arranging it between his fingers.
"Look at me!" I exclaimed, readjusting the grass in my hands, "me - ME! - skipping study time for a sunset? A SUNSET, Ron!"
"I know," he said, smiling, "I never would have thought."
"Me neither. But there's something about it - I dunno what it is, Ron. I think I'm going crazy."
"You've just noticed?" he asked lightly.
"Shut up," I told him, trying my luck with another blade of grass. Ron bent over his, his features very defined in the shadows of the gathering darkness, and blew. A low sort of whistle came out, and I looked enviously at him. He glanced up and grinned.
"It's a skill that very few possess," he told me seriously. "you have to be an extremely advanced intellectual to aquire such a wondrous talent."
I sat up and stared at him, my face full of mock suspicion. "Ron?"
"Yes?"
"Where did you learn those words?"
He threw a clump of grass at me. "I'm smarter than you think."
"I'm sure you are," I said, dusting the blades off my robes.
He leaned over to me. "You missed some," he informed me, reaching up to brush some out of my hair. My breath caught in my throat, and I felt my face go hot at his closeness.
I swallowed hard. "Thanks," I whispered.
"You're welcome," he answered, just as quietly. His hand was still in my hair, and it slid down to my cheek, cold on my flushed face. We sat unmoving for a moment, eyes locked. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw something that made both Ron and I turn our heads to look at. It was a streak of silver, spiraling about in the sky. It didn't look like a shooting star…I snuck a glance at Ron, who was watching it with his mouth open in surprise.
"What -?" I began, but stopped short as two more smears appeared, flying about with the first one. Ron gasped, eyes riveted at the sky, as more and more streaks joined the three that had come first.
"Ron - what is going on?" I exclaimed, frustrated.
"It - it's a Silver Night!" He said, eyes still fixed on the silver swirls.
"It's a what?"
"A Silver Night!" he said, finally tearing his eyes away to look at me. "Don't tell me you don't know about them, with all the books you read!"
"No, I don't," I said irritably. I hate being confused. "Would you care to explain it to me?"
"It happens only in the Wizarding world," he informed me, "and it's really rare. I think it has to do with the alignment of the planets, or - I dunno. Something like that. Anyway, all these silver streaks come out, and they swirl around the sky for a little while. I think it happens once every fifty years or something, and everyone makes a big deal out of it. But sometimes it just happens out of the blue - like right now, I guess."
"Oh Ron, it's amazing. But don't the muggles notice?"
"No - only witches and wizards can see it. The muggles can see shooting stars, but it's nothing like this."
I grasped his hand. "Oh, it's incredible, Ron. It's not at all like shooting stars."
"Yeah," he agreed. "I've never seen anything like it."
He glanced down at me. His eyes darted to our clasped hands and back to my face. Our eyes locked. "Neither have I," I whispered.
He slowly lifted his free hand and put a finger lightly under my chin and I shivered at his touch. He pulled me gently toward him until our faces were just inches apart. My eyes fluttered closed as he leaned down and kissed me.
It was the most amazing thing I'd ever felt. It was warm and sweet and gentle and exciting and scary and exhilarating, all at the same time.
I snuggled up against him when we finally parted, watching the smears of silver soar across the sky. The Silver Night was more magical than either of us could ever have imagined.
Finally, though, the streaks began to fade, and we knew our time was up. Ron took my hand and helped me up, and we started silently back toward the castle. It was a beautiful silence - not one because we couldn't think of anything to say, but a comfortable one, where nothing needed to be said. I turned around just as the last swirl disappeared from the sky, and smiled. There wouldn't be another night like that for a long time, but the magic of the Silver Night would live on in my memory forever.
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Disclaimer: Nothing's mine, and don't try to sue me, because I'm totally and completely broke.
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I glanced up at the sound of Ron shoving his Potions notes away from him in frustration. "That's it. I've had it. Do these stupid Professors actually think I CARE what the eyes of a beetle and a handful of lacewings make?"
I sighed. "It's a sleeping potion, Ron, and yes, I think they know that you don't care. You have to learn this stuff, Ron. It's important."
"Yeah, whatever," he said with a wave of his hand. "Don't tell me you're not sick of this junk, either."
"Well…." I began, "it's very important to our futures, and we have to know it, it's the rules, and some of it's interesting…."
But Ron was giving me a Look, one that seemed to go straight through my head and read all my thoughts. I groaned and threw up my hands in defeat.
"Fine! I admit it! Even I'm sick of this stupid, pointless workload! Will the ancient Goblin Rebellion of 1642 really help me to 'pick the correct path in later life'?" I finished my outburst, breathing heavily. Ron was looking terrified as he stared at me. He began to back away from me slowly.
"Who are you and what have you done with Hermione?" he demanded. I made a face at him.
"I don't appreciate your making fun of me, Ron."
He bowed at his waist. "I'm sorry, Hermione, my lady, dearest." I rolled my eyes. "To make up for it, your Highness, I would like to inform you of the perfectly beautiful sunset just beyond these castle walls." He held out a hand to me. "Interested?"
I looked uneasily from Ron's outstretched hand to the clock on the common room wall. Half of me longed to go with him; the other half knew that it would be wasting valuable study time.
"Ron - it's so late…"
He let out an exasperated sigh.
"Hermione, seven o'clock is NOT late. It'll only be for a little while, I promise. Are you coming or not?"
I glanced longingly out the common room window at the orange sky, and then back at my History Of Magic notes. A feeling of unpleasantness washed over me just looking at them, and I knew that even if I didn't go with Ron, I wouldn't be able to study. I turned my head up toward Ron, and saw a small grin playing at the corners of his mouth. Even he could see me succumbing to the temptation of a sunset. I grabbed his hand.
"Okay, you win. But just for a little while, okay?"
"Sure, sure," he said as he pulled me off the couch and toward the portrait hole, "we'll be back before you know it."
* * *
So now, here we are, sitting among the grass and the cherry blossoms once again. The sunsets at Hogwarts are truly amazing - swirls of yellow and orange and gold, dotted with the pinks and whites of the fading clouds. As the golden sun disappeared behind the Forbidden Forest, the stars began to appear, winking down at us from their spots so high above. I leaned my head on Ron's shoulder and he rested his on top of mine, and we sat, two best friends, enjoying the peace and beauty of the sunset.
It was amazing, really, that we'd ever be out here - it was so unlikely that I'd ever take a break from studying. But there was something so…enchanting about the swirl of the wind and the darkening sky that made me want to lie there forever. Perhaps rules weren't so important after all.
With these thoughts in mind, I sighed heavily and lay back in the grass. Ron grinned down at me, and I smiled wistfully back.
"I had no idea I was such a sentimental wimp until now," I said, selecting a blade of grass from the ground beside my head and attempting to blow on it in such a way that it gave a whistle. I failed. Miserably.
"What do you mean?" he asked, also pulling a blade from the ground and arranging it between his fingers.
"Look at me!" I exclaimed, readjusting the grass in my hands, "me - ME! - skipping study time for a sunset? A SUNSET, Ron!"
"I know," he said, smiling, "I never would have thought."
"Me neither. But there's something about it - I dunno what it is, Ron. I think I'm going crazy."
"You've just noticed?" he asked lightly.
"Shut up," I told him, trying my luck with another blade of grass. Ron bent over his, his features very defined in the shadows of the gathering darkness, and blew. A low sort of whistle came out, and I looked enviously at him. He glanced up and grinned.
"It's a skill that very few possess," he told me seriously. "you have to be an extremely advanced intellectual to aquire such a wondrous talent."
I sat up and stared at him, my face full of mock suspicion. "Ron?"
"Yes?"
"Where did you learn those words?"
He threw a clump of grass at me. "I'm smarter than you think."
"I'm sure you are," I said, dusting the blades off my robes.
He leaned over to me. "You missed some," he informed me, reaching up to brush some out of my hair. My breath caught in my throat, and I felt my face go hot at his closeness.
I swallowed hard. "Thanks," I whispered.
"You're welcome," he answered, just as quietly. His hand was still in my hair, and it slid down to my cheek, cold on my flushed face. We sat unmoving for a moment, eyes locked. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw something that made both Ron and I turn our heads to look at. It was a streak of silver, spiraling about in the sky. It didn't look like a shooting star…I snuck a glance at Ron, who was watching it with his mouth open in surprise.
"What -?" I began, but stopped short as two more smears appeared, flying about with the first one. Ron gasped, eyes riveted at the sky, as more and more streaks joined the three that had come first.
"Ron - what is going on?" I exclaimed, frustrated.
"It - it's a Silver Night!" He said, eyes still fixed on the silver swirls.
"It's a what?"
"A Silver Night!" he said, finally tearing his eyes away to look at me. "Don't tell me you don't know about them, with all the books you read!"
"No, I don't," I said irritably. I hate being confused. "Would you care to explain it to me?"
"It happens only in the Wizarding world," he informed me, "and it's really rare. I think it has to do with the alignment of the planets, or - I dunno. Something like that. Anyway, all these silver streaks come out, and they swirl around the sky for a little while. I think it happens once every fifty years or something, and everyone makes a big deal out of it. But sometimes it just happens out of the blue - like right now, I guess."
"Oh Ron, it's amazing. But don't the muggles notice?"
"No - only witches and wizards can see it. The muggles can see shooting stars, but it's nothing like this."
I grasped his hand. "Oh, it's incredible, Ron. It's not at all like shooting stars."
"Yeah," he agreed. "I've never seen anything like it."
He glanced down at me. His eyes darted to our clasped hands and back to my face. Our eyes locked. "Neither have I," I whispered.
He slowly lifted his free hand and put a finger lightly under my chin and I shivered at his touch. He pulled me gently toward him until our faces were just inches apart. My eyes fluttered closed as he leaned down and kissed me.
It was the most amazing thing I'd ever felt. It was warm and sweet and gentle and exciting and scary and exhilarating, all at the same time.
I snuggled up against him when we finally parted, watching the smears of silver soar across the sky. The Silver Night was more magical than either of us could ever have imagined.
Finally, though, the streaks began to fade, and we knew our time was up. Ron took my hand and helped me up, and we started silently back toward the castle. It was a beautiful silence - not one because we couldn't think of anything to say, but a comfortable one, where nothing needed to be said. I turned around just as the last swirl disappeared from the sky, and smiled. There wouldn't be another night like that for a long time, but the magic of the Silver Night would live on in my memory forever.
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