It was getting late. The fireplace was close to dying, only a few sparks were left dancing around the ebony charcoals. The moonlight shined through the windows, illuminating many of the objects in the Gryffindor Common Room. Almost everyone had gone to sleep, except for two 5th year students. Hermione and Ron sat in the common room finishing up some work. She was writing her Charms essay while Ron struggled to keep up with her scribbly writing. He was "studying", which, by his definition, was copying her essays and notes.
Soon Hermione wrote her last sentence and she waited for Ron to finish catching up. She found herself staring at him. The way his tongue was slightly hanging out of his mouth when he was anxious, that was adorable. And his bright red hair, his calm blue eyes, his clustered freckles, it was hard to look away. It was only until a few minutes when she realized she was staring, because Ron finished writing and noticed. He looked at her, too, and for a moment they just gazed at each other. Ron quickly looked away, and Hermione did the same. Then she stacked her books and quill in a neat pile, but instead of leaving, she left her belongings on the table and flopped down on the velvety scarlet couch.
Ron struggled to keep his supplies in an orderly fashion, but he managed to keep them in a somewhat decent tower of papers. His quill was stuck between two papers, roughly somewhere in the middle. A single drop of ink splattered from the tip of the quill and onto the table. Ron wiped it off with the sleeve of his uniform. He then sat down on the couch next to Hermione. They both sighed at the same time, and after a long moment of them both staring at the pale gold walls, Hermione started to get a little drowsy.
She scooted a bit more towards Ron so that their hips were touching, and she laid her head on Ron's shoulder. This surprised him a bit, but he realized that Hermione's eyes were closed. He assumed she must have fallen asleep. Then, without being completely aware of what he was doing, he started stroking her hair. It was kind of strange, but Ron enjoyed it. Hermione's dark chocolate brown hair may have been puffy, frizzy, and slightly tangled, but it calmed Ron a bit. He didn't know it, but a small smile spread on Hermione's lips. After a few moments, it faded.
Looking at the clock, Ron noticed it was getting pretty late, so he propped a pillow underneath Hermione's head and draped a blanket across her shoulders. He then glanced around the room to make sure nobody was there without him knowing, and knowing there wasn't, he leaned over and planted a small kiss on Hermione's nose. Then he got up and crossed over to a table to get his papers. He opened the door to the stairs leading to the boys dormitory, but when he glanced back to get another look at Hermione, he noticed she was sitting up, her cheeks flushed with red, but she was smiling.
Ron was a little shocked, but he asked out of curiosity, "Were you pretending to sleep this whole time?" A part of him really wanted her to be, but the other was thoroughly embarrassed at what he had just done and was pleading for her to not be. But Hermione blushed even more.
"I...I was," she admitted. Ron's ears turned the color of Luna's radish earrings. He started muttering words that not even he understood and ears turned an even deeper shade. He quickly opened the door and was about to sprint up the stairs when he felt a hand being placed on his shoulder. He turned around and saw Hermione.
He couldn't keep his eyes off her perfectly tanned complexion and her deep brown eyes. And the way Hermione's curly hair framed her face, it was like looking at a masterpiece. They stared at each other at each other for an even longer moment than before, and when it ended, they both looked away at the same time. The next thing that happened was so unexpected, neither Ron nor Hermione could speak the event clearly after it happened.
They kissed. They both kissed each other, at the exact same time, as if they could both read each other's mind, as if they both gave a signal at the exact perfect time. Ron dropped all of the objects in his arms, and the blanket around Hermione's shoulders slowly slid off. They both stuck in their kiss for about a minute, or perhaps the rest of forever, when Hermione stood on her toes with her arms around his neck, Ron with his arms around her waist, and for that moment, all time and space seemed to be frozen, it was just them standing at the door to the boy's dormitory, completely in their own small universe.
Finally Hermione gently pulled away and picked up Ron's papers for him. Handing them over, she whispered, "Good night, Ron." She then pecked his freckled nose, in the same spot where he had pecked her before.
Then they both went their separate ways upstairs, thinking about how great it was to get all of those emotions of their shoulders.