Disclaimer: The wonderful world of Harry Potter belongs to the even more wonderful J.K. Rowling.

He stopped, out of breath, and scanned the area. At that moment, there was only one thing on his mind…her. He quickly pushed back his ginger hair and tried to think. Where might she be? Suddenly, it hit him. The Astronomy Tower! He ran off again.

She looked up at the dark sky, dotted with little twinkling, glowing lights. She sighed. How beautiful it was. A slight breeze blew her chocolate brown curls. She tucked them behind her ears and continued staring up at the vast heavens above. Suddenly she heard footsteps. She gasped and turned around quickly, only to find…

"Ron? What are you doing here?" she said. "Is something wrong?"

"No…well, yeah – kinda. Hermione, there's something I have to tell you."

"What is it, Ron?" she asked, concerned.

He sighed. How could he tell her what he truly felt about her? How could he tell her that his heart skipped a beat whenever she was near him? That he loved the sound of her laugh, and found her smile irresistible? But this was it, his one last chance. He took a deep breath…the moonlight reflected off her face so perfectly tonight…

"I…erm…I sort of…well, I kinda…"

"Are you alright? You can just tell me, Ron." She touched his arm lightly. "Trust me."

He's so cute when he's shy, she caught herself thinking. She stole a peek at him while he was getting it together. Her breath got caught in her throat with one look at those piercing blue eyes…they were so captivating.

"Okay. This is it. I'm finally, actually telling you…"

"that I love you." He immediately turned bright red and shifted his gaze to the ground.

"Well, of course, Ron. I knew that…" she said.

What? "How did you know!"

"Well, I mean, you are one of my best friends."

Oh no. Oh, no. She had it completely wrong! The color drained from his face…don't make me say it again.

"No, Hermione, I mean, I love you…as more than a friend," he finished quietly.

She gasped slightly.

"Oh, Ron…I…I…don't know what to say…"

He shrugged. "It's…it's okay. I just needed to let it go. I didn't think you felt the same way anyway." He slowly shuffled away, and was about to leave, when she finally regained her voice.

"Ron! Wait!" He turned around, and she quickly rushed over to him. "I…I love you, too," she whispered. She cautiously looked up at him, and their eyes locked.

The earth stopped spinning.

Suddenly, it felt as if there was nothing and no one in the world but them. The connection was so intense, so fierce, she could feel an invisible force pulling her closer to him. With every inch, their passion multiplied, making it hard for her to breathe.

And then they kissed. And boy, was it a kiss. All the longing and the time wasted were just poured into the heat of the moment. They were as close as humanly possible, but that was not close enough. They craved each other, and now that they could finally have it. She ran her fingers through his hair, her whole body tingling. He had his arms around her waist, never wanting to let go. They couldn't breathe, but who needed air at a time like this? As long as they were together, they would be all right.

Eesh. This is my first fanfic. Constructive criticism welcomed! Just, uh, go easy on me?

Thanks for reviewing!

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