p i Kiss me out of the bearded barley p Lightly, beside the green,
green grass /i
p Hermione sat alone by the edge of the lake, staring calmly into its tranquil waters. Her auburn hair fell morosely down her back; her eyes were tired. The giant squid occasionally lifted his large head and sent Hermione a passing glance. She always allowed him a small, secret smile before turning back to her deep and disturbing thoughts. Looking at the pacifying blueness of Hogwart's famed lake, Hermione was reminded of his eyes: such a deep and penetrating sapphire that it sometimes scared her. The first time Hermione had looked into those eyes, she had nearly fainted. Gazing into those eyes had been one thing; locked lip-to-lip and only centimeters from them was quite another. Hermione felt a rogue tear trickle down her cheek. She immediately reprimanded herself: dreaming about Ron Weasley's eyes will not help you study for the O.W. L's, Hermione. But she found that she could not help herself; even with the end-of-year-tests approaching, Hermione could not keep her stubborn mind from straying to the comforting image of Ron's face.
p i Swing, swing, swing the spinning step p You wear those shoes and I will wear that dress /i
p Last Tuesday--had it only been a week since they had been together? Hermione reflected, amazed—Hermione and Ron were sitting in this very spot, Hermione fitting snugly into the warm stronghold of Ron's arms. Hermione could still smell his scent: the lingering odor of Ivory soap and something homely, probably The Burrow. She wasn't sure what she herself smelled like, but she was very positive that, together, Ron and herself emanated such a strong scent of love and togetherness that most people were almost overpowered. Hermione also knew, however, that without Ron, she was just plain Hermione Granger, and the only thing about her that was anywhere near overpowering was her intelligence. Another salty tear trickled over her complexion. She reached up and brushed it away, surprised to find that her hand came away completely wet, therefore, she had not only let the two small tears by that she had supposed. She was full out crying, for the first time in a long time and, again, it was because of Ronald Weasley. She almost cursed him, but caught herself. Nothing, she thought bitterly, would come of badmouthing her best friend and-even more bitterly-her ex- boyfriend.
p i Oh, kiss me beneath the milky twilight p Lead me out on the moonlit floor /i
p While she sat, Hermione pondered that word, 'ex-boyfriend'. She wasn't sure if Ron wasn't also her ex-best friend, but she certainly hoped not. Their break-up had been acrid, and she remembered it now.
p "Hermione, where's my broomstick?" Ron had asked. Looking up slightly from her book, she replied,
p "I don't know, hon."
p "Well, I've got to go practice…you know, I'm thinking of playing Quidditch professionally when I get out of Hogwarts. What do you think? Harry's definitely got a place on any team he fancies, but I'd have to work hard…which is why I need my broomstick. You sure you haven't seen it?"
p Hermione was now staring at him intently from over her book, i Muggles and Magic: What To Do When Non-Magic People See Your Spells /i. Ron playing Quidditch bothered her, because she knew how hurt he could become. Casually, she remarked, "Isn't Quidditch dangerous, Ron?"
p "Well, sure. But what else have I to do? You know the Ministry of Magic would laugh if I tried to get an office job." Hermione knew that perfectly well, and yet she wouldn't let it go.
p "How will you have a family if you're always off playing Quidditch?" Hermione asked, addressing her worst fear.
p "Family?" Ron had said incredulously.
p i Lift your open hand p Strike up the band and make the fireflies dance, silver moon's sparkling /i
p Hermione shivered. "What do I need a ifamily/i for?" Ron continued. Hermione's eyes filled up with tears.
p "bWe/b need a family, Ron." She pleaded. "For when we graduate. We can marry and have a bunch of little Weasleys…" She trailed off at the look on Ron's face.
p "Tell me you're kidding, Hermione." Ron's face was deadly serious. Hermione's reflected this, and he could see that she wasn't kidding. Not at all. "Hermione, I don't want to be a father. Heck, I don't even want to get married." Hermione cried harder. Ron made a move to hold her, but she jerked out of his reach.
p "iI/i want to get married, Ron. iI/i want to have children. iI/i want to spend the rest of my life with you. Why can't you just let me have that?" Ron sighed audibly.
p "Don't you want what's best for me, Hermione? If you loved me, wouldn't you want me to follow my dream and play Quidditch?" Hermione sobbed.
p "Why won't you let me follow my dream? If byou/b love bme/b, won't you just let me have a child? Or two?" She gasped between sobs.
p "Hermione, it's not that I don't love you. It's just that I love Quidditch-"
p Hermione cut him off. "You love Quidditch more than me? You would choose Quidditch over me?"
pi So kiss me p Kiss me down by the broken tree house /i
p "You're so selfish, Ron!" Hermione cried. She knew that she was taking this too far, that Ron had never said he loved Quidditch more than she, however, Hermione had become enraged at the thought of no children and no family that she didn't really care what she said. All she was thinking about was hurting Ron, hurting Ron as much as she could, so that he would suffer as she did. "Everything is me, me, me with you. Why can't it be about ME sometimes?" Hermione and Ron were both aware that she had just gone totally off the deep end, that Ron wasn't selfish and certainly let Hermione have her way as often as he did himself, and that they had now entered a full-frontal war.
p "You're always nagging me, Hermione!" Ron groused, his cheeks beginning to burn. "All you ever do is tell me not to do this, and not to do that. I can make my own decisions!" Ron fumed. Hermione stood up, tears streaming from her eyes and her hands planted firmly on her hips.
p "I don't nag you! I only want what's best for you, and I'm telling you right now that if you play Quidditch and don't have a family, you'll regret it for the rest of your life!"
p "Don't tell me what I will and will not regret!" Ron yelled. "What's the matter with you, Hermione?" He asked, his voice acid.
p i Swing me high upon its hanging tire p Bring, bring, bring your flowered hat /i
p "There's nothing wrong with me!" Hermione shrieked back. "It's you that doesn't know what you want!"
p "I know perfectly well what I want, Hermione! I want to play Quidditch, and I b don't /b want to get married or have kids. So I guess that means I don't want to be with you, either!" Hermione gasped. They had had fights before, albeit none this serious.
p "No, Ron! I love you!" She said desperately. Between being with Ron and not being with him, she knew immediately which she would choose. Ron barreled forward.
p "Just leave me alone, Hermione Granger! I don't want to be with you anymore, and I don't love you!"
p Of all the lies previously shouted between Ron and Hermione, this was the largest. Ron loved Hermione dearly, as did Hermione Ron, but in the spur of the fight, Ron lost all sense. He barged out of the Gryffindor Common Room and left a crying Hermione to her lonely self and broken heart.
p Now Hermione and Ron weren't together, and both of them were the worse off because of it. Hermione didn't sleep, Ron didn't eat, and the breakup took its toll on their bodies. Sitting morosely beside the lake on that dark, dark day, Hermione blamed herself. iWhy/i did she have to blow up at Ron? Maybe, if she hadn't screamed, they would have been able to resolve their differences like rational adults. Instead, they had squalled like children.
piWe'll take the trail marked on your father's map pOh, kiss me beneath the milky twilight /i
p Hermione dipped her hands into the lake's lukewarm water and washed off her face, tasting salt on her lips. She grew so intent on this task that she did not hear Ron approaching behind her.Only when he was right behind her and she could fell his breath on her neck did she whip around. "Ron!" She said, surprised. She felt extremely happy to see him there, althought she wasn't about to let him see this. To cover up, she said coldly, "What are you doing here?"
p "We need to talk." Ron said shortly. Hermione's expression did not change. "I really want to play Quidditch, Hermione." She frowned.
p "I thought you said you didn't want to know me." She accused. He ran his fingers through his Weasley-red hair.
p "Did I say that?" He inquired wearily. "Well, I do, Hermione. I-I like knowing you." His voice cracked. He regained his composure quickly. "I said that I didn't love you before. You know, on Tuesday." Hermione nodded stiffly. "I lied." Ron stated. Hermione felt like skipping, and hardly kept control of her stony mask. "I do love you, my Hermione." She shivered at the use of his pet name for her. "I love you, and I love Quidditch, and- well, Hermione, I've been thinking, and I'm pretty sure that if I had to choose between you and Quidditch, I would choose-" he paused. "I would choose you." Hermione's chin trembled. "I'm ready to give it up for you." He confessed.
p Unable to hold back her emotions any longer, Hermione threw her arms around Ron.
p iLead me out on the moonlit floor p Lift your open hand /i
p "Ron," she said, her inflection slightly muffled, "don't do that. You don't have to give up Quidditch for me." She hurried on. "I mean, I know you could get hurt, but that's a risk I'm willing to take. I love you more than anything, Ronald Weasley. I can't-" her voice caught. "I can't live without you. And I figure we could get married later on, once you're done playing Quidditch, and we can have children-"
p "Hermione, no." Ron negated, confusing Hermione. "I couldn't wait until my Quidditch career is over to marry you. I love you too much." He explained. Hermione's eyes leaked tears of happiness. "I figure, if we marry now, and have children later on, I could still play Quidditch."
p Hermione nodded into the warmth of Ron's robes. "I would like that." She said. Ron strengthed his hold around her. "There's just one more thing." She added. Ron looked at her, puzzled. "Kiss me." She commanded.
p "In the history of the world, there have been five types of kisses, from a one, the lightest kind, to a five, the most passionate. This kiss blew all of those other kisses away."
p iStrike up the band and make the fireflies dance, silver moon's sparkling p So kiss me/i
p Hermione sat alone by the edge of the lake, staring calmly into its tranquil waters. Her auburn hair fell morosely down her back; her eyes were tired. The giant squid occasionally lifted his large head and sent Hermione a passing glance. She always allowed him a small, secret smile before turning back to her deep and disturbing thoughts. Looking at the pacifying blueness of Hogwart's famed lake, Hermione was reminded of his eyes: such a deep and penetrating sapphire that it sometimes scared her. The first time Hermione had looked into those eyes, she had nearly fainted. Gazing into those eyes had been one thing; locked lip-to-lip and only centimeters from them was quite another. Hermione felt a rogue tear trickle down her cheek. She immediately reprimanded herself: dreaming about Ron Weasley's eyes will not help you study for the O.W. L's, Hermione. But she found that she could not help herself; even with the end-of-year-tests approaching, Hermione could not keep her stubborn mind from straying to the comforting image of Ron's face.
p i Swing, swing, swing the spinning step p You wear those shoes and I will wear that dress /i
p Last Tuesday--had it only been a week since they had been together? Hermione reflected, amazed—Hermione and Ron were sitting in this very spot, Hermione fitting snugly into the warm stronghold of Ron's arms. Hermione could still smell his scent: the lingering odor of Ivory soap and something homely, probably The Burrow. She wasn't sure what she herself smelled like, but she was very positive that, together, Ron and herself emanated such a strong scent of love and togetherness that most people were almost overpowered. Hermione also knew, however, that without Ron, she was just plain Hermione Granger, and the only thing about her that was anywhere near overpowering was her intelligence. Another salty tear trickled over her complexion. She reached up and brushed it away, surprised to find that her hand came away completely wet, therefore, she had not only let the two small tears by that she had supposed. She was full out crying, for the first time in a long time and, again, it was because of Ronald Weasley. She almost cursed him, but caught herself. Nothing, she thought bitterly, would come of badmouthing her best friend and-even more bitterly-her ex- boyfriend.
p i Oh, kiss me beneath the milky twilight p Lead me out on the moonlit floor /i
p While she sat, Hermione pondered that word, 'ex-boyfriend'. She wasn't sure if Ron wasn't also her ex-best friend, but she certainly hoped not. Their break-up had been acrid, and she remembered it now.
p "Hermione, where's my broomstick?" Ron had asked. Looking up slightly from her book, she replied,
p "I don't know, hon."
p "Well, I've got to go practice…you know, I'm thinking of playing Quidditch professionally when I get out of Hogwarts. What do you think? Harry's definitely got a place on any team he fancies, but I'd have to work hard…which is why I need my broomstick. You sure you haven't seen it?"
p Hermione was now staring at him intently from over her book, i Muggles and Magic: What To Do When Non-Magic People See Your Spells /i. Ron playing Quidditch bothered her, because she knew how hurt he could become. Casually, she remarked, "Isn't Quidditch dangerous, Ron?"
p "Well, sure. But what else have I to do? You know the Ministry of Magic would laugh if I tried to get an office job." Hermione knew that perfectly well, and yet she wouldn't let it go.
p "How will you have a family if you're always off playing Quidditch?" Hermione asked, addressing her worst fear.
p "Family?" Ron had said incredulously.
p i Lift your open hand p Strike up the band and make the fireflies dance, silver moon's sparkling /i
p Hermione shivered. "What do I need a ifamily/i for?" Ron continued. Hermione's eyes filled up with tears.
p "bWe/b need a family, Ron." She pleaded. "For when we graduate. We can marry and have a bunch of little Weasleys…" She trailed off at the look on Ron's face.
p "Tell me you're kidding, Hermione." Ron's face was deadly serious. Hermione's reflected this, and he could see that she wasn't kidding. Not at all. "Hermione, I don't want to be a father. Heck, I don't even want to get married." Hermione cried harder. Ron made a move to hold her, but she jerked out of his reach.
p "iI/i want to get married, Ron. iI/i want to have children. iI/i want to spend the rest of my life with you. Why can't you just let me have that?" Ron sighed audibly.
p "Don't you want what's best for me, Hermione? If you loved me, wouldn't you want me to follow my dream and play Quidditch?" Hermione sobbed.
p "Why won't you let me follow my dream? If byou/b love bme/b, won't you just let me have a child? Or two?" She gasped between sobs.
p "Hermione, it's not that I don't love you. It's just that I love Quidditch-"
p Hermione cut him off. "You love Quidditch more than me? You would choose Quidditch over me?"
pi So kiss me p Kiss me down by the broken tree house /i
p "You're so selfish, Ron!" Hermione cried. She knew that she was taking this too far, that Ron had never said he loved Quidditch more than she, however, Hermione had become enraged at the thought of no children and no family that she didn't really care what she said. All she was thinking about was hurting Ron, hurting Ron as much as she could, so that he would suffer as she did. "Everything is me, me, me with you. Why can't it be about ME sometimes?" Hermione and Ron were both aware that she had just gone totally off the deep end, that Ron wasn't selfish and certainly let Hermione have her way as often as he did himself, and that they had now entered a full-frontal war.
p "You're always nagging me, Hermione!" Ron groused, his cheeks beginning to burn. "All you ever do is tell me not to do this, and not to do that. I can make my own decisions!" Ron fumed. Hermione stood up, tears streaming from her eyes and her hands planted firmly on her hips.
p "I don't nag you! I only want what's best for you, and I'm telling you right now that if you play Quidditch and don't have a family, you'll regret it for the rest of your life!"
p "Don't tell me what I will and will not regret!" Ron yelled. "What's the matter with you, Hermione?" He asked, his voice acid.
p i Swing me high upon its hanging tire p Bring, bring, bring your flowered hat /i
p "There's nothing wrong with me!" Hermione shrieked back. "It's you that doesn't know what you want!"
p "I know perfectly well what I want, Hermione! I want to play Quidditch, and I b don't /b want to get married or have kids. So I guess that means I don't want to be with you, either!" Hermione gasped. They had had fights before, albeit none this serious.
p "No, Ron! I love you!" She said desperately. Between being with Ron and not being with him, she knew immediately which she would choose. Ron barreled forward.
p "Just leave me alone, Hermione Granger! I don't want to be with you anymore, and I don't love you!"
p Of all the lies previously shouted between Ron and Hermione, this was the largest. Ron loved Hermione dearly, as did Hermione Ron, but in the spur of the fight, Ron lost all sense. He barged out of the Gryffindor Common Room and left a crying Hermione to her lonely self and broken heart.
p Now Hermione and Ron weren't together, and both of them were the worse off because of it. Hermione didn't sleep, Ron didn't eat, and the breakup took its toll on their bodies. Sitting morosely beside the lake on that dark, dark day, Hermione blamed herself. iWhy/i did she have to blow up at Ron? Maybe, if she hadn't screamed, they would have been able to resolve their differences like rational adults. Instead, they had squalled like children.
piWe'll take the trail marked on your father's map pOh, kiss me beneath the milky twilight /i
p Hermione dipped her hands into the lake's lukewarm water and washed off her face, tasting salt on her lips. She grew so intent on this task that she did not hear Ron approaching behind her.Only when he was right behind her and she could fell his breath on her neck did she whip around. "Ron!" She said, surprised. She felt extremely happy to see him there, althought she wasn't about to let him see this. To cover up, she said coldly, "What are you doing here?"
p "We need to talk." Ron said shortly. Hermione's expression did not change. "I really want to play Quidditch, Hermione." She frowned.
p "I thought you said you didn't want to know me." She accused. He ran his fingers through his Weasley-red hair.
p "Did I say that?" He inquired wearily. "Well, I do, Hermione. I-I like knowing you." His voice cracked. He regained his composure quickly. "I said that I didn't love you before. You know, on Tuesday." Hermione nodded stiffly. "I lied." Ron stated. Hermione felt like skipping, and hardly kept control of her stony mask. "I do love you, my Hermione." She shivered at the use of his pet name for her. "I love you, and I love Quidditch, and- well, Hermione, I've been thinking, and I'm pretty sure that if I had to choose between you and Quidditch, I would choose-" he paused. "I would choose you." Hermione's chin trembled. "I'm ready to give it up for you." He confessed.
p Unable to hold back her emotions any longer, Hermione threw her arms around Ron.
p iLead me out on the moonlit floor p Lift your open hand /i
p "Ron," she said, her inflection slightly muffled, "don't do that. You don't have to give up Quidditch for me." She hurried on. "I mean, I know you could get hurt, but that's a risk I'm willing to take. I love you more than anything, Ronald Weasley. I can't-" her voice caught. "I can't live without you. And I figure we could get married later on, once you're done playing Quidditch, and we can have children-"
p "Hermione, no." Ron negated, confusing Hermione. "I couldn't wait until my Quidditch career is over to marry you. I love you too much." He explained. Hermione's eyes leaked tears of happiness. "I figure, if we marry now, and have children later on, I could still play Quidditch."
p Hermione nodded into the warmth of Ron's robes. "I would like that." She said. Ron strengthed his hold around her. "There's just one more thing." She added. Ron looked at her, puzzled. "Kiss me." She commanded.
p "In the history of the world, there have been five types of kisses, from a one, the lightest kind, to a five, the most passionate. This kiss blew all of those other kisses away."
p iStrike up the band and make the fireflies dance, silver moon's sparkling p So kiss me/i