Chapter 1: Dueling Kisses

Hermione Granger was practically floating as she was escorted back to the Gryffindor portrait hole by Viktor Krum, the dashing Bulgarian champion. She still could not believe that he had chosen her to be his date for the Yule Ball. The hours of preparation had been worth it - all of it - to see the stunned, jealous looks on the faces of girls in his fan club. The shocked expressions of Lavendar and Pavarti - utterly priceless! It felt so wonderful, to have someone see her as beautiful. To have Viktor say she was beautiful when... someone else didn't. Her pink dress swishing around her ankles, she pulled a copy of the latest book she was reading - A History of House Elf Enslavement - from her handbag. Hermione turned to Krum happily.

"I had a great time, Viktor. Thank you so much."

Krum smiled. "You are velcome, Herm-o-ninny." His expression suddenly became very solemn, his gaze serious. "May I...?"

Hermione's brow creased in confusion. "Viktor, I'm not sure what you...Mmmm..." She gasped as she was cut off by Viktor taking her face in his hands, tilting her chin up, and firmly pressing his lips to hers.

For a moment, Hermione stood frozen, unsure what to do. This was her very first kiss! But Viktor tasted... nice. She felt his thick arms go about her waist, pulling her flush against his chest. He held her gently. After an instant, Hermione felt Viktor's tongue tickle her bottom lip, and she whimpered a little. Slowly, Hermione parted her lips, opening her mouth to him. She felt his tongue slide effortlessly down her throat, and her own played with it. It was an entirely new kind of magic. Hermione felt her nerves alight, and her copy of A History of House Elf Enslavement tumbled from her hand and to the floor. Hermione began to return the kiss, snogging Viktor back as she twisted her lips into his. "Hmmmmm..." Her arms lazily encircled his neck, her fingers weaving themselves into the tendrils of his dark hair. Her eyes fluttered shut in pleasure. Yet even as she and Viktor embraced and kissed, as her normally hyper-active mind switched off, Hermione found herself thinking, almost inherently, one thought: I'm betraying Ron, I'm being unfaithful to Ron, I don't want to hurt Ron... Quite unexpectedly, her imagination ran wild as she pretended it was Ron kissing her instead...

But then Viktor lifted Hermione clean off her feet and kissed her even more passionately. Hermione let her face go slack, let herself relax, and she lost herself in kissing, and being kissed by, Viktor Krum...

Ron Weasley was brooding. Fuming, as he stomped up the staircase towards the Gryffindor Common Room. The night had been an unmitigated disaster, and all he wanted to do was retreat into his dorm and wallow in his own misery before going to bed. He had bade Harry a sulking goodbye just a few minutes before, and hadn't even thought of saying goodnight to his "date," Padma Patil - she had ditched him quite a while ago.

Why did Hermione have to go with that git? Hell, he probably wouldn't have even been nearly as mad if she went with Draco sodding Malfoy. But him? Viktor Krum? Everything that Ron wasn't? That was more than Ron could bear.

As he crested over the landing just ahead of the portrait hole, he looked up... and stopped dead.

Hermione Granger - his Hermione! The love of his life! - was wrapped in the arms of Viktor Krum. And they were kissing. Full-blown snogging. And from the way her eyes were closed, she was thoroughly enjoying it.

Ron felt his heart shatter, like a bullet just blasted through it. Tears pricked at his eyes, and an anguished sob lodged in his throat.

And then... a rage heated by one too many butterbeers, heated by more than a thousand suns, made Ron rush forward. Who knew where Krum's hands were? What if he was taking advantage of her?

A growl was wrenched from Ron's throat when we was almost on top of them; there was barely time for Hermione and Krum to break apart, their arms still around each other, before Ron had barreled into the Quidditch star like a bull and rammed them both to the ground. He didn't even notice how Hermione was dumped unceremoniously to the floor.

Ron's wand was in his hand before Hermione could scream or say anything. BANG! Viktor flopped back, now unconscious from a well-placed hex, and Ron made a note to thank Ginny for the little tip. Spinning about, he grabbed Hermione's hand and pulled her to her feet, ignoring her horrified expression as he dragged her into a darkened corner of the corridor.

"Ronald Weasley! What in Merlin's name...?"

"Did he hurt you?" Ron demanded, his eyes alight with fear and concern.

"No," Hermione shook her head, perplexed.

"Did he touch you?" Ron growled, his teeth bared.

Hermione gawked at him in offended disbelief. Though in her heart of hearts, she thought it was sweet that Ron would fret over her honor so much. "NO! It was just a kiss, Ronald! A kiss goodnight!"

"He should not have been taking advantage of you, Hermione! He could have grabbed you, and..." His throat clogged with the mere thought of it.

"I was fine!" Hermione insisted. "And why do you care who I kiss or go to a Ball with?"

"I care because it should have been ME!" Ron bellowed.

There was a brief silence as Hermione stared at him. Did he mean that he should have been the one to take her to the Ball? Or did he mean that he should have... kissed...? Then, she shook her head. "You should have thought of that, and plucked up the courage and asked me before somebody else did - and NOT as a last resort!" She sounded tearful, and moisture was indeed swimming behind her eyes.

"I was scared! And I'm your best mate - I thought..."

"You thought what, Ron? That I would just go with you, that you assumed I would?" Hermione's eyes blazed. "Best mates or not, I would expect you to approach me like a gentleman, just like anyone else!"

"Do you know how hard it was to see you with... him tonight? Do you?" Ron demanded. "My night was a joke without you! And seeing you then kissing that... git, who gets anything he wants without any effort - it makes me sick!"

So, he was jealous. Hermione's heart did a little tap dance at that conclusion, and she refrained from smiling, pleased. Reminding herself of his words, they effectively angered her all over again. Without any effort...? Oh, couldn't he see that he hadn't needed to do much to make her fall in love with him when she was a little girl?

Wait, what? Fall in love? Hermione shook her head to clear it. "Goodnight, Ronald. I need some air..."

It happened so fast, Ron did not have time to think through his move. He saw her walking past him towards a still prone and unconscious Viktor Krum, and suddenly his hand was gripped around her wrist. He heard Hermione gasp and felt the rush of air caused by her body being whirled around to face him. She crashed up against his chest, her hand trapped between them as she stared up at him in confusion and fear. Ron's other arm encircled Hermione's waist, cradling her close. He didn't give her a moment to register what was happening before his lips crashed down on hers.

In the next instant, in one perfect moment, Ron felt Hermione soften, swoon in his embrace. Her muffled squeak of surprise turned into a content moan, and her free arm wound itself about his shoulders, her other hand fisting the ruffles of his dress robes. He watched as her impossibly brown orbs fluttered closed, and he felt his own eyelids droop.

But then, just as quickly as the kiss began, the feel of Hermione's lips finally, at long last, on his, was over, as he felt her pull away. His eyes were barely open in time to see the blur. SMACK! She had slapped him, hard across the face. Ron vaguely wondered if it stung as much as when she had punched Draco Malfoy last year.

Ron's heart broke all over again to see the expression on her face. She was slack-jawed, gazing at him in bewilderment. She appeared hurt, confused and angry. But even so, he spoke next, "That should have been your first kiss. And despite the reaction it got... I don't regret it."

Hermione's reaction seemed to come at a delay to her actual emotions, as both of her hands flew to her very kissed mouth in horror. Her face permanently flushed. "On, Merlin, Ron... I'm... I'm so sorry..." She burst into tears, and pushing past him, choking on every breath of air, she ran for the portrait hole, sobbing.

Ron stared after her, crushed. His last chance had probably gone right through that hole that the Fat Lady was now swinging shut. He had lost his best mate, and the woman he loved, forever. Dejectedly, Ron crossed over to Viktor's form, which was even now maddeningly still. Pulling out his wand, he manipulated Viktor's memories with Obliviate; with any luck, he would wake up here and think he had blacked out drunk. But when he got to the memory of Viktor kissing Hermione, Ron hesitated. Right away, he could see that Hermione had been telling the truth - everything had been above board, although how long that would have lasted, Ron could not say. Guiltily, he kept the memory of the kiss as it was, knowing Hermione would never forgive him if he tampered with it.

The task done, Ron turned for the Fat Lady when something caught his eye. Turning back, he noticed a propped-open book lying feet from Viktor's body. Likely Hermione's. He picked it up - A History of House Elf Enslavement. Ron smiled, in spite of himself. S.P.E.W... He would have to find a way to return it to her... and also apologize for being a foul git. Though she would probably never forgive him. Head down, Ron trudged sadly into the Common Room.