Just Another Birthday
Disclaimer: Would I be putting it here if I owned this? I don't think so!
Hermione Granger had never had a boyfriend. She'd had dates, true, but Viktor and Cormac were definitely not her boyfriends. Viktor was just a friend, and Cormac was just...disgusting. She was saving herself for someone else, someone tall and redheaded, loyal, brave, and true. She was saving herself for Ron.
Now another birthday was close, her eighteenth, but this time, Hermione wasn't wishing for Ron to notice her, she was wishing she could be with him. Be his, officially (for she had always been his), forever and always. She knew that last year's blow-up made that possibility both very likely and very unlikely. Likely, because they knew each other's attempts were for attention and jealousy, and unlikely, because they blew-up and that made things very awkward. This summer, she had spent most of her time making up for lost time and trying to get things back to normal. But things would never be normal again; they had both crossed lines and made moves that could never be changed, taken back, or fixed. That left them at a fork in the road: on the left, dating; on the right, complete isolation from each other.
"Miss Granger?"
She had been lost in thought, in the middle of class, only half listening. She took a quick look at the board and quickly answered, "Yes, Professor Vector?"
"Please answer my question," Professor Vector replied.
"The answer is 2 Imperius Curses and 3 Levitation charms," She answered quickly.
"And I thought you weren't paying attention. 5 points to Gryffindor."
Hermione breathed a sigh of relief, and made sure she paid attention for the rest of class. As she was dismissed, she saw Ginny in the corridor, looking in the opposite direction, as if she was searching for someone. Hermione slipped into step behind her, wondering if Ginny would ever notice that she was right under her nose.
"Now where could she be?" Ginny muttered to herself.
Hermione leaned over to Ginny's ear and said, "Looking for someone?"
Ginny started as if to hurt someone, then saw Hermione and laughed. "Slick, Smart One, very slick. Yes, I was looking for you, but I guess you found me."
Hermione smiled, and as they walked down the hall, they talked about Hermione's upcoming birthday, and her potential gifts. As they talked, Ron and Harry walked up behind them and joined in the conversation. They were all headed towards the Great Hall for dinner, and started talking about their different classes. As they reached their destination, they were all talking about Fred and George's newest inventions, and how different people said they planned to use them. They continued to talk all the way through dinner without a pause, something different for them. As they left the Great Hall, Ron pulled on Hermione's hand, giving her a thrill, and said, "Let them be alone. They need their time."
She nodded and they continued to talk about almost everything as they walked upstairs, until they came to the door of the Common Room. As they entered the portrait hole, there was an awkward pause, for they had no idea what to say.
"So errrr... are you looking forward to your birthday tomorrow? I mean, do you know what you want?"
"Not really. I don't make a big deal out of birthdays."
He half-smiled and put his right hand in his pocket. They were silent for about 5 minutes, avoiding each other's eyes and staring off into space. "Well, I think Harry and Ginny are done talking now. They're looking at us desperately," Ron said, almost laughing.
They walked over to the awkward pair, and Hermione smiled and said, "Do either of you guys have plans for this weekend?"
They both looked at each other for a long time and finally Ginny answered, "Nope."
Harry smiled and said, "I don't either."
"Well then," Hermione said. "Do we all want to meet at the Three Broomsticks around 6 tomorrow?" She knew fully well that it was going to end up her birthday dinner, but she wasn't going to bring it up. She didn't want to make her own birthday plans.
"Sounds good to me," Ron answered immediately.
Harry and Ginny looked at each other again and then nodded.
"So, I guess I'll see you then." Ginny said, getting up and going towards the room she and Hermione shared. "Goodnight."
" 'Night," Harry called to Ginny, then he went to his and Ron's room.
That left Hermione and Ron alone together. Their eyes locked and then Hermione quickly looked down at her hands.
"Errrrrr... Goodnight Hermione," Ron said slowly, pulling a box out of his pocket and handing it to her. Her eyes widened in surprise, anxious to find out what was in it. "Happy Birthday. A little early, but I thought tonight was probably best. Promise me you won't open it until you get in your room."
"Okay. I promise. Thanks." She said, and then kissed him on the cheek.
Ron smiled. "You're welcome."
Hermione got up and walked up to her room, and when she reached the door, turned around and said, "Goodnight Ron."
When she went into her room, she tore in to her present, wanting desperately to find out what it was. She found a purple velvet box, and inside there was a gold heart-shaped locket with a beautifully intricate design of entwining rope and her name in calligraphy. Opening it, she found a poem inscribed inside. It said: "This necklace says not 'my sweetheart' for that is not what you are. My life, my soul, my world, my love; You are my shining star. I love you, Hermione."
Tears came to Hermione's eyes and then she quickly opened her door and got ready to run, wanting to find Ron. She saw him right at the top of the stairs, and raised her hands to brace the impact. She bumped into him and he wrapped his arms around her, making sure she didn't fall. Her hands rested on his chest. She breathed in his scent, and felt short of breath as she realized how close they were. Ron looked deeply into her eyes, hoping he could see how she felt about his gift to her.
"I love you too," Hermione whispered. "I always will." She lost herself in his clear blue eyes, those eyes she had always been entranced by. He leaned in closer and gave her a look, asking her if he could. She smiled and leaned in the final distance, kissing him softly. He placed his hands on her waist and she wrapped her arms around his neck. Hermione put everything everything she felt for him into the kiss. All the love, the passion, all the pain and hurt, and even the loneliness she felt when Ron was apart from her. This was the moment she had been dreaming of since he and Harry saved her, the only thing that she'd ever really wanted. She had wanted to date him then; she knew she loved him when he became her knight, when he sacrificed himself to save the wizarding world.
It seemed like ages before they pulled away, and when they did, Hermione looked into Ron's eyes and said, "When did you know you loved me?"
"When you walked into our compartment that day, your beauty enchanted me, but I didn't know I loved you until you were petrified by the basilisk. When I saw you lying there, so close to death, I felt a pain I'd never known. An emotional pain that struck me harder than any words could, and I knew." He winced at the memory, wishing he could forget that day, that week.
"I knew I loved you when you sacrificed yourself in that chess game. You were hurt so badly and unconscious," Hermione recalled, fighting back tears. "When I came back through the flames to you, I started crying. You just couldn't die; I couldn't handle that. I loved you. I was babbling that to you, barely getting the words out. Ron, when you were poisoned, I...I don't know how I managed. I think I died that night. I kept thinking about...time."
Ron looked at her for a moment, trying to decipher exactly what she meant; then replied, "We could've had so much time. Why?"
He looked at her with sad eyes, causing her to go weak in the knees and her insides to melt.
"I don't know." They continued to look into each other's eyes, not really thinking, just enjoying the moment, then Hermione asked, "Does this mean we're 'us'?"
Ron smiled. "I think it does," he said, leaning in for another kiss. "Goodnight Hermione. I'd walk you to your room, except we're standing right in front of it."
She laughed. "Goodnight," She said, feeling complete for the first time in her life. She turned around and walked into her room, closing the door with her back and then sliding down to the floor, her back against the door. "Bliss. Complete bliss."
Ginny gave her a look and laughed. "You and Ron are official, aren't you?"
Hermione said nothing, but the blissful smile on her face answered the question more than her words could. Hermione closed her eyes and fantasized where she and Ron could go on a date and future kisses.
"Come on, Hermione. Get into bed before you fall asleep on the floor," Ginny said, shaking her head happily at Hermione.
Hermione assented although she knew she wouldn't be able to sleep tonight. She would be too busy thinking about Ron.
Hermione woke up the next morning to sunny skies, wanting to back to sleep. Then she remembered her happenings with Ron last night, and she sat up quickly, making her head spin. Then she remembered the fact that it was Hogsmeade weekend she would be able to spend the afternoon with him before she met up with Harry and Ginny. It suddenly hit her that it was her birthday. She noticed Ginny wasn't in the bed next to her and she figured that they were all downstairs waiting to sing her "Happy Birthday". They were so predictable.
Hermione got ready carefully for the first time in her life. She wanted to look nice for Ron, and fixed her hair so it would look slightly less bushy. Then she picked out an outfit that was flattering to her figure, a denim skirt and sleeveless yellow shirt. She took a once over of her appearance, and feeling satisfied she walked out of her Head Girl's bedroom. They were there, sure enough, awaiting her appearance. Ron beamed at her and they started to sing.
When they were done, Hermione blinked and slowly said, "I think - I think my ears are bleeding." Ginny and Harry looked at each other and back at her looking offended. Ron just stifled a snicker.
"I am appalled!" Ginny said. Then Harry lost his composure and held his stomach, laughing hard at Ginny's reaction to Hermione's reaction.
Hermione smiled to herself, taking another look at Ron. He smiled at her lovingly and said, "Happy Birthday, love." Then she smiled even more, because, for the first time in her life, she felt truly complete. Hermione Granger had a boyfriend.
A/N: R&R! Do you think that I should continue this story? Also, can anyone spot the Twilight reference?