A cool summer breeze blew through the window of the burrow. Hermione sat, curled up on her favorite couch reading a book. She could feel Ron's eyes on her from the door way but choose not to acknowledge him.
"Yes Ronald?" She asked a few moments later, not looking up from her book.
"Um, Hermione it's getting late. Maybe you should come upstairs."
Her eyes drifted up from the page and she looked around the room. "What time is it?" She asked noticing the dark window in which the sun had still been shinning through what felt - to her - like only moments earlier.
"Half eleven." He said softly. She had been reading for nearly three and a half hours.
"Oh, wow." She giggled standing up from the couch and stretching. After grabbing her book off the coffee table and putting the book mark in it she walked across the room towards Ron. "Shall we go up?" She asked smiling at him.
"After you." He said in response, backing up to let her get by.
"Where's Ginny and Harry?" Hermione asked him as they journeyed up the stairs hand in hand.
"Harry fell asleep in one of the chairs down stairs after our last chess match and Gin's already in bed." He replied walking closely behind her.
Once they had reached the platform by Ginny's room Ron stopped walking. He turned to Hermione expecting to get a good night hug and kiss but she just kept moving up the stairs. "Hermione?" He asked her grabbing her hand.
"Yes?" She turned around.
"Where are you going?"
"Upstairs with you." She said with a straight face.
"Um... Ok." Ron replied sounding completely confused. Of course Hermione had slept in his room before. Actually she did very often, but when she did Harry usually wasn't at the Burrow or was in Ginny's room and knew not to walk in on them. So he looked at her then started up the rest of the stairs to his own room.
When they reached Ron's room he pushed open the door and walked in, Hermione following closely behind him. Ron walked over to his bed and sat down on the edge while Hermione walked around his room. She had been in his room before; throughout the years they had been friends and through the past summer when they had been more. After all, they had spent several hours in his room snoging and even shagging over the past few months.
Hermione walked around his room picking up things on all the different shelves and surfaces.
"Hermione?" Ron asked as his eyes followed her around the room.
"Yes?" She answered, still walking around.
"What are you doin'?"
"Just... looking." She said as though her mind was a long distance away. Then she turned on him. "Ron... We really don't know that much about each other."
"What!?" He asked sounding dumbfounded. "What do you mean we don't know that much about each other? We've been friends forever. I know thing no one else but Harry knows about you... I know things not even Harry knows about you!"
"No!" She exclaimed. "I don't mean that we don't know anything about each other, I mean... We'll it's hard to explain... I mean that I don't really know how your brain works... If that make since." She said getting quieter as she continued to talk.
"How my brain works? What does that mean?" He asked, still talking loudly.
"Um, like... like," she walked across the room to a box by Ron's trunk, "like this!" She picked up one of Ron's old Chudly Cannons t-shirts and walked over to the bed. Ron had moved up so that his back was resting against the old iron head board so Hermione sat down at the foot of the bed. "I want to know why." She said simply "I want to know why you like The Chudly Cannons so much. Tell me."
For a long moment Ron stared at her with at blank expression. "I don't know." He said. "I guess... I guess it's because when my dad took me to my first quidditch match... we watched Chudly play the Tornados, and Chudly won..." Hermione watched Ron stare off into space with a blank expression on his face. Then she saw a smile tug at the corner of Ron's mouth.
"Wow! Chudly actually won a match!?" Hermione teased.
"Ha Ha very funny." Ron said sarcastically as he used his big toe to poke her in the shin. Hermione giggled and stared at Ron biting down on her lip.
"Ron?"
"Yes, love?"
"It's your turn."
"Oh is it?" He said with a mischievous grin stretching across his face. "Ok. Ok. Um..." He thought for a few moments then looked back to Hermione, "What were you like as a child? You know like before Hogwarts. What did you do for fun? What were your friends like? You know stuff like that."
"I knew you would ask a question like that. Fine! I had a lonely childhood," She droned in a bored voice. "At school people were mean to me, I didn't have any friends. Well any friends accept Trinity," Trinity was a girl Ron had meet twice over the summer while he was at Hermione's house. She was tall and thin with a pretty face, dark hair she wore in many different styles, and light grey-blue eyes. Ron actually quite liked her because - for some reason - Trinity reminded Ron of himself. Trinity thought Hermione went to a boarding school during the fall, winter, and spring but stayed friends with Hermione during the summers when she was at her house and not at the burrow. "I liked to read for fun," Ron snorted at this and Hermione stuck her tongue out at him before continuing, "I liked to read at the library, on the poach swing in our back yard, in my fathers study, and on that small bed in front of my window." She sighed and then looked at Ron and said, "Who is your favorite brother?"
Ron laughed and said "Probably Bill or maybe Charlie. I don't really know to be honest they all have different things I like about them," At this Hermione smiled warmly, "and different things I don't." Hermione rolled her eyes, Way to ruin the moment Ron, she thought to herself. "If you could make any spell or potion what would you have it do?"
Her eyes lit up, "Oh! Very good question." Ron smiled to himself. He loved when Hermione gave him positive feed back (with in reason). Hermione immediately said, "I would make a potion or spell that could make sure house elves understand what they are missing out on. Payment, good treatment, love, a proper place to stay, actual clothing... It would probably have to end up being a potion. Maybe I should do that find a way to create that potion..."
"Well if anyone could do it it's you my love. Now it's your turn."
"If you could have any pet in the world what would it be and what would you name it?"
"Oh, that's easy I would have a Jack Russell Terrier and I would name it 'Otter'." He said with a loving grin on his face.
"Really love?" She asked. Her heart felt as though it were melting, "Any pet in the entire world and you would choose a Jack Russell Terrier named 'Otter'?" He nodded, "That is so sweet Ronald!" She said beaming at him from the foot of the bed. Hermione leaned in and Ron met her in the middle placing a gentle kiss on Hermione's lips before pulling back to return to his seat.
He stared at her for a while looking into her eyes and then looking away and then looking back at her, his mouth open as though he was going to say something then closing it and looking away. He repeated this pattern for several minutes. Then Ron finally said, "Ok, my question is... Er, Hermione you don't have to answer right away... Or even anytime soon at all, but... Um... After you finish Hogwarts I was thinking that maybe... Well... Maybe me and you could get a flat... And - like - move in together..." He didn't meet her eye.
Hermione threw herself forward into Ron's arms wrapping her hand around his neck and placing a chaste kiss on his mouth, "Of course!" She said, turning herself around to sit on his lap, "Maybe even once we've moved in together we can get a Jack Russell Terrier named 'Otter'." Ron let a great smile that spread across his face as he put one arm around Hermione's waste and the other on her thigh.
Hermione leaned back into Ron's chest and played with his had that was wrapped around her. "It's my turn," she said, "and seeing as we're talking about our future I might as well get this out... How many kids do you want Ronald?" Hermione held her breath.
"Um... Well I only ever thought about one or two... That way none of my kids would ever have to be a middle child but..."
"Oh" she said still playing with his fingers.
"Your disappointed." He said, "How many kids did you want?"
"Oh well I always dreamed of a big family. Seeing you with your family made me want one even more... I guess that's just the only child in me talking." She said in a small voice.
"Yeah but hermione you realise you'll have a huge family anyway with all the nieces and nephews you'll have?"
"Yeah, Yeah, your right two kids is a good number. There's no middle kid but no only child."
"Hermione you do realise I'll give you what everyou want right." She smiled and turned around, "Of course I do love." Then kissed him on the cheek before turning around to continue playing with his fingers.
"Why me?"
"Why you what?"
"Why me Hermione? Why did you choose me? I mean you could have anyone and you choose me. I'm really nothing special. Hell even Percy's better than me and he's a total ass wipe." Hermione immediately stopped her playing with Ron's hand and jumped off of him.
"Ronald look at me." She demanded. When he didn't she put a small had on his cheek and turned him to face her. "You are a great wizard. Do you want to know why I picked you? Because there is no one else like you. You have what everyone of your brothers have. You're caring like Bill, you're strong like Charlie, You're smart like Percy and can even be brilliant when you apply yourself, you're funny like Fred and George." Ron liked how Hermione included Fred in the list and didn't make it seem as though he was no longer Ron's brother. "For goodness sake Ron your even strong willed like Ginny. But you Ronald Weasley are like no other, you are so loyal and loving and you would do anything for those you care about. You are so strong yet you are so gentle and you have a lion heart. To me you will always be more special than anyone and I know there is no one better in the world for me than you." As she finished she layed her forehead on Ron's looking straight into his beautiful eyes.
"I love you Hermione"
"I love you too Ron. So so much." She leaned in to kiss him one more time. "Seeing that it is my turn..." Hermione yawned great big and then said, "Can we go to sleep now?"
Ron laughed, "Of course love." With that Hermione crawled over next to Ron as he threw the covers back and they slipped under them. Hermione rested her head on Ron's chest as he rubbed little circles into the small of her back. Soon his circles slowed to a halt as his breathing deepened. Hermione felt her eye lids getting extremely heavy and was soon lulled to sleep listening to Ron's heartbeat.