Disclaimer:: Harry Potter?!?! No, not mine. :(
A/N:: Not much to say, except, enjoy.
His Beautiful Hermione
Ron Weasley sat in silence, leaning against a tree. He was back at his childhood home, the Burrow, for the weekly Weasley dinner. His mum had started the tradition after he finished his seventh year at Hogwarts. It had been four long years since he had graduated… and five since the end of the War.
Now, though, things had a sense of normalcy. It was almost painful for Ron sometimes, but he knew better than to dwell on that. He had just recently, five days ago, broken up with Lavender Brown, putting an end to their- mostly physical- relationship. His mum, however, had been pestering about it as soon as he crossed the Burrow's threshold without Lavender hanging on his arm.
He had been the only single one there, other than Charlie, who always came alone. His mum gave her second son plenty of grief about that, but it was enough that he was there. Bill brought his wife, Fleur; Percy was with his fiancée, Audrey. George and Angelina, three months pregnant, healing each other after losing Fred. Harry and Ginny were there, still acting like newlyweds after three years of marriage. And then Hermione, his beautiful Hermione … she had walked in, as much a part of the Weasley family as everyone else, with some guy from the Ministry.
Then there were the kids. Bill and Fleur's three year old daughter, Victoire, and little three month old Dominique, cradled in her mother's arms – they both had Fleur's silvery blonde hair. George and Angelina's two year old son, Fred, was with them as well, mischievous smile and all. And, of course, there was little Teddy, who was just as much a part of the Weasley family as any of the others.
The branches rustled, startling Ron out of his thoughts. Someone was coming. He looked up to see a slightly flustered Hermione walking, unaware, toward him.
"So hard to get a moment of fresh air… such a pain to get back here, the only secluded place," she mumbled.
"No," Ron called out as she made to leave. "No, you can stay here with me… if you want to…?" His offer came out as more of a question, but that didn't matter as she nodded in acceptance.
Smiling, he patted the ground next to him, and spotted what he had been idly drawing in the dirt. Ron hurriedly rubbed away the heart with his and Hermione's names in it, before she came to sit.
He gave her an embarrassed and nervous smile. "Er, nice to see you, Hermione." He had no idea why he felt so jittery – this was Hermione.
She didn't notice his anxiousness… or she did and acted as if she didn't for his sake. That was a very Hermione thing to do. She smiled and said, "It's nice to see you, too, Ron."
"So, why aren't you inside with the rest of them?"
"Oh, you know, just a bit too crowded, I suppose."
Ron laughed and nodded, feeling much more at ease. "Oh, yeah, I definitely know what you mean. Mum won't stop bugging me now, since I broke up with Lavender."
Hermione gave him an unreadable look. "You did? Oh, I'm so sorry."
"It's okay." Ron shrugged. "You still dating that guy… er, Jack?"
"His name is Richard, Ronald. And yes, I'll have you know, we're still together." Hermione was frowning at him, clearly aggravated.
Nice going, Weasley. You got her upset again, Ron mentally berated himself… but all he could think about was how cute she was with her brow furrowed like that and her lips slightly pursed. He wouldn't mind kissing her right then… He shook his head, trying to focus on what Hermione was saying.
Hermione saw the motion and took it the wrong way. "Well, Ronald," she said angrily, her voice raising an octave. "I don't happen to care what you think! You can just… ugh! I'm leaving, now!"
She stood up and began to walk away.
And Ron saw an image of her, three years before, screaming at him in rage. He remembered her stomping away, just as she was now, and felt his heart breaking. He couldn't let that happen again, even if things were different… she was dating some other guy… Ron would not let her stomp away again, for good.
"Hermione, wait!" he shouted. "Hermione, I'm sorry, really. Just… please, come back."
She spun around and faced him, but she must have seen his desperation, for she came over and sat next to him again – her back stiff, her arms crossed over her chest, lips pursed, and eyes narrowed.
Eventually, she sighed. "I'm sorry."
"I know," he replied; he knew the lecture that always came after with Hermione, he knew her very well. Usually. Kind of.
She smiled at him, relaxing, "Okay, then."
They sat in a comfortable silence for a while, before Ron finally spoke up, saying something he knew he probably shouldn't, but he couldn't help himself.
"I suppose," he murmured. "I should've done that before… when we were still dating, y'know? During that big fight… I was just so angry; I didn't think to call you back. I just assumed you'd come back like you always had. I guess I was wrong."
"Yes, you were," Hermione snapped. "Ron, can we please not talk about that now?"
A couple moments passed, then Ron spoke. "Hey, Hermione?"
Another sigh. "Yes, Ron?"
"Why did we… I mean, I loved you, and I know you loved me. You were my first, and I was yours, just ... why did we break…? No, that's not right… it's… argh! This is so hard."
"Ron…" Hermione whispered, begging him not to continue.
He ignored her. "But… we're meant for each other, I know we are, so… why?"
"Ron, please, don't. Just don't… please, just leave it, what happened happened and that's how it was supposed to be."
"No! Hermione, just please… answer me this." He took a deep breath, stealing himself to ask – "Why did we let ourselves, our relationship, fall apart, when we knew we belonged together?"
Hermione was mouthing the word no and making to get up, but Ron grabbed her arm, pulling her back down. "Hermione, please!"
She looked at him brokenly, her eyes brimming with tears, "I don't know why, Ron. I just don't know."
"No," he said, frowning. "You've got to tell me more, explain. Why?"
"It was just too hard! We were always fighting and it never stopped. And… during that last fight, I was just so upset. I couldn't handle it… and then you never called me back. I thought you didn't want me either, that it was too hard for you, too." Hermione covered her hand with her mouth, her shoulders shaking slightly as tears slipped down her face.
Ron was silent, feeling like he had nothing to say. She shook her head and a strand of her ever bushy hair hit Ron's cheek. He smiled strangely, eyes bright, and tugged gently on her hair. "I've always loved your hair. You know, the way it sparked when you were angry with me, or how it splayed out behind you when we were making love. And then, I'd wake up the next morning, with you in my arms, and your hair in my face."
"Ron, no," Hermione pleaded. "Please, don't. I'm happy. Really, I'm content with Richard, and my Ministry job. Please, don't mess this up." A hurt look flashed on Ron's face and Hermione groaned. "No, no, Ron. I didn't mean it like that, really."
"Yes, you did. It's okay," he answered, though the look on his face betrayed him.
"Ron…"
He ignored her, and said softly, "I'm not happy now. I was happy four years ago, when we were making up our seventh year with Harry and Ginny, and they were together and so were we."
"But, Ron," Hermione said, looking up at him with tear glazed cheeks, "The War had just ended… Fred had just died."
"But we were together!" Ron exclaimed. "We were together, and we were happy!"
"I'm sorry, Ron."
"Don't be," he said shortly.
They sat there in another silence, more uncomfortable and awkward than before. Hermione sniffled, trying to gain her composure. At last, Ron spoke.
"I know I should apologize, but I don't really feel like it." He gave her a sideways glance.
Surprisingly, she laughed, though it was a bit wet and rough. But she laughed. "That's very like you to say that, Ron."
He shrugged, his ears turning red. "Sorry," he muttered.
She nodded and they didn't say anything for a while. But, Ron had to break the silence… again.
"Are you mad at me, for bringing that up?"
She grimaced. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't."
"Sorry."
"You already said that… and I… I forgive you."
"Thanks."
Again, he gave her a sideways look and she looked so lost and sad, he couldn't help himself. He wrapped his arms around her, and brought her into a hug.
"Ron, no," she groaned. But, he ignored her and stubbornly hugged her tighter to him.
"Ron," she resisted softly, struggling against him, but Ron could tell her resolve was weakening. Still, she managed to push herself away so that she was no longer pushed up against him – but they were still very close, their legs overlapping each other slightly.
She looked up at him, an indiscernible look on her face, and he looked back at her. His soft blue eyes met hers – where he swore he could see a muted gleam of longing in her brown irises – and before he knew it, they were kissing. He couldn't tell who started it, nor did he care.
Without thinking anything about it, he wrapped his arms around her, bringing her closer to him. He kissed her fervently, his hands reaching up to tangle themselves in her bushy mane of hair. She put her arms around his shoulders and her hands on the back of his neck as she played with the soft tendrils of hair there.
They both seemed to forget themselves, and their past, as they heatedly kissed. The entire world seemed to melt away and it was only them. But their blissfully unaware bubble couldn't last. Hermione pulled away.
"Ron," she gasped, looking up at him. "Ron, we should – we need – to stop."
Hermione's words didn't have any affect on Ron. All he could see was his beautiful Hermione, eyes dark, hair wild, and lips red and bruised. He ignored any other things she might've said and kissed her again.
Hermione couldn't help the moan that escaped her throat. Ron took that to mean 'keep going' and, very enthusiastically, obliged. His lips left hers and trailed down her throat. He softly kissed the nape of her neck and his tongue darted out, swiping against her skin. She shivered in response.
They went on like that for quite a while, until Hermione came to her senses for a quick second and realised she was now on the ground, with Ron above her. At least their clothes were still on, albeit a bit rumpled.
"Ron," Hermione whispered. He looked up, catching her gaze questioningly. "Richard, Ron. I can't. We need to stop."
Ron growled. "Listen. You might be saying that, but you can't deny that each time I kiss you, you kiss me back. Each time I touch you, you touch me. I know you want this, no matter what you say. Do you want this?"
Hermione's eyes were shining slightly with tears, but nonetheless, she nodded. "Yes, I want this."
Ron gulped. "And do you love me?"
She stared into his eyes for a long time, then, "Y-Yes R-R-Ron," she whispered tremulously.
"Then why, in the name of Merlin, are you complaining?"
She paused for a small moment, biting her lip, and then a small smile graced her features. "I'm not."
He laughed. "I'm glad."
No other words were said as Ron kissed Hermione again. The passion between them lit up immediately. Whenever Hermione touched Ron's bare skin, it was like fire. There was electricity between them, sparking as their lips made contact with skin.
Ron nibbled on Hermione's lower lip, and he slowly unbuttoned her shirt. His fingers trailing up her stomach, leaving behind a line of fire.
Hermione was gripping Ron's bare arms hard, her nails digging into his skin. As he pulled away her shirt, she leaned up and smashed her lips to his, hard and passionate. A guttural moan tore from his throat. He looked down at her as he broke the kiss; her brown eyes were smouldering, dark with lust and heat.
Just as his fingers were about to touch her in a more intimate way, as they slowly travelled farther up her stomach, feeling the start of her ribcage, she gasped out, "Ron!"
Ron moaned again. "Hermione."
Not getting his full attention, she pulled away. He gave her a confused look, expecting her to reject him. Instead, she kissed him softly and against his lips, whispered, "I love you."
Ron's mind flashed to their first time, how she had said and done much the same thing. A smile lit his face, and he mumbled back, "I love you."
Slowly, a single tear slid down his cheek, but it was forgotten as they again became lost in passion.
oOoOoOoO
An hour or so later, Ron wasn't quite sure, he looked down at his beautiful Hermione. He couldn't see her face, buried in the crook of his neck. He could feel something wet slipping down his neck and shoulder and worriedly called her name.
"Hermione?"
She didn't answer, so he tentatively slid his hand up from where it rested on her naked hip to her arm. He shook her lightly, and she still did not respond.
"Hermione?" he tried again.
This time, the response he got was a mumbled sound, which he supposed were meant to be words.
He ruffled his hair lightly with one hand and idly scratched his head. "Er… care to explain that again?"
This time, she pulled her head from his neck. He frowned; her eyes were rimmed with red and tears were falling down her face. Her lips were still swollen and her hair still wild. She looked a mess.
But a beautiful mess, a dreamy voice in his mind cut in. He quickly cleared his head, focusing himself again on Hermione, who was obviously upset.
"What's wrong?" he asked again.
She responded with a choked sob and a few deep breaths. She sniffled a bit, before talking in a shaky voice, her lips quivering. Quietly, she spoke. "L-Look at u-us," she hiccupped. "L-l-look at w-w-what we j-j-just did!"
"Yeah?"
"Ron!" she practically yelled. "We had sex! It's wrong!" Her voice was much clearer as she gained more of her self-control.
"Why? You wanted it! You said so!" Ron yelled back, as his ears started reddening.
"I know that," she snapped. "But I'm still with Richard!"
Angrily, he retorted, "I don't care if you're bloody well with Richard!"
"Well, I do!" she yelled. "I'm dating someone, and what we did was wrong! If you have no sense of decency, that's not my fault!"
"I have a sense of decency! You agreed to it, you wanted it!"
Her face turned red. "Don't you dare turn this around on me, Ronald Weasley! You – you – you kept pushing me into it! You wouldn't take no for an answer, even when I resisted."
"But you still went on with it! You didn't just let me shag you, no, you acted yourself! You can not complain!"
She was standing up and gathering her clothes, shoving them on, not caring if they were on backwards or inside-out. He did the same.
Hermione shouted at him, after she had fully dressed, "I'm leaving, now! I've had enough with you, Ron, and I wish I had never come outside here today, you complete git!"
"You can not go and leave now!" Ron screamed at her, his face red just as hers had been, as she had turned and started striding away.
She whirled around, her hair whipping around behind her, a dangerously angry look on her face. "You can not tell me what to do! I will and I am leaving!"
"YOU SAID YOU LOVED ME!"
"Excuse me?" she said, turning to look back at him.
By now, Ron had collapsed onto the ground, panting tiredly. His face was twisted in a grimace and he spoke, sounding like he was in a lot of pain, "You said when we were kissing, that you loved me." His voice was calm, coarse from yelling.
Hermione froze, as she realized that it was true. She couldn't deny what she said. Instead, she swallowed, and asked stiffly, "So?"
"So?" Ron asked incredulously. "So? Merlin's pants, Hermione, so? I know you; you're scary smart, and all you say is 'so'?"
She turned her face away from him, as tears began to fall.
"Come here, Hermione," Ron said softly.
Hermione just shook her head stubbornly, still not looking at him.
"Merlin, Hermione, stop being so proud and get over here," Ron commanded, not unkindly.
Though still reluctant, she walked over and sat down next to him, making sure to keep a distance between them. Her eyes were swimming with tears as their gazes met. Ron knew then…
"So," he asked. "Is there really no chance for us, ever?"
Hermione shook her head, "No, Ron, I don't think so." She paused, looking at him tearfully. "I'm sorry."
"Please, don't apologize. Just… you're sure? You know that for real? Hermione," he implored. "Just tell me that you don't love me. Tell me that and that there is no chance for us… and I'll leave you alone. You can be with Richard." His face was contorted as he said this and Hermione knew saying that was causing a great deal of pain.
She shook her head again, "No, Ron. I c-c-can't say that. I can't say I don't love you… because, it's not true."
"Then why can't we be together? Is there a chance for us?"
"Ron!"
"What? Tell me! Just tell me!"
Her lips quivered as she replied, "I don't know! I really… don't know. I love you, yes, but I don't know if we can be together…"
"No. No, you have to know. Just tell me, Hermione, I can take it."
There was a long silence, until finally she answered. "I don't… I don't think so, Ron. Really, I don't."
"Why?"
"Ron, aren't we just repeating what we went through earlier?"
He scowled, "No, we're not. Earlier, I was asking you why we broke up. Now, I'm asking you why we can't be together again. Why?"
"Because we don't work together!" she snapped.
"Really? Because, with what we did earlier, I thought we went pretty well together."
"No! What we did earlier showed that we have… chemistry, or – or that we are good as a couple sometimes, but only sometimes. What we did before that, after that, and now, shows why we can't be together!"
"Why, because… because we fight?" Ron's tone was aggravated. "C'mon, Hermione, all couples fight!"
"Yes, Ron, but we- when we were together, we couldn't go a week, or a day even, without some row about something or another!"
Ron bit his tongue, stopping his infuriated reply. "So what?" he said instead. "Maybe that's just the way we are. Maybe that's just the couple we were supposed to be. Maybe we're supposed to…"
"To what, Ron? Be a different couple? Yeah, right." Hermione laughed coldly.
He closed his eyes, breathing deeply, and tried to gain some control. A strange look passed across Hermione's face. "I'm sorry, Ron," she said, her tone different, remorseful, "I was being really insensitive."
He nodded. "And you're sure we can never be together?"
"Together? Maybe. Together and happy? No, I don't think so. We always fight, and we always end up in tears. It's just, too hard, all the screaming and crying. I need some stability. I need to have a relationship that isn't so… rocky."
"I understand… but… you love me, you said so yourself."
"I know, and I meant it. But, even if we're in love, I just… I just really don't think it's strong enough to pull us through all these fights." Hermione's eyes were shining, and Ron could tell she was again fighting back tears.
"So… you love me?"
"Yes."
"But, because we fight all the time, you know we can never really be together… for good?"
"Yes." Hermione nodded miserably, and she stopped fighting it, as a few tears rolled down her cheeks.
"Okay," Ron replied finally. He knew what she said was true then, and he knew there was no use in denying it.
Hermione bit her lip, a horridly upset look on her face, "I'm so-"
"Don't say it, Hermione. It's okay, really, it is."
"No, it's not."
"Yeah," Ron allowed, "it isn't, I guess, but isn't that supposed to be what life's about? Life's not fair… isn't that what the Muggles say?"
Hermione chuckled ruefully. "Yes, it is."
"Good luck with Richard."
"Ron…" Hermione frowned.
"Really, I mean it," he added. "Bye, Hermione." His voice was resigned, as he finally understood why they fell apart years before. He knew then that they couldn't – wouldn't – ever be together.
"Goodbye, Ron." Hermione started walking away, then paused. She turned around and went back to Ron. He looked at her, a confused look on his face. "One more thing," she muttered softly.
Then she pressed her lips to his. It was soft and sweet and Ron didn't want this kiss to ever end. It was passionate, but not heated and fast like before. Slow, and gentle. It was a kiss Ron knew he would never forget, like being wrapped in a warm blanket, and he didn't want the pleasant, blissful feeling to go.
Alas, it did end. Hermione stopped kissing him. Their foreheads were touching and their breath mingled together. Their noses were pressed together and Ron could just barely feel her lips as they moved, whispering, "I love you, Ron, I really do."
"I know, and I love you too."
She pulled away a little more and put her arms around him, in a hug that wasn't only friendly. She kissed his ear lightly, smiling at his shudder. "Ron, just… don't give up. This may not be the end…" She stopped a moment, then went on. "Don't give up, Ron… on this, us… you – we – never really know… do we?"
Hermione stepped away from Ron and gave him a small remnant of a smile. She said nothing, nor did anything else, as she walked away. Ron couldn't help but feel slightly mystified by what she had said, but he couldn't stop the small bubble of hope and warmth growing in his stomach.
For the second time that day, a tear slipped down Ron's cheek. He watched his beautiful Hermione walk away again, but this time, maybe it wasn't for good.
*Finite* OoOoOoO A/N:: Hope you liked it. :) I have a sequel in mind... (think Taylor Swift's song 'The Way I Loved You'), the plot bunnies are running wild. :p However, I have other stories to work on... and RL stuff, like school. Gah. So, I would really love it if you would review. Plleeeaaassseee! Thanks. :)