Author's note: Coupling Hermione/Ron, Has been re-written about four time now. All Harry Potter charters belong to the brilliant J.K Rowling.

Play the damn game

Hermione and Ron fan fiction, written January 2003.

"Let's play a game" Ron started up, the guys were sitting in the Great Hall, which was unusually quiet even if Supper was over.

Just then Draco Malfoy and his little followers made their way towards Ron and the rest of the group; they suddenly became silent when they noticed Malfoy.

Dean looked up and frown "What you want?" he spat,

Draco placed himself on the end of the table

"Well I hear you were making a little game called 'Truth or Dare?' huh?" Draco replied.

"Yeah so what's your point?" Seamus replied bitterly

"What you want to join in Malfoy? Not enough fun in Slytherin?" Ron yawned which ticked off Draco, but he quickly went back to his idea.

"Mmm I've heard that Wesley's never turn down a dare, is that true?" Ron sat back up to listen to Draco

"Yeah of course its true, why?" Draco grinned evilly to this reply,

"Well you know your little bookworm Hermione?" Harry looked up worried; he glanced quickly at Ron who was grinning ear to ear

"Yeah, what you got in mind?" Ron asked,

"I dare you, to make out with the mudblood. There is a prize of 100 pounds?" Ron ignored the mudblood comment and went back to thinking

"Come on you worried that you can't even get your leg over Miss Bookworm?"

"Sure I can, I take your dare on Draco!" Ron told him, Ron could not ruin the family name could he? It was just a dare no one would get hurt? Would they? Ron thought.

Draco walked away laughing quickly followed by Crabbe and Goyle.

"What the are you playing at Ron?"

"Nothing much" Ron replied grinning

"The dare" Neville join in,

"This is not going to work, she will kill ya if she finds out!" Seamus shouted at him,

"Hey calm guys, I'm sure I can do this and anyway Hermione will never find out"

"Idiot, she's not stupid" Harry told him,

"Yeah but where's the fun in it if she was dumb?" Ron smiled as he left the Great Hall.

"This is a really bad idea" Seamus told the others

"Yeah they will end up hurting themselves" Harry replied

"Yeah and we'll get the blame for it" Dean replied

"This is so stupid of him"

"Oh well maybe it will end up happy".

"Shut up you sound like some fluffy romance novel"

"Who's writing a romance novel?" Ginny asked walking in the room and sat on the end of the table

"AHHH!" the guys screamed.

"How long have you been there?" dean asked

"Long enough" she replied,

"What have you hear?" Ginny looked at them questionably

"What have you guys been up to this time?"

"Nothing, nothing at all"

"Yeah right, I only heard about romance novel" they all breathed a sigh of relief,

"Thank god" they murmured

"What was that!" she shouted.

Hermione was curled up on the red couch in the Gryffindor common room, she was watching the flames jump up and then run into each other, She haven't read past the second line in her book about 'Witch and Muggles are they drawn together'. Her mind was on her red-haired friend who had grown up a lot from the first day they met, was taller than her now and he had grown muscles. Heavens forbid she would fall for him big time.

Ron walked in causing Hermione jump.

"Oh hey Ron" Hermione smiled which caused Ron to blush. God her smile is enchanting, it's just a dare! Ron told himself, ill prove that bastard wrong.

"Hey 'mione" Ron sat next to the curled up Hermione, who was engrossed by her book  "Mione?"

"Hmm" she replied, it's now or never

"Do you like me?" Hermione quickly looked up and smiled, Ron didn't understand were the confident came from

"Of course I like you, your one of my best friends" Hermione replied,

Ron stared at the fire for a while.

"Do you ever think about other things, like us?"

"Us?"

"Yes you and me" Hermione placed her book next to her

"Sometimes" this caused Hermione to blush

"You mean like this" Ron leaned forward to come to face with Hermione big brown eyes he couldn't take it any more. Ron reached up to touch her face and pulled it towards his own and lean in to kiss her, to his surprise Hermione was kissing him back. Ron's head was spinning he's thought were on Hermione and forgot all about the dare.

"Ron, this isn't a good idea" she quickly pulled back and grabbed her books and headed towards the girls sleeping area,

Ron murmured something that would of made Hermione go Ron but she wasn't around, just then the rest of the boys appeared in the common room.

"So Ron how it go?" dean asked as they joined him on the couch,

"No good, I think she is pissed"

"Why?"

"I kissed her and she ran away"

"Do you always have that effect on woman" Seamus asked

"oh shut up" Ron replied throwing something at him.

"Maybe you shouldn't always cave in"

"I didn't cave in Harry, I stood up to the dare"

"And caved in" Neville replied, this caused the guys to laugh.

"Oh Ron I love you" dean started to do an impression of Hermione,

"Hermione I love you two" Seamus carried on but now doing an impression of Ron, meanwhile Ron was getting more and more pissed at them.

"Hold me!" dean carried on,

"Ok guys will you quit it"

"You have to admit it was funny" Harry replied as he was wetting himself with laugher

"get a life" Ron replied as headed toward his room "oh Ronnie! Come back my love" dean shouted at Ron.

The next morning, Harry and Hermione were waiting for Ron it was obvious he had slept in.

"you ok Hermione?"

"Yeah why wouldn't I be?" Hermione quickly replied she had been jumpy all morning.

"Well the way you keep on jumping every thing I bring Ron's name"

"Morning" Seamus came down the stairs followed by Neville, Dean and Ron.

"Sorry I slept in" Ron told them sheepishly

"How is little Ronnie this morning?" dean asked mockingly

"Oh will you give it a rest".

"Didn't you like our encore last night?" Seamus asked,

"it went on till two in the morning" Ron moaned

"hey but it was funny" Neville told him.

Hermione walked in front trying not to look at Ron, she listened to the boy's conversation but lost interested when they started to talk about Quidditch and sat down next to Ginny

"Hey Hermione"

"hey Ginny" breakfast flowed smoothly as normal. They all headed toward their next lesson 'History of Magic' Ron and Hermione were behind the rest. Quickly Ron grabbed Hermione arm and dragged her into an empty classroom.

"RON!" Hermione screamed, "We have class what are you playing at!" she shouted.

"You ran away yesterday why?" Hermione looked at the door then back at Ron.

"No reason, you just caught me off guard"

"You don't feel them same way right?"

"I don't know what to think my best friend just kissed me last night and I'm kind of confused" Hermione replied.

"Hermione!"

"Don't you Hermione me! You don't even tell me how you feel you just kiss me right there no warning"

"What did you want me to do warning I'm going to kiss you" Ron asked laughing.

"This is not a laughing matter Ron Weasley!"

"Well tell me what you wanted to hear?"

"I want the truth Ron that's all I want!"

"Ok then were do I start?"

"From you started to have feelings for me! That's if that's what they are" Hermione replied still staring out the window,

"Yes there feelings, your clever, a great witch, so beautiful and I think." Hermione looked up

"You think what?" she looked shocked.

"That umm I have fallen in love you!"

"You what!" Hermione shouted,

"Let me finish then you can do all the shouting you want" Hermione stood quietly.

"Ever since we have started here, I thought there was something strange the first time I met you I think it was your eyes and how you were so alive about school" Hermione giggled as she remembered the first time she met Ron.

"Go on" Hermione replied as she draw herself away from the window and sat on a chair near him,

"I don't what it is Hermione maybe because your kind, maybe its because you nag me"

"How does that help" she asked questioning.

"Make me do the homework so I don't ruin my school life, maybe it's the way your eyes and smile draws me to you" by now Hermione was blushing.

"Oh Ron, I thought you didn't like me that way" Ron looked at the floor his face was as red as his hair, Hermione smiled and lifted back up Ron's head.

"Ron I love you too" Hermione threw her arms around Ron's neck, and kissed him passionately.

It was Supper in the Great Hall; the group was sitting around chatting.

"So what happened?" Seamus asked

"I'm in love with her" Ron replied all starry eyes

"Evening". Hermione said as she sat next to Ron, in whom Ron put his arm around her waist

"Awe" lavender, Parvati and Ginny sighed.

"Well well if is not the happy couple"

"Shit!" Ron murmured turning around to come face to face with Draco

"So we now happy?"

"Of course we are" Hermione replied coldly

"Oh bitchy, now Hermione do know what the reason your boyfriend decided to show his true feelings today?" Ron put his face in his hands,

"What's he on about? Ron what's he on about?" Hermione asked worried,

"we had a little dare well more like a bet which was to see how far you would go with him" Draco continued

"is this true Ron?" Ron looked at the floor "RON HOW COULD YOU!" Hermione grabbed Ron face with tears in her eyes "please tell me it isn't true Ron please" Hermione begged

"I'm sorry 'mione I never wanted to hurt you!"

"Hurt me! You're made me look like a fool in front of everyone!!!" Hermione screamed, WHAM! Hermione had dragged her nail though Ron's soft cheek. "I HATE YOU RON WEASLEY, DON'T EVER SPEAK TO ME AGAIN!" Hermione ran out of the Great Hall followed by Ginny, Lavender and Parvati.

"Here is your money Ron" Draco handed Ron a pile of cash, but Ron pushed it away

"I don't want your money you made me lose the best thing I had in my life, the one thing that kept me alive its your Fault!"

"My fault you were the one who kissed the bloody bookworm!"

"Don't you dare call her that!" Ron screamed at Draco and punched him across the nose,

"FIGHT!" screamed someone as Draco and Ron were punched the shit out of each other. Harry grabbed Ron

"You should go and see Hermione, Ron" Harry looked at his best friend

"Yeah" Draco sat up to watch Ron run out of the Great Hall.

"FINE! GO SAVE YOUR BLOODY BOOKWORM" Draco screamed as he nursed his bloody nose WHAM! Harry had hit Draco and now Draco was lying face forward on the stone floor.

"Why did they do it to me Ron said he loved me!" Hermione cried into her pillow,

"No it wasn't you or Ron, it was Draco" lavender rubbed Hermione's hair

"Don't cry I know my brother wouldn't hurt you, they were talking about you yesterday". Ginny started

"Yeah saying how stupid I am, how ugly I am, how I will fall for anything" Hermione rubbed her head into the pillow more.

"No they were saying how Ron was madly in love with you"

"It's ok Hermione, we will always be there for you" Parvati told her. There was a knock at the girl's room door, Ginny answered the door to see a very upset Ron, and Ginny didn't say a word and mouthed to Lavender and Parvati to leave them alone.

Ron walked towards the bed and sat down

" 'Mione?" Hermione looked up

"Go away Ron"

" 'Mione please listen to me, I love you, I didn't take the money I love you too much"

"Please go away, I don't want to see you anymore" the tear ran down her face and as Ron lifted his hand to rub them away. Hermione pushed him away but Ron was not going to give up that easier he had just found his dream girl and he wasn't going to lose her! Ron let Hermione lie down on her tear-stained pillow and stoke her hair

"Why? Why?" she softy moaned, Ron leaned in and kissed her forehead gently

"Ron please" Hermione turned over and looked up into Ron tear stained eyes,

"I love you 'mione and I'm not lying please believe me, I never wanted to hurt you". Ron leaned in and kissed Hermione on the lips it was short and sweet but it made Hermione realized that Ron was telling the truth and she threw her arms around Ron neck and she cried into Ron's shoulder. Ron looked at her and his tears rolled and fell onto her soft hair. Hermione leaned back

"I love you too Ron"

"I love you so much 'mione" Ron kissed her again but this time it was longer, they lay in each other's arms crying but it was not sadden this time it was happiest, Ron lifted his hand up and stoked her hair.

"You're so beautiful, I'll never let you go" Ron whispered into her ear.

Enjoyed? r&r. A big thanks to Melissa who talked me back into writing this idea down.