The fire licked the logs slowly burning them. Crackle, crackle. It was the only source of heat in Hogwarts, leaving everyone wrapped up in furry blankets sitting around the Gryffindor common room. Crookshanks and Scabbers were in a fight near where Harry was sitting. Ron was staring at Hermione from across the room, when she looked up at him.
"Ron, are you OK?" Hermione asked, sounding concerned.
"What, oh, uh, yep." said Ron nervously stuttered.
"Well, good, I guess. You just looked a little, how do I explain it, lost?" she questioned.
"Um, nope! Perfectly fine!" Ron plastered a fake smile on his face.
"Well, alright. Whatever you say." Hermione said carelessly, looking back down at her Transfiguration homework.
Ron pretended to look back at his homework, but it was impossible. He was too distracted.
"Ron," Hermione said starting to sound annoyed. "Are you sure you're OK?"
"Yeah... Just... Distracted..." his voice trailed off.
"Distracted? By what?"
"Oh, you know, just, well, you know." Ron shrugged.
"No, Ron, I don't know." Hermione sighed.
"Just forget about it." Ron breathed heavily.
Hermione looked back down at her homework. Now she was distracted and annoyed. The pen made a scratchy noise against the paper she was writing her Transfiguration paper on. But then she angrily decided that focus was not an option at the moment and that she needed to figure out what was going on with Ron.
"Ron!" Hermione said sternly. "What's the problem? Tell me now! You're distracting me! And if you don't tell me now, then I don't think I will be able to finish my Transfiguration paper due tomorrow."
"Oh, alright. Fine! Harry would be happy to tell you!" Harry got up and motioned for Hermione to come to him in a desolate corner. A few eyes followed. "No, Harry, I was being sarcastic!"
"Too late!" Harry said happily.
No one knew what he was telling her. No one knew what she was feeling. When Harry was finally done talking to her, she walked away with a sly grin on her face.
She stopped at Ron, bent down to the level he was sitting at, and planted a soft kiss on his cheek.
His ears turned scarlet, but they both smiled at each other.
Harry was still standing alone in the corner, when Ginny walked up to him and smiled.
And the rest is history.