A/N: One of my lovely readers suggested, after reading my story "Reflections on Happy Endings", that I write a Ron/Hermione fic. So, here it is! (This never happened/would have happened in the story, but it's fanfiction!) So, please review and enjoy!

Disclaimer: It's not mine, you say? Wow, that's an astute observation!

Speak!

"Silencing charms... okay, this shouldn't be too hard." Harry Potter looked up at Ron Weasley, who nodded.

"Yeah, guess not," he answered. He flicked his quill a couple of times, practicing the motion of the spell, a habit he hadn't realized he'd picked up from Hermione.

Harry watched him, smirking slightly. Merlin's pants, he thought. He and Hermione are so clueless... I'd wish they'd just admit it and be done.

Ron looked up at Harry, and noting his expression, asked, "What?"

"Oh, nothing," lied Harry. "Let's try it, then."

They stood and Ron pointed his wand at Harry. "Silencio!"

Harry blinked. "Did it work?" Ron asked. Harry said, "You're clueless," but no sound came out. He nodded and gave Ron a thumbs-up. Ron grinned and looked back at the textbook, reading the counter-spell and allowing Harry to talk again.

"Nice," Harry said appreciatively. "My turn, right?"

"Yeah, go on, then." Ron dropped his wand to his side and Harry pointed his wand, saying, "Silencio!"

Ron opened his mouth and said, "Harry loves Moaning Myrtle," and no sound came out. He smiled at Harry, who said, "Great," and turned to the book... only to find that the pages were flipping quickly due to the breeze from the window. The page with the highlighted charm had been lost. Ron sighed soundlessly.

"Sorry, Ron," laughed Harry. "I'll find the counter-spell in a moment." He started flipping through the pages quickly, his green eyes rapidly scanning each one for the appropriate incantation.

At just that moment, Hermione Granger, Ron's crush, and his little sister Ginny came into the Common Room. Ginny whispered something in Hermione's ear and pushed her towards Ron, who looked away, praying Hermione wouldn't come over.

But she did. Apparently some divine entity was out to make his day miserable. "Hey, Ron," she said, smiling in that adorable way she had. Ron smiled back.

"Uh... well..." Hermione was nervously winding a curl of hair around and around her finger. "Ron... I was wondering... that is to say, well... I..." She muttered something that Ron couldn't hear.

Behind him, Harry slowly raised his head. Oh my gosh, he thought, feeling sick. She's going to ask him out, and Ron can't talk. Bloody hell. He started flipping pages so fast that he was afraid they were going to rip out.

Meanwhile, Ron had cocked an eyebrow at Hermione, as if to say, "What?"

She looked up, and her face was red as his hair. "I... like you, Ron."

His mouth opened in shock. He couldn't help it. Hermione? Hermione LIKES me? Hermione likes ME? he thought. His eyes felt like they were going to explode out of their sockets.

After he had finally processed the fact that, yes, Hermione Granger liked HIM, Ron opened his mouth to say something like, "I like you too, Hermione." "I think you're incredible, Hermione." "Will you go out with me Hermione?"

But he realized that the only thing he could do was smile at her, which he did while thinking he'd like to kill Harry.

Hermione bit her lip. Ron wasn't saying anything. I guess... the shock, maybe? But as the silence stretched longer, she began to feel that Ginny had been wrong, that Ron did not like her, that it was all in her head.

In the background, Harry flipped faster. What the hell? Did they, like, get rid of the spell or something? It would be just my luck... oh damn. Hermione's going to leave in a huff now, and Ron's never going to speak to me again.

And indeed, Hermione was getting ready to run off. "Ron? Are you going to say something?"

Ron opened and closed his mouth, pointing to it, trying to say, "Harry's a git, he lost the page for the counter-spell for the Silencing charm we were practicing, so just give me a sec and I'll be able to say how wonderful you are."

However, Hermione took his motions to mean that he was pantomiming being sick, and before Harry could leap to Ron's defense and explain, her eyes filled with tears. "My God, Ronald! If you hate me that much, just say it!" She turned to run away, but Ron, before he could think about what he was about to do, grabbed her wrist, pulled her to him, and kissed her.

Harry sighed in relief and quickly bent over the textbook again. Excellent... two seconds longer Ron, I must almost be... YES! FINALLY! Okay... wand, in my hand, okay and... he pointed his wand at Ron's back and whispered the counter-spell, praying that he'd get it right on his first try.

Meanwhile, Hermione and Ron were enjoying quite a good snog. After some initial surprise on Hermione's part, she and Ron had begun making up for lost time when they had been involved with others. Hermione's hands reached up to tangle with his red hair, and Ron's hands slipped to her waist, while they kissed each other fiercely, savoring each other.

When they finally pulled apart, breathing hard, Ron said, "Hermione, I like you too, and I would have said so, but I couldn't, because Harry cast a Silencing charm on me, but then couldn't find the counter-spell, and I think you're amazing, but I'll understand if you never want to talk to me again, because-"

Suddenly, Hermione pulled him to her and had captured his lips with hers. After a moment, she pulled back and whispered, "Shut up, Ronald."

Ron laughed. "So will you go out with me?"

Hermione sighed. "Whatever am I going to do with you? Yes, I'll go out with you!"

And suddenly, the whole Common Room broke into cheers and catcalls. Hermione and Ron looked around in shock, having quite forgotten where they were. Harry, in the background, smirked across the room at Ginny, who was doubled over, tears of mirth streaming down her face as Ron and Hermione turned bright red.

Ron looked back at Harry. "Uh... why are they cheering?" he whispered, confused.

"Because, mate, everyone's been waiting for you two to get together since, like, third year," Harry laughed. "I'm surprised there weren't more bets placed on it."

Indeed, all around the Common Room, gold and silver were changing hands as people paid up bets that had been running for several years, including Ginny, who, sighing, was putting copper Knuts into Dean Thomas's extended hand.

But Hermione and Ron only had eyes for each other, and Ron gestured towards the portrait hole. Hermione blushed and the two of them exited the Common Room, leaving Harry and Ginny to shake their heads at the sheer cuteness of it all.

A/N: Ta-da! What did you think? Please review, even if it's only one word!

))Riiko Shea((