A/N: I actually love this one. It's a bit longer and I'm thinking of continuing it. What do you think? It's a bit out of character at the end I think, but I still think it's really sweet. Thanks for reading, review maybe? :)
It had been one of the best days Hermione had had in quite a long time. It was the first day in the weeks after the war she didn't have to attend a funeral, be bombarded by reporters for details of the horrible months they spent going after Voldemort, or go searching desperately through Australia for a Mr and Mrs Wendell and Monica Wilkins.
No, today she had been able to spend the day back at home, waiting on her parents return in exactly a week's time. They had had to stay in Australia for a while to close their business and sort out the finer details. Hermione didn't mind though. She did mind, however, the fact that she had been alone all day. She wasn't used to it, and she hadn't expected that. Usually, she relished the quiet, and she had been surprised to find that she felt unprotected, and a little bored, even with a book.
She had contemplated apparating to the Burrow, but she had been there for so long already and didn't want to over stay her welcome, and she had felt a bit awkward after Fred's death. Molly had often said Hermione was like another daughter to her, and she was certainly treated like a part of the Weasley family, but she still felt a bit like an intruder on their grief. Yes she was devastated, but it must have been nothing compared to what they were feeling.
She had also thought about owling Harry and asking him if he'd like to come and stay, but she didn't want to separate him from Ginny, and not just because she was slightly scared of Ginny hexing her for keeping them apart any longer. 'They really do deserve each other.' Hermione thought with a smile.
And then of course there was Ron. There were a number of reasons she hadn't asked him to come and keep her company, but there were so many all for that very plan.
For one, he was of course, still grieving for Fred. He said he was fine, but his more than often day dreaming and increased quietness really worried her. Another huge part of why Hermione didn't want to ask him to come and see her was the kiss they shared in the Room of Requirement. It was amazing and she cherished that moment, but neither she nor Ron had seemed to be able to pluck up the courage to actually talk about it, whether it was a panicked accident that he actually kissed her back, or if this was something he had wanted since they were 13, like she had. She had hoped it was the latter reason.
But that's why she wanted him there, and not just because she was bored being in the house and too scared to go out, not only because of the still lurking Death Eaters, but the weather was looking like it could turn at any moment. She wanted to be able to search for more hints that it would be okay for her to ask him how he felt about her, or to confess her feelings. She knew in the back of her mind that he liked her back, she truly did. Hermione Granger might be brave in the face of death, but when the very thought of confronting Ron on romance crept into her mind, it made her want to turn and run.
She supposed she would survive. After all, she had Crookshanks back, fatter and grumpier than when he had been sent to Australia with the Wilkins'.
&&&
She had spent the rest of the day cleaning the house like she had promised her mother she would. The amount of spiders and cobwebs she found would make Ron cringe and the dust had been irritating her nose all afternoon. She had planned to wash the windows inside and out, but the weather had been growing steadily worse and she figured that the rain would do the outside for her soon enough.
She was still bored out of her mind when she had gotten changed into her pyjamas early and had finished the dinner she had made herself. Due to the months she spent as head chef in the little tent she was rather fond of now, her cooking skills had improved when the right ingredients were available to her.
She had just sat down with a book she had found in her room when there was a large 'crack!' She had just grabbed her wand when she saw a messy shock of red hair and a blue shirt with a ruck-sac in tow.
'Ron?!' she shrieked. 'What are you doing here?' she asked lowering her wand.
'I came to see you.' He said with a stupid grin on his face. 'I thought you could use the company.'
'Well I'm fine, thank you very much!' she said indignantly. 'You scared the life out of me, Ron!'
'Oh well sorry for trying to be nice! I thought you might be lonely or something seeing as your parents' are away and I knew you were here on your own!' he replied, his face screwed up in annoyance.
Hermione sighed. That was quite sweet. 'Sorry but you terrified me! I thought you were a Death Eater or something.'
'Why haven't you got any charms on this place?' he asked, still looking irritated, his eyes searching about the room as if looking for an incantation of some sort.
'I ha-…oh gosh. I forgot! How could I have forgotten to make sure my home was safe?! I thought the charms I had had on it would last!' she said, now panicked, running about the room mumbling protection spells and flicking her wand.
'Do you want me to go now then?' Ron asked, looking cross.
'Ron don't be silly. I take it your mum knows you're here?' Hermione asked, sitting back down and dismissing his snappy tone.
'Of course she knows Hermione. Not that she needs to know, I don't have to ask my mother for permission for everything you know.' He said still a little wound up.
'I know Ron.' She replied, rolling her eyes.
'Are you alright then?' he asked, sitting down, arms crossed.
'Yes, I've been a bit bored though. I was actually going to contact you to ask you if you wanted to come over, but I thought you might want to stay at home.' She said, picking up and closing the book that had been thrown aside in the rapid movement to grab her wand.
'Well you should have.' He replied, turning to face her and his expression softening, but only for a second. 'Harry and Ginny have been all over each other.'
Hermione laughed softly. 'Well Ron what do you expect? They've been apart for so long. It must have been difficult for them both to be so close to being together but that chance to be ripped away by war.'
'Ha. I know the feeling.' He mumbled under his breath.
He may have mumbled but Hermione heard him, and it made her heart flutter. It honestly fluttered. She needed to get out of there before she exploded.
'Oh Ron stop being so sour.' Hermione said, standing up. 'Do you want something to eat or drink?'
'Can I have a sandwich?' he asked, looking up at her like a hopeful child.
'Yeah, sure.' She replied hastily, quickly exiting to the kitchen that joined onto the living room. That was another hint that he liked her. She found she was fast running out of excuses to not say something, and it panicked her a little bit.
She had just stuck her head in the bread bin to get a loaf when - 'Hermione.' She jumped, once more, out of her skin.
'Ron! Stop – doing – that!' she said, hitting him with the bread with each word.
'Bloody hell Hermione! I was only going to tell you what I wanted in my sandwich!' he said, covering his face with his arms.
'Sorry but you keep doing that!' she said, pushing the bits of curly hair that had fallen out of her ponytail behind her ear.
'I didn't mean to scare you. Sorry.' He said. 'Can I just have ham?' he said, giving her a dopey smile.
&&&
After eating their sandwiches, Hermione decided to show Ron around her rather large house. She had two bathrooms which Ron was rather envious of after having to spend all his life sharing one with 8 other people or a dormitory full of other boys, and her parents also had a small study, which bemused Ron. When it came to Hermione's room he commented on the bright yellow walls being more of an eye sore that the orange glare his wall gave off due to all his Chudley Cannon posters. He wasn't surprised to see that her room scrupulously clean or that her books were in alphabetical order. 'It just makes it easier when I'm looking for a particular one.' She protested.
When it got to about 9:30, Hermione inquired to when Ron was going home, not that she wanted him to of course.
'Well I was actually going to see if you wanted me to stay the night.' He said, his ears going red. 'You know, just because you're all alone and stuff.' He mumbled.
'Would that be alright with your mum?' Hermione asked, fighting to contain her delight.
'Yeah, she actually suggested it first. Would you mind?'
'I'd love it.' She smiled.
Hermione spent the next couple of hours showing Ron how the television worked and trying to explain to him again how a telephone worked. She also found herself telling him how to play some old computer games of her fathers and showing him the extensive CD collection in the living room.
At around 11 o'clock it seemed appropriate to start getting ready for bed. Ron had his bed clothes in his bag – 'Didn't you wonder what that was for Hermione?'- and Hermione showed him the green guest bedroom situated beside her own. It was when she was brushing her teeth that she heard the beginnings of the summer thunder storm that the clouds had been threatening to unleash all day. She was a little surprised to hear how heavy the rain was pounding on the skylight in the bathroom and almost choked on her purple toothbrush when she heard the first distant 'BOOM!' of thunder coming from the sky's. She hated storms. She always had, even as a little girl. They always brought something bad with them. It was during a storm that Ron had left them. Storms just made her nervous.
'The bathroom's ready Ron!' she called when she had come out. It was when she was sneakily staring at Ron who had just emerged from behind the white bedroom door that the second crack of thunder rolled overhead, causing Hermione to jumped again.
'You're not scared are you?' Ron asked with a cheeky smile.
'Of course not Ron, I'm not 6 years old.' She replied, bringing her head up from the slot between her shoulders to which it had snapped when she heard the bang.
'If you say so Hermione.' He said, walking past her with toothbrush in hand and laughing to himself.
&&&
'I'm going to bed now Hermione.' Ron said after coming out of the bathroom, not surprised to find her immersed in a book on her bed, reading by the lamp light.
'Oh, night Ron.' She said with a smile and cheery wave, before going back to her book. Ron closed the door, only for a second later to open it again and stride across the room to give her a quick peck on the cheek, causing both he and Hermione to go red. 'Night Hermione' he said with an embarrassed smile.
She was grinning like a fool, her concentration on the book now completely lost when yet another rumble of thunder passed by, causing her to jump again. This routine continued to repeat itself for another 10 minutes, now with added lightening which caused Hermione to jump even further, before the lights began to flicker. Hermione was on the edge of jumping below her covers before she reminded herself she was not some silly 8 year old. She had been through a war, fought Voldemort himself. She was not scared of some silly lightening storm. Well, she wasn't frightened before her lamp went out completely, along with the streetlight outside and every other light in her street. She abandoned all hope of being brave and ran out of her room before bursting into Ron's.
'The lights went out.' She said stupidly, panting.
'I thought you weren't scared?' Ron teased her, sitting up.
'I'm not. The lights went out and I thought you should know.' She said, composing herself.
'Well I noticed, thank you.' He said in a put on proper voice. 'So you're not scared then?'
'Of course no- 'BOOM!'' She jumped again, this time running over to Ron's bed.
'Ha! The brilliant Hermione Granger scared of a little weather.' He smirked – well it looked like a smirk from what she could make out.
'Oh alright fine!' she admitted, grabbing his arm and sitting on the edge of his bed as a bolt of lightening lit up the room.
'It's fine.' He soothed her. 'It's only a bit of a storm.'
'Yes but bad things always happen during storms!' she said, fighting to keep the fear out of her voice.
'Well nothing bad going to happen now. I promise.' He comforted her. 'Now go to sleep.' He added, pulling back his covers, inviting her in.
'Is that not a bit…strange, Ron? She hesitated. Yes they had shared a tent for months and slept beside each other on numerous occasions. He had even sneaked in beside her after she had had the Crucio curse inflicted on her, but she wasn't exactly in mortal peril or anything. It was just a silly phobia.
'Well are you scared? Yes. So come on in. Don't worry, I'm not a weirdo Hermione.' He said, taunting her.
'Yes Ron but – 'BOOM!'' The next clap of thunder had made her jump in beside him, grabbing his vest and burying her face in his chest.
'Sorry, sorrysorrysorry!' she repeated, embarrassed at her reaction but still not moving.
'It's alright.' He laughed, putting his arms around her.
'It's so silly though!' she cried, highly embarrassed.
'Oh well. Now go to sleep, I know what you're like when you're tired.'
'Thank you.' She replied, getting comfortable but still clinging on to his vest.
They stayed like that all night, Hermione's jumping at the claps of thunder becoming less and less as she fell asleep, Ron comforting her every time she did so, stroking her back or hair. As Hermione fell asleep, she couldn't help but think that this wasn't like Ron, but still she loved it all the same and every storm after that, she never had to look far to find Ron's comforting arms.