(a/n: I hope this chap suffices to explain the backstage plan, also my first pathetic attempt at the slightest humor. thanks for reading!)
Meanwhile, ten meters away from the oblivious lovebirds, behind the lofty beech tree by the lake edge…
"Close your gaping mouth, Ronald!" came a blithe feminine voice synchronized with the humdrum chanting from the golden canopy above. "Moon Frogs can jump down your throat and block your windpipe."
Ronald, the addressed person, managed to hold in the snigger pressing to escape his lips, and gave way to the more urgent expletive, "bloody hell!" He was goggling at the intertwined couple with his mouth still wide open, his light voice filled with wonder, "who knows Hermione has it in her. She bloody jumped Ha-"
"Ouch!" Ronald screamed midsentence when he felt something stomp on his foot, hard. The image of a knot of slimy bulging-eyed frogs bringing nausea to his mouth, he looked down at the ground and slowly let out a breath, which shortly got hitched in his chest when his eyes inadvertently darted from the ground back up to meet with a pair of protuberant silver-grey orbs not unlike the magical stones in the gobstones game he had often played with his twin brothers. Though he had to admit those lambent eyeballs were more tolerable than some hideous imaginary creature of unknown destructive powers, the fact that Luna Lovegood was precisely one snog away scared the living daylights out of him.
"You just stepped on my foot, Loo-Luna!" He shot daggers at the culprit, trying to cover the flush of heat to his face.
"Moon Frogs, I forgot to mention they normally pop at your feet before attacking." Luna said with aplomb. She reached up to clutch Ronald's chin, swinging his head from side to side, "but it is no longer of significance, because your mouth is properly closed now."
Looking at Luna as if she'd grown two heads, Ronald stepped back and screeched. "You are mental."
"Be quiet, Ron!" There was a grating voice, louder than his and Luna's combined, dinning into his ears. "You don't want them to hear us."
Ronald snapped his head around, preparing to rebut the insolent speaker; his eyes almost popped out of their sockets, upper lip arching and lower lip dropping, his mouth forming a perfect round O but slamming shut in another woeful howl. "Ouch!"
"Luna!" He glared at the eccentric blonde, secretly curling his sore toes in his shoe, red tingeing his freckled face. "I swear I'm gonna…gonna…" he trailed away, unable to come up with a suited punishment for the disturbing Ravenclaws.
"What did I say, Ronald? You are gaping like a fish out of water." Luna stayed unruffled, her dreamy eyes carrying a hint of something similar to teasing smiles for a split-second before turning back to normal. She kept talking breezily as if inquired of her ludicrous imagination. "Moon Frogs are particularly rife in amorous atmospheres."
Suddenly feeling pity for the girl, Ronald just shook his head and returned to the unresolved problems, instantly incensed by the scene in front of him. He tried to hurtle forward but had to resort to sputtering, stuck where he stood for Luna's hands on his arm. "G-Ginny Weasley, you…you…! Dean you bloody git, take your grotty tongue out of my sister's mouth this instant!"
Ignoring her brother's warning without shame, Ginny plundered her tongue deeper into Dean's mouth, moaning with pleasure against his lips, yet the latter appeared fairly intimidated and kept tugging at her waist, making it irritably hard to concentrate. Thus, she ceased her erotic roaming, pillared herself on Dean's shoulders and scowled at the red-faced Ronald. "Sod off, Ron! It's months we've been dating for Merlin's sake!" She jerked her head to the direction of the passionate lovers. "Those two are snogging senseless, Ron. I helped your best friends get together. Don't you think I deserve a good snog with my boyfriend too?"
Face flushed scarlet with anger, both hands on her hips, Ginny had detached completely from her boyfriend, who was trying to mollify her by snaking his arms around her waist and rubbing her back. Dean trailed kisses along the curve of her jaw, and once Ginny felt his teeth grazing her throat, she bent her neck backwards to give him more access, too horny to remember some petty argument with her brother.
Ronald was gawking at his sister making out with his dorm mate, one shaking finger pointed at the pair, unable to pick up his feet, when he felt a light squeeze on his arm.
"You should give them some privacy, Ronald!"
Luna's voice was still silvery and void of emotion, but the sober look on her face swayed Ronald. He nodded slightly and let her lead him back to facing the lake, putting a certain distance away from Dean and Ginny. His eyes fell upon his two best friends locked tight in a seemingly endless cuddle, drawing a soft sigh from deep in his chest, where mixed warmth with a trace of somberness.
"She's got it bad, hasn't she?" Ronald gazed unseeingly at the romance display in front of him and mused aloud, images of the boisterous celebration party in the common room gradually overlaying the sunset-coated lake in his vision. "She turned white as a sheet I thought she was gonna faint, and when I offered the firewhiskey, she all but yanked the bottle out of my hand and downed it in one gulp." He shook his head slightly, remnant disbelief reawakened in his visage, "Blimey! If I didn't know better, I would have thought she was an alcohol addict…then she fled faster than she would from You-Know-Who, I daresay." He inserted another sigh before lowering his voice, "can only imagine how she felt. It's a bit cruel of a measure, really…" he faltered, glancing at Luna to see she was looking straight at him, not a single residue of the trademark languor in her expression, the glimmer of erudition in her vivid eyes eerily reminding him of Hermione yet capable of checkmating him without argument. He swallowed, "…er…but necessary, I guess."
It was the first time Ronald allowed himself to reciprocate Luna's freakish uninhibited stare and he noticed that her unsmiling face seemed to give the impression of a cryptic smile, which brought an uninvited fluttering in his heart. She suddenly looked away without a word, and Ronald couldn't help taking mild offense to being blatantly ignored. There was something about the girl that bade him keep talking. He cleared his throat, reverting to the subject uppermost in his mind.
"How could you be so sure, Luna? I mean, you are right and things happened exactly the way we wanted, but it still boggles me. I know Hermione went to the Astronomy Tower from the Marauder's map, but Harry, how do you suppose he found her?"
"Because that's what Harry does," Luna was wearing a fond smile as she looked dreamily out towards the lake, not an inkling of dubiety in her calm voice, "following his gut instinct to find Hermione, keep her comforted and safe..." Ronald wanted to argue that he had a strong compulsion to protect Hermione too, but Luna carried on with the same plain-spoken tone, "because love always finds a way."
Ronald was rendered briefly inarticulate, his brows knitted together in deep thought. He had expected, perhaps, some sort of tracking spell Luna or Ginny used on Hermione without his knowing, but he was met with one momentous notion that he didn't quite apprehend. His gaze drifted from Luna to his best friends wrapped in each other's arms and back to the quirky girl with a perfectly tranquil demeanor, and something in his mind clicked. He let out a breathless whisper, "wow!" He perked up and began to speak with enthusiasm, "I see...but hey, Luna, it strikes me that you already knew Harry's feelings and we're all dead sure about Hermione." In the heat of moment, he edged towards Luna, feeling unaccountable eagerness to hear her out. "Why didn't we just tell him that she was insanely jealous that night…or we could have dropped hints as to why Hermione has been moping…Mr Oblivious sodding harassed me, you know. It's not fun, Luna, but both you and Ginny constantly had me zip my lip!"
It didn't escape Ronald that he sounded more petulant than he actually felt, yet he would never admit to himself that he couldn't help it, possibly with the purpose of provoking any kind of feedback other than her irksome composure. Much to his disappointment, Luna didn't even spare a look at him. She tilted her head heavenwards as his eyes followed the direction of her gaze; all he could see was a mundane jungle of variegated tawny and red with patches of cerulean, by which Luna was apparently fascinated, her face lighting up with a smile like sunshine as Ronald enjoyed a delightful side view of the contours of her slender neck. All of a sudden, she threw her arms in the air and twirled nonstop in circles while he continued to gawk at her with unblinking eyes, uninterfered with by Moon Frogs or any imaginary creature for that matter. Luna stopped at last, a bit out of breath, a healthy glow blooming on her cheeks and Ronald remained dumbfounded, open-mouthed when she laughed a fruity, clear laugh like a chime of silver bells, sparkles in her big round eyes.
"Sexual tension." Luna inclined her head in what Ronald deemed a graceful curtsey that Muggle ladies often made when accepting the offer to dance, and winked at him.
He was leering at her pink lips, his ears tipping red when he noticed they were moving. He piped up for the mere sake of keeping a polite conversation. "Er…I beg your pardon?"
"Unsatisfied sexual tension, Ronald." Luna said slowly, putting an emphasis on each word, her voice an octave higher as if afraid he couldn't hear her, pure sobriety reinstated in her look.
Ronald could feel his face flame as Ginny's giggles reached his ears, beads of sweat forming on his forehead although he was garbed in full Gryffindor robe. Backing up one large step, he snarled, camouflaging humiliation with indignation. "What the bloody hell do you mean?"
Luna appeared to be thoroughly impassive as she replied him in her normally soft voice, yet it felt like thunderclap in his ears, "Say, Ronald, suppose you fancied shoving your tongue down my throat, would you actually do it if you had a chance now?"
"What?" Ronald gave a single squeal.
Ginny's roar of laughter was followed by her singsong voice. "You heard her, Ron."
Notwithstanding, Ronald was cognizant of nothing but the saucy blonde girl in front of him, her silver eyes two impenetrable wells of self-possession, which he was uncertain how he could read very acutely then.
"Would you, Ronald," Luna said bluntly, "in view of the circumstances?"
"W-what's the point, Luna, seeing that I-I um I…d-don't…well…not really, but I…" Ronald made an attempt to retort but was soon tongue-tied, feeling like a fever were taking over him under the quizzical scrutiny of Luna Lovegood; once her lips started to curl up in the promise of a smirk, he held up his hands in a defensive manner and shook them, along with his head. "No, no, no… I am not going to snog you!"
"Of course you aren't." He was taken aback when Luna nodded, ostensibly pleased with his less than coherent answer. She smiled friendly at him for the first time before questioning him further. "Do you know why?"
Ronald shook his head uncertainly, looking like he didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Quite contrary to his fear, Luna's smile broadened as in an encouraging expression, and softened when aimed at the impassioned couple. She observed in a serene yet heart-warming voice as if narrating a beautiful tale.
"Same with Harry and Hermione. Both of them were staying in denial for too long, Ronald, because there were internal forces that stopped them from acting upon their true feelings. All we can do is to create opportunities, yet they need to figure out for themselves and work together to overcome those forces. Only then will the sexual tension be resolved, when they are fully aware of the mutuality of their love, when they are ready to seriously commit." Luna stopped, presumably for her words to sink in, before droning on while Ronald could barely fathom her ambiguous words, but for noticing that she was using the short form of his name. "Love requires sacrifice, breaking out of your comfort zone and swallowing your pride to actually profess your feelings to your loved one. There is a fierce inner battle that needs a certain amount of time and effort to be settled, depending on the nature of each relationship. There is no way to speed up that time, Ron. You just have to wait and see, while looking deeply inside your soul for the answer on your own. That's how love works; a long, bumpy road, but well worthwhile in the end."
Luna turned to smile at Ronald, while he took it as a sign that she eventually finished her long-winded speech, which left him with a substantially gloomy vista of his future love life. He rubbed the back of his neck and heaved an onerous sigh, feeling the beginning of a mild headache.
"Don't be such a wimp, Ron!" peppered Luna with an amiable chortle, "it's not as far-fetched an ideal as you fear." She took a glimpse of his best friends and clarified in an airy voice, "look at Harry and Hermione! Those meant to be together will find each other at the end, no matter what happens. Someday, you, too, will find the love of your life when the time comes." She gave a small shrug as if she had pronounced an established fact like spring succeeding winter, yet her subsequent advice connoted such gravity that gave Ronald goose bumps. "In the meantime, Ron, just live your life with an open heart."
"Merlin's pants!" exclaimed Ginny in high-flown astonishment as she were walking arm in arm with her boyfriend to join Ronald and Luna adjacent to the beech tree, "I didn't know you are such a romance expert, Luna dear."
"In that case, Ginny, I am glad you are enlightened now," responded Luna with poise and genteelness; she leaned forward to flash Dean a smile that Ronald decided was too intimate for his liking. "Thank you very much indeed, Dean, for understanding! Ginny's help was instrumental in our action plan."
"Oh, it's no trouble at all. My Deanie always understands." With a flick of her wrist, Ginny dismissed Luna's appreciation glibly, her eyes, nevertheless, brimming with complacency. She chirruped, also obliged to pay some tribute to her friend, "and Luna dear, thanks to you, the brilliant mastermind, Harry and Hermione get together at long last."
"Well, considering we have been close friends of Harry for quite some time," quipped Luna in her characteristic light-hearted tone, "I am certain his sheer dumb luck might as well have rubbed off on us."
Everyone all burst out laughing merrily, except for Luna, who was regaled with the gradual change of the blue vault into a light amethyst hue, and Ronald, who was too busy watching her to entertain himself with her jest.
"They are so romantic, aren't they, sweetheart?" Ginny said with a wistful sigh.
Dean proceeded to hug his girlfriend from behind, resting his chin on her svelte shoulder, and whispered into her ear, "True, but I think we are hotter, my love."
"Aw… You're just saying that, Dean!" Ginny mock pouted at Dean, a bright smile on her face, her head angled back to meet his lips as he lowered his head just right to smooch her square on the mouth.
Ronald looked upon the lovey-dovey scene in pure disgust, the combination of hot-headedness and a strong sense of protectiveness towards his litter sister getting the better of him. He was on the verge of punching Dean in the face when he felt a cool soft hand slip into his, jolting him out of his belligerent mindset.
He voiced what came first to mind. "Eh Luna, what are you doing?"
"I am holding your hand, Ron," answered Luna promptly, her palm giving his a little rub, "since I assume this is what we both want at the moment."
Distressed by the fact that the validity of her candid remark overrode his preconception that Luna was incapable of sensible talk, Ronald protested weakly, wresting his clammy hand out of hers, not even risking a glance at her. "I…I don't think so."
Sweat was blown away with light breezes, leaving the chills in his lone hand. From the corner of his eyes, Ronald saw Luna keep her eyes on him shortly before walking away.
"Wait, hold on," he blurted out, "Luna!"
"Ronald," she turned around and started to speak before he could perceive the reason he had held her back, her unemotional voice inscrutably accelerating his heart. "Despite what Hermione said, I think you are actually rather quick on the uptake."
Calmly, Luna turned her back to Ronald and ambled on, while he felt a sudden whim to pin her to the ground and extract the meaning behind all those ruddy obscure comments of hers from her appealing lips. His feet acted faster than his mind and before he knew it, Ronald fell into steps beside Luna. Any senses of direction he had disappearing in an attack of nerves, even if Luna was leading him to the acromantulas' nest, Ronald would still have followed her like a machine, patently staring at her, his hands sweating against cool air, freckles standing out in contrast to his pale complexion across the bridge of his nose. He knew that Luna was aware of his presence from his roaring heartbeats only, but she never acknowledged him once, continuing to hum the derisive song-Weasley is Our King - invented by the vile Slytherins.
Luna's complete lack of reaction to the third time Ronald cleared his throat started to aggravate him. He stretched his right arm to stop her mid-walk, somehow getting a handful of her sleek hair, resulting in her soft cry of pain and his stammering apology. Ronald half waited for the remonstrance Ginny or Hermione would have given him in a similar situation, but Luna simply looked up at him with her large limpid eyes, diffused with glitters of saffron sunset. Discerning a single dead leaf braided in her blonde strands, he lifted his hand and gently removed it, his fingers sliding down the length of her lustrous hair.
"Um… a leaf's got stuck in your hair," prompted Ronald unnecessarily with a nervous grin, "I just…wanted to help you take it out"
Luna inched closer, so subtly that her long cascade was static, her voice a temperate keynote amid the choir of excited shrieks, most likely, from his sister and her boyfriend. "It's quite alright, Ron. I love it when a creorubamor forgets a red leaf in my hair"
"Creoru-bamor?"Ronald quirked an eyebrow, his grin bordering on a roguish one.
"Miniature, yellow fur, quite elusive, but often making appearances around mid to late fall," Luna was fluent as if she was reading directly from a credited book on her newest imaginary creature, but she then lapsed into a fleeting silence before speaking softly, "they adore red."
"I see." Ronald breathed a whisper, lost in the drastic purity of her silver eyes. In a poor effort to get a grip, he waved his hand indifferently towards the murky dunes, which were quickly consuming the blue arch above, and tried to sound as casual as possible. "Nice, clear sky, eh?"
"Indeed!" Luna concurred readily, her keen eyes drilling into his.
"Say, Luna, why don't we take a stroll around the lake while—"
"That would be very nice." Luna interrupted his suggestion with dignity.
"Great! Great!" Ronald smiled broadly at Luna, holding out his hand to her, "so …shall we?"
She put her hand securely into his, a dazzling smile on her normally emotionless face. Together, they sauntered to the other end of the lake, beaming faces turned towards each other, impervious to the sullen look of a certain redhead.
"I can't believe it! I swear he was going to kiss her, and now what? They are…" Ginny gestured towards Ron and Luna, trying to find a romance-oriented word without success, so she settled for the trivial fact, "only walking for Merlin's sake!"
"Hand in hand," reassured Dean cautiously, "it's a good sign. Don't worry much, love. I am sure Ron'll make his move."
"He'd better do it soon." Narrowing her eyes, Ginny said tightly. "You cannot find a more perceptive girl than Luna, sweetheart, but my brother is seriously a hopeless case, even worse than the Boy-Who-Lived."
"You are such a pessimist, Ginny!" There was shuffling of feet before Parvati Patil came out from behind a nearby bush with Lavender Brown in tow. The former flipped her jet black hair over her shoulder pompously out of habit and addressed her fifth-year dorm mate. "Don't you think that Ron just made an excuse to take Luna away and snog her?"
Ginny stared incredulously at the interlopers. "How long have you two been hiding in there?"
"Long enough to see our hero claim his know-it-all lady, when she chose the perfect time to give a legendary sneeze." Parvati answered dryly and laid her hand on her left chest, letting out a dramatic whine, "Oh thy broken heart!"
Dean and Ginny shared an eye-rolling, while Lavender dabbed at her eyes with her heavily-scented vintage handkerchief and sniffled theatrically. "I am so proud. Our house has officially broken the record of having the cheesiest couples in Hogwarts."
"Along with the 'gossip magnet' title," supplemented Parvati smugly.
"Not quite!" Ginny nipped the potential brag party in the bud and glanced back at her brother and best friend, who were getting further away. She sighed dispiritedly. "We need another scheme, girls."
Parvati nodded her consent, and added gravely. "But Ron and Luna can't participate this time."
"We have Harry and Hermione instead, right?" Lavender raised her voice hopefully.
"Exactly, and Hermione has brilliant…" Dean looked thrilled, but soon stumbled over his words at his girlfriend's incisive look. "…ideas. Yeah, she can research, you know, helpful spells and stuffs."
"You are brilliant yourself, sweetheart!" Ginny beamed at her boyfriend, rising to kiss him on the cheek, and turned back to her friends, all businesslike again. "True, Hermione can be a very strong ally. I am going to let her in on our plan at dinner tonight. I am not sure about Harry, though. He is far too close to my half-witted brother. Anyway-"
"Still meeting in the room of requirement tonight, at the same time?"
"No, Lavender, and stop jumping in my mouth," Ginny sounded a little annoyed, "Luna and my brother are not involved this time. We can just stay in our dorm and use a silencing charm."
"Ginny love, what about—"
Ginny cut off her boyfriend midsentence smoothly. "Actually, sweetheart, you are designated a very important role, which is to distract Harry and my brother for us to discuss in peace, then I'll fill you in later. Okay?" Upon Dean's obedient nod, she clapped her hands together and said contently, "Good! Everything's all set?"
"I guess…" Lavender replied absently, but soon looked up from fixing the purple flower brooch on her cardigan, and snapped her fingers, looking as if she were bursting with excitement. "I got it, Belles of Gryffindor! Listen, I am gonna collect all my issues of Witch Weekly. They have superb wizarding-world-class dating advice columns. How's that?"
"One great idea you have there, Lav!" spoke Parvati, putting one hand to her mouth to cover a loud yawn.
"That's definitely a start!" Ginny clicked her tongue appreciatively, "Thank you, Lavender! We'll have loads to browse through tonight."
"True! And we can only work efficiently on a full stomach. I am starving." Parvati complained and pointed to the sky. "Besides, looks like it's going to rain. We should get back to the castle."
"Yeah, you girls get off first" agreed Ginny noncommittally, wagging her brows suggestively at her boyfriend, "I want a bit more of quality time with my Deanie."
"Sure, let's go, Lav!" Parvati sounded downright bored. It's not day one she'd heard Ginny gush about her flourishing relationship with Dean.
"I'll see you tonight, Ginny!" Lavender said cheerily, "bye, Dean!"
Both were apparently too engaged in a fiery kiss-how it had started in the first place, Lavender couldn't recall-to return her farewell, so she shrugged her shoulders and turned to follow her friends….
The sun had sunk beneath the Western horizon; the sky was bleeding a resplendent melted bronze, which dyed the rippling lake surface the same shade of dusk and the entire lakeshore area a unique flavor that was both depressing and soothing. On the undulatory canvas was painted the reflections of a snuggling couple—the willowy girl with a mound of thick hair growing to the small of her back, where rested her lover's hands possessively, slung her arms around his neck-their nose almost touching. She then swooped her head down, erasing any miniscule gap between them, two reflections becoming one quaint solid amorphous image, only his back and her hair outlined on the water surface.
She laughed softly in his chest and tilted her head back to face him, the ends of her locks brushing pleasantly against his arms around her waist. Gaiety still dwelling in her eyes, she asserted her speculation with a slight castigatory undertone. "Then you know we've been having audience all along, Harry!"
Once his poker face started to contort with insuppressible laugh, he hid it in the mass of her thick brown curls, his shoulder vibrating with peals of laughter that were yet bubbling up from his throat, while she quickly wrapped her arms around his back for anchor to sustain his weight, giving in to the overwhelming urge to laugh of her own. He finally laughed out loud and freely, his rumbling laughter rich and warm like the roaring fire in the Gryffindor common room, his cuddle cozier than the fluffiest bed and more real than any of the subjective senses of being well-equipped that books often provided her.
When their laughter subsided, she tapped on his back and chided him playfully, "it's not funny, Harry!"
"What an irony, Hermione!" He lifted his head and smirked at her.
Going beetroot, she pulled herself out of his arms but he grabbed her hand and swept her back into his embrace, stroking her hair in a placating manner. The petulance in her tear-rimmed eyes spurred him to kiss her forehead in accompaniment of a vocal apology. "I am sorry, okay?" He went on softly, justifying himself to her. "In fact, Hermione, Ron practically begged to tag along, but he ran off at the last minute, saying he had something urgent to attend to. How in Merlin's Hades could this spying thing happen, I honestly didn't have the foggiest idea. Trust me now?"
"Tell you what, Potter, people can watch for all I care." She bit back a smile, adamant to ignore the knee-weakening lop-sided grin of his and mock at him, her voice unintentionally getting sultry, "you are one little cutie pie that I munch with lips, tongue and teeth. That's all what matters."
"I will have you change your mind, Hermione," pronounced he roughly, his emerald eyes glowing at the center of his wounded expression, "I am no longer the innocent little boy you first met on the Hogwarts Express."
Although awash with remorse, she made up her mind to push ahead with the scorn, her curiosity piqued by his daring attitude. "Try me!"
He grabbed her by the waist, lifting her off the ground and setting her to his right as if pushing aside his unfinished homework to play a game of chess with Ron, and wandered off without so much as a disdainful grunt. "You're standing in my way, Granger!"
She was genuinely caught by surprise but appeared, by all accounts, grossly affronted, her brows drawing together into a heavy scowl, deepened by her pursed lips and scintillating eyes. She called him back at the top of her voice, preparing to pin his ears back, but he simply evanesced like a sweet dream giving way to consciousness with one fluttering of eyelashes. Things occurred so fast that she couldn't process the radical turning of events; the first insidious thought of a cruel travesty of fate wormed its way into her mind, pricking into the wounds not yet healed in her soul. Sadness crept up on her, much unexpectedly like how the dunes of grey clouds bare its claw on the azure dome, turning sunshine into a vicious thunderstorm of pain in her heart.
The first drop of rain on her bare skin pulled her out of the grave of self-doubt as easily as she let herself buried in the crumbles of her whimsical fantasy. She should have been expelled by having thrown away all life ideals and her most authentic, most sacred feelings to fall in the trap of depression, all for nothing. He proved to be, more than she could ever ask for, truly compassionate and loving to such a dreadfully self-absorbed girl she had become. Vowing to never repeat the mistake, she cast an impervius charm to repel the drizzling and stood calmly at the water's edge, waiting for him, her frizzy hair sent flying in all directions by the wind.
"I got you, Hermione." She heard his triumphant voice before she could feel her arms twisted behind her back somewhat forcefully.
She automatically closed her eyes, treasuring the uttermost reality of his wet skin. Both hands still tying her arms, he pivoted her around, his grin fading when he could read the trembling relief etched in her countenance. He immediately freed her arms and cradled her face in his palms to soothe the only girl who could ride his heart. "Hermione love, you should know by now that I am not going anywhere."
He was soaked to the skin, his tousled hair damp and, for once, looking tamed, his bangs matted to his forehead, from where water dripped down to his nose, his open lips and the slight dimple on his chin, pearls of rain hanging upon his pale cheeks. Seeing him drenched in this proximity put her imagination into overdrive. She took off his Gryffindor scarf and draped it around his neck, pulling his head down closer until he came just within reach for her to tackle his mouth.
He conformed to her wordless command with a singing heart, his half-lidded eyes zooming in on the blest smirk on her lips, her muttering like music to his ears. In the back of his mind, he thought she was casting the rain repellent charm so that they would both enjoy a fervid kiss free of chilly water biting their skin. Yet, just before their lips could touch, his legs felt like it suddenly turned into gelatin without warning, wobbling uncontrollably and buckling under his weight. He slipped off her grasp and collapsed to the ground with no sensation of his legs as if they were nonexistent. The answer came before he could gather his wits to ask the question. He found himself straddled by her, his back pressed against wet grass, his skin tickled by her soft hair as her face was hovering over his like an umbrella against the rain.
"You failed, Potter," she stared deep into his startled eyes, a wicked smile taunting on her lips, "but I believe in second chances."
All the grand strategies to woo her back were buzzing like myriad swarms of bees in his mind, but what escaped his lips was the three little words. "I love you."
Time came to a standstill. Raindrops froze midair. His heart feeling like bursting out of his rib cage to merge with hers, his eyes overflowed with tears, he was entirely shocked by the unequivocal certainty sufficiently paramount to shatter the deep-rooted fear of one cursed with losing anyone he had hold dear. Filling in the void of his soul were pure happiness and faith, which he liberated in an ear-splitting shout that he suspected would arouse all the magical inhabitants in the lake. "I love you, Hermione Granger!"
She was smiling radiantly at him, tears spilling out of her shinny eyes straight into his, sending tender kisses to him in her steadfast gaze, their tears of joy flowing back inside, filling his heart with warmth. After a long while, she sat up, actually casting the impervius charm on him this time, along with the jelly-legs counter-curse, as he could feel her weight real and pleasant on his thighs. He reflexively wound his arms around her waist as she wiped the rain and tears off his face gently.
Her voice soft yet assertive, she confided in him. "It feels like I've been waiting for you all my life, Harry, but I am done waiting around. I want to fight for our love. I see my future so clearly now." She paused briefly, gentle fingers sliding into his raven mop; he saw what she had to say in her warm chocolate eyes before her lips even moved. "It's you, Harry Potter. You and me. Us together…"
"It's our future, Hermione," he corrected her on the spot, his forehead leaning towards hers, inhaling the air she was breathing, and repeated to nail down his certitude, "our future."
Ultimately, she granted him his victory with the kiss that had been simmering on their lips.
It goes without saying that the hero always wins, after all.
(for those who re following "the pursuit of a happy ending", I changed the plot radically, and had pages of plan written, so I hope to be able to finish over Christmas break. As for this short piece, just my way of spending Thanskgivings holiday. I am deeply grateful to you all for loving Harmony and taking your time to read my stories!)
