Chapter 3. Friends for Ever.
My lip starts to get numb from all the nipping. I can't help myself, the waiting is killing me, and my anxiety won't leave my lip alone. The couch that I'm sitting at is really uncomfortable, the leather sticking to my bare legs. It's like the hottest day of summer that I've live in Ottery St. Catchpole. I get a curl out of my face and place it behind my ear. The outline of my hair is cover in tiny specs of sweat. I glance, for the tenth time that minute, to the fire place. Nothing, no green flames, no red-headed. I sigh.
"He'll be here, Hermione." Harry throws a pawn at me, at the same time it emits a tiny yell. "Now, pay attention to the game."
The game of Wizard Chess that we're playing is not interesting enough to distract me from the hope Ron would be there at any minute. In fact, the game reminds me of Ron.
"Who? Harry, I'm not expecting anyone. And, besides, I'm not good in Wizard Chess." I avoid Harry's gaze, if I turn to look at him, I'm sure I'll start whimpering from the impatience.
"We all know you are expecting Ron." Ginny stands beside Harry, caressing his hair with one of her hands.
"That's not true. I mean, I want to see him, of course, he's my friend. But if he can't be here, I understand. He has Auror things to do." I stand up from the couch I've been sharing with Harry and pace up and down the Burrow's living room.
"Hermione, you can't fool us. We know you're dying to see him. I saw the letter he sent you." Ginny is placing one hand in my shoulder.
"He is coming, Hermione. You should've seen the look in his face when Kingsley failed him. Ron even argued with him to do training some other day. He definitely wanted to be here today, and knowing Ron, he will." Harry's saying still from the couch, arranging the Chess pieces for a new game.
"I just wish he could hurry up. It's starting to get dark outside and we will have dinner in minutes now." I admit, not caring anymore. Ginny already knew about it, she has known for years. And Harry, although he saw our first kiss, is still getting use to the idea of us liking each other.
"Has Ron arrived yet?" George's head peeks out from the kitchen.
"No." Harry answers.
"Blimey, he knows how to do a fancy entrance, doesn't he?" George smiles at his own comment, but his grin fades quickly and gets back to the kitchen.
"Harry, does he ever talks about…?" I can't believe I'm asking this to Harry. I take my place in the couch once again. "…about me?"
Harry raises his gaze in a mid-surprise, but then smiles kindly at me. "He doesn't say much about it, but when you pop into our conversations his face becomes quite pathetic." They never pass the chance to make fun of each other. "Oh, but there was this one time when he mentioned something about you two kissing."
My face felt hot at the instant. "And what did he say?"
"Nothing important, just that Christmas is his favorite day of the year."
Harry continues to look at the Chess pieces, and then he frowns, as in trying to remember something. "Ginny, let's take this outside. I think I might be able to beat Percy before Ron arrives. This move will totally surprise him."
And Harry runs out to the Burrow's backyard, where every other Weasley is, waiting for Ron. Ginny stares at Harry's back, an eyebrow raise. And then she sighs.
"Well, at least he didn't stop mid-sentence." She replies, before following him to the backyard.
I stand up to leave, too. If Ron is arriving late, I may as well do something else not to die from impatience. But as the Weasley's voices grow stronger, another sound makes me peek into the living room. And there I see him. The green flames reaching almost to the ceiling, he still has his Auror equipment on, and a gash of dirt is place in his cheek.
"ROOON!" I shriek. I run to him, my arms open and my face with a grin. He doesn't move from his position, looking at me, a similar grin to mine stretching in his own mouth.
When I land in his arms, he pulls me close to him, bracing me so tightly that I can't breathe. His ruffled hair is tickling my face and his body heat thrills me in a way I can't explain. I feel my feet lift off the ground and I hear Ron's grunt beside my ear.
"I missed you so much." I find myself flirting as Ginny does with Harry. I burry my head where his shoulder meets his neck, and place an almost imperceptible kiss there.
"I missed you too." I hear him say. His hands are running up and down my back, his muscled arms holding me from the floor.
But then, we both hear the sound of a throat clearing. Ron drops me to the floor at once, but gently still. I look around; almost every Weasley is peeking from the Burrow's kitchen. I must've predicted that my yell would attract everyone back to the house. My face burns up, and as I look at Ron, I can see his scarlet ears.
Ginny breaks the tensioning moment, reaching for Ron to hug him and greet him. The other Weasleys do the same, and in little to no time, we are all in the Burrow's garden sitting in the table, eating the banquet Mrs. Weasley made. Ron takes the seat across from me in the center of the table. Harry and Ginny are on my left side; Mr. Weasley and Bill are at his.
The dinner party is going with the usual conversation, Bill and Charlie asking Ron and Harry about Auror training. Ginny and I talking about some Hogwarts related stuff. And then, in deep conversation, I feel something touching my bare leg. My gaze immediately goes to Ron, and he is wide-eyed. "Sorry" he mouths at me, but I can't say anything in reply. The light touch I felt is sending extremely shocking shivers through my spine. So I'm just there, blushing, staring at Ron.
And then, not knowing from where, my leg stretches below the table, seeking for Ron's leg. And so, his trousers feel rough against the skin of my leg. I move it up and down, caressing his inner leg. A shy smile is drawn in my face. Ron gets the message, and blushes as much as his hair, and another tiny smile is drawn, this time in his face. He moves his leg in my direction, allowing me more exploring. And then, he joins the game, interlacing his with mine, just before continuing with his conversation.
Too soon, dinner is over, and we have to stand up. We are acting as if nothing had happened below the table.
I follow him inside, Harry and Ginny are behind me. We end up in the Burrow's living room, Harry and Ron playing Wizard Chess. But within minutes Ron gets Harry's king.
"Oi, mate! It's not fair! I had all the game planed." Harry's pretests are heard in the entire house.
"Sorry, maybe next time." Ron says.
"I'm cold." Ginny says, holding herself from the sofa across the living room.
"I can turn up the heat." Ron offers.
"No, it's all right. Hermione, can you bring my sweater down?" She says with a wink.
I stare at her for some seconds, until I understand her cue.
"Oh, yes. Of course." I say. I stand up and then look at Ron. "Ron, er—Could you help me?"
"For a sweater?" He asks, not looking away from his Chess game.
"Ehm, and also with something else…" Why couldn't Ginny had ask for something bigger and heavier?
Ron looks at me. Then at Ginny. "Ehm, Ok. I guess." He stands up and walks with me to the stairs. Now is the moment. If he wants to tell me something, to talk with me about anything, then that is the perfect moment. It's now or never, because I'm not planning in staying friends for ever.