A/N: Well hello again readers! I want to thank those who have reviewed my story and beg that those of you who haven't to start reviewing! The words of constructive criticism are music to my ears and I can only hope that my lovely readers will help me make my stories better. Any suggestions, critiques, or just that you are enjoying how things are going in the plot is a bit of encouragement for me to keep on writing. Anyway, hope you like the new chapter.
The Halloween feast had been fun as usual, but Ron spent the entire meal focused on Hermione's dazzling smile. The way she lit up around her friends and how she was absolutely enraptured by the floating candles and bounty of candy. She had always had so much fun during Halloween, immersing herself in the wizarding tradition. As the raucous of the Great Hall began to drift away, Ron tugged at Hermione's wrist from under the table. They had been sitting next to one another the whole evening but the jokes and conversations between their fellow Gryffindors had kept them from having any real time to talk to each other. She turned her head towards him and nodded, giving them both the signal to say their goodbyes and slip off of the bench.
The couple made their way up the stairs towards the Heads' Dormitories and as Ron leant down to leave a kiss on Hermione's cheek, she turned her face quickly, capturing his lips with hers. The kiss was brief but full of fervor, something unique to his prior kisses with Hermione, which made her pulling away all the more woeful. Hermione knew that Ron wanted more from the kiss, but at that moment she looked up into his eyes, as blue as ever, and spoke sternly, her voice full of confidence.
"Do you want to come inside? It's not that late, and there aren't any classes tomorrow." her tone had been strong but it only proved to make Ron want her more. He nodded slowly, not sure that he was giving her the right answer. Was this all just some kind of test? Did she just want to tease him or prove that she had control over him? Ron's thoughts were racing and he suddenly lost all will power. Lucky for Ron, Hermione took all the initiative needed for the both of them, and she whispered the password and began walking into the Common Room, but when she turned around she saw Ron just standing in the portrait hole, unable to move. This time she got to take him by the wrist and leisurely pulled him into the room.
Ron was amazed at the state of her shared common room. He wasn't sure if the room had been decorated by house elves or Malfoy, but for the time being he was just glad to soak it all in. There were gold and silver bowls all over the room filled to the brim with candies. The room screamed with Halloween spirit and for once Ron absolutely adored the holiday. The warm glow of candles and the smell of the sweets seemed stronger than it had in Great Hall, and all of it was so intoxicating. Ron wanted believe it was some cosmic force that was pulling him towards Hermione, but it was just him. He didn't want to think that he was just some randy teenager, but it was undeniable at this point.
Hermione loved watching the thoughts run across Ron's face. He was inexplicably one of the easiest people to read, something she was very grateful for. Moments like these, when Ron felt free to let his mind wander, they were so special to her because she saw each emotion flood over him and she loved seeing him so full of life, so full of thought. Since they were young Ron had always played the part he needed to, and with a friend like Harry there was always a need for laughter. Ron had spent six years at Harry's side trying to make sure that there was always a smile on his face. It hadn't been something that Ron especially cared for, but he did care for his friends and that made all the difference. What was upsetting about all of this was that Ron was so much more than that. He was more than just a comedian, more than just some tool used to cheer Harry up, and Hermione wanted Ron to know how she saw him.
Ron's presence in the room had been uncomfortable and tense thus far, but as Hermione inched closer to him his body became seemingly more rigid, if it was possible. It didn't really phase Hermione though, as her mission was to let him let loose, she knew he would be hesitant at first.
"Ron, relax. Just... just be yourself." she spoke audibly, but Ron's body trembled as if she had screamed at him. There were times when he adored her confidence, but he had no faith in his own confidence, or his own restraint. But of course Hermione already knew all of that, but she willingly stepped closer and closer to him. She let her hands lace in his, comfortably swaying them back and forth, and with each sway she snuck closer to him, until her chest was flush with his, still swinging her arms back and forth. While Ron had always been there to make Harry smile, Hermione was the one who was able to comfort her friends, and something about the way she continued to move her arms comforted Ron and he was no longer uncomfortable. In fact, he was comfortable enough to lean down and kiss her with enough strength to catch her off guard. Luckily he wrapped his arms lazily behind her, her hands still laced in his.
Hermione was glad her plan had worked. Ron was letting go of his worries and taking control of his own desires. The only time Ron Wally took care of himself was at the dinner table, and that wasn't enough for her. She wanted to seem him genuinely happy, wanted to see his face full of life and she wanted to be the one to make it happen. Pulling his hands further behind her back and this pulling Ron closer to her, Hermione let the kiss grow deeper and could hear the groan of confusion and satisfaction in Ron's throat, but her mouth kept the sound from ever hitting the air of the glowing common room. The kiss got more heated and Ronald lead them towards a green couch that sat several feet away from the fireplace. As he dropped her onto it he let go of their hands and let them just fall.
Their hands could roam wherever they pleased and Ron loved the thought of it. He wanted to take all of her in and there just weren't enough hands, or maybe there wasn't enough time. He didn't want to waste time deciding what his problems were, all he wanted was to fade into her. For a moment they just lied there, him lightly on top of her, trying to balance his weight on his elbows, but there was no way he could support his waist and legs with just the support of his arms. Due to their height difference, Ron's lay heavily somewhere between the middle of Hermione's thighs and her knees, but it felt so natural to Ron. After lying there for what felt like years, Ron gently shifted his weight and removed his elbows from the couch, only to lift his hands to the sides of her face and pull her in for another kiss. His hands stayed firmly on her face, as if he wanted to keep her there forever, but gradually his hands slid down to her collarbone, tracing over it with his fingertips gingerly. He let his fingers linger for a bit longer before he laid his hands flat on her shoulders and let his hands continue their venture.
She wasn't sure what he had in mind and she wasn't sure if she cared. They had continued to kiss but his focus was clearly split between his lips and his hands. Hermione felt bad doing so, but she let her eyes flutter open, wanting to see the look on his face. As she did so, Ron must have felt something as he too opened his eyes, looking into hers only for a moment before he broke their kiss. Taking a few deep breaths before continuing, Ron let his eyes trail all the way down her body, at least until the point where their chests met. After catching his breath, Ron dropped his lips to the hollow of her neck, in between her collarbones, and left a trail of small kisses. His hands kept sliding down her body, easing down her sides, barely gracing the sides of her breasts before moving to her ribcage. Hermione's breath hitched and she felt so powerless in the best kind of way. She had never had anything specific thoughts of being controlled by someone else, and surely not in any pleasurable circumstances, but the thought of letting Ron have all the control gave her a certain reassurance. Even with all of this flitting through her mind she still managed to feel useless.
Ron's generous line of kisses continued to follow the trail that his hands had left and Hermione's heart was racing. She was laying there allowing the assault on her senses, but she wasn't doing anything to reciprocate, and she had to do something to stop that. She was a take-charge kind of girl and she needed to let Ron know that she felt equally about him. Hermione finally had the nerve to lift her hands and place them in his hair, pulling his face back to hers and kissing him strongly. His first reaction was to whimper at the loss of contact but when she so willingly let him into her mouth he didn't seem to mind so much. As much as Hermione was putting into the kiss, she found herself terribly distracted by Ron's continually feeling hands, arching her back to push up into his hands in any way she could. At this point his palms were splayed across her stomach and all she wanted was to feel more of his touch.
He sat in his room wondering how he could feel so lonely, so unbelievably lonely when he was in a school full of hundreds of others, and less than twenty feet away was at least one other person. Draco finally collected the willpower he needed to step off of his bed and walk towards the door to his common room. As he walked across the room he head the slow tick of the clock, reminding him of the late hour. Once he got to his door he slowly opened it, only to look down into the common room and see a flash of red hair, but that wasn't what hit him first. The smell of it all, the way it wafted right up the stairs to him, consuming him. It was the smell of sex: sweat, salt, heavy air, and passion. But there was something else, something that Draco just couldn't place, not until he looked around the room. In all of his wallowing, he had forgotten it was Halloween, and suddenly he placed the second smell as candy, a sweet frosting coating the air.
He just told there for a moment, continuing to breath in the smells from the common room from his bedroom doorframe, until he realized he could no longer just feel what was happening in the room, he had to see it. Letting his eyes wander for a moment, from candy bowls to fireplaces, he finally focused on the couch, but all he could see was that wretched bit of red hair, lingering over who he knew to be the Head Girl. He didn't want to look anymore, but for some time he just stood there, sending devious stares her direction.
Hermione woke up several hours later on the couch, legs entangle in Ron's and feeling a sudden pang of guilt. It flooded over her like some sort of curse as she tried to remember what had happened. But as she glanced down she realized that they couldn't have done anything, but her mind kept flying back to the guilt. Why would she feel guilty, she hadn't done anything wrong. Her brain had felt as if her body was keeping something from her but that knowing that they both laid there innocently seemed to ease the feeling. It was obviously late and Hermione tried to think rationally, so she shifted her body to get a bit more comfortable under the weight of her boyfriend, and closed her eyes.
He'd felt some movement but didn't want to budge. Ron was having the most wonderful dream, just spending the evening with Hermione. But there was a breath on his neck and he just had to open his eyes out of curiosity. It had to be a dream. There was no way he was laying there with Hermione Granger. He looked down at her small sleeping frame, shifting a bit and trying to make sure that he wasn't crushing her, but once he was sure of that, he closed his eyes again, still fearing it was all and dream and never wanting it to end.
A/N: Ok readers, I have no idea how anyone will respond to this chapter, but I enjoyed trying to write it. It took forever because I am just so afraid of writing scenes like this. I hope you enjoyed, and if you did, please review. And if you didn't enjoy, still review and tell me why. Keep on reading and tell me what you want to see in this story.
