Welcome to chapter 10! Finally in the double digits ; enjoy!

This is just a short drabble, the beginning is important, the rest is just fun :)
- Kelly

Disclaimer: All Harry Potter characters, settings, and book-related plots belong to J.K. Rowling.

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Release
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Hermione Granger was curled up in a warm blanket on the soft couch, staring at the clock on the wall. She watched as the time transitioned from 11:59 to 12:00. Night turning into morning. August converting to September. She thought about all the little kids who'll be at the King's Cross station in just eleven short hours. Hermione smiled to herself, remembering how she couldn't fall asleep at all the night before her first day at Hogwarts. That was before she met Harry, Ron, or even Ginny. Her life seemed so different back then, almost like she knew she would be meeting the greatest people of her life.

Feeling silly, she sighed and sat straight up. She had been on the couch for the past hour, and her brown eyes were slowly drifting to sleep. Hermione was sure that tomorrow would be a busy Monday at work, but still she fought to stay awake. Although she knew that she would regret it in the morning, she struggled with her tired eyes.

There was an opened book in her hands, but Hermione didn't have enough energy to make it through the first chapter. She put it down next to her, not even bothering to find a bookmark. The young, curly haired woman, let out a big yawn and rubbed her eyes sleepily, "Ron, are you finished yet? I want to go to sleep." She slowly got off the couch and walked over to the kitchen table, where Ron was sitting in front of a messy pile of papers.

He looked up at her with big, bright eyes when she reached behind his chair. The blanket was still wrapped around her small body, her eyes looked beyond tired, and her hair was in a sloppy, curly bun. She was wearing gray sweatpants and a white t-shirt that was fitted on the upper half of her body. He smiled at the sight of her, realizing just how beautiful she looked when she was in her regular, comfortable clothes.

He rubbed her hand that fell on the side of his shoulder and kissed it tenderly, "You can go to sleep if you want. I think I should still work on this." He felt bad that she was waiting up for him, even though he told her a million times not to. He knew how stubborn she could be, and loved the idea that she wanted to be with him. Although he felt bad, he did enjoy her company. After the events of the wedding, and the obstacle with Wilson, their relationship was getting a lot better. Hermione was starting to loosen up around Ron a lot more, and he wasn't holding back either. They were both becoming more comfortable with their relationship and with each other. Ron wondered why it couldn't have been like this all the time.

Hermione shook her head, but let out another little yawn, "What are you working on, anyway?" She walked around his chair, and stood directly next to him.

Ron pushed his chair back a little, and Hermione took this as an opportunity to sit on his lap lightly. He looked back at the papers on the table, "It's my first aurors mission, I still haven't finished it yet. And, bloody hell," he glanced at a paper in front of him, "the deadline is next week!" He buried his head in one of his hands, and Hermione chuckled at the sight of him.

She snuggled closer to him, and rested her head on his hard chest, "Well, what is it about? Maybe I can help you." Her eyes scanned the papers quickly, before Ron slammed his hand down and ruffled the papers together. She jumped a little at the sudden impact and loud noise as his hand collided with the hard surface. Her eyes widened, and she looked back at him, with a perplexed look on her face.

"Sorry, 'ermione, but it's confidential," Ron stated, while stuffing all the papers into a messy folder. He wore an apologetic look on his face, but continued anyway. She watched as the papers disappeared behind the beige folder, she understood that he could get into trouble for sharing unclassified information. She wouldn't want him to lose his job...

But little did Ron know, Hermione had already seen the name and picture of the dark wizard he was assigned to capture. The name of Gary Lipins and an image of a long, dark haired man with a face covered in scars was implanted in her mind. She shuddered at the horrible picture she caught a glimpse at, but kept her cool in front of Ron. She didn't want him to know that she saw the private information.

Eventually he sighed, and felt kind of guilty for snatching the papers away from her. He didn't want her to think that she couldn't trust him. "All I can tell you is that I'm looking for a wizard who's been kidnapping young witches from the ages 16 to 25. Four different witches have gone missing since April," Ron added, "So, be careful."

Hermione smiled at Ron's protectiveness and affection, "Yes, sir."

"So," he spoke slowly, "You want to get to bed? I guess I can finish the paperwork in the morning. I'll be in my office, full of men, and especially no..." he smiled up at her, "...distractions." His wonderful smile was amazing to her, and it made her stomach do a couple back flips.

Hermione tilted her head to the side, and gripped onto Ron's shoulders gently, still sitting on his leg. "Hmm..." she started, "I'm not really that tired anymore." She chuckled before leaning in for a warm kiss. Harry and Ginny weren't around, and Hermione wanted to take advantage of their alone time. Pulling her tighter, Ron slipped his tongue into her mouth and deepened the kiss. She let a whimper pass her occupied lips as he bit down softly on her bottom lip. She could feel his excitement and didn't want to stop.

Suddenly, Hermione felt herself being lifted up as Ron got off the chair. He held her in his arms, with their lips still attached. She gasped, and grabbed Ron's neck with both hands for support. She only read about this kind of romance in books and Muggle movies, but never did she experience it. Hermione could feel her feet dangling as he walked out of the living room and towards the hallway.

The rest of the house was dark, with the exception of the dimmed light in the living room. Ron took his time as he walked through the hall and reached Hermione's door. He kicked it open lightly, and carried her in. Once in the room, he placed his girlfriend lovingly on the bed, and crawled over her, claiming her lips once more.

This time, she put more enthusiasm and energy into the kiss, and Ron didn't complain. He let out a little moan as she wrapped her legs around his waist, bringing him closer. Their clothes were still on, and Hermione felt hot all over. The window in her room was wide open, and winds of cool air was breezing in.

She could feel Ron's hands traveling up her shirt and on her hot skin. She shuddered under his touch, remembering the last time they were in this position. The last time they were this intimate with each other was almost two weeks ago, she vowed that she wouldn't let so much time pass next time. There was just something about being with Ron this way, that made Hermione not feel like herself. Being together with Ron made her feel like a new person, without changing who she really was. Nobody would ever imagine that little ol' bookworm Hermione Granger would be in this situation.

She moaned out loud as Ron's lips traveled down to her jawbone and onto her neck. Hermione reached under his shirt and felt his hard stomach and chest. His skin was warm also, and he loved the way her fingers traveled up his toned body. She was glad that all his Quidditch training at Hogwarts and aurors training from the past few years actually paid off.

Thankfully, Ron separated from her for a moment and peeled his shirt off, Hermione enjoyed the feeling of his warm body next to hers. A minute later, his lips were back on hers, kissing her with more exuberance than before. His back was smooth under her hands, and every once in a while she scratched him with her long nails. He groaned every time, and bit down on her bottom lip aggressively.

With his lips still glued to hers, Ron pulled the drawstring on Hermione's gray sweatpants, and she felt them slide down her bare thighs. She blushed at the thought of him seeing her underwear, and was grateful that she didn't wear anything embarrassing. Now only being dressed in her underwear and the tight white t-shirt, she shuddered slightly under him. Her warm legs were immediately welcomed with the cool air from the window as Ron threw her sweatpants on the other side of the room. She moaned at the feeling of his hands on the outside of her naked thighs. When he leaned down, she wrapped her legs around his waist again. This time, when she brought him closer, she felt him stiffened against the inside of her leg.

Blushing again, she was very thankful that the lights were off. She was never the type of girl that was involved with these... sexual activities. But Hermione was infatuated with the idea of having Ron this close to her, and making him this excited. She was new to this, and was glad that she could share these feelings with Ron. In the past, Hermione would fantasize and dream about these moments, and now it was actually coming true. She just hoped that when the time comes, she'll know what to do. Her lack of experience was holding her back.

Even though he said he didn't have sex with Lavender, Hermione knew that Ron had a lot more experience than she did. While they were in Hogwarts, she never approved of his relationship with Lavender. But she figured that his experience would pay off, seeing as she didn't have any.

Eventually, Hermione's shirt was also thrown to the other side of the room. She completely shivered under Ron, clad in just her simple black underwear and bra. He had never seen her like this before, and paused for a minute as his eyes traveled up and down her almost naked body.

"Ron?" She whispered, and he looked up at her face, "Stop looking at me," she demanded, crossing her arms over her naked stomach. Although Hermione was starting to get more comfortable with her relationship with Ron, she wasn't sure if she was ready for this.

He shook his head and leaned down to kiss her lips lightly, "Never." The butterflies in her stomach fluttered crazily as his lips traveled down her neck. He planted wet kisses and soft bites everywhere, and she loved it. Ron pushed down one of the straps of her bra, and kissed her lightly around her chest. She quivered under his lips, and her fingers raked through his hair. She moaned as his tongue swerved over the sensitive part of her chest, and she arched into him, almost automatically.

She was going crazy for a girl who had never been touched like this before. One of his hands were holding one of her legs up as it wrapped around his waist, dangerously close to her bum. His other hand was supporting his body up so he wouldn't fall on her. She was feeling in ways that she only read about in books, but never got to experience.

With her toes, Hermione pushed down on Ron's jeans, getting tired of feeling the rough material on her bare legs. Eventually he got the point and assisted her in taking his pants off. He fumbled with the button for a while, swearing at it a couple times before getting it undone. By this time, Hermione was grinning up at him as she watched him, struggling with the jeans.

When his pants were entirely off, she caught a glimpse of his bright orange Chudley Cannons' boxers. His underwear were so bright and distracting that she completely failed to notice the obvious bulge in front. She laughed under him quietly as he rolled over on the bed next to her.

"What's so funny?" His voice was a little rugged and Hermione felt the pit of her lower stomach flop over. His voice sounded so incredibly sexy, and she blushed even harder because of the inappropriate thoughts in her head.

"Your underwear," she announced, hoping that he wouldn't be mad at her for ruining the moment.

Ron looked down, "Oh," he looked back up and smiled. He wasn't angry that their intimacy was interrupted or ended. And he definitely wasn't mad at Hermione for laughing. In a way, stopping now was better, who knows what would have happened if they continued. Ron didn't want to pressure Hermione into having sex or anything like that. It was better that they took there time. But every time they had an intimate moment, it would grow more and more... intense. He could only imagine what would happen next time.

They laid down next to each other quietly for the next few minutes, and just stood there. None of them moved, but just enjoyed each others company, still getting over the adrenaline rush they had felt moments before. Ron watched as Hermione's chest heaved up and down with every heavy breath she took. He smiled at her, and she smiled back.

The feeling in her lower stomach was starting to go away, and the bulge in his underwear was slowly starting to weaken.

He brushed away a loose curl that fell in front of her eye. Still laying on the bed, he leaned over sideways and kissed her softly on the lips. But the kiss felt different than before, and that's when Hermione knew. She knew that Ron's love for her was real, realer than anything else on the planet.

She ended the kiss and inclined her head on the pillow behind her. Hermione's eyes were on Ron's and her fingers were in his red hair, combing them through. "Ron," she spoke sweetly, "I love you." She crawled in closer to him, and he placed a hand on her back, rubbing it softly up and down.

"I love you too, Hermione," he replied, and placed a kiss on the top of her head.

Maybe, finally, she'll get some sleep.

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I just want to let everyone know: I blushed writing this whole chapter.

xoxo