A/N- Happy November! I hope everyone had a fun and safe Halloween. I decided to do a double post this week since this chapter is a two-parter. I'll probably post the second part mid-next week.

~Dot

Hermione woke up earlier than she typically did, as her nerves and excitement about the upcoming day made it hard for her to sleep in. Today was her first date with Ron. She found it hard to quell her nervousness, especially because she had no idea what he had planned. Surprises were not her favourite thing. Though she could hear Ron's voice echoing in her head reminding her that she, in fact, had started it by surprising him with the enchanted watch.

She decided to get dressed for the day, even though no one else would be awake for some time. Opening her wardrobe, she was unsure of what to wear; he hadn't given her even the slightest clue as to what he planned. She flipped through her clothes over and over again. She hated that she was spending so much time agonising over clothing; it was so unlike her.

It was taking her so much time to decide that Ginny had woken up while she was still choosing. Ginny walked over to Hermione, curious as to what she could be doing, right as Hermione resigned her efforts and grabbed a simple blouse.

Ginny seemed to know what Hermione was up to, as she began rifling through her clothes. "You should wear this," Ginny said, pulling out a white sundress that Hermione was sure she had never worn before. A dress that her mom had bought for her over the summer holidays years ago, which Hermione kept at the bottom of her wardrobe-jeans and a simple top we're more her style.

"Really?", Hermione questioned.

"If a date's not a good time to dress up, then when is?", Ginny retorted. "Plus, then you can show off your great legs."

Hermione shook her head at the compliment but took the dress. Ginny was right, she did look good in the outfit. She added a purple jumper to the look to cover her arms and put half of her hair up, leaving just enough to cover the scar on her neck. She grabbed some matching flats (a dress was fancy enough, she didn't need to add heels). And, just as she was about to leave, she reached down to the bottom of her wardrobe and put on a dab of lip gloss.

She was surprised not to see Ron at breakfast. In fact, Ron was missing for most of the morning. For a moment, she was worried that he had ditched her. Then she remembered that their plans weren't until lunch. Still, her mind wouldn't stop thinking of what he could be doing, and she missed him. She hated how much she missed him, even over such a short period of time. She tried desperately to distract herself. When her normal books wouldn't cut it, she decided to become a third wheel and spend time with Harry and Ginny.

When the conversation moved to quidditch, (as it always seemed to) they were interrupted by Ron entering through the fireplace. His abrupt entrance made Hermione jump and Harry go straight for his wand. Though, once they saw it was him, and verified his identity, they relaxed.

"Where have you been?", Hermione asked more sternly than she meant.

Ron didn't answer her. Instead, he walked past her, a basket in his hands and a mischievous grin on his face. She looked to her friends, who seemed much less interested in Ron's plans than she was. So, she got up and followed him.

Ron was in the kitchen putting on a pot of tea.

"What are you doing?", Hermione said in a sing-song voice, trying to sound as casual as possible.

"I see you've forgotten the meaning of a surprise", Ron said with a smile.

"Yes, well, it's almost noon, which I believe means that you have to reveal your surprise," Hermione said. "That is, if you actually have a surprise," she goated.

"Fine," he said with an exaggeratedly fake sigh. "I thought we could go on a picnic." He lifted the basket he had with him on to the kitchen counter. "I made some food."

"You cooked?", Hermione said in awe.

Ron wiggled his eyebrows at her. "Well, I made some sandwiches."

"Ahh," Hermione said. "Is that where you've been all day?"

"Yeah, I've been at Bill and Fleur's. Gotta keep everything a surprise, don't I?"

"Clever," Hermione said earnestly.

"Just don't complain that everything's a bit french," Ron joked. He put the tea he made into his basket. "You ready to go?", he asked.

"Go?", she asked. "I thought we couldn't leave the burrow."

"It might not look like it, but the burrows wards stretch pretty far", he said before offering her his hand. She took it and he led her outside. "It's a fairly long walk," he said, stopping at the shed on which the family's brooms were hanging. "We could fly."

"I don't mind walking," she said a bit too assertively. She had had enough flying for one lifetime.

"Alright," he said before walking again. He led her past the burrow and into the copse of trees behind the property.

They walked for a while in comfortable silence, hand in hand. She was thankful that she decided to wear flats as the walk took longer than she expected. As a matter of fact, she began to feel concerned as to how far they were in the woods, but Ron didn't seem worried in the least. He led her with conviction, turning here and there until they finally landed at a clearing.

Just beyond the clearing was a small lake, one that Hermione had no idea existed. The water glistened in the sunlight radiating golden light over the surrounding landscape.

"It's beautiful," she exclaimed. Ron beamed and began to unpack the basket he brought. He laid down a large quilt and then began to unpack the food, not letting Hermione help, no matter how much she insisted. Finally, he had unpacked everything and they sat down, side-by-side.

"Tea?", he asked. She nodded her head and he poured her a cup and added two sugars-just how she liked. Then he unwrapped the sandwiches. They were on croissants and contained brie cheese, which Ron admitted he had never tried. Hermione assured him it was delicious, and they began to eat. At first, they ate in silence, but that was quickly abated.

They talked about the ball, as it was only a couple of days away. Ron tried to get Hermione to tell him about her dress, though she refused, stating that that was her surprise. He was quite persistent and Hermione was amused at how interested he was in her clothing. He never seemed to be, before.

Then the conversation moved to how Ron had found the lake. He explained that it was a place that the twins often escaped to. One day, he followed them and found this spot. Annoyed at their pestering little brother, they convinced him that the trees were full of spiders and got him to run into the water in fear. As it was the middle of winter, he was soon freezing. The twins ran off, and he was left to try and find his way home, sopping wet. He couldn't find his way home, and eventually his dad found him, huddling in a homemade cover of leaves and twigs. He made the shelter because he assumed that he would never find his way home and would instead have to live in the woods forever. Hermione thought it was a terrible tale, but Ron laughed throughout his explanation. "Brothers," he explained with a shrug.

He told her that he would come to the lake after the twins had gone away to school. It became a place of solace, a place to get away from his annoying baby sister. He would sometimes go for a swim, if it was warm enough, or just watch the clouds go by. He hadn't been to the lake for some time, but when he began planning their date, he remembered it, thinking it was a great place for a picnic.

They ate through the sandwiches, mushy peas, and sponge cake that Fleur had graciously given Ron for his "big date". Hermione found herself laughing much louder than she normally would. The nerves from this being their first date were quickly dissolved, instead replaced with an inner peace in which she hadn't felt in a long time. He was Ron, her Ron, and she loved spending time with him. It felt comfortable, familiar.

They stayed on the quilt for a while after finishing eating, simply enjoying each other's company by talking and reminiscing. It was still light out, and the sun beamed on Hermione, creating warmth in spite of the summer breeze. She closed her eyes for a moment, soaking in the sun and the feelings of elation inside her. However, when she opened her eyes Ron was gone. She saw him on his way down the small hill they were on, headed towards the lake.

"What are you doing?", she asked incredulously as he flipped off his shoes and stepped into the clear water.

"It's not too cold," he said, not quite answering her question.

She reluctantly got up from her warm spot and followed him to the edge of the lake. She slipped off her shoes, and as soon as she stepped into the water she shrieked. "It's freezing," she exclaimed.

Ron laughed and headed deeper into the lake, until his shorts were only an inch from the water. She hesitantly walked further into the water too, though stopped short of him, as her dress was about to her wet.

Ron turned to her and looked her up and down. "You wouldn't want to get your fancy dress wet, would you?", he said playfully before motioning for her to join him.

She felt a hot flush creep up her face, though she was still smiling. Without a second thought, she walked the few steps back towards the shore and hastily unbuttoned her sweater and took off her dress before plunging her entire body into the freezing water. At least she had worn matching knickers, she thought.

She quickly passed Ron, with her head just above the water. "Your clothes are quite nice too," she said. Ron smiled, a blush also spreading across his face. He took off his shirt and threw it next to Hermione's dress. When he reached for his belt buckle Hermione dipped her head back and plunged under the water to get her hair wet and to avoid looking at him as he stripped down to his pants.

He caught up to her, his chest well above the water, unlike Hermione, who was almost fully submerged. "You're too tall," she joked.

Instead of answering her, he swam deeper into the water so that his body was now covered by the lake. She swam to him but found that she could not touch the bottom with her feet. Instead, she had to tread water to stay afloat.

"You're too short," he laughed. Faking annoyance, Hermione huffed dramatically and splashed him with the water. He splashed her back, and soon they were in a full-fledged water war. Hermione began to struggle to stay afloat and Ron gently offered her his hand to steady her, essentially ending the fight. She took his hand and he pulled her closer.

Their bodies were now almost touching, only a thin layer of water separating them. Hermione put her free hand on his shoulder, closing the gap. Ron dropped his hand holding hers and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her even closer, if that was even possible.

Hermione was still treading her feet, and Ron reached down and took her thigh and placed it around his waist. She brought her other leg to his waist, now straddling him. They looked at each other for a moment, suddenly aware of their predicament; they were barely clothed and wrapped around each other in a way they had never been before.

Ron's eyes seemed darker, staring at her with determination and something she couldn't quite place. Was it hunger? Before she could ponder it anymore, Ron kissed her, moving his hand up her body and to her hair as he did.

The kiss was somewhat awkward, with Hermione feeling Ron's legs start to shake from holding her up and struggling to stay upright, but it was still full of passion. Ron couldn't let go of her without the risk of her floating away, just as she couldn't unlock her legs for the same reason. They were stuck together, like two puzzle pieces. Puzzle pieces which were no longer suffering from the coldness of the water- they were producing plenty of heat themselves.

Their kissing progressed, at least as much as it could, to the point that their tongues were exploring each other's mouths. Ron bit down on her lip, just a bit too hard, causing an unintentional "ow", from Hermione.

"I'm sorry," Ron said. Hermione shook her head- she didn't care, she just wanted the snogging to start again. Ron smiled, probably due to how desperate Hermione looked. His smile quickly changed to an expression that Hermione was quite used to; one of mischief.

He kissed her hard again before suddenly pulling the two of them under the water.

"Ronald!", Hermione yelled mock-angrily as she burst through the surface of the water. Ron chuckled, apparently pleased with himself. Whatever he had intended by his antics, she did not know. But it was successful at one thing- the moment they had before was gone. The heat had left Hermione's body, and she now began to shiver in the cold.

Ron must have noticed this, as he suggested that they go back to shore, promising of towels that he could magically heat up. Hermione agreed and they began their swim back to shore, though Hermione stopped as soon as her feet touched the bottom of the lake. She remembered her state of undress. And, even though they were matching, her knickers were a white cotton, something that would be transparent when wet.

Ron however, did not seem to share her concern, as he swam to shore and headed for the basket he had packed. Hermione tried desperately not to stare at his half-naked figure draped in black pants which stuck to every part they touched.

She slowly made her way back, so that when she did reach the shore, Ron was there with her towel. She hastily took it from him, noticing him also struggling not to look her over.

The towel was warm and toasty, just as promised, and she relished the heat on her goose-pimple covered skin. They walked back to the picnic together and she realised something. He had packed towels- them swimming, nearly starkers, was part of his plan.

Cheeky bastard.