A/N: This is the fourth installment of this story, please follow, favorite and review, it would be much appreciated, thank you!

Warning: This chapter is rated M

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters associated with it, all credit to J.K Rowling

Chapter 4: Realization

The chirping of birds awoke Hermione from her sleep, the sunlight burning through the curtains into the room, reflecting across the walls, illuminating the room. The serenity of the Hogwarts grounds, of blooming flowers and mountain views, matched the scenes inside the Gryffindor Head Girl's bedroom. Breathing softly, the two bodies contained in the king-size bed, huddled closer together, savoring the shared heat emitting between them. Their naked bodies entwined, legs lapping over each other, holding each other close. Their noses pressed gently together as they snuggled their faces closer. Hermione's eyes cracked open, her vision immediately filled with orange, giggling to herself, she wrinkled her nose as it tickled her. Her gaze then rested upon his eyelids, taking in the sight of his beautiful long eyelashes, making her heart thud in pure love for him. His freckles dotted randomly across his forehead, his cheeks, his nose, and she counted every single one of them. She loved how their adorableness contrasted to his strong facial features, his well-structured cheekbones. Her eyes dropped to his lips. She couldn't get over kissable they looked. Her observation of his face halted slightly as she noticed his eyes had opened, watching her intently with a small smile on his face. She blushed prettily under his gaze, looking down at their bodies shyly, still not believing that this man was hers. Her hands began to wander again, tracing her palms up and down his chest, stroking his toned muscles, flushing as she felt his muscles ripple underneath her fingers. This guy really took care of his body. She almost jumped out of her skin when she felt his fingers stroke her arm, coaxing a purring sound from her, causing him to grin smugly. He wasn't cocky by any means, but it felt good knowing he attracted women, comparing himself to years past, an insecure boy with no appeal. He worked hard, hard to prove himself to the wizarding world, to prove to her that he was worth her time. The fact that she was attracted to him physically was enough to make him grin unapologetically, feeling like he had won the Quidditch world cup from just a touch.

"Good morning darling," Hermione murmured, getting over her earlier embarrassment of being caught ogling his body. She turned her attention back to his face, their eyes locked on each other, communicating silently. Her hands stopped their ministrations on his chest and trailed up towards his cheek, cupping it lovingly, using her thumb to stroke the stubble on his chin. She smiled as she watched his eyes close, leaning his cheek even further into her hand, clearly enjoying the attention he was receiving. "Hmm, good morning baby," He whispered, his voice rough causing Hermione to shiver in desire, the sexiness in his voice sent an electric shock down to her core. "Baby?" She giggled suddenly, not sure how she felt about his endearment. To add to the adorableness, Ron blushed, grinning shyly as he winked at her, adjusting his body to pull her closer. "You don't like it?" He murmured, smirking at her. "Shut up," She muttered, playfully shoving his shoulder, not that it made a different, her comically weak arms were no match to his bulging shoulder muscles. The two sat in silence, merely staring at each. Hermione felt her stomach flutter, taking in the sight of the man she loved, laid before her, naked as the day he was born, staring at her like she was the most beautiful girl in the world. Her eyes couldn't help but dart occasionally towards his lower regions, admiring how large he was, even in his morning state. The thought of having it inside of her made her face glow prettily, her cheeks burning with a mix of embarrassment, desire, and uncertainty. Was she ready to take things further with him? She knew the answer to that already, but was she ready now? Her face must have shown some discomfort as Ron immediately sat up, watching her with a worried expression, desperate to work out what he done wrong.

"You okay?" He whispered, his hand reaching out and gently touching her cheekbone. Hermione joined him, sitting up straight whilst reaching out to hold his hand, smiling as he instantly linked their fingers together. She nodded slightly, hoping he wouldn't press on her sudden change in behavior, convinced she would put him off. As if reading her mind, he didn't say anything more, he just sat quietly beside her, occasionally lifting her hand to his lips, placing gentle kisses along her skin. "Yeah," She whispered eventually, taking a deep breath, "I'm just...scared,". She felt Ron shift beside her, gasping as his chin rested on her shoulder, his eyes peering up at him, studying her face. "Scared of what?" His concerned voice whispered in her ear, grazing it slightly with his teeth, smiling when she chuckled quietly. "Of sex," She muttered, whispering the word 'sex' so quietly, Ron had to strain his ears to hear her, even with being so close to her face. He watched her for a second, contemplating her fears, words escaping him. His heart gave a heavy thud, her expression displayed defeat, her shoulders slumped. Her eyes were dull, looking off into space, the sparkle that was present not ten minutes ago had slowly vanished, leaving an emotionless state for him to read. "Hermione," He whispered, finally finding his voice, "I want to have sex with you, right now actually, if I'm being completely honest, but I'll wait until you're ready," He spoke louder this time, more confident than before, causing Hermione to look up at him.

Relief spread through his body as he watched her gorgeous smile return to her face, her cheeks blushing red as her sparkle returned to her eyes. Her eyes turned somber for a second as she reached up with her free hand and stroked his cheek. "When did you become so mature?" She whispered in a dream-like state. Feeling a surge of power and confidence, Hermione pushed Ron flat on his back and straddled him, pressing her palms to his upper chest as she sat on his stomach. She gazed down at him, her eyes hidden under her heavy long lashes, a sight that caused Ron's cock to twitch. "You're so beautiful," He whispered, his voice hoarse all of a sudden, his eyes then trailing down her body, eyeing up her breasts with a hint of hunger. They continued their journey down her body, landing at their destination at the area between her legs, feeling her heat press against his lower stomach. He groaned as he felt her thighs tightened around his waist, increasing the heat between them. "Thank you," She whispered as she began to stroke her hands up and down his chest, "But I'm not that pretty, not compared to the other girls here, I'm just ordinary..." She wasn't able to continue as Ron grabbed her waist and flipped them over, his entire body pressed against the length of hers, pinning her down on the bed.

His breath came out in short bursts, he was angry. Who had made her feel like that?

"You listen here, Hermione Granger," He said through gritted teeth, "You are everything but ordinary, you have no idea how fucking beautiful you are, how perfect you are, whoever tells you otherwise doesn't know shit," He finished with a whisper, slowly lowering his lips to hers, only an inch separating their lips. "I love you, so fucking much," He continued, "You have to understand that I will wait for you, you hear me, for anything, whether that's for sex, marriage, anything, I will wait for you," His voice cracking with emotion as he watched her face screw up as she began to cry. He felt her arms tighten around his neck, pulling up to her shoulder, his face shoved into her hair, forcing him to inhale her scent. She continued to weep, her breath coming out in short sharp heaves, tears falling down her cheeks and onto Ron's bare shoulders. "Shhh, little dove," Ron whispered into her hair, cuddling her close as she began to calm. He continued to pepper kisses into her curls, moving down to nibble on her earlobe whilst his hands stroked her sides, admiring her soft skin.

"I'm sorry, I-I just," She paused, composing herself, removing her hands from him to wipe away her tears, "It's just...nobody has ever been that understanding of me before, and I just want you to know that I'll forever be grateful for that," She continued, eventually smiling up at him, stroking his shoulders affectionately. He smiled down at her, drinking in her features, his arms closing in around her. "I do my best," He chuckled, shrugging his shoulders, the very movement of which made Hermione's eyes snap down to them. She shifted under him, continuing to run her fingertips up and down his arms.

"You're so handsome," She whispered before leaning over to nibble on his large shoulder, leaving teeth marks into his skin. Ron's ego went through the roof, unable to hide his grin as he watched her admiring him. "How have you grown this much?" She asked him, looking back up into his eyes, biting her lips, never removing her hands from his arms. Despite his cheeks feeling like they were on fire, Ron shrugged again. "Just went to the gym every morning n' every night," He mumbled, picking at a thread on the blanket surrounding them, "They were strict when it came to our diet, but it was worth it, made me watch my weight, now I'm strong enough to protect you," He finished with a grin before wrapping his arms around her waist. Hermione giggled seductively before placing her hand on his neck and playfully pulling him down for a kiss, but teasingly pulled away just before their lips connected. She wriggled out from under the blanket before strutting, completely naked, away from the bed and towards her en-suite, looking over her shoulder. She winked playfully at him before darting inside and slamming the door shut.

"You little minx," He growled to himself, before throwing the blanket off him and reaching for his boxers and pulling them up. Making his way over to the window, he grabbed a spare gown, before throwing it over his body and staring out onto the Hogwarts' grounds. Lines of students flooded towards the newly rebuilt Quidditch pitch, looking as proud and grand as it ever had. The stands reaching higher into the sky, the house flags fluttered above the pitch, the colors of Gryffindor taking Ron down memory lane, remembering his first ever Quidditch tryouts, always picturing the intimidation on his competition's face. He hated his attitude back then, his lack physic putting him behind the others in his chances of succeeding, the insecurities resurfacing as he watched Hermione looking at the other guys in the group. None the less, Ron smiled. None of it matter anymore. He was now stronger and fitter than he had every been, he was taking care of his body, he had his girl and now he had his career ready to go. His eyes drifted out of the window once again towards a group of boys gathering under an oak tree, they were crowded around something Ron couldn't see. Normally Ron would have turned the other way, now realizing his emotion was usually one of feeling intimidated, nervous of being humiliated or judged, but now he continue to stare, narrowing his eyes at their suspicious activity, not caring if they spotted him. Before Ron could even think about investigating them, they all dispersed, revealing an object in the process of exploding. Ron couldn't help but chuckle. The boys had stacked numerous exploding snap together and had tried to create a bonfire. Shaking his head, he turned away from the window, only to be met with the sight of a lingerie covered Hermione, sitting patiently on her desk, watching him intently.

Ron felt his mouth open as he eyed up the red lacey bra and knickers, the bra barely covered her breasts and her knickers only just covered her, but he had a feeling that it covered even less behind. As he slowly made his way towards her, his steps uneasy, he almost collapsed as Hermione opened her legs to him, one foot resting on a lower table beside the desk and the other on the desk chair. She bit her lip as she noticed the prominent bulge, evidently tenting Ron's boxers as he dropped his gown onto the floor. He dozily trudged his way over to her, his eyes fixed on her knickers. She felt herself become increasingly wet as Ron licked him lips before dropping to his knees in front of her. He reached out to touch her but she grabbed his offending hand, gripping it tightly to prevent him moving any closer.

"Be a good boy and be patient," She whispered silkily, before hopping off her desk and making her way to her wardrobe. She yanked open the doors and begun examining the many dresses she had looked at the previous day, not wanting to pick out something too 'loud'. Her thought process paused briefly as she felt two muscular arms wrap around her waist, pulling her back roughly to a firm body. She turned her attention back to the many dressed ahead of her. None of them suited her style, if indeed she even had a 'style'. Suddenly, a large hand reached out from behind her before grasping onto the hanger holding a beautiful yellow sundress. The neckline sported white lace, with small roses on the patterned material around it. The short-length of the dress made Hermione unconformable, especially if she were to be wearing it in public, but what made her the most unconformable was the short sleeves. She gazed down tearfully at her right arm, feeling her eyes burn at the sight of the disgusting word on her arm. A soft voice brought her out of her thoughts. "You're beautiful, don't think about it," He whispered gently, slowly running his spare hand down her arm, towards her scar, "These show how brave you are, don't hide them, they don't define you, they made you stronger, wear the dress, show everyone how pretty you are," He continued, before he turned her around in his arms forcing her too look up at him.

Hermione grinned, before snatching the dress from Ron's grasp and strutting over confidently to the bed throwing it down for her to examine. Despite the tranquility and innocence of the situation, Ron's erection still strained against the material of his boxers. Her walk, her stance, her confidence, turned him on even more. He watched her extract the dress from the hanger and threw her arms above her head, allowing the dress to slide down her body. The bottom of the dress stopped just above her kneecaps, the shoulders padded slightly, but Hermione loved it as she turned to her full length mirror, straightening out the small creases. She gazed down at the front of it, her breasts looked a lot bigger than normal, making Hermione smile shyly as the sudden surge in confidence ran through her body. She felt bold and beautiful, running her hands down the sides, admiring the softness of the material. Her eyes flickered to the activity happening behind, letting out a snort from her nose, watching Ron staring dumbly at her, his boxers still tented.

Sighing happily she turned back to him, gazing up at him. "C'mere," She whispered her arms outstretched towards him, waiting patiently for him to make his way over to her. Grinning widely, he sauntered his way over to her, comically trying to look sexy. She giggled, loving this side of him. He then all but jogged the rest of the way to where she was standing, before grabbing her by her waist and lifting her up, draping her over his shoulder, carrying her towards the bed. He plopped her down on the edge of the bed, before kneeling down before her, taking one her legs in his hands. He lent down slowly, pressing gentle kisses from her ankle to her kneecap, making her squeal as he gave it a lick. Chuckling softy, he made his way back up her body before pressing a kiss to her button nose and sitting beside her, taking her hands in his.

"I love the dress," She commented after a comfortable silence, looking up at him. "What can I say?" He chuckled quietly, "I have a good taste in fashion,". Hermione laughed loudly, before jumping on him, looping her arms around his neck, snuggling close.

"Right," She said, getting up from the bed and walking purposely over to the pile of clothes abandoned on the sofa before chucking them at Ron, "Get dressed, we have to meet Ginny soon,".

"I'd rather not talk about my sister when I'm nearly naked, thank you very much," He retorted before flashing her a grin and yanking on his clothes, growling in frustration as his belt refused to close. Rolling her eyes, Hermione made her way back over to Ron before batting his hands away and easily doing up his belt as if it was the simplest task in the world. "Right," Ron shouted, comically grabbing his bag and almost skipping his way to the door, "Lets go...baby," He said cheekily before opening the door and hiding behind it, barely missing a flying shoe from the other side of the room. Hermione then appeared from the door, a frown on her face, but a grin hiding behind it. Closing the door behind her, Hermione turned to Ron, grabbing his hand and dragging him down the corridor and down towards the courtyard, of which was becoming one of their new favorite places.

"You guys look happy," A voice laced with humor made Ron and Hermione pause their journey down the corridor. They turned to see a smug-looking Ginny strolling towards them, her wild ginger hair flowing effortlessly behind her. She received a number of stares from a group of boys leaning against the wall as she passed, causing Ron to growl under his breath protectively, wanting to do nothing more than strangle them for even looking at his baby sister. His temper grew even more, however, when he noticed some of the boys had turned their attention to Hermione, undressing her with their eyes, causing Ron to pull her closer to his body. Hermione smiled behind her hair as she noticed Ron's protectiveness; she could really get used to that.

"Hermione," Ginny gasped as she approached them, taking in Hermione's appearance, "You look amazing,". Hermione giggled before briefly breaking away from Ron's tight grasp and hugging Ginny close. "That's so sweet, you look amazing too," She squealed, taking a proper look at Ginny. She wore a leather jacket with a checkered mini skirt, with white flats on her feet. The three then made their way out into the open area, drinking in the gorgeous weather, the sun beaming down onto their faces, the sky clear of any clouds, treating their eyes to the bright blue sky above them.

The courtyard was a lot quieter than it had been in previous days, only a few students had gathered in the early morning sun. The sunrise reflected on the castle walls, the orange glowing against their faces as they made their way to a secluded corner. Settling themselves down on the grass, Ron pulled Hermione back against his chest, replicating their position from the day he had returned, only this time they snuggled even closer together, Ron's hand landing on her upper thigh, causing Ginny's eyes to widen in surprise. "Explain," She said loudly, breaking the two of them out of their trance, their eyes shooting towards her, almost irritated at her disruption.

Hermione blushed before leaning back into Ron's chest, looking up at him, hiding the rest of her face with her hair. Ron let out a breath before looking down at her. He grinned cheekily before turning back to Ginny. "We...erm...we had a talk, about things, and then, well..."Not knowing how to explain, he thought his next actions would give his sister a better idea. He leaned down and gave Hermione a deep kiss, her arms reaching up and wrapping around his neck, pulling him down to her level.

"Ew, okay I get it," Ginny muttered, disgust dripping from her voice, but she went completely unnoticed by the two of them. Hermione deepened the kiss, stroking Ron's chin with her spare hand, admiring the rough hairs under her palm. The two broke apart as they felt something hard hit the side of their faces, they snapped their faces towards Ginny, noticing one of her shoes were missing. "That was completely unnecessary," Hermione laughed as she reached over to retrieve Ginny's missing shoe before chucking it back her, causing Ginny to squeal and shelter her face at the sudden attack.

Sighing contently, Hermione leaned back into Ron's chest, smiling shyly as she felt his arms encircle her waist again, his chin resting on the top of her head. Ginny watched them intently, a smile beginning to spread across her face, taking in the sight of her best friend and brother being happy and so...in love. Her heart clenched slightly, however, as her own thoughts turned to the man that she loved. Herself and Harry had made progress since his return, they had hung out alone, spent time together, catching up on the months they had spent apart. But the last few days, Harry had spent most of his time catching up with his old friends from the boy's dormitory, hardly taking the time to check on her. It hurt, but she knew he had no obligation to do so, they weren't back together, she wasn't his girlfriend, she had no right to be angry at him for not spending time with her. Shaking her head, she turned her attention back to the couple, who were happily indulging in themselves, making Ginny gag slightly.

As if the Earth had taken mercy on her, Ginny spotted the Patel twins making their way towards them, with Luna and Lavender close behind them, laughing about something or other. As they got closer to the three of them, Padma and Pavarti gasped as they saw Ron and Hermione snuggled together, kissing happily. They broke apart to stare at the four girls in front of them, Hermione noticing, for the first time, the sour look on Lavender's face as she caught her eye. She didn't have much time to dwell on it as she was crushed into the twins arms, their squealing almost deafening Hermione in both her ears, smiling when she felt Ron's chest vibrate behind her from his chuckling. The girls released her, sitting either side of her and Ron, immediately bombarding the pair with questions, wanting to know all the details.

Luna and Lavender sat either side of Ginny, with Luna looking intrigued by the scene in front of her. Having watched the two of the fight for years, it was beautiful to see them get together, showing each other how much they truly loved each other. Her reaction compared bitterly to that of Lavender's, her eyes narrowing at the couple, tears building up in her eyes, desperately trying to keep a straight face, pretending not to care. She wanted to be happy for them, happy for her, but when her love for Ron was still brewing, it was hard to feel any happiness at all.

Hermione, however, cuddled closer to Ron, enjoying the feeling of the double heat on her body, from the sun and from the man behind her. Her hair swept to one side, exposing her neck to Ron's lips. She noticed Lavender out of the corner of her eye, realizing what as happening. She didn't know how to feel, if what she was seeing was all what it seemed, Lavender looked jealous, as if she still...loved Ron? Hermione felt her heart rate increase, feeling a surge of protectiveness for Ron, she wrapped her own arms around his that were around her waist, snuggling further into his chest.

She tried not to think about it, but she knew how devious Lavender could be, how she didn't give up until she got what she wanted. Lavender would fight for Ron's attention, but Hermione knew she would never win, Hermione would always be victorious in the end when it came down to Ron's loyalty, she knew that from the bottom of her heart. She would knew Lavender would eventually try and pounce, but she had no worries, Ron would notice, she trusted the words he had uttered to her in her bedroom, that he loved her and no one else.

A/N: NEXT CHAPTER COMING SOON - Please review, favorite and follow, it would be much appreciated, thank you!