Time for your Thursday Update! Please read this note before proceeding:
WARNING: There will be allusions to Rape in this chapter. Please do not read if you don't feel comfortable.
"But, soft, what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun." - Act II, scene iiRon was hovering over Hermione, his lips firmly locked on hers as he took in the moment. She was in his room, laying on his bed, and it all felt surreal. He leaned down, allowing his body to press against hers, while still holding himself up so he wouldn't crush her. Every time they found themselves in this particular position—making out, hands wandering and bodies pressed close—things continued to feel even better, which spurred his want and desire.
He felt her tits press against his chest as she arched her back into him. Her hands were grabbing at the hem of his shirt, inching it up to reveal inches of bare skin. Ron pushed himself off of her so he could discard the henley from his torso and toss it on the floor. His eyes traveled back down to Hermione, noticing the little peep show of cleavage that'd been taunting him all night. She propped herself up on her elbows as he watched her drink him in.
"It's not polite to stare," he teased, unable to help the comment from falling from his lips.
Ron wasn't shy when it came to his body. He knew he was fit, and enjoyed showing that off now and then. Girls had stared before, but none hit him quite so hard as the way Hermione was practically drooling over him.
"Sorry, I wasn't expecting you to blind me with how white and pasty your skin is," she said seriously.
Ron frowned, until he saw the grin on her face. "I could put my shirt back on if you'd rather—"
"No!" she cut in quickly. "I don't mind the view."
He watched as she bit that damn delectable lip again. Her hands reached down to grab hold of her sweater, and he watched in awe as she lifted it off her body. Ron drank in the sight of her nearly bare upper half, stopping to ogle at the lacy black number that was hidden under her sweater just moments ago. It pushed her tits up in such a perfect way that Ron wanted to get lost in them, and the black bra sent his imagination into overdrive.
His cock was throbbing painfully as it strained against the confines of his jeans. He was so busy taking in the sight of her curves that he didn't notice how she'd propped herself up even further on her arms to reach eye level.
"Too much?" she asked, waiting for his eyes to find hers again.
"Never," Ron found himself responding without a second thought.
His hands reached around her back and brought her closer to him as he leaned down to kiss her neck. A small gasp escaped her lips, and that was all he needed to lower her back down on the bed. The heat of her body matched with his own as he felt her hands reach up to explore his bare back and chest. His hands began to wander, too, as he pressed his hardness into her thigh.
Ron continued to kiss Hermione's delectable skin, trailing down her neck to her collarbone before reaching the curve of exposed skin that had been tormenting him since she'd taken off her coat earlier. He pressed his face into her soft pillows, planting light kisses across her chest before burying his head between them. Her body arched into him in an automatic response as a soft moan escaped her lips.
A need to claim her lips overcame him. He was desperate to feel the vibrations of her pleasure against his mouth as he drew her in for another heated kiss. His hands picked up where his mouth left off on her breasts, kneading them gently as his thumbs flicked her hardened nipples over the fabric of her bra. He wondered how she'd feel inside his mouth, and knew when his lips began roaming again, that would be one of his first stops.
Ron desperately wanted to feel her without the pesky garment in the way, so his hand adjusted its position to find the front clasp of her bra. He was about to break her free of the confines of wire and lace when there was a commotion out in the hall. Fuck! He tried to ignore it as he continued kissing her until he heard his door swing open, bashing against the doorstop to halt its momentum.
"Ron! Why haven't you answered your ph—"
"What the fuck, Harry! Can't you see I'm a little busy here?" Ron growled.
He did his best to remain positioned over Hermione so Harry couldn't tell who was in his bed. Harry still didn't know about their secret meetings, and he was going to try and keep it that way. Best friends or not, he couldn't risk Oliver finding out. Not yet. Not when they were finally finding a way to make something work.
"Shit, I'm sorry! I—you didn't say you were having anyone over! I wouldn't have come back, but it's about the Taus!"
"What about them?" Ron was on full alert now.
He'd managed to not swivel his head around to look at Harry because that would have exposed Hermione to him. She was looking at him with wild eyes as her hands remained frozen, clutching the waistband of his jeans. He tried to give Hermione a look that would reassure her, but his mind couldn't focus.
"Ginny and I were out in front of the Tau Sig house, behind one of those big oak trees, and we saw Draco come out and cross the road toward the Sigma Del house. Vince and Greg were with him. They went in through the front door, and then I swear I saw the shadows of his cronies in the two front windows.
"I think they're keeping watch. I don't know what Draco's doing over there. I thought all the Sigma Dels were at the party. Ginny went to tell Neville and Shay, and I tried calling you, but you weren't answering your phone. I—" Harry had been talking a mile a minute with no sign of stopping until a cry broke out from Hermione's lips.
"What's wrong?" Ron pushed himself off of Hermione, thinking he'd somehow pinned her accidentally and was hurting her. Unfortunately, this now exposed her to Harry, who gasped.
"What's she doing here?" Harry accused, his tone changed from worry to suspicion.
"That doesn't concern you, Harry," Ron snapped. "Mind turning around for a sec?"
"As long as you don't shove her out the fire escape and try to make me think I didn't just see her here."
"No, you ass, I was going to let her get dressed," Ron said, as he picked up a pillow and threw it at Harry's head.
He climbed off Hermione, immediately missing the warmth of her skin, as he reached down to pick up her sweater. She hastily pulled it on as she mouthed frantically, "What are we going to do?"
"Don't worry, it'll be fine," Ron mouthed back before reaching for his shirt. Turning back to Harry, he spoke out. "Alright, Harry, you can come in. Shut the door."
Harry walked in and did as Ron requested. Instead of sitting on his bed or desk chair, he stood in front of the door, his arms firmly crossed. "Are you going to tell me what's going on now?"
"Eventually," Ron said casually as he sat on the bed next to Hermione, who all of a sudden looked completely uncomfortable and out of place.
"Maybe I should—"
"No!" both Harry and Ron shouted at the same time.
"You can't go back to Sig now. Not while Draco, Vince and Greg are sneaking around. You'll have to wait until I hear from Ginny or Nev. Who knows what they're up to," Harry said stiffly.
Ron nodded. "He's right. You're safer here. We think the Taus are up to something, and that's why Oliver wanted everyone to go tonight. Not that we expected it to have to do with you... By the way, in case a formal introduction is necessary—Harry, Hermione; Hermione, Harry," Ron said as he waved his hands between the two.
"Why aren't you at the mixer?" Harry asked through narrowed eyes.
"I was asked not to attend, just like Ron," Hermione answered truthfully.
"Yeah, right. Why wouldn't they invite you? Everyone knows Draco wants you. Wouldn't he use the mixer to get closer?" Harry sniped.
"I don't know, nor do I care. I'm not interested in him, and he can pout to Marcus and Penelope all he wants, but it's never happening," she responded incredulously.
Ron couldn't help feeling his heart somersault at her words. He'd never get sick of hearing her say she wanted nothing to do with him. Ever.
Harry eyed them both carefully. "Are you two together, then?"
"What?" Ron asked, completely thrown off by a question that he probably should have expected.
"Absolutely not," Hermione said with resounding indignation.
Well, that stings a little, Ron thought as he registered her words. Everything they were just engaging in seemed to be pointing in the exact opposite direction. She was an anomaly, that was for sure.
"Uh-huh, so I didn't just interrupt a hook-up?" Harry raised an eyebrow. He clearly wasn't buying any of their excuses.
He felt the heat creep up his neck and was sure his ears were turning red, which matched the blush on Hermione's adorable cheeks. Ron couldn't help but notice how mussed her hair was, and her lips were still swollen from all his kisses. A surge of annoyance surged through him as he felt the urge to kick Harry out. He could give two shits about what Draco was up to right now. Picking back up where he left off with Hermione was more prominent in his mind.
Neither Ron nor Hermione bothered to answer Harry with a concrete answer. "Just don't tell Oliver, alright?" Ron asked his best friend.
Ron waited as Harry sat silently. He knew when it came down to it, Harry would do anything for him. The whole look of contemplation was an act. Harry was definitely trying to make him sweat it out.
"What's in it for me?" Harry finally asked.
Ron rolled his eyes and was about to respond when he felt Hermione swing her legs around the bed and get up to get her bag.
"Ron, it's not worth it. Harry's right. I shouldn't be here. I'll finish the research on my own."
Hermione was putting on her shoes and then reached for her coat. The voice in his mind was screaming for him to stop her. "Hermione, wait—"
"It's fine. Really! I've got your number if I have any questions, and—" she stopped talking as a frown graced the soft features on her face.
Ron watched as she pulled her phone out of her pocket and answered it quickly.
"Hello? Padma, what's wrong? Whoa, slow down! What? He's what? No! I'm not at the house. I stepped out."
Ron observed Hermione carefully as she spoke to her friend. He became more and more concerned as he watched the color drain from her face, and tears filling her eyes. Harry shot him a worried glance as he finally decided to sit down.
"Yeah, I'm alright," she said in a weak voice. "I—I will, I promise. Just text me when it's safe. Yes. Thanks, Padma. Okay, bye."
Ron was warring with himself, unsure whether he should get up to comfort her or ask what was wrong. She ended the call and put her phone in her pocket, staring blankly at her backpack.
"I don't think you'll need to wait for your friends to call you to tell you what Draco was doing at Sigma Del," she said quietly.
"Hermione, what's wrong?" Ron asked.
"You found out what he's doing?" Harry's head snapped up interestedly.
Ron shot him a look for being inconsiderate.
"Yes. Padma overheard Penelope and Marcus talking at the mixer. The reason I wasn't invited was so that Draco could sneak into the house to spend time with me," Hermione explained, her voice completely hollow.
She'd used air quotes around the words 'spend time,' which sent a shiver up Ron's spine. He could tell she was processing the information. Couldn't they spend time at the mixer? If he wanted to be around her that badly, he could have pulled her into an empty room. Unless…
"Hermione, you don't mean—"
"Padma thinks he was going to try and—" the words caught in her throat, and she couldn't finish her sentence.
But she didn't need to—Ron saw red. He'd never been angrier in his life. "That fucking little piece of shit. I'm going to kill him!" He got up and was making a beeline for the door before Harry stopped him.
"Shit! No, Ron, you can't! I'll handle it." Harry had blocked Ron's exit and was trying to push him back into the room.
"Not without me," Ron growled.
He was half expecting Harry to push him away and was thrown off guard when he pulled him closer. "As much as I don't like what you and Hermione are doing, you need to stay here with her. She needs you, and I don't know if it's actually safe for her to go back there tonight. I've got an idea."
As soon as Harry said the words 'Hermione' and 'safe,' Ron settled slightly. Harry was right; he knew that.
"Listen, I'll stay with Ginny tonight, and I'll take care of everything with Oliver and the guys. I won't tell them how I know, but Hermione, I don't think you should go back to Sigma Del tonight," Harry now spoke over Ron to Hermione.
"Why should I trust you?" Hermione countered from the spot where she still stood.
"Because he'll keep quiet about us. He can be an ass sometimes, but I know he won't sell us out, and he hates Malfoy just as much as I do. The whole frat does," Ron chimed in, defending his best friend.
Hermione eyed them both skeptically. "I don't know…"
"Look," Harry interrupted her impatiently. "Do you really feel safe going home tonight? If you tell me who your roommate is, I can find her and coordinate something. We'll get your things and make it look like you left to go home early for break."
"But the gift exchange is tomorrow," Hermione protested.
"Would you rather stay for that and risk Malfoy breaking into your room and raping you, or do you want to be safe?" Harry said exasperatedly.
Hermione frowned, and Ron noticed her lip start to quiver. "We're just trying to help, Hermione. You can stay here tonight. I won't let anything happen to you." The sincerity in his voice caused her to finally relax and lean into him.
"O-okay. You're looking for Padma Patil. You can trust her with all of this. There's only one duffel bag in my closet that needs to get to me. The rest of it is already in my car, ready to go."
"We might need to move that, too. Which lot are you in?" Harry asked.
"B," Hermione answered automatically.
"I think Seamus has an extra D lot sticker. I'll get that moved and make sure your bag gets here," Harry told her.
"Don't forget to use the fire escape with it, so Oliver doesn't find out," Ron reminded as Harry nodded.
Hermione reached into her bag and pulled out her keys. She took her car's key fob off and handed it hesitantly to Harry. "You really don't have to do this. I can manage."
"It's no big deal. If it means screwing over a Tau, I'm all for it. Don't think I'm only helping you," he said nonchalantly.
Ron knew Harry was trying to keep the appearances of the feud in place, but his grin gave him away. Maybe Harry thought it was as stupid as Ron did, after all. He was probably too preoccupied sucking Ginny's face to worry about anything that didn't pertain directly to him. Ron shook the thought from his head; he didn't want to think about that.
"Thanks, Harry."
"No problem. Just let Padma know I'm looking for her, yeah?"
Hermione nodded as Harry disappeared from the room. Ron turned to look at her as she collapsed onto his bed. "I can't believe this is happening."
Ron didn't know what to say. His disbelief matched hers. He shuddered to think what could have happened if they hadn't made plans tonight. It looked like his original thoughts about Draco being up to something that he didn't want Ron to see had been spot on.
He sat down next to her, placing an arm around her shoulder. "I'm really glad you were here and not at the sorority." Hermione nodded against him. "We'll get him back, don't worry. And we'll keep you safe in the process. He won't get to you, Hermione, I promise."
She sat up and looked at him. "You can't promise that. We barely know each other! And we shouldn't even be doing this! If Penelope doesn't do me in for 'leaving early,' she'll certainly kill me if she finds out about all this!"
Ron couldn't help the scowl that crossed his face. "We're two consenting adults. Some ancient sorority or fraternity feud is not going to dictate who I talk to or otherwise engage with."
"Well, sorry, it's not that easy for me."
"Look, why don't we just watch a movie or something? Maybe by the time it's over, Harry will have some news, and then we can get some sleep. I'll help make sure you're out of here bright and early, so no one knows you were here, and your sisters won't know you really left in the morning."
Hermione sighed heavily. Ron took that for approval as he reached up for the remote and gestured for her to get comfortable. He needed the distraction just as much as she did; he didn't trust himself to not go after Draco on his own and punch his smug little face in. It didn't matter what he and Hermione were or weren't, but he knew he'd do anything to protect her.