Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any related characters.

A/N: Hey all! Here is a drabble written for the lovely sm_jl. Enjoy this flangsty Romione AU that takes place during 6th year!

Not Just Friends

The thunder clapped off into the distance as flashes of lightning burst through the dark clouds, vanishing before reappearing again and again. Rain trickled down the vastly large windows, making it difficult to clearly see the open view of the school grounds from the inside.

For the two students who were seated in front of the window in the Gryffindor common room, the weather did nothing to ease the anxiety they felt over not knowing what was to come.

"How long do you reckon he's gonna be out there?" Ron spoke softly, his voice cracking.

Hermione pivoted her eyes away from the window for a brief moment to observe Ron, whose gaze remained firmly on the opaque glass in front of them. "However long it takes for him to find the answers he's looking for."

Ron tucked his knees up against his chest, letting his arms fold around his legs. Hermione took a moment to let her eyes trace the outline of his firm, clean-shaven jaw. He looked...older. There was no denying that they had both grown in more ways than one over the past year. They had finally found their footing again in their friendship during the last few months of sixth year, both finding themselves alone together more often than not due to Harry's increased paranoia over the impending war.

Hermione followed his gaze back towards the window, their reflection staring back at her. They were sitting close — so close — and Hermione resisted the urge to lay her head on his shoulder, to feel the comfort of his warmth wrapped around her body.

"Why did you care?" Ron hoarsely whispered, startling Hermione out of her thoughts.

"What?"

"About me and Lav. Why did you care so much that we were dating?"

Hermione sucked in a breath she didn't know she had been holding. Why did he want to bring this up now? When there was so much else going on in the world? "We've been over this."

"No, we haven't." His voice was strong, and unwavering. Hermione wasn't quite sure if she had ever witnessed Ron so firm in his beliefs.

He still wasn't even looking at her, and somehow that made her feel worse. "What do you want me to say, Ron?"

Finally, his head snapped and he met her eyes filled with rage. "How about the bloody truth for once? God, if only everyone could just say what they mean. Then maybe we wouldn't have wasted months."

Ron was projecting, that much she was sure of, clearly affected by the worry he felt for Harry and his own family as the world became darker and darker by the day.

"We?"

"Yes, we. You and me."

This was really happening. They were really going to get to the root of their entire conflict from the past year. One glance over at Ron told her all she had to know. He needed this row, and she needed it, too.

"We're-we're friends Ron, you know how much you mean to me...both you and Harry…I just-"

"We're not just friends, and you fucking know it!" Ron roared. He stood up, forcefully raking a hand through his auburn hair, before leaning against the windowsill.

Hermione remained seated but raised her head to meet his gaze softly. "How long have you known?"

"How long have I known what?"

Hermione rose to her feet then, placing her hands on her hips as she tilted up her chin angrily. "You're serious? You're going to claim that we're not just friends, and then play dumb?"

He narrowed his eyes at her. "See, this is your problem. You take everything I say and twist it back to make it my fault. How am I supposed to know a bloody damn thing that's going on in your mind if you spend months refusing to speak to me?"

"Because you broke my heart!" She shouted, quite louder than she had anticipated. They were both grateful that they were the only two who occupied the common room at that moment.

Ron stepped back, his hands bracing the ledge of the window on either side of his body. It was like the lightning from outside had reached into his soul and struck him deep in the chest.

Hermione slumped back down onto the sofa, blinking back the tears that threatened to escape from her eyes.

"I asked you to Slughorn's Christmas party, and then you broke my heart by snogging-" She couldn't finish. Her hope was that she didn't have to.

"Hermione-"

"I know that you see what you're doing to me — tell me why." Hermione felt that she had been more than forthcoming with her emotions over the past several months. It was clear to her now that Ron was catching up, and they were both heading in the same direction without a clue as to their destination. No matter where they ended up, she wanted it to be together, and she needed to make sure he knew that.

When she lifted her head to tell him as such, she gasped upon realizing that he was now closer than ever. Ron had crouched down on the back of his heels in front of her, peering up at her with glistening eyes.

"I already did," he murmured, bringing his hand up to rub up and down her thigh, sending a wave of pleasure through her body. "We are not just friends."

A soft whimper escaped the back of her throat just before she found Ron's lips on hers. The thunder crackled as their lips met — igniting the spark that had been long kept dormant. Their lips moved effortlessly together, in a mechanism that seemed almost as natural as breathing.

Ron's hand that was gently caressing her thigh began to travel upward, glossing over the skin of her arm and shoulder before continuing its path up to the nape of her neck, finally resting on her cheek.

Ron released a deep guttural moan that made Hermione's toes curl. She clutched the back of his shirt to bring him even closer, forcing him to stand up on his knees. He pressed her back into the cushions of the sofa, hovering over her body as their lips stayed joined.

All too soon he was pulling away, but only just enough to study her eyes intently.

Breathing heavily, he confessed, "I needed to know that this was real — that something was real in the midst of all of this…shit."

Hermione closed her eyes and leaned forward to touch her forehead to his. She felt his hot breath on her lips, the final words she needed to say on the tip of her tongue.

"After tonight, I've never been more sure of at least one thing that is real."

Ron tilted his head to the side to watch her curiously, his fingers grazing her cheekbone as he tucked a curl behind her hair.

Grinning widely, Hermione whispered, "We are definitely not just friends."