Written for Romione Week on Tumblr, day 6: alternate universe. A story in which Ron and Hermione go to Slughorn's Christmas party together.

WC. 3059

A Perfect Night

Hermione stood in front of the mirror, looking herself over. There was a bit of hair that just wouldn't sit still on top of her head. She'd tried a potion and various spells, but it just wanted to be uncooperative this evening.

"Of all days," she muttered, adding another drop of Sleekeazy to no avail. It simply sprung back up.

The rest of her, she thought, looked alright. She didn't have many dresses, especially not at Hogwarts, but she'd had her mum send this one with a very quizzical letter about what she wanted to wear it for. It was pale blue, knee-length and kind of low-cut, but modest at the same time. It wasn't usually something she'd be comfortable in, but… drastic times, she reasoned.

She took one last look at herself, tried to flatten that one piece of disobedient hair, and then left her room. She paused at the top of the staircase a moment before willing herself to descend and enter the common room of Gryffindor tower, her heart thumping in her chest.

She stopped at the bottom, searching the room but couldn't see either Ron or Harry there. Though, she was drawing the attention of some others, most notably Cormac McLaggen, who smiled at her.

Flushing, she hurried over to the armchairs by the fireplace and stared directly at it. She had been certain Harry and Ron would be down here already. After all, how long would it take them to throw on some dress robes?

She only had to wait for a few minutes before she heard Ron's voice, wondering aloud where she was. She jumped up, turning to face them. Ron stopped dead in the middle of the common room, his mouth falling open when he laid eyes on her.

It might have been her imagination, but she even thought she saw him mouth the word woah, though he didn't say it out loud.

"Hermione," he said instead. "You look… really nice."

Hermione smiled, the pounding in her chest increasing. "Thanks," she said. She looked around the room. People were staring and it caused her to feel embarrassed. "Should we… should we go, then?" she asked.

Ron nodded.

"Yeah. I said I'd meet Luna there."

Hermione startled, turning to Harry. She'd all but forgotten he was there for a moment. She offered him a smile and nod and the three of them climbed out of the portrait hole and set off to Slughorn's office.

None of them spoke much on the way. Hermione had not felt this nervous in a very long time, and she could sense Ron stealing occasional glances her way, though he didn't say anything. Harry, she realised, was probably doing his best to ignore the fact that she'd asked Ron as her date for the party and that they were all well aware of the fact that she hadn't asked him to go with her as her friend. She probably would have dressed more appropriately if she had.

It was a relief to draw nearer to the office, for on the way they ran into more and more people and it became noisier, easing the tension between the three of them. Beside her, Hermione felt Ron relax and she chanced a look in his direction. She hadn't realised before, but he was nervous too. Though, he'd really dressed for the occasion, apparently with different dress robes than the ones he'd been forced to wear to the Yule Ball two years ago.

She hid a smile. She wasn't sure exactly what she expected to come from tonight, but this was the best chance she — they — had to talk about things and that was what she wanted to happen. Maybe talking would lead to… something more.

"Ah, Harry, Harry!" Slughorn said brightly, opening the door before they'd even approached. "And Miss Granger! So good to see you here. Thank you for coming. Oh, and Miss Granger, you brought a friend!" His eyes fell on Ron, who shifted uncomfortably. "And what about you, Harry?" Slughorn continued, looking back to Harry. "Did you bring anyone special?"

"Yes!" Harry answered, sounding exasperated. "Luna. Luna Lovegood. Is she here?"

"Oh, the girl with the radish earrings?" Slughorn asked, chuckling. "Yes, yes, already in there." He pointed his thumb over his shoulder and then stepped aside so they could enter.

The first thing Hermione noticed was how Slughorn had on display photos of all his past — successful — students. In fact — her eyes widened — he even had some of them here in person.

"Look!" she said, gripping Ron's arm and pointing to a woman in the corner who was talking to Ginny, "that's Gwenog Jones."

Ron stared at her incredulously. "How do you know who Gwenog Jones is?"

"I read about her in a book," Hermione said. "One day when I was —" She stopped, noticing the amused look he was giving her, and turned red.

Ron's gaze then shifted back to Ginny and Gwenog. "I've never really been in the presence of an actual Quidditch player before!"

"What about Viktor?" Hermione said, realising too late that that was the wrong thing to say to Ron. He took… issue with her friendship with Viktor Krum and it was easier to just not talk about it when around Ron.

Turning red — with anger or embarrassment, Hermione wasn't sure — Ron said, "Er, I'll just go and get a drink. It looks interesting, whatever it is. Want one? Harry?"

No answer came. They turned. Harry had made his way across the room over to Luna without either of them realising. He seemed desperate to avoid speaking to Slughorn, or, Hermione noticed, to not have Ginny notice him.

Hermione smiled up at Ron. "Come on, we'll go over together."

"You don't think Harry fancies Luna, do you?" Ron asked when they reached the drinks table. "He just asked her as a friend, right? I mean, because he couldn't find anyone else?"

"Would it bother you if he did?" Hermione questioned, scooping up some kind of punch into two cups.

"No, I s'pose not," Ron answered. "But… it's Luna. Just seems strange."

"I don't think he fancies Luna," Hermione said after a moment. "He likes her well enough, but he's not interested in her. She's just here as his guest. His friend."

"Like you and me," Ron said, though he didn't quite meet her eye when he said it.

Hermione didn't knowhow to respond so she passed Ron one of the filled cups and said, "Yeah, like you and me."

...

Harry seemed to be the centre of attention at this party, everyone hovering around to get a glimpse or to engage him in a conversation, which left Hermione and Ron pretty much to their own devices.

It was an interesting party to say the least. It was just people bragging about their achievements and eating lots of food.

"Is there a point of us actually being here?" Ron asked after they'd just watched the third person in the space of five minutes steer Harry towards them. "I mean, you were invited and you're being ignored, so what chance do I have?"

"You were invited too," Hermione said. "By me."

"You know what I mean…"

"It is quite boring," Hermione reasoned, feeling disappointed. She'd expected a bit more from tonight. Maybe dancing, maybe an opportunity for her to tell Ron that she fancied him, that she didn't want them to be here as just friends. But the opportunity hadn't shown itself the whole time and now they were both standing in a corner, their third cups of some horrid tasting punch in their hands, feeling bored.

"I suppose we shouldn't have expected much from Slughorn." Ron smirked. "And I do kind of feel sorry for Harry, being dragged around like that and all."

"Do you really?" Hermione asked.

"I did say 'kind of'."

Hermione looked around the room once more, taking in the people. There was Luna sitting on her own, having not interacted with anyone at all because Harry had been dragged around. Hermione briefly considered going over there, but she was almost ashamed to admit that she had other motives tonight that didn't include Luna. Ginny and Dean were snogging elsewhere and she was grateful for Harry being distracted so he didn't see it. Everyone else she either didn't know, knew of, or simply didn't care to talk to.

"Why don't we go?" she suggested.

"Please," Ron said. "I was actually sort of annoyed that I wasn't invited, but now I'm almost grateful he didn't bother to ask me." They left the noisy, crowded room and stepped into the cool, quiet corridor where Hermione was well aware of them being alone. Anyone who wasn't at the party was in their common rooms.

"Thanks for coming," Hermione said softly. "I'm sorry it wasn't the party we might have hoped for."

"It was exactly what I thought it'd be," Ron said, laughing. "Everyone trying to talk themselves up and Slughorn bragging about how he was responsible for everyone's success."

Hermione laughed too, knowing that she was quickly running out of time. She'd spent weeks talking herself up for this, convincing herself that she had to put herself out there or she was constantly going to be left wondering. He fancied her in some way, she was convinced of that much, and she thought it was a risk worth taking to find out just how far he was willing to take things with her.

"Why don't we take a detour?" she suggested, touching his arm and steering him down the opposite corridor to the way back to the common room.

"Hermione, that's against the rules!" Ron protested. "Are you breaking the rules?"

"We're prefects, no one will ask."

"So now you're abusing your power?"

Despite his verbal protests, Ron didn't put up too much of a fight as she led him up one of the staircases.

"Where are we going?"

"I don't know."

"Well, that's just fantastic. If we get caught by Filch I'm blaming it all on you, Hermione. Dragging me around the castle after hours."

Hermione ignored him, continuing up the staircases. They grew higher and higher, Ron complaining every time she decided to move up just one more. Eventually, she stopped.

Ron stood beside her, looking around. "The Astronomy Tower," he muttered.

"It's beautiful up here, isn't it?" Hermione said, going over to stand by the railing that overlooked the whole castle grounds. "Especially at night."

Footsteps followed behind her and a moment later, Ron was beside her again. "I guess," he said. "Beats the Christmas party, anyway." He smiled. "Why'd you come up here?"

"Because it's peaceful," Hermione explained. "Did you know it's where a lot of… couples come to when they want some time alone?"

"Great," Ron said. "So, who're you sneaking up here with late at night to know that?"

"Just you." She tried to sound casual, though she couldn't control the small question that escaped in the words.

It was enough to pique his interest. His head snapped to her, eyes wide under the cloudy night. She only realised that it was impossibly cold up here now. Perhaps she should have chosen somewhere that was warmer.

A moment later, he returned his gaze to the front, apparently lost on how to respond.

Hermione shivered. "Maybe this wasn't such a good idea," she confessed. "I'm not really dressed appropriately for this weather." I'm not really dressed appropriately at all, she reasoned.

"You're cold?" Ron questioned, looking back at her.

Hermione nodded.

"Come on," Ron said. "Let's go back to the common room. Sit by the fireplace until Harry gets back…"

"Sorry, Ron," Hermione said, and they came back indoors to the warmth of the castle. "I thought it would be nice up here. Didn't really think it through."

"It's alright," Ron replied. "Why'd you come up here anyway?"

"Well, the party wasn't fun," Hermione answered, "but I wasn't quite ready for our night together to end."

Ron stopped walking. Hermione was a few paces ahead and had to backtrack.

"Why do you keep saying stuff like that?" he asked. "First, you tell me this is the place people come up to snog and when I ask who you're sneaking up here, you say just me. And now you say that you don't want our night together to end. Like… like we're on a… date or something."

"We did go to the Christmas party together, didn't we?" Hermione said in response. "I mean, I asked you to the party. So, it was kind of a date, wasn't it? Isn't it?"

"I… I guess," Ron stammered. He was watching her with a strange expression, like he wasn't quite sure what to make of this conversation. "I… just thought… you know… I didn't realise."

"Realise what?" Hermione asked.

Ron turned red. "That… this was a… date."

"What did you think it was?" She wondered if she should have been clearer… more direct about asking him. She supposed she hadn't actually used the word 'date'.

Ron looked at the floor between them. "That you felt sorry for me that I wasn't originally invited. I just thought… that's why you asked me."

Hermione opened her mouth to deny it, but when she tried to explain, no words came out. She simply stepped closer to him. "That's not why I asked you," she said quietly.

"I didn't know that." He looked up again, his eyes taking her in as if he was seeing her for the first time.

"Well, now you do," Hermione said. "This is a date. If you want it to be, that is."

"I want it to be," Ron answered immediately. He flushed, averting his gaze once again. "You… you really do look great, by the way. I wasn't just saying that before. I thought… think you look… beautiful."

"Thank you, Ron," Hermione said. "I like your new robes. They suit you."

He laughed slightly. "Thanks."

"Ron… just so you're aware, I wanted to ask you. I wanted you to be my date, and I wanted us to be here now, alone. And maybe I'm wrong, maybe I misunderstood, maybe I just hoped, but I thought that you wanted to as well."

"I do." Again, he spoke quickly, as if the words were tumbling out of his mouth beyond his control. His face turned a deeper red. "I just didn't know…"

The sound of the clock rang in the background. It was midnight.

"Maybe we should go back…" Hermione said. "It's been nice. Fun, despite a lousy party."

"Yeah," Ron replied. "It's been really nice. I had a lot of fun with you. It was a nice… date." He smiled as he said the word.

"Nice enough to want to do it again?" Hermione wondered.

"To do it ten more times!" Ron replied. Now that they'd established what this was, he seemed to fill with more confidence by the second. He once again looked over his shoulder to the Astronomy Tower. "Do people really come up here to snog? I thought that was just a rumour."

"So I've heard." She didn't mention it was Ginny who had told her.

"Ah." Ron thought for a moment, perhaps wanting to say something more on the subject but thinking better of it. "So… should we call it a night then? Is that… is that how it's supposed to end? This date, I mean? We go back to the common room and go to bed and… that's it? Until next time?"

Hermione stepped forward again. Their bodies were virtually pressed together. She felt Ron's intake of breath more than heard it. He wasn't really getting it, so perhaps she needed to be a little more forward about how she intended for this date to end.

She tilted her head and lifted her arms to slide them around his neck. He'd seemed a bit clueless, but even he couldn't deny just exactly what she was trying to do now. Nor did he hesitate in drawing his mouth the rest of the way down to hers, capturing her in what was a very enjoyable first kiss.

He gripped her waist tightly, then slid his hands up to her back. She pressed her body into his, the feeling of finally getting to kiss him both a thrill and something she didn't want to rush. Or to end.

Anyone could walk by, she realised. A teacher, other students on their own way up to the Astronomy Tower, but who cared? A detention almost felt worth it.

It was Ron who broke away first, slowly, gently. His hands stayed around her back, holding her close to him. Their foreheads were virtually touching, their breathing heavy and loud in the silent night.

After another moment of just standing there, his hands started to slide away from her. She stood on her toes, kissing him quickly one more time before they completely pulled apart.

Now that she could see him fully, she saw that he was pleased. Perhaps he hadn't expected the night to end like this, but he certainly wasn't complaining that it had.

"That's a good ending to our date," Hermione said softly.

"... Yeah." He almost laughed, grinning. "Yeah, that was good. Maybe even better." He watched her, looking as if he could kiss her again. She stepped forward again, and he did kiss her and it was even better than the first time. Just that little bit of practice on both their parts made it easier. Their nerves were gone now, so there was nothing stopping them.

"I'd love it if tonight didn't end," Ron said after they broke away for the second time. "If we could just freeze time…"

Hermione slipped her hand into his and they started walking, hand in hand and in an enjoyable silence.

As they walked, she smiled. This, she decided, had been the perfect night.

It wasn't until they neared the portrait of the Fat Lady did Ron speak again.

"Hogsmeade," he said.

"What?" Hermione asked.

He flushed. "Next Hogsmeade visit. Can you… come with me? On a… date?"

"Yes," Hermione said, beaming up at him. "I'd really love to."

He returned her grin as he stopped in front of the portrait, and he leaned forward and kissed her for the third time that night.

Thank you to adenei for betaing!

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