Chapter Eight: Awaiting the Ball
The more Ron thought about the ball, the more nervous he became. He was going with his best friend, just as friends. Why should he be nervous? He knew exactly why. in the last 24 hours his best friend had gone from being someone who he was just best friends with, to someone who he got butterflies over. Every second that dragged by while he waited, made his butterflies worse.
Music suddenly started to drift into the Entry from the great hall interrupting Ron's confused thoughts. Hermione had asked him to meet her here as she had to see one of the professors first. Ron stood under a wreath of flowers and plants hanging from the roof, staring unconernedly around the room, waiting for hermione.
"Ron?" asked someone from behind him. As he turned, Ron's breath caught in his throat. Standing behind him was Hermione looking beautiful. She was dressed in the dark blue dress robes he'd picked for her and she had her hair neatly caught in a bun at the nape of her neck. Her makup was understated and she looked positively radiant.
"Mione! You look beautiful... No better than beautiful.. Perfect" said Ron as he tried valiantly to stop the blush that was creeping up his cheeks. Hermione stepped up to him and kissed him on the cheek.
"Thanks Ron" she said as she slipped her hand into his. Ron looked in surprise from hermione's hand to her face "what?" he asked quietly. Hermione shrugged and said "Just friends. We're partners at a ball, You are supposed to hold my hand". Ron nodded nervously and tried again to subdue the blush in his cheeks.
"Harry!" shouted Hermione from beside him. Harry smiled and nodded and manuovred his way through the throng of students.
"Ginny? Harry, you asked Ginny?" asked Ron incredulously as he saw his sister's hand entwined with harry's. Harry smiled and said "Just as friends". Ron spluttered a bit and said "it doesn't look like just as friends to me". Hermione tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention and when he turned to her, she raised their joined hands and showed him. "Oh.... ok" said Ron defeated.
"Oi look at that would you?" Ron heard Fred or George say from somewhere near him. Rolling his eyes he turned to face his older brother.
"What now Fred?" said Ron as he tried to hide the fact that he was holding Hermione's hand.
"Haven't you looked up?" asked Fred mischeivously. Ron rolled his eyes at Fred and looked up towards the ceiling. What greeted him however, was not the wreath of flowers he had seen before, but a gigantic bough of mistletoe.
"Fred! Turn it back!" said Ron angrily as he looked at his smiling brother.
"Too late. You're standing under mistletoe with a girl. You know what you have to do" said Fred pointing at Ron and Hermione. Ron looked around at all the people in the main hall who were now paying close attention to the conversation occurring in the middle.
Turning to Hermione he spoke quietly to her "Mione, we have to kiss. There's nothing we can do about it now. Once you have stepped under the mistletoe, its magic sort of takes over, Right now, we probably can't move more than a metre in any direction, the only way to break the charm is for us to kiss each other".
Hermione cast a venemous glance in Fred's direction and nodded her head. Biting her Lip nervously she asked "how do we...?" Ron smiled self consciously "You mean you've never...?" and Hermione nodded her head slowly.
"Ok put your arms around my shoulders, i'll put my arms around your waist. Tilt your head up and i'll kiss you ok? When i do, its polite to close your eyes" Ron said with a smile on his face. Hermione laughed softly at his joke and nodded her head again. Ron took a small step towards Hermione, closing the distance between them, he nervously slipped his arms around hermione's waist and waited while she moved her arms up around his neck. As she did, Ron's stomach filled with butterflies again, he really couldn't believe he was about to do this.
"This is quite comfortable you know" said Hermione breaking through Ron's scattered thoughts and bringing him back to the present.
"Yeah it is isn't it" he replied softly laughing.
"Ok are you ready?" asked Ron nervously. Hermione tilted her head to look up at him, "mmm Hmm" she replied softly. Ron looked down into the face of his best friend and felt his heart do another flip.
"You're beautiful" said Ron absently as he bent his head to hers and rested his lips against hers. Ron wasn't prepared for the effect that simple action would have on him. He felt as if bolts of electricity had sped through him leaving him all tingly in the aftermath. Ron had to mentally stop himself from deepening the kiss, even though every part of his body was crying at him to continue. Breaking his lips away from hers, Ron stood for a second with his arms around her waist, almost as if he were trying to stop his knees from collapsing under the weight of his Body.
Ron was rudely broken away from his contemplation of Hermione's face by the applause that echoed around them. Instantly their faces turned bright red and they jumped away from each other.
"What is all the commotion?" asked professor McGonagall as she appeared in the doorway to the great hall. Her eyes scanned the crowd and satisfied herself that there was nothing untoward happening, she spoke again "You may all enter the great hall now, Welcome to the Christmas ball". Hermione self consciously reached for Ron's hand again and mumbled to him under her breath "Just friends". Ron took a deep breath and nodded as he took her hand and followed the stream of students into the hall.
The more Ron thought about the ball, the more nervous he became. He was going with his best friend, just as friends. Why should he be nervous? He knew exactly why. in the last 24 hours his best friend had gone from being someone who he was just best friends with, to someone who he got butterflies over. Every second that dragged by while he waited, made his butterflies worse.
Music suddenly started to drift into the Entry from the great hall interrupting Ron's confused thoughts. Hermione had asked him to meet her here as she had to see one of the professors first. Ron stood under a wreath of flowers and plants hanging from the roof, staring unconernedly around the room, waiting for hermione.
"Ron?" asked someone from behind him. As he turned, Ron's breath caught in his throat. Standing behind him was Hermione looking beautiful. She was dressed in the dark blue dress robes he'd picked for her and she had her hair neatly caught in a bun at the nape of her neck. Her makup was understated and she looked positively radiant.
"Mione! You look beautiful... No better than beautiful.. Perfect" said Ron as he tried valiantly to stop the blush that was creeping up his cheeks. Hermione stepped up to him and kissed him on the cheek.
"Thanks Ron" she said as she slipped her hand into his. Ron looked in surprise from hermione's hand to her face "what?" he asked quietly. Hermione shrugged and said "Just friends. We're partners at a ball, You are supposed to hold my hand". Ron nodded nervously and tried again to subdue the blush in his cheeks.
"Harry!" shouted Hermione from beside him. Harry smiled and nodded and manuovred his way through the throng of students.
"Ginny? Harry, you asked Ginny?" asked Ron incredulously as he saw his sister's hand entwined with harry's. Harry smiled and said "Just as friends". Ron spluttered a bit and said "it doesn't look like just as friends to me". Hermione tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention and when he turned to her, she raised their joined hands and showed him. "Oh.... ok" said Ron defeated.
"Oi look at that would you?" Ron heard Fred or George say from somewhere near him. Rolling his eyes he turned to face his older brother.
"What now Fred?" said Ron as he tried to hide the fact that he was holding Hermione's hand.
"Haven't you looked up?" asked Fred mischeivously. Ron rolled his eyes at Fred and looked up towards the ceiling. What greeted him however, was not the wreath of flowers he had seen before, but a gigantic bough of mistletoe.
"Fred! Turn it back!" said Ron angrily as he looked at his smiling brother.
"Too late. You're standing under mistletoe with a girl. You know what you have to do" said Fred pointing at Ron and Hermione. Ron looked around at all the people in the main hall who were now paying close attention to the conversation occurring in the middle.
Turning to Hermione he spoke quietly to her "Mione, we have to kiss. There's nothing we can do about it now. Once you have stepped under the mistletoe, its magic sort of takes over, Right now, we probably can't move more than a metre in any direction, the only way to break the charm is for us to kiss each other".
Hermione cast a venemous glance in Fred's direction and nodded her head. Biting her Lip nervously she asked "how do we...?" Ron smiled self consciously "You mean you've never...?" and Hermione nodded her head slowly.
"Ok put your arms around my shoulders, i'll put my arms around your waist. Tilt your head up and i'll kiss you ok? When i do, its polite to close your eyes" Ron said with a smile on his face. Hermione laughed softly at his joke and nodded her head again. Ron took a small step towards Hermione, closing the distance between them, he nervously slipped his arms around hermione's waist and waited while she moved her arms up around his neck. As she did, Ron's stomach filled with butterflies again, he really couldn't believe he was about to do this.
"This is quite comfortable you know" said Hermione breaking through Ron's scattered thoughts and bringing him back to the present.
"Yeah it is isn't it" he replied softly laughing.
"Ok are you ready?" asked Ron nervously. Hermione tilted her head to look up at him, "mmm Hmm" she replied softly. Ron looked down into the face of his best friend and felt his heart do another flip.
"You're beautiful" said Ron absently as he bent his head to hers and rested his lips against hers. Ron wasn't prepared for the effect that simple action would have on him. He felt as if bolts of electricity had sped through him leaving him all tingly in the aftermath. Ron had to mentally stop himself from deepening the kiss, even though every part of his body was crying at him to continue. Breaking his lips away from hers, Ron stood for a second with his arms around her waist, almost as if he were trying to stop his knees from collapsing under the weight of his Body.
Ron was rudely broken away from his contemplation of Hermione's face by the applause that echoed around them. Instantly their faces turned bright red and they jumped away from each other.
"What is all the commotion?" asked professor McGonagall as she appeared in the doorway to the great hall. Her eyes scanned the crowd and satisfied herself that there was nothing untoward happening, she spoke again "You may all enter the great hall now, Welcome to the Christmas ball". Hermione self consciously reached for Ron's hand again and mumbled to him under her breath "Just friends". Ron took a deep breath and nodded as he took her hand and followed the stream of students into the hall.