Hermione sighed. "It's so beautiful.'
"Yeah,' agreed Ron, not looking at the river, but at Hermione. A waiter came to the table Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny were sitting at and started talking in rapid French. To everyone's surprise, Hermione laughed and replied, also in French.
Harry raised his eyebrows. "You speak French?"
Hermione grinned self conscious "yes... I took an extra course in muggle school that taught French."
"Let me guess, you took an extra course to learn calculus in Preschool and learned the art of Cooking Sushi in First Year?" Said Ron, acting a bit more like his sold self.
Hermione smiled. "How did you guess?"
They were nearly through with the main course when Ron realized how dignified they had all been acting, and decided to put an end to it immediately. He reached into his glass of soda pop and puled out a large piece of ice.
"Hermione, look at that boat out on the river." Directed her attention to the Themes, which was completely void of boats.
"Where? I don't see it." She said.
"Just keep looking, you'll see it." He slipped the ice down the back of her shirt.
"AHH!" she squealed. "What was that?" a piece of ice fell into her hand. "Ron! Now you're gonna get it," she giggled and pulled ice out of her drink.
"Have mercy on me!' Ron said, sarcastically, as Hermione threw the ice at him. "That's not how ladies should act!" he threw ice back at her. Before they knew it, all four of them were involved in an ice fight, which ended when their parents shot them the look of death. They were all shooed out to the back garden, sopping wet with soda pop.
"Oh, look! there's a path!' said Hermione. A little side walk followed the river. "Lets take a walk!"
Ron bowed, as if he were asking her to dance. "I would be happy to escort you, madam,"
Hermione smiled and took his arm. "Come on, Ginny and Harry. Lets go."
Ginny started walking, but Harry grabbed the back of her shirt. "We'll catch up. I left something in the restaurant and Ginny's gotta help me find it." Harry shot Ginny a look.
"Yeah, we'll be right there, you two go ahead and start walking," they went back into the restaurant. "Harry, why are you doing this?"
"What am I doing?"
"You're setting them up!" Ginny said.
"They already love each other, they just need an extra nudge. It's always been like that, even when they were just friends."
"But isn't Ron already going out with that scary Lavender girl?"
Harry's face fell. "Ginny, what day is it?"
"The nineteenth, Hermione's Birthday, of course."
"No, I mean what day of the week is it."
"Tuesday, why?"
Harry slapped himself on the forehead. '"Because Ron is in big trouble with 'that scary lavender girl.' Today was their anniversary. Ooh, he's in deep shit"
Hermione looked out over the river. They had gotten to a part of it where there were boats ("Don't tell me to look at the boats, I don't trust you" Hermione had laughed) and lights. On the Horizon, you could just see the lit up London Bridge. Hermione sighed. it was so nice to see all of the sight s of her home land.
A cold breeze was beginning to blow from the water. "Brr..." Hermione shivered, "it's getting rather cold."
"Here,"offered Ron. "Let me warm you up," he brought her closer to him. they had stopped walking and were poised. Hermione realized how close they were. She couldn't remember feeling like this since her last train ride to Kings Cross, when Ron had comforted her in the same way he was now. "Better?" Ron asked.
"A...a bit" Hermione said, meekly. Ron pulled her even closer. Hermione felt her insides contract as their lips grew closer. Hermione closed her eyes as they kissed. It was the most wonderful feeling she had ever felt. passion had a new meaning, and her humanity soared to new heights. The intimacy was unbelievable, she was dazed by the whole affair.
Ron realized that kissing Hermione brought him more delight than kissing Lavender. He had never felt anything so divine in his life. They broke off, breathless. Hermione gazed at him, bewildered.
"Ron...?" she said, softly.
"Yes,"
"What was that all about?" she asked. "I mean, why did we kiss like that?"
"Because I love you, Hermione."said Ron, tenderly. 'I've loved you since I can remember."
Hermione was silent for a moment. She had broken into tears. "I love you, too, Ron," she laid her head affectionately on his shoulder. He kissed her forehead.
"we'd better get back, soon, before they come looking for us," Hermione whispered.
"yeah, I guess you're right." They got up from the patch of grass they had been sitting on and began to walk back to the restaurant. Neither of them said a word on the way back, They were both too stunned to speak.
Harry knew at once that something had happened. They were far too silent for their walk to have been uneventful.
"It was just a friendly little walk, Harry," said Hermione, overhearing what he was asking Ron.
"yeah, a little too friendly, if you ask me," he grinned. "Love the lipstick Ron. It's a good shade for you."
Ron went bright red. Hermione covered her eyes with one hand and handed Ron a tissue with the other (she always carries tissues in her handbag) Ron violently tried to wipe off the makeup, but wasn't doing very well. To Ron's horror, Ginny was coming back out of the restaurant and strait towards them.
"Ron, what happened to your face?" she asked. "Is that...? it is!' She exclaimed. "It's the same exact shade of lipstick that Hermione's wearing," she cried with relish. "whoo, way to go, Ron!'
"Shut up," said Hermione. "I think you've been spending too much time with Fred and George."
Ginny held her tongue around the parents, but whenever she caught Ron alone, she'd make a comment. She spent the entire cab ride to Harry and Ron's apartment giggling and cat calling.
Mr. and Mrs. Granger were going back the Burrow with Mr. and Mrs. weasley, but Hermione and Ginny were both sleeping at Harry and Ron's apartment. ("we'll only let you stay if you shut up about me and Hermione" said Ron, as his mother was fussing over Harry) Hermione summoned hers and Ginny's things and began setting up for bed, as it was already 11:00, 4:00 china time, and Hermione was exhausted.
When all of the parents were gone, Hermione changed into her pajamas. As she was coming out of the bathroom, she bumped into Ron.
"going to bed, Hermione?" he asked.
"Yeah, I'm extremely tired. Crossing four time zones isn't as easy as it looks," she smiled. "Ugh, and I've go this terrible pain I my neck, I fell asleep strange on the plane."
Do you want me to give you a massage?" he offered.
"That would be wonderful, thank you," she cast a glance down the hall and into the front room, where she could hear Harry and Ginny laughing. "Err, could we go in your room, Ginny's already got enough to black mail us about."
Ron chortled. "Yeah, I'm just lucky I don't live with her anymore."
They walked to Ron's room. "Why did you move out so soon, anyway?" Asked Hermione, as she sat down on the bed.
"I guess because I was sick of being overlooked, you know, being the sixth son. I love my mum and dad and my family but it just gets annoying."
"I guess it would, after eighteen years. I wouldn't know. I'm an only child."
"Yeah, you're lucky." Ron laughed
"I guess, in the sense that I don't have to share my parents, but I'm not lucky, also. It gets kind of lonely, only having your parents there to talk to. If I need advice, I only have two alternatives, my mum and my dad, and it's hard to talk to either of them. They've always pressured me to be the best," she imitated her father's lecturing tone. "'Hermione, you're never going to get anywhere by slacking off. You get what you earn, so hard work id the only thing that can get you where you need to go.' He never stops! I just got so used to listening to him that I started saying it myself. Before I knew it, I had no personal life, I was all about school work. You and Harry not only saved me from that troll, but you saved me from my chains, my parents." Hermione turned and smiled at him. "It was the best thing that ever happened to me, I'll never forget that Halloween,"
' I never knew that night meant so much to you," said Ron, baffled by women.
Hermione gazed at him with the gentle look of a deer. "It was the night I realized I was so mean and bossy around you because I liked you"
Ron raised his eyebrows. He smiled fondly and kissed her neck. "Ooh, I hated you in first year. Before Halloween, that is. I didn't think of you as anything but a friend until Third year, when you hugged me for the first time. After that, I vowed not to make you cry anymore."
Hermione snorted "it didn't work very well, did it"
"No. My anger gets the best of me a lot. I was going out of my skull with jealousy at the Yule ball. I could've killed myself afterwards, for being so mean to you. Did I ever apologize for that?"
"no,"
"Well, I am now."
Hermione smiled warmly and fell asleep in his arms.