"Ron?" she asks. I look up, not wanting to meet her eyes, but finding
it unavoidable. "Ron, we need to talk."
I look into her eyes, the eyes I found solace in so many times before. When I was sad, or scared, or angry, her eyes could take all the emotion I felt and turn it into love, love for her. But her eyes are different now. Why? I dread the answer.
She takes my hand and brings me outside, to a maple tree. I look up, realizing it's our maple tree. Not here, Hermione, not here! I long to run away, but my legs have lost all feeling. I know what's coming.
"Ron, I." she can't even finish a sentence. There is a pause, silence. I sit down in the dirt. She sits next to me. It was here I first told her I liked her.
"Ron, why are we here?" she had asked me. I looked into her eyes.
"There's something I need to talk to you about." She had pierced my eyes with hers, not understanding the look in mine, or why my breathing was so shallow, or why I was standing so close.
"What?"
"I.I. I can't tell you."
"Yes, you can. It's just me." Ah, but Hermione! If only you knew how 'just you' made me feel!
"No, I can't." I sighed.
"You can too."
"I can not."
"Can too."
"Can not."
"Can too!"
"Can not!"
"Can too!"
"Can not!"
"Can too!" She pushed me against the tree, unnaturally close to me, not even realizing it. "Ronald Weasley, if you don't tell me what you brought me here to say right now, I'll go straight up to the Owlry and send Hedwig to your mom telling her it wasn't Fred and George who bewitched all the suits of armor along Filch's hallway to make them say rude remarks to him, it was you!" I breathed in sharply. It wasn't a good idea. Her hair smelled of lavender. It was godly.
"Hermione, have you ever felt butterflies in your stomach because someone was close to you? That one special person? Have you ever felt that your heart could jump right out of your chest because it's pounding so hard? Have you ever felt your feet leave the ground because you're close to the one you adore?" Hermione nodded, her eyes smiling. She nodded; good god, she nodded!
I took a deep breath. "Hermione, right now. I'm flying." It was a simple comment, not really understandable, but she got it. Standing there, her hands firm on my chest, body pressing against mine, she smiled. I almost melted. And then - she kissed me! Right there, beneath that maple tree. I was in Heaven.
Hermione takes a deep breath. "Ron, I've been thinking for a while now. Things between us are." she stops. Why did she stop? What does she want to say? Just say it, god damnit! Say you hate me; you can't see me anymore; tell me you love Harry, Seamus, Draco Malfoy even! Just say it and let me free!
"I. I've wanted to tell you this for so long now." She's disgusted by the sight of me. I repulse her. She cringes when she sees me. Just say it, Hermione!
"Ron, I love you." What?
"What?"
"I love you."
No I-love-you-but-we-have-to-break-up? Nothing following? Just I-love- you? Am I dreaming?
She's never said this before. Neither have I, now that I think about it. But still.
"I though you were going to tell me you're running of to elope with Malfoy or something," I say quietly. Hermione laughs. I melt in the knees.
"Elope with Malfoy? Ew! How could I, Ron? I love you." I just sit there, staring into her crisp eyes.
"Well? Aren't you going to say anything back? Anything at all?"
I stand up and grab her hands, pulling her up. Pushing her against our maple tree, my body merging with hers, my hands on her chest, I kiss her.
"Hermione?"
"Yeah?"
"I love you too."
I look into her eyes, the eyes I found solace in so many times before. When I was sad, or scared, or angry, her eyes could take all the emotion I felt and turn it into love, love for her. But her eyes are different now. Why? I dread the answer.
She takes my hand and brings me outside, to a maple tree. I look up, realizing it's our maple tree. Not here, Hermione, not here! I long to run away, but my legs have lost all feeling. I know what's coming.
"Ron, I." she can't even finish a sentence. There is a pause, silence. I sit down in the dirt. She sits next to me. It was here I first told her I liked her.
"Ron, why are we here?" she had asked me. I looked into her eyes.
"There's something I need to talk to you about." She had pierced my eyes with hers, not understanding the look in mine, or why my breathing was so shallow, or why I was standing so close.
"What?"
"I.I. I can't tell you."
"Yes, you can. It's just me." Ah, but Hermione! If only you knew how 'just you' made me feel!
"No, I can't." I sighed.
"You can too."
"I can not."
"Can too."
"Can not."
"Can too!"
"Can not!"
"Can too!"
"Can not!"
"Can too!" She pushed me against the tree, unnaturally close to me, not even realizing it. "Ronald Weasley, if you don't tell me what you brought me here to say right now, I'll go straight up to the Owlry and send Hedwig to your mom telling her it wasn't Fred and George who bewitched all the suits of armor along Filch's hallway to make them say rude remarks to him, it was you!" I breathed in sharply. It wasn't a good idea. Her hair smelled of lavender. It was godly.
"Hermione, have you ever felt butterflies in your stomach because someone was close to you? That one special person? Have you ever felt that your heart could jump right out of your chest because it's pounding so hard? Have you ever felt your feet leave the ground because you're close to the one you adore?" Hermione nodded, her eyes smiling. She nodded; good god, she nodded!
I took a deep breath. "Hermione, right now. I'm flying." It was a simple comment, not really understandable, but she got it. Standing there, her hands firm on my chest, body pressing against mine, she smiled. I almost melted. And then - she kissed me! Right there, beneath that maple tree. I was in Heaven.
Hermione takes a deep breath. "Ron, I've been thinking for a while now. Things between us are." she stops. Why did she stop? What does she want to say? Just say it, god damnit! Say you hate me; you can't see me anymore; tell me you love Harry, Seamus, Draco Malfoy even! Just say it and let me free!
"I. I've wanted to tell you this for so long now." She's disgusted by the sight of me. I repulse her. She cringes when she sees me. Just say it, Hermione!
"Ron, I love you." What?
"What?"
"I love you."
No I-love-you-but-we-have-to-break-up? Nothing following? Just I-love- you? Am I dreaming?
She's never said this before. Neither have I, now that I think about it. But still.
"I though you were going to tell me you're running of to elope with Malfoy or something," I say quietly. Hermione laughs. I melt in the knees.
"Elope with Malfoy? Ew! How could I, Ron? I love you." I just sit there, staring into her crisp eyes.
"Well? Aren't you going to say anything back? Anything at all?"
I stand up and grab her hands, pulling her up. Pushing her against our maple tree, my body merging with hers, my hands on her chest, I kiss her.
"Hermione?"
"Yeah?"
"I love you too."
