SD ~ J.K. Rowling reaps all.
Each Other
-dutchtulips-
It was a semi-cool, semi-warm spring afternoon, dusk just beginning to overtake the day. Masses of Hogwarts students were lounging in the school courtyard, talking, studying, and playing games. Since the weather had been so nice lately, the students had been permitted to relax outside on the grounds if they wished to, as long as they were in before nightfall. Most were taking advantage of the opportunity; the courtyard was protruding with students.
Among them was Ron Weasley, sitting cross-legged on one of the benches, reading a newly published periodical called Quidditch Weekly, which was packed full of news about past and upcoming games in the Quidditch major league.
"Hi, Ron."
Ron stirred and looked up to see Harry dropping down on the bench next to him. "Oh, hi Harry. Where've you been?"
"Putting my satchel away. What's that you're reading?" Harry glanced at the cover. "Quidditch Weekly. . .that a new magazine?"
"Yeah. 'Bout the only thing you can catch me reading," Ron smirked. "Speaking of reading, did you happen to see Hermione on your way down here?"
"You didn't either? She's probably up in the dormitory then, cursing at all of us down here for wasting time and not studying like we should," Harry remarked.
Usually Ron would have laughed, but he just shrugged and turned back to his magazine. "Wonder where she is, though," he mumbled.
Harry looked at his friend curiously but decided to let the matter drop, assuming it was Quidditch Ron was much more interested in at the moment. He leaned back and relaxed his muscles, looking up at the sky. "Gray. Looks like rain."
Ron peered up at the sky. "Yeah. Heavy storm most like."
"S'pose we should be heading inside. Don't want to get soaked," Harry replied, standing up. "You coming?"
Ron stared at a raindrop, which had plunked down on his magazine. "You go ahead. I'll be right there."
"Alright." Harry started off.
Once he had gone, Ron closed his magazine, put his feet on the grass, and looked around inconspicuously, as if he were a spy. Slowly he rose and walked around, putting on a nonchalant expression.
Near the outskirts of the courtyard, near the gate, Ron recognized two familiar figures. The first one brought a smile to his face, the other made his stomach churn with seething anger. He could hear their two voices exchanging words.
"You disgusting little Mudblood vermin. You think you're hot stuff mouthing off to me, don't you?" Malfoy said ominously. "You don't know what being smart really is."
Hermione's eyes were fearful as she backed away from him. Ron couldn't believe it. She always fights back. What is wrong with her? He thought, confused and seething at the same time. When Draco pushed Hermione and she fell, Ron couldn't just stand by anymore.
"Hey!" He yelled, pushing his way through a group of third years. But obviously Draco had not heard, for he stared venomously down at Hermione and continued his taunts. By the time Ron broke free of the students in his way, Hermione had collected herself from the ground, pushed the gate open, and was running off.
Ron broke into a sprint, no longer concerned with dealing with Malfoy, just Hermione. She must be really upset, he thought. Obviously she doesn't realize what direction she's going. It was the Forbidden Forest.
He burst through the back gate as well, never taking his eyes off of Hermione; she was going into the forest. After a few minutes of pursuit, Ron finally caught up with her.
"Her - Herm. . .Mione. . ." He breathed, clutching her shoulder. "Wh-what are y-you doing? This is the Forbidden For-forest!"
"R-Ron?" Her choked voice asked, turning around. Tears were all down her face and her eyes were extremely red. "H-how did you know I w-was out this way?"
"Followed you. Saw you and Malfoy. . ." Ron said shortly, still trying to catch his breath. He dropped down onto a fallen log and looked at her.
Hermione remained standing, holding herself tightly and trying to keep a straight face. She didn't mention the tête-à-tête with Malfoy. After a long silence, "We should be getting out of here. Dusk is falling; it's not safe."
Ron rose from the log and gingerly touched Hermione's shoulder again, from behind. "Are you all right?" He asked softly.
She merely nodded, crossing her arms tightly, as if trying to shield herself from something. "Uh hu. Let's go. We've got to go back."
Ron's hand had not yet left Hermione's shoulder before the two of them heard a giant thunderclap, and a moment later, rain began to fall heavily. Lightning began to flash.
"Oh no!" She called over the clatter of the rain.
Ron grabbed her hand and yanked. "Come on." He darted through the underbrush, pulling Hermione along with him. "We've got to find someplace to duck out of the rain."
"Where?!" She exclaimed.
Beating low tree branches away, Ron called back, "I don't know!"
Going faster didn't really do much good; the undergrowth and branches tugged and scraped at them, the rain soaked them all the way to their bones. Ron flung his drenched hair off his forehead and out of his eyes. There was a crevice in a heap of massive rock up ahead.
He brushed Hermione and pointed. "Look, Hermione. There's a small cave up there. Let's go in there."
"But Ron, it could be dangerous! There might be a werewolf or some other creature lurking inside!" She exclaimed.
"We can't really worry about that right now. If we stay out in this rain much longer, we might catch pneumonia," he answered hastily. "Let's run."
Ron gave Hermione's hand a squeeze, just so that he could reassured himself she was still there, and then started to run. Halfway there, he felt her hand tense and a yelp. "Ron!"
He turned around to see Hermione lying on her back against the underbrush, apparently having stumbled during their dash. Ron kneeled down quickly to help her up. "You all right?"
She winced, pain contorting her face. "I - I'm not s-sure," she replied, out of breath.
"Well, let's get to the cave. We'll be safe then." Ron put an arm under Hermione and gently pulled her erect. "Can you walk?"
"I think so," she answered. More slowly this time, they made their way towards the cave. Once inside, Ron yanked out his wand and whispered loudly, "Lumos!"
The tip lit up and dimly illuminated the cave. It was a simple hole in the rock, hemispherical in shape and it extended about eight feet in. "Hey, Hermione. It's all right. This place is empty."
"Oh, well, all right," she said hesitantly. Hermione stood nearby as Ron kneeled down in the middle of the dirt floor and cast a quick blueball fire spell. Slipping off his cloak, he spread it on the floor and gestured for Hermione to sit down with him.
She did, shakily brushing a few locks of her dripping hair out of her face and staring at the fire. "It's cold," she mumbled.
"Don't worry, it'll get warmer," Ron replied, patting her shoulder.
She winced again. "Oh, Ron, don't. It - hurts. Really bad."
A concerned look grew on his face. "You might have fallen on something when you tripped."
Hermione let out a breath. "I'll have to have Madame Pomfrey look at me when we get back to school."
" 'Mione, it might be something serious. Maybe you should let me look at it," Ron said softly.
"Oh, I don't know. . ." She looked apprehensive. Suddenly she winced again, another stab of pain in her shoulder blade. Hermione sighed. ". . .Well. . . .maybe you're right."
"Is it. . .the left. . .?" Ron was now looking apprehensive.
"Y-yeah. . ." She glanced at him as his face started to grow red. "What? What is it?"
He shifted his gaze away. "You - uh, you have to - er, unbutton your - uh, your. . .that is to say, you don't have to get - er, naked or anything, just - uh. . ."
Hermione nodded in understanding. She undid the top buttons of her school robes and looked back at him, cautiously, to see that his face couldn't get much redder. Understanding his awkward feelings, she pulled the fabric from her shoulder.
Ron kneeled behind her, gently tugging Hermione's robes down further, his hand grazing her bare shoulder. A sensation rippled through him. "You tore your skin," he murmured. "Probably when you fell, you landed on a sharp stone or something. You're bleeding, too."
Hermione shivered, her body still cold from her wet clothes and the rain. "Is it really bad?"
"No. But I don't know the spell to heal it. I guess you'll have to wait until we can get back to school. Is the pain very bad?" He asked.
"It just stings," she replied.
Ron looked around for a moment, then tore a piece of cloth from his cloak and put it to Hermione's wound. "Putting slight pressure on a bleeding scrape usually helps it clot better," he explained. "Does that hurt too much?"
"No, it's all right. How do you know Muggle first aid?"
He was quiet for a moment. "You know Dad deals with a lot of Muggle stuff in the Ministry. Well, he figured we should know how to take care of cuts and wounds the way they do in case we're in a situation where we can't use magic to heal them. It's about the only Muggle methods I know."
Hermione nodded.
Ron held the fabric closer to her cut. "Can I," he brushed his hair out of his eyes again, "ask you question?"
"Go ahead," she replied softly.
"Why was Malfoy so surly with you. . .earlier today?" He inquired hesitantly.
"I was - I was. . .defending. . .you."
Ron stopped and turned his head to look at her. "Wh-what?"
"I was in the courtyard, trying to find you and Harry, when I heard that repulsive Malfoy bad mouthing you. . .again. So I stood up for you, and then he turned it on me," Hermione whispered.
"I'm sorry," he said softly, staring at her in the eyes.
"You're my best friend Ron. You have nothing to be sorry for," she told him.
He blinked and turned back to her shoulder again. "Oh. Well. . ." He paused. "Hey, there, I think the bleeding's stopped now." Ron gently pulled the piece of cloth away from her cut. "How's it feel?"
"Better," Hermione smiled, then shivered slightly.
"You still cold?" He asked.
"Yeah. My clothes are still pretty wet, and it's drafty in here. I left my cloak back in the dormitory." Pause. "Is it still teeming outside?" She wanted to know.
Ron slowly got up, walked to the exit of the cave, and looked out. "Like hell." He sat back down atop his cloak and watched the small fire. "It's too late now to try and get back to the castle. We'll get lost for sure. Besides, surely they realize we're missing."
"But will they know where we are?" Hermione put in.
Ron just shrugged. He folded his arms in an effort to keep warm. Noticing Hermione was doing the same, he cleared his throat awkwardly and said, " 'Mione, I think we're going to have to. . .hold each other."
"What?" She glanced nervously at him.
"To keep warm. It's only the beginning of spring. With the rain, the temperature could drop low. And we're both shivering like bloody hell." Ron smiled in an effort to create a lightness.
"Well - uh, g-go ahead then," Hermione stammered.
"Go ahead. . .?" He questioned.
"Put your. . .arms around me. . .I guess. . ." Her face was staring to grow red as well.
"Are you sure? I don't want to aggravate the scrape on your shoulder. . ." Ron stared at the floor.
"You won't. . .plus, it's better than freezing." Hermione smiled.
"Well - uh, er. . ." Ron stammered. Carefully he put an arm around her shoulders, his hand resting against her bare left shoulder. Another ripple pulsated through him. "Is that all right?"
She laughed softly. "You're such a silly sod. But thank you for asking."
Ron rolled his eyes, amused. His expression softened as he looked at her. "I can - uh, give you the cloak if you really need it."
"No, it's all right. This is fine. I'm getting warm now," Hermione answered.
There was an awkward pause.
She glanced at him, and then let out a snicker. "Oh, Ron. Look at you. You've got your hair stuck to your forehead."
"Gah, it never likes to stay put," he spat.
Hermione reached up and gingerly brushed his flaming hair out of his eyes, her fingers lightly grazing his forehead. "There," she whispered, but still continued to smooth his hair back, staring into his eyes.
" 'Mione. . ." Ron whispered.
"Ssh," she murmured, leaning in closer and placing her lips softly onto his.
A warmth spread all over Ron's body as he kissed Hermione. He brought his other hand up, his fingers curling up under her damp hair. After a long moment, the kiss ended. Ron opened his eyes to see Hermione looking back at him.
"We. . .bicker a lot, and sometimes it seems we don't even like each other very much, even though we're friends. . ." She gave a small laugh, "but. . .you don't know. . .how long I've wanted to kiss you, Ron Weasley."
He cocked his head, smiling lopsidedly, and replied, "And you don't know how long I've wanted to kiss you, Hermione Granger."
~*~
"Ron, Hermione? Yeh in there?" A gruff voice said, breaking the silence.
Ron, who had been half asleep and watching dozing Hermione, suddenly bolted up straighter. "Hagrid? Is that you?"
He suddenly appeared at entrance of the small cave. "Yeh, 's me. Are yeh two all right?"
Ron gently shook Hermione awake. To Hagrid, he said, "We're fine. How did you know we were out here?"
"Harry told me yeh never came back to yer dormitories. He said he saw yeh coming out in this direction," he answered.
Hermione wearily sat up, and Ron put an arm around her to help her up. "Hagrid's found us. He's going to help us back to the castle," he whispered to her.
"All right," she answered.
They got to their feet. Ron waved his wand at the fire, which promptly winked out. Hermione gathered up Ron's cloak and handed it to him. "Here."
He took it and put it around her shoulders. "There you go." Ron smiled at her, then turned to Hagrid. "Is it still raining?"
"Nah, 's stopped," Hagrid replied.
Ron and Hermione exited the cave and followed Hagrid through the Forest. Ron looked over at Hermione as they hiked up a patch of thick underbrush. "Maybe you'll, uh, still be able to get to Madame Pomfrey when we get back." He turned to Hagrid. "How late is it?"
"A little after midnight," he answered.
Hermione let out a yawn, and winced, gingerly touching her shoulder. "I think I can feel bleeding again."
"Don' worry there, Hermione. We're almos' back at the castle," Hagrid assured her.
"For once I'm almost sad to leave here," Ron whispered.
Hermione looked sideways at him and smiled.
~*~
It was late, almost two in the morning, and Ron sat on the sofa in the Gryffindor common room, flipping absentmindedly through Quidditch Weekly. After he and Hermione had returned to the castle, she had gone to the infirmary for her shoulder. Ron had come upstairs to change into dry clothes, and was now sitting in the common room, waiting for Hermione to come back.
There was a creak and Ron turned around to see Hermione clambering through the portrait hole. He tossed the periodical aside and said, "Hey there."
She looked up in his direction, and then came closer. Her clothes and hair were dry now. "Hi," she smiled.
"How's the shoulder?" Ron asked.
"Oh! Better. Madame Pomfrey healed it up for me, though she seemed awfully grumpy to be awakened for her sleep," Hermione laughed. "And actually the scrape didn't need as much attention, thanks to you."
Ron shrugged sheepishly. "It's was nothing, 'Mione."
They both stood there in silence for a few moments. "Some adventure, huh? I think the rain was the best part," Ron smirked.
"Yeah, I liked that part a lot." Hermione returned his smile. "But there's a part I like better."
He looked long and hard at her. ". . .Me too. In fact," he stared down at his feet, "this is going to sound weird, but one of the best things that's happened to me is sitting in that cave, soaking from the rain, in the Forbidden Forest. Because you were with me."
Hermione stepped forward and laid a hand on Ron's shoulder. When he looked up upon feeling her touch, she leaned in closer and kissed him.
el fin