*A/N* I'm sort of proud of this chapter. I think I did it halfway decently. What do you think?
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"Wasn't the Sore Throat Epidemic Among Dragons in 1492?" Harry questioned, looking up from his History of Magic homework at his two best friends; Hermione to his right, and Ron to hers.
"Umm..." Ron chewed the tip of his quill, trying to think back to one of the many dates Professor Binns force fed him and the rest of the Gryffindors last Wednesday. "No clue." He said giving up. "Of course not." Said Harry with a grin.
Ron smiled and playfully reached across Hermione to push Harry. Harry in return laughed and took Hermione's open Charms book she had been studying from her lap and held it out of her reach. "No! Give it back Harry! I need to study!" She shrieked.
"No, " Harry said as Hermione tried to climb on top of him to retrieve her book. "what you need is to have a bit of fun."
"Yeah." Ron said, getting up and taking the old Charms book from Harry just before Hermione reached it. "A bit of fun never hurt anybody. Besides, it's beginning to get serious. You look a little more like McGonagall everyday."
"It's not funny Ron." Hermione said with a smile as she climbed off Harry onto the harrdwood floor of the common room and put her hands on her hips. "It's really not! No, stop laughing!"
Ron laughed at Hermione's reaction. "Ha ha ha! Really Herminoe! You act as though it were your child!"
Herminone glared at Ron. "That book is essential to pass Charms." She said, pointing to the dark purple book in Ron's right hand. "So yes, it is very important to me. Now give it back Ron!" The last sentence was in a high whiney voice. "Please Ron, I need it."
"How 'bout a game of chess Hermione?" Harry asked from behind her on the couch. Hermione turned on her heel and faced Harry. "I don't want to play chess, I want to study!" she yelled.
Harry shrunk back against the sudden burst of anger. "God, Herminone, you don't need to yell. If chess isn't your game, we could play Exploding Snap."
Hermione was about to tell Harry off, but Ron came up from behind and lifted her up off the floor with one arm wrapped around her small waist before she could.
"Ahhh! Put me down Ronald Weasley! Ahh! Hee hee! Stop! No! Ha ha ha!" Hermione wiggled and kicked in Ron's grasp, but could not get away.
"Come now, Hermione. Just one tiny game?" Ron asked sweetly.
Hermione had her arm around Ron so that she would stay upright and not topple over. "How comfortable." She thought. Hermione hung loosely in his arms, studying his handsome face. The light, but not sickly pale skin. The small freckles sprinkled lightly across the bridge of his nose and under his eyes. The smooth, soft, pink lips that were slightly pouted. The brilliantly red hair, sprouting forth from the roots and twisting, curving as though it were real fire. And finally the eyes. Ron's beautifully rich, mahogony eyes. Eyes you could so easily get lost in. Eyes focused directly on Hermione. Observing her. Studying her. Looking at her as though she were the only thing in the room. The only thing that mattered in the entire world. Like Harry and Hogwarts and magic and wizards and everyone of his brothers and everyone he ever knew were nothing compared to her. Caring eyes. Loving eyes.
Hermione shifted as best she could in Ron's embrace. The silence was getting to her, but she never broke her and Ron's gaze. She didn't know exactly what it was about the way Ron looked at her, but she knew there had to be something that sent that shiver of pleasure down her spine. And that was enough of a reason to not look away.
Harry looked at his two silent friends. "They almost look cute together." He thought. "The ony thing is Hermione's feet are about three inches off the floor." He looked again at the looks they were giving eachother.
"Umm... guys? You wanna tell me something?" Neither of them looked at him. Neither of them even acknowledged Harry's presence. "...Guys?"
Finally Ron did look over at Harry. Not immediately, he kind of lingered on Hermione's features for a little while longer before he finally tore his eyes from her to respond to Harry.
"Huh?" He asked stupidly. "Er... what'd ya say there, Harry?" He shook his head to get the sleepy feeling to go away.
"Umm... nevermind. So how about that game?" Ron looked at Hermione and then back to Harry. "Sure." He said shrugging his shoulders. He gently set Hermione down and walked over to the couch where Harry was taking his Exploding Snap deck from his robe pocket.
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"SNAP SNAP SNAP!!!"
"Ahh!"
Hermione shrieked as Ron misplaced a card, causing several below it to explode. "Argh! Damn it, I hate this game!" He shouted.
"Watch your mouth, Ron." Hermione scolded as she collected her cards she had dropped when the small explosions startled her moments before.
"It's getting kinda late anyways." Harry said sleepily. "maybe we should call it a night."
Ron scowled at the three smoldering cards on the table. "You go on up," he said. "I've got a few things to do."
Harry stood up and stretched. "Alright then. How 'bout you, Hermione?"
Hermione looked up at Harry as if she just noticed he was there. "Oh, I've got a few more chapters to look over before tomorrow. I can't believe I let myself get distracted. Although I didn't have a choice, considering I was held against my will and all." Hermione smiled and cast a glance up at Ron, who was slowly taking apart the tower of carefully placed cards.
Harry chuckled quietly. "All right then guys. I'll see you tomorrow morning, but don't stay up too late; the common room is already empty. And Ron, you make sure Hermione doesn't study too hard."
"You bet I will." Said Ron without looking up.
Harry yawned. "OK, 'night guys."
"G'night."
"Good night Harry."
Harry left the common room as Ron took the last card from the pyramid and moved close to the fire. "What are you doing, Ron?" Hermione asked.
"Burning these damned cards." He said. "It's a stupid game anyway."
Hermione smiled knowingly as Ron threw the first cards in, each with a loud pop.
"So what are you studying tonight?" He asked as he threw the last few cards in and walked over to the couch to sit down next to Hermione. "Oh you know, little of this, little of that." She said off-handedly.
"Sounds interesting." Ron said as he snuggled right up close to Hermione and draped a quilt across the both of them. "It's chilly isn't it?" He asked as he felt Hermione tense against him. Hermione swallowed and nodded mutely. It was actually very warm sitting in front of the fire sharing a quilt with none other than Ron, but Hermione wasn't about to start complaining now.
"Don't look at his eyes." She thought. "Don't look at his eyes or he'll have captured you." She looked at her hands in her lap.
"Hermione..." Ron whispered. Hermione continued to look at her hands.
"Hermione..." He said it again, but lower and throatier this time. "Oh gods." Hermione thought. "That is so attractive. Damn! What am I thinking? It's wrong to think of your friends like that. Why'd he have to go that sort of voice just then?" Hermione felt her mouth go dry. "Ron." She rasped.
"Hermione... what are you thinking?" Ron asked in the same sexy growl. Hermione gulped. "I'm... I'm thinking of Transfiguration." She said meekly. The corner of Ron's mouth curved into a lopsided grin. "God, that's even more attractive." she thought as she risked a glance upwards. "Don't look at his eyes." She reminded herself.
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"God, she's beautiful." He thought. "I just wish she'd look at me." Ron brushed a stray hair from her face. "How am I being so bold?" He asked himself silently. "I'm terrified on the inside, but I look so calm and in control on the outside." Hermione looked at the fire.
Ron watched Hermione's thoughtful expression as she studied the bouncing flames. "Kiss her." A voice in the back of his head said. "Just kiss her, you'll feel better." Ron swallowed. "I can't just kiss her, she doesn't even know how I feel about her yet."
"So tell her already." Came the voice again. "Tell her that you love her and you never want to be without her."
"What? I can't do that now. Not the day before I'm supposed to meet Annabelle."
"Why not?" Said the voice. "Why wait until later to do something that could be done now? Look, you're in front of a warm cozy fire under a blanket with her. It can't get any better than this."
Ron looked at his surroundings. It was quite perfect. Hermione and himself under a quilt in an empty common room on a cold winter's night. Alone.
"You're right." He thought.
"Of course I am." said the voice.
Ron leaned in close to Hermione to where his entire body was pressed against hers and his lips were just inches from her ear.
Hermione drew in a sharp intake of breath as she felt the warmth of Ron's body engulf her, but relaxed as he started to speak.
"Hermione." He whispered, disturbing the small curls around her ear. "Don't tell me you don't feel that."
Hermione's eyes widened. "Feel what?" She asked.
"It." whispered Ron, slipping back into his former huskiness. "Us."
"I- I uh... er, what?" Hermione stuttered, still avoiding his eyes.
"You're a smart girl Hermione." Ron whispered again in her ear. "You figure it out." He leaned back to his normal position as Hermione turned to him.
She looked at him. His strong chin, his flushed cheeks, that small dimple of his.
His eyes.
"I'm caught." She whispered so softly even Ron couldn't hear her.
He was leaning.
She was leaning.
"This is it." They both thought.
Closer, closer. Just an inch away.
They closed their eyes.
She turned her head.
"I'm sorry, Ron." She said softly, her voice cracking. She stood up and faced the heart broken Ron with tears in her eyes. Ron looked desperately at Hermione. "Hermione..." He barely made out. His voice was no longer sexy, it was pained. His eyes seemed to plead with her and anyone else that would listen to tell him what just happened wasn't true. That Hermione hadn't just acted like she returned his feelings and at the last second turn him away.
"I'm so sorry." She said again, letting out a sob. "You have no idea how much."
Just as the tears started to flow she turned and left the common room.
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*A/N* Wow... that is so sad. I could barely write it. I don't know, do you think I'm no good at writing these kind of scenes? Please give me your opinion.