As Ron and Harry got closer, Oliver stood up, away from the wall. He knew what he was going to do was risky, especially since he didn't know what to do afterwards. But he thought it would be worth it even if Hermione never spoke to him again.
"Hermione," he said urgently, "Look at me."
She obeyed out of surprise, her large eyes wide with confusion. She has nice eyes. Oliver thought absently. Ron and Harry were only a few yards away. Now only a yard. Perfect.
Oliver leaned down and planted a soft kiss on Hermione's lips just as Ron looked at them directly.
He's kissing me! was all that raged through Hermione's confused, embarrassed and very happy mind. She didn't pull away, didn't push forward, just let him end the kiss a second later.
Oliver smiled, hesitantly. "Um…"
"Wow," Hermione said. "My first kiss."
"Really?" he asked, clinging desperately to the fact that she wasn't mad at him.
Ron and Harry had both stopped a few feet away, discretion forgotten.
Hermione looked at them quickly, then back at Oliver. My turn. She smiled indulgently at Oliver and stood up on her toes to give him a kiss of her own. He nearly fell over, literally. Oops, guess I leaned a little too far over.
"Hermione?" Ron asked squeakily.
"Oliver?" Harry found his voice a second later.
"See, I told you it would work," Ron hissed.
"Your note scheme?" Oliver asked, trying to sort out his own happily confused brain.
"What note scheme?" Ron asked.
"Ron," Hermione said. "Stop trying to trick us."
"Oh," Ron leered, "So you're an 'us' now."
"Yes," Hermione replied, surprising herself and everyone else, "We are."
"Oliver?" Harry asked again.
"Um…yes, we are," Oliver repeated.
"Oh."
Hermione grinned at Ron's incredulous look. "So, Ron, I guess I'll see you later."
Ron got the hint. Reluctantly, he started walking away. "Yeah, see you later."
As soon as Ron and Harry disappeared around the corner, they could hear laughter ringing in the hall behind them.
"That's rather rude of them," Ron protested.
"Come on, Ron," Harry replied with a grin. "You got what you wanted didn't you? A little laughter shouldn't dampen your success too much. Even though they knew what you were doing the whole time."
Ron's mouth fell open. "They did not!"
"Yes they did, and stop denying it," Harry said quickly before Ron could protest again. "Now come on, let's go."
When the soft sound of Harry and Ron's footsteps faded away, Oliver and Hermione turned to each other, an awkward silence between them. Oliver bit his lower lip nervously and Hermione blushed, remembering what it felt like to kiss him.
"Are we an us?" Oliver asked uneasily.
She fidgeted, her eyes passing quickly over his face, not focusing on him when she replied. "I don't know."
His hands gripped her shoulders and she looked up at him, momentarily startled. "Hermione…"
"Are you going to ask me that question again?" she replied quietly.
Oliver nodded. "And I would like a different answer. Like 'yes' or 'no.'"
She swallowed and the hard look in his eyes softened. "I…Oliver…"
"Yes or no, Hermione?" he asked again, delivering his ultimatum quietly.
Author's Note: Ending coming soon…I hope.