Alright it's up! Be amazed. Chapter 12! Err…. I own nothing. Everyone thank my beta reader Ella!! Yey! Whooo hooo! Again, waaaaaay tired. So I will talk to you all later.

Chapter 12

Hermione dribbled the ball slowly, wiping beads of sweat off her forehead. Ron was actually getting very good at basketball. It was approximately six o'clock that evening, and they had been playing since five, right after they had eaten dinner. Hermione blinked hard trying to clear her vision and not fall asleep.

She pivoted out of Ron's grasp and took a shot. The ball slipped from her fingers and flew towards the hoop. Ron turned his head and watched. Hermione smiled, if the ball went in the game was over and she could go inside and sleep.

The ball swished through the net with ease. She sighed and stepped backwards, not noticing that she had stepped on her shoelace.

She fell to her side, twisting her ankle beneath her. Her hand hit the pavement first causing a large abrasion to appear on her palm, "Ah!" she shouted, "Bloody hell!" She gripped her bleeding hand tightly, the pain burning through her.

Ron's eyes had gone wide, never had her heard Hermione swear, "Are you okay?" He asked, unable to keep the amusement from his voice he added, "Don't swear."

Hermione glared at him.

He knelt down next to her, "Oh come on, I'm only kidding. Are you okay? Do you think you'll live?"

Hermione slapped him lightly with her good hand, "I'm fine, I just need to clean this up." She began to stand up when she felt a stinging sensation in her ankle, she visibly cringed.

 "What's wrong?" Ron asked putting his arm around her shoulders for support.

"I think I twisted my ankle…"

"Can you walk?"

"I think so-"

"I doubt it."

"I didn't break it-"

Ron ignored her and lifted her into his arms. Hermione fluttered her eyelashes in confusion, she never knew Ron was strong enough to lift her. But as she noticed a slightly focused expression on his face she decided that it was causing him some strain. She quickly wrapped her arms around his neck to help support some of her weight, "Ron I can walk, I don't want you to hurt yourself."

"Are you calling me a weakling?"

"If that's what it takes for you to put me down then yes."

Ron laughed and looked into her eyes, his eyebrows suddenly furrowed.

"What?" Hermione wondered.

Ron shook his head, seemingly out of his trance.

"What's wrong, Ron?"

"Nothing."

"You looked like you were thinking about something."

"I was." Ron said walking towards the door to the house. Hermione reached out and opened it allowing him to step inside, he kicked it so it closed behind him.

"Well… what about?"

"Just something I really want to do."

Hermione frowned, she hated playing these kind of games, "Out with it, Ron," she huffed as he began to climb the stairs. She waited impatiently as he appeared to be sorting his thoughts. At the top of the stairs he finally looked at her.

"Do you really want to know?"

"That is why I asked."

"Alright."

Ron leaned down kissing her softly on her lips. Hermione froze. What on earth was going on? He was kissing her, the only time he ever did that was at Christmas when he had to, why was he now? In an instant, Ron kissed her harder, making Hermione let go of her conscious thoughts and kiss him back.

Ron pulled away first, noting the surprise in Hermione's eyes, "Er…. Sorry… you wanted to know."

Hermione nodded, "I can…. Um…. I can walk now," she stuttered squirming out of Ron's grasp and fleeing into her room, shutting the door tightly behind her.

Ron sighed, somehow he managed to mess up again.

~*~

Hermione sighed, fixing her eyes on the city lights in the distance. The roof was her thinking place, and she defiantly needed to think. Only in fairy tails did the person you loved ever feel the same way about you. It never happened in real life. Ron was probably just joking around, trying to get a rise out of her like he always did.

A loud clunking coming from the stepladder, mad her look up. Ron smirked as he climbed onto the rooftop, "Hey, how'd you get up here with a bad ankle?"

Hermione smiled and rubbed her bare shoulders, "I can climb a ladder with one foot."

Ron nodded and sat down next to her, handing her his Weasley sweater, "It's a little chilly out here, I thought you might need this."

"Thank you," Hermione said gratefully, pulling the sweater over her head.

They were both silent for a moment, listening to the crickets chirp and the cars go by. Hermione gazed up into the clear sky smiling at the bright moon and the twinkling stars. The cool breeze blew her hair back slightly. Hermione loved summer, the smell, the feeling, everything. She looked at Ron, his eyes we closed and his hair ruffled by the wind. He looked nice in the moonlight, with his features lit up by the pale night sky.

"Ron?"

"Yeah?" Ron asked opening his eyes and smiling at her.

"We can talk about things can't we?"

"I guess so."

"You do think of me as a friend, right?"

"Of course," Ron said, frowning, "Why the hell would you ask that?"

Hermione chose to ignore his swearing, "I just don't want to be a burden to you and Harry."

 "Well you're not," he said looking down at the street below.

"Even though we argue all the time?"

Ron sighed, "We don't argue all the time. We haven't argued this week."

"Yes we have. At the breakfast table the other day about the kissing thing…" Hermione trailed off blushing.

"That doesn't count."

Hermione rolled her eyes.

A dog howled from somewhere in the distance and one of the streetlights flickered, "So, Ron, do you ever think about falling in love?"

Ron shrugged, "Sure."

"Do you ever wonder if it will happen?"

"Not really, do you?"

Hermione nodded, shifting her leg so her ankle sat more comfortably on the rooftop, "I think about that all the time."

"Why?"

"I'm not sure," she confessed, "I just don't think I'll ever find it. I mean I think real love is when you can wake up next to the person and feel completely comfortable. They can put their arm around you without being repulsed if you aren't as skinny as you should be. They don't care if your hair is messy from sleeping, or if you have stuff in your eyes. They can kiss you even if you have horrible breath, just because they love you. You know?"

"You think about this a lot don't you?"

She nodded, "I'm afraid so."

"I think that's a pretty good idea of love."

Hermione bit her lip deep in thought, "Can you picture yourself being with someone and having that kind of a bond?"

"Yeah I think so. I don't want to sound like a romantic cause I'm not, but I think that everyone has someone out there who is meant for them."

"A romantic are you?"

Ron raised his eyebrows and breathed in deeply, a cocky grin playing across his features, "What can I say?"

Hermione sighed and stared ahead of her playing with a ring on her finger, "Is it easy to picture?"

"Oh yeah."

She rubbed her ankle gingerly. Her eyes began to burn and her head began to pound, she felt like crying. However, she wouldn't do that in front of Ron, especially when it appeared she had no reason to, "I don't think I'll ever find love like that."

Ron was surprised, "Why not?"

"I'm not sure… I just don't think anyone could ever bring themselves to love me," Hermione sighed, "Not that I wouldn't want it. I just don't know of anyone how can tolerate me. Everyone thinks that-" She stopped talking and looked away, avoiding Ron's eyes, "Sorry I won't go off on a tangent."

Nevertheless, Ron was intrigued. Hermione had never opened up to him before. Never trusted him enough, he supposed. But now that she was he wasn't about to stop her, "No, I want to know."

"You don't want to hear it. It'll sound too whiney… Like Lavender and Parvati."

"I still would like to hear it. I whine all the time, it's your turn to whine at me."

Hermione pulled one knee to her chest, adjusted her ankle comfortably, and rested her chin on her knee, gazing at the stars forlornly, "Everyone thinks I'm a know it all. No one ever thinks of me as a girl. They think that all I care about are grades, well I don't only care about that. I get crushes just like any other girl. There's a boy I fancy, and he thinks all I care about it schoolwork, too, he mentions it everyday. It's really tearing me up. Then the people who think I do have normal emotions think I'm in love with Harry, and I'm not! I'm not in love with him or Viktor or Neville! It's not fair, I want good grades and I want a significant other, but I can't have both."

Ron's jaw dropped, he knew now, he was the boy she fancied. She practically spelled it out for him. And for once in his life, Ron read in between the lines. What other guy at Hogwarts teased Hermione everyday about her schoolwork?

"I'm sorry." Ron finally said.

Hermione wiped her eye, feeling foolish, Ron probably thought that she was a mental case, "What are you sorry for?"

"I'm sure you can guess."

She began to sob, "It's not fair."

Ron put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close, "Shh," he soothed, "You'll find someone. In fact there's probably someone who likes you and they're right under your nose."

Hermione hugged Ron tightly, crying into his shirt, she sniffled, "Yeah, right."

Ron withdrew a handkerchief from his pocket and dabbed her eyes, "Just quiet down, 'Mione, you really have nothing to worry about."

He massaged her back, she looked wonderful in his old sweater with her hair pulled back and shorts that showed off her pale legs. He rested his cheek on her head, wanting desperately to kiss her, "Who is it?"

"What?"

"Who do you fancy?"

"No one."

"You just admitted that you like someone. You said we could talk about things."

Hermione sighed, she had backed herself into a corner and it was her fault that Ron has actually been paying attention for the first time in his life, "I can't tell you."

"Oh come on."

"No, Ron, it's not polite to pry." She said laughing slightly.

He smiled, glad to hear the laugh, "Why? Is it someone I know?"

"You know everyone I know."

"True."

"Do you have an idea of who it is?"

"I think I know."

"Who do you think it is?"

"You tell me."

"I asked you first."

"Oh no."

Hermione pulled away and looked at Ron, as if trying to read into him. She pursed her lips, "I'll tell you if you answer my question first."

"Deal."

"That kiss earlier…. Did that mean anything to you? Anything at all?"

Ron met her eyes knowing what answer she was looking for, "Of course it meant something to me. A lot actually."

"So would you be mad if…" Hermione looked down again and took in a deep, shaky, "If it was you?"

Ron laughed, "I've known for a long time, why would I be mad?."

Hermione hid her face in her hands, "How long have you known?"

"I didn't I just guessed."

"Oh."

The both sat quietly looking down at the street below. Ron again put his arm around her. Hermione rested her head on his shoulder, "Sorry," She said.

"Why?"

"For not telling you sooner."

"Don't be." Ron said, taking Hermione's chin in his hand, "Waiting for you to yell me just made it better to hear."

Hermione smiled, "Maybe we should get to bed, tomorrow is Monday and we have to take care of Faith."

"Home alone?"

"Don't get any ideas," she warned.

"I'm not. Since when do I have ideas?"

Hermione laughed, "Now I have to find away to get off this roof."

~*~

Hermione stared at the clock as she climbed back in bed. It was six in the morning, why did Faith always make a fuss at the worst times? Her parents had left only a half an hour before.

She could not believe that she had told Ron her feelings. And that he felt the same way. Hermione groaned audibly, she was an idiot, she told Ron. She kissed Ron. Or did he kiss her?

Maybe he was just trying to make her feel better after breaking down on him. Maybe he wanted to be a good friend for once and do the right thing.

Crookshanks jumped onto Hermione's bed, landing on her ankle and interrupting her thoughts. She cried out loudly, moving her leg away from the cat. She covered her mouth hoping that Faith had not heard her.

After a minute of not hearing Faith react, Hermione sighed with relief. There was a soft knock on the door, "Hermione? Are you okay?"

Hermione smiled as Ron opened her door, "Yes, I'm fine."

"Why did you yell? You scared the hell out of me."

"Don't swear," Hermione mumbled, "Crookshanks jumped on my ankle that's all."

"Oh," Ron said sitting down on her bed, "Are you going back to sleep or what?"

"I'm really tired, so I'm going to sleep."

"Okay, goodnight then."

Hermione rolled over and closed her eyes. She felt the weight shift on her bed. She sighed. Maybe Ron did care and wasn't only feeling sorry for her. She smiled maybe she was in love. A pair of arms wrapped around her waist. Hermione turned her head and looked at Ron, "What are you-"

Ron kissed her tenderly, Hermione sighed into him before pulling away, "You can't stay here."

"Why not, your parents aren't home and it's not like we're going to do anything questionable."

"Fine you can stay but if Faith cries, you're going to be the one to take care of her."

Ron laughed, "Well in that case she won't cry."

Before Hermione could speak again Ron pulled her closer, taking in the citrus scent of her hair. He pulled the blanket over them and closed his eyes. Hermione felt his hands brush against the bare skin of her stomach where her shirt had raised. She gently put her hands over Ron's, he rubbed her stomach lightly. Ron was certainly putting up a good act if he was only trying to make her feel better. She leaned into him, even if it was an act, she was enjoying it.

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Yeah it was short. I'm not sure if it was good. I liked some parts but not others. Anyway, please READ and REVIEW! This isn't the last chapter. So don't fret! Ttyl, lyl,

~*~Lenny~*~