A/n: Hi everyone! I'm sooo sorry I didn't update. I was feeling completely lifeless, with no writing ability. And school just started so…blame it on my teachers! Anyway, I will keep this story full on Ron/Hermione, but I will add some Harry/Ginny. It just grew on me. Hey did any of you see that exclusive Chamber of Secrets preview? It was to die for! Um…oh, yeah, now we come to Hermione's birthday…read to see the surprises it brings…
Disclaimer: You know how it goes…
Chapter 7: Of Birthdays and a Kiss
2 weeks into the new school year came Hermione's birthday. She awoke in the Girls' dormitory, yawning. Rubbing sleep from her eyes, she shivered as her bare feet hit the cold floor. As she stood, someone ran into her and threw their arms around her neck, making her almost lose her balance.
"Happy birthday, Hermione!" Ginny squealed. Hermione smiled and thanked her. Looking behind her, she saw Harry with a package in his hands and Ron standing sheepishly by the door, toeing the floor with his foot. Ginny released her and let her walk towards her other friends.
Harry grinned and said, "Happy birthday." He gave her the rather heavy package. She ripped the scarlet wrapping away and saw a large book titled Deciphering Hieroglyphics. "Harry!" she exclaimed. "You know how much I love the Egyptians! Thanks!" She gave him a quick hug and a peck on the cheek. Harry blushed slightly and said, "There's something else." Hermione looked down at the parcel. Looking closer, she saw a gold chain with a heart dangling from the book. Sighing softly, she placed it in her hands. "A locket…" she murmured. She opened it and beamed. On either side of the locket, Harry and Ron grinned and waved at her cheerfully. "It's beautiful, Harry," she said, tying it around her neck.
Ginny ran out of the room at that moment. A few seconds later, she returned, holding a tiny silver box. Blushing, she passed it to Hermione. "It's not much," she muttered. Hermione removed the miniscule silver lid and saw a sterling ring embedded in the cotton. On the front of the ring was a glimmering unicorn. "Aww…" Hermione cooed. "It's gorgeous, Gin, thank you!" She hugged the younger girl tightly.
Finally, Ron cleared his throat. Hermione glanced at him curiously. "Uh…I, er, will…" he stuttered nervously. Staring at the apparently interesting floor, he signaled for Hermione to come closer. Hermione stepped towards him, intrigued; Harry and Ginny watched in amusement. Ron lifted his eyes to gaze into her chestnut eyes and leaned in to whisper in her ear. "I will give it to you later…er, this evening," he murmured. Hermione giggled; his breath tickled her ear. Harry and Ginny stared blankly at them and asked what he had said. Hermione just said, "He's gonna give me my gift later." Ron nodded, his cheeks flushed. Ginny snorted when she saw him.
Hermione shooed them out so she could change. A few minutes later, she appeared in the common room where Harry was losing drastically to Ron in wizard's chess. Hermione sat next to Ginny, who sat watching intently. Fred and George, seeing Hermione, bounded over. "Miss Granger!" George piped up. Fred smirked and said, "We've composed a series of performing arts on your special day, Mrs. Weas—I mean Miss Granger." Ron shot them a deadly look; they obviously hadn't forgotten the events of the detention session.
Hermione gaped at them. "Uh…o-kay…"
Fred and George grabbed each other's hands and bowed "royally." Lee Jordan, at the other end of the room, tapped his wand on a magical music box. Sweet, melodious music tinkled out of the petite box. Smirking, the twins waltzed around the room. Hermione bit her lip so she wouldn't burst out laughing. Lee Jordan tapped his wand once more on the music box and the music ceased. He waved his wand and a tango began to play. Fred and George, who now had a rose in his mouth, tangoed here and there, jerking their heads in Hermione's direction. She started to giggle. Ron was laughing so hard he wasn't uttering a sound. Harry and Ginny collapsed on each other, clutching their stomachs. Finally, Irish music burst from Lee's wand and the twins pranced stupidly around Hermione. She was sniggering hysterically now; the whole common room was. The music stopped suddenly and Fred and George looked directly at Ron and Hermione. They sang:
I can see what's happening
And they don't have a clue
They'll fall in love and here's the bottom line
Our trio's down to two
The sweet caress of twilight
There's magic everywhere
And with all this romantic atmosphere
Disaster's in the air…
Ron and Hermione stopped laughing. Before they could continue, Ron and Hermione shot up and clapped their hands over their mouths. Hermione forced a smile. "That's enough, gentlemen!" Ron kicked them in the shins. Fred and George nodded, and when Ron and Hermione removed their hands, they laughed weakly.
Hermione and Ron avoided each other's gaze. Harry and Ginny, detecting they had witnessed yet another day of the twins' teasing, led them out of the common room. Glancing at each other over their shoulders, Harry mouthed, "What was that?" Ginny shrugged and mouthed, "It's beyond me."
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The Gryffindors trudged toward the Potions dungeon. This wasn't exactly the bright spot of every day. As Harry, Ron, and Hermione rounded the corner to the dungeons, they met up with three of their most disliked people.
"Well, if it isn't the pathetic trio," Malfoy exclaimed, smirking as always. Crabbe and Goyle sniggered stupidly behind him. Ron grinned; Malfoy had a black bruise on his jaw where he had hit him. Malfoy obviously noticed this because he narrowed his eyes. "So, Weasley, has your family hired nifflers to find a fortune for them or are they still as pitiful?" he mocked. Hermione and Harry almost had to hold Ron back but he said, "Draco, why don't you go do something you enjoy, like kiss Snape's ass?"
"Ha!" Hermione shouted. Harry slapped Ron on the back. Pansy came up behind Malfoy, her mouth wide open. "He can't," Hermione muttered through her laughter. "He's too busy kissing Pansy's at the moment!" Ron roared with laughter before adding, "Or maybe it's the other way around!" The Gryffindors burst out laughing. Malfoy and Pansy sneered at them and entered the Potions classroom. The rest of the Slytherins followed, shooting dirty looks at the Gryffindors, who were wiping tears from their eyes.
As the Gryffindors entered the classroom, Ron grabbed Hermione's elbow to hold her back. Harry glanced at them and went to find a seat. "Um…my gift isn't much but…you know that garden that was decorated for the Yule Ball? Meet me there at 8 tonight, okay?" Ron said, avoiding her eyes. "Okay," Hermione murmured. She turned to enter but Ron grabbed her hand. "Hermione—were you…" Ron started. Hermione blinked and stared. Ron sighed and looked at the floor. "Never mind," he muttered and went into the classroom.
Hermione couldn't concentrate on anything but what Ron had almost said.
Halfway through Potions, Ron presented Snape with a small note. Snape read the note and looked at Ron in loathing. "What's this for, Weasley?" he snapped.
"Dumbledore's permission," Ron answered, shrugging. Snape mouthed something and finally barked, "Fine. Go!" Ron didn't need to be told twice; he left the room before anyone could figure out what had happened.
Harry looked at Hermione, who had stopped clipping beetle wings to look up, and asked, "D'ya know where he's going?" Hermione shook her head. Harry went back to stirring the brown Fire-Resistant Potion but Hermione kept staring at the door. Where did Ron go? And what was he planning for that evening? What if he—Hermione shook her head. Detention had been too weird…
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"Harry!" Ginny shrieked. "You beat me! You won at wizard's chess!" Harry grinned slyly at her. "Freaks of nature, Gin," he said. They both burst out laughing. Hermione, who had been sitting next to them, did not hear a word they said. She was staring into the fire, finding herself longing for a different event in detention, when the twins hadn't interrupted. She had straightened her hair using the Sleaky Potion she had used for the Yule Ball and new navy-blue dress robes.
"You couldn't beat me again if your life depended on it," Ginny was saying. Harry grinned, "I could beat you at a lot of things, Ginny Weasley." Ginny raised her eyebrows. "Try me," she defied. "Wrestling," Harry said after a moment's thought. "I could beat you at wrestling." Ginny snorted and said, "Don't be too sure, Harry Potter." She raced to the center of the half-empty common room and said, "C'mon, then."
While Harry and Ginny zoomed around the room holding each other by the elbows, Hermione checked her watch. 7:55. She better make her way to the garden. Taking one last glance at the unusually flirtatious Gryffindors, Hermione left the common room.
"Taking a walk, dear?" the Fat Lady asked.
"Mm," was the only response she received.
The deserted entrance hall echoed Hermione's footsteps as she hurried out. She walked down the steps but didn't see Ron in the garden. Faintly, she heard a fork hit a plate from the left and made her way towards the direction of the sound. She gasped when she saw what was in front of her.
A small clearing of the garden had been decorated with twinkling fairy lights and lacy white streamers encircling the rosebushes. In the middle sat a table set for two, with a chandelier shimmering in the middle and plates set. To the left of the table sat another, mounted with 3 large platters. And in front of it all stood Ron wearing elegant black dress robes, the total opposite of the dress robes he had worn to the Yule Ball. He looked too nervous to describe. And, in Hermione's opinion, very cute.
"Um…happy birthday," he murmured. Hermione smiled. "Ron, this is the best present I have ever gotten."
"Oh, I cooked the food too! The house-elves told me how to do it and I just cooked…" he said, smiling sheepishly. Hermione nodded. That's why he had left Potions early. Biting her lip, she made her way over to him. "Thank you," she said so softly that she had to lean in ever so close.
All of a sudden, the fairy lights dimmed and soft, gentle music floated from somewhere in the rosebushes. Ron gulped and said, "You wanna dance?" Hermione tilted her head to one side and said, "I'd love to."
They stood staring at each other for a few seconds. Then Hermione took a deep breath and wrapped her hands around his neck. Ron stared at the ground as his hands encircled her waist. Ron started swaying from left to right; Hermione was having trouble keeping her hands on his neck because of his height. Noticing this, Ron took a swift step towards her. Hermione grinned inwardly as she saw his cheeks go scarlet.
"How did you ever think of this?" she asked as she followed his steering. Ron shrugged and said, "You're a special person. You deserve this."
Hermione lowered her head for a moment. Ron took his index finger and brought her chin up. Then he saw a tear rolling down her cheek. "Did I say something wrong?" he asked desperately. She shook her head. "It's magical. I can't believe you would take the time to do something like this," she whispered, another tear streaming down her rosy cheek. Ron wiped both tears away gently with his hand. Slowly, Hermione brought her head to rest on his shoulder. Ron kept his arms around her as they swayed to the music.
"Dobby kept jumping up and down. He started shrieking, 'It's Wheezy, Wheezy!'" Ron told Hermione as he nibbled his spaghetti. "Then he started telling me what to find and how to cook. Bloody hell, that kitchen is a disaster after 'Hurricane Wheezy' cooked there."
Hermione chuckled. "I would pay to see you in an apron…" she said through a mouthful of salad.
Ron shook his head. "You'd be scarred for life." Their laughter joined as it drifted into the starry sky. "But seriously, I kept thinking that my birthday present pretty much sucked. I had to make it as good as possible."
Hermione laughed sarcastically. "This does not suck. No one has ever done such a thing for a girl like me," she said, tossing her lettuce around with her fork.
"What do you mean, a girl like you?" Ron asked, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.
"Everyone thinks I'm an insufferable know-it-all. I don't have any friends besides you and Harry. I'm probably 'Most Likely To Be Laughed at in a Beauty Pageant' or something like that," Hermione explained half-heartedly.
"First of all, it's 'Harry and you,'" Ron teased, grinning. Hermione sniggered. "You are not a know-it-all. You are just the most brilliant girl in all of Europe! And you're not…ugly." Ron said this last bit inaudibly. "I don't think you're ugly. And who cares what other people say? It's not the truth and you know it."
"I-I-" Hermione choked on her words. Why couldn't she tell him? She sighed. "I'll never forget this night. Thanks. I feel special and unique. I—don't know how to express how much this means to me."
"You don't have to. This means to you what you mean to me," Ron whispered. Hermione looked into his deep blue eyes and saw something she had never seen. She didn't know what it was, but it was strong and sure.
Ron knew what his eyes said. He felt the stars encircle them and reassured him that this was right. He knew it, and he accepted it.
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A/n: eek! Short again! I'm sorry, but that's the best I could do…I just went to a dance at school and inspiration arose (surprise, surprise). But honestly, did you think the kiss meant Ron and Hermione? Nope, it was indeed Snape's ass…hehe…anyway, COMMENTS!! I know, I'm crazy, sue me…
LaJadiniere- I know, I've been a monster for not updating…but thanks for the sweet comment.
esther- You guys don't know what these comments mean…:::winks:::
Ketchum- Yes, you finished the song for them! :::prances around::: um…okay, anyway, they were so close and yet so far away, huh? It's life :::shrughs:::
Ronslilangel- Weren't we all dying? It hurts me to hurt all of you, but it's gotta be done for the sake of all that is Ron and Hermione.
ltnikki- Hmm, I'm surprised you didn't think it was mushy! I haven't teased you in ages so don't start!!
Adnap Nottap- You are the most hilarious person that ever lived!! I was rolling on the floor with laughter and I seriously couldn't stop!!! I hope you liked this one…neither the twins or the Bulgarian git interfered…
TriniTrinidad- Thank you…like I said, I will add Harry/Ginny but I'm sticking to mostly Ron/Hermione…although this chapter wasn't too long :::mumbles to herself:::
Hermione-G-Weasley- I'm telling you, I still can't believe you are one of my reviewers…I know, that's what makes Ron, er, Ron! The twins interfering was the only possible thing that could happen, like you said. Anyway, I would never stray off R/Hr. Oh, and one more thing: update When Things Start to Change PLEASE!!! Thanx ::winks:::
Till next time (Lordy, that sounds like a cheesy TV ad)
R/Hr Fan