Disclaimer: I'm not J. K. Rowling, therefore, I do not own anything remotely related to Harry Potter (well, except for our four copies of the Harry Potter books, and the certificate which says I've prepurchased "The Order of the Phoenix"). June 21, hurry up!

A/N: Thanks to all who have reviewed! And to Aly who said this fic has a nice "Rowling feel to it": Thank you so much! You made my day!

Ron and Hermione stepped out onto the balcony, surprised that, even though it was Christmas, the air was pleasant and mild, with only a gentle breeze. Ron supposed that the spell that had magicked the balcony onto the Great Hall had also moderated the weather on it. The balcony had been decorated with large poinsettias and with smaller versions of the indoor Christmas trees. Holly and pine garland had been draped along the railings. A few couples were already there, some sitting on benches and talking, others dancing to the faint sounds from the band.

Hermione walked over to the left-side railing, Ron following. "Oh, how lovely!", she exclaimed, looking down at the front lawn and the rose garden suffused with fairy light. It was a clear night, and she looked up from the garden to a sky filled with stars.

Ron was not looking at the garden or the sky, though. He found himself unable to take his eyes off Hermione. He loved her for so many reasons: her courage, her intelligence (yes, he had found that annoying at first; now he had nothing but respect and admiration for it), her loyalty. The fact that she had become so beautiful was just icing on the cake. Now she turned to him, her eyes sparkling. "Isn't it lovely out here, Ron?", she asked him.

"Beautiful", he almost whispered, looking into her eyes. She saw how he was looking at her and suddenly realized what he meant. She blushed faintly (like Harry, she was also glad she didn't blush as violently as Ron), feeling suddenly shy.

Ron abruptly realized how he was staring at her, and he looked away, embarrassed. "I mean...yeah, it's a beautiful night." He sighed, sneaking a glance at her. He knew she had realized what he meant. "And you look beautiful tonight, too, Hermione." He met her eyes. "You looked pretty last year when you came with Vick...", he caught himself; he had almost said "Vicky", but didn't want to risk getting her angry. "With Viktor", he corrected himself. "But you look even more beautiful tonight", he finished, blushing furiously, but managing not to look away.

"Thank you, Ron", she said quietly. She smiled. "There's a big difference this year--I'm much happier."

"You are?", Ron asked, surprised. She nodded. He stepped a little closer to her. Could she possibly mean what he hoped she meant? Was she happier because she was with him? He searched her face; she was smiling gently at him, her eyes shining. He suddenly couldn't resist. He leaned toward her, and was surprised when she closed her eyes and turned her face up to his. They kissed, a gentle, lingering kiss, with nothing but their lips touching. Later, each thought that nothing could have been more perfect than that first kiss. But, right now, neither was capable of even thinking.

They slowly broke apart and looked at each other, a little afraid at this turn of events. Ron was scared to death that Hermione was going to get mad at him for kissing her, and Hermione was equally terrified that he would laugh the kiss off. They could hear the band starting up a new song. "Oh, I like this song", Hermione said, more to have something to say than anything.

Ron looked a little relieved. "We could dance out here...if you want", he said. She nodded and put her arms around his neck. He pulled her close, and she put her head on his shoulder. She was once again surprised at how well their heights suited each other. He was so much taller than she, yet her head rested comfortably, nestled against his shoulder and neck. She snuggled against him, glad for his support; she still felt a little weak from that kiss.

Ron was convinced that even the people still in the Great Hall could hear his heart pounding. And his head was still spinning, remembering how it had felt when his lips had touched hers. Feeling a little more comfortable with her, he gently touched the hair hanging down her back, winding a curl around one finger, lost in thought. Apparently she wasn't mad at him, so maybe it was all right that he had kissed her. He had never kissed a girl before, but he thought Hermione had acted like she had wanted to kiss him, too. Then a thought occurred to him: had she kissed Viktor? He felt sick to his stomach just at the idea. It really wasn't any of his business; he shouldn't ask. But he had to.

"Umm, Hermione?", he started. "This really isn't any of my business, and please don't get mad at me for asking, but I have to. Did you ever...kiss Viktor?", he finished, almost in a whisper.

Hermione turned her head so that she was speaking into his ear. The feel of her breath against his neck and ear made Ron shiver. "No, I didn't." She smiled when she felt him relax. "Oh, he kissed me on the cheek a couple of times." She thought she heard Ron growl softly. "But I just never wanted to kiss him."

Did that mean...? Ron stepped back from her a little and looked into her face. "Did you want to kiss me?", he asked, nervously. She nodded, meeting his eyes. Their faces were only inches apart. They forgot they were out on the balcony, surrounded by at least a dozen couples; they forgot everything except each other. Their lips slowly came together, Ron tightening his arms around Hermione's waist and pulling her close. They kissed gently for a moment, then Ron deepened the kiss, and Hermione brought one hand up to rest on the back of Ron's head, running her fingers through his hair. They were the only two people in the world, and....

"Ahem! Mr. Weasley. Miss Granger."

They jumped apart and turned to find Professor McGonagall standing there. "Uh, hello, Professor McGonagall", Hermione mumbled, blushing furiously (this time, she did turn as red as Ron, who looked like a red-headed overripe tomato).

The head of Gryffindor house looked as though she was trying not to smile. "I think it would be wise if you joined your other classmates in the Great Hall, don't you?", she asked, looking over her glasses at them.

"Um, yeah. Come on, Hermione". Ron quickly led Hermione back across the balcony and through the French doors. They stopped once they were inside and out of McGonagall's view, and Ron turned to Hermione. He saw that she had one hand over her mouth and her shoulders were shaking. "Oh no", he thought, "she's going to cry. And it's all my fault". "Hermione", he started, then stopped, surprised, when she burst into laughter.

"Did you see?", she asked, giggling furiously. "She was trying not to smile! McGonagall!"

Ron put his hands on his hips. "This is very unlike you, Miss Granger!", he said, teasing Hermione. "Laughing at getting in trouble! Really! What's gotten into you?", he finished, starting to laugh, too.

For the second time that night, they stood laughing, while people looked at them strangely, wondering what the joke was. Still giggling, Hermione looked at Ron, noticing something. "Um, Ron...I didn't wear much lipstick tonight, but what I did wear is right....there", she said, reaching out to run a finger across his mouth. They both stopped laughing abruptly as she made contact with his lips, and they stared at each other for a moment before Ron spoke, breaking the spell.

"I noticed that Harry is over by the punch bowl. I should go talk to him-- see how he and Ginny are getting along", he mumbled, backing away. He didn't trust himself not to grab Hermione and kiss her right there, and he needed to get away--quickly.

"OK--I'll go talk to Ginny; she's probably in the powder room", Hermione said, also needing to get away in a hurry. "Meet me on the dance floor?", she called as Ron hurried away.

"Sure", Ron called back to her.

Ron walked up beside Harry and helped himself to some punch. Truth be told, he felt like he needed to dunk his whole head into the bowl. Harry regarded him with an evil grin . "Hey, Ron--do you know you have what looks like lipstick...", he started.

"Yeah, yeah...", Ron mumbled, grabbing a napkin and wiping his mouth. "So...how are things going with you and Ginny? I swear, if I find so much as one thorn on your robes, Harry, you won't have to worry about You-Know- Who getting to you first", he said, only half-joking.

Harry laughed. "We're getting along fine. And yes, we've just been dancing and talking. Ginny's really interesting".

Ron looked doubtful. "We're talking about my little sister, right?", he asked.

Harry snorted. "Yeah. So...how about you and Hermione? I didn't see you guys for a while. Wandered off, did you?", he asked, the evil grin returning.

Ron blushed. "We walked out onto the balcony. It's a nice evening, you know", he said, a little defensively.

Harry smiled. "Oh, yes. It's a nice evening", he said, unsuccessfully trying to hold back laughter. He patted Ron on the shoulder. "Don't worry- -I won't ask. But you better hope Seamus and Dean didn't see you two hurrying in a few minutes ago. They'll keep you up all night wanting details."

Ron groaned and looked around for his other two dormmates, hoping they had been too busy with Lavender and Parvati to notice him and Hermione. He didn't see them, but he did see Hermione waiting for him on the dance floor. "Well, Hermione's waiting. And here comes Ginny. I'll see you later. Oh, and Harry", he said, turning back toward Harry. "Remember--one thorn...", he said, and turned to go dance with Hermione the rest of the evening.

A/N: I think one more chapter ought to finish this. I'll try to post it in the next few days....