It Had To Be Moonglow
The moon was sinking ever lower through the trees. Staring blankly into what seemed to be a bottomless pit of water, she was engrossed in thought. Her brown hair, bushy and frizzy beyond redemption, was piled atop her head with a rather absurd pink clip. Her equally brown eyes were glazed over and held heavy bags under them from lack of sleep. Her robes were spotted with bits of pasta sauce from that evening's supper, leaves and mud from the afternoon's quidditch match and there was ink on her nose from that mornings reading. She was perched awkwardly beneath a willow tree, her rump resting upon her heels, the balls of her feet precariously placed upon a mangeld root. She dangled ever closer to the water... ever closer... SPLASH!
Ron Weasley had never seen anything so beautiful.
Hermione spluttered to the surface for air, pushing her hair away from her eyes, only to find the love of her life laughing his little pea-brained guts out. At her. He was lying on the edge of the pond, clutching his sides while Hermione splashed him mercilessly with ice-cold water.
"You pig!" she hissed. "You could have at least tried to help me!" Ron laughed harder than ever. With a huff, Hermione crossed her arms, realized she couldn't stay afloat in this position and swam to the edge where Ron was lying, practically howling with mirth.
"Hermy!" he wimpered when she'd rung out her robes on his face. "Stop! Stop, stop, stop! I'm sorry!" Satisfied, Hermione reached out a hand to help him up. Ron looked at it warily before taking it and getting to his feet.
"You're lucky," she whispered, "that you're my best mate. Else you'd be on this ground bleeding like a stuck pig."
"She only looks sweet and innocent," Ron said under his breath. But anything said under your breath in the dead of night is really said in a loud whisper. Everyone knows that.
"Oh, grow up," Hermione hissed after she'd Quick-Dried herself off.
"So what did you want to talk about?" he asked easily. They sat together beneath the same willow, but in a much less dangerous spot... on the other side. Ron pulled out two red apples from his pocket and handed one to Hermione while biting into his own.
"I dunno," Hermione said with a hint of sarcasm. "Could it be the letters we've been sending?" She didn't have to look at Ron's face to know that his ears were the same color as his apple.
"About that," Ron said quickly, "I've been meaning to tell you..."
Hermione turned to him and a sliver of moonlight suddenly illuminated her entire face. Ron gulped.
"You've been meaning to tell me what?" she asked, after a long pause during which Ron was doing a lot of staring at Hermione's mouth.
"What?" he asked with a shake of his head.
"You've been meaning to tell me something about our letters," Hermione said patiently. "What have you been meaning to tell me?"
"Oh that," Ron said. Obviously he was stalling for time.
"Yes that," said Hermione waspishly.
"It's just that..." his ears were turning redder by the minute... "I really l-li-l-like you, Her-Hermione..." He'd managed to get that part out, at least.
"And?" she said slowly. "I like you too, Ron."
And with a sudden burst of madness, "Oh bugger it" came flying out of his mouth.
He took her hands, placed them on each of his shoulders and looked her right in the eye. "May I kiss you, Hermione?"
And for once, she was the one that looked stunned.
The moon was sinking ever lower through the trees. Staring blankly into what seemed to be a bottomless pit of water, she was engrossed in thought. Her brown hair, bushy and frizzy beyond redemption, was piled atop her head with a rather absurd pink clip. Her equally brown eyes were glazed over and held heavy bags under them from lack of sleep. Her robes were spotted with bits of pasta sauce from that evening's supper, leaves and mud from the afternoon's quidditch match and there was ink on her nose from that mornings reading. She was perched awkwardly beneath a willow tree, her rump resting upon her heels, the balls of her feet precariously placed upon a mangeld root. She dangled ever closer to the water... ever closer... SPLASH!
Ron Weasley had never seen anything so beautiful.
Hermione spluttered to the surface for air, pushing her hair away from her eyes, only to find the love of her life laughing his little pea-brained guts out. At her. He was lying on the edge of the pond, clutching his sides while Hermione splashed him mercilessly with ice-cold water.
"You pig!" she hissed. "You could have at least tried to help me!" Ron laughed harder than ever. With a huff, Hermione crossed her arms, realized she couldn't stay afloat in this position and swam to the edge where Ron was lying, practically howling with mirth.
"Hermy!" he wimpered when she'd rung out her robes on his face. "Stop! Stop, stop, stop! I'm sorry!" Satisfied, Hermione reached out a hand to help him up. Ron looked at it warily before taking it and getting to his feet.
"You're lucky," she whispered, "that you're my best mate. Else you'd be on this ground bleeding like a stuck pig."
"She only looks sweet and innocent," Ron said under his breath. But anything said under your breath in the dead of night is really said in a loud whisper. Everyone knows that.
"Oh, grow up," Hermione hissed after she'd Quick-Dried herself off.
"So what did you want to talk about?" he asked easily. They sat together beneath the same willow, but in a much less dangerous spot... on the other side. Ron pulled out two red apples from his pocket and handed one to Hermione while biting into his own.
"I dunno," Hermione said with a hint of sarcasm. "Could it be the letters we've been sending?" She didn't have to look at Ron's face to know that his ears were the same color as his apple.
"About that," Ron said quickly, "I've been meaning to tell you..."
Hermione turned to him and a sliver of moonlight suddenly illuminated her entire face. Ron gulped.
"You've been meaning to tell me what?" she asked, after a long pause during which Ron was doing a lot of staring at Hermione's mouth.
"What?" he asked with a shake of his head.
"You've been meaning to tell me something about our letters," Hermione said patiently. "What have you been meaning to tell me?"
"Oh that," Ron said. Obviously he was stalling for time.
"Yes that," said Hermione waspishly.
"It's just that..." his ears were turning redder by the minute... "I really l-li-l-like you, Her-Hermione..." He'd managed to get that part out, at least.
"And?" she said slowly. "I like you too, Ron."
And with a sudden burst of madness, "Oh bugger it" came flying out of his mouth.
He took her hands, placed them on each of his shoulders and looked her right in the eye. "May I kiss you, Hermione?"
And for once, she was the one that looked stunned.