Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, brilliantly created by J.K.
Rowling. Most situations are based on those created by J.K. Rowling.
Author's Note (8/15/03): I will be away for a couple of days but I will update as soon as I can when I get back.
Chapter Twenty-Six: The Big Question
Between studying, Quidditch, Hermione's birthday and just simply finding time to spend together, September flew by. Ron had somehow managed to make Hermione calm down - but just a little - about the N.E.W.T.'s. Hermione had learned more about Mind Reading and at the moment she and Ginny were talking about opening up their own practice as soon as Ginny graduated from Hogwarts. The plan was that Hermione would go into training as soon as she finished at Hogwarts, and then she would open the place and Ginny would be her apprentice for a year in lieu of her training. They both knew this plan could change at any moment, but for the time being it was what they wanted.
One night in early October, Ron and Hermione were sitting in an empty classroom. Ron had gotten Hermione there on the pretext of studying, but really he just wanted to be alone with her. She had been quite preoccupied and while he enjoyed the time to himself, he found himself missing her. Hermione missed him as well, and was actually glad for the distraction, with no intention to study in that room.
As soon as the classroom door was shut behind them, Ron reached for Hermione and started to kiss her, "Why do you always have to be studying?" he asked, breaking away. "There's never any time for things like this."
Hermione smiled. "There's right now, isn't there?" she asked. "Now are you going to talk about it or are you going to make up for lost time?"
Ron smiled, and was about to kiss her again when he perked up and said, "Wait a minute! You didn't want to study at all! You just let me think you did!"
"Well, I have a reputation to protect, Mr. Weasley," said Hermione.
Ron didn't respond. Instead, he kissed her again, and they stayed that way for quite some time, until Ron backed away again. Hermione looked at him, confused, "Okay, what's the problem now?"
"Nothing. We just have to stop. Let's talk," Ron said. He moved to one of the desks and sat down. Hermione watched him for a moment before walking to him.
"You expect me to believe it's nothing?" she asked. "You never walk away when you're kissing me."
"It's nothing, okay?" said Ron. "It's just, I want to talk about some stuff."
"What stuff?" Hermione asked. They talked all the time. Talking was the one thing they COULD do when they were in the common room, or the Great Hall or even the library (albeit they had to be VERY quiet in that particular location).
"I don't know," said Ron, and Hermione began to worry.
"Ron, tell me what's going on!" she exclaimed, and Ron could hear the hint of panic in her voice.
"Hermione, I assure you, it's NOTHING."
Now Hermione was getting annoyed. She stood and faced him; glared at him was more like it. He kept his head down. "Ronald Weasley, if you are trying to break up with me then you better just say it!"
Ron looked up, horrified that she had even thought of that. "Bloody hell!" he exclaimed. "You don't seriously think that's what I'm doing?!"
"Well, you sure are acting like it," said Hermione. "You were kissing me, and then you just stopped, as though you decided that you'd had enough."
"No," said Ron. "That's not true."
"Then tell me what IS true," Hermione demanded.
"I said, it's NOTHING!"
"Fine!" said Hermione. "You don't want to talk. Then I guess there's no reason for both of us to stay here. I'm going to bed!" She stormed towards the door, and suddenly Ron knew better than to let her get beyond it. He ran to her and grabbed her arm.
"Hermione, don't go!" he exclaimed.
She turned to face him. "Then tell me what's the matter."
Ron sighed, and his cheeks turned a little pink. "It's just, I was kind of wondering, when are we going to do more than just kiss?"
"Ron, we DO do more than just kiss," said Hermione, referring to the few times their kissing had turned into something a little more heated.
"I know," said Ron. "But we've never... we've never... well, y'know."
"Had sex, Ron?" Hermione asked bluntly.
"Well, yeah!" Ron exclaimed in frustration and embarrassment, and Hermione had to laugh at his expression.
"Do you want to?" she asked, feeling embarrassed herself now. Ron looked at her, the answer obvious in his face. "Okay," she continued. "Stupid question." A silence filled the air.
Ron broke it. "So I guess the only question is, do YOU want to?"
Hermione didn't speak for a long time. "I don't know," she finally said. "I mean, I do know. I want to. But I don't think I'm ready. Do you really think YOU are ready for something like that?"
"I don't know," said Ron. "When we're sitting around, talking, or like how we are now, I don't think so. But when I'm kissing you... well, that's another story. When I'm kissed you I seem to lose control and being ready or not isn't even an issue."
"So what do you think we should do about this?"
"I don't know," said Ron. "You're the one with all the answers."
Hermione laughed, "Answers from books. I don't think there's an answer in a book for this."
"No," said Ron. "I don't suppose there is."
"It's a big decision," said Hermione, "and we have to make it together. And there's not really a compromise."
"Not really," Ron agreed. They stood in silence for a few more minutes until Ron spoke again. "I can wait," he said. "However long it takes. I mean, I may have to abruptly stop kissing you a lot more times, but I can wait."
Hermione smiled. "Are you sure?" she asked.
"Yes," said Ron. "You mean more to me than sex does. I mean, I think. I've never done it before."
"Neither have I."
"So, what's the decision then?" Ron asked.
Hermione spoke slowly. "I want to wait," she said. "But, Ron, I don't know how long. I mean, I can't give you a date for when I'll be ready. It could be tomorrow, it could be next month, it could be next year."
"I don't care," said Ron firmly, and he pulled her to him. "For you, I would wait a lifetime." Hermione put her arms around his waist and hugged him, reveling in the smell of him. Ron caught a whiff of her hair, and spoke again. "Well," he said slowly, "I care a little bit."
Hermione could tell from the tone of his voice that he was half-serious and half-joking, and she looked at him, "I can honestly promise you that it won't be as long as a lifetime." As she held onto him tighter she thought to herself, 'In fact, I think it will be much sooner than you're preparing yourself for.'
Author's Note (8/15/03): I will be away for a couple of days but I will update as soon as I can when I get back.
Chapter Twenty-Six: The Big Question
Between studying, Quidditch, Hermione's birthday and just simply finding time to spend together, September flew by. Ron had somehow managed to make Hermione calm down - but just a little - about the N.E.W.T.'s. Hermione had learned more about Mind Reading and at the moment she and Ginny were talking about opening up their own practice as soon as Ginny graduated from Hogwarts. The plan was that Hermione would go into training as soon as she finished at Hogwarts, and then she would open the place and Ginny would be her apprentice for a year in lieu of her training. They both knew this plan could change at any moment, but for the time being it was what they wanted.
One night in early October, Ron and Hermione were sitting in an empty classroom. Ron had gotten Hermione there on the pretext of studying, but really he just wanted to be alone with her. She had been quite preoccupied and while he enjoyed the time to himself, he found himself missing her. Hermione missed him as well, and was actually glad for the distraction, with no intention to study in that room.
As soon as the classroom door was shut behind them, Ron reached for Hermione and started to kiss her, "Why do you always have to be studying?" he asked, breaking away. "There's never any time for things like this."
Hermione smiled. "There's right now, isn't there?" she asked. "Now are you going to talk about it or are you going to make up for lost time?"
Ron smiled, and was about to kiss her again when he perked up and said, "Wait a minute! You didn't want to study at all! You just let me think you did!"
"Well, I have a reputation to protect, Mr. Weasley," said Hermione.
Ron didn't respond. Instead, he kissed her again, and they stayed that way for quite some time, until Ron backed away again. Hermione looked at him, confused, "Okay, what's the problem now?"
"Nothing. We just have to stop. Let's talk," Ron said. He moved to one of the desks and sat down. Hermione watched him for a moment before walking to him.
"You expect me to believe it's nothing?" she asked. "You never walk away when you're kissing me."
"It's nothing, okay?" said Ron. "It's just, I want to talk about some stuff."
"What stuff?" Hermione asked. They talked all the time. Talking was the one thing they COULD do when they were in the common room, or the Great Hall or even the library (albeit they had to be VERY quiet in that particular location).
"I don't know," said Ron, and Hermione began to worry.
"Ron, tell me what's going on!" she exclaimed, and Ron could hear the hint of panic in her voice.
"Hermione, I assure you, it's NOTHING."
Now Hermione was getting annoyed. She stood and faced him; glared at him was more like it. He kept his head down. "Ronald Weasley, if you are trying to break up with me then you better just say it!"
Ron looked up, horrified that she had even thought of that. "Bloody hell!" he exclaimed. "You don't seriously think that's what I'm doing?!"
"Well, you sure are acting like it," said Hermione. "You were kissing me, and then you just stopped, as though you decided that you'd had enough."
"No," said Ron. "That's not true."
"Then tell me what IS true," Hermione demanded.
"I said, it's NOTHING!"
"Fine!" said Hermione. "You don't want to talk. Then I guess there's no reason for both of us to stay here. I'm going to bed!" She stormed towards the door, and suddenly Ron knew better than to let her get beyond it. He ran to her and grabbed her arm.
"Hermione, don't go!" he exclaimed.
She turned to face him. "Then tell me what's the matter."
Ron sighed, and his cheeks turned a little pink. "It's just, I was kind of wondering, when are we going to do more than just kiss?"
"Ron, we DO do more than just kiss," said Hermione, referring to the few times their kissing had turned into something a little more heated.
"I know," said Ron. "But we've never... we've never... well, y'know."
"Had sex, Ron?" Hermione asked bluntly.
"Well, yeah!" Ron exclaimed in frustration and embarrassment, and Hermione had to laugh at his expression.
"Do you want to?" she asked, feeling embarrassed herself now. Ron looked at her, the answer obvious in his face. "Okay," she continued. "Stupid question." A silence filled the air.
Ron broke it. "So I guess the only question is, do YOU want to?"
Hermione didn't speak for a long time. "I don't know," she finally said. "I mean, I do know. I want to. But I don't think I'm ready. Do you really think YOU are ready for something like that?"
"I don't know," said Ron. "When we're sitting around, talking, or like how we are now, I don't think so. But when I'm kissing you... well, that's another story. When I'm kissed you I seem to lose control and being ready or not isn't even an issue."
"So what do you think we should do about this?"
"I don't know," said Ron. "You're the one with all the answers."
Hermione laughed, "Answers from books. I don't think there's an answer in a book for this."
"No," said Ron. "I don't suppose there is."
"It's a big decision," said Hermione, "and we have to make it together. And there's not really a compromise."
"Not really," Ron agreed. They stood in silence for a few more minutes until Ron spoke again. "I can wait," he said. "However long it takes. I mean, I may have to abruptly stop kissing you a lot more times, but I can wait."
Hermione smiled. "Are you sure?" she asked.
"Yes," said Ron. "You mean more to me than sex does. I mean, I think. I've never done it before."
"Neither have I."
"So, what's the decision then?" Ron asked.
Hermione spoke slowly. "I want to wait," she said. "But, Ron, I don't know how long. I mean, I can't give you a date for when I'll be ready. It could be tomorrow, it could be next month, it could be next year."
"I don't care," said Ron firmly, and he pulled her to him. "For you, I would wait a lifetime." Hermione put her arms around his waist and hugged him, reveling in the smell of him. Ron caught a whiff of her hair, and spoke again. "Well," he said slowly, "I care a little bit."
Hermione could tell from the tone of his voice that he was half-serious and half-joking, and she looked at him, "I can honestly promise you that it won't be as long as a lifetime." As she held onto him tighter she thought to herself, 'In fact, I think it will be much sooner than you're preparing yourself for.'