Love Me In The Dark By: Chinesemoon aka: (Monika Ackerman) Writen and posted at www.checkmated.com

Summery: Set in 2nd year. Ron Weasley goes to the hospital to visit Hermione and falls in love.

Rating: PG

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, they all belong to J.K. Rowling. This is for entertainment only. No money is being made.

The halls were dark. Very dark. So dark Ron Weasley squinted to make sure he didn't run head long into a wall. He needed to get where he was going, and fast.

It would be his butt if Filch saw him, what with all the attacks so far. Attacks..... those attacks were the sole reason Ron was up out of bed in the middle of the bloody night on a weekend. Well partly anyway...

Ron cursed under his breath as he stubbed his toe on the corner of a door frame that lead to an empty classroom. Stupid, bloody doorframe!

Skipping on his other foot Ron went down the hallway. Looking over his shoulder he let his hands lead his way on the wall.

"Right, gottcha!" Ron said feeling the door he was looking for. The Hospital Wing door. "Now don't you squeak when I open you."

Turning the handle slightly he heard the door open soundlessly. Ron blinked in the darkness and slipped through the crack in the door. Perfect. Now where was her bed?

Ron looked around quickly for the bed he wanted. Ah ha. Hermione Granger's bed was at the end of the wing.

He tip toed as quietly as he could, but it was hard when his toe was aching. That wasn't the only thing aching either. Ron Weasley's heart was pounding rather hard.

Hermione's face bour no expression except one of fear. He hated seeing her like this. It was awful. He had to do something. Maybe talk to her. Hermione would listen to him, even if she was petrified.

"Hermione?" Ron whispered softly. "Can you hear me?" He knew she couldn't. McGonnagall was right, there was just no use talking to a petrified person. So why was he here?

She was haunting him. That's why he was here. Hermione Granger was haunting his dreams, his thought, his every waking moment. It was all he could see, Hermione. She was everywhere, her image was flashing through his mind and in front of his eye every day. Every day.

"I never thought of you before you know," Ron said shrugging in spite his bad mood. "Not once last year. I mean I don't understand it. One minute you're here and everything's jolly fine, and the next your petrified and all I can see is you." Ron took a deep breath and tried to tell himself she couldn't hear him. "I guess I care a bit more for you then I thought."

Ron looked down at Hermione's face. It was pale and scared.... and... and... something else. Something Ron could read.

His hand lightly touched Hermione's petrified one. She was very cold to touch. "I took notes for you in class Hermione. I thought you would like to see them when your...awake."

Ron leaned over and looked closer at Hermione. "I'll come back tomorrow love," Ron whispered to Hermione. "I promise." He bent and lightly kissed Hermione. Ron gave a forced laugh. "You would never have went for that unpetrified." Then he did a funny thing, he kissed her again, only not on her cheek like he just had, on her lips.

It was an odd thing. Kissing a petrified person. She was very cold and stiff. But through it all Ron got a warmness from it. He only wished he had the courage to do that when Hermione was conscious.

"It'll be our little secret Hermione." Ron whispered into the darkness. He would just sneak back here again tomorrow. Not with Harry though. He needed to see her alone. It was the only time Ron could tell her how he really felt. How he loved her.

"I do love you Hermione. This attack has only shown me that. I'll come back. Don't worry, in the dark no one will see me."

Ron opened the hospital wing door. He had to leave before Madame Pomfray came and found him here.

"In the dark, my love shines bright." Ron said blowing a kiss to Hermione. With that he left the hospital wing for the Gryffindor Common room.

finis