A little out of the Ordinary
By Jammie-Bro
Chapter Eight
Author's notes: HELLO PEOPLE! This is the eighth, and final, *silence whooping please* chapter of 'A little out of the ordinary'. In the time span of beginning and completing this fic, which is about 8 months- (arg) I still haven't been able to come up with a better title. Again, I apologize for my awful spelling, unabletoupadateuritis (which has been plauging me since my dad found the bill from my internet use) And very very very bad use of grammar. Oh, and the occasional character bashing, which may have arisen from time to time. But, hopefully, my love for R/H has dragged you, the wonderful readers, to the last chapter. So thank you all. And I will take note to stick with one-off stories, as you won't have to wait for me to update, like those 5 wonderful people who put me on their author alert list, or the 2/3 that added me to favorite author lists!!! I love you all!! Credit to you at the end of the chapter.
~*~*~
Ron ran his hand restlessly through his hair. Where was she? The party was going to start in an hour's time, and all the other girls are up in their dormitories, getting ready.
"I wonder where hermione's got to- She said she'd help us put up the banners." Harry said, voicing Ron's opinions.
"I don't know," Ron replied, "but I hope she gets back soon."
The common room looked an elegant picture. The lights were low, the fires crackling merrily in their hearths. Tinsel was draped from anywhere hangable; A majestic Christmas tree bedecked with tiny golden lions, scarlet baubles and hoards of fairy lights stood in the corner of the common room. The room itself seemed to have enlargened for the occasion, housing a small bar and refreshments table, hosting what seemed like half the great hall's food and a good portion of honeydukes. A colourful banner plastered above the portrait hole sung Christmas carols rather drunkenly at anyone who passed in or out.
Suddenly there was a flurry of bags, a bushy-haired girl and snow as the portrait hole opened and a figure bustled in.
"Hi hermione" Harry greeted without looking up.
"Hey 'mione, where've you been?" Ron asked.
Without any regard to her surroundings, the girl scurried amidst the chaos and disappeared up the girls' staircase. She left in her wake a crowd of shocked faces and a trail of melting slush from her boots.
"What's with her?" Ron asked no one in particular.
Harry merely shrugged, and continued hanging decorations. The boy who lived had obviously grasped the concept of never being able to understand girls, and not bothering to try. But to Ron, girls in general were a curiosity. And, of course, one girl in particular was an enigma to him....
~*~*~*~*~
The Christmas Eve party finally arrived. All the gryffindors were particularly unrecognizable without the usual red and gold uniforms; dress robes of every colour under the sun (and the people inhabiting them) milled around, buying pranks off the party hosts, picking off the refreshments, and dancing on the newly extended dancefloor. Christmas tunes were caroling out of no-where and the atmosphere was relaxed yet excited; anticipating and merry. Neville had already drunk too much butterbeer and was goaded into eating a multicolour meringue; his hair turned from one shocking colour to the next at regular intervals. Seamus's cousin thought it would be funny to send him an early Christmas present- an enchanted leprechaun to follow him around. It was soon tied against the wall, squeaking angrily at anyone who tried to pinch his festive hat.
Everyone seemed to be having a good time, and all the usual suspects attended. It seemed the whole of Gryffindor house was within the four walls...
Except Hermione.
Ron groaned inwardly. She was probably doing homework, refusing to come down, or writing a novel to Vicky. He shuddered with anger. He hoped to anything and everything holy that she wasn't doing that. He stood at the table that rested in the alcove between the boys and girls' staircases, butterbeer in hand, though it was still full. He thought he must look a right prat, though at least he wasn't wearing that hideous maroon thing that really couldn't be classed as a robe. The deep blue dress robe suited him very well, as according to his mother "matched his lovely eyes." Ron wasn't really listening to the comment at the time, he was far more suspicious of the motive of the people who had given it to him. His wonderful brothers. Ron was certain there was some kind of wizard wheeze hidden in it somewhere.
All the rest of the girls had descended the girls' staircase at least ten minutes before, giggling their heads off. It was not a nice thing to experience. Sure, they looked like models and very pretty and all that, but they had all looked him up and down, then smiled with their piercing giggles. It was grating. Ginny, however, being his sister, said "You look better than last year, Ron!" and ran away before he could smack her. Ron looked up at the stairs again, almost ready to give up.
Hermione pulled her new dress up slightly as she descended her eyes locked firmly on her feet so to not stand on the garment. When she finally glanced up, two steps from the bottom, she saw a pair of blue eyes gazing up at her, his face smiling. She smiled back.
~*~*~
"This IS a first, Ron!" Hermione commented as they danced. Maybe it was because they'd both knocked a butterbeer back, but hermione reminded herself that there was hardly any alcohol in the type they'd drunken. She grinned for what seemed like the hundredth time that evening.
"Well, I must have missed out on a helluva lot." He laughed. She smiled inwardly. Trust Ron. Trust him to say that. Yet the minute she thought she knew him inside out, he'd do or say something that would throw it all up in the air, and she'd have to start from scratch. The song faded from the room and the two went to get a drink. For some strange reason, Hermione felt as if she was someone else tonight. Like someone had crawled into her skin and started walking around in it. She tingled from her fingers all the way down to her toes, her cheeks were pink; and she had a funny feeling it had nothing to do with the dancing. They sat down at the small bar, Ron opting for another butterbeer, hermione stuck for what to order.
"Try one of these." Lavender piped up from the other end of the bar. She held aloft a bottle of J2O. "ItÆs Apple and Mango. Very good for the skin!"
Hermione resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the fact that Lavender was only drinking something because it benefited her complexion, and glanced over at George, who was acting as barman. Ron, however, was raising an eyebrow at lavender.
"Since when did you advertise drinks companies?" he said jokingly. When she opened her mouth to reply George cut her off.
"Well if I offered you it, you'd think I'd spiked it!" Ron smirked and nodded in agreement. Hermione did roll her eyes that time. "Can I finally have a drink now?"
So she and Ron ended up sitting on the table between the two dormitory staircases, observing the party from a slight distance, sipping their drinks through straws. Hermione had finally decided on J2O, enjoying the refreshing taste, hoping it would clear her head from the warm, fuzzy feeling she was getting, which she had the suspicion was coming from sitting very close to Ron. It wasn't that she didn't like the sensation of a hundred butterflies flitting inside of her, but she had the inkling that if she didn't get rid of it she would say or do something completely imbecilic. At the moment, they were lingering in a comfortable silence, debating in their own minds whether to say something or not.
"You know what?" Hermione asked Ron, out of the blue, "You're really quirky." Okay, that was the most imbecilic thing she could have said. Ron turned slightly to face her, his eyebrows raised, as if he hadn't believed what she'd just said. She couldn't believe she'd said it either. Her face almost mirrored his; with the exception of her mouth slightly open in shock. "That must be the first time I've said something without thinking about it." She said, almost to herself.
Ron laughed. "That must be where you and I differ!" he grinned, "because I rarely think of what I'm going to say;- it just comes out of my mouth!"
"Maybe that's why you talk so much rubbish!" Hermione shot back at him, an evil smile crossing her features. Ron stuck his tounge out at her and tried to scowl at her, but his unmistakable grin easily showed through. They both started to laugh at each other's faces. When they finally turned back to the party, Ron put down his empty bottle and unintentionally put his hand down beside Hermione's. Slowly, he took her hand in his, their fingers intertwining. Ron gazed off into the distance and after a few moments, said quietly,
"Maybe I am quirky- or maybe I just plan things you don't expect." Hermione smiled and squeezed his hand gently, then had to look away quickly, as she knew an absolutely huge insane grin had broken out over her face.
~*~*~*~
After about half an hour of talking; but not about much; it was strange that although he was one of her best friends, Hermione found that she hadn't really talked to Ron in this way before, but still smiling like she couldn't shake it from her face, Hermione heard a familiar voice call.
"Hey, Hermione, Ron!" It was Harry, looking quite flushed, drink in hand. He looked very chuffed with himself. "How are you getting along?" he asked, but not really waiting for an answer. From what she could make out, Harry had danced with most of the girls there, but spent most of the time in Ginny's company. When he finally walked away, swaying ever so slightly, Ron burst out into hysterics, and guestured to his little sister on the other side of the room. He made a drinking motion with his spare hand, careful not to let go of the one holding hermione's. Ginny giggled and nodded. Hermione looked on in shock.
The party's end came to quickly for Hermione; Fred announced the last two dances near to eleven and it seemed everyone moved to the floor. Slade's 'Merry Christmas' boomed from invisible speakers and all of Gryffindor house sung at the top of their voices and danced wildly. The last song was slower. Hermiones' heart beat quickened as a familiar hand- she'd lost it in the crowd- slipped back into hers. She already knew who it was as she turned, smiling up at him. His eyes twinkled as he smiled just as capturingly back, Hermione feeling an arm slide around her back. Before she knew it her arms were resting around his neck, and although she willed her body to move to the music, she was frozen in his gaze again, he in hers. Nothing else mattered.
So this is Christmas,
And what have you done?
Another year over,
A new one just begun
And so Merry Christmas
I hope you have fun
The near and the dear ones,
The old and the young
Her head was moving up to rest on his shoulder, as he had begun to move, ever so slightly, to the music that was seeping back into her ears. That feeling was back, and so was the speaking-without-thought syndrome.
"This beats a Yule Ball any day." She heard herself whisper into Ron's ear. His eyes widened, and his head pulled back slightly to look at her. This was the second time Hermione had blurted out comments in that evening, but even if the circumstances were different, it wouldn't have made him less surprised. Yet when he pulled back, their faces ended up inches apart. Ron's breath caught in his throat. Hermione's eyes were gazing into his with a look of daring and- was that affection? His lips were almost touching hers when the crowd started bumping past them. The song had ended. The moment was over. Hermione reached slightly and kissed his cheek, and when she pulled away he caught a flash of disappointment etched on her features, only to be replaced by a fake smile when Ginny and Harry (who was more than a little drunk by then) approached them.
~*~*~*~
"Ugh, I hate cleaning up." Ron complained as the two prefects, accompanied by Fred and George, tidied and tried to restore the common room to its' original format, much to the dissapointment of the weasley twins, who protested that "there should be a mini-bar in the common room all the time!"
Ginny had escorted Harry to bed to look after him, as by that time, he had drunk so much it would taken Fluffy a while to consume the same quantity.
"At least you aren't cleaning the muggle way." Hermione retorted, putting an engorgement charm on one of the sofas, that had been shrunked to toy size for the sake of storage during the party.
"I suppose." Ron considered, summoning the binbag to him and continuing to levitate the rubbish into the bin, "But why can't we let the house-elves do this?"
"BECAUSE, RON, I gave them the night off." Hermione said proudly. Ron groaned.
She immediately accelerated off into one of her rants, exclaiming that house-elves only get a few days off a year, and that studies showed that elves were the hardest-worked creatures in the wizarding world...
Fred and George shook their heads in a 'he's set her off AGAIN' fashion, packed up their wizarding wheezes case and stock for the mini-bar, and trooped up the stairs, waving sarcastically to their younger brother as they left. Hermione failed to notice this, though. She was still in mid- rant, oblivious to the fact that they were the last two left in the common room..
"it's hugely unfair, Ron, that you take the work of the house-elves for gra...."
She stopped mid sentance, not through choice, but because Ron had pressed a finger to her lips.
"Shhh," He said, "You wouldnt want to wake everyone up, would you?" Hermione turned a shade of garnet and did as she was told. ~*~*~*~
When everything had been cleaned up, and the common room had eventually been returned to its original stature, the two Gryffindor Prefects collapsed on the sofa opposite the fire. Ron reached for some white chocolate in the bowl beside him, then offered some to hermione. To his surprise, she didn't complain about how it was bad for the teeth, and accepted it without quell. She was suspiciously quiet. Just as Ron was about to question why, she ventured quietly, "Ron? Why did you disappear?" Ron gulped, thought a minute, then turned it around. "What's the stupidest reason you could think of?" He said, "Because that's probably bang on target." Hermione replied quickly, and although her face held the 'if you made me worried for no reason I will kill you' look, but her voice expressed amusement. "To annoy me." Ron took on the role of an inspiring quiz-show host; "That's a good one, but no. Keep going!" Hermione smiled dryly and played along. "Is it because you were. hiding from Snape because you wanted to get out of that essay you *havent* done yet?" "For this big invisible cheque," Ron said, pretending to hold a large piece of card aloft, "I'm afraid that's . incorrect." Hermione's expression turned almost pleading as she slowly took hold of his hands, bringing them down a little. "Please, Ron, I really want to know. It wasn't a joke. I was.. really worried." Her grip on his hands tightened marginally, and Ron sighed. He knew he had to tell her. "Well, I went because......"
~*~*~*~*~*~
Hermione smiled. Although it was a rubbish reason, she had promised not to laugh, and she didn't. She just silently accepted his opinions, swearing to herself that she would never understand the minds of boys. They had now fallen into a strange, quite uncomfortable silence. Both had not seemed to realise that they were still holding hands. Ron eventually broke hermione out of her non-thinking thoughts by asking a question that clogged up her throat, yet she had somehow known it was coming. "Hermione, have you, . err. spoken to your parents recently?" She shook her head, attempting to find her voice. "No. but I . think. whatever happens, . I'll be okay." Even though she had re-assured herself, tears still began to well in her eyes. *You ruined our lives! We didn't even have you!* The memories of what they said flooded back into her head in tidal waves. Not again. She'd been trying to forget for so long. Ron, seeing her tears, wrapped his arms around her. Then after a minute, he said quietly, "You know you'll always be welcome at the burrow." She smiled, though her eyes were still streaming. She snuggled her head closer into his chest and returned the embrace, wondering how she could fit so perfectly next to his body. "You know what?" Ron asked no-one in particular, "If you were adopted, Malfoy has been more wrong than he could have bargained for: you could be from a more pure-blood family than him!" Hermione managed to laugh as she wiped away the last lingering droplets from her face, rising her head to meet Ron's. He was grinning again. And now, she was, too.
Hermione was finally truly happy. The stone of worries that had lay in her stomach for the past few months had vanished completely, because now, she knew. She knew that whatever was thrown in her path, Ron would be there with her to help fight it. Even though he was stubborn, insufferable, teasing git who could make her laugh or cry; she didn't care. Because she loved him for it. He was the only one allowed to tease her, along with Harry. Even though she didn't love Harry like she loved Ron, he was a brother to her. How could she ask for anything more? She had her two best friends, she didn't want or care about blood (or not so blood)family.
She rested her head on his shoulder, breathing against his neck, and Ron leaned back against the sofa, Hermione tucked up in his arms. She never wanted the moment to end. Not ever. She felt him kiss her forehead and whisper an almost inaudible 'goodnight', and before she succumbed to sleep, she heard her lips return the phrase.
~*~*~*~*~
Hermione woke on Christmas morning to find herself half-sitting, half-lying on one of the sofas in the common room. She jumped when she felt something stir beneath her head. it was only then she looked down and found two warm arms wrapped around her, and realised the thing that was rising and falling beneath her was Ron's chest, which she had ended up using as a pillow.
Her mind reeled with questions. What had happened last night? Was this all a dream? How had she gotten into this position? Did harry know? Was Professor McGonagall going to take away her prefect badge for falling asleep on the sofa, setting a bad example, with a boy, nonetheless??
She quickly discovered that it was too early in the morning to question everything, and her head hurt just thinking about it. With a small sigh, the girl rested her head back on Ron's torso and noticed that it was incredibly warm and comfortable, that the steady sound of his heart beating was wonderfully soothing. Just as she was drifting back into the land of slumber, she tilted her head to glance up at his peaceful face, and before she could question herself why, her hand was moving up and lingering near his freckled cheeks. Only then did she manage to get back to sleep.
~*~*~*~
"Good Morning." she said, he returned the greeting, and strangely they found themselves smiling at each other. Ron's eyes studied her gentle features, then looked to find one of Hermione's hands resting inches away from the side of his head. She saw him glance at it, and her mouth blurted out the first thing that came to mind.
"Oh, you have something on your nose."
"Where?" He asked, reaching up to rub "the something" away. His hand met Hemione's; they both froze, eyes locked. Forever seemed to pass, both trying to read the emotions running across the others' faces. Then finally, Ron intertwined his fingers with Hermione's, and a small smile crept across her face.
As if the rules of magnetism had suddenly come into play, their faces were drawing closer to each other. Ron found his lips centimetres away from hers; hovering between bliss and heartache, friendship and love. The tension seemed unbearable. But for the first time in his life, Ron felt he was meant for the moment.
Their lips met. He felt lightheaded, not being able to think anything, just feeling like he was nibbling on a raw emotion pie, the most delicious of its kind. And slowly her mouth opened under his and he lost all senses except the feeling of his heart pounding against hers. When they finally pulled away from each other Ron felt like his life line had been cut- if he didn't have to breathe he would be very glad to kiss her all day.
Sitting up slightly, he met her eyes once more and they smiled back into his. Like he had only just realized their surroundings, Ron leaned close to her again, and whispered "Merry Christmas." Then the warm numbing feeling washed over him for the second time that morning as Hermione's arms wound around his neck and his lips were brought to hers.
Harry had an acute hangover, but he was certain that he was seeing straight as he groggily descended the stairs to the common room. He stopped, staring, a few steps from the bottom. Ginny crept up behind him and gasped, relaxed, and smiled. "It's about time." She said, keeping her voice down so not to disturb the two on the sofa. "True," Harry replied, "But it still is A Little Out Of The Ordinary."
~*~* FIN *~*~
Author's notes: WOW. I CANNOT BELIEVE IT'S ACTUALLY FINISHED! YAY!!!!! WAS THE FLUFF METER FULL TO BURSTING?? Oh, when I say yay I don't mean I'm glad it's over and done with, I mean I'm glad that I finally finished the most fluffy chapter of ALL TIME! WAHOO!!! Sadly, even though I've got that loved-up feeling that makes me want to jump up n down n clap, I've got no boyfriend to glomp and snuggle up and watch a good movie with. Oh well, enough of me whining. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to all of you readers- you must have the patience of angels to cope with me and my awful updating. AND I HAVE 53 REVIEWS! TAKE THAT, ALL YOU PPL WHO DOUBT ME!!!!!!! HA-HA! I promise you I will give you all reader- author feedback when I next update, whether it be my bio- or if I re-post this chapter with all the thanks and comments on it. In the meantime, YOU ARE ALL WONDERFUL AUTHORS AND READERS FOR READING AND PUTTING UP WITH ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ok, I'm blarbering again now. Any comments, mistakes, hate mail etc, clik box at bottom! Thanks again for reading. Jammie-Bro xx
Author's notes: HELLO PEOPLE! This is the eighth, and final, *silence whooping please* chapter of 'A little out of the ordinary'. In the time span of beginning and completing this fic, which is about 8 months- (arg) I still haven't been able to come up with a better title. Again, I apologize for my awful spelling, unabletoupadateuritis (which has been plauging me since my dad found the bill from my internet use) And very very very bad use of grammar. Oh, and the occasional character bashing, which may have arisen from time to time. But, hopefully, my love for R/H has dragged you, the wonderful readers, to the last chapter. So thank you all. And I will take note to stick with one-off stories, as you won't have to wait for me to update, like those 5 wonderful people who put me on their author alert list, or the 2/3 that added me to favorite author lists!!! I love you all!! Credit to you at the end of the chapter.
~*~*~
Ron ran his hand restlessly through his hair. Where was she? The party was going to start in an hour's time, and all the other girls are up in their dormitories, getting ready.
"I wonder where hermione's got to- She said she'd help us put up the banners." Harry said, voicing Ron's opinions.
"I don't know," Ron replied, "but I hope she gets back soon."
The common room looked an elegant picture. The lights were low, the fires crackling merrily in their hearths. Tinsel was draped from anywhere hangable; A majestic Christmas tree bedecked with tiny golden lions, scarlet baubles and hoards of fairy lights stood in the corner of the common room. The room itself seemed to have enlargened for the occasion, housing a small bar and refreshments table, hosting what seemed like half the great hall's food and a good portion of honeydukes. A colourful banner plastered above the portrait hole sung Christmas carols rather drunkenly at anyone who passed in or out.
Suddenly there was a flurry of bags, a bushy-haired girl and snow as the portrait hole opened and a figure bustled in.
"Hi hermione" Harry greeted without looking up.
"Hey 'mione, where've you been?" Ron asked.
Without any regard to her surroundings, the girl scurried amidst the chaos and disappeared up the girls' staircase. She left in her wake a crowd of shocked faces and a trail of melting slush from her boots.
"What's with her?" Ron asked no one in particular.
Harry merely shrugged, and continued hanging decorations. The boy who lived had obviously grasped the concept of never being able to understand girls, and not bothering to try. But to Ron, girls in general were a curiosity. And, of course, one girl in particular was an enigma to him....
~*~*~*~*~
The Christmas Eve party finally arrived. All the gryffindors were particularly unrecognizable without the usual red and gold uniforms; dress robes of every colour under the sun (and the people inhabiting them) milled around, buying pranks off the party hosts, picking off the refreshments, and dancing on the newly extended dancefloor. Christmas tunes were caroling out of no-where and the atmosphere was relaxed yet excited; anticipating and merry. Neville had already drunk too much butterbeer and was goaded into eating a multicolour meringue; his hair turned from one shocking colour to the next at regular intervals. Seamus's cousin thought it would be funny to send him an early Christmas present- an enchanted leprechaun to follow him around. It was soon tied against the wall, squeaking angrily at anyone who tried to pinch his festive hat.
Everyone seemed to be having a good time, and all the usual suspects attended. It seemed the whole of Gryffindor house was within the four walls...
Except Hermione.
Ron groaned inwardly. She was probably doing homework, refusing to come down, or writing a novel to Vicky. He shuddered with anger. He hoped to anything and everything holy that she wasn't doing that. He stood at the table that rested in the alcove between the boys and girls' staircases, butterbeer in hand, though it was still full. He thought he must look a right prat, though at least he wasn't wearing that hideous maroon thing that really couldn't be classed as a robe. The deep blue dress robe suited him very well, as according to his mother "matched his lovely eyes." Ron wasn't really listening to the comment at the time, he was far more suspicious of the motive of the people who had given it to him. His wonderful brothers. Ron was certain there was some kind of wizard wheeze hidden in it somewhere.
All the rest of the girls had descended the girls' staircase at least ten minutes before, giggling their heads off. It was not a nice thing to experience. Sure, they looked like models and very pretty and all that, but they had all looked him up and down, then smiled with their piercing giggles. It was grating. Ginny, however, being his sister, said "You look better than last year, Ron!" and ran away before he could smack her. Ron looked up at the stairs again, almost ready to give up.
Hermione pulled her new dress up slightly as she descended her eyes locked firmly on her feet so to not stand on the garment. When she finally glanced up, two steps from the bottom, she saw a pair of blue eyes gazing up at her, his face smiling. She smiled back.
~*~*~
"This IS a first, Ron!" Hermione commented as they danced. Maybe it was because they'd both knocked a butterbeer back, but hermione reminded herself that there was hardly any alcohol in the type they'd drunken. She grinned for what seemed like the hundredth time that evening.
"Well, I must have missed out on a helluva lot." He laughed. She smiled inwardly. Trust Ron. Trust him to say that. Yet the minute she thought she knew him inside out, he'd do or say something that would throw it all up in the air, and she'd have to start from scratch. The song faded from the room and the two went to get a drink. For some strange reason, Hermione felt as if she was someone else tonight. Like someone had crawled into her skin and started walking around in it. She tingled from her fingers all the way down to her toes, her cheeks were pink; and she had a funny feeling it had nothing to do with the dancing. They sat down at the small bar, Ron opting for another butterbeer, hermione stuck for what to order.
"Try one of these." Lavender piped up from the other end of the bar. She held aloft a bottle of J2O. "ItÆs Apple and Mango. Very good for the skin!"
Hermione resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the fact that Lavender was only drinking something because it benefited her complexion, and glanced over at George, who was acting as barman. Ron, however, was raising an eyebrow at lavender.
"Since when did you advertise drinks companies?" he said jokingly. When she opened her mouth to reply George cut her off.
"Well if I offered you it, you'd think I'd spiked it!" Ron smirked and nodded in agreement. Hermione did roll her eyes that time. "Can I finally have a drink now?"
So she and Ron ended up sitting on the table between the two dormitory staircases, observing the party from a slight distance, sipping their drinks through straws. Hermione had finally decided on J2O, enjoying the refreshing taste, hoping it would clear her head from the warm, fuzzy feeling she was getting, which she had the suspicion was coming from sitting very close to Ron. It wasn't that she didn't like the sensation of a hundred butterflies flitting inside of her, but she had the inkling that if she didn't get rid of it she would say or do something completely imbecilic. At the moment, they were lingering in a comfortable silence, debating in their own minds whether to say something or not.
"You know what?" Hermione asked Ron, out of the blue, "You're really quirky." Okay, that was the most imbecilic thing she could have said. Ron turned slightly to face her, his eyebrows raised, as if he hadn't believed what she'd just said. She couldn't believe she'd said it either. Her face almost mirrored his; with the exception of her mouth slightly open in shock. "That must be the first time I've said something without thinking about it." She said, almost to herself.
Ron laughed. "That must be where you and I differ!" he grinned, "because I rarely think of what I'm going to say;- it just comes out of my mouth!"
"Maybe that's why you talk so much rubbish!" Hermione shot back at him, an evil smile crossing her features. Ron stuck his tounge out at her and tried to scowl at her, but his unmistakable grin easily showed through. They both started to laugh at each other's faces. When they finally turned back to the party, Ron put down his empty bottle and unintentionally put his hand down beside Hermione's. Slowly, he took her hand in his, their fingers intertwining. Ron gazed off into the distance and after a few moments, said quietly,
"Maybe I am quirky- or maybe I just plan things you don't expect." Hermione smiled and squeezed his hand gently, then had to look away quickly, as she knew an absolutely huge insane grin had broken out over her face.
~*~*~*~
After about half an hour of talking; but not about much; it was strange that although he was one of her best friends, Hermione found that she hadn't really talked to Ron in this way before, but still smiling like she couldn't shake it from her face, Hermione heard a familiar voice call.
"Hey, Hermione, Ron!" It was Harry, looking quite flushed, drink in hand. He looked very chuffed with himself. "How are you getting along?" he asked, but not really waiting for an answer. From what she could make out, Harry had danced with most of the girls there, but spent most of the time in Ginny's company. When he finally walked away, swaying ever so slightly, Ron burst out into hysterics, and guestured to his little sister on the other side of the room. He made a drinking motion with his spare hand, careful not to let go of the one holding hermione's. Ginny giggled and nodded. Hermione looked on in shock.
The party's end came to quickly for Hermione; Fred announced the last two dances near to eleven and it seemed everyone moved to the floor. Slade's 'Merry Christmas' boomed from invisible speakers and all of Gryffindor house sung at the top of their voices and danced wildly. The last song was slower. Hermiones' heart beat quickened as a familiar hand- she'd lost it in the crowd- slipped back into hers. She already knew who it was as she turned, smiling up at him. His eyes twinkled as he smiled just as capturingly back, Hermione feeling an arm slide around her back. Before she knew it her arms were resting around his neck, and although she willed her body to move to the music, she was frozen in his gaze again, he in hers. Nothing else mattered.
So this is Christmas,
And what have you done?
Another year over,
A new one just begun
And so Merry Christmas
I hope you have fun
The near and the dear ones,
The old and the young
Her head was moving up to rest on his shoulder, as he had begun to move, ever so slightly, to the music that was seeping back into her ears. That feeling was back, and so was the speaking-without-thought syndrome.
"This beats a Yule Ball any day." She heard herself whisper into Ron's ear. His eyes widened, and his head pulled back slightly to look at her. This was the second time Hermione had blurted out comments in that evening, but even if the circumstances were different, it wouldn't have made him less surprised. Yet when he pulled back, their faces ended up inches apart. Ron's breath caught in his throat. Hermione's eyes were gazing into his with a look of daring and- was that affection? His lips were almost touching hers when the crowd started bumping past them. The song had ended. The moment was over. Hermione reached slightly and kissed his cheek, and when she pulled away he caught a flash of disappointment etched on her features, only to be replaced by a fake smile when Ginny and Harry (who was more than a little drunk by then) approached them.
~*~*~*~
"Ugh, I hate cleaning up." Ron complained as the two prefects, accompanied by Fred and George, tidied and tried to restore the common room to its' original format, much to the dissapointment of the weasley twins, who protested that "there should be a mini-bar in the common room all the time!"
Ginny had escorted Harry to bed to look after him, as by that time, he had drunk so much it would taken Fluffy a while to consume the same quantity.
"At least you aren't cleaning the muggle way." Hermione retorted, putting an engorgement charm on one of the sofas, that had been shrunked to toy size for the sake of storage during the party.
"I suppose." Ron considered, summoning the binbag to him and continuing to levitate the rubbish into the bin, "But why can't we let the house-elves do this?"
"BECAUSE, RON, I gave them the night off." Hermione said proudly. Ron groaned.
She immediately accelerated off into one of her rants, exclaiming that house-elves only get a few days off a year, and that studies showed that elves were the hardest-worked creatures in the wizarding world...
Fred and George shook their heads in a 'he's set her off AGAIN' fashion, packed up their wizarding wheezes case and stock for the mini-bar, and trooped up the stairs, waving sarcastically to their younger brother as they left. Hermione failed to notice this, though. She was still in mid- rant, oblivious to the fact that they were the last two left in the common room..
"it's hugely unfair, Ron, that you take the work of the house-elves for gra...."
She stopped mid sentance, not through choice, but because Ron had pressed a finger to her lips.
"Shhh," He said, "You wouldnt want to wake everyone up, would you?" Hermione turned a shade of garnet and did as she was told. ~*~*~*~
When everything had been cleaned up, and the common room had eventually been returned to its original stature, the two Gryffindor Prefects collapsed on the sofa opposite the fire. Ron reached for some white chocolate in the bowl beside him, then offered some to hermione. To his surprise, she didn't complain about how it was bad for the teeth, and accepted it without quell. She was suspiciously quiet. Just as Ron was about to question why, she ventured quietly, "Ron? Why did you disappear?" Ron gulped, thought a minute, then turned it around. "What's the stupidest reason you could think of?" He said, "Because that's probably bang on target." Hermione replied quickly, and although her face held the 'if you made me worried for no reason I will kill you' look, but her voice expressed amusement. "To annoy me." Ron took on the role of an inspiring quiz-show host; "That's a good one, but no. Keep going!" Hermione smiled dryly and played along. "Is it because you were. hiding from Snape because you wanted to get out of that essay you *havent* done yet?" "For this big invisible cheque," Ron said, pretending to hold a large piece of card aloft, "I'm afraid that's . incorrect." Hermione's expression turned almost pleading as she slowly took hold of his hands, bringing them down a little. "Please, Ron, I really want to know. It wasn't a joke. I was.. really worried." Her grip on his hands tightened marginally, and Ron sighed. He knew he had to tell her. "Well, I went because......"
~*~*~*~*~*~
Hermione smiled. Although it was a rubbish reason, she had promised not to laugh, and she didn't. She just silently accepted his opinions, swearing to herself that she would never understand the minds of boys. They had now fallen into a strange, quite uncomfortable silence. Both had not seemed to realise that they were still holding hands. Ron eventually broke hermione out of her non-thinking thoughts by asking a question that clogged up her throat, yet she had somehow known it was coming. "Hermione, have you, . err. spoken to your parents recently?" She shook her head, attempting to find her voice. "No. but I . think. whatever happens, . I'll be okay." Even though she had re-assured herself, tears still began to well in her eyes. *You ruined our lives! We didn't even have you!* The memories of what they said flooded back into her head in tidal waves. Not again. She'd been trying to forget for so long. Ron, seeing her tears, wrapped his arms around her. Then after a minute, he said quietly, "You know you'll always be welcome at the burrow." She smiled, though her eyes were still streaming. She snuggled her head closer into his chest and returned the embrace, wondering how she could fit so perfectly next to his body. "You know what?" Ron asked no-one in particular, "If you were adopted, Malfoy has been more wrong than he could have bargained for: you could be from a more pure-blood family than him!" Hermione managed to laugh as she wiped away the last lingering droplets from her face, rising her head to meet Ron's. He was grinning again. And now, she was, too.
Hermione was finally truly happy. The stone of worries that had lay in her stomach for the past few months had vanished completely, because now, she knew. She knew that whatever was thrown in her path, Ron would be there with her to help fight it. Even though he was stubborn, insufferable, teasing git who could make her laugh or cry; she didn't care. Because she loved him for it. He was the only one allowed to tease her, along with Harry. Even though she didn't love Harry like she loved Ron, he was a brother to her. How could she ask for anything more? She had her two best friends, she didn't want or care about blood (or not so blood)family.
She rested her head on his shoulder, breathing against his neck, and Ron leaned back against the sofa, Hermione tucked up in his arms. She never wanted the moment to end. Not ever. She felt him kiss her forehead and whisper an almost inaudible 'goodnight', and before she succumbed to sleep, she heard her lips return the phrase.
~*~*~*~*~
Hermione woke on Christmas morning to find herself half-sitting, half-lying on one of the sofas in the common room. She jumped when she felt something stir beneath her head. it was only then she looked down and found two warm arms wrapped around her, and realised the thing that was rising and falling beneath her was Ron's chest, which she had ended up using as a pillow.
Her mind reeled with questions. What had happened last night? Was this all a dream? How had she gotten into this position? Did harry know? Was Professor McGonagall going to take away her prefect badge for falling asleep on the sofa, setting a bad example, with a boy, nonetheless??
She quickly discovered that it was too early in the morning to question everything, and her head hurt just thinking about it. With a small sigh, the girl rested her head back on Ron's torso and noticed that it was incredibly warm and comfortable, that the steady sound of his heart beating was wonderfully soothing. Just as she was drifting back into the land of slumber, she tilted her head to glance up at his peaceful face, and before she could question herself why, her hand was moving up and lingering near his freckled cheeks. Only then did she manage to get back to sleep.
~*~*~*~
"Good Morning." she said, he returned the greeting, and strangely they found themselves smiling at each other. Ron's eyes studied her gentle features, then looked to find one of Hermione's hands resting inches away from the side of his head. She saw him glance at it, and her mouth blurted out the first thing that came to mind.
"Oh, you have something on your nose."
"Where?" He asked, reaching up to rub "the something" away. His hand met Hemione's; they both froze, eyes locked. Forever seemed to pass, both trying to read the emotions running across the others' faces. Then finally, Ron intertwined his fingers with Hermione's, and a small smile crept across her face.
As if the rules of magnetism had suddenly come into play, their faces were drawing closer to each other. Ron found his lips centimetres away from hers; hovering between bliss and heartache, friendship and love. The tension seemed unbearable. But for the first time in his life, Ron felt he was meant for the moment.
Their lips met. He felt lightheaded, not being able to think anything, just feeling like he was nibbling on a raw emotion pie, the most delicious of its kind. And slowly her mouth opened under his and he lost all senses except the feeling of his heart pounding against hers. When they finally pulled away from each other Ron felt like his life line had been cut- if he didn't have to breathe he would be very glad to kiss her all day.
Sitting up slightly, he met her eyes once more and they smiled back into his. Like he had only just realized their surroundings, Ron leaned close to her again, and whispered "Merry Christmas." Then the warm numbing feeling washed over him for the second time that morning as Hermione's arms wound around his neck and his lips were brought to hers.
Harry had an acute hangover, but he was certain that he was seeing straight as he groggily descended the stairs to the common room. He stopped, staring, a few steps from the bottom. Ginny crept up behind him and gasped, relaxed, and smiled. "It's about time." She said, keeping her voice down so not to disturb the two on the sofa. "True," Harry replied, "But it still is A Little Out Of The Ordinary."
~*~* FIN *~*~
Author's notes: WOW. I CANNOT BELIEVE IT'S ACTUALLY FINISHED! YAY!!!!! WAS THE FLUFF METER FULL TO BURSTING?? Oh, when I say yay I don't mean I'm glad it's over and done with, I mean I'm glad that I finally finished the most fluffy chapter of ALL TIME! WAHOO!!! Sadly, even though I've got that loved-up feeling that makes me want to jump up n down n clap, I've got no boyfriend to glomp and snuggle up and watch a good movie with. Oh well, enough of me whining. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to all of you readers- you must have the patience of angels to cope with me and my awful updating. AND I HAVE 53 REVIEWS! TAKE THAT, ALL YOU PPL WHO DOUBT ME!!!!!!! HA-HA! I promise you I will give you all reader- author feedback when I next update, whether it be my bio- or if I re-post this chapter with all the thanks and comments on it. In the meantime, YOU ARE ALL WONDERFUL AUTHORS AND READERS FOR READING AND PUTTING UP WITH ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ok, I'm blarbering again now. Any comments, mistakes, hate mail etc, clik box at bottom! Thanks again for reading. Jammie-Bro xx
