Right Here All Along
by Sunshine
vee_sunshine@yahoo.com

Rating: PG-13 right now, probably higher later on
Category: Ron/Hermione, Romance
Disclaimer: Were not, are not and never will be mine. The characters belong to J. K. Rowling, the title to Amanda Marshall
Summary: The Morning after...the sleepwalking incident
Feedback: Well, YES of course. Please.

Thank you so much to everybody who has reviewed or even taken the time to email me personally...if it wasn't for you, I'd have long given up on this. I will finish it, promise!

A/N 19/03/03: And it's been months again...I really am sorry. I underestimated college and the work involved, plus having a passage to write that I didn't know how to kept me from writing as much as I hoped. Every email or review I got helped, though, it gave me the push I needed to think about how to put the words onto paper - well, the screen really. Once my exams are over I'm going to have a long summer, and I plan on finishing this fic during that time. There really isn't much more to come...

Have *fun*!

Chapter 3

Hermione took a deep breath and leaned back over to see Ron's astronomy homework. They sat on a couch near one of the fireplaces, and because they hadn't managed to get a table, Ron had positioned his books on his knees.
Every time Hermione leaned closer her whole left side brushed against Ron, something that was not at all unpleasant but did provide quite a distraction to her.

She had had to catch her breath twice already, once when they had first sat down, the next time when they were talking and suddenly way to close when they turned their heads towards each other.

'Just one teeny tiny move and his lips would have been on mine...No, think homework, Hermione. Astronomy homework!'

Easier said than done, but Hermione couldn't afford to let her distraction show. If Ron noticed how infatuated she was with him, she was sure he would either laugh or be uncomfortable around her. Nothing was worse than finding out one of your best friends was in love with you and you didn't feel the same - in love? Oh my god, how could she not have recognized that she was in love with him?

This changed everything!

She would have been able to hide a crush, or simple lust. It wouldn't have been easy, but maybe it would have just gone away at one point.

It really shouldn't have been such a surprise that it was love, after all this indistinct feeling had been simmering around in her for about two years and she knew she wouldn't have held onto a simple crush for this long (she wasn't Ginny after all). But she loved him, just as she loved Harry, and this being-in-love feeling wasn't that different from it.

For reasons unknown to her, she had believed that she was just too smart and too *intellectual* to be able to feel love. Stupid reasons, apparently.

Well, she would just have to cope with it.

It couldn't be that much harder that lust, could it? She could not afford to lose one of her best friends due to her own stupidity, and if that meant hiding this newly discovered feeling, so be it. She would have to take care and stop these reactions to his proximity, his smell, his behaviour, and if she couldn't stop it, she would just have to push it down as far as possible. She couldn't simply stop being his friend after all, not that she had the desire to.

She *would* cope.

***

Ron looked over to where Hermione was sitting with an expression of mild astonishment on her face. He was sure it wasn't his homework, that usually resulted in expressions of interest, irritation (usually if she was looking over Harry's or his) or various other ones, including fascination. But she wasn't even really looking at his scroll, more like staring at her hands.

Well, they were pretty hands, but even they didn't deserve astonishment. At least not from Hermione.

"You alright?"

There was no answer, so Ron tried again.

"Hermione!"

"Hmm?" She turned towards him, but still seemed to be a bit lost.

"Are you okay? You've got this really strange look in your eyes...not planning anything, are you?"

"Oh. Oh no, just thinking about the...ahm...you know, your homework. It really is quite surprising how little effort both Harry and you put into this. You know we're going to take our N.E.W.T.s next year!"

"'Mione, it's almost two more years until then, and we only just took our O.W.L.s...I think we deserve a bit of a rest!"

"I know you are aware that we had a relaxing summer holiday, but since I haven't been able to change your approach to learning in the past five years, I don't feel like trying anymore right now. Let's get started on the Astronomy assignment."

"As you wish, oh dearest Miss Granger!"

***

When Harry came into the common room, Ron was just putting his Astronomy homework back into his school back. Apparently they had managed to work it over in a relatively short amount of time - that gave Harry hope for his own more-or-less hastily scribbled assignment.

"Hey you two! I think there is something you would like to know!"

"Hi Harry. Did you manage to find some books for the Charms project? I found some very helpful books, but since I don't have the same topic as you I don't know if they might be helpful. I'm certain I'll finish mine this weekend, so you can have them afterwards if you want to."

"Thank you Hermione, I did get some books for my own topic. But I wanted to show you this, it's much more interesting!"

"Wow, what could that be? It's not hard to find something more interesting than Charms..."

"I promise you'll enjoy it, Ron! Come on, have a look at this. I got this after Parvati and Lavender brought it back, because they were saying such fascinating things about it - for example about making your love life more interesting...now since theirs does not seem to have changed much, and the only change I observed after they cast the spell *exactly the day you told me Hermione's sleepwalking started* is precisely that..."

"Me sleepwalking doesn't necessarily have to do with a spell concerning Lavender and Parvati's love life. But I do admit it sounds suspicious, especially if the days match."

"I know. But I haven't yet had a look at the spell, so let's do that now. It should be number 77."

Hermione looked through the index and found the page quickly.

"Okay, here we go. Number 77- Let the unconscious mind reveal everything:

The unconscious mind is unguarded - especially during sleep - and it might reveal somebody's interest in you. This spell will ensure that before 24 hours have passed, you will know if your crush might be interested in you, too!

This incantation has to be done at night, preferably between one and two o'clock, as this is the time when mostly everybody is deeply asleep (even if somebody weren't, the spell would still work, albeit on a less intense level). Light a candle
(red or pink work best) and concentrate on the flame while chanting quietly.

My mother earth - reveal
My inner magic - spread
Find out how they feel
And fill up my bed!

Repeat this three times, then stay in your position for a few more minutes (between 3 and 5) and blow out the candle.

"Well, "unconscious", "bed" and "sleep" are all words that fit in this situation, and the spell is vague enough for it to affect me instead of them. Even the part about feelings, if not quite the way they would have wanted it to work - maybe you're lucky I didn't show up in your bed as well, Harry, since you're my other best friend!"

"Yes, yes, quite lucky, aren't I? Or I must simply accept the fact that you like Ron better than me..." Harry smiled.

"Oh Harry, you know that isn't true! I love you both just the same. Maybe I was dreaming of Ron that night? I don't know, and the book doesn't explain much either, does it."

"Dreaming of me? Have you done that before, Hermione?"

"Of course I have. I've dreamed about Harry as well - I dream about lot's of people! What kind of a question is that?"

"Sorry, I didn't mean it like that. Does that book say any more about the spell? Like how to reverse it - unless you'd like to keep on sleeping in my bed - just a joke, Jesus. You don't need to get violent!"

"Excuse me, but I wouldn't have to hurt you if you didn't make all these comments! Now lets find out about a counter spell or something similar."

***

Despite having found the spell they thought was responsible for Hermione's sleepwalking, the three friends didn't manage to find a counter spell that day. They decided to stop searching the library when Madam Pince kept giving them nasty looks, and went to bed after agreeing to meet up after lunch the next day.

As Ron and Harry were getting ready for bed, Harry noticed Ron looked a bit down, so he asked his friend for the reason.

"Me, down? No, I was just thinking."

"About what? Must have been quite interesting as you didn't even twitch when Saemus slammed the door to the bathroom..."

"Oh, did he? What was up with that?"

"Remember, he had detention with Snape earlier. But no changing the topic! What were you thinking of?"

"Really, it was nothing. Just debating over the whole spell thing...do you think we will find a way to end it?"

"Of course we will. Just because we didn't find anything today doesn't mean there isn't anything. We never let ourselves be put off this quickly!"

Harry turned around to get into bed, and Ron was glad he had convinced him that that was what he had been thinking of. It was part of it, certainly, but what had him feeling a bit disappointed was the easy explanation for the sleepwalking. He had hoped it had something to do with Hermione's feelings for him, but it had turned out to be her friendly feelings, not anything more.

During the last few days Ron had finally come to admit that he was in love with his female friend, and of course he couldn't help wishing for his feelings to be returned. He had started having conflicting thoughts about Hermione after, no, even before the Yule ball in their fourth year, and over the last months it had been getting harder and harder to convince himself that it was only friendship or infatuation. The fact that even as Hermione was in his bed and he really wanted to kiss her, the thing holding him back was not fear of rejection but scaring her had clued him in.

Knowing that she really only loved him as a friend did upset him, but he had been prepared for that all along. Now he only hoped he could keep from scaring her with his feelings by letting them show.

***

Surprisingly, it hadn't taken him long to fall asleep, so when a body slipped into bed with him, he was woken abruptly.

He slipped his right arm around Hermione and pulled her closer to himself, then nestled his head in her hair and was just about to go back to sleep when she moved against him.

"Ron?"

"'Mione? Just go to sleep, I'll wake you tomorrow."

"I just...yes, of course. Good night."

"Wait. You just...?"

"Oh. Well, I just wanted to thank you for not making a big deal about this. You have been so sweet during this whole thing, not once making complaints or teasing me too strongly, and I very much appreciate that. I'd love you anyway, but this has just shown me again that you're a great person."

Ron was speechless. He did know Hermione loved him as a friend, but she didn't' express those feelings to Harry or him very often, she wasn't that demonstrative. It made his heart hurt and burst with pleasure at the same time.

"You know I love you as well, Hermione. Sometimes I can't believe that I was ready to miss out on this great friendship years ago, when all I saw in you was just a little know-it-all...I know I wouldn't be the same today if I'd have only made friends with Harry.. I'd have probably failed my O.W.L.s!"

"Hilarious", she replied in a dead pan voice but with a smile on her face, and Ron could have sworn there where tears in her eyes. He decided not to comment on them.

"I know. But lets go to sleep now, I'm knackered."

"Sure. You don't mind me staying here? I really don't want to walk back to my own dorm just now."

"No, of course not. We've done it before, we can do it again, right? Sweet dreams."

"Yes, good night."

***
That's it for now! I know it's not been beta-read, but I hope the mistakes aren't too bad!
I'd love to hear from you, tell me what you liked and what you didn't!