Chapter 2
" . . . leading him on and letting him go as far . . . " ----- Something To Sleep To by Michelle Branch
"Ron, are you sure you're all right?" Hermione asked that evening. "You've been acting strangely all day."
"I'm fine, Hermione," he said. Her name slipped off his tongue like honey. "Maybe I'm coming down with something."
"Do you want to go see Madame Pomfrey?" Hermione asked with a frown of concern.
"No," said Ron. "I'll be all right." He was going crazy being this close to her and not able to touch her, to hold her.
Harry was sitting in between his friends. The tension in the air was sizzling and cracking like lightning. He looked pointedly on Ron and jerked his head towards Hermione, who was engrossed in an ancient looking tome. Ron's eyes widened and he shook his head decisively.
Hermione looked at her watch. "I have some Astronomy homework I need to make some observations for. I'll see you guys later," she said as she left the room.
"Well?" said Harry after a moment's pause.
"Well, what?" Ron snapped. Harry was starting to get o n his nerves.
"Are you going to follow her or not?" Harry asked as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Not!" said Ron, jumping out of his seat on the sofa. "I can't say anything to her! What if - what if she doesn't want me? What if she only thinks of me as her friend?"
"What if she doesn't? What if she cares about you the same way you care about her?" Harry was out of his chair as well now.
"Why should she care about me? I'm - I'm just Ron; and she's - she's just perfect," Ron groaned and fell across the sofa he'd just vacated.
"How will you know if you never ask her?"
Ron exchanged a meaningful look with Harry.
"I'm going to bed," said Harry. "Let me know if you ever grow up," Harry departed the room and resolutely climbed the stairs to the boys' dormitory.
Ron was still for a minute, allowing Harry's parting words to echo in his mind. Suddenly, Ron sat up and thought a minute. Then, he strode purposefully out of the Gryffindor Common Room, heading straight for the Astronomy Tower.
* * *
Big feather-sized snowflakes were falling from the night sky when Ron stepped into the open air. Hermione had apparently finished her observations; she was trying to catch snowflakes on her tongue.
Ron smiled. Hermione turned around. Her cheeks were flushed, giving her a rosy glow that reminded Ron of an angel again.
"Hi," said Hermione with a big smile. "Care for a snack?" she went back to catching snowflakes, urging Ron to join her. He did.
But as he was catching snowflakes, he was secretly watching Hermione out of the corner of his eye. He turned to face her. Her little pink tongue was sticking out of her mouth; Ron wondered what it tasted like. Her eyes sparkled like diamonds in the snow and her body gracefully swished through the air. Finally, Ron couldn't stand it any longer.
"Hermione," he said, "have you ever been in love?"
Hermione slowly turned and looked him straight in the eye. "Yes, I have," she said. "But I don't think he can love me back. Have you ever been in love, Ron?"
Ron looked her straight in the eye. "Yes," he said, almost in a whisper, "but I don't think she can ever love me back."
Hermione turned and strode over to the low stone wall, brushing the snow off and leaning on her arms. "Tell me about her, Ron," she said. "Maybe I can help."
Ron walked over and stood beside her, gazing at her all the time. His heart stopped and his breath caught in his throat. "Well," he said, "she's the most wonderful person I've ever known. She's as beautiful as a flower in spring, with the grace of the falling snow. She - I can't think of any person like her. She knows everything, it seems; but she always wants to know more. I love her so much it hurts," his tone changed to one permeated with longing and urgency. "It's hell to be around her, not able to hold her, kiss her, smell her hair," he unconsciously raised a hand and almost stroked Hermione's curls, but he stopped himself. "But being away from her is even worse. There's this horrible, hollow emptiness inside me. It consumes me, eats me alive when I'm not with her. I don't know if I can live without her."
Hermione turned to him, snowflakes sticking to her eyelashes. "Does she know how you feel?" she asked.
"She does now," Ron replied.
Hermione looked up at him, like she had known all along, and brushed a snowflake-laden lock of hair out of his face.
Ron leaned down close to her face he could feel her breath caressing his cheek, and he knew what he should do. He gently put his hands on either side of her face and tilted it up to meet his. He softly brushed her lips with his and waited for her response. His eyes were closed, but he felt her smile and bring her hands around his neck. He smiled back and kissed her again, but with more passion and intensity this time, years of love pouring into a single kiss.
When he ended it, he still didn't want to let go of her, so he locked her in his embrace and buried his face in her neck and her hair. He smiled to himself as he thought, 'I was right; she does smell like lavender. And snow.'
A/N: Aww, wasn't that sweet?! I *loved* writing this chapter! The reason for the snow is that first of all, I really like the snow (read Melting to see another snowy romance) and it's snowing at my house! It hardly ever snows here! I'm very excited. Just to let you know, this is NOT going to be a smut-fic, like Melting sort of was. It was smut for me, anyway. If you know the song, you can probably guess what happens next, but if you don't I won't spoil it for you. Please tell me what you thought of this chapter! I really want to hear from you all. The next chapter should be up soon. I hope you guys like this fic!
" . . . leading him on and letting him go as far . . . " ----- Something To Sleep To by Michelle Branch
"Ron, are you sure you're all right?" Hermione asked that evening. "You've been acting strangely all day."
"I'm fine, Hermione," he said. Her name slipped off his tongue like honey. "Maybe I'm coming down with something."
"Do you want to go see Madame Pomfrey?" Hermione asked with a frown of concern.
"No," said Ron. "I'll be all right." He was going crazy being this close to her and not able to touch her, to hold her.
Harry was sitting in between his friends. The tension in the air was sizzling and cracking like lightning. He looked pointedly on Ron and jerked his head towards Hermione, who was engrossed in an ancient looking tome. Ron's eyes widened and he shook his head decisively.
Hermione looked at her watch. "I have some Astronomy homework I need to make some observations for. I'll see you guys later," she said as she left the room.
"Well?" said Harry after a moment's pause.
"Well, what?" Ron snapped. Harry was starting to get o n his nerves.
"Are you going to follow her or not?" Harry asked as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Not!" said Ron, jumping out of his seat on the sofa. "I can't say anything to her! What if - what if she doesn't want me? What if she only thinks of me as her friend?"
"What if she doesn't? What if she cares about you the same way you care about her?" Harry was out of his chair as well now.
"Why should she care about me? I'm - I'm just Ron; and she's - she's just perfect," Ron groaned and fell across the sofa he'd just vacated.
"How will you know if you never ask her?"
Ron exchanged a meaningful look with Harry.
"I'm going to bed," said Harry. "Let me know if you ever grow up," Harry departed the room and resolutely climbed the stairs to the boys' dormitory.
Ron was still for a minute, allowing Harry's parting words to echo in his mind. Suddenly, Ron sat up and thought a minute. Then, he strode purposefully out of the Gryffindor Common Room, heading straight for the Astronomy Tower.
* * *
Big feather-sized snowflakes were falling from the night sky when Ron stepped into the open air. Hermione had apparently finished her observations; she was trying to catch snowflakes on her tongue.
Ron smiled. Hermione turned around. Her cheeks were flushed, giving her a rosy glow that reminded Ron of an angel again.
"Hi," said Hermione with a big smile. "Care for a snack?" she went back to catching snowflakes, urging Ron to join her. He did.
But as he was catching snowflakes, he was secretly watching Hermione out of the corner of his eye. He turned to face her. Her little pink tongue was sticking out of her mouth; Ron wondered what it tasted like. Her eyes sparkled like diamonds in the snow and her body gracefully swished through the air. Finally, Ron couldn't stand it any longer.
"Hermione," he said, "have you ever been in love?"
Hermione slowly turned and looked him straight in the eye. "Yes, I have," she said. "But I don't think he can love me back. Have you ever been in love, Ron?"
Ron looked her straight in the eye. "Yes," he said, almost in a whisper, "but I don't think she can ever love me back."
Hermione turned and strode over to the low stone wall, brushing the snow off and leaning on her arms. "Tell me about her, Ron," she said. "Maybe I can help."
Ron walked over and stood beside her, gazing at her all the time. His heart stopped and his breath caught in his throat. "Well," he said, "she's the most wonderful person I've ever known. She's as beautiful as a flower in spring, with the grace of the falling snow. She - I can't think of any person like her. She knows everything, it seems; but she always wants to know more. I love her so much it hurts," his tone changed to one permeated with longing and urgency. "It's hell to be around her, not able to hold her, kiss her, smell her hair," he unconsciously raised a hand and almost stroked Hermione's curls, but he stopped himself. "But being away from her is even worse. There's this horrible, hollow emptiness inside me. It consumes me, eats me alive when I'm not with her. I don't know if I can live without her."
Hermione turned to him, snowflakes sticking to her eyelashes. "Does she know how you feel?" she asked.
"She does now," Ron replied.
Hermione looked up at him, like she had known all along, and brushed a snowflake-laden lock of hair out of his face.
Ron leaned down close to her face he could feel her breath caressing his cheek, and he knew what he should do. He gently put his hands on either side of her face and tilted it up to meet his. He softly brushed her lips with his and waited for her response. His eyes were closed, but he felt her smile and bring her hands around his neck. He smiled back and kissed her again, but with more passion and intensity this time, years of love pouring into a single kiss.
When he ended it, he still didn't want to let go of her, so he locked her in his embrace and buried his face in her neck and her hair. He smiled to himself as he thought, 'I was right; she does smell like lavender. And snow.'
A/N: Aww, wasn't that sweet?! I *loved* writing this chapter! The reason for the snow is that first of all, I really like the snow (read Melting to see another snowy romance) and it's snowing at my house! It hardly ever snows here! I'm very excited. Just to let you know, this is NOT going to be a smut-fic, like Melting sort of was. It was smut for me, anyway. If you know the song, you can probably guess what happens next, but if you don't I won't spoil it for you. Please tell me what you thought of this chapter! I really want to hear from you all. The next chapter should be up soon. I hope you guys like this fic!