Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns all characters, locations, and the entire
Harry Potter universe. I own nothing here. I am not making any money on any
of this, this is strictly for fun.
Clarity
"Ron, what is WITH you? You've been acting oddly since I got here."
They were sitting alone, outside, a little way down the hill from the Burrow. It was nearly nightfall, and they were watching fairies playing in the nearby trees. They reminded Hermione of fireflies from this distance.
'I...I don't really know, Hermione, it's just... I feel weird about something, and I don't know what to do about it."
Hermione looked at him suspiciously. "You could start by telling me what you feel weird about."
Ron's face turned faintly pink in the half-light.
"Well, it's sort of about Viktor Krum."
"Not that again! I thought we had finally convinced you he wasn't evil."
"No, it's not that. I mean, I know he's not evil. It's just.... Hermione, has he written to you since he left Hogwarts?"
It was Hermione's turn to look away, uncomfortable. "He's written a couple of times. He wants me to go and visit him."
"And?"
"And what?"
"Did you go?"
"No, you idiot, I've been here with you since the term ended."
"Oh. Right." Ron was silent for a while. After a few moments passed, Hermione lost her patience.
"Will you just spit it out? What's the problem with Viktor?"
"I... I hate him. More than even Malfoy. He was my idol, and now I hate him."
"What? Why? Why would you hate him?"
"Well, you remember the Yule Ball? For the Triwizard Tournament?"
"Of course. I was there, remember?"
"Exactly. You were there with Viktor. And when I saw you there, together, I had the strangest urge to hit him. I hated him. I thought it was because of the tournament, but now, I still do, and I don't really know why."
She was looking at him now, rather intently, with an odd look on her face. It was hard to see her face in the growing dark. As each second passed, Ron grew more and more uneasy.
"Do you really not know why?"
He couldn't see her face. It seemed vitally important that he see her face.
"I... I... don't really..." He trailed off helplessly, staring at the ground.
"Well, then, let me give you a clue." She moved closer, and suddenly Ron felt his face go several shades redder. He was finding it hard to think, with her sitting so close. Come to think of it, he was finding it hard to breathe.
She was so close - what was she doing? He looked up at her, and stopped, frozen, staring at her eyes, inches from his own.
And then she kissed him. Ron felt his own eyes go wide in shock, and then, suddenly, he understood, with perfect clarity, exactly what he was feeling. He had never understood anything quite so completely in his life.
"When... how... how long have you known?" He asked in wonder, when they parted.
"Well, I didn't know for sure, really, until just then. I had a suspicion, but I didn't actually know until you said something. I've been trying to get it out of you for weeks, now. You really can be quite dense sometimes, you know."
Astonished, Ron stared at her in the moonlight. And then he smiled, leaning forward to kiss her again.
Hermione always was the smart one.
Clarity
"Ron, what is WITH you? You've been acting oddly since I got here."
They were sitting alone, outside, a little way down the hill from the Burrow. It was nearly nightfall, and they were watching fairies playing in the nearby trees. They reminded Hermione of fireflies from this distance.
'I...I don't really know, Hermione, it's just... I feel weird about something, and I don't know what to do about it."
Hermione looked at him suspiciously. "You could start by telling me what you feel weird about."
Ron's face turned faintly pink in the half-light.
"Well, it's sort of about Viktor Krum."
"Not that again! I thought we had finally convinced you he wasn't evil."
"No, it's not that. I mean, I know he's not evil. It's just.... Hermione, has he written to you since he left Hogwarts?"
It was Hermione's turn to look away, uncomfortable. "He's written a couple of times. He wants me to go and visit him."
"And?"
"And what?"
"Did you go?"
"No, you idiot, I've been here with you since the term ended."
"Oh. Right." Ron was silent for a while. After a few moments passed, Hermione lost her patience.
"Will you just spit it out? What's the problem with Viktor?"
"I... I hate him. More than even Malfoy. He was my idol, and now I hate him."
"What? Why? Why would you hate him?"
"Well, you remember the Yule Ball? For the Triwizard Tournament?"
"Of course. I was there, remember?"
"Exactly. You were there with Viktor. And when I saw you there, together, I had the strangest urge to hit him. I hated him. I thought it was because of the tournament, but now, I still do, and I don't really know why."
She was looking at him now, rather intently, with an odd look on her face. It was hard to see her face in the growing dark. As each second passed, Ron grew more and more uneasy.
"Do you really not know why?"
He couldn't see her face. It seemed vitally important that he see her face.
"I... I... don't really..." He trailed off helplessly, staring at the ground.
"Well, then, let me give you a clue." She moved closer, and suddenly Ron felt his face go several shades redder. He was finding it hard to think, with her sitting so close. Come to think of it, he was finding it hard to breathe.
She was so close - what was she doing? He looked up at her, and stopped, frozen, staring at her eyes, inches from his own.
And then she kissed him. Ron felt his own eyes go wide in shock, and then, suddenly, he understood, with perfect clarity, exactly what he was feeling. He had never understood anything quite so completely in his life.
"When... how... how long have you known?" He asked in wonder, when they parted.
"Well, I didn't know for sure, really, until just then. I had a suspicion, but I didn't actually know until you said something. I've been trying to get it out of you for weeks, now. You really can be quite dense sometimes, you know."
Astonished, Ron stared at her in the moonlight. And then he smiled, leaning forward to kiss her again.
Hermione always was the smart one.