Hermione suggested that they implement their plan before the quidditch game on Saturday. She told Ron that the longer they took the more likely the secret was to come out, but in truth she needed something to take his mind off the game and the Slytherin taunting.
On the Friday morning of that week Luna received a letter at breakfast in the Great Hall. The front was addressed to her but also told her to read it alone, so, signalling to Ginny, she existed the hall and entered an empty classroom. As Ginny made to follow she missed the looks of satisfaction on Ron and Hermione's faces.
In the classroom Luna was reading the letter. "It's from Ron," she explained at Ginny's questioning look. Luna's face looked horrified as she finished the parchment, "Oh Merlin's beard," she gasped, "he wants to go for a date in the Room of Requirement- tonight!"
"Are you kidding!?" Ginny exclaimed snatching the letter.
"No!"
"I can not believe that he would do that to Hermio- wait hang on a minute." Ginny quickly disappeared and returned moments later with Neville in tow, "Do they know that we know?" she asked him.
"No." he said, avoiding her eyes.
"Neville," she glared.
He broke, "They know you know."
"Ugh, I knew it! Oh I cannot believe those two!"
Luna couldn't believe what she was hearing, "They thought they can mess with us! They're trying to mess with us?" She then had one of Hermione's famous revelations, "They don't know that we know they know we know!" Behind her Neville banged his head against the wall in depression. "And Neville, you can't say anything."
"I couldn't even if I wanted too," he sighed.
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On their way to class Ron was accosted by Luna, Hermione hung back within eavesdropping range and Ginny waited behind. Hermione smiled to her self as she thought about how panicked the girls would be about the date. Luna was defiantly going to decline- she had to. Unfortunately for her Luna and Ginny weren't about to back down easily.
Luna turned on the charm, "So Ron, I'd love to come by tonight."
Ron hid his surprise badly, "Really?"
"Oh absolutely. Shall we say, around seven?"
He tried to regain his composure. "Yes," he managed to push put of his throat.
"Good. I'm really looking forward to you and me being together." Luna arched herself suggestively, and tried to ignore the gagging noises coming from Ginny's direction.
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That night it was time for the date. Outside the room Ginny and Luna were perfecting their final preparations.
"Show time!" Ginny laughed.
"Okay. Gin, you got some perfume?" Luna asked.
"Here you go." Ginny sprayed it in the air and Luna twirled in the mist getting a feel for her dress robes and high heels.
Inside, the room was decked with similar furniture to Ron and Hermione's earlier date only this time there were no dimmed lights, flickering candles or rose petals. The room had read Ron's wishes and he wished to be anywhere but there.
"All right, it'll be great! You just make her think you want to be with her." Hermione persuaded.
"Okay, listen, how far am I going to have to go with this?" asked a worried Ron. Yes, this had started out as a game but what if something happened to ruin what he had with Hermione?"
"Relax, she's going to give in way before you do."
"How do you know?"
"Because I know everything."
"Even this!?
"Well it's been your favourite catch phrase for the past five years. Now, do you really want Ginny and Luna to win?" he shook his head, "Then just do a bit of acting." She pecked him on the lips, "Good luck," she whispered and ran behind a screen conveniently placed within hearing distance and equipped with spy holes, as was the door to the outside corridor for the use of Ginny.
Back outside Luna mentally prepared herself for the winding up of Ron in this fake date.
Ginny passed her some bottles and wished her luck, "Okay Luna, now I'm going to listen from right here."
With that Luna knocked on the door with the neck of the bottles and Ginny quickly ducked out of sight.
"Luna," Ron greeted.
"Ron," she replied.
"Come on in." He opened the door out wide for her to pass.
"I was going too," she laughed trying to break the awkwardness, "Umm, I brought some butter beer. Would you like some?"
"Sure." Inside his head Ron had absolutely no idea what he was doing.
Luna walked up to the table and two large glasses appeared. She quickly poured the drinks but at the same time dragged out the seconds for as long as possible.
"So, here we are. Nervous?" she asked.
"Me? No. You?" hope in his voice.
"No, I want this to happen," she replied confidently, hoping to break him soon.
"So do I," he didn't sound as confident and Luna smiled at the thought of an early victory.
They clinked their glasses in toast and took a sip. The sip turned into a gulp, until they had both chugged down the warm liquid. Unfortunately not that much time had been used up and the beer hadn't warmed them up like it usually did.
"I'm going to think on some music," half suggested Ron.
Luna tried to think of something to contribute. "Maybe... maybe I'll dance for you," she said before really thinking about it and as the music began she tried to move seductively to the slow, yet oddly disjointed, beat.
"You look good."
"Thanks. Y'know, when you say things like that it makes me want to snog you senseless," inwardly she cringed at the thought.
"Well, why don't we think up a bed?" Ron suggested hoping to end this soon by the audacity of his question.
"Really?"
"Oh, do you not want to?"
"No. No! It's just... first, I want to share strawberries and chocolate and see where it goes."
Ron swallowed hard and wished that he'd never raised the stakes. "Well that would be nice," he lied, "I'll go get the chocolate."
Using that as an excuse he quickly ducked behind the screen and started whispering to Hermione frantically, "Listen, this is totally getting out of hand! Okay? She wants us to eat strawberries with chocolate and see where it goes."
"She's bluffing." Hermione calmed.
"Look, she's not backing down."
While Ron was busy having a mild panic attack with Hermione, Luna went to seek support from Ginny.
"He's not backing down," she explained worriedly, "he went to get chocolate."
Just then Neville appeared walking down the corridor to meet them, "Aren't you finished yet? Someone'll spot you out here."
"Neville, just look at it this way, the sooner Luna breaks Ron the sooner this is all over and out in the open," Ginny explained.
"Okay just hurry up." He then decided to offer some advice to speed things up, "Luna take the lead more, this is Ron we're talking about- it took him four and a bit years to ask out Hermione even after she basically told him to after the Yule Ball."
Meanwhile, back behind the screen Hermione was thinking up the confectionary and fruit, she was also starting to get a 'little' competitive, "Now, you go back out there and you seduce her till she cracks!"
"Okay! Just give me a second." Ron sighed and took a look around the room, "Is that a book!"
"Of course," she shrugged, what else was she meant to do behind there?
Ron then left Hermione to carry on with show. When he came from behind the screen and saw Luna fiddling with the door he thought his luck had turned, "Oh, you're going?" he said trying to hide the relief from his voice.
"Umm, not without you, lover," she tried to make her voice husky and follow Neville's advice be making the first real move.
Ron swallowed hard as she moved nearer. "I'm very happy that we're going to be together," he managed to stutter.
"You should be." Finally she was about a step away from him when she whispered, "I'm going to kiss you now."
Ron tried to sound confident, "Not if I kiss you first."
Luna daringly wrapped her arms around his shoulders while Ron cautiously touched her sides loosely. She faked a murmur of pleasure.
"Well, I guess there's nothing left for us to do but-but kiss," spoke Ron hoping that he could bluff Luna into breaking it off now.
"Here it comes. Our first kiss." Luna also pushed, trying to get him to admit what they all knew.
Very slowly their lips moved together but their eyes remained open until it turned into a very odd staring competition.
That was it for Ron and he broke, "Okay! Okay! Okay! You win! You win!! I can't kiss you."
"And why not?" Luna challenged.
Ron shouted out the first thing that came to mind- the only thing that was ever on his mind, "Because I'm in love with Hermione!!"
Luna gasped, "You're- you what!?"
Hermione, Ginny and Neville leapt out of their hiding places in shock.
"Love her! That's right, I...LOVE...HER!!! I love her!!" he shouted, not caring if the whole world heard. Ron walked over to the girl of his dreams and put his arms around her waist. As she returned the embrace he looked into her face and whispered, "I love you Hermione."
"I love you too Ron." She looked deep into his eyes and gasped at the tenderness she saw. How had they never told each other that before? Slowly they leaned together and shared a gentle kiss while the others watched with stupid smiles on their faces.
"I just- I thought you guys just fancied each other, I didn't know you were in love!" exclaimed Luna, wonder shining in her eyes.
Ron glanced at all of his friends and laughed inside at the thought of them being so happy simply because he and Hermione admitted the truth. "And hats off to Luna. Quite a competitor."
Neville's face smiled with glee at the realisation that there would be no more secrets, "All right! So that's it! It's over! Everybody knows!"
"Well actually, Harry doesn't. And nor does the rest of the school," reminded Hermione.
"Yes, and we'd appreciate it if no one told them yet." Ron asked pleadingly. Around the room people nodded although Neville didn't try very hard to hide the look of annoyance on his face.
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Sometime in the 6th year....
Coming back surprisingly early from a quidditch practice Harry walked to the back of the library seeking Hermione after she and Ron had been missing from the common room,
"Oh...my god."
He was pretty surprised by what he found.
THE END
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AN: There you go its finished, if you've waited till the end of the fic NOW is the time to review. So if you're reading this perhaps NOW would be a great time to CLICK the little BLUE BUTTON.
If you want a sequel you'll have to tell me if you want it to carry on in the Friends style or if I should have Ron and Hermionw explain it to Harry in my own way. Any other ideas are always appreciated and finally I'd like to thank: -
Marauder Angel
HermyRonGrl
meghan
orlandoisahottie
BrownPryde
Liza
For their wonderful reviews. If I missed anyone out I'm sorry, blame the computer.