Chapter 9

It had taken Ron the rest of the day to nurse his ego back to health. Now he knew what it felt like. He was determined to set things straight with her. The next day, things would be completely different between him and Hermione.

He woke up completely refreshed, even though the day before had been such a disaster. He had spent the rest of that day reserved and as far from Hermione as possible. All he could think about was how right Hermione had been in the end, like she always was. He had had plenty of time to think it over while Harry and Ginny worked with their drawing of the pitch. Being alone for Ron Weasley at that point was no problem. He had tons of homework to do, and plenty of time to do it now.

However, when he had gotten all of his books out and started, he realized that a lot of what he didn't understand he would need Hermione's help on. Sitting there, realizing this fact wasn't going to make him work any faster.

Closing his books and making his way upstairs, he decided that all he could do was sit around and think. He spent the rest of the night in his room, practicing Charms, Transfiguration, and thinking.

Once dressed that next morning, he knew for sure what he was going to do. Listening to the whooping and screaming outside, he knew that Harry and Ginny had gotten a head start on the morning to practice on their broomsticks. Sure enough, when he poked his head out, he saw that they were both on broom, covered head to toe with dirt, mud, grass and the like. He smiled, closing the window and backing up a few paces.

He was now excited. With Harry and Ginny out of the castle, he would be able to easily confront Hermione without being bothered by anyone.

Racing down the stairs so fast that he nearly tripped over his feet, Ron eagerly awaited seeing his beloved's precious face. All he could think about was how happy the day before he had become when he'd almost kissed her. How hot and tingly his body had gotten when she had stepped so close to him. It had felt like every inch of him was on fire. He wanted that feeling all the time.

Hermione was not occupying any of the couches in the common room; in fact, the room was completely empty. That was quite a rarity. After racing through the vacant common room, there was no question where he was going to head to next.

Yet once he had gotten to the library, searched high and low and at every table, he found that Hermione had not taken refuge in her usual spot.

Now completely confused, Ron scratched his red head and walked out of the library. There were only so many places Hermione Granger could go… maybe she wasn't even awake?

Making his way toward the Great Hall, he felt his heart finally start to pound nervously. What was he actually going to say to her? He felt like he had rehearsed it three million times but in truth he had no clue what he was going to say once he had her face to face. Maybe he would be so lost in her wonderful beauty… he would neglect to speak.

To his complete and utter dismay (and not to mention bewilderment), the Great Hall was empty as well. Turning around again, he stalked through the lobby and back up the stairs to the Gryffindor Tower. If he couldn't find her in the common room or the dorms, he would have to do a room-to-room search.

"Where in the bloody hell is Hermione?" he muttered under his breath. He raced back into the common room and still found no sign of her.

Collapsing into an armchair gloomily, he put his hands over his face. It was going to happen today. It just had to.

The screams and shouts coming from outside became louder and more gleeful. Ron scowled. How could his two friends be so happy when he was in the deepest trouble of his teenage life?

"Harry! Don't grab the end of my broomstick! That's a foul!"

"What foul, Ginny? I want to see how much you've been studying."

"Cut her some slack, Harry! You can't expect her to know, you've had the book in your trunk since the beginning of Christmas break."

His heart leapt. Her voice! It was Hermione! She was outside! How could he have overlooked the fact that she was outside?

Palms sweating, heart thudding like crazy, he jumped up and scrambled out the portrait hole, forgetting to grab his discarded robes.

"Take this and throw them up at me. I want to see how well I catch them," Harry called to Hermione, sending a package of golf balls down to her.

"All right," she said, opening them up quickly as Harry prepared in the air with Ginny.

"Now J, I want you to try as hard as you can to throw me off while I do this, and you carry that soccer ball while doing it. I'll be trying to knock it out of your arm. Ready with those balls Hermione?"

Hermione gave a thumbs up and began to do as she had been told. She laughed at the two as they knocked into each other and nearly toppled off the brooms.

"Thanks, Hermione, that was fun," Harry called.

"Yes, very entertaining!" Ginny agreed, laughing.

Ron walked out at the right time. Hermione had just set down the empty package she was holding, called up to Harry she had work to do, and walked away. Shivering from head to toe not only from the cold, Ron knew this was his chance. He had to do it now.

Hermione had just turned to enter the castle when she spotted the fiery red hair emerging. She swallowed the huge lump that was forming in her throat and proceeded toward him. She couldn't let her legs give out now.

"Hermione!" he called suddenly, not being able to contain his excitement.

"Hello, Ron," she answered in an impartial tone. She walked right past him.

Words suddenly failed him, as he had expected they would the whole time. Chasing after her rapidly on liquid-like feet, he walked close to her.

"Hermione, I have to talk to you."

"Okay, Ron, talk, I'm on my way to the dorms," she said, not looking up.

"Listen, there's something I need to say to you and I can't say it when you're walking that fast."

Hermione's heart gave a lurch. He was going to say it… he was going to say it…

She stopped walking and Ron crashed into her. "Okay," she sighed, turning around to face him, yet her eyes stayed downward.

"Hermione, look at me." His tone was so gentle that Hermione's hopes were confirmed. "I've been doing some thinking," he began. A large knot twisted in his stomach, but disappeared immediately.

"And I love you. I love the way you're always the first person with your hand in the air in class. I love the way you give me that look when I'm not studying. I love the way you walk into a room and have that air of pure confidence. I love the way you complain about your hair but gently play with it while you're thinking. I love the look on your face when we're playing chess. I love the way you nag me about getting my work done and being more efficient during exam time… I love your eyes, Hermione. I love your hair, I love your smile… I love everything about you. I love the way you told me first you loved me, too. I love your stubborn will to make me a better person and make me say all of this out loud."

Ron couldn't believe the rant he had gone off on after saying what he had to say. Obviously he had had a lot on his mind.

Hermione's eyes filled with unmistakable tears and they bled swiftly down her cheeks. "You know that is just like you, Ron," she said, a quaver in her voice. "You give me all of these reasons as to why you love me… You give me the one thing that in the wizarding world means you want to be bound with me and only me forever… You look at me with that face of yours… And you expect me just to fall in love with you. But I hate you, Ron. I hate you."

Ron smirked at Hermione. "I really hate you," she repeated.

He stepped closer to her, smiling. Hermione could be a handful, but she was his handful and he was completely prepared to manage her.

Ron put his right hand comfortingly on Hermione's tearstained cheek. She was staring at him with blurry eyes. "Don't cry anymore, I'm not going anywhere," he whispered, and with all the courage he could muster in the world, he pulled Hermione into his first kiss.

Once their lips pressed together, it was unlike any other magic the two had performed in their lives. Hermione knew that she would never cast a spell as moving as this kiss. It was so passionate, so full, and so beautiful that she continued to cry, but this time she cried different tears.

Pulling away from Hermione, Ron put his hands on her face and caught her eyes with his own. "I love you and I know that now."

Hermione closed her eyes and let tears slip down her cheeks again.

"It's about time," she whispered to him.

"I'll say!" said a voice behind them. They whipped around to see that Harry and Ginny were standing behind them, peering behind a wall, listening mischievously.

The two looked at each other and the four began to laugh. They laughed so hard that they all forgot themselves for a few seconds. Hermione finally looked back at Ron after Harry and Ginny had returned to practice.

"That flower, Weasley," she said in a threatening tone.

"What?" he asked, confused. "What about it?"

"You better have really meant it when you gave it to me," she said in a husky voice. She was blinking her eyes at him lovingly. "You better have intended to be with me forever."

"Always, always," he said, clutching her face and kissing her again.

And floating past the window, a quick yell broke the mood.

"OH GIVE ME A BREAK!"

Two days later, Ron sat outside on the Quidditch field, Quidditch field, feeling as frozen as he had a few days before. This time however, he didn't seem to notice that his toes had lost all feeling. He still had feeling in his hands, which mattered.

Hermione grasped them tightly as she snuggled up to Ron. Her head was now resting on his shoulder and she got as close to him as she could without sitting on top of him. Both pairs of hands clasped each other for added warmth… or so they said. Ron found that Hermione's large mop of unruly brown hair served as a wonderful cheek warmer. It also smelled heavenly.

"You stupid prat!" Harry said, throwing the soccer ball at Ginny's head.

"ME a stupid prat? Oh, Potter, you ROTTER!" she screamed, diving in for the kill. He narrowly avoided colliding with the young Weasley girl and laughed as they chased each other around the pitch.

"They're something else," Ron whispered to Hermione, who had been dozing happily next to him.

"They certainly are," Hermione closed her eyes and got still closer to Ron.

Ron smiled down at Hermione and then back up at the sky. He pushed his face further into Hermione's hair and thought that for once, everything was as perfect as it could be. He had never even hoped to dream that Hermione would be sitting so close to him, snuggling with him when she could have been in the library, perfectly well, doing plenty of studying. Thankfully, things had not turned out that way for them. She was becoming relaxed and loving for him. He knew that what he had to offer her was to work as hard as he could. Whatever it was. At work, at school, with her, their relationship. He had to make the valiant effort and have courage to do it.

And he didn't even need the golden heart.