Hermione's eyes shot open with a start after a few seconds had passed. She pulled her lips from Ron's, and noted the embarrassed smile that Ron was starting to emit. Hermione felt her cheeks flush red, but not for the reason Ron was hoping they were. She turned her head from him and mumbled, "I shouldn't have let you do that, Ron." Indeed this was not at all the reaction Ron had been expecting, and the smile quickly left his face.
"Didn't you like it?" Ron retorted. He had assumed it's something she wanted him to do. Hermione sighed, and turned to him nervously. Ron got a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. "Maybe it wasn't," he thought to himself.
"It was nice, but--"
"Just 'nice'?!" Ron shot as he stood. Feeling both angry and embarrassed, he walked over to a nearby willow tree, and leaned against it, keeping his back purposefully to Hermione. He crossed his arms to try to leviate the sickening feeling which was forming in his gut. Hermione walked up behind him, trying to contain her annoyance.
"I don't think I kissed you for the same reasons you kissed me," she said very matter of factly. Ron rounded on her, his ears turning crimson.
"What were your reasons then?" he prodded. "I just assumed that you felt about me, the way I--the way…." Hermione tried to chose her words very carefully.
"Ron, I don't want to hurt your feelings--"
"Just, you know what, just," he shook his head in frustration, "…..don't….just don't," Ron finished for her. Hermione took a few more steps closer to him. She knew this conversation had been long in coming, but she didn't think she had the gumption to attack it now.
"I kissed you back, Ron, because I do care for you, and I'm breaking inside. I needed that warmth, and it was quite selfish of me to take that from you--"
"Understatement of the century!" barked Ron. Hermione rolled her eyes but continued.
"I never told you I knew you had, well…feelings…for me, because I…"she took his hand. "I do love you Ron, but just not in that way." Ron glanced up at her. He didn't know what to say or how to feel. Who could at a time like this? "I have always been in love with someone, but now, he'll never know." Ron's mouth dropped.
"Harry?!" he whispered. Hermione nodded meekly. Nor Ron really couldn't think of anything to do or say. He let go of Hermione's hand, and turned to walk away, but then he turned back on Hermione with a vicious attack.
"You let me go on all this time, then?!"
"I never once indicated to you that--"
"Bull, Hermione!" Ron bellowed. He couldn't take much more of this. He was fuming inside. First Harry's murdered now this!
"See Ron?!" Hermione said throwing up her hands. "See?! THIS is exactly what we would do day in and day out, twenty-four seven!"
"How do you know? You never wanted to try!"
"Because I knew this is exactly how things would be!" she said, her vocal strain now matching Ron's. "I never meant to fall in love with Harry, Ron! You can't help who you fall in love with, and if it makes you FEEL any better, he'll never know now, will he?!?!" There was a tense silence as the two glared at each other. After a moment, Ron turned from her, and slumped to the ground, wrapping his knees close to him to sheild against the snowing winds. "I truly never wanted to hurt you," she thought to herself. Cautiously, Hermione walked to his side and sat next to him. Tears were forming in her eyes.
"Merlin, I am so SICK of crying," she said as she wiped the wetness from her cheeks, forcing a small laugh. Ron's face twitched timidly, as he looked at her, and for the first time in his life said,
"I'm sorry, Hermione." Hermione smiled and looked back at him.
"You've never--"
"Yeah, I know," he mumbled, and turned his gaze back over the hillside. The sun was setting fast on the day, and what seemed like the rest of Ron's life. He breathed a very burdened sigh as he said, "How do we move on from any of this?" He squeezed his knees in tighter, took in another tight breathed and hissed through his teeth, "Who cares that You-Know-Who- --"
"Voldemort, Ron, don't give him any sort of reverent, fearful acknowledgment." Ron's fists clenched as his jaw tightened.
"That HE's dead. Harry is GONE." Ron started to flare. He stood and shouted off to the setting sun, "WHY DID YOU HAVE TO KILL HIM HARRY!!" Hermione looked up at Ron, too shocked to say anything. "IF YOU WERE GOING TO DIE, WHY DIDN'T YOU LEAVE HIM FOR ME!!" Hermione was completely dumbfounded, and her heart broke to see Ron this…..vulnerably hating.
"He's gone barmy," she thought, but knew her heart was crying the exact same things. Ron trudged down the small hill and pulled out his wand. He spun around in a circle, arms outstretched head to the sky, calling out to the sky,
"VOLDEMORT!" He now stopped, but still cast his gaze for the heavens. Tears were streaming down his face. "WHERE ARE YOU, YOU SICK, PSYCHO MUDBLOOD FREAK!! WHERE THE BLOODY HELL ARE YOU!?!?!"
"Ron!" cried Hermione, shooting to her feet. "Don't EVER say that word!"
Ignoring her, Ron continued to scream, "COME GET ME TO VOLDEMORT!! I'M RIGHT HERE!! COME GET ME TOO!!" His only answer was the howling winter chill, and rustling leaved that tumbled through the graveyard. Hermione couldn't take anymore. She charged down to Ron, clenched him into her arms as he bawled, "KILL ME TOO!!"
"Stop it!" commanded Hermione shrilly. She was scaring him. "Stop it Ron, stop it!"
"YOU KILLED HIM!! YOU MURDERED HIM!!"
"RON!"
"KILL ME TOO!!!"
"With pleasure," came a hissing voice from behind the willow tree.
A/N: I am aware that this chapter is short, but there's a reason, so that the NEXT chapter isn't already longer than it's going to be. A lot of things have to get explained, and I guarantee some major "squee-age" for the H/Hr fans in the next chapter. See, there was a method in that shudders R/Hr kiss shudders again It had to be proven WRONG!
"Didn't you like it?" Ron retorted. He had assumed it's something she wanted him to do. Hermione sighed, and turned to him nervously. Ron got a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. "Maybe it wasn't," he thought to himself.
"It was nice, but--"
"Just 'nice'?!" Ron shot as he stood. Feeling both angry and embarrassed, he walked over to a nearby willow tree, and leaned against it, keeping his back purposefully to Hermione. He crossed his arms to try to leviate the sickening feeling which was forming in his gut. Hermione walked up behind him, trying to contain her annoyance.
"I don't think I kissed you for the same reasons you kissed me," she said very matter of factly. Ron rounded on her, his ears turning crimson.
"What were your reasons then?" he prodded. "I just assumed that you felt about me, the way I--the way…." Hermione tried to chose her words very carefully.
"Ron, I don't want to hurt your feelings--"
"Just, you know what, just," he shook his head in frustration, "…..don't….just don't," Ron finished for her. Hermione took a few more steps closer to him. She knew this conversation had been long in coming, but she didn't think she had the gumption to attack it now.
"I kissed you back, Ron, because I do care for you, and I'm breaking inside. I needed that warmth, and it was quite selfish of me to take that from you--"
"Understatement of the century!" barked Ron. Hermione rolled her eyes but continued.
"I never told you I knew you had, well…feelings…for me, because I…"she took his hand. "I do love you Ron, but just not in that way." Ron glanced up at her. He didn't know what to say or how to feel. Who could at a time like this? "I have always been in love with someone, but now, he'll never know." Ron's mouth dropped.
"Harry?!" he whispered. Hermione nodded meekly. Nor Ron really couldn't think of anything to do or say. He let go of Hermione's hand, and turned to walk away, but then he turned back on Hermione with a vicious attack.
"You let me go on all this time, then?!"
"I never once indicated to you that--"
"Bull, Hermione!" Ron bellowed. He couldn't take much more of this. He was fuming inside. First Harry's murdered now this!
"See Ron?!" Hermione said throwing up her hands. "See?! THIS is exactly what we would do day in and day out, twenty-four seven!"
"How do you know? You never wanted to try!"
"Because I knew this is exactly how things would be!" she said, her vocal strain now matching Ron's. "I never meant to fall in love with Harry, Ron! You can't help who you fall in love with, and if it makes you FEEL any better, he'll never know now, will he?!?!" There was a tense silence as the two glared at each other. After a moment, Ron turned from her, and slumped to the ground, wrapping his knees close to him to sheild against the snowing winds. "I truly never wanted to hurt you," she thought to herself. Cautiously, Hermione walked to his side and sat next to him. Tears were forming in her eyes.
"Merlin, I am so SICK of crying," she said as she wiped the wetness from her cheeks, forcing a small laugh. Ron's face twitched timidly, as he looked at her, and for the first time in his life said,
"I'm sorry, Hermione." Hermione smiled and looked back at him.
"You've never--"
"Yeah, I know," he mumbled, and turned his gaze back over the hillside. The sun was setting fast on the day, and what seemed like the rest of Ron's life. He breathed a very burdened sigh as he said, "How do we move on from any of this?" He squeezed his knees in tighter, took in another tight breathed and hissed through his teeth, "Who cares that You-Know-Who- --"
"Voldemort, Ron, don't give him any sort of reverent, fearful acknowledgment." Ron's fists clenched as his jaw tightened.
"That HE's dead. Harry is GONE." Ron started to flare. He stood and shouted off to the setting sun, "WHY DID YOU HAVE TO KILL HIM HARRY!!" Hermione looked up at Ron, too shocked to say anything. "IF YOU WERE GOING TO DIE, WHY DIDN'T YOU LEAVE HIM FOR ME!!" Hermione was completely dumbfounded, and her heart broke to see Ron this…..vulnerably hating.
"He's gone barmy," she thought, but knew her heart was crying the exact same things. Ron trudged down the small hill and pulled out his wand. He spun around in a circle, arms outstretched head to the sky, calling out to the sky,
"VOLDEMORT!" He now stopped, but still cast his gaze for the heavens. Tears were streaming down his face. "WHERE ARE YOU, YOU SICK, PSYCHO MUDBLOOD FREAK!! WHERE THE BLOODY HELL ARE YOU!?!?!"
"Ron!" cried Hermione, shooting to her feet. "Don't EVER say that word!"
Ignoring her, Ron continued to scream, "COME GET ME TO VOLDEMORT!! I'M RIGHT HERE!! COME GET ME TOO!!" His only answer was the howling winter chill, and rustling leaved that tumbled through the graveyard. Hermione couldn't take anymore. She charged down to Ron, clenched him into her arms as he bawled, "KILL ME TOO!!"
"Stop it!" commanded Hermione shrilly. She was scaring him. "Stop it Ron, stop it!"
"YOU KILLED HIM!! YOU MURDERED HIM!!"
"RON!"
"KILL ME TOO!!!"
"With pleasure," came a hissing voice from behind the willow tree.
A/N: I am aware that this chapter is short, but there's a reason, so that the NEXT chapter isn't already longer than it's going to be. A lot of things have to get explained, and I guarantee some major "squee-age" for the H/Hr fans in the next chapter. See, there was a method in that shudders R/Hr kiss shudders again It had to be proven WRONG!