Brother and Sister
"Your brother and my sister no sooner met than they looked; no sooner looked but they loved; no sooner loved but they sighed; no sooner sighed but they but they asked one another the reason; no sooner knew the reason but they sought the remedy."-W. Shakespeare
Chapter 2
Hermione spying Ron and Ginny sitting off to the side in the Common Room walked over to the table and sat down next to Ron. "Hi, Ginny," said Hermione with a small smile. This was the last place she had thought to look for Ron and was greatly surprised to find that he had sought out Ginny. She figured he would have gone to see Harry but when she had found Harry he said he hadn't see Ron since early that morning.
"Hey," replied Ginny looking a tad anxiously from Ron and Hermione. She could guess the fight earlier had been about Hermione visiting Krum over the summer. Now that she had talked to Ron what would her brother do?
Hermione turned her attention to Ron and said coolly, "You didn't have to storm off like that."
Ginny could hear a note of distinct worry in Hermione's voice despite her attempts not to betray any feelings. Sure they had bickered and argued plenty of times, but, like summer storms, they were normally short and of brief duration. Ron had never stormed off before.
Ron didn't really know what to say or where to begin. Unnoticed by Hermione, Ron shifted his eyes just a second to glance at Ginny, to plead for her help. All he could see was Ginny mouthing silently, "Go, on!" Body heat rising, throat constricting painfully, Ron finally muttered, "Hermione, we need to talk. Do you mind if we go out to the lake?"
Ginny watched them as several excruciatingly slow moments went by. Hermione's expression was unreadable. Ron, Ginny could tell from years of experience, was suffering a painful internal struggle between the fear of telling Hermione how he felt, possibly to be rejected and the fear of not telling her and losing her to Krum.
Finally, Hermione said the word. "Okay."
The sun was beaming down from in the blue sky when Ron and Hermione stopped near the lake. The trip down had been silent except for the mention of a few trivialities. Ron walked to the lake's edge and gazed out as far as he could see. He would have stared as long as he could to avoid looking at Hermione. His heart was racing and he tried to wipe his sweaty palms off on his pants but to no avail. Finally, he cleared his voice and said in a low voice, "I don't want you to visit Krum this summer."
Unintentionally, he started the row up again. An angry, exasperated, defiant voice answered him back. "Is this what you brought me out here to tell me? Where I spent my summer is no concern of yours, Ronald!"
Ron spun around. He hated when she used his full name like that. Heat rising, this time for other reasons, he said, "Oh, yeah?! Harry told me what Krum said about you during the tri-wizard tournament. He doesn't just want to be your friend, Hermione! He was jealous of Harry because you were talking about Harry all the time you were with him!"
Ron's heart sunk at the realization of what he had said hit him. Maybe it wasn't Krum after all. Maybe it was Harry whom Hermione fancied after all.
Oblivious to Ron's thoughts, Hermione turned pink, whether from anger or embarrassment or both, and said, "They're both my friends, Ron! And where I spend my summer is no concern of yours!"
Something she said woke Ron from his thoughts and fears and he yelled back, "Yes it is!" He was now red in the face too. "I care about you and don't want to see you get hurt! I love you and I want you to spend the summer with me!"
A look of complete shock fell over Hermione's face and she whispered urgently, "What? What did you say?"
"I said...," began Ron again, angry, until the full impact of what he had said came to him and fell completely silent.
The two stared at each other, no longer angry, both at a loss for words and waiting for the other to speak.
Finally, Ron took a step closer to Hermione. He suddenly found his shoes very interesting but he managed to say quietly, "Hermione, I..."
"Ron, I..."
Ron looked up to find that Hermione had taken a step closer. He was sure had been physically more closer to Hermione in times past but for some reason he felt her now more than he had ever had before. Their eyes locked. He looked into her eyes and tried to read them. Did she fancy him to or was it merely pity he was seeing? His heart was beating so loudly he was sure she could hear it. He tried to boost his courage by repeating over and over in his mind, Ginny says she fancies me. Ginny says she fancies me. He just hoped she wasn't wrong. "If you don't feel the same way I'll understand."
Hermione said nothing as a tear slid down her cheek. Ron, misreading Hermione's silence, his heart heavy turned to go.
"No, Ron, wait!" said Hermione waking out of her daze. She didn't think Ron had fancied her at all. She had always fancied him.
Ron stopped and turned. Hermione stretched out her hand and shakily put it on his arm. She let it trail down until it found his hand and then she interlaced their fingers together. Ron just stared Hermione's warm hand in his and was surprised to find her hand as warm as his. Finally, Ron looked up at Hermione's face.
"I've fancied you for ages, Ron. I just never thought..."
Hermione's lower lip began to tremble. Ron's heart leapt with joy at Hermione's words and the fear that Hermione was going to start crying a lot. He was useless in times like these, and hardly knowing what he was doing, only thinking that he wanted to comfort her, he stepped in and quickly, sweetly, gave her a kiss on her lips. Breaking apart, realizing what he had down, he began to mutter his apologies sure that Hermione would start yelling at him any moment. But she didn't. Another tear fell but she had a faint smile on her lips that she was trying to control. "It's okay, Ron. That was fine."
Ron grinned and looked down sheepishly. His feelings were indescribable. He had never felt this way before. It was truly the happiest moment of his life. And when he looked up at Hermione he could tell she felt exactly the same way.
"Your brother and my sister no sooner met than they looked; no sooner looked but they loved; no sooner loved but they sighed; no sooner sighed but they but they asked one another the reason; no sooner knew the reason but they sought the remedy."-W. Shakespeare
Chapter 2
Hermione spying Ron and Ginny sitting off to the side in the Common Room walked over to the table and sat down next to Ron. "Hi, Ginny," said Hermione with a small smile. This was the last place she had thought to look for Ron and was greatly surprised to find that he had sought out Ginny. She figured he would have gone to see Harry but when she had found Harry he said he hadn't see Ron since early that morning.
"Hey," replied Ginny looking a tad anxiously from Ron and Hermione. She could guess the fight earlier had been about Hermione visiting Krum over the summer. Now that she had talked to Ron what would her brother do?
Hermione turned her attention to Ron and said coolly, "You didn't have to storm off like that."
Ginny could hear a note of distinct worry in Hermione's voice despite her attempts not to betray any feelings. Sure they had bickered and argued plenty of times, but, like summer storms, they were normally short and of brief duration. Ron had never stormed off before.
Ron didn't really know what to say or where to begin. Unnoticed by Hermione, Ron shifted his eyes just a second to glance at Ginny, to plead for her help. All he could see was Ginny mouthing silently, "Go, on!" Body heat rising, throat constricting painfully, Ron finally muttered, "Hermione, we need to talk. Do you mind if we go out to the lake?"
Ginny watched them as several excruciatingly slow moments went by. Hermione's expression was unreadable. Ron, Ginny could tell from years of experience, was suffering a painful internal struggle between the fear of telling Hermione how he felt, possibly to be rejected and the fear of not telling her and losing her to Krum.
Finally, Hermione said the word. "Okay."
The sun was beaming down from in the blue sky when Ron and Hermione stopped near the lake. The trip down had been silent except for the mention of a few trivialities. Ron walked to the lake's edge and gazed out as far as he could see. He would have stared as long as he could to avoid looking at Hermione. His heart was racing and he tried to wipe his sweaty palms off on his pants but to no avail. Finally, he cleared his voice and said in a low voice, "I don't want you to visit Krum this summer."
Unintentionally, he started the row up again. An angry, exasperated, defiant voice answered him back. "Is this what you brought me out here to tell me? Where I spent my summer is no concern of yours, Ronald!"
Ron spun around. He hated when she used his full name like that. Heat rising, this time for other reasons, he said, "Oh, yeah?! Harry told me what Krum said about you during the tri-wizard tournament. He doesn't just want to be your friend, Hermione! He was jealous of Harry because you were talking about Harry all the time you were with him!"
Ron's heart sunk at the realization of what he had said hit him. Maybe it wasn't Krum after all. Maybe it was Harry whom Hermione fancied after all.
Oblivious to Ron's thoughts, Hermione turned pink, whether from anger or embarrassment or both, and said, "They're both my friends, Ron! And where I spend my summer is no concern of yours!"
Something she said woke Ron from his thoughts and fears and he yelled back, "Yes it is!" He was now red in the face too. "I care about you and don't want to see you get hurt! I love you and I want you to spend the summer with me!"
A look of complete shock fell over Hermione's face and she whispered urgently, "What? What did you say?"
"I said...," began Ron again, angry, until the full impact of what he had said came to him and fell completely silent.
The two stared at each other, no longer angry, both at a loss for words and waiting for the other to speak.
Finally, Ron took a step closer to Hermione. He suddenly found his shoes very interesting but he managed to say quietly, "Hermione, I..."
"Ron, I..."
Ron looked up to find that Hermione had taken a step closer. He was sure had been physically more closer to Hermione in times past but for some reason he felt her now more than he had ever had before. Their eyes locked. He looked into her eyes and tried to read them. Did she fancy him to or was it merely pity he was seeing? His heart was beating so loudly he was sure she could hear it. He tried to boost his courage by repeating over and over in his mind, Ginny says she fancies me. Ginny says she fancies me. He just hoped she wasn't wrong. "If you don't feel the same way I'll understand."
Hermione said nothing as a tear slid down her cheek. Ron, misreading Hermione's silence, his heart heavy turned to go.
"No, Ron, wait!" said Hermione waking out of her daze. She didn't think Ron had fancied her at all. She had always fancied him.
Ron stopped and turned. Hermione stretched out her hand and shakily put it on his arm. She let it trail down until it found his hand and then she interlaced their fingers together. Ron just stared Hermione's warm hand in his and was surprised to find her hand as warm as his. Finally, Ron looked up at Hermione's face.
"I've fancied you for ages, Ron. I just never thought..."
Hermione's lower lip began to tremble. Ron's heart leapt with joy at Hermione's words and the fear that Hermione was going to start crying a lot. He was useless in times like these, and hardly knowing what he was doing, only thinking that he wanted to comfort her, he stepped in and quickly, sweetly, gave her a kiss on her lips. Breaking apart, realizing what he had down, he began to mutter his apologies sure that Hermione would start yelling at him any moment. But she didn't. Another tear fell but she had a faint smile on her lips that she was trying to control. "It's okay, Ron. That was fine."
Ron grinned and looked down sheepishly. His feelings were indescribable. He had never felt this way before. It was truly the happiest moment of his life. And when he looked up at Hermione he could tell she felt exactly the same way.