"Where are you going again?"

"Out."

"Out where?"

"Out with friends."

It was Friday night about a week after I made the decision to tell Hermione how I felt. But oddly enough I hadn't gotten around to actually telling her.

"But I'm not going anywhere and Harry's working."

"I have other friends, Ron," Hermione said exasperatedly.

"Do you? I had no idea."

"Very amusing."

"I thought you'd like that," I said smiling.

What was really amusing though was the fact that Hermione had been rushing about the flat looking for her wand for about 15 minutes. Actually the funny part was that I had the wand. Hey, what was I supposed to do? Let her go out with these so-called friends that I knew nothing about?

"Ron, are you just going to sit there or are you going to help me find my wand?"

"Both. I'm going to sit here and survey the room."

"Well that's incredibly helpful."

"Welcome," I replied brightly.

Hermione scoffed and went to continue her search.

"What's so important about these friends?" I asked suspiciously.

"Nothing, I just wanted to have some fun."

"You can have fun with me."

"I'm not having fun with you right now."

"That's odd because I'm having loads of fun with you."

She turned to face me with narrowed eyes.

"I would like my wand," Hermione said in an eerily calm voice.

"I know. You've been looking for it for about 20 minutes now."

"Is it in your pocket?"

"No."

It wasn't. It was up my sleeve.

"If you don't give me my wand, I'll hex you into next week."

"How could you hex me if you don't have a wand?"

Hermione looked as if she was about to explode.

"Ron, please give me my wand."

I pulled her wand out of my sleeve and started to hand it to her.

"What's the magic word?"

"I said please."

"That's not the right word," I said as though please was obviously not the right word, even if I hadn't made up the magic word yet.

"Ron, you are acting like a child."

"I'm young at heart."

Hermione rolled her eyes but I could see the corners of her mouth twitching. She moved to sit beside me on the couch.

"What're you doing?" I asked, startled by her change in tactics.

"You win."

"Huh?"

"I'm not going out anymore. I'm half an hour late as it is."

"I win?"

"Yep."

"Okay, then," I said happily, "What d'you want to do now?"

"Take off these clothes."

"Wha--?"

"Well if I'm not going out, I don't need to wear nice clothes. If I change now, they won't get all wrinkled."

"Right, wrinkled. I knew that."

"Of course you did," she said smiling, "and that's why you were practically drooling."

"I wasn't drooling."

"I said practically drooling."

"Oh."

I must have looked uncomfortable or embarrassed or something because Hermione stopped laughing when she looked up at me.

"I'm only joking, Ron."

"Well, I might have been really close to practically drooling," I said trying to gather up the mush that was my brains before I said something stupid, "but can you blame me? Beautiful woman with no clothes, I reacted normally."

Too late.

"Please," she said, rolling her eyes, "the sight of me would make you go blind."

"Blind with lust, maybe."

Too late again.

"Right," she said doubtfully, giving me an odd look.

I couldn't blame her; I wanted to give myself an odd look.

"I'm serious, I think you're gorgeous," I said causing both myself and Hermione to blush.

You wanted to tell her you love her. You didn't want to tell her that you would love to jump in bed with her, you stupid sod.

"You're the only one," she said quietly.

"What?"

"The only man who thinks I'm attractive."

"I damn well better be. Blokes shouldn't be looking at you anyway."

I was serious, but Hermione laughed.

"So you want me to end up an old maid with cats as a replacement for children?"

"You like cats, right?"

"Ron!"

"Only joking."

"I know," she said, leaning her head on my shoulder.

"I'm sorry I ruined you night."

I wasn't really but I reckoned it would be the right thing to say.

"You didn't ruin my night," she said, smiling slightly, "I like you more that the girls at work anyway."

"I'm flattered."

"You should be."

We settled into what would have been a comfortable silence except for I find any silence uncomfortable. It might have something to do with the fact that I grew up in a house with Fred, George, and the ghoul in the attic. I needed to say something, and not just anything. I had to tell her how I felt right this second.

"Hermione?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm glad that Harry doesn't live here."

Or maybe I'll dance around the subject for a bit.

"Ron! He's our best friend."

"Yeah but I like when it's just us."

She smiled, "Me too."

"Really?"

"Yes."

Silence.

"Hermione?"

"Yes, Ron?"

"I meant what I said earlier, I do think you're gorgeous."

"Thank you."

More silence.

"Hermione?"

"What now, Ron?"

She must like silence.

"Nothing."

"No, I'm sorry," she said sincerely, "I want to talk to about something and you just keep interrupting me."

"But you're not saying anything."

"I'm thinking about what to say."

"Oh."

"Right, so what I wanted to talk about it—"

"What I have to say is really important, Hermione."

Bloody hell. Now she looks annoyed.

"What makes you think it's more important than what I have to say?"

"It's not that I think it's more important it's just that in all fairness I should go first."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah, really."

"And why is that?"

"Because I am obviously more prepared than you are, I mean you're just thinking about what you want to say right now. I've already thought about it."

"Fine, Ron, you go ahead and say whatever is so important and then—"

"I love you."

"I…you love me?"

"Yeah."

"Since when?"

"I don't know." I answered, honestly, "I just figured it out last week. Now…what did you want to talk about?"

"What?"

"You had something you wanted to talk about."

"Never mind that."

"But—"

"Ron…I love you too."

And then I kissed her. That's right I kissed Hermione Granger. And all coherent thought left my mind, I could only feel. Her soft lips, her hands wrapped around my neck, my heart feeling as if it would beat out of my chest. I wanted it to last forever.

"Ron? Hermione? Are you there?"

Hermione pulled away just as Harry walked into the room.

Wait, Hermione, that wasn't forever. That was only a few seconds.

"What are you doing here?" Hermione asked surprised

"Nice to see you too, Hermione," Harry said, smiling.

"Oh, Harry, it's nice to see you I just wasn't expecting you."

"Yeah, mate, what made you decide to come over tonight? Why not some other night?"

"You okay Ron?" Harry asked.

He seemed concerned. I suspect it was the high-pitched accusatory voice that I was having trouble controlling.

"Fine," I said shortly. "Do you want some tea?"

I could put it in a travel mug if you like.