Hmm ch3….ugh hist class is boring and there's no reason to really pay attention, but then the teacher gets all pissy when we don't….well too bad
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A week after Hermione learned that she had to go into hiding, Ron was still pissed off. He ignored Hermione every chance he got. This also meant avoiding Harry, as he wanted to spend time with his friend before she left for America. As a result, Ron would hang out with his other friends, only to annoy them talking about how Hermione "had some nerve to abandon them like that". Meanwhile, Hermione tried to ignore the fact that Ron was ignoring her, but each time she found herself alone in an empty room tears came to her eyes as she thought about how she might have to leave with Ron so mad at her. Everyone in Gryffindor had had enough and Harry, despite his protests, was the lucky one who got to tell him so. That's how they ended up there; Ron sitting on his bed and Harry pacing in front of him. Dean and Neville stood outside the dorm room to make sure no one left till the job was done.
"Oh, stop being such a prat!" Harry lectured his friend. "She's your best friend, and who knows how long it will be before we see her again? Do you really want her to leave with you not talking to her?"
"She doesn't have to leave! She's being so selfish!"
"Would you rather she stay here and end up like Ginny!? Oh God mate, I didn't mean-"
Even though it had happened months ago, everyone generally avoided the subject of Ron's younger sister. This outburst acted as a slap in the face for Ron.
"No," He said slowly, "You're right. I can't leave things like this. If something were to happen to her…" He trailed off and looked up at Harry.
"I know you have feelings for her, even though you might not want to admit it. But acting so irrationally isn't going to change anything." Ah, so Harry is more observant than he looks.
"I should go talk to her." Ron stood up, turning back as he reached the door, "Oh and Harry, thanks mate."
"Anytime."
"Um Harry, one more thing."
"What?"
"Why are Neville and Dean pointing their wands at me?"
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Hermione sat alone in the library whispering to herself, trying to memorize the information on the sheet in front of her. She couldn't believe she was about to leave this all behind. Hogwarts was her home. Her friends, the Weasleys and Harry especially, were her family. Now she was going off to a strange country where she knew no one. She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she didn't even notice the boy who was now standing directly behind her.
"Hey."
Hermione jumped in her seat before looking up, though she already knew by the voice whom it was that was speaking.
"Hey." She replied cautiously.
"Look, I, um, I wanted to, er, to-"
"Apologize?"
"I was getting to that." He sat down next to her and turned his chair so they were face to face. "Look, I know that you don't exactly have a choice here, but I just don't think I could handle loosing you so soon after what happened to my sister."
"That's why I have to go! Ron, I'm trying to get away from all this. Ginny was kidnapped by Death Eaters solely because she was against Voldemort. There was no other reason for it. I'll bet you anything that she spent her last moments fighting; trying to do as much damage as she possibly could. I want to fight too, I'm just not ready for it yet. We all need more preparation in order to beat this evil. The three of us, we've survived this long, but just barely. You know that I don't want to leave, but honestly, I'm scared. I don't want to die. I know that either way we're going to have to face death eventually; we are going to have to fight, and when that time comes, I'll be there. I just think that for now I want to finish my training in a place where I'm not spending every moment worrying about how much longer I have to live."
She leaned over and rested her head in her hands, covering her face to hide the tears. Ron reacted immediately, putting a comforting hand on her back.
"I'm scared too. And I want you to go; I'll miss you, but I want you to stay safe. I…" he looked down at his feet before continuing at a speed that would have made the Road Runner proud, "Ilikeyou."
Hermione looked up, confused, "What did you say?"
"Ilikeyou." His pacing stayed the same.
"Okay, once more, just a bit slower this time."
"Hmm, did you ever notice these patterns on the floor? It's actually quite nice to look at."
"Ron!"
His head snapped up at the sound of his name.
"Be serious."
He took a deep breath. "I…um…I like you. A lot. I guess I have for a while now, I didn't even realize it until fourth year when Ginny sat me down and forced me to realize it."
For one short moment, time seemed to stand still. Then, it sank in. He liked her! As more than a friend! She had felt the same way for a long time, but she never thought he felt the same way. When she told him this he burst out laughing.
"You've liked me, and I've liked you, but neither of us ever realized it!"
She laughed along with him. "To think, we could have been together all this time!"
"Yeah." Ron's laughter faded. "So, now that we've both come to our senses, does that make us, like, a couple?"
"I…I guess it does."
"Great! So, does that mean I get to kiss you?"
The "Yes!" came a bit too quickly, "Um…I mean, I guess so. You know, if you want to."
Ron slid his chair over so he was sitting right next to her, his face only inches from hers.
"Hermione?"
"Yeah Ron," she whispered breathlessly.
"Can I kiss you?"
"Yes Ron."
And he did. At first he just pressed his lips lightly against hers before pulling back momentarily. Still in the moment, he leaned in again, this time he brushed his tongue lightly against her lips. Not taking long to get the message, she accepted his invitation and opened her mouth letting his tongue slide in.
They went on like this for a while, and would have continued the battle inside their mouths, but Hermione, always the reasonable one, came to her senses.
"We should stop."
"Is something wrong?"
"No! No, I just don't want Madam Pince catching us…you know how she likes to check up on students in here."
"You're right…we should…. yeah, we should go…"
"Right."
Hermione stood up, gathered her things, and with Ron right behind her, led the way out of the library. Madam Pince looked up from her computer as the two left. Maybe it was just the lighting, but the old librarian could have sworn that she saw Hermione hiding a huge grin behind her hand as the girl wiped the corner of her mouth…and in her own humble opinion, it was about time.
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Wow I started this like a week ago, then forgot about it. Oh well, here it is now. REVIEW POR FAVOR!!!! Gracias.
Chinua Achebe: Gee, I wonder where you could have heard of it? hmm. :P