Title: Thirty Kisses
Author: Kasuchi
Rating: Teen (just to be safe)
Summary: Thirty missing moments – moments that didn't happen – from 'Order of the Phoenix.'
Fandom / Pairing: HP, R/Hr
Notes: Part Two of Five.

7. superstar

"Why are you still in contact with him?"

"Who?" She blinked large, brown eyes at him innocently.

"Don't play stupid. You know bloody well who I mean! Krum," he spat the name out. "Why are you still writing to him? Friends with him? He certainly wanted more."

Her eyes flashed. "What does it matter to you, anyway, Ron? It's not like you're my brother or anything!"

"I'm your friend!"

"And that's all. If you were really my friend, you'd support me. You won't even admit you're jealous, or even why that's so!"

"Oh, you're wrong there, Hermione." His voice went low and his eyes cold. "If anything, I think you're the one who's confused."

She glared at him. "That doesn't change anything!" She gestured decisively with her hand. "You still have no right to protest my writing Viktor. You're just my friend, and what I do is none of your business."

"Oh, I think it is." Swiftly, he kissed her, hard. She braced her hands on his chest, and he gripped her elbows and they kissed. They broke apart, breathlessly. Her eyes shone and there was color high in her cheeks.

"That makes him my business." He looked right into her eyes, determined.

Ron shook his head out of the daydream. He sighed heavily and went back to reading the History of Magic text.

8. our own world

"You know," she said, out of the blue one day as they patrolled the hall. "When I was younger, I wanted a world where I'd fit in."

He smirked a little. "A world filled with books?"

She didn't glare at him, surprisingly. "No, a world with friends."

He froze and she kept walking a few steps. Suddenly, the girl in front of him, the smart, clever, amazing witch before him, was totally foreign to him. "Friends?" He breathed.

She turned and smiled a little sadly. "Yes, friends. Growing up, they thought I was 'weird' and 'strange'. I didn't have a lot of friends, and most of them left at one point or another."

He flashed back to first year. She had tried so hard, hadn't she?

He hugged her suddenly, pressing a kiss in her hair. "At least we have our own world."

"Ron?"

"I...I promise, I'll always be your friend."

She smiled the most brilliant smile he'd ever seen.

9. dash

"Bollocks!"

"What? What is it?"

"I'm late!" He grabbed books and papers off the table and started shoving them inelegantly into his bag.

"What for?"

"Angelina called a special practice tonight. We're doing a mock game. She thinks I've improved."

Hermione placed a hand on his arm. "You have," she said fiercely.

"That--that means a lot," he confessed. He stood, bag slung over one shoulder.

She stood up, too. Swiftly, she kissed him on the cheek, like she had months ago. "You'll do fine, I'm certain."

He gaped at her. Had she just...in the...him?

She laughed lightly and pushed him to the exit. "Go! You're late already!"

He shot her a grateful smile and dashed out of the library, Madame Pince's admonishments following him out the door.

10. #10

The perfume was called "No. Ten," and it had caught his eye immediately.

It wasn't in any special packaging. It was a muted silver box, accented in gold lettering. The name glinted slightly, but was overshadowed by more expensive, more flashy boxes.

He wasn't sure why it had caught his eye. Jewel among baubles, really. The tester bottle was open, and he had sniffed delicately. It was...earthy, almost. Rain, perhaps. Spring rain. It smelled clean, it wasn't strong, and it reminded him unequivocally of Hermione.

He had watched her, surreptitiously, open the gift. Her eyes had widened in surprise at what it was. Scrambling, she opened the note that had gone with it, and smiled slightly. Gently, she had touched the card to her lips and contemplated the silver box. Then Ginny had called out to her, and she had set the card down.

He saw the prints from her lip balm on the card. Quietly, he had picked up the card and pressed a kiss there.

11. gardenia

"Hermione, do you know what that is?" He pointed to a small bush of white and yellow flowers.

"Oh," she breathed. "They're gardenia flowers!"

They were in greenhouse one, the one with more "normal" plants than the others, mostly for potions.

Gently, she picked one, sniffed it gently, and sighed. "These always remind me of my mother."

He leaned closer to the bush and sniffed delicately. "It's nice."

"Isn't it? Oh, they're so hard to grow up here; they need a warm, humid environment."

"Well, we're halfway there," he remarked lightly. One of the blossoms caught his eye; it was larger than the others. Gently, he pulled it away and turned to Hermione.

"Hermione?"

She looked up at him, standing almost uncomfortably close. Tenderly, he brushed her hair behind one ear and tucked the gardenia there. Then, he kissed her cheek.

"What..."

"Mum'd always make us kiss Ginny if we gave her flowers," he said, looking everywhere but her face. His ears were scarlet.

"Ron?"

He caught her eye.

"I love it."

12. in a good mood

He found her in the common room, poring over a book, munching on chocolate.

"You're in a good mood," he commented mildly.

She looked up at him, candy bar halfway to her mouth. She angled it at him. "Want a bite?"

He paused, then sat next to her, nicking the bar from her offering hand.

"So," he said, breaking off a square. "What d'you have there?"

"It's Hogwarts, a History," she replied, flicking through it.

He groaned. "Don't you have it memorized yet?"

She ignored him. "I'm trying to see if can find any evidence of this happening before."

"Umbridge?" She nodded. "Okay, that I get. What's the chocolate for?"

She flushed scarlet. "I'd rather not say."

"Oh, c'mon Hermione. I'm your best mate, aren't I? What couldn't you possibly tell me?"

"You asked," she muttered. She marked the place in her book and looked him in the eye. "Chocolate seems to help with my PMS."

He blanched, and she continued.

"It makes me, for lack of a better term, less of a witch."

There was a long pause, and then---

"You're joking!" Ron doubled over with laughter. Hermione pouted.

"I'm serious!"

"And that's why it's funny!" His rumbling laughter was infectious and Hermione was compelled to join him. They laughed so hard, their faces turned red.

When they had calmed down a little, they simply looked at one another. The firelight danced in his eyes. Suddenly, they were kissing, and he tasted of chocolate.

"Hermione?"

She snapped back. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"I asked what the chocolate was for." He looked at her quizzically.

She grinned roguishly, and he was stunned at how alluring the foreign expression made her.

"You sure you want to know?"

Much love to the one person who reviewed. You rock my socks. ♥

If you were wondering why I'm updating so quickly, it's because these are already done; they were part of a challenge I entered: write thirty short fanfics for a specific couple using the bold, numbered themes at the start of each section that you see. I wrote thirty ficlets in 90 days.

If you like my writing, please check out my website, an archival of all my work involving the creative process - both visual and written. The link is in my profile.

Part Three should be up soon. ♥