Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
Ron saw Hermione flying up ahead of him. He flew faster to catch up with her, but the faster and faster he went, the faster and faster Hermione flew, until she was out of sight. Bloody hell! Ron thought to himself as he flew farther on, hoping to catch a glimpse of Hermione's bushy brown hair. After a little bit he decided that his efforts were futile and turned around, only to see Hermione flying behind him. He tried to fly toward her, but his broom would not let him. He tried with all his might but found that although Hermione looked as if she were flying, she got no closer. Ron's broom turned around without his command so that he was facing away from Hermione. Ron kept his head turned, though, so he could see her. Ron saw beads of sweat coming from Hermione's brow as she strained to get nearer to Ron. Ron looked down, and saw that they were flying in a circle high above the ground. How he had gotten there, Ron didn't know. He didn't care, either. All he knew was that it was up to him to get out of it. He knew what he had to say in order to get both him and Hermione out of the cyclone. He opened his mouth and shouted, "Mione, I…"
Ron awoke with a start. He was breathing heavily and sweating. He looked underneath him to make sure that he wasn't on his broomstick, and was relieved to see that he was on his sleeping bag. Harry was sleeping soundly next to him. It looked as though it was early, but Ron knew that he wouldn't be able to get back to sleep. He changed his clothes and left the tent, breathing in the early morning air, trying to shake himself of that dream. He needed to clear his head. He thought about the dream, and what might have made him dream it. He would normally go for a ride on his broom, but at the moment he felt that a fly would just make him more nervous, so he set off for a walk instead.
Ron thought and thought about the dream he had just had, but he could not figure out what it meant. He felt that there was an important significance to it. It had felt so real, although he knew that it was not. It was in no way the same as Harry's dreams had been. Ron's only conclusion was that he was supposed to tell Hermione how he felt. He did not know why, but he had woken up when he was about to say it. He had felt such a strong urge to say it, and he had had such a sense that it needed to be said in the dream. Could I do it? Ron asked himself. Could I tell Hermione how I feel? What if she rejects me? What if everything is changed forever? What if I lose one of my best friends? Ron thought back to the Hermione in his dream. It had seemed to him that she was trying every bit as hard to get to Ron as he had tried to get to her. Could this mean that she…Nah. There was no way that she could feel about Ron the same way as he felt for her. Not having decided anything, Ron headed back to the campsite, to find Ginny cooking some eggs on the griddle Hermione had shown them how to use yesterday.
"Hey Ron!" she said brightly, flipping some of the eggs. Ron noted the huge change in her attitude from yesterday morning, when she had been so sulky.
"Feeling better today, are we?" he asked. Ron knew that only one thing could make her like this, but he still didn't want to think about it.
"Much better," said Ginny, smiling. She looked away from Ron, who was somewhat relieved that she was not going into details, although he was upset at the fact that she would not tell him what he did not want to hear. Ginny went back to flipping the eggs, and started humming just the tiniest bit. Ron shook his head and had a seat next to the fire pit. Hermione came out of her tent, looking disheveled. Ron gave her a pensive look, his mind going back to the dream he had last night. He looked away when Hermione gave him an odd look back.
"Good morning Hermione!" sang Ginny. Hermione gave Ginny a big smile back. She knows what happened! Ron thought. My own sister can tell my best friend, but not me!
"Good morning Ginny, Ron," Hermione said, nodding in Ron's direction. She had a smile on her face, but her eyes looked tired, Ron thought.
"Morning Mione," he replied. When he said that Ginny turned her head in Hermione's direction and gave her a knowing smile. What is up with those two? Ron wondered. He decided to ignore it for now, and went to collect his eggs from Ginny. As he was doing so, Harry came out of his and Ron's tent, yawning and stretching.
"Morning everyone," Harry said through a big yawn. He had just rolled out of bed, by the look of him. He was still in his boxers and t-shirt, and his hair was ultra-messy. The nerve! Ron thought. Something happened between him and Ginny to make her all happy, and he leaves his tent without bothering to get out of his pajamas! If he's going to chase after my sister, he's going to have to start getting dressed before seeing her!
"Uh…Harry? Aren't you forgetting something?" asked Ron.
"What?"
"Umm…clothes!" replied Ron. Hermione snickered.
"Nah, there's no need," said Harry. "We're out in the woods, who cares!" Ginny giggled relentlessly. Ron scowled at her, but dropped the subject.
Harry sat down on a nearby bench, his plate of breakfast in hand. Ginny sat down next to him, too close for Ron's comfort. Ron wanted Ginny as far away as possible from Harry, but he couldn't say anything. Harry had obviously had the guts to tell Ginny something, if not how he felt. Ron didn't have the guts to say anything to Hermione. What a Gryffindor he was. He couldn't even talk to his best friend. His thoughts were interrupted as Hermione sat down next to him. Quite closely, he noticed.
"It looks like it might rain," said Hermione, looking up at the sky.
"Yeah, maybe we should go into town for the day," suggest Ginny.
"Awe, that means I have to get dressed!" groaned Harry. Ginny smiled.
"Yes it does, and you should get into gear, if we want to be out of here before the rain starts," said Ginny. She sounded just a tiny bit like Mrs. Weasley. At that realization, Ron and Hermione grinned at each other.
As Harry went to his and Ron's tent to change, Ginny started packing some stuff up outside.
"Hey Ginny, let me take care of that," said Hermione. She flicked her want and said something quietly, and a white shield formed over their table, supplies, and fire pit. "Now they'll stay dry," announced Hermione. As she was doing that, Ginny ran into the tent to get what she needed. By the time she was out, Harry was dressed and ready to go, broomstick in hand.
"I'm just going to get something, and I'll be ready," said Hermione, ducking into her tent.
"Hey Ron, do you mind if Harry and I head off?" asked Ginny.
"No, go," he said waving his hand to shoo them off. He wasn't going to fight Harry and Ginny right now. The two flew away on their brooms, and Ron ducked inside of Hermione's tent to check on her.
"You almost ready?" he asked, surveying the tent. Raindrops began to hit on the outside of the tent.
"Yup, just give me one minute," said Hermione.
"Alright, I'll be outside," replied Ron. He turned to go through the tent door, and found that he could not open it.
"What's wrong?" Hermione asked.
"The zipper must be stuck, I can't get out!" said Ron, flustered.
"Really? I've never had any trouble with the zipper," said Hermione, walking over and trying the zipper. "Oomph!" she cried as she tried to force the zipper open. "Wow, this really is stuck!"
"Maybe it's…locked?" asked Ron for lack of a better word.
"I don't know, but I'll try," said Hermione. "Alohomora!" Hermione shouted, pointing her wand at the zipper pull. She tried tugging again, but nothing happened.
"You know, this tent is a Fred and George Weasley creation…" said Ron nervously.
"Oh, you're right. Maybe there's something on the tent to tell us how to get out, or to at least explain what's going on," suggested Hermione. She scanned the walls of the tent until she found what she was looking for. "Here we go!" she exclaimed as she found a tag on the opposite end of the tent.
"Self-sealing tent: A glorious creation by none other than Fred and George Weasley that seals itself when it rains, not allowing rain or, nor letting the occupants out in order to keep the tent nice and dry," read Hermione.
"Bloody Hell!" shouted Ron.
"Language, Ron," cautioned Hermione.
"They had this stupid trick planned all along, ever since they offered these tents to us," complained Ron.
"Now Ron, why would they do that? I think this is just a concern that they addressed badly," said Hermione. She looked at Ron's face. "Yeah, you're right. They probably did this on purpose."
"They did it because they want me to tell you-" Ron stopped himself right before he blatantly told Hermione everything.
"Tell me what?" asked Hermione, a curious expression on her face.
"Nothing. They want me to tell you nothing," said Ron, flustered. By now his face was beet red, and getting redder by the second, and he was averting his eyes from Hermione.
"Ron…" said Hermione, but when he didn't look at her, she dropped it. "So, what do you think we should do? It looks like we're stuck in here for awhile," said Hermione casually.
"Yeah…what do you have in here?" Ron said, looking around. He was relieved that Hermione dropped the unnerving topic so quickly.
"Not much…we could read Hogwarts: A History if you'd like," suggested Hermione, a wicked smile on her face.
"You brought that book!" asked Ron. "We're on vacation. Besides, don't you have that thing memorized by now?"
"Well, I guess I do, but it's just so automatic to bring it with my everywhere I go. You know, kind of like that ratty old blanky that I heard you have with you," said Hermione, a wicked grin on her face.
"Hey! That blanket has sentimental value. It's the only thing one of my brothers didn't touch when I was little. It's untainted," Ron said defensively.
Hermione laughed so hard that she clutched her belly and was bent in two. Ron snuck up behind her and pushed her over. "Hey!" Hermione shouted. She looked up and saw Ron towering over her, a mischievous twinkle in his eye. He held out his hand in an offer to help her up. She looked at him warily, but gave her his hand. He yanked her up, only to spin her around so her back was to his front, and started to tickle her sides. She giggled helplessly, tossing and turning to get away from Ron, but he was both taller and stronger than she was. Finally, exhausted by the giggling and trying to get away, Hermione let herself go limp. She fell through Ron's arms onto her sleeping bag and just lay there, resting. Ron laid down on Ginny's sleeping bag next to her. He looked over at Hermione, and saw her looking at him, a goofy smile on her face. Wow, she's beautiful. I can't believe I almost told her! And in such an off-handed way! "What's that look for?" Ron asked, a goofy smile on his own face. Hermione looked at him for another moment, then closed her eyes, the smile still on her face.
Hermione looked so peaceful while sleeping. Sleeping. With sleeping comes dreaming. Ron thought back to his dream of the night before. If he had to tell her, this would be the perfect time to do it. They were alone, without distractions. But what if it went badly? Ron wouldn't be able to leave if she rejected him, or if for some reason she got really mad at him. Where is your Gryffindor courage, Weasley? Ron said to himself. You've got to do it sometime! If neither of you can leave, then maybe you can get everything worked out before having to face anyone else, Ron reasoned with himself. He took a deep breath. This was it. It was all or nothing from now on.
Ron stood up, stretched a little bit, then rested his eyes upon the beautiful Hermione once more. She still had a faint smile on her face, and Ron did not give it a second thought to wonder if she were really sleeping or not. He bent down and gently brushed his lips against her cheek, awed at how soft it was.
Suddenly, he felt a jerk at his ankles, and he went tumbling to the ground. He looked up to see a smiling Hermione kneeling over him. His eyes met hers for one brief moment. Then they both heard a low, rumbling sound. Hermione's eyes went to Ron's stomach. Bloody hell, there goes the moment, Ron thought as he sheepishly looked at his stomach.
"Are you hungry?" asked Hermione, a smile tugging on her lips.
"I guess I am," replied Ron, his ears turning red. "But we really can't do anything about it, now can we? We're stuck in here, with the food out there."
"Don't you know who you're talking to? What would you like for lunch?" asked Hermione, getting her wand ready to swish.
"Hmm…how about one of those pudgy-pie things?" asked Ron, licking his lips.
"Just one?" asked Hermione, laughing a little.
"Okay, you'd better conjure up about four or five," replied Ron.
"That's what I thought. We can't have you starving now, can we?" asked Hermione as she conjured up about seven pudgy-pies. She then flicked her want and a pitcher of pumpkin juice and two glasses appeared. They two ate in silence. There was not really another way to eat, since Ron was devouring his food at a record-setting rate. There was no time for talk between bites.
"That was great, Mione! I don't know what I'd do if you weren't in here with me," said Ron, wiping his mouth after finishing his pudgy-pies.
"You would probably wither away to nothingness," said Hermione, grinning ear to ear.
Ron's eyes caught hers, and they both blushed. Ron's eyes felt locked. He could feel heat flooding his veins. It was hot, but at the same time it felt wonderful. The feeling scared him, so he broke contact, although reluctant to do so.
"I supposed that since you cooked, I'll clean up," said Ron, swishing his own wand and making the mess disappear. He looked up, only to find that Hermione's eyes were still on him. He could feel her gaze penetrating his body. He felt as if she could see into his soul. He started to sweat. Can she see everything that I'm feeling? wondered Ron. This time, when his eyes met hers, he couldn't do anything to take them away. He started to feel weak, and he was glad that he was sitting, because he felt as if his legs had turned to jelly. If he had been standing, he surely would have fallen to the floor.
Ron concentrated on Hermione's eyes. They were a deep, chocolate brown. They had a beautiful sparkle to them, and when he looked into her eyes, he felt that he saw everything Hermione. He could see her mind at work, calculating and thinking. He could see the spark and the stubbornness that he admired so much. He could also see into her heart, and at that moment, nothing in the world could go wrong. Ron suddenly felt bold. His legs returned to a solid state. He moved closer to Hermione, so that he was sitting side-by-side with her, but he never broke eye contact. He took her left hand into his right hand and interlocked their fingers. With his left hand, Ron reached up to brush a stray curl away from Hermione's face. Ron's ears were buzzing now. He wasn't aware of anything happening outside of the tent. He couldn't hear the raindrops falling, or the birds singing, all he could sense was him and his contact with Hermione.
Hermione. Ron couldn't believe it. He was sitting alone in a tent with the girl he had admired, and grown to love, over the past seven years. He was holding her hand, and she wasn't protesting. He was staring into her eyes, and she didn't look away. Could she possibly feel the same way? Ron almost didn't care anymore. He tucked the stray curl behind Hermione's ear and placed his hand gently on her cheek. As he held her face, he began to lean his face in closer. His heart was beating out of his chest. He was sure that Hermione could hear it. He leaned closer and closer until he was centimeters from her face. He stopped for a moment, closed his eyes, and gently glided his lips onto Hermione's. He could feel heat rushing through him. Her lips on his felt perfect, as if they were meant to be together. His insides trembled, but he felt the happiest he had ever felt in his life. At that moment, nothing could go wrong. This is what he was supposed to be doing. He was doing what he should have done years ago. Reluctantly, he broke the kiss. The kiss had felt like it lasted forever, when in reality it had only been a few moment. It had been a few moments that would change the course of his life, and Ron knew it.
Ron opened his eyes and looked at Hermione, suddenly becoming nervous. Would she be happy? Angry? Or even worse, would she be upset and cry? If she cries I don't know what I'll do! thought Ron. Hermione looked at him for a second, an unreadable expression on her face. Then she wrapped her arms around Ron's neck and kissed him back. This time the kiss was more passionate. Ron put her arms around her waist. He never wanted to let go. The same heat was searing through his veins, warming him and making him feel that all was right in the world. They broke the kiss and Ron stood up. Hermione followed and wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her face in his chest. Ron could feel a contented sigh come from her. He could feel every breath she took. It felt wonderful. Hermione looked up into his face. Ron could see tears swimming in her eyes. Oh, no. I've made her cry. Merlin's beard, how did I make her cry!
"Hermione, what's wrong? Did I do something? Should I have not-" Ron was cut off as Hermione placed a finger on his lips to silence him.
"Nothing's wrong," she whispered. "I'm just so happy." With that she put her arms around Ron's heck and laid her head on his shoulder. Ron put one arm around her waist, and gently took Hermione's face in the other. He turned her face upward toward him. He bent down and gently pulled her into another kiss. As they kissed he lifted her off the ground and swung her in a circle. As he set her down, Hermione broke the kiss. Her smile was too much for him, Ron couldn't hold it in any longer.
"I love you, Mione. I have since I first saw you on the Hogwarts Express. I didn't know that then, but I know now that I've always loved you, and that I always will."
Hermione kissed Ron again, this time with more intensity than Ron knew possible. She pulled away.
"I love you, too Ron Weasley." They sat down against a pile of luggage in the corner, Ron's left arm around Hermione's shoulders, his right arm holding her waist. Hermione leaned into the crook of Ron's arm, and there they sat, basking in the warmth of their newfound relationship.
A/N: I hope that you really enjoyed this chapter! I had a great time writing it, although it took me a bit longer. I hope it was worth the wait! And of course, thanks again for all your reviews and support!