Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter
Ron looked down at Hermione. She was looking nowhere in particular, a small smile on her face. She felt his gaze and looked up at him, grinning even broader. She lifted her head up to kiss him on the cheek, then settled back down against his chest.
"So, what are we going to do about this?" asked Ron. He couldn't stop smiling. Right now, there was nothing that could upset him.
"What do you mean?" asked Hermione, keeping her head in his chest. He could feel her speak in his chest. Now, though, his heart wasn't pounding. It was utterly calm. The whole of him was calm. He had done what he should have done years ago, and it was working out.
"We can't stay in here forever, unfortunately. We have to leave this tent at some point and face other people."
Hermione laughed. "Ron, you make it sound like we're doing something forbidden!" Hermione sat up, to Ron's dismay. He let her adjust, and then put his arm back around her shoulders.
"Mione, can I ask you something?" Ron asked.
"Of course," replied Hermione, a slightly confused look on her face.
"Mione, would you, would you be my girlfriend?" asked Ron. He had whispered it so quietly that Hermione had had to lean in to hear him. Ron was bright red. He didn't think that Hermione would say no after the kisses, but he had all these doubts swimming in his head. What if she doesn't want things to change? What if I'm good enough to kiss, but not good enough to be with openly? What if she's worried about Harry being the "third wheel"? What if she doesn't think it's practical? What if- His thoughts were cut off by Hermione's lips on his own, pulling him into a gently, yet passionate kiss. It wasn't fierce, but nor was it light. It was just right, and with it he knew what Hermione's answer was. He returned her kiss, but they broke apart at the sound of a twig breaking outside of the tent. They could hear the muffled voices of Harry and Ginny outside.
"Ron, when did it stop raining!" asked Hermione. Ron didn't know. He had been too caught up with Hermione to notice the absence of raindrops hitting the tent.
"What are we going to say!" whispered Hermione urgently. "We can't both just waltz out of here like nothing happened. They're going to think that we've been doing…stuff!"
Ron gave her a lopsided grin. "Well, we kind've have, haven't we," he stated.
Hermione gave him a playful look back. "You know what I mean. The stuff that we didn't do."
"I'll think of something to say when we leave the tent. I'm pretty good with things like that on the fly," said Ron confidently. Hermione just rolled her eyes. Ron was the worst liar on the face of the earth. Hermione knew that she would have to carry this one.
"Where have you two been?" asked Ginny, her hands on her hips in a way that resembled Mrs. Weasley, although it didn't due to Ginny's wide grin.
"Well, a, a-" Ron stammered.
"I was still in my tent, getting things together, when Ron came in to check on me. It started to rain, and it appears that these tents that Fred and George gave us seal up when it rains. Nothing can get in or out of them," explained Hermione. There was nothing terrible in telling the truth.
"Mhmm," replied Ginny, her hands still on her hips. "Did you know that it stopped raining over an hour ago?" This time it was Hermione's turn to stammer.
"Well, we got caught up in a game of, of wizard's chess!" announced Ron, proud that he could contribute something.
Ginny gave the two a look that plainly said that she didn't believe them, but dropped the subject, anyway. Harry was sitting by the fire, giving the two of them a mischievious smile. The two knew that he did not believe them, either. Ginny, Ron, and Hermione all sat with Harry by the fire.
"So what did you two do today in town?" asked Hermione.
"Oh, we did a little of this, a little of that," said Ginny nonchalantly. Ron looked over at Hermione and gave a small smile, and Hermione raised her eyebrow at him. It sounds like we're not the only ones who had an interesting day, Ron thought.
"Hey, Hermione, why don't you come and see what I got today?" asked Ginny.
"Sure, sound great!" replied Hermione. They ran off into the girls' tent.
"Hey Ron, you want to go for a walk around the lake?" asked Harry.
"Sure, that sounds like a good idea," replied Ron. He needed to clear his head. He loved having Hermione in it, especially since now he knew that she felt the same way, but he wasn't thinking clearly, and that bothered him. Wow, he thought, Mione must really be rubbing off on me…I want to think clearly? He and Harry headed off toward the trail that went around the lake.
They walked a little bit in silence, admiring the blue sky with puffy white clouds and the glittering lake. The air smelled sweet, and Ron took a deep breath.
"So, you finally asked Hermione out," said Harry. Ron's eyes grew wide and he looked at Harry, his mouth wide open.
"You know mate, you've really got to learn to keep that mouth closed. It's not becoming. It's too big," said Harry, laughing.
"How did you know!" asked Ron. Harry laughed again.
"It's so obvious! You two could never hide your feelings for each other. What makes you think that you can hide this?" Harry replied.
"Hermione's feelings were obvious to me!"
"Your feelings weren't obvious to you, Ron," said Harry. "How can you tell what Hermione's feeling, when you can't figure out what you're feeling yourself? But whatever, that's in the past and you two are happy," said Harry. "But do you want to know what really made me able to tell?"
"How?" asked Ron. He wanted to know how he was so incredibly readable to those around him.
"You two came out of that tent the happiest I had seen either of you in years. You were stuffed into a tent all day, and you came out all happy. That never happens. A year ago you would have been hoarse from bickering," said Harry, a glimmer in his eye. "And you have no idea how happy I am to see you two this happy."
Why on earth is Harry getting so emotional? Maybe he's been having flashbacks to the war, although I thought that Ginny was helping with that. Ginny! Why didn't I think of that?
"Isn't there someone else you'd also like to see happy?" asked Ron.
"Who do you mean?" asked Harry, trying to look innocent.
"You know who I mean. And I think that if you do what you feel, you'll both be very happy," said Ron.
"Well, I can't do what I feel, because I won't live to be happy," said Harry, a smile tugging at his lips.
"I promise that you won't die. As a matter of fact, I think that you might die if you don't do what your heart tells you to do," said Ron, smiling broadly. "No one hurts my sister like that."
Harry smiled mischievously. "You want me to go ahead and do what I feel? No matter what it is that I feel?"
Ron looked at him alarmed. "If you place one finger anywhere in appropriate on my sister, I'll, I'll…"
Harry laughed. "There's the Ron I know! I was getting worried there for a minute."
The boys walked in an awkward silence for a couple of minutes more. They had never been so emotional with each other, and it felt strange. Harry lightened the mood by bringing up the Chudley Cannons and how their new players might actually give them a chance at winning a couple of games the upcoming season. It worked, and the boys debated Quidditch the rest of the way back to camp.
By the time they got back, it was dusk. The girls had the fire blazing and some dinner cooking. Ron felt refreshed from his walk. He had had an awkward moment with Harry, but it felt good after to get that all out in the open, and he had been able to clear his mind long enough to get everything straight. The tent had not been a dream, and Hermione was really his girlfriend. He went over to where Hermione was sitting and sat down next to her, entwining her fingers with his. He heard a squeal of delight come from Ginny.
"I take it you told her?" whispered Ron out of the corner of his mouth.
"I had to, otherwise she was going to bombard me with questions for hours," Hermione whispered back. Ron figured that Hermione didn't need to be asked, but that the second they entered the tent, Ginny knew it all.
"What about Harry? If you're holding my hand, I'm guessing that you told him," Hermione whispered at Ron.
"Didn't have to. He guessed right away."
"What are you two whispering about?" Ron and Hermione jumped. Harry had snuck around their backs and stuck his head between theirs.
"Ha! You two jumped so high!" exclaimed Ginny as she laughed.
"Laugh it up, laugh it up. Wait until you two get the wrath of Fred and George," said Ron.
"What do you mean us? You two are the ones that are dating!" exclaimed Ginny.
"Exactly. And you two are the ones who aren't. They can have a lot more fun with you!" Ginny blushed as her brother said this.
"Anyway, I think that we should probably get back to the Burrow in a day or two," said Harry, successfully changing the subject. The others agreed. They loved being out in the woods together, but they wanted a change of pace. They decided to stay through the next afternoon and then head back to the Burrow.
Harry yawned and stretched. "I think I'm going to hit the hay," he said. Ron nodded and followed him, but about five minutes later he was out of the tent, dragging his sleeping bag behind him. The girls looked at him with oddly.
"I'm not going to get stuck in a tent again. Even if it does rain, I'd rather be out here getting wet than stuck in a tent with Harry." The girls laughed at that. Ginny said that she would join him, and Harry and Hermione also decided to sleep outside.
Ron lay on his back, his hands behind his head. He stared up at the stars. All was right with the world. Harry was on his left, Hermione on his right, and his sister next to Hermione. He was laying outside, under the stars, on their last night camping. It was perfect. Ron sighed happily and continued to gaze at the stars.
A/N: Again, thanks for the comments. Somewhat of an abrubt ending, but it'll make the next chapter all the better! I'm going home for the weekend and will be really busy. I'm going to try to get the next chapter out before then, but I don't know when I'm going to get Chapter 12 out.