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Chapter 22

Hermione was lying on the small featherbed in the small guestroom located off of the small kitchen of her grandmother's small house. This was where she had spent part of her summer holiday…but it hadn't seemed so small then…so cramped. Like everything was closing in and making breathing a bit more difficult. Over the summer, the bed had seemed adequate, the room cozy, the kitchen quaint, and the house…peaceful. Now…everything seemed different.

Her parents and grandmother had been asleep for at least an hour by now. But Hermione had just been tossing and turning. Not only was her body restless, but also her mind.

She was reminded of that first night at Hogwarts after the summer holiday. Unwelcome thoughts of the prophecy and Harry's dream had accompanied her in her bed as she cried herself to sleep. At the time she had believed the prophecy to be bogus and the kidnapping to be merely hypothetical. Now, however, she was being accompanied by thoughts of Harry's authentic prophecy and her attempted kidnapping.

Her parents had been very doting and concerned when she had arrived. She had quickly lost count of the number of times she was asked the question, 'Are you sure you're alright?' The truthful answer was, 'no.' She wasn't alright. She wanted to scream, cry, and laugh all at the same time. Those were surely the only ways to relieve the tension and stress she was feeling. But, she had answered, 'Yes, I am alright.'

It might have been more beneficial to her emotional health if she had been honest with her parents, and said, 'no.' Then they could have talked through their feelings on the attack. But if Hermione told them how scared she actually was, they might be compelled to forbid her from finishing her school year. That couldn't happen. Hermione was determined to go back to Hogwarts. She wouldn't let those awful Death Eaters scare her away from living her life.

So, 'Yes, I am alright,' was the answer she had chosen. The answer that would not allow for screaming or crying. And, now that she was alone, she still couldn't scream; everyone was asleep. And crying…well, crying seemed like it would take too much energy. As for stress-relief through laughter... The idea of laughing was almost laughable! Laughing was impossible at the moment. There was not one happy cell in her entire body.

But as she lay there in that small bed in the small guestroom off the small kitchen of the small house, Hermione knew what she needed. Ron. It was as simple as that. Throughout the entire term she had had Ron at her fingertips whenever she was in distress. After Malfoy's harsh words, Ron was there…under the willow trees, Ron was there…after the Hogsmeade attack, Ron was there…after the Boggart incident, Ron was there…at Grimmauld Place, Ron was there…Being in his arms was a much more powerful stress-reliever than screaming, crying, or laughing. But she was hundreds of miles away from his strong arms.

Swoosh!

Hermione's entire body froze, except for her heart. Her heart was beating…no…thrashing madly. She knew that sound. That was a very distinct swooshing sound that could only mean one thing. Someone had just flooed into her grandmother's kitchen fireplace.

Ever so slowly, Hermione was able to unfreeze her limbs and slide silently off the bed. Her feet touched the wooden floor lightly, and she grabbed her wand from her bedside table, hands shaking. Everything was black except for a small sliver of light from the crack in Hermione's almost closed door. The light was coming from the moon outside the kitchen window. Taking a deep breath, Hermione began inching her way to the door, wand ready.

Maybe she had fallen asleep and not realized it. Maybe the 'swooshing' sound had been in a dream…

Scrape!

Hermione's body temporarily froze again. Okay, Hermione thought, I am fairly positive that I am not sleepwalking. So…there is someone or something in the kitchen that has just rammed into a chair. What if it were a Death Eater? But they couldn't find her, could they? Not with the Fidelius Charm… Maybe it was an Auror coming to check on her… What if something had happened at Grimmauld Place and someone was coming to give her devastating news! This last thought seemed to carry Hermione to the door a bit quicker, until she was close enough to peer out of the crack.

Hermione's throat seemed to grow taut with fear. She could see a lone figure! A tall, thin man. He was in the shadows, edging his way closer to the stairs. The stairs that led to her parent's and grandmother's rooms! She couldn't make out any details of the intruder. But wait…this intruder had a very distinguished gait. A very familiar, long-legged, lanky gait…

Hermione pushed the door open slightly, "Ron?"

The intruder froze for a mere second before turning around on his heel. He stepped forward out of the shadows and Hermione saw two troubled blue eyes, a pair of striped pajamas, and a head full of messy, red hair. Ron suddenly hurried to her side and looked down at her, with concern. She was gaping up at him, neither one of them spoke for a few seconds. But then Hermione snapped out of her astonished gaze and grabbed hold of Ron's arm. She pulled him hastily into her room and shut the door silently behind them. Total darkness.

"Lumos." Hermione whispered. The bright white light was near blinding, so Hermione tucked the wand into the tops of her pajama pants in back. Now she could look up into his still concerned face.

"Ronald, what in Merlin's name are you doing here?" She whispered urgently, keeping her hold on his arm. "Is something wrong at Grimmauld Place?"

He simply shook his head and in a barely audible whisper said, "No."

"Well then what do you mean by flooing here and scaring the living-…" Hermione stopped mid-sentence as Ron enveloped her in his strong arms, resting his head on top of her own. Her ear was now pressed to his chest and she could feel his warmth and hear his rapidly beating heart.

Ron was squeezing her tight and suddenly Hermione heard a small sniff. Before she could speak, pull away, or even move in the slightest, Ron released his hold, grabbed her hand, and pulled her toward a small, pink lounge chair in one corner of the room.

She knew that he meant for her to sit, so she did so, removing her wand from the tops of her pants and placing it on the floor, still lit. It was casting an almost blue glow on Ron's face; it wasn't shockingly bright since it was sitting on the floor, but it was bright enough for Hermione to see a few tears rolling down Ron's cheeks as she peered up at him. Now, she was really beginning to get frightened. What wasn't he telling her? Why was he here? Why was he crying?

Suddenly, he lowered down to kneel in front of her, as she sat with her legs ankle-to-ankle, knee-to-knee. She began hesitantly, "Ron, what-…"

Ron brought two long, thin fingers to rest gently on her lips, silencing her. The touch sent a small shiver through her. "Hermione, I'm sorry if I frightened you, but I couldn't sleep not knowing for certain that you were alright." He said quietly. Her heart was melting. So that's what the tears were for…he had been that worried about her? So worried that the sight of her caused him to shed tears of relief? He lowered his fingers from her lips and clasped both of her hands in his.

"Hermione, there's something I have to tell you." He said with a pained expression. Hermione felt a lump forming in her throat. She held his gaze as he held her hands. She was waiting on him to continue, but he just continued to stare at her, his tears had ceased.

"Does anyone know that you're-…"

"No."

"So you just snuck-…"

"Yes."

"But Ron you could get in so much-…"

"I know."

Hermione just stared into his eyes for a moment before taking a deep breath and asking softly, "What is it that you have to tell me?"

Ron broke eye contact with her for the first time since he'd knelt in front of her. He was now looking down at her hands, on which he still had a firm hold. Hermione's heart was beating frantically. She'd never seen Ron like this before; she wasn't even sure if she had ever seen him cry. And now he had to 'tell her something?' Something about the kidnapping…something about Harry…something about…us?

Ron cleared his throat, but still didn't look up from her hands, "How is your family?"

"That's not what you have to tell me." Hermione said quietly. He looked up at her then and smiled slightly. Hermione felt some of the tension leave her. Just a bit…

"No." He said, his smile fading, "But how are they?"

Hermione wanted to ignore his question and force him to reveal the 'something' that he 'had to tell her.' But, she merely sighed and said, "Dumbledore explained the war to them, and insured them that Hogwarts was one of the safest places in the Wizarding world. They're going to let me go back. They were worried…well, they still are, but I told them that I was alright."

"Are you?" He asked worriedly, his mouth set in a firm line, one eyebrow slightly raised. Hermione's heart sighed. Was he trying to kill her with his gentility, sincerity, and compassion?

"Y-…" Hermione stopped herself. She had said, 'yes' so many times that day, she had almost done it without thinking. But this was Ron; she didn't have to hide anything from him. "I'm scared." She said simply. Was that her voice? It sounded so distant…

Hermione saw a muscle clench in Ron's jaw. He released one of her hands and rubbed over his forehead a few times, his eyes closed tightly.

"Me too." He admitted darkly before standing up, unexpectedly, and tugging gently on her hand for her to rise as well. She did.

Ron was looking down at Hermione's questioning face. He knew she must be utterly confused at the moment. He had been very vague about his reasons for coming to see her. Vague…but honest. He was simply worried about her, although there was also that 'something' that he had to tell her. Had to…did he have to? Yes. After the horrifying events of that day, yes…he had to tell her.

"Hermione…" He began, but her expectant expression caused him to falter. What was he waiting for? For some reason the words wouldn't come. Well, if he couldn't say it, then he would show her…

He closed the meager space between them and bent down to place a light kiss on the small freckle to the right of her left eye. Hermione had closed her eyes at the contact, but had also tilted her head up with what looked like a hopeful expression. He couldn't have denied her anything if he'd wanted to…and he didn't want to. Ron bent down slightly to gently press his lips to hers.

He felt her tentative hands come to rest on his forearms and slowly glide up to his biceps. This minor contact encouraged Ron to deepen their kiss. As he did so, he took her in his arms and crushed her to his chest.

Even as he began to lose himself in the kisses that they were now giving each other in a gradually quickening pace, Ron was silently asking himself what he was doing. At any moment, Harry could awake to find Ron's bed empty. Tonks or Mad-Eye could check the room and notice his absence. Or, there was also the slight chance that a member of Hermione's family could come downstairs to check on her. What would they think if they opened her bedroom door to find her wrapped in his arms? They might think he was attacking her! That would be horrible. Or…they might know exactly what he was doing…that wouldn't be good either.

Ron pulled away reluctantly and moved to sit on the edge of Hermione's bed. He looked up at her now frowning face; she looked a bit bereft of his kisses, but she slowly came to sit beside him. He looked into her big brown eyes. Had it only been last night that they had each shared their first kiss in the shed by his house? Just twenty-four hours later, he was sharing a kiss with her in her grandmother's French home because some Death Eaters had tried to take her.

Last night he had held his tongue in check when he had been tempted to tell her how he truly felt about her. But now…just one day later, he knew that he could not keep his feelings hidden any longer. They weren't children anymore, these were not feelings of mere infatuation, and they were not living in peaceful times. They were at war, and when at war…time was not to be taken for granted. Taking a deep breath, Ron was going to say it. He was going to tell her…but Hermione spoke first.

"Ron, I don't know exactly why you came here tonight, but I'm glad that you did. I was…well, I was just wishing that you were here when you arrived." She looked down and blushed slightly. Ron felt a rush of warmth move through him. She had been wishing for his presence?

"So I didn't wake you?" He asked curiously.

"No, I couldn't sleep."

"Me, neither…well, obviously." Ron cleared his throat suddenly feeling a bit nervous, "So…uh…why were you wishing that I were here?"

She rolled her eyes and smiled slightly. "I guess it's a bit silly, but I feel safer whenever you're around…like, you can somehow make me feel as though things aren't as bad as they seem." Her smile turned warm as she looked at him, "But that's what you try to do, isn't it? That's what friends do…try to make the other feel better about things."

Ron smiled and shrugged, "Yeah. Well…I love you, Hermione." He had said it. Without even thinking! It had just fallen from his mouth, quickly, quietly, and without warning. At first Ron wasn't sure if Hermione had heard him, nor was he sure if that made him relieved or anxious.

"What do you mean?" She asked softly, tentatively, yet staring at him with direct intensity. She had heard. What does he mean? Ron hadn't prepared himself for that question.

"I…" He began croakily; he cleared his throat, which had suddenly decided to go dry, "I mean just what I said…I love you." Ron swallowed hard, awaiting her response with every fiber of his being frozen in time.

The intense look she had had was gone. It had been broken by a welling of tears in her eyes. Ron wasn't sure, but he thought that this was a good sign. Hermione then scooted toward him on the bed until their hips were touching. She wrapped her arms around his neck just after he saw a few of her tears fall. One side of her face was flush against his own, and he could feel her moist tears on his cheeks.

He wrapped his arms gently around her waist as he heard her sniff softly before whispering directly in his ear, "I love you, too, Ron Weasley."

Ron squeezed Hermione as tightly as he could without harming her as a foreign current swept through every vein in his body. He turned his lips upon her damp cheek and caressed her with his mouth before tracing a line of kisses over her jaw line and onto the side of her neck. As he kissed her neck, he noticed that her pajama collar revealed her collarbone, so he kissed that too. His mouth brushed across the entire length of this exposed bit of her anatomy.

Hermione suddenly grabbed his chin with one hand and pulled his mouth up to hers for a passionate kiss that gave Ron a new respect for the French culture. Ron wasn't sure how it happened…maybe he blacked out for a brief moment after this kiss. But somehow Hermione had lain back against the soft feathers of the mattress, and Ron had leaned over her, his forearms resting on the soft sheets on either side of her head. She had stretched her arms up to lie above her head on the mattress, and Ron was gripping her arms with his hands as they continued a steady rhythm of lingering kisses.

Ron felt as if his heart might burst from his chest. They had just confessed their love for one another! This meant that their relationship had just taken a huge step forward into uncharted territory. It was definitely a territory that he wanted to be in, but was it one he was prepared for…? No matter what had happened between them over the course of this term, she was still perfect Hermione Granger and he was still just Ron Weasley. How would he not botch this thing up?

These thoughts were disturbing, yet they were only occupying a very small portion of his mind. She loved him and that was all that mattered at the moment.

He was lost in her. Kissing Hermione had been itching at him for a very long time, but he would have never imagined it would be this wonderful. Every one of his senses was filled with her. However, as Ron lay there, half of his body on top of her, he became a bit weary. There were so many emotions coursing through him, and it was creating a desire of such magnitude that he had never felt before. His hands wanted to go places that they shouldn't…and his mind had already traveled to a place that it shouldn't.

Nonetheless, Ron allowed one tentative hand to glide down her arm and down the side of her torso until he reached her waist. He squeezed her slightly. Suddenly, Hermione brought one hand down to clasp his. At first he was fearful that his touch had made her feel uncomfortable, but she then led his hand under her flannel shirt and held it against the warm, soft side of her waist.

Ron was so startled by this boldness that he pulled his lips away from her and stared down into her beautiful face. Her lips were red and slightly swollen, her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes were hungry, yet full of innocence. Ron closed his eyes to the urges that were coursing through him. This woman was surely going to be his undoing.

Hermione had been so completely lost in her and Ron's intimate moment that she had glided his hand under her shirt to grip her waist. It had just happened…she hadn't thought it through before she had done it; she hadn't been thinking at all since she heard Ron say, 'I love you.' But now he had pulled away from her and was looking down at her with a stony, calculating look.

"Hermione…" He began quietly. He sounded anxious.

"I just…wanted to feel your hand on my skin." She said softly, breathlessly, truthfully. The proof of her embarrassment was creeping up her neck and cheeks.

He didn't respond, but instead he looked away from her and she saw that muscle clench in his jaw. Oh no, she thought fretfully. He must think that I'm one of those, what did he call them? Scarlet women? This was only the night after their first kiss!

"Ron," She began tentatively; he looked back down at her, "I'm really not a…a randy teenager. I don't know what came over me…"

To her surprise, Ron's face broke into a broad grin. "I know that." He said simply, still smiling at her. She smiled back weakly and her heart expanded…he was so beautiful.

"Well then," Hermione began slowly, her smile fading, "why did you stop kissing me and look away?"

Ron's broad grin faded as well, and he cleared his throat, turning a deep pink. "Hermione…I…" He sighed with a hint of frustration, "You are very…desirable…to me, and I was having a time keeping my hands...away from things…before you put my hand…here."

He squeezed her gently on her waist with his warm, long-fingered hand. His face was possibly the most scarlet Hermione had ever seen it, and by the heat in her face she was sure that hers wasn't much lighter. Desirable? Her mouth was dry, and all she could manage was a few nods of her head and a timid smile. He smiled back at her then and their eyes locked. Hermione suddenly felt as if she would be able to see his soul if she stared hard enough, and she had the distinct impression that Ron was thinking the same thing about her.

Swoosh!

Hermione's heart clamped painfully and her eyes mirrored Ron's as they opened in terror.

"Oh, shit!" Ron whispered harshly.

"Ron!" Hermione reprimanded as she pushed them back up into a seated position. "Get under the bed!"

"No!"

"Ron!"

"Hermione, we don't know who's out there!" He said sternly before he stood, walked quietly to her still lit wand by the corner chair, picked it up, said, 'Nox,' and then walked hurriedly back to her. "Take this." He said brusquely.

He then retrieved his own wand and began slowly making his way to the door. 'We don't know who's out there?' Yeah right! It had to be someone from Grimmauld Place that had seen Ron's empty bed… Hermione rose and began following behind him. Since it was now totally dark again, Hermione reached out and grabbed hold of the back of Ron's t-shirt.

Ron reached behind him with his free hand and pried her hand away from his shirt to hold tightly. As he reached the door he slowly opened it a crack with his wand hand. Hermione was holding her breath; she felt Ron tense up for a moment before he released her hand and grabbed his head with both hands.

"Oh no…" He moaned taking a step back; the door swung open, spreading light into the darkness, and in walked…Tonks.

She waltzed in and looked from Ron to Hermione with a rather smug expression. "Well…are you quite finished or should I come back in an hour or two?"

Hermione rested her face in her hands. This was absolutely mortifying!

"Tonks," Ron began apprehensively, "It's really not what you think. We were just-…"

"Hep hep hep hep hep!" She said quickly. Hermione looked up to see Tonks holding up both hands to stop Ron mid-sentence, "Please, hot lips…spare me the gory details. I'm just here to collect you before I trade posts with Moody."

"What?" Ron asked surprised. "So, you aren't…mad?"

"Listen, stud," She began matter-of-factly, "I only went to the loo so I could come right back out and follow you. I could tell from your eyes that you weren't going to be going back to sleep."

"Oh." Ron said blandly. "So…you-…"

"I saw you floo over here like a bat out of hell. But…I thought that you both probably needed some…stress relief." Tonks pursed her lips to hold back a smile, but she didn't do a very good job of it. "Anyway, it's time to end this little rendezvous. I don't think Moody and I will see eye-to-eye on this matter."

"Thank you, Tonks." Hermione said softly. Tonks smiled at her; it was an understanding smile that reminded Hermione a bit of Ginny.

"Sure." She said with a sharp nod.

"Tonks," Ron began uneasily, "Do you think that you could maybe…not mention this to anyone?"

Tonks actually laughed a little at this, "Do you think I want to reveal to anyone that I let you sneak over here in the middle of the night? No, no, no. Come on Studly Cannons." Tonks said with a smile before looking from Ron to Hermione. She twisted her mouth to one side, "Hmm. I'll go wait by the fireplace so you two can say goodbye. And by goodbye I mean…thirty seconds tops!"

With a small wink at Hermione, Tonks quickly left the room, closing the door behind her. Hermione lit her wand and turned to see Ron looking at her with a sheepish grin. She couldn't help but smile back at him.

"Do you know how much worse that could have turned out for us?" He asked, moving a bit closer to her.

"Much worse." She replied. His blue eyes were shining as he looked at her. Thirty seconds…and then she wouldn't see those eyes for another day and a half. With a sigh, Hermione stepped forward and threw her arms around his neck. Wrapping his arms about her, Ron squeezed her to him.

Sending chills cascading down her body, Ron whispered in her ear, "Don't forget what I told you tonight."

"I won't." She whispered before kissing him tenderly on his neck. Her heart was so full of love for this red-haired gentleman. They shared a few more kisses before they parted from their embrace, and she regretfully opened the door for him. He traced a finger down her cheek and smiled warmly at her before turning to enter the quaint kitchen, where he left her behind in her cozy bedroom, feeling completely stress free.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hurray! Sorry that this chapter took a while, but I wanted to get it right. So, did I? lol...Please review! Thanks so much for all the reviews that keep coming in. The next chapter's in the making...oh me, where will they go from here? lol

Oh, and in answer to the question on the number of chapters I have planned...I have the story planned, but not the chapters. Though, I can't see how it would be possible for me to finish the story in less than ten chapters. So for now, I'll say there are at least ten more chapters coming!