the great romantics
ron/hermione & ron/lavender, pg-13. Rowling owns.
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1.
Ginny says.
Ginny says a lot of things.
Ron doesn't want to believe them but Ginny says true things. Ron is just a boy who's trying. Really just trying.
--
Lavender tastes sweet and she's playful, romantic and fun. She's always talking about things Hermione never ever talks about and this is good.
Change is good.
Lavender feels nice in every way and often it's easy to forget why he's doing what he's doing because she's not about teaching and learning and scolding and homework - she's about discoveries and having a good time.
They have a lot of good times, too. She can roll her tongue in a funny way and he laughs and thinks how Hermione never makes him laugh like this girl does and then Lavender breaks the atmosphere by saying something silly.
Silly enough for even Ron to notice. He laughs but feels a bit mean doing it. This is not a random girl in the classroom. This is Lavender, his sort-of-girlfriend, who's golden hair and all smiles and flirty looks and, well, kissing. Loads of kissing.
His lazy hand on her robe-covered thigh moves around pensively and she tilts her head, her face suddenly serious.
"Ron?"
Not Won Won.
She's sweet. He kisses her again and something in his chest flutters in a way that says, I don't want to let go of this girl but he knows he will.
--
Ginny says and Ginny is right.
---
2.
Hermione is fierce.
She frowns in his direction because he's slacking again, procrastinating until he finally really has to do his homework and then he will need help. Ron doesn't care, he pushes the stack of parchment further away from himself and Hermione glares at him, opening her mouth to say something.
Harry raises his head from an essay he's writing and says, "Don't, Hermione."
"I was only going to tell him--"
What I already know, Ron thinks, glaring at her direction. He's just doing it to irritate her, to push her to her limits and then watch her explode. He's done it before and he'll do it again. And again.
Repeating until the one moment he knows they will come to. The time to just see things as they are and deal with them.
--
With all this free time, he has loads of room for thinking.
Imagining.
--
"Ron,"
she'd say and he'd ignore her or say something mean or sarcastic, and
then it would happen.
"How many times must I tell you," she'd start and then shut up because he'd be looking at her in a different way.
"Too many," he'd say, "so why not try a change of tactic?"
"It wouldn't work," she'd say defensively. "You never learn, anyway."
"Never hurts to try," he'd say and close in on her, trapping her between something and something, himself and the big table in the common room or the back of one of the chairs.
"Maybe," she'd say, her voice merely a whisper. Then he'd hesitate, because he's like that, and he couldn't possibly play his role up for that long. And then she'd gain control. Tables would turn. "Maybe," she'd repeat, sucking in a lungful of air, "it's not me who needs to change their ways."
He'd be hopeless and fall for this and everything that ever comes out of her mouth when she's like that, smiling and teasing and then, in an act of despair because he knows he can't be in control, not when she's so good at this and everything and possibly more, he'd lean in and kiss her. It would that moment that she's been waiting for so she'd kiss back, wrapping her hands behind his neck, pulling him closer, always closer.
Something would break in that moment. It'd be worth it.
--
When it happens, it doesn't happen like that. Nothing ever happens like you think it will.
It's after, or before, a certain Quidditch game. The one with one of the houses, against that one house. Gryffindor is most probably involved. Difficult to keep track of all the details, Ron figures.
"Good luck," Hermione says, standing on her toes, giving him a tiny kiss on the cheek. As she always does. Always has done.
Then she does it again and Ron turns his head just the slightest bit to give her a confused look and then, well, Ron discovers nothing breaks.
He wants to rip off his Quidditch gloves and touch her face like he's never done before and they're just standing there, kissing and he's picking her up just the slightest bit so he can get the best angle and she's warm and nice and her mouth is wet.
They don't mean to do it for such a long time but can't help themselves. He lets go of her and she accidentally licks his chin and that's when they break apart.
She doesn't blush but he does and then she smiles a little. He's still holding her and he realises that they've had a long time coming.
It feels nice to have arrived.
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Author's Note: The "Ginny says" refers to Ginny poking fun at Ron about him being jealous that she has someone and he doesn't.