I am a smart girl. I know that things aren't always as they seem, but I know that this time they are as they seem.
See, here's the thing: I like him. A lot. I think I might love him.
He tempts me, too. I can barely stand it when he starts to smile. That smile just sets me off the edge. But what's a girl to do? He's my best friend in the world.
Yeah, we fight almost every day, but that's just how it is sometimes. He knows that I do work for him and he just makes me smile. He says things like "I love you" and "What would I do without you" but that's only when I do work for him. I know that he means nothing more.
He has other romances, none of which I approve of, but it's not like he'd listen to me about this sort of thing. I am just Hermione Granger, girl who reads a lot and gets perfect grades. I wish, sometimes, that me making a move on a guy would not be a big deal just because it's rare. I wish that he would see that.
He asks me for advice but I know that he doesn't mean it. On the rare occasion that we are together, he and I are like friends. He's just a guy, me a girl, and we look like old friends. Because we are.
I know we won't see each other come next year. Hell, we may both die. I never know, and I most certainly can not guess. Ronald tries to guess sometimes. "I'm gonna be the hero," he'll say. "Harry will kill him but I will have to save Harry first!" he declares with utmost conviction. He's probably kidding, but I might never see the humor in this.
Maybe, after the war, I will move on with my life. Be done with Hogwarts, and be done with the "Golden Trio" and get a real job and meet real people. It'll give me a chance to maybe find another "Ron".
See, I think all of this, but then I look and see him smile. That smile could kill me. I usually look away but sometimes he doesn't look away. He looks at me like he might just feel the same way. Pshh. What am I thinking? He'll never love me.
"Um, Mione?" And that voice. Oh God that voice. "Mione? We're all going to go eat by the lake if you care to join us."
Oh yeah. I forgot. I'm at the Burrow. I'm residing in his house. His house always gave me chills and I've always wanted to wander without anyone around… this would be the perfect opportunity to privately explore the world of my Ron.
"Um, no thanks. I think I'll stay here. I'm a bit anxious about the war and I'd like to just sit alone and think. But have fun!" It's not like I haven't done enough thinking already today, but I think he just might believe me…
"Alright, whatever. I'll see you later then." And with that, he leaves with a confused look on his face.
I watch him walk away. The walk. I love the walk. Oh my God! Listen to me! So much I want to be a normal girl and then as soon as I do it is completely contrived. I have being a smart girl.
But, I suppose it has its perks. My brain tells me that for the first time ever, I am alone in Ron's house. I immediately go to examine his room. I walk into the sudden burst of vibrant color and, even though I've been here before, it seems like an entirely new territory. I walk to his dresser and examine his belongings. His comb, his deodorant, things that would probably have repulsed me before are taking now over my senses.
Without noticing that he is walking down the hall and into the doorway, I glide over to his closet. I am just curious, but he will hopefully never know. I open the door to the closet as he reaches the door to his room. He watches me look at each shirt, smell it, and think silently of each time he's worn it.
I remember the dress robes in the corner, and the small, shrunken school robes on their hangers in the back. Then I reach my favorite of his clothes.
His crimson Quidditch robes are hanging right in front of me. Assuming that he is far off at the lake with his family and not standing a mere ten feet away, I take the robes off the hanger and sit down on his bed.
They smell like Ron. Like a mix between sweat, dirt, and cologne. I lie down and hold them close to me and breathe in the scents of the man I love.
This man was, unfortunately, standing right over me as I lay on his bed. I look up, for I heard a footstep, and see Ron staring right at me with that lopsided smile on his face.
"Aah!" I scream as I jump up and throw the robes on the floor.
"No, no, calm down," he says as his smile becomes a laugh.
"Ron, I can explain," I say as I desperately try to come up with a sane reason for being here.
"S'ok Hermione," he says, still smiling. "I was just coming back to see if you wanted to go swimming, but apparently you are preoccupied!"
He's taking this as a joke! He thinks I'm being foolish!
"Oh God. I'm so sorry!" I scream as I run fast for the room I am sharing with Ginny.
"Hermione!" he calls after me. "Hermione, wait!"
"I can't wait! I can't talk to you! I can't see you! I can't love you! I can't even like you!"
Whoops. That came out wrong.
"What? You, you want to love me?" His lopsided grin now became a smile of modesty.
"Maybe once I did, but, oh, now I'm so embarrassed, I just want to go to bed. Good night, Ronald."
With this, I turn and walk into the room.
"Good night, love" He calls as I walk away.
What? Did he just call me love?
I turn to ask him, but he has another plan.
Before I can say anything, I find myself unable to. His lips are nearer and nearer to mine. And then suddenly…
BOOM!
That whole fireworks theory must be true. I am seeing colors and pure brilliance shooting everywhere as I kiss him. I kiss out all my embarrassment and all my shame. Funny, it seems as he's doing the same. But wait! We're pulling apart! No! I want to cry out for him to kiss me again! But I must be the smart girl I know I am. . .
"Hermione, I-" he starts.
"-No, Ronald. This will never work, not with the war, and with classes and Harry, and-"
"-Hermione, stop being such a smart girl," and he crashed his lips to mine for another completely fantastical kiss.
