"Bye!" Ron and Hermione called from the top of the stairs, "See you next week!"
They all waved goodbye, then Hermione shut the door, and began to march inside. She immediately started fiercely scrubbing some dirty plates with soapy water, which they both knew she could have done with a single flick of her wand. In spite of herself, she felt salty tears rolling down her cheeks, having completely forgotten Ron, standing in the doorway behind her.
"Mya?" he asked, stepping gingerly into the kitchen. She immediately straightened her back.
"Hermione, what's wrong?"
She turned to face him, and seeing him standing there right in front of her, brought back the tears she'd just managed to sniff back up. She put her head in her hands and leaned against Ron's chest. When she felt his muscular arms wrap around her small frame, her sobs deepened.
"Hermione, what is it?" Ron sounded truly sad.
Hermione pushed herself away from him, but he put his hands firmly on her shoulders.
"Do you really want to know?" she said, trying to sort herself out.
"Of course."
"Fine. Look, Ron. I know I'm not perfect at all. But neither are you. I know that I'm too bossy, too much of a know-it-all, I read to many books, I'm not as good at Quidditch as Katie is, I'm too organised, I nag you too much and all the rest. I know all that, Ron. But I also know that I'm a good person, and I try so hard to make you see that. But you know what, I doesn't matter how much I love you, because you will always think of me as your know-it-all, show-off, bossy friend."
She stared up into his lagoon green eyes, amazed herself at what she'd just said. The next few agonizing moments felt to her like hours. She felt the weight of his hands leave her shoulders, and her heart sank.
Until she felt his hands rest on her hips pulling her towards him.
God, he was so close.
She could feel the heat from his body, radiating to hers.
He was so close.
She could feel light touch of his hands on her hips.
So close.
She could feel the short bristles of his cheek on her soft skin.
Closer.
His mouth was so close to hers, she could feel his breath on her lips.
She felt herself tingling all over.
He whispered to her, "Hermione. I have always loved you."
Their parted lips pressed together, as their first kiss became their second, third, fourth, fifth, and their embraces grew stronger and closer and they lost themselves in their own world. Inside, Hermione was desperately happy, but she knew that after that night, she would want, and need more and more…