Request: "He liked watching her in her element" for Romione.
Ron is losing the will to live. Rocking onto the back legs of his chair, he stares up at the ceiling, willing for a time-turner or something so he can get out of the library and do something better with his free time. Has anyone ever died of boredom? Probably. He'd rather sit through triple Divination than spend any more time looking at books.
They've been here for three hours already, much to his chagrin, and his loose grip on consciousness has been inching out of Ron's grasp for at least two and a half of them. Unless something exciting happens soon, he's going to fall fast asleep.
It was Hermione's choice to come here, of course. When in doubt, go to the library. It was also her idea for Harry to start up a very illegal secret Defence Against the Dark Arts club, so Ron isn't sure why they're even still listening to her. Without the DA, he could be snuggled up on a cosy sofa next to the fire, playing Wizard Chess or Exploding Snap already.
"What about Expecto Patronum?" Harry asks with a sigh. "If I have to keep the likes of Ernie MacMillan entertained, then I should at least make the first spell I teach them a good one."
Hermione scoffs. "Oh, come on. Like Ernie could perform such an advanced spell. I haven't even attempted it yet," she argues.
Although impressed by her scathing review of their classmate, Ron's momentary alertness seeps away as the pair continue to bicker. Just as his eyes close again, he is once again woken up by an abrupt movement. Hermione is now on her feet, her anger punctuated by the slap of her shoes on the stone floor.
Swinging his chair back onto all four legs, Ron swivels his head and tries to work out where she's gone. Eventually, his gaze settles on a slim frame pulling books out of the defensive charm shelves haphazardly. A mutter floats up the aisle, and he can't help but laugh. She looks deranged as she goes about her mission to prove Harry (and, by default, Ron) wrong, one of her favourite things to do.
"She's bloody mental." Ron keeps his voice low, not wanting it to carry towards the witch. "Why'd you have to poke the Hippogriff?"
Ron loves a good argument with Hermione, but he knows Harry doesn't feel the same way. Harry prefers a quiet life, which is ironic when You-Know-Who attempts to kill the young wizard every year. He'd rather let Hermione believe she's right than bring up a counter-point to her beliefs.
"The first spell we learn must be a good one. I feel it's important to start with a bang."
Harry's words disappear as Ron's attention drifts back to Hermione. A massive pile of books now float behind her as she flicks through a different tome, repeating words to herself. Her already frizzy hair has grown with her anger, and her usually warm-brown eyes are sharp.
Usually, Ron would be afraid of this look. It means danger and that she is concocting a brilliant but scary plan in her mind.
But not today.
An unfamiliar warm sickly feeling floods through Ron's heart, and a smile involuntarily spreads over his face. It's like Hagrid has emptied a giant bag of flobberworms into Ron's belly, and the vile creatures are twisting and turning in a merry dance. It feels like the moment he received his Prefect badge and when he got named Keeper for the Gryffindor Quidditch team all in one go. It's almost too much to bear.
Recently, Ron has suspected that there might be some different feelings growing inside his heart for Hermione. They began around the same time as the Yule Ball and have exploded exponentially since then.
And it's moments like this that cause the biggest sensations.
Sure, there are times when he finds himself staring at the buttons on her shirt that shields Ron from what he knows hides under the material or when her skirt rides up just a little too high, giving him a glimpse of her firm olive thigh. But they're filed in the back of his mind for when he's alone at night with the curtains drawn tight around his bed.
He likes watching her in her element the most. Eyebrows frowning, chewing on her lower lip in concentration, tutting and sighing to herself as she crosses words out, then rewrites them furiously with her quill. It's those movements that make him wonder if he might even be in love.
Shaking his head, he tunes back into the books now emptied onto the table, just in time to catch Harry throwing him a confused look. How much of the conversation has Ron missed?
"S-sorry, what was that, mate?" he stutters, leaning forward and hoping that his ears aren't as pink as they feel.
"I said, do you think that Expelliarmus is the right charm to start with?"
"Oh, I mean, it is your favourite spell, so at least you won't have difficulty showing people what to do," Hermione snarks in return.
Ron catches Hermione's gaze across the table. Their eyes linger on each other for a moment before shooting away.
In his peripheral, he can see Hermione covering her face with a book as she tries hard to stop the giggles fighting to escape. The moment is ridiculous. Her face turns redder with each passing second, and it's infectious enough to cause a knot of humour in Ron's chest. Soon enough, he lets out a loud chortle and Hermione explodes.
Harry watches on, confused, as the pair rock back and forth in laughter. "What the—?" He gives up as Hermione snorts, resigned to not understanding the in-joke. "Forget it. I'm sticking with the Disarming Charm since you two are no longer any help."
Harry storms off, and Ron flashes his lop-sided grin to Hermione, feeling a flutter of joy as she returns it. The flobberworms dance again as the pair fight to catch their breath. The shared moment over, she shrugs and continues to pack up their books.
Once they've put everything back in its rightful place, Ron and Hermione leave the library, following in Harry's angry footsteps. Ron is painfully aware of how close she's walking to him. If he could just summon enough courage to stretch out his fingers and take her hand…
They catch up with Harry, and the moment is over. Ron is disappointed, but maybe it's for the best. Perhaps he needs a little longer to examine these new feelings for Hermione before he does something about them.
If he even does anything about them.