Chapter 6

After a slice of pie or helping of another dessert and a mug of a toasty beverage, some of the guests bid farewell as the hour was growing late. Kingsley set off first, having to get back to be on duty this evening. Not long after Remus and Tonks said their goodbyes with hugs for Harry and the others. Hagrid said his goodbyes with hugs all around and a tad bit of slur to his speech as he had drunk his toasty beverages spiked.

Darkness had fallen outside and the snow had begun to fall again. The fireplaces were roaring and the house was a comfortable temperature that still smelled of spice and the holiday favorites they had enjoyed that day. Harry, Ginny, Neville, Ron, Luna and Hermione were finishing up a rather exciting game of Exploding Snaps at the clear end of the table before the Longbottoms and Lovegoods left. Fred and George had taken Angelina and Alicia into the abandoned sitting room to sit by the tree and exchange gifts. With the couch having been vacated, Mrs. Weasely and Mrs. Longbottom had settled in and were currently swapping knitting patterns.

With a sudden explosion, the cards went flying and the game was over. The players laughed and collected the cards.

"Way to go Luna." Hermione congratulated. "You helped us win!" They had been playing teams this last round, boys against girls.

"It was all luck. I did nothing special." She said matter of factly, standing up and looking around for her father. "We are done, Dad. Shall we be going?" Xenophilius was standing near the back door, looking at some muggle object with Mr. Weasley.

"Why yes, pumpkin, we had better." He said handing the object back to Arthur and walking over to retrieve their empty tins from one of the kitchen counters. Just as they moved away from the door, Bill and Fleur returned from their snow walk, with snow covering their cloaks.

"If you are leaving, be careful. It has started snowing again." Bill warned as he brushed the snow off himself and Fleur. They took off their cloaks and hung them on the pegs beside the door. Then headed for the still steaming cauldrons.

"Oh dear!" Xenophilius exclaimed, his face falling as he looked out the window. He turned to Arthur, "Do you mind horribly if we Floo home? The trek home might not be safe in this weather and the dark." Bill and Fleur took their mugs and headed hand in hand to the front sitting room to enjoy it.

"Of course not." Mr. Weasley replied with a smile. "I will just go grab your cloaks and you can use our kitchen fire."

"Thank you," Mr. Lovegood replied with a kind smile. "Luna, you had best say your goodbyes." Luna nodded and turned to her friends.

"It was lovely to see you all. I hope that you all enjoy the rest of your break!" She exclaimed as she made her way around the table hugging all her friends. Each person stood up and returned her hug, though Harry and Ron's were a bit awkward but none the less kind. Luna was a true friend, no matter how much of a free spirit she was. She came upon Neville last, who was already standing near the fireplace, his hands in his pockets. He looked at her and smiled somewhat shyly.

"Goodbye Neville. I shall miss you." She said throwing her arms around his neck and holding him tight. Neville pulled his hands out of his pockets and encircled her waist with his arms. "I like you Neville. I like you a lot." She whispered frankly as she pulled away. He looked at her and blushed. He did too of course but he wasn't quite as outgoingly spoken as she. Instead of saying anything, he leaned in and gently kissed her on the cheek.

Luna smiled widely at him as he stood back up straight. Harry gave a low whistle from where he stood next to Ginny. Ginny elbowed him in the stomach gently before taking his hand and dragging him away toward the sitting room again.

As Harry and Ginny left the room, Arthur returned carrying Luna and Xenophilius's cloaks and scarves. The two donned them as Mr. Weasley reached for the flower pot on the mantel where the shimmering silver Floo Powder was kept.

Mr. Lovegood and Luna each grabbed a hand full of the powder. "Thank you all for a most enchanting afternoon. It has been a pleasure." He said with a bow as he threw his handful of powder in the fireplace. The flames erupted into a bright green. He stepped inside and shouted "Lovegood Lane!" and disappeared with a whoosh.

"Thank you for having us, Mr. Weasley, Mrs. Weasley." Luna said looking at both of them in turn. Mrs. Weasley looked up and waved with a smile. Luna turned then, threw her powder into the flames and stepped into them. She turned, looked toward Neville and blew him a kiss. Neville flushed as she shouted "Lovegood Lane" and disappeared.

"Neville, we should be off too. Will you gather our coats and I will meet you by the door in a moment or two?" Mrs. Longbottom called, knocking Neville back to planet earth. He nodded.

"Yes, Gran." Neville said, putting his hands back into his pockets and heading to the front door to gather their cloaks and hats.

"Shall we go out to the sitting room too?" Hermione suggested, looking up at Ron. He smiled.

"That sounds brilliant. We can peek at what the twins got their girlfriends." He said mischievously as he began walking toward the sitting room. Hermione rolled her eyes but smiled too. What it must be like to have such a big family where they were always getting into each other's business. She thought to herself as she followed Ron toward the hallway pass through that led to the stairs and the sitting room.

There was a shriek of joy as Ron reached the entry to the sitting room. Ron stopped in his tracks, with Hermione bumping into him slightly. She looked around him to see Alicia, George, Angelina and Fred on the floor in front of the tree. At that moment, Angelina was currently smothering Fred with a kiss and he was chuckling happily as he held Angelina tightly in his arms. Bill and Fleur, who sat on the couch nearby, both smiled.

"What happened?" Ron asked confused. He looked to Harry and Ginny for an answer, but they just shook their head. They had not been paying attention to what had been going. Ron looked to George. George was beaming with happiness for his twin. "What?" Ron asked again.

"For your information, dear Ronniekins, Fred has just asked Angelina a very important question." George replied, smiling. Ron turned to look at Fred and Angelina again as she pulled away from him and glanced at the ring that now rested on her left ring finger.

"And she said yes!" Fred exclaimed, his voice seeping with happiness as he pulled Angelina to sit next to him and wrapped an arm tightly around her.

Hermione smiled. "Congratulations!" she said moving Ron aside so she could see the happy couple better.

"You're engaged?" Ron stuttered, surprised. His blue eyes widened.

"That we are little bro," Fred said happily, kissing Angelina's cheek then looking at his youngest brother. His smile grew wicked when he noticed where Ron and Hermione were standing. "And, dear brother, you are standing under mistletoe. With Hermione."

"What?!" Ron blurted. He quickly looked up and saw that tiny little green plant just hanging above his head. Hermione too had looked up and turned a very Weasley shade of red when she noticed the small bunch of green leaves. They quickly looked down at each other and then their eyes shot to the floor.

"Suck it up Ron. If Neville can do it, so can you!" Ginny said and Neville blushed from his spot by the door.

"Come on Ron, kiss her!" Harry encouraged. "Kiss her! Kiss her!" He knew how his best friends felt about each other and it was about time for them to get it out in the open. Ginny, Fred and George joined in the chant right away, egging their shy and girl awkward brother on. Angelina and Alicia joined on the next chorus and even Neville joined in. He was smiling from by the door where he had his gran's cloak over his arm. Bill and Fleur smiled from the couch as they held hands. Bill might even have been whispering "Kiss her! Kiss her!" under his breath.

Hermione and Ron continued to stare at their feet. Both their faces were clearly red, Ron's blending in well with the color of his hair. Slowly, he looked up and tried to catch Hermione's eyes. She too looked up and their eyes met. Ron tried to smile at her, if admittedly, awkwardly but it looked almost like he was going to be sick. She gave him a bashful grin then her eyes darted away to look at something other than his blue eyes. Ron glanced away as well, reaching up nervously and running a hand through his messy red hair then shoving them both into his pockets. All around them the refrain of "Kiss her! Kiss her!" rang out.

His stomach was in knots and his heart was beating fast. His palms were sweaty and he knew he probably looked like a giant tomato. Something deep inside him told him to go for it and he took a deep breath of courage. He looked up at Hermione, who had turned to look at him again. He caught her brilliant brown eyes again, seeing her nervousness in her eyes. Without another thought, Ron leaned down, closed his eyes and placed his lips on hers.

As their lips touched, Hermione's eyes grew wide for a second then slammed shut. Her heart was racing, trying to beat out of her chest but the sensation of Ron's lips on hers made her body want to sigh. As she pressed back, something in them sprang loose and the kiss deepened. Hermione stepped closer and encircled his neck with her arms. As she did this, Ron stepped nearer, closing any gap that had been between them. His hands escaped his pockets, slid around her waist, and he held her tightly to him.

The room had erupted into wolf whistles and catcalls from all present. Some people even clapped. Ron and Hermione didn't notice any of this, or any one, until Mrs. Weasley bumped into them on her way to the front door.

"What is going on here?" Mrs. Weasley said as Ron and Hermione jumped part. Both were even redder than before the kiss.

"Oh nothing mum, just a little mistletoe kiss for our ickle Ronniekins." Fred said smiling widely as he tried to control his laughter.

George, too, laughed heartily. "What do you mean little? They were practically snogging." He said trying to catch his breath.

Mrs. Weasley turned and looked at Ron, who had returned his hand to his pockets. He was utterly embarrassed and unsure what had just sparked between them. If his mind had been working properly, he would have been furious at the twins for their teasing. Hermione had turned completely red, that you could almost see red coming from the roots of her hair. Mrs. Weasley gave them both a questioning look. Hermione, for once in her life, had nothing to say. And even if she had, she doubted she would be able to say it.

Without a word to anyone, she turned and fled up the stairs, heading for the room she was sharing with Ginny. Ron looked up as the door slammed, the wreath shaking and knew he had to go after her. There was so much that needed to be said. He glared at his twin brothers before he rushed after her up the stairs.

XXXXXXXXX

I loved this one! But I love Ron and Hermione. I liked it so much there may be another oneshot of what comes next coming! :) A couple more chapters left!