Hermoine kicked the rubbles under her feet, her eyes scanning the destruction all around. Large globules of dust and rocks lay around, waiting to be cleaned. She picked up a particular type of rock, a rock which was pointed at one end and rounded at the other. She threw it, for no particular reason. All that Hermoine Granger wanted was to distance herself from all the thoughts about war and also from a certain redhead Weasly.
Ah...Ronald Weasly...his mere name made her cheeks tint a very dark shade of red. Just the thought of the freckled, gangly boy, no man, made her heart beat several times faster and her face flush.
Hermoine walked ahead, trying to hide her flaming cheeks from no one in particular judging by the way where she was walking. A long expanse stretched before her and all that her vision could perceive was the horizon. The sun was rising and along with it was rising the hopes of the people who had lost friends, colleagues, family...
The thought of Fred made her heart constrict in pain. Tears slowly made way from her eyes, travelling through her cheeks onto her shirt, creating a wet patch that would dry up very soon. Hermoine's eyes welled up, thinking about how the Weasly family was coping up, how George was coping up. Her rational brain knew that she ought to go to the Great Hall and comfort those whom she loved. But the irrational part of her brain, that was guided by her heart knew that false hopes would do nothing except make them feel although more bitter and wistful.
So she trotted along the path that led her somewhere, somewhere away from the Great Hall and all the Weaslys.
Ron Weasly closed the Great Hall behind him, its hinges creaking out loudly as if groaning in pain. His heart ached to see his family in a condition like this. He knew that the longing of seeing the twins together would never be fulfilled again. He heaved a huge sigh of disappointment and let the reality sink in. He stood there for how long, he didn't know. All that he knew was that the war was over and that he was hopelessly in love with Hermoine Granger.
Ah...Hermoine Granger...the mere thought of her name made his face turn scarlet. Just thinking about her bushy, brown, untamed mass of hair and her gorgeous, warm brown eyes made his heart beat a several thousand times faster and her his face flush.
Thinking about her he realised something. He could never satisfy the longing of seeing Fred but if he got lucky, he could fulfil his longing of being with Hermoine.
He thus started out searching for Hermoine., It didn't take him long to find the bushy mass. Hermoine stood in front of him, walking slowly, swaying slightly oblivious to her surroundings and Ron wondered if she was thinking about him too or not.
Hermoine had tied back her hair in a messy bun with few of the curly tendrils sticking out.
Ron quickly, in six strides reached up to Hermoine and bumped his shoulder with hers to let her know his presence. But the truth was, Hermoine had felt Ron's presence when he was staring at her from behind.
He kept his eyes at the horizon, nervous, that if he glanced at her angelic face he would have been rooted to the spot, not be able to move which would have been very embarrassing.
He could feel Hermoine nervously clasping his hands in her own, afraid of his denial but bold enough to accept it. Ron smiled at the contact and squeezed her hand to let her know that it was more than okay for her to hold his hand. Hell, for him, it was bloody brilliant.
Hermoine smiled too and beamed up at Ron to meet her smile mirrored in his.
Gosh, she was beautiful, he thought.
Even after fighting a bloody war, she looked even better than a goddess to him.
He brought up their clasped hands, overturned the bond so that it was Hermoine's hand which was on top and kissed it lightly, his lips brushing over her skin ever so lightly that he felt, Hermoine must have hardly even felt the contact. Little did he know that the little contact had sparks flying in her brain and butterflies fluttering around her stomach. It had almost made her forget the reason for their standing.
She blushed heavily, rosiness adorning her cheeks. Ron laughed softly at her antics and Harry heard it. He dropped his head in frustration and chuckled to himself upon witnessing the height of obliviousness of his two best friends and went off to find Ginny.
Hermoine was nervous as hell. Not sure how to start the conversation. She was debating within herself, deciding whether or not to bring up the topic of Fred or their kiss in the room of requirement.
Ron judging by jer calculative face that she put on, whenever she was confused said-
"I don't want to talk about Fred."
Hermoine nodded her head in approval.
"I have had enough of mourning. Fred wouldn't have wanted this. He died so that we could live in peace and happiness, not mourn for his death and blame ourselves for all our lives." he continued and it didn't feel more right.
Hermoine wondered, when did this boy become so mature that he talked even more rationally as well as emotionally than her, judging by the fact that his emotional range was as small as compared to a teaspoon.
A lump formed in her throat and Hermoine tried to swallow it. She knew that this was not the time to lament for the dead but to rejoice the fall of the dark lord.
"Though I want to talk about the other topic you were thinking about," Ron said, a slight blush forming in his cheeks.
Both of them knew what the other was talking about, and there was no need to say it out loud.
"I think for that we should find a place which is more private," Hermoine whispered, finding it difficult to form words under his piercing gaze.
"Sure" he agreed and both of them started walking ahead, hand in hand. But Ron suddenly grabbed Hermoine by the wrist, turned her around and pushed her against the wall of the alley, making her impossible to escape from the cover of Ron's body.
"What are you..." She said but turned stopped when she felt him touching her hair.
Ron, gingerly as if to not hurt her even a little pulled down the rubber band, making her hair loose and let it fall to her shoulders and back.
"You know I like it open." He said huskily. Hermoine's heart skipped a beat at his words as she struggled to gather her wits together.
'Come on Hermoine, you can't let your guard down like that. This is Ron. Yeah, the Ronald Bilius Weasly, you are madly in love with.' Her inner voice spoke to her.
Instead of saying something she stared at the floor while Ron wondered what was so interesting that she could see down that he couldn't.
He put his hand on her chin, stroking the soft skin there and lifted her head meeting Hermoine's nervous and shy eyes. He knew that this action had broken her barrier and that she now stood vulnerable to him.
He tucked her brown strands behind her ear so softly, it seemed as if she was made of glass.
"I am not that fragile." She whispered breathing hard matching her breath with Ron's.
"I know" he murmured.
Both of their hearts were beating so fast they thought that it would burst out of their chests.
Both of their minds filled with the adventures they had since they were 11. Ron knew that Hermoine was better at handling and protecting herself that he was, but still, he couldn't shake off the feeling of protectiveness that came over him whenever he felt danger looming around them.
Ron leaned ever so lightly so that his lips were ghosting over hers.
Hermoine closed her eyes in anticipation, licking her lips waiting to the moment to happen that she wanted since she first met him.
Just when Hermoine was about to lean and press her waiting lips onto his, Ginny burst through the corridor shouting for her loved one.
"Harry!Harry!" she shouted but stopped at seeing the compromising position in which her brother and his lover were in.
"Am I interrupting something?" she asked sweetly with a twinkle in her eyes.
Hermoine judging by Ginny's dishevelled hair and swollen lips concluded that Harry and Ginny had sorted out their differences and were very much together and in love. And for once she thanked the gods for making Ron oblivious and thick, otherwise, he would have been shouting his balls out at Ginny if he realised that his sister had been making out with his best friend.
Before anyone could speak out a reply to Ginny's question, Ginny said-
"Anyways, both of you can attend to your matters. I have matters to attend." Saying this she winked at Hermoine while Ron scratched his head in confusion. Ginny hoped off shouting her lover's name again.
Ron gazed up at Hermoine again, as if drinking her in, memorising every detail of her face, while Hermoine babbled about Ginny being happy with Harry, something about Ron's mother, about meeting up with Percy, Charlie and especially George...
"Hermoine. " Ron said, forcing her to look up at him. Brown met blue and it felt like the whole world had stopped.
"I love you," he said. No other words were needed. They knew that they had plenty of time to convey what they truly felt in words. But the feeling of love that was reciprocated by both of them was realised when Hermoine had grabbed Ron's hand and he had squeezed back.
Then he kissed her. At his lips' touch, she blossomed like a flower and the incarnation was complete.
Before she could withdraw her mind from its far places, his arms were around her. She felt again the rush of helplessness, the sinking yielding, the surging tide of warmth that left her limp. And the surrounding around her was blurred and drowned to nothingness. He bent back her head across his arm and kissed her, softly at first, and then with a swift gradation of intensity that made her cling to him as the only solid thing in a dizzy swaying world. His insistent mouth was parting her shaking lips, sending wild tremors along her nerves, evoking from her sensations she had never known she was capable of feeling. And before a swimming giddiness spun her round and round, she knew that she was kissing him back.
And then Ron drew back, Hermoine pouted her lips in disappointed as Ron grinned at her, his eyes dancing in the sunlight.
"I love you too." Hermoine murmured as his lips descended upon hers again and he smiled into the kiss as the sun's ray finally spread over the now-deceased castle bringing a new glimmer of hope that everyone was desperately searching for.