For Ray, my amazing Chaser 2. You are fantastic, and write the cutest stories ever! Thank you for being in my team. I love having you here!

Reserve League: S3, R11 (Top of the Pops), Chaser 3 (I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing by Aerosmith) [optional prompts: (scene) a dance between two characters, (opening sentence) Everything was going wrong

AU (I guess, but I find it hard to believe that nothing between now and the kiss scene happened. Harry was just oblivious. They had so much alone time and they liked each other. Not buying it lol. Even Harry around this time says 'sort of' to them being together.)

WC. 2233

A Moment in Forever

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I just want to stay with you in this moment forever

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Everything was going wrong. This was not at all how Ron had planned this evening to go, and it was only the beginning. He'd thought — well, maybe hoped — that tonight would be when things could finally happen.

They'd been growing closer every day. So many times they'd been alone with seemingly nothing to stop them, but something always had. Their lips had been inches from touching, they'd been milliseconds away from grabbing each other and just giving in, but it had never happened.

We have a war to fight. Those words played in Ron's mind every time he considered it, and he was certain that was what happened with her too.

But tonight was different. Tonight was a celebration of love, and Merlin, he loved her. He'd made up his mind; it was now or never. He was not going to leave this wedding without telling her exactly how he felt.

It had all been going exceptionally until he showed up.

Viktor Krum. World class Quidditch champion, built like a Quidditch player should be, and much to Ron's anguish, still very much interested in Hermione.

Krum. Always there to ruin the moment.

Any confidence he may have felt in telling Hermione went out the window when Krum showed up, and it completely evaporated when he saw how flustered Hermione got at his sudden appearance.

Who was Ron compared to the Bulgarian Seeker?

Just some lame friend, that was who.

He wanted to kick something (Krum, preferably). He'd been so sure, almost certain, that she felt the same way he did. Their closeness over the past weeks had been enough to convince him one of them just had to say the word and something would happen. And he was going to say the word. Tonight.

"You alright?" Harry asked, his voice a low whisper. They sat together at a table, Krum asking Hermione every detail about her life.

Ron glared, knowing how red his face must have been, but not caring. His only response was, "What's he doing here?"

Harry clapped him on the back, understanding the torment he was feeling, apparently.

Sure, he liked Krum as a Quidditch player, but as a person, he was a git. A few years ago, he would have given anything to be sitting at the same table as the best Seeker in the world. Now, he wanted to be anywhere else.

Why Hermione? Why did he have to like her? There were thousands of other people out there who would have given all their limbs to be noticed by Viktor Krum. So, why Hermione?

Because she was amazing. Perfect. Incredible. Fantastic. And she looked absolutely beautiful in what she was wearing. He'd told her as such earlier, but then Krum had actually used the word, so once again, he was one-up on Ron.

"Come and dance," he said suddenly, loudly, surprising everyone around him, including himself.

To his delight, Hermione agreed. And she even looked happy about it. They made their way onto the dance floor, weaving in and out of the growing crowd. He spotted Fred doing some weird dance with Angelina and hoped that that wasn't how he was going to look.

He made sure they were out of sight of Krum, Harry, and anyone else who'd tease him for dancing with Hermione. They stood in the middle of the dance floor, surrounded by people in every direction.

"Lovely wedding, isn't it?" Hermione said, her cheeks still tinged pink, which Ron really hoped was because he'd asked her to dance and not because who was sitting at the table they'd just left.

"Fantastic," Ron said, doing his best to sound cheerful, but knowing very well that some of his bitterness had escaped.

Her smile faltered, and she looked as if she wanted to say something, but then seemed to decide against it. She placed her arms around Ron's neck, initiating the dancing Ron hadn't really thought out.

He'd just wanted to be alone with her, really, and dancing had been the first idea that popped in his head.

But now that they were here…

He placed his hands around her waist, feeling his ears burn. He felt pathetic right now. But she moved closer to him, her face so close to his that it was almost as if she was asking him to kiss her.

Was she?

They began to sway in time to the music. Ron didn't know what to say to her or what to do, but she was leading, apparently less uncomfortable than he was. Or, she was doing a great job at hiding it.

Or… she was just dancing with her friend and it wasn't anything uncomfortable for her. He couldn't even remember the last time he'd looked at her and considered her just a friend. Those lines had blurred a long time ago and there was no exact moment he could pin point to when it had changed. Had she ever been 'just a friend'?

"You really do look great," he said, thinking he needed to say something. He swallowed. "B-beautiful, even."

Her cheeks reddened again, and she looked away from him. "Thank you," she said.

There was silence once more, and whilst he felt uncomfortable, at the same time, the last thing he wanted was for the music to stop. That would mean there'd be no reason to keep holding her like this, and she was something he simply didn't want to let go of.

Well, this moment was better than ever, right? They were alone, just like he'd wanted. Ignoring the other people around them, it was intimate. No one else to interrupt.

Sucking in a deep breath, mentally bringing himself to the point of opening his mouth, he said, "Her-"

"How do you feel about me?"

The question stalled him. His own words were left hanging as he stared down at her, eyes wide and his mouth open. They continued to sway to the music, but he felt her stiffen against him as her cheeks went very red, and she averted his gaze once more to somewhere behind him.

"Sorry," she said. "I didn't mean… that came out wrong. I was caught in the moment..."

"It's… okay," Ron said slowly. "What moment?" She'd given him the opportunity, but now that it wasn't on his terms, he had no idea what to say. He'd prepared a speech in his head — not too forward, just enough for her to know — but he couldn't remember any of it now.

She looked back up at him, smiling, though even she was uncomfortable now. Her voice was barely audible over the music as she said, "Please just tell me. Otherwise, I've just made an idiot of myself."

"You could never do that," Ron said, chancing a smile at her. She returned it, albeit reluctantly.

He gripped her tighter, wondering if her sudden need to know had anything to do with who else was at the wedding. All the times she could have asked him over the past weeks, and she chose now. Krum would be just as likely to come over at any moment and declare his undying love for her, and if Ron couldn't say the words that he could, then it wasn't going to end well. Not for Ron.

"You want to know how I feel about you?" Where the hell do I start?

She nodded, looking nervous, as if she was expecting his response to be bad… for her.

He held her even tighter, begging the music to keep going. Could he just be here forever in this moment? Could it never end?

Well, it's now or never. He swallowed. His heart was going to jump out of his chest, he was sure of it. But he had made a deal with himself, and she had just given him the perfect opportunity. "I…" Her eyes burned into his. There was something in them that gave him some kind of resolve. The words just slipped out after that. His brain stopped thinking, and his heart started talking. "I love you. A lot. I really want to kiss you right now, but I'm trying really hard not to, because I'm not sure if that's what you want. I think about you all the time, and all I want is for this moment to never end. I just… love you, and I was going tell you anyway… tonight. So I'm glad you asked." His breath left him, and every part of him relaxed. His brain had started working again, but the only message it was sending him was relief.

What he hadn't realised, was that she'd drawn even closer to him, her arms tightening around his neck, her mouth only a breath away from his. He breathed her in, wondering, for the first time, how she might react.

To his surprise, her lips brushed against his in a kiss that was barely noticeable, even to him. But it was an invitation — of that much he was certain — and he kissed her back. An instant warmth filled him, and he slid his hands from her waist to her back, and he drew her so close that she was pressed up against him. They were surrounded by people who barely knew them, who wouldn't know that this was their first kiss; but he was so taken by the moment that his mother could have been standing right beside him and he wouldn't have cared. She was so sweet, her lips soft, her skin so wonderful to touch.

Can this moment never end? He didn't want the music to stop, he didn't want to pull away from the kiss. He wasn't sure if he even could. Her arms were locked so tightly around his neck now that any more and he'd not be able to breathe, but that didn't matter. What a nice way to die, this would be.

Time meant nothing in that moment. He loved her; God, he loved her. Maybe they could run away together after the wedding. Pretend nothing bad was happening outside of this tent.

They could have been there for hours and he wouldn't have known. "No…" he found himself instinctively murmuring as he felt her begin to pull away. "Please don't stop."

Looking rather flustered, and breathing heavily with arms still around him, she smiled. His heart couldn't be controlled right now. He didn't want it to be controlled, ever, if this was what it was like with her. It was the best feeling in the world. It was impossible for anything to be better, surely.

"I love you, too," she said softly. "I really love you."

He tried to kiss her again, but she turned her head away ever so slightly.

"But I —"

"Don't," he murmured. "I know what you're going to say, and don't. Let's just enjoy this right now. Please." Pursuing anything beyond tonight would be stupid and dangerous given the current situation — he knew that. He wanted to have this night. This moment.

She nodded, and once again, she kissed him. It was just as good as the first time. Perhaps even better, because he wasn't as nervous.

They pulled away again, their cheeks flushed and ridiculous grins plastered on their faces. Ron's mind was only on Hermione. There could have been a thousand people around them, and he wouldn't have noticed any of them. But Hermione paled ever so slightly, and her eyes became slightly panicked as she looked at something over his shoulder.

For a moment, Ron thought she might have spotted Viktor, but when he looked in the same direction, he saw that it was Fred, who was grinning at them from a seat that gave him a clear view. His brother gave them two thumbs up, a wink, and Ron could have sworn he mouthed 'about time'.

He flushed, letting her go. He suddenly felt very exposed — which was stupid, considering they were around so many people.

But it had killed the moment, and the reality of everything came crashing back down.

"Listen, Ron, maybe we shouldn't take this further —"

"Of course not," Ron said. "I get it. War and everything. As long as you mean only until it's all over."

She smiled up at him, looking once more at Fred — who was still giving them a stupid grin — and kissed him for a third time. He could only grip her again. When she pulled away, she said, "I really don't want this to end. This moment. Tonight. Because I know tomorrow..." She didn't finish, but she didn't need to.

"If I could pause time, I would," Ron agreed. He drew her towards him, breathing in her scent. "I've wanted to do that forever." Her head rested against his chest, and once more, they began to sway to the music, arms locked firmly around one another.

She loved him. She had said it herself. Him. Not… she loved Ron.

His heart beat so furiously against his chest that he was certain she could hear it. It didn't matter. Finally, they'd made it. He knew it wouldn't last long; that after tonight, they'd have to wait until the Horcruxes had been found. But for now, it was this moment, and this moment felt like forever.

And that was enough for now.

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I just want to hold you close

Feel your heart so close to mine

And just stay here in this moment

For all the rest of time

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Thank you to Autumn (insertcleverandwittytitlehere) for beta-ing this. Ray, I really hope you liked this! I had fun with the prompt for this one and listened to the song on repeat while writing haha.