Hello! Finally getting back to this fic, and I have the birthday chapter for you!
Thanks so super much to the amazing betas who help me with this fic- Be11a, Cheesy, & Accio! They are all spectacular and talented AF!
This chapter covers chapter four of the original!
oOo
The next five months flew by for Ron, and things between him and Hermione went back to normal, even though they'd been seeing less of each other due to her severe workload. She'd been really busy, and had graduated from her homeschool program right around the time that she said she would.
Though Hermione had always met her goals, even surpassing them most of the time, Ron had still been amazed when she'd told him that she'd submitted the last of her work, and was a high school graduate at age sixteen. She had been attending the local university in town for the last month, a fact which made Ron's head spin.
He was so bloody proud of her, really he was, but he would be lying if he said that a part of him didn't feel left behind. Hermione had, of course, always been lightyears ahead of him, but sadly this was yet another reminder that he was far from good enough for her.
Even though he had no right, because he had no claim on her, Ron was anxious every day, terrified that Hermione would meet her 'Mr. Perfect' at university. If that were to happen, Ron's chance of ever being with her would go from 2% to 0%. Not that he thought he really stood a chance to ever be with her like that, but he still wanted to delay the devastation for as long as possible.
Honestly, he didn't know how he would be able to endure the torture of seeing Hermione with anybody else, as selfish as it was. He was certain that one day soon, she would, without warning, bring this flawless bloke home to meet the parents. Not that Hermione would be doing it intentionally, but the day she brought a bloke home would be the day that she emotionally murdered Ron, and he was not looking forward to it. If that were to happen, at the very least Ron would be shoved out of her life, left on the backburner like an old toy nobody liked anymore.
The only good thing that had come out of Hermione being so busy was that Ron had plenty of time to plan what he was going to do for her upcoming birthday. He'd taken all the extra chores around his house, trying to up his allowance so he could get Hermione something great and had spent many a night trying to think of the perfect gift he could buy her.
His first instinct had been to get her a book, but Hermione already owned every bloody book ever published, and besides, Ron figured that a book wasn't near meaningful enough.
Hermione didn't much enjoy little knick knacks because they cluttered up her room, so anything like that was out.
Jewelry had come to mind, but Ron knew that it would be way too obvious and might possibly give his real feelings away, so that wasn't an option.
No, what Hermione needed was some time away, so Ron decided to take her somewhere, just the two of them. He knew it couldn't be a real date of course, but it had to be something great, something they hadn't done before. He wanted to take her somewhere that would make her feel alive, carefree and happy instead of only worrying about school, tests, and homework.
After a few weeks of nowhere sounding good enough, the sudden image of the two of them taking a romantic stroll down the beach, as unrealistic as the romance part was, popped into Ron's head and he knew it was perfect. They had been to the beach several times before, but it had always been with either his family or hers, never by themselves.
Ron knew that it was going to be damn near impossible to get Hermione to skip her classes for the day, but he figured he could be quite persistent if needed. When he thought about the small theme park near the beach, he chuckled to himself. This was going to be her best birthday ever- even if she didn't know it yet. Ron decided to keep his plans a complete surprise until the day of, and he couldn't wait to spring them on her.
oOo
When the alarm sounded at 4:50 AM on Hermione's birthday, Ron got out of bed, not even hitting the snooze button once. In the bathroom, he brushed his teeth and wet his hair, giving it a quick runthrough with his fingers. Ready, he made his way over to Hermione's house, grabbed the key under the doormat, and kept quiet as he let himself in the front door.
He crept up the stairs, hoping that he wouldn't disturb the Grangers because he didn't know how he would explain this to them if he were caught. When he got to Hermione's room, he walked in and shut the door behind him. The room was pitch black, but knowing her room by heart, Ron made it over to her bed, thankful that she was such a neat freak and that there was nothing on her floor for him to trip on. He felt for the side of her bed before laying down next to her sleeping form, smiling to himself as he heard her faint snores. He scooted closer to her, holding back a cough when he accidentally inhaled some of her hair in his mouth.
He lay there and closed his eyes, giving himself a moment to imagine that they were actually sleeping together like this, the thought warming him from the inside out. When she moved closer to him and let out a little sigh, Ron could swear his heart melted into a puddle. Smiling, he put his lips next to her ear and started to sing in a loud whisper.
"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Her-my-neeeeee! Happy birthday to youuuuu!"
He felt her jolt awake. "Ron, what are you doing here?" she asked in a raspy voice.
"It's your birthday!" he stated. "Besides, I thought you would be happy to wake up with a handsome man in your bed."
"You can't possibly mean yourself?"
"Of course I meant me, doofus."
"What time is it?" she mumbled.
"Five o'clock in the morning."
She groaned. "Ronald Weasley, why are you in my bed at five o'clock in the morning? And how did you get into my house?"
"Always with the questions!" He sighed. "It's your birthday, I have a surprise, and the key is under the doormat. Easy peasy."
"You know that I have to get up for class in two hours," she said in a stern voice.
"Nope! You're skipping class today, and I'm skipping school."
"I don't skip class, Ron. Even on my birthday."
Ron bit back a groan of frustration. Today was already well thought out and he was not going to let her worm her way out of the plans that he'd made. "You have no choice in the matter."
"I certainly do have a choice, and I'm choosing to tell you no."
"Hermiiooonneee," he whined. "Just skip one day! I've been saving all of my allowance for the last few months just so I can spend it all on you, well, us."
She gave a small laugh. "How chivalrous of you, Ronald."
"It really is," he agreed.
He heard her sigh. "Ron…" she started before trailing off.
"Please please please please please pleaasseeee!" he pleaded, sensing that her resolve was weakening and that he was going to win this.
"You are such a child! You sound like you are whining for a toy at the toy store!"
"What's wrong with whining for a toy at the toy store?" He laughed. "Come on Hermione, I know that deep down you want to take a day off and spend it with your most favourite person in the whole entire world."
"No, I really don't," she replied, but Ron could hear the smile in her voice.
"Okay," he paused. "You asked for it!" He leaped up and straddled her, tickling her sides as she squealed and laughed, trying to throw him off of her.
After only a few seconds though, Ron realized that with all of the squirming around she had done, Hermione's shirt had ridden up and his hands were now on her bare sides. He stilled, the feeling of her soft skin under his hands causing his breath to hitch and his heart rate to quicken.
Hermione was silent and unmoving under him, and transfixed, Ron brushed his thumbs over her skin, marveling at how soft she was. When his brain caught up with him, and Ron realized what he was doing, he froze, horrified. Not knowing what else to do, he tickled her again, and Hermione's knee abruptly came up and hit him hard in between the legs.
"Fuuuuck!" he groaned as he rolled off of her and fell next to her on the bed.
Hermione scrambled to sit up."Ohmygod! Ohmygod, Ron, are you okay?!" she asked, sounding mortified.
Ron could only give a low moan in response and could hear Hermione start to panic.
"I'm so sorry. I swear I didn't mean to! You just took me by surprise and-"
"S'okay," he mumbled, needing her to calm down so he could wait it out. "Just lay down and hold still- please."
She did as he asked, and he clenched his eyes shut, willing the pain to be over soon.
Hermione didn't say anything else, but after a minute or so of silence, she spoke again. "Ron?"
"Mm?"
"Are you okay?"
"Getting there." He paused, realizing he could use this to his advantage. "But since you just really, really bloody hurt me, you are now absolutely obligated to spend your day with me."
"Okay," she was quick to agree. "But only because I actually do feel really bad."
He let out a sigh. "Hold me until I feel better," he demanded, using the situation to his advantage once again.
Hermione was quick to oblige, and she scooted over to him and started to run her fingers through his hair. Ron moved even closer so that his face was between her shoulder and her neck, slinging his arm over the top of her torso. They laid together for several minutes in a comfortable silence, and Ron enjoyed just being with her like this, breathing her in, pretending that she was cuddling with him because she reciprocated his feelings and not because she had just kneed him.
Figuring that they'd better get a move on, Ron moved back and sat up, throwing his legs over the side of her bed. "Right," he started. "So- you're going to want to wear something on the warmer side, but not too warm. Bring a hair tie in case it's windy, and maybe a pillow and a blanket for the trip."
"Where are we going?"
"I told you it was a surprise." He reached out and fumbled around until he found her lamp and switched it on before turning to her. Hermione looked so adorable with her sleepy eyes and her puffed out hair, and Ron gave her a smile before standing up. "We're taking your car, and I'm driving. Hurry up and get dressed. I'll be waiting for you outside." With that, he walked out of her room, closing the door behind him.
oOo
Fifteen minutes later, after he had tucked Hermione into the passenger seat with a pillow and a blanket, Ron buckled her seatbelt and ordered her to go back to sleep, telling her that they had a long drive ahead of them and she needed to relax.
She closed her eyes as they started to drive, and Ron figured she had fallen back to sleep. As he drove, he reached out and rested his palm on her knee, lightly drumming his fingers to the beat of the music of the radio as he hummed along. His mind was occupied on the day ahead of them, and he didn't realize that Hermione was awake, only noticing when he turned to check on her.
"Hey! You're supposed to be asleep," he scolded before turning his eyes back to the road.
"Couldn't sleep," she replied as she stretched and sat up to look around. "Can you tell me where we are going now?"
He gave her a look. "No."
She lightly swatted at him and he took his hand off of her knee and held it up."Hey! It's dangerous to touch the driver you know!" He paused, a wicked smirk now on his face. "Wouldn't object to some road head though," he added, quirking an eyebrow at her.
When Hermione let out a gasp, Ron held his hand up again in self-defense. "Kidding, kidding, kidding!" he cried out between laughs. "I went too far, I know!"
Hermione sat back in her seat, her cheeks pink. "You better be kidding Ronald Weasley! Why must you be so crude all of the time?"
Ron chuckled. "I'm not crude all of the time, I just know how to squeeze in a dirty joke when the moment calls for it! Besides, even though my jokes always get me in trouble with you, most of the time they also make you laugh, and that's really what I'm going for."
"So you're telling me that you say crude things to make me laugh?" she asked in an incredulous voice.
"Yep."
"Why would you do that though?"
He shrugged. "I like making you laugh." Hermione sighed, making Ron smile. "I mean, you should already know that I'm not serious when I say those kinds of things," he continued, shaking his head. "It's not like I really think those sorts of scenarios are even possible- Hermione Granger giving roadhead? You would never do something so scandalous!"
Hermione didn't respond, instead reaching out and turning the radio up. Ron let out a small laugh, knowing that she was done with the conversation. They drove for about an hour longer, neither of them saying anything, both of them lost in their own thoughts.
Ron was starving, so he broke off of the motorway in the middle of nowhere to go through the drive through of a small donut shop. He ordered a dozen donuts for himself while Hermione opted for two kolaches, and together they shared a large bottle of orange juice. Ron insisted on paying for all of it, telling her that she wasn't allowed to pay for anything on her birthday.
They drove for another hour before Hermione let out a sound of triumph.
"The beach!" she exclaimed, and Ron nodded, a grin on his face.
"Figured the fresh air would help you relax."
"Do I really need to relax that much?"
He pursed his lips. "I'd be scared for my safety if I answered that question truthfully."
Hermione ignored him, instead looking out her window in what looked like anticipation. When Ron could see the very top of the roller coasters in the far distance, he took a deep breath, not sure how to break the rest of the day's plans to her.
"The beach is actually the second surprise," he started in a slow voice.
"What's the fir..." Hermione trailed off, following his gaze. Her eyes widened. "Absolutely, positively no, Ron!"
"What better present is there than learning to conquer your fears, Hermione?"
"Every present is better."
He laughed. "I will be with you on every ride. Hell, I'll even wrap my arms around you while we are riding the damn things to make you feel safer!"
"Your arms won't stop me from plummeting to my death Ronald!"
He rolled his eyes. "We are going, and you are going to love it." He kissed the tip of his finger and tapped the end of her nose, and Hermione crossed her arms, huffing.
oOo
Even though Ron had to pull Hermione into the theme park by the hand kicking and screaming, the fight went out of her as she took in the sight of all of the other people having so much fun. Ron purchased them each a pink wristband, and they started to walk around as he told Hermione how he was going to get her to conquer her fear. He explained that they were going to ride every ride together, starting with the smallest, and working their way up to the biggest.
Hermione informed him that she felt ridiculous riding the baby rides like the carousel and the spinning teacups, but Ron insisted, wanting her to warm up before tackling the big stuff. He was pleased at how well it was going, and knew that she was enjoying the baby rides, but especially the bumper cars. He couldn't remember a time that he had seen her laugh so much as they kept slamming into each other, and Ron loved every minute of it.
He could tell that she had gradually gotten more nervous, each ride scarier than the last. Ron had done as he had promised though, and had held her (as much as it was possible to do so on these sorts of things) on the scary ones. Ron didn't let go of her hand the whole day, and they were both having such a great time. In between rides, they ate junk food and played at the little game booths, Ron repeatedly tried to win a prize for her to no avail.
"Those fucking things are rigged," Ron muttered as they made their way away from yet another booth empty handed.
Hermione wrapped her arms around one of his, squeezing it to her as she leaned her head against his shoulder as they walked. "Yeah, I'm sure they are. I guess that's how they make their money."
Ron looked down at her, giving her a small smile. " We only have one ride left, you know..." Hermione let go of his arm, a nervous scowl on her face as she stared at the largest roller coaster in the distance, The Whomping Willow. Ron slung his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close to his side, leaning his head down to give her a quick kiss on the cheek. "Let's eat first, okay? Then we will conquer the last ride."
Hermione side eyed him. "We've been snacking all day, Ron!"
"So? I'm always hungry. Let's share a funnel cake."
She laughed. "Sure. if it will prolong me riding that monstrous thing," she said, gesturing to The Whomping Willow. "Which I still haven't agreed to ride, by the way. The smaller rides have been fine, but I'm not sure that I'll be able to get on that one…" she trailed off as he chuckled.
They were now at the end of the line for the funnel cakes, and Ron pulled her even closer to him. "I have confidence that you'll ride it, Hermione. You've just gotta trust me."
Hermione sighed. "I'll try, Ron. No promises though."
They stood there together, now only two people in front of them in line. Ron saw a familiar face and pointed her out to Hermione.
"Hey! I know her! She's Charlotte's friend. Char brought her to a party a few weekends ago. Also brought this girl named Hannah, and me and her ended up fooling around."
Next to him, Ron felt Hermione stiffen. It had been almost five months since he'd slept with Kimmy, and there had been several others since then. Ron still wasn't sure what had gotten Hermione upset that night that he'd told her about losing his virginity, but everytime that he'd informed her that he'd shagged any other girl at a party, she'd had almost nothing to say about it before changing the subject. A very small part of him thought that maybe her behaviour was due to jealousy, but Ron managed to squash that dream down, knowing that it wasn't good for him to get his hopes up.
"Oh," she ended up saying in a quiet voice.
"Yeah," Ron went on. "Hannah was really cool. She taught me this-"
"Ron. I really don't want to hear it," Hermione interrupted. Ron looked down at her, trying to read her face to see if he could figure out what she was thinking, but she only looked mildly annoyed as she continued, "I don't need you to tell me about every time you hook up with a girl- or what that girl taught you, alright?"
Ron didn't know what to say. He only told her about his party snogs and hookups so he could try and get a reaction out of her. He wanted jealousy from her, even if only a little bit, but all he saw right now was agitation and he felt instant guilt.
"Okay, Hermione," he said in a sincere voice. "If you don't want me to talk about it, I won't."
Hermione sighed in what looked like relief. They were now first in line, and she stepped up to the counter in front of him and ordered them a large funnel cake to share. When she turned around, she smiled at him in a way that made him question if she even had snapped at him just a minute ago, and he was glad the moment was over.
After getting the cake, Ron carried the plate and they made their way to a small red table and sat down. Conversation was lighthearted and happy again, and they laughed at each other as they both got powdered sugar all over their lips, Ron wishing he could clean her lips with his tongue.
Once finished, they started towards the Willow, Hermione walking at an incredibly slow pace as if to prolong the inevitable. Thankfully the line wasn't too long, and Ron held tight to Hermione's hand, making sure that she didn't try and escape at the very last moment. When it was their turn to get on, the gate opened, and Ron led Hermione to a car in the middle, but right at the last second she stopped, planting her feet firmly to the ground. When he turned around to look at her, he gave her a smile but she frantically shook her head no at him, her eyes pleading.
"Come on, Hermione," he tried to reassure her. "You can't just make it to the very last one just to turn back." He rubbed her hand, hoping to help calm her. "You can do this, I know you can."
Giving him an intense look, Hermione took a deep breath and allowed Ron to gently pull her down into the seat right next to him. Once the bar was down across their laps, Ron told her to turn towards him, and when she did he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her head into his chest. The position wasn't comfortable, but Ron didn't care. When the kid who worked there came round to make sure all of the lap bars were secure, he gave them an odd look but didn't say anything.
The roller coaster was an absolute blast, and Hermione screamed bloody murder the entire ride while Ron laughed and whooped in excitement. He only let go of her once the ride was over, and he couldn't help but laugh at the fact that he had to steady her as she got out, as her legs were wobbly.
After leaving the park, they finally made it to the beach, where he and Hermione walked around for a while, talking about random things, the wind whipping both of their hair around their heads and making them laugh.
Hermione squealed in excitement at every small crab that she saw, and she picked up a few seashells as Ron watched her, entranced. It was cold outside, so neither of them opted to take off their shoes and walk in the water, but they were having fun regardless.
When they came across a man selling bird seed, Ron bought some for Hermione to throw into the air for the seagulls that were flying above them. As she fed them, she was jumping around like a little kid, laughing with joy, and Ron could only smile and shake his head at the sight of her. As he watched her, his hands in his pockets, he wished that he had brought a video recorder in order to capture this memory forever. When Hermione offered him some birdseed to throw to the birds he declined, truthfully telling her that watching her feed the birds was a thousand times more fun than actually feeding them.
They walked even further down the shore, and Ron had never felt more relaxed, nor had he ever seen Hermione so relaxed, and he was loving every minute of it. After a while though, they decided to head back towards the car as they were now a good distance away, and both of them were getting hungry for dinner. Ron walked backwards, watching and listening to Hermione as she rattled on to him about how brave she felt for riding The Whomping Willow.
At that moment, with her eyes sparkling with excitement, her hair being blown every which way by the wind, Ron had never been closer to telling Hermione that he was in love with her. Just as he had that thought though, he spotted a large beach umbrella that had been picked up by the wind barreling towards her. Hermione was still talking, completely oblivious to the danger she was in. Without thinking, Ron lunged at her, planning to tackle her in order to move her out of the way. At the very last second though, the metal piece of the umbrella hit her on the back of her head with a sickening thud, and Ron screamed as she fell limp in his arms.
Terrified, Ron lowered her to the ground, still holding her tight. Her eyes were closed, and her head lolled around on his arm as he cradled it.
"Hermione? Ohgod Hermione please say something!" he begged.
He could have cried in relief when she opened her eyes, blinking and looking around as if she had no idea what was going on. Ron barely even paid attention to a boy who was now pacing next to them as he profusely apologized.
"What happened?" Hermione asked, reaching back behind her head.
When she moved her hand in front of her, Ron saw a bit of blood on it.
"The wind picked up my beach umbrella, and the metal part hit you on the back of your head. I'm so so sorry," the boy standing behind Ron said.
Ron glanced up only for a second to glare at the boy as he stared down at Hermione with guilt and concern. He looked about their age, and he was skinny with extremely unruly black hair and round glasses.
Ron turned back to Hermione, still needing to make sure that she was okay. "What's my name?" he demanded.
"Carrot top?" Hermione answered in a dull voice.
The black haired git let out a laugh, but Ron merely scowled down at Hermione.
"What's my bloody name Hermione?"
"Your bloody name is Ronald Weasley, and I'm Hermione Granger. I can't believe that I survived roller coasters today, only to be taken out by a beach umbrella."
Ron let out a small chuckle. "Man, you scared me there for a minute." He pulled her in for a hug before standing up and hauling her to her feet, holding her steady.
When she stood up she winced, but then she took a deep breath and gave Ron a smile.
"Harry Potter," the boy introduced himself, holding his hand out to them. "Again, I'm so sorry about that."
Hermione shook his hand first, and Ron did so grudgingly.
"Let me take you two out to dinner, my treat!" Harry asked them.
Hermione and Ron exchanged glances before nodding their heads in agreement. Ron wanted to do whatever she wanted, and free food was free food after all.
"Let me just pack up my things and get my cousin and his boyfriend over here to join us. He turned around, cupping his hands around his mouth. "Oi! Seamus! Dean! Come on!"
Two other boys ran over, one of them short and muscular, the other tall and dark skinned. They eyed Ron and Hermione, but not in an unfriendly way.
"We're going out for dinner, you two coming?" Harry asked.
Both boys nodded enthusiastically before introducing themselves, and then all together, they helped Harry pack away his stuff into his jeep. Harry suggested an Italian restaurant that he assured them was only a short walk away, so they headed there. The walk was indeed short, and when they made it inside the restaurant they all sat down at a large booth.
Even though it had taken a bit for Ron to not feel anger towards Harry for what had happened to Hermione, he soon found that he quite liked the bloke and when they started talking about football, Ron was pleased to find out that they both liked the same teams. Conversation between all five of them was easy, and they all seemed to be having a great time together. Seamus and Dean talked about their relationship, telling Ron and Hermione that they had been together for almost a year now, and Ron tried not to smile at Hermione's heart eyes as she listened to their story.
As they ate, Seamus eyed them. "So, how long have you two been together?" he asked.
Hermione's mouth was full of food, and Ron could tell that she wanted to answer, but was unable to. Not wanting the question to turn awkward, Ron decided to play around with it. He grinned before wrapping his arm around Hermione's waist and pulling her closer to him.
"Two long, wonderful years!" he answered. "You know, earlier on the beach, I was just about to propose, when your umbrella hit her."
Harry's mouth dropped open in horror, and Hermione held up her hand. "No, no, he's joking!" she reassured Harry. "You can't take anything Ron says seriously! He wasn't about to propose, and we aren't even dating, we are just friends."
Even though the words were true, Ron hated the feeling he got in his stomach, especially at hearing them come from Hermione.
"Best friends," he grumbled.
"Yes, best friends," Hermione clarified, squeezing his hand that was resting on the table.
Dean then cocked his head a bit to the side to study the both of them. "You two seem a lot more, I don't know, in tune with each other to just be friends."
Ron took a sip of his soda. He of course was used to people questioning the type of relationship he and Hermione shared, but nobody, especially these people that they had just met, could possibly understand how unrealistic the idea of them together was. "Next door neighbors since we were eleven, mate," he explained. "We know each other extremely well."
Dean nodded, and thankfully the conversation was dropped. Ron was delighted to find that all three of the boys went to school with Dave's girlfriend Charlotte, and they discussed that for a while, Hermione choosing to not say much during that conversation. The night ended with them exchanging phone numbers and promising to keep in touch, and despite how they'd met each other, Ron was glad that they had.
The drive home was spent in a comfortable silence, and Ron held Hermione's hand the whole way, Hermione seeming not to want to let go of him either. By the time Ron parked the car in Hermione's driveway, it was pretty late and it looked as if no one from either of their houses were awake.
The day had been perfect, and Ron was sad that it was coming to an end. Other than the fact that Hermione had gotten knocked out by Harry's damn beach umbrella, Ron couldn't have been happier about how it'd turned out. When he turned the car off, he said nothing, not making a move to get up. Hermione was silent as well, and they both sat there together, their hands still interlaced. When Ron turned his head to look at her, she was staring straight ahead, seemingly deep in thought. Not for the first time, he wished that he could read her mind, to know what she was thinking. Hermione was the first to let go, and when she did, she opened the door and got out, Ron doing the same. They met each other at the front of the car, and together, they made their way to her front door.
Ron handed her the car keys, unsure what to say.
"I had the best day today Ron. Thank you," Hermione said in a quiet voice.
He nodded and gave her a small smile. "Good. I'm glad." He opened his mouth to tell her that they should make a 'real' date of it next time, but thankfully he caught himself and closed it before the words escaped.
Hermione's eyebrows furrowed. "What? What were you going to say?"
Ron gulped. "Nothing, ah-just-I'm really proud of you for riding the coasters, and uh, I'm really sorry that you got hurt," he said as he rubbed the back of his burning neck, grateful that it was dark outside and she wouldn't be able to see how red he was.
Hermione looked skeptical, as if she didn't believe him, but then she gave a small laugh. "Thank you, and I'm fine, I promise."
Ron took both of her hands in his and stared at them, feeling more emotional than usual after the day that they had shared. "Love ya, Hermione. Goodnight." And before he could make a fool of himself, he dropped her hands and turned around, making his way to his house at a fast pace. Once in, he went straight to the bathroom and took a shower, deciding to have a quick wank while in there.
When he closed his eyes, Ron imagined that he and Hermione were back on the beach, but this time, there wasn't a soul anywhere near them- in fact, it was as if nobody else in the world even existed. Since Harry wasn't around, Hermione didn't get knocked out by the beach umbrella, but instead she stopped walking and told him that she had something important to tell him. In his mind, Hermione then confessed her feelings, telling Ron that she had been in love with him for years, just as he had with her. Her confession of course led Ron to admitting that he felt the same, which led to Hermione jumping on him before they started snogging each other senseless. Their clothes were then discarded at a frantic pace, both of them unwilling to wait a moment longer. In his mind, Ron kissed every square inch of her exposed skin, unable to get enough. Hermione felt so much better than any other girl he'd been with, and as Ron thrusted inside of her, she clung to him as if she, too, couldn't get enough. As he and Hermione were in the throes of very passionate beach sex, Ron came in real life before slumping back against the tiled wall as his brain returned to reality.
Once out, he grabbed a towel and started to dry his body, not paying much attention to his movements as there was so much on his mind. His body now dry, Ron strolled from the loo to his bedroom, not bothering to cover his naked body as there was no one else awake. He made it to his room and flipped the lights on, closing the door behind him. He started to dry his hair, wondering if it was about time for him to get a haircut, deciding to ask Hermione for her opinion before he did anything with it.
Ron winced as he thought about the fact that he had almost asked Hermione out at her door. He wondered what she would have said if he'd had. He figured she would shoot him down gently, and he would end up having to act like the whole thing had been a joke.
He really was hopeless.
At this rate, he was going to blurt out his feelings like an idiot and scare her away, and knew that moving forward, he would have to be even more careful. He needed to pull himself back to reality before he ruined everything between them. As time went on, it was getting harder and harder to hold himself back from her, but Ron was old enough to know that just because you wanted something (no matter how much you may want it) it didn't mean that you could have it.
He let out a sigh before turning around and walking towards his bed. As he did so, Ron realized for the first time that his curtains were wide open, and instinctively, his eyes looked across to Hermione's window.
It happened so fast, and he almost didn't see it, but Ron could have sworn that Hermione had been watching him before ducking out of sight. When he took a few steps closer, he noticed that her curtains were still moving the tiniest bit, letting him know that it hadn't just been his imagination.
"Bloody fucking hell," he breathed. Hermione had just seen him starkers.
His first feeling should have been embarrassment, but it wasn't. Had she been checking him out? Ron had never liked his freckles, and he thought he was a bit too lanky, but other than that, he thought he looked pretty good starkers, and hoped Hermione had thought the same.
A smirk crossed his face as he grabbed a pair of basketball shorts off of the floor and hurriedly put them on. He wrote a quick note, and feeling giddy, he opened his window and put it in the bucket before sending it across to tap against her window.
See anything you like?
He tapped several times, knowing she was there, but also knowing that she was going to try and ignore him. Ron wasn't going to have that, so he stayed persistent. Finally, he saw her open her curtains and then her window, giving him a scowl as he smiled across at her. She took the note out, and even with the distance, Ron could see her eyes widen when she read it. She wrote down her response, avoiding direct eye contact with him as she sent it.
No. Goodnight.
As soon as he read it, he started to laugh, and when he looked up, Hermione was already shutting her window. Still chuckling, Ron did the same before turning out his light and flopping back onto his bed.
Well, now Hermione definitely knew that he had a penis.