5

The fact that they weren't hiding anymore had seemed to discard any other inhibitions she or Ron had been feeling, if any. So the gentle kiss he had pulled her into quickly escalated. Realising he wasn't able to stand much longer, Ron slowly sat down on the edge of the bed, pulling her with him. She sat on her lap, straddling him, just like she had seen in some of those muggle movies she watched at home. Her arms were wrapped tightly around her neck, while his hands were roaming her back. As it turned out, she was, in fact, ticklish. She giggled into his mouth before she could stop herself.

She felt him smile, "Now I have something I can use against you."

"You wouldn't-" she started to protest but was promptly interuppted when he rolled her on to her back and closed her mouth with his. Her thoughts were emptied of anything that wasn't directly connected to Ron's lips. Until, that is, she felt his gentle fingers graze over her side, sending her into a small fit of giggles.

"Ronald Weasley…", she tried to look serious, but their current position and the mischievious smirk he wore on his face made it impossible, "You are being childish."

"Right." He replied , bringing his face so close to hers that she could practically taste him. "And what do you plan to do about that, Miss Granger?"

She pulled him into another kiss so suddenly that his arms, that were holding him up so he didn't flatten her, gave way and their bodies pressed together. Everything fit into place, she noticed, like a puzzle that had finally been solved.

Once again her hands found their way underneath his shirt and she traced the muscles across his back. She felt an urge to kiss his collarbone and tugged desperatedly at his shirt, which was stopping her from doing that. He reluctantly pulled away and carelessly tossed the shirt onto the floor.

"That's better." She mumbled into his neck after her lips had once again joined his skin. Sudden confidence overwhelmed her and she took things into her own hands. She rolled him over onto his back, taking care they didn't fall off the dangerously small bed. A little moan escaped his mouth when she pulled away, and she felt a lovely warmth in her. She pulled her own shirt over her head, tossing it somewhere near his. His eyes widened and he grinned widely after a few moment of intial shock.

"Bloody hell, Hermione."

He pulled her back down into another passionate kiss, which she definitely didn't mind. And she assumed he didn't either, because she was sure she felt a little poke in her thigh.

A few more minutes passed, that seemed like hours to her, of pure bliss. She had never before felt so sure that she was in the right place. That she was meant to be right there, with Ron.

Her hands that had been entangled in his hair, trailed down the length of his back and stopped at his pants, which the casually placed her thumbs under, tugging slightly. A hand left her hip and covered her own. He propped himself up on the other, towering over her.

"Stop."

A flood of worry spread through her. Had she done something wrong? Had he changed his mind?

"What? I'm sorry…Did I do something wrong?" She felt her cheeks turned several shades darker.

He chuckled at her embarrassment, which gave her some hope. "What did I say about being sorry? You didn't do anything wrong. No, you were…" he paused, but she wasn't sure if it was for dramatic effect or he was just searching for the right words. "Bloody hell, you're brilliant." He grinned reassuringly at her before continuing, "No, I just… I want us to, to do this", he gestured at their bodies, hugged together tightly, "because we want to. Not only because we can."

She opened her mouth to say something along the lines of: but I want to, but he beat her to it.

"I want to. Bloody hell, I'd rather do that than anything else. But not tonight, not here."

She nodded. She knew what he was getting at. They were both still trying to get over what had happened. Hermione still had no parents. Ron was still getting over his brother. And his parents were a single storey down.

"Okay."

She remembered when Ron was younger, and he did what he wanted, when he wanted. She fell in love with that Ron, but tonight her heart swelled for this one. The older one. The one that knew what death and loss felt like. The one who saw himself as his family's guardian. The one that loved her.

"Right. Where were we?" he whispered. Though she prepared herself for the mesmerising acting of kissing him once more, he pleasantly surprised her. Grabbing his wand off the nightstand, he mumbled a few words and the lights flew out. He twisted himself so he was directly behind her and pulled her closer, spooning her. A strong, muscular arm wrapped around her waist, making sure she didn't escape. She decided she loved his protectiveness.

"I love you Ronald Weasley." She said as she settled her head back against his warm chest. For a while, she could hear nothing, except his heartbeat, which was reassuringly steady. She assumed he had fallen asleep. Feeling suddenly quite exhausted, she closed her eyes, slipping halfway into dreamland, when he surprised her by smiling into her hair.

"I love you too Hermione Granger."