Ron in hospital after poisoning Kiss

Ever since Ron had said her name in his sleep, Hermione had visited the hospital wing every day. Once Ron had awoken, he was always very happy to see her and they talked for long hours. She was sad whenever Ron would sense Lavender, his girlfriend, coming. She would have to rush out or hide until the coast was clear, and noticed that Ron would pretend to be asleep whenever Lavender visited.

"I want to break up with her. Believe me," Ron explained to Hermione one day. "I just don't know how to without hurting her that much. Not that I should care. She's been getting on my nerves since at least before Christmas break…"

"It's good that you're being sensitive to her feelings," Hermione advised him.

"Yeah, but I wouldn't be in this mess if I hadn't gotten involved with her in the first place!" He suddenly began to let everything spill out in a rush: "I only kissed Lavender because Ginny told me you kissed Krum! I was jealous. I wanted to feel noticed by somebody, even if it wasn't the person I wanted to notice me. Now, I've acted like a prat and ruined my friendship with you! Balancing relationships is so much trouble. I'm sorry."

Hermione was stunned. Ron had just poured out his heart to her. He hadn't come right out and said he loved her, but he might as well have. She looked away. After a moment, she felt Ron's hand on her chin, making her look at him…and then pulling her towards him, out of her chair until she was bending over him and the bed.

Hermione was struggling. What was happening was something that could not be, at least not yet. Ron technically still had a girlfriend. The fact that he was no longer in love with Lavender was irrelevant. The thoughts that were swirling through her mind were wrong. She wanted nothing more than to close the little distance left between their lips, she wanted to feel his body pressed up against her own, maybe as they lay together in bed…

"We should stop," she whispered delicately. Ron stopped closing the gap but did not retreat either.

"Why?" he asked in the voice of a naive little kid. Clearly, he didn't want to stop.

"Because…because…you have a girlfriend!" she whispered heatedly. She didn't want to be the one to betray one of her roommates by kissing her boyfriend. She'd feel like such a tramp.

Just then, Ron kissed her, quickly and chastely, his hand still gripping her chin. Then, before Hermione could even react, he stopped.

A moment of silence. Then, Hermione had draped her arms around Ron's neck and brought her lips back onto his again. She suddenly wanted more, more; she would burn alive if she did not. She practically threw herself on top of him, onto the bed. Her tongue invaded his mouth with almost no resistance. She pushed him back and moved to straddle him, still kissing him violently. Ron pulled her closer and moaned into her mouth.

"Mmmmm!" she squealed into his mouth as she tried to separate from him; she needed air. And when she finally inhaled oxygen into her bloodstream, logic seemed to enter with it.

"Ron," she hissed. "I want you. But…but we can't do this!" she said gently. It was true, this was so wrong on so many levels.

"Why? I'm done doing what other people want me to do. I want to do what I want. And I want you, Hermione!"

"But…Lavender…"

"She means nothing," Ron seethed at the mention of that name. "If you asked me to chuck her, I would, if it meant a lifetime with you."

"Ron! How can you even say that?! I would never ask that of you!" Hermione didn't have the foggiest idea why she was fighting this. But she did know that if she did not fight it, someone was bound to get hurt.

"I mean what I say, and I won't renounce it, not a word," Ron said seriously. "Besides, would you want me to?"

"No," Hermione admitted almost immediately. In a twisted way, that would be crueler than betraying Lavender in the first place.

Satisfied with her answer, Ron resumed kissing her. And this time, Hermione did not fight him one bit. When they were at last too tired to kiss anymore, Hermione rose off the bed.

"I have to go," she whispered. "I have class with Sprout soon."

"I'll see you later. I'll let you know how my talk with Lavender goes."

"I thought you slept through her visits!" Hermione laughed. She stopped quickly, realizing what Ron had said. "What will you tell her?"

"The truth. She deserves it, and besides, that would hurt less than telling a lie."

"Be gentle," Hermione advised.

"I intend to. Now, do I get a goodbye peck…mistress?"

"Mistress?" Hermione asked, half-angry half-amused.

"You can't be my new girlfriend till I end it with my old one. So, that would be your title until then, right?"

"You're an arse!" Hermione laughed, giving him a playful slap, then (when he pouted) a chaste kiss.

"I'm your arse," Ron smiled as he watched her leave through the curtain.