No, I do not own Harry Potter...I wish =/
There was a collective sigh as the Weasleys, Harry, and Hermione all landed back on the ground in the front lawn on the Burrow. Hermione knew that everyone was happy to be back after their extended absences but no one made any movements towards the house. Everyone just started looking up at the uneasy structure with a a kind of fear, as if going inside of the house would confirm what had happened the night before. And it would indeed do this, Hermione thought. For even though everyone would be back at the Burrow, there would be one less person to occupy the house. And the realization that Fred was indeed gone and not coming back, hit Hermione harder than anything ever had.
The air around them all grew thick with the unsaid thoughts going through everyone's minds. Hermione knew that they were all thinking the same thing that she was because it was painted across each one of their faces. George was staring blankley at the Burrow, still clearly shocked at what had happened just hours before. Percy had his face screwed up, tears pouring down his face and drenching his shirt as they fell down to his chest. Bill had put an arm around Fleur's waist and had pulled her in tightly and had buried his face in her hair. Mrs. Weasley was holding hands with her husband, both with straight faces and clear sadness in their eyes. Charlie was rubbing the back of his neck with his hand, out of pure nervous habit. Ron stood mere feet away from Hermione looking down at the ground, refusing to meet anyone's eyes. Harry and Ginny had taken off towards the forest in the back of the Weasleys house almost immediately upon their arrival, and Hermione was sure that they would not be returning for a while.
"Well then," started Mrs. Weasely, "we should all go inside and get some rest. Goodness we haven't slept in hours and I must get to work on cleaning the house. We've been gone for so long and Merlin knows there'll be dust everywhere." And with that Mrs. Weasley bustled up to the Burrow, hesitating for a moment before she unlocked the door and entered the house. Mr. Weasley followed her wearily and gave a look back to his children and Hermione that told them to get moving.
Charlie, Bill, Fleur, Percy, and George filed in after their father. Ron stayed rooted on the spot momentarily and then started walking towards the house. When he saw that Hermione hadn't moved he looked back, and opened his mouth partially to speak. Hermione looked at him expectantly, but after a few seconds of silence, Ron seemed to think better of what he was about to do and turned to go inside. A strange mixture of relief and sadness flooded Hermione. Relief that Ron hadn't said anything to her. She still did not know what was on his mind and wanted to keep it that way a little longer, she wasn't sure yet what she would do if she was forced into talking to him. Her sadness was because he still hadn't spoken, and even though she was scared to know what he thought of her, she did want to know.
Hermione took a quick glance at the house and decided it was time to go inside. When she didn't see anyone in the kitchen or the parlor, she reasoned that they all must have been in their respective bedrooms. But she was not yet tired and decided to go and take a warm shower. When she got up to the bathroom she tapped the shower head with her wand and turned the water as hot as it would go. Steam was soon filling the bathroom and Hermione started to peel her sweaty, bloody clothes off of her body. As she stepped into the shower and started to wash herself off she realized just how many cuts and bruises she had accumulated over the past months. But she ignored them, the weren't exactly ugly to her, just a reminded of what they had been through. Each scalding hot drop of water felt like heaven to Hermione. It was washing away everything that had happened, and all that was there was the feeling of the water burning her skin. She knew that when she stepped out of the shower her skin would be a bright red from the heat but she still couldn't bring herself to turn the temperature down.
Finally, after what Hermione only assumed to be at least half an hour, she decided it was time to get out. She put on a short silk robe that she pulled out of the small beaded bag that she was still carrying around with her and started to walk down the stairs to make some tea. As she got closer to the kitchen, Hermione heard muffled sobs. She peered around the wall and saw Mrs. Weasley sitting at the kitchen table, head in her hands crying, while Ron rubbed comforting circles on her back. After a minute or two Mrs. Weasley stood up and pulled Ron into a tight hug. Even though she had said it quietly Hermione could still hear what Mrs. Weasley had said.
"I'm so glad that you're safe Ron. I don't know what I would have done if I had lost you. I love you so much," she had said into his shoulder as Ron was now taller than his mother.
"I know mum, and I missed you every day. I love you too," Ron answered softly. Hermione had thought that maybe Ron would have started to cry after hearing what his mother had to say but his voice was strong. With his answer, Mrs. Weasley wiped her tears and kissed him on the cheek, swiftly bustling off to her bedroom afterwards.
Hermione couldn't just stand on the stairs all night and she certainly couldn't avoid Ron forever, so she worked out that the best thing to do was to go into the kitchen, make her tea, and act like she hadn't heard a thing. Ron sat back down at the table and looked up when Hermione entered the room and walked directly over to the stove. Apparently he hadn't heard her coming down the steps. Hermione tapped the kettle with her wand and within seconds it had started singing and blowing out steam. Ron didn't look like he was going anywhere so Hermione sat down a mug in front of him and poured him some tea. She too sat down at the table and looked into her cup, reminding her of dreadful Professor Trelawney's class when they had to learn to read tea leaves. The thought almost made her crack a smile but she immediately sobered up when she realized that a thouroughly depressed Ron was sitting just opposite her. She decided to break the silence and take a sip of her still pipping hot tea.
After minutes of uncomfortable silence Hermione decided to put her mug in the sink and go back upstairs to the room that she shared with Ginny, even if she still wasn't tired or finished with her tea. She got up and walked towards the sink and when she turned around, Ron was standing in front of her, head hung, eyes downcast. Hermione jumped and placed and hand over her chest.
"Oh, sorry 'Mione didn't mean to scare you," Ron said softly.
"It's alright Ron," Hermione replied and for the first time in what seemed like forever she looked him in the eyes. Those startling, electric blue eyes that always held so much love and passion that it made Hermione sink a couple of inches into the floor. Plus it didn't help that he had used the nickname only he ever called her.
She quickly looked away when she realized that she had been staring and she didn't want to make the thoughts racing through her head too obvious. As she turned her head, Ron caught her chin between his forefinger and thumb and turned it back to look at him.
"Hermione, why won't you look at me?" he questioned. The way he said it made her melt a little and now she couldn't help but to look at him.
"I just, want to give you your time, and you know...make you do something or...not make you do something...just I..." but she was cut off by Ron pulling her into a hug.
Their bodies connected perfectly, almost as if they were pieces of a puzzle, the way her head rested on his chest and his head sat on top of hers. Tingles ran through her body like they always did whenever Ron touched her. They stayed in that position for a long time, niether one of them saying a word. Hermione just stood there in his arms, breathing in his scent that smelled something like apples and cinnamon. When he finally broke the hug he put his hands on her shoulders and held her at arms length. He stared deep into her eyes, and she felt like he could see into her heart.
Suddenly, Harry and Ginny walked in throught the door of the Burrow arm in arm. Both with mested up hair and Harry's glasses were a little askew. It was obvious that they had just had a very ferocious snog session. They took one look at the position of Ron and Hermione and walked straight to the stairs, Harry nodding knowingly at Ron who barely returned a glance, his attention still on Hermione. When the pair finally heard the doors of the bedrooms shut, the both let out their pent up breath. Hermione glad that Ron was still holding onto her because if he was to let go, she might just fall straight to the floor.
"Hermione," Ron started. "I need to tell you something." Hermione just stood their nodding like a sodding idiot, she didn't even have the ability to form words anymore thanks to Ron.
"I, I just want to tell you that, well I don't regret what happened in the Room of Requirement. I don't know if you feel the same way but Ijustwantedtoletyouknow," he finished smushing all his words together as if he couldn't get them out quick enough.
Hermione took a huge breath and sat down at the table. Ron nervously ran his hands through his hair and started to pace, finally deciding to lean against the kitchen table refusing to look at Hermione. He groaned and put his hands into his head. "Great just great, first Fred, now you hate me. Fan-freaking-tastic," Ron mumbled. Hermione stared at Ron, a look of incredulity on her face. Hate him? How on earth could she possibly hate him? The was the absolute last feeling she would ever have towards him, the total opposite of what she most obviously felt.
"Ron," she said quietly. "I don't regret it either. Not for one minute did I regret it and if I ever did it was only because I thought that you did," she concluded.
He finally looked at Hermione and an enormous grin exploded onto his face. Hermione actually laughed with happieness, she hadn't seen Ron this alive since...well since the moment she had kissed him.
"No, never not for one single second second. It was, just...I'm so happy that it happened, because I've wanted it too for a long time. Actually since about second year when you were petrified. Hermione, I really, really, really, like you. I have for a long time. And I just didn't want to push anything, I never thought that you could feel something like a fraction of what I felt for you about me, and I've been walking around like a sodding imbusil just trying to think of some way to possibly tell you what you mean to me. I always thought you wanted Harry, and..." but Hermione cut him off. she couldn't stand it. She jumped up from her chair, pressed her finger to his lips, before kissing him full on the mouth. It was a soft kiss but it held immense passion and love. She wanted to convey every feeling she had towards him, slay every fear he had ever felt about her not loving him, in the one kiss. He responded enthusiastically, pressing his body up against hers, and running his hand through her still damp hair. Finally, when niether could breath they broke the kiss.
"Uhh..." Ron seemed to try and form some sort of sentence but could not. Hermione blushed and stepped back a little bit.
"I'm sorry Ron, just I feel the same way and the only reason I wanted to leave before was because I thought that you didn't want the same thing I did," Hermione said.
"And what do you want Hermione?" Ron questioned, moving closer. "Because I know what I want," he continued. When Hermione still couldn't answer him because words weren't coming as easily as they should, he went on. "I want you, 'Mione. More than I've ever wanted anything in my entire life. And if you'll have me, I would love to show you just how much you mean to me. I know that right now I'm not the most fun person, and I am going through a hard time. But if I have you, I know that everything will be OK," he finished softly. It was all Hermione could do not to start sobbing tears of joy and run around yelling, but she controlled herself because she didn't want to scare Ron away after everything. This is what she had always wanted, the daydreams that occupied her mind on lazy days or when the class would be going over material she already knew. But this was better, because Ron Weasley, who wanted her, was standing in front of her asking if he could have her, and it was real.
"Oh Merlin Ron you have no idea how long I've been wanting to hear you say that," Hermione whispered.
"So is that a yes? Will you be my girlfriend Hermione?" he questioned with some hesitancy still in his voice.
"Oh course I will you giant prat," she replied ever so sweetly.
A look of shock and pure bliss erupted on his face.
"Y-yes?" he studdered. "Did you just say yes? Don't play with me Hemione I-"
"Yes Ronald," she cut in while looping her fingers into his belt loops. "Yes," she finished as a giant smile flooded her face and she leaned into him. With those words Ron closed the little distance left between him and Hermione and kissed her more passionately than ever. After endless moments of snogging things got a lot more heated between the pair.
Ron walked Hermione backwards until her back came in contact with the kitchen wall. He moved his hands up and down her back and then finally rested them on the wall behind her, supporting himself all the while never breaking contact with her lips. Her hands jumped from his neck to his hair where she tagled her fingers into his fiery red locks. When Ron's tounge brushed her lip ever so slightly, she opened her mouth wider to let him in. She had never done this before and had absolutely no idea what in the world she was doing, but she did what felt right. However with Ron, everything felt right. After even more snogging still, Hermione leaned her head back against the wall and broke the kiss. Both started eachother right in the eyes, panting because they hadn't broken to breathe in quite a while.
"Ron Weasley, what on earth was the about?" Hermione asked after she had caught most of her breath.
"Well," he began his ears turning red, "you made the first move the last two times. I needed to show who's boss," he said smirking. With this remark she jumped at him, wrapping her legs firmly arond his waist and her arms around his neck. They at once resumed their passionate kissing, Hermione loving the feeling of Ron's firm hands on her back and how he had caught her without a thought, like he had known what she was going to do before she did it. They stumbled into the table, and didn't break once at the crash on Ron's tea cup hitting the floor. In Hermione's eagerness, her robe had hiked up exposing her legs even more than before. Ron moved his hand down to her leg brushing the bear skin with his soft hand. Then he hoisted her up by the legs and she wrapped herself tighter still around his body. But this time, Ron's hands didn't leave her legs but he started to stroke them with his thumbs. He groaned into Hermione's mouth at the feel of her smooth legs and he deepened the kiss. She responded happily but shrieked a little as they backed into the stove.
Finally breaking to inspect the damage, Ron put her back on the ground. "We should go outside or something, I don't want to wake up mum and dad with this," he said grinning wildly at her. With one sweaping motion of her wand Hermione cleaned the kitchen and her and Ron rushed outside to continue. The sky was dark and saturated with stars so that they could just see where they were going. Hermione sat down on the steps to the Borrow with Ron in front of her. They both looked up to the sky, and Hermione was sure that Ron was also thinking about Fred. When she saw that his eyes once again held saddness when he looked back down at her, she at once knew what to do. She slowly pulled him towards her and planted a soft kiss on his lips. When she broke away she smiled warmly at him.
"'Mione, I wish you knew how happy you make me. I wish I could tell you," Ron said with a smile.
"Well, I think I have a pretty good idea. I reckon its just about as happy as you make me. But you could try and show me," she finished seductively.
With that, Ron's smile became even broader as he realized exactly what she meant by this. He pulled her back into a kiss, even better than the last ones because with this one, Hermione could feel what he felt for her. It was utterly amazing. And the rest of the night, Hermione thought, was going to be very interesting.
A/N: PLEASE READ ! So what do you guys think? Sorry everyone thought that I uploaded yesterday but I didn't and it was ch 2 all over again. -_- ughh so annoying but I'm still working this site out its really confusing. So anyways, I had this whole chapter planned out and it was going to go a lot differently but for some reason when I was trying to type it all out yesterday nothing sounded good and I couldn't seem to get across what I meant. Needless to say I was having some bad writers block. So today, I got home from school and just started typing without any notes at all and this is what happened. I hope you all like it, I'm not quite sure how I feel about it yet. I'm really unsure of my writing and I'm not positive if I like the way Ron and Hermione just sort of jump into the relationship. But let me know what you guys think and if you like it at all, because I might change it. I want Ron to have more of an outpout of feelings and just generally for things to happen differently. Up until their hug is exactly how I wanted it but everything after is blehhh. ANYWAYS enough of me rambling, I have lots of homework to get to and lots of planning for the story. I'm gonna be really busy with school work but ill try and get a chapter down every couple of days and if nothing one on the weekends. Please review and let me know what you think!
Much love and thanks for reading and the favorites and author watches and story watches! It means more to me than I can tell you! 3