I felt Ron's arm go around my waist as we approached a landing, tightening slightly as we touched onto the ground, before releasing me again as we dismounted. Relief flooded through me as I felt my feet touch safely on solid ground at last. The feeling was short-lived, however. An anxiety bordering on panic soon began to creep up on me as the realization of what we had just done finally hit me. We had crossed a line, unthinkingly, and I wasn't sure we'd be able to go back again. Not that I was sure I really wanted to.

Oh, my god, I thought. He just kissed me. I mean, I kissed him. Suddenly confused, I realized I didn't know which one of us had actually initiated the kiss, a consideration which set off a new whirlwind of thoughts buzzing through my frantic mind. Did he want to kiss me? Did I just throw myself at him? Does he think I've lost my mind? What is he thinking? And why isn't he saying anything? Does he think it was a mistake?

I found myself avoiding Ron's eye as I took in our surroundings. We were on the shores of a small lake, bordered by clusters of trees. As I glanced around us I suddenly spotted a blanket spread out underneath a tree near the water, with something lying on the ground beside it that I couldn't quite make out. I took a step towards it, then stopped, finally looking over to where Ron stood. He was staring down at his feet, hands shoved into his pockets as he rocked back on his heels.

"What is this place?" I asked him, my voice sounding strangely loud to my ears.

"Oh, er…no place…that is, I mean, it's someplace, but…uh…" he stammered, rubbing the back of his neck as he continued studying his feet.

His obvious nervousness gave me butterflies in my stomach. I tried a new question. "What's that?" I asked, gesturing to the blanket laid out on the ground.

Clearing his throat, he glanced at me sideways, raising his shoulder in a half shrug as he said, "I thought we could have a picnic."

Looking back towards the blanket, I took a few steps closer and saw that the obscure object I had noticed before was a basket. I raised my eyebrows and turned to Ron, unable to hide my surprise. This was so unlike him. In fact, this entire morning had been a bit surreal. He must have stopped by here earlier to set all this up, I realized. Filled with confusion, I tried to puzzle out the meaning of his behavior. The word why was on the tip of my tongue, but I held it back, not wanting to offend him by asking.

"Oh," I said finally.

Ron then began to move away, heading towards the blanket laid out on the ground. I followed, observing his tall, lanky form and loping stride as he walked before me. Settling down next to him as he flopped onto the ground, I watched as he began pulling items out of the basket. Wrapped sandwiches, cookies, and sliced fruit, followed by a jug of pumpkin juice and two glasses were soon arranged on the blanket in front of us.

"Hungry?" he asked.

I thought about it. Breakfast did seem like a long time past and I was feeling a bit shaky. Must be all the excitement of the day—with the stress of flying and all, I told myself. However, as a surge of nervous energy went through me, causing my stomach to clench as though it were tied into knots, I decided I wasn't feeling up to eating just then.

"Thirsty," I responded.

Ron grabbed the jug of pumpkin juice, unstoppering it and filling both glasses before handing me one.

"Thanks," I said as I accepted the offered glass. Taking a sip, I felt the cool liquid soothe my throat and sighed.

I watched as Ron gulped down his own juice, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand as he finished. Then he grabbed a sandwich and took a large bite, stretching his legs out in front of him as he leaned back on one arm.

Okay, I thought to myself, if he's going to pretend like nothing just happened then so will I. I picked up a sandwich and unwrapped it, placing it on my lap and setting my glass down beside me. Sitting cross-legged, I looked out over the lake, watching the wind create ripples on the surface of the water. The sun shone pleasantly, glimmering on the waves and filtering down through the leaves of the tree above us. I turned my face upwards and closed my eyes, drinking it in. This is nice, I thought, then echoed the thought aloud.

"This is nice," I said, eyes still closed as my face tilted toward the sun.

Suddenly, I felt something soft brush against my cheek. Opening my eyes, I glanced over to see Ron looking at me, his expression thoughtful as his eyes focused on my face. I watched this time as his hand reached up again, fingers lightly grazing my cheek before brushing at an errant strand of hair and tucking it behind my ear. A soft hum went through my body at the gesture.

"You're so pretty, Hermione," said Ron in a low voice.

I felt my face turn hot as a flush creeped up my neck. Embarrassed, I looked down and began picking at my sandwich, unable to speak. He thinks I'm pretty, I thought giddily, trying to control the dizzying wave of emotions that went through me at his words as my stomach soared and then dropped again. Now I really can't eat anything, I thought ruefully. Pushing the sandwich off my lap and back onto the blanket, I finally looked up at him, my heart pounding in my chest as I met his gaze.

"Thank you," I managed to mumble.

I felt Ron's fingers against my skin once more as he traced them across my forehead, down the curve of my cheek to my chin, before rubbing his thumb gently across my bottom lip. My mouth felt suddenly dry and I couldn't keep my tongue from sliding out to wet my lips, lightly brushing against his fingertip in the process. Something shifted behind his eyes as they locked with mine. I felt my nerves buzzing as my breath sped up.

This time there was no doubt in my mind about who kissed who as he took my face in both of his hands, dipping his head down to capture my mouth with his as a small groan issued from the back of his throat. I pulled away momentarily to gasp in a breath of air as a shockwave rolled through my body before crashing my lips onto his again. I felt his hands begin to move, one tangling itself in my hair while the other slid down my back, pulling me into him. I wrapped my arms around his waist, gripping the back of his shirt as his tongue delved into my mouth.

Needing to get closer to him, I sat up on my knees, pressing my body into his as I slid my arms up around his neck. I felt our balance shift and suddenly he was toppling backwards as I fell forward on top of him, his hands grabbing my waist to break my fall. Looking down at Ron, I was overwhelmed by how endearing he looked with his red hair rumpled, an expression almost of wonder shining in his clear, blue eyes while he panted breathlessly, mouth hanging half open. As my eyes ran over his face, sprinkled randomly with tiny freckles, I had the sudden urge to kiss each one of them. Bending my head towards him, I began to lightly pepper kisses across his cheeks, over his forehead, down to the tip of his nose and the corner of his mouth before pulling back to look at him once more. His eyes were closed now, his pale lashes resting delicately against his skin. I placed a soft kiss on each eyelid.

"'Mione," he murmured, opening his eyes to meet mine as he gripped my waist more tightly.

"Ron," I breathed.

Swallowing, I brought my hand up to his face and ran my thumb along his bottom lip, mimicking his earlier movement. He puckered his lips, placing a kiss against the pad of my thumb. Leaning down again, I pressed my lips to his once more, losing myself in the feel of his mouth as it moved against mine. His lips feel so soft, I thought, so…right. Why haven't we done this before? This was my last coherent thought as my senses took over, my mind growing quiet and distant as my body clamoured for attention.

I focused on the feel of Ron's hands on my body, one traveling along my side, tracing up the curve of my waist and back down again as the other slid down my back before pausing at the hem of my shirt. I felt the fabric lift away as his hand suddenly made contact with my skin, sending a tremor through my body as I tried and failed to suppress a moan. I ground my hips into his as he traced circles on the small of my back, my skin tingling at his touch.

Suddenly my world turned upside down as Ron grasped me to him, rolling us over until I was lying on my back. I was vaguely aware of a clinking noise followed by a splash from what was undoubtedly my glass of pumpkin juice toppling over. Ignoring this, I looked up at him as he hovered over me, hands planted on the ground on either side of me as his legs settled between mine. I ran my hands up his arms, pushing up his sleeves to grip his biceps before running over his broad shoulders and tracing downwards. Placing my palms flat against his chest, I could feel the soft thump of his rapidly beating heart against my fingertips. Raising my eyes to meet his, I took in their dark, fervent expression, his dilated pupils turning the light, crystal blue into a deeper shade of cerulean.

Holding his gaze, I trailed my hands down from his chest to his stomach, feeling the muscles in his abdomen tighten as I gripped the hem of his shirt before sliding my hands underneath. I watched his eyes close tightly and his mouth fall open as my fingertips connected with his skin. I let my hands travel slowly up the length of his torso, the material of his shirt bunching as his breath quickened and grew more erratic. Tugging at the fabric, I pulled the shirt up as far as it would go, taking in the sight of his taut muscles covered by smooth, milky skin. He had freckles even here, and I leaned forward to place my lips against one of them. His eyes were open now, watching me as I dropped a kiss onto his chest before falling back to look up at him once again.

"God, Hermione," he groaned.

I didn't understand what had come over me as I fought the urge to tear the shirt from his body. What are we doing? I asked myself, my mind finally able to have a say now that his lips were separated from mine. Shouldn't we talk about this? I'm not the type of person to...

My thoughts trailed off again as Ron lowered his head, his soft lips meeting mine briefly before moving across my face, dropping kisses against my cheeks and nose, traveling across my forehead before pausing to rest against my temple. I could feel his breath hot against my skin and then I gasped as his mouth captured my earlobe, his warm tongue circling it before running over the length of my ear. I couldn't help the moan that escaped my lips as I grasped his shoulders, pulling him down towards me. He dropped onto his elbows, hands tangling into my hair as his mouth continued its ministrations on my ear before moving lower, leaving a trail of wet kisses as he traveled down to my neck. I tilted my head back and closed my eyes, a warmth tugging at my center as I felt his tongue against my skin, drawing patterns on my neck, the hollow of my throat, down to my collarbone. I dug my fingers into his shoulders, reveling in the weight of his hard body pressed firmly against mine.

My breath quickened as I felt his fingertips lightly grazing my skin just above the collar of my shirt. They hesitated at the top button before running back along the length of the loose collar once more, leaving a trail that his lips soon followed. I held my breath, torn. Part of me wanted him to continue, undoing not just that button, but all three of the buttons on my top. In fact, that part of me wanted him to rip it off me completely before removing his shirt as well, allowing me to feel his bare skin pressed against mine. But the other, more rational part of me knew that I should stop this now before it went too far. Squeezing my eyes shut, I bit down on my lip, my hands poised against his shoulders, trying to find the will to push him away.

It took me a moment to realize that Ron had paused in his movements. Opening my eyes, I saw that he had pulled back and was watching me, a look of concern on his face.

He furrowed his brow, eyes full of apprehension as he asked, "Are you okay?"

I sighed out the breath I had been holding. Reaching up, I took his face in both of my hands, smoothing my fingertips over his forehead, wanting to erase the worry lines I saw forming there. I felt guilty for being the cause of them. I didn't want him to think that he had done anything wrong. Quite the opposite. Everything we'd been doing had felt so right, it only made me want more. In fact, I'd never wanted anything so much in my entire life, and it was this feeling that somehow terrified me. I felt out of control, vulnerable. I didn't even know what any of this meant.

My mind suddenly went on overdrive trying to figure it out. What are we doing here? What does he even want from me? Does he want me to be his girlfriend? I blushed as this thought passed through my mind, the question sounding childish to me even as the idea of being his girlfriend filled me with a warm glow. Everything feels so backwards. We just had our first kiss! And now already I'm thinking of…my blush deepening, I found I couldn't declare what I was thinking of even to myself. Shouldn't we go on a date or something first? Technically, this was a sort of date, I debated with myself. We aren't even together. He's not even my…boyfriend. I hesitated at this thought. What was he to me then? A friend? Certainly, he was more than that. Does it matter? He clearly wants more too. Or maybe he just wanted to…

My train of thought was interrupted as Ron began to pull away. Realizing I still hadn't spoken, I instinctively called out, "No." I clutched at his shirt, willing him to stay.

He paused. "No?" he asked slowly. "You're not okay?"

I knit my brow in confusion before recollecting the question he had asked me some moments ago. "No," I repeated, then amended, "I mean, yes. That is…yes, I'm okay…and…" I hesitated before concluding, "no, I…I don't want you to go."

Ron's face softened, his eyes warm as he settled onto his side, pulling me to him. "I'm not going anywhere," he said, a crooked smile on his face as he added with a laugh, "believe me."