Disclaimer: I really, really, really wish I owned these characters, but alas, it's not to be. They're not mine, they never will be. Oh, horror of horrors! Oh, wrenching dreaded consternation! Oh...oh, read the final chapter already.
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It had been a long three days since the letter from Viktor. Ron and Hermione still weren't speaking except to throw the occasional snide comment at the other. After the first day, Ron's family had realized this was something more than just the typical Ron/Hermione fight. Fred and George had even stopped teasing them after both Ron and Hermione had snarled at them several times to "shut up!" Only Ginny knew the argument had something to do with Viktor Krum.
The morning found Ron, Hermione, and Ginny having a very quiet breakfast. Mr. Weasley had gone to work, Charlie and Bill had gone into the small village with their mother, and the twins were presumably selling havoc-wreaking concoctions to their customers in Diagon Alley. Ron was attacking a bowl of porridge as though it was the source of his anger, and Hermione was reading a book while morosely picking at a piece of toast. Ginny was watching them both as though she was expecting an explosion any second. The uncomfortable silence was broken by a peck at the window.
"Oh! It's Dean's owl!" Ginny exclaimed, jumping up and taking a letter the owl was carrying. She gave the owl a treat, then sat down happily to read the letter.
"Better hope Dean never lies to you, Ginny, sometimes you just can't trust people," Ron said pointedly.
"There's a big difference here, Ron...Dean and Ginny are going together. You and I AREN'T," Hermione huffed.
"Well then, I suppose that just makes me lucky, doesn't it?" Ron winced when he saw the look of astonished hurt on Hermione's face, and he realized just how harsh his words had been. Hermione stood up slowly and, taking her book, left the house, shutting the door quietly behind her.
"You are such a prat, Ron Weasley, and a stupid one at that!" Ginny said angrily.
"This is none of your business, Ginny!"
"I'm the one who hears Hermione cry herself to sleep every night." She pointed at the door. "That's your best friend out there! And you're treating her like dirt. You're too blind to see past your own feelings and realize just how much you're hurting her!" Ginny took her letter and stormed up to her room, slamming the door.
Ron took a deep breath and blew it out forcefully. He made his way slowly up to his room, softly closing the door behind him. Through his open window, he could hear Hermione crying. He looked out and saw her, sitting under the same tree where they had held hands only a few nights before. She had her knees drawn up to her chest, her arms wrapped around them and her head down, sobbing as though her heart was breaking. He groaned, hanging his head in shame.
Ron walked out into the yard to where Hermione sat crying. When she heard him approaching, she grabbed her book and pretended to be reading, though the tears streaming down her cheeks told a different story.
Ron sat down next to her and pointed to the book. "I hear it's easier to read one of those if it's right-side-up," he said quietly. Hermione slammed the book closed and threw it down. She crossed her arms on her chest, staring angrily at the ground.
Ron reached over and tenderly wiped a tear from her cheek. "I never could stand to see you cry, Hermione," he whispered. When she didn't respond, he sighed and leaned back against the tree. "I'm...sorry. I've been a real prat." Hermione snorted derisively, but he continued. "And I especially didn't mean what I said about being lucky we're not going together." He sighed again and shifted uncomfortably. "It's none of my business if you went to see Viktor or not." Hermione started to say something, but he interrupted her quickly. "I'm not saying you did. I shouldn't accuse you of lying. You're my friend, one of my two best friends, and I should trust you. And I do trust you. It's just that...that letter...really got to me. I thought that maybe...you and I...well, never mind," he trailed off. He stood up, walked a short distance toward the pond and stood there, looking out over the water. Hearing Hermione come up behind him, he turned to face her. Her face was wet, and he reached out again and wiped another tear from her cheek. "I hate to see you cry, Hermione. Please don't. I'm truly sorry...I...."
Hermione reached up and touched her fingers to his lips, silencing him. Her touch on his lips had a profound effect on him; he felt incapable of breath and couldn't have said another word even if he had wanted to. She apparently felt something similar because she stood there and stared at her fingers and his mouth for a few moments before taking a deep breath and lowering her hand.
"I did not go to visit Viktor. I have never gone to visit Viktor, not last summer, not this summer. I haven't seen him since he left Hogwarts after the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Yes, I've written to him. And the reason he wrote that letter is because, in my last letter to him, I told him I only want to be friends, that I'm sorry, but I've never felt more than friendship for him, and I never will. Because my heart belongs to somebody else."
Ron stood for a moment, taking this information in. Okay, Hermione didn't fancy Viktor. She hadn't been snogging with him. But she still liked somebody else. And this information was slowly wending its way into his brain.
Hermione put her hands on her hips. "Ronald Weasley, I know you're not that thick," she said. When he still stood there, she shook her head, sighing loudly, then said, "Think, Ron. Why would Viktor send that letter to you?"
Ron looked at Hermione for a moment. "Me?" he whispered. She nodded, blushing slightly. "You like...me?" She nodded again and stepped closer to him.
"Yes...you. Viktor was angry because I told him I fancy you, so he tried to make trouble between us. He's suspected for a while, because I mention you so often, but I didn't admit it to him until I sent him an owl just before coming here. I finally decided that what I was feeling for you was real, and I..." She broke off, suddenly embarrassed and looking down at the ground. "...I decided that I had to give us a chance, hoping maybe...maybe you felt the same," she finished in a whisper.
Ron put his hand under her chin, turning her face up to his. Their eyes met and held. Ron swallowed hard and licked his lips, searching her face. "Why...?" He left the question unasked.
Hermione looked at him, her eyes shining. "Because you're you," she whispered. She bit her lower lip nervously. "Do you maybe...feel the same?" Ron didn't answer right away. He continued to gaze at her, then he leaned down slowly and touched his lips to hers. She gasped softly as their lips met, making him wonder if he was rushing things until she put her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. He slipped his arms around her waist.
After a few moments, they separated, both breathless. Ron rested his forehead against hers, his eyes closed. "Does that answer your question?" he whispered.
"Quite nicely," she said with a sigh. They stood forehead-to-forehead, arms around each other. After a while, Ron opened his eyes as he stood up straight. Their eyes met, and they spent several minutes just gazing very seriously at each other. Then Hermione stretched up and gave him a series of lingering, gentle kisses until Ron was out-of-breath, dizzy, and convinced he was going to take leave of his senses. As she touched her lips to his again, he slid one hand up onto the back of her head, his fingers tangling in her hair as he pulled her close and kissed her hungrily.
Surprised at the fervor of his kiss, Hermione could feel her knees turn to jelly, her heart pounding. She was very glad Ron was holding her; she felt too weak to stand on her own.
The kiss lasted several minutes, then Ron suddenly pulled away, afraid maybe he had gone a little too far, too soon. "I'm sorry, Hermione. I shouldn't have done that. That was..."
"Incredible," she breathed, looking amazed.
He blushed. "Are you OK?" he asked, noticing that he was practically holding her up.
Now she blushed. "Yes. I just feel...well...a little weak." He looked at her doubtfully. "That's a good thing," she said, blushing harder.
"Oh", he said, relieved. She stepped closer and put her head on his shoulder. He held her, stroking her hair. After a while, she turned her head. Ron felt her lips against his ear, her breath tickling it, and for a moment, he thought that she was going to have to hold him up. Then...
"I love you, Ron Weasley." A very faint whisper, but there was no doubt what she had said. He stepped back and looked at her questioningly. She nodded, small tears in her eyes.
He stroked her cheek with his fingers then gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "And I love you, Hermione Granger. I think I have forever."
She smiled, a small tear escaping one eye and running down her face. He wiped it away tenderly, smiling back at her. She caressed his lips with one fingertip then cupped the back of his neck, pulling him into another kiss. And as she relaxed against him, Ron realized that he was living out his vision of three days before.
He was standing under the tree by the pond, kissing Hermione as the wind blew through her hair.