Disclaimer: The incomparable Harry Potter universe belongs rightfully to the one and only J.K. Rowling.
A/N: I’m in love with Ron and Hermione almost as much as they love each other.
Prologue
The school remained familiar after three years of raging war. Even so, the ancient spells that protected the school of Hogwarts were destined to falter and weaken. With that in mind, Hogwarts had been one of the only wizarding buildings that still stood on its’ foundation, and had more than one room to be decorated with banners of long lifeless black silk.
Ron visited his old dormitory, which looked completely untouched. Cheerful sunlight poured through the curtains as he pulled them back. He took in the sunshine that, in his opinion, should only shine when it was a good day unlike a day like this.
He examined his appearance hypercritically in a tall mirror. His hair was shaggy, his freckles looked much darker in contrast to his paled skin, and his eyes had a slightly haunting appearance underneath the blue. This lead him to think of himself before the Yule Ball, which took place so many years ago, and he smiled in spite of it.
Looking to the empty bed beside his own, Ron had almost seen his beloved best friend Harry, flashing a huge cheeky grin his way. He would be handsomely dressed in emerald green robes. Ron pictured him looking less awkward and more proud. He almost returned that grin, but suddenly realized that it was only a hallucination. Harry was no longer walking the same stone steps of the ancient castle. He had chosen the mysterious pathway beyond death after he perished, subsequent to destroying the very last horcrux: himself.
Even though the war was now over, having defeated Lord Voldemort with the partnered help of Hermione, Ron was still at war with himself. In his lifetime of a long nineteen years, Ron had never been more confused than this. He has always suspected that he liked her, or even a little more. However, Ron has come to realize that his feelings for Hermione were much more than that. He loved her, and he finally realized the truth of his emotions after so many years.
But today marked two very special anniversaries. Even though the sixth and seventh years never had an opportunity to finish their schooling due to closure, it had been decided that they would have a graduation ball regardless. It was not one of the traditions of Hogwarts, but more to celebrate another anniversary, one week since the war had been officially over.
Everyone who was to attend the ball had just finished his or her dinner; therefore, it meant that Ron still had ample time to get ready. In truth, Ron did not feel like it was necessary to arrive at the scene all ‘fancied-up,’ as he called it. In fact, it was never said that you could not just wear plain muggle clothes… but should he, or should he not?
After pacing his empty dormitory in attempts to restore tranquility of mind, he decided to pay a visit to Hermione. Hopefully, she would not mind skipping the whole ‘getting-ready-to-look-smancy-fancy’ routine, and he would like some company.
When he arrived in the Common Room, it would transpire that Hermione was nowhere to be seen. In fact, the room was quite empty except for Neville and Dean. Ron’s first reaction was short-lived panic. Where would she be? Who’s got her? What could be happening to her?
Ron gazed out into the grounds; quite suddenly, not being dressed for a ball was the most significant thought in his mind...
Hermione, he assumed to be in her own dormitory getting ready. He wanted to stop her. There was no need to waste time to dress up for a stupid ball that didn’t really mean much. They have, after all, achieved more significant things than graduating that did not receive as much attention as this. He ruminated about whether or not he could get into the girls’ dormitory.
The spiraling staircase that lead to the girls’ dormitory was charmed to only allowed females or persons of authority, and not the teenage boys who were believed to be depraved.
With a rush of determination, Ron charged at the staircase like a provoked bull. A spark in his mind told Ron that he would not let a silly, yet powerful enchantment to stop him from seeing Hermione. His long legs took him rushing forward, four and a half steps at a time, and at last, he reached a doorway. But before Ron could celebrate his triumph, the stone steps collapsed underneath him.
He flopped on his stomach flaccidly; with arms flailing, he managed to grab hold of the first arch of a doorway. He dragged the rest of his body up the stone-smooth slide it formed up towards the door, face lit with triumph. Grinning like a moron, he half-crawled, half-dragged himself into the room.
To his horror, his triumph was transient, because the person he’d be expecting to see was not there. From his position on the floor, he was soon forced to stare high up at his sister Ginny, who angrily threw him out of the dorm before he could offer her his innocent explanation.
At the bottom of the stairs, Ron was resilient. Rubbing at his elbows, he saw that the stairs had turned back into... well, stairs.
With a great amount of determination, yet again, Ron propelled himself at the stairs. This time, his arms were flailing like windmills in a windstorm, allowing him to take a full five steps at a time. Hogwarts’ magic must have been greatly worn out, because Ron reached the second doorway up and had already tumbled clumsily into the room before the stairs melted beneath nothingness, turning into a slide of stone.
His ingenious plan suddenly appeared fallacious, because when Ron found Hermione, he no idea what he was supposed to say or do.
Hermione looked up from the window she had been gazing out of as though mesmerized. “Ron how did you...?” She asked trailing off, slightly shocked while she instinctively pulled a nearby curtain to shield her body.
Ron already saw that she was wearing a very thin white slip dress that was decorated with very simple lace at the hem. His face grew hot when he realized it must only be an under dress.
“I... uh...” He stammered. What should he say to her? Was desperately wanting to see her a good reason to come tumbling intrusively in? “...Really wanted to see you.”
For a second they just stared at each other. Hermione didn’t seem to comprehend.
“I wasn’t really thinking... err, didn’t know I was going to be intruding on you... wasn’t really thinking. Sorry,” he babbled.
“It’s all right, if you let me get something on,” she finally said, “I never thought thinking was your thing, anyway,” she added with a strangely twisted smile. With no instructions asking Ron to turn around, she dashed from the protection of the ruby red curtains and pulled her trunk from under a four-poster Ron assumed to be hers.
“Another thing,” Ron added hastily as he watched her lay out articles of clothing on her bed neatly. “I was going to ask you to-”
Hermione suddenly stopped unpacking. Though she had not finished finding the clothes she was looking for, she froze, waiting for Ron to finish what she apparently suspected to be a very important sentence.
“...But only if you wanted to, of course. It’s completely up to you...” Ron was suddenly unsure of what he was going to ask. His original plan was to convince her not to dress up for the ball, but the words that came out of his mouth spoke astonishing clearly of something he’d also planned. He thought he was too cowardly… “Uh, um… Come to the ball with me, as, well, not just as friends?”
The sunlight was heating up his face, and he didn’t dare look away from Hermione due to paralyzing nerves. If Hermione said no, there was a wide open window conveniently located in the very same room, which could beckon him to jump out of it.
The sun must have been getting to Hermione as well, because her face was soon tinged with sudden sunburn. “Yes, Ron… I’ve been waiting for this for years…”
To be continued…