Disclaimer: If I owned the bloody Harry Potter universe, why am I bloody writing a bloody fanfic when I should be bloody finishing the bloody seventh book and bloody submitting it to the bloody publishers?
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A tall red-haired teenager sighed. He had been sitting in his room, staring out the window for the past couple of hours. He had been allowing his mind to wander, thinking about a certain bushy-haired girl that he had loved for so long. He willed himself not to cry when he thought of how she could have anyone she wanted, and would never choose him.
He felt a hot surge of guilt because he knew he should have been thinking of other matters. His brother, Bill, was going to marry Fleur Delacour in a few days' time. Her family was coming in two days, making Mrs. Weasley almost hysterical. She was becoming very irritable, which was bad news for Fred and George, who were causing their usual amount of mayhem.
Ron Wealsey also thought about how he, Harry, and Hermione were going on the Horcrux journey after the wedding. He really didn't bother with this thought for long. Not that he wasn't scared, but his mind was on other things. He was more terrified that Hermione would die instead of him.
Ron Weasley wasn't a prat like his brothers and sister thought. He knew he had liked Hermione ever since he saved her from the troll in first year. It was his fault she was in the bathroom at the time anyway. If he hadn't said she was a nightmare, she would have been with them at the Halloween feast. But, he reminded himself, if you didn't make fun of her, then she would've never become your friend. It didn't take Ron long to wish she was more.
But a lot happened since first year. In second year, Hermione had been Petrified, and Ron had felt daggers shot at his heart. He knew then, sitting at her bedside, that he loved her. He wanted so much to hear her voice again, to make sure she was okay.
In fouth year, he had had some competetion. Viktor Krum, the Seeker on the Bulgarian Quidditch team, had taken Hermione to the Yule Ball before he did. Ron had never felt more hatred toward anyone, not even Malfoy. It had been one of the worst nights of his life, watching Krum dance with the girl of his dreams. The girl he had loved since he was twelve years old. Krum was a stupid Bulgarian git and thinking of him made Ron want to rip apart whatever he could reach.
In fifth year, they had gone with Harry to the Department of Mysteries with Ginny, Neville, and Luna. He, Ginny, and Luna had gotten separted from Harry, Hermione and Neville. He wished he could have stayed with Hermione. He would have taken that purple flame for her, protecting her from the spell that had hurt her so badly. That could have killed her. These words still brought tears of anger at himself and anguish that she could've died that night.
Then in sixth year, he had learned that Hermione had snogged Krum, making him feel even more anger toward Krum and possibly more anger toward Hermione. He went out with Lavender Brown to make Hermione jealous, proving that he could have anyone he wanted, too. Ron quickly felt guilty for his actions. He noticed that Hermione cried the night after Ron kissed Lavender. But he kept up the act, no matter how bad he felt. Ron soon started to feel a little resentful toward Lavender, especially when Hermione began to talk to him again. He and Lavender broke up one night when she saw Ron and Hermione come down from the boys' dormatories together.
Ron, lost in his thoughts of the past, didn't hear his best mate, Harry, enter. Harry stared at his friend for a moment, wondering what he was thinking about, then said, "Mate, what've you been doing up here? Your Mum says come down and do something useful."
"I'm going for a walk," Ron said, barely hearing Harry.
He grabbed his cloak, leaving his wand next to Harry's on the table. Ron flew out the door before his mother could appoint him more chores. He wasn't twenty feet from the Burrow before Harry and Hermione appeared on either side of him, smiling. He returned it, but only half-heartedly.
"What were you doing up in your ro-" Hermione began but Harry, knowing Ron wouldn't want to answer this question, quickly changed the subject.
"So, where are we headed, Ron? I know what Horcrux to go after first, but I don't want anyone to overhear. Do you know a secluded place around hear?" Harry asked.
Ron gave him a grateful smile before answering, "Yeah, it's up this way, and it's pretty old and rickety, but it's good and secluded."
They walked for about fifteen mintues in silence. It wasn't an awkward slience, though. They just knew each other so well that words didn't need to be used.
At last, Ron said, "Almost there."
The were approaching a cliff with several trees far from the edge. As the sat down at the edge, Hermione gasped.
"What it is?" Harry asked.
"It's so beautiful, Ron," Hermione said. She gazed accross the skyline of a Muggle city. It was dark out, so all the lights shone twice as bright.
Harry saw Ron swell up with happiness when Hermione said this. Then he decided he should tell them what he was planning.
"Okay," he said, drawing Hermione's attention back from the skyline and Ron's attention back from Hermione, "I think we should go after Voldemort's snake first."
Hermione gasped again, "I-Isn't that the snake that travels with Voldemort everywhere? How will we ever get it away from him?"
Ron said, "Yeah, Harry. You-Know-Who must guard the snake more than the other Horcruxes."
"Well," Harry said, "i was thinking we cou-"
But Harry was cut off by a deafening crack from below him. They scrambled off the falling cliff, which was crumbling under their shoes.
"That was close," Ron said, panting. "You alright, Hermione?"
No one answered.
"Hermione?" Harry said nervously.
Again, no one answered.
"HERMIONE!" Ron shreiked, an obvious note of panic in his voice.
There was a muffled scream of "HELP!" from the edge of the cliff. They ran to see Hermione, hanging off the cliff with both hands, spitting out clods of dirt.
"HELP!" she shouted again.
One of her hands slipped off, causing her to yelp again. "I CAN'T HOLD ON MUCH LONGER!"
"Harry, go back to the Burrow and get help!" Ron yelled and Harry ran through the trees and out of sight.
Ron turned his attention back to Hermione, whose other hand was slipping fast.
"Can't you use your wand? Or Apparate?" Ron shouted.
"I FORGOT MY WAND! AND I'VE NEVER APPARATED LIKE THIS, SO IF YOU WANT ME TO RISK-" but Hermione was cut off by her hand sliding off the edge of the cliff. She screamed in terror.
Ron reacted almost instinctively. He grabbed Hermione hand and held it fast, not even embarrassed that he was holding his love's hand.
Hermione's hand was very sweaty. He felt it slip a little, but he tightened his grip.
"Ron-" Hermione began.
"Hermione, save your strength," Ron said gently.
"No, Ron, j-just let me go. I'll be fine. I'll probably be hurt, but then I can Apparate to St. Mungo's."
"NO!" Ron screamed. "Hermione, I love you, and I'll never let you go."
Hermione was in complete shock. She opened her mouth, then closed it, then opened and closed it again. Apparently, she couldn't speak.
Ron, although very embarrassed, began to try to pull Hermione up. She tried as best she could to use her feet to push against the cliff and pull herself up.
As she reached the top, and Ron saw she didn't need his hand anymore, he let go very reluctanly. They moved to a tree, far from the edge of the cliff. To his surprise, Hermione pulled his hand back into hers.
She looked him straight in the eye, mustering up all her Gryffindor courage, and said, "I-I love you, too, Ron."
He noticed she absentmindedly licked her lips after she said this. She wants me to kiss her, he thought.
He moved his mouth closer to hers, ready for her to jerk away, but she had moved closer as well.
As their lips made contact, they swore they saw Filibuster fireworks in their mind's eye. As the kiss progressed, Hermione threw her arms around Ron's neck. Ron took this as a signal to kiss her more passionately. Soon, as they became more comfortable, they were full out snogging. Ron wondered what someone would think if a person caught them, and then he became lost in Hermione.
Slowly, and very reluctanly, they pulled back, but only to breathe. Ron put his arm around Hermione as she leaned her head on Ron's shoulder.
They completely forgot that a rescue mission was on their way.
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"It's just up this way," Harry said quicky, leading the rescue mission to the spot where Ron had taken himself and Hermione. He hoped that she had managed to hold on to the cliff. He wasn't sure what he'd do if she was-
He was followed by Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Bill, Fleur, Ginny, Fred, Charlie, George, Lupin, and Tonks, all with looks of deep worry and concern on their faces. He wasn't sure why so many people wanted to rescue Hermione, but this thought was drowned from his mind with the thought of her.
"Are we almost there?" Ginny said, a note of fear in her voice.
"Right here," Harry said. He led them to the cliff. Harry was surprised by the sight he saw. Ron and Hermione were snogging right in front of half the Order, not to mention Ron's bothers, sister, and parents. The two of them gave no notice of the new arrivals. Everyone stood speechless for a few seconds before Ginny regained control of herself.
Ginny cleared her throat and said, "Are we interruping something?"
She, Fred, and George enchanged smirks as Ron and Hermione broke apart and blushed furiously.
Everyone was yet again quiet, all quite embarrassed. Mr. Weasley broke the silence.
"Well," he said, "we all knew it was bound to happen."
"Yes," Lupin said. "You always fought, just like James and Lily."
"'Arry, zey don't look like zey are in trouble," Fleur said, smiling.
"It seems that ickle Ronniekins-" Fred began.
"Has saved the day and gotten the girl," George finished.
Mrs. Weasley seemed the most surprised by this. She reagained her composure and said, "Well, you two didn't really seem to fight. It was more like-"
"Flirting," Tonks grinned.
Ron's ears turned a deep shade maroon, while Hermione's face resembled a shiny, red apple.
"Uh... should we go back to the Burrow," Harry suggested. Having known his best friends since he was eleven, he knew that they didn't want to say anymore on the matter.
Everyone nodded, Ron and Hermione the most vigoriously.
They walked hand-in-hand back to the Burrow, completely obilvious to the fact that Fred and George teased them the whole way home.
The End
(*A/N: This is my most popular story! Thanks for making it so, people!*)