Ron, full of Christmas dinner and dessert, couldn’t sleep. He was nervous about his secret meeting with Hermione at three A.M. He knew it was because he got her a stupid present. He just knew it. That’s the last time I listen to Ginny. Ron though angrily.
Harry, who fell asleep almost instantly, was dozing fitfully. Ron watching him thoughtfully for a while then snapped out of to start to worry again. He half-glanced at the clock, dreading what time it was. It was 2:30.
Ron’s heart floated out of his chest and landed somewhere in his left toe. He stood up and began to dress silently, breathing heavy and his heart, which had returned up past his chest to his throat, pounding against his Adam’s apple.
Although it was a little before the time Hermione had suggested, Ron went down to the kitchen early, knowing he couldn’t stand much longer standing and waiting in that damn room. He started the range fire and began to heat up the tea kettle, better to clam up his bloody nerves.
As he sat down with his hot, steaming cup, Hermione walked in, just as Ron took a long draft of the drink with his eyes closed. Before she could stop herself, Hermione gasped in surprise, “Ron! What are you doing here? I didn’t expect you for fifteen more minutes!”
Ron immediately spit out the scalding hot tea, stood up hurriedly, and spilled the rest of the fluid down his front. He jumped out of surprise when he looked at her, cursed as he felt the steaming drink sinking into his skin, and rounded on Hermione, “Dammit, Hermione, why they hell’d you scare me?”
“I’m so sorry, Ron!” Hermione said, rushing over with a cold, wet rag she’d found by the sink to wipe his hot, soaking wet shirt with.
“Yeah, well, just don’t do that again,” Ron said gruffly, trying to clean himself free of the hot drink now piercing his skin like daggers.
“Here, let me help you,” she said gently, wiping his clothes and chest with the rag. “My mother used to do this whenever I got burned.” She wiped his chin. She thought she heard a muffled giggle and a hushed “Shh!” from the hall near Mrs. Black’s portrait, but thought she must have imagined it.
For a few moments, Ron allowed himself to be cleaned up by Hermione, his stomach clenching painfully every time he looked at her. Ok, Ron thought to himself, ok; this is ok, maybe….maybe she’ll forget…no, no, Hermione’d never forget what she came for...if I relax, then maybe I can go to bed and we can just forget this.
When Hermione finished wiping his chest, shirt, and face, Ron, blushing slightly, said, “Thanks a lot, Hermione.”
“No problem, Ron,” she replied, blushing faintly herself. “It’s the least I can do, you know, because I wanted to meet you so late.”
Ron’s stomach jolted horribly. Oh, God, she remembered! Bloody hell, bloody hell, bloody hell!
“Um,” Ron began tentatively, “w-why did you want to meet me so late, anyway?”
“Oh, I just had a few questions about that perfume you gave me,” Hermione said brightly.
“L-Like what?” Ron said nervously.
“Oh, that witch who you bought it from, Madam Miranda, or whatever”“
“How do you know about Madam Miranda?” Ron asked sharply.
“She put his on the bottle,” said Hermione in surprise, holding out this small note from her bottle of perfume and giving it to Ron. “I thought you told her to, so I didn’t worry about it.”
Ron took the note and read it to himself. He sat there for a few minutes, shell-shocked that Madam Miranda would do this to him. It’s not like she had been a friend, but Ron told her his deepest, darkest secret, that not even Harry knew about! And she as good as told Hermione!
“I can’t believe her!” Ron burst out angrily. “She didn’t ask me to put a bloody note on!”
“Ron!” Hermione said, looking scandalized at his outburst. “Ron, you mean, you didn’t tell her to write that note?”
“No! And for fifty galleons for that bloody perfume, she shouldn’t have put anything on that I didn’t authorize!” Rom screamed to Hermione. He though he heard two gasps, but reckoned he must have just imagined them.
Hermione froze. Ron spent fifty Galleons on her? Her? One of his best friends? She looked over at Ron, who was breathing rather heavily and looking murderous.
“Ron….” She began. “W-Why did you spend fifty Galleons on me? Did you spend that much on Harry?”
Ron’s stomach dissolved into nothing. As he realized that he must have screamed it when he was yelling about Madam Miranda, he lost his voice and mouthed silently at Hermione. He gulped, found his Gryffindor courage and his voice, and muttered, “Yeah, I spent fifty Galleons on you. I didn’t spend too much on Harry, though. I only got him a big box of Every-Flavor Beans that cost only 12 Sickles.”
“But, then, why’d you spend so much on me?” Hermione asked, her stomach quivering with anticipation and nerves.
Ron looked at his feet. He stood up, and walked out of the kitchen to Mrs. Black’s portrait, staring at it, but not really seeing it at all. Oh, God, how the hell am I gonna get myself out of this one? Ron thought to himself. Want do I do, what do I do?
Before Ron had decided on whether to run or stay and tell the truth, Hermione came out of the kitchen and settled herself next to Ron and grabbed his shoulder. She turned his head to face hers. “Ron,” she whispered, “I promise, whatever the reason, I won’t hate you, please, just tell me.”
Ron sighed nervously, took an unsteady breath and said nervously yet firmly, “I-“I love you, Hermione, and you’re worth everything I had.”
“Oh, Ron!” Hermione said as she flung herself into his arms and began to cry with happiness. Ron could have sworn he heard sniggering from behind him, but was too busy hugging Hermione to pay much attention. She wiped her eyes, looked up into his eyes, and said, “I hoped it was something like that. I love you, too, Ron.”
Ron laughed nervously as Hermione relinquished her grip around his neck. They looked around awkwardly at anything but each other until Ron’s eye “ for the second time in three days “ saw mistletoe hanging above where he and Hermione where standing.
“Bloody hell, said Ron, horrified. “Not again!
Hermione looked up, saw the mistletoe, and said defiantly to Ron, “What do you mean ‘not again?’ I thought you loved me. Don’t you want to kiss me?”
“Yes, of course I do, but…”Ron paused, thinking on how to word this; “I”I guess I’m afraid that if I kiss you, you’ll say it was all a mistake…” he broke off, looking worried and dejected.
“Oh, Ron,” Hermione said, touching his face and caressing it, “don’t ever worry about that. It was never a mistake, loving you. And it never will be.”
Ron smiled at her. He leaned forward, entranced by her eyes, which were full of a passionate fire he only saw when she talked about S.P.E.W. Hermione tilted her face up to meet his. As their lips touched, they swore they heard applause and a wolf whistle in their heads. The kiss became more intense. It didn’t look like either of them would be surfacing soon.
Ginny and Harry scurried silently out of the hall, making sure they were still completely covered by the Invisibility Cloak, muttering together, “Finally!”
“That was close,” Ginny whispered to Harry. “I thought for sure they were going to wake up when they heard us clapping and cheering.”
“Or when we sniggered and gasped,” Harry nodded. “We were a lot louder than we should have.”
They breathed a sigh of relief as they bid each other good night. Harry took of his glasses and the Invisibility Cloak, smiling to himself as he saw Ron’s empty bed. Tomorrow was going to be a good day indeed.
The End
Worth Everything I Had by Auror81692
Chapter Notes: (A/N: This is the final chapter I know you all have been anticipating, so here it is!! Drumroll, please!!!!!)