Chapter 13
Hidden under the invisibility cloak, the two friends walked through the portrait hole. Ron seemed to be in no hurry, and Hermione even noticed his hands grazing hers every once in a while. She shrugged it off and took his hand in hers. Besides, it was easier to stay in step with him if they were side by side. Ron’s height, however, made it difficult to hide under the cloak, so he had to hunch down a bit. She sensed he was uncomfortable and mentally vowed to give him a backrub without question if he asked for one later.
The pair walked outside for awhile and eventually made it to the lake. Finding a large rock, they sat down. Hermione closed her eyes and took a deep breath, relishing the fresh air.
“Mmm, this was such a brilliant idea, Ron. Thank you for getting me out of the castle, even if it’s only for a bit. It’s simply beautiful out here.”
Beautiful… yes, you are. Ron thought, barely listening to his best friend. He was staring at her.
Ever since he began spending time with her at her house and at Headquarters, he began noticing little things that he had either not seen before or was too daft to notice.
Things like how her eyes glistened in the moonlight. The way her entire face would light up when she was truly happy and laughing. He noticed that although she was best friends with both he and Harry, her relationship with Harry was almost a more maternal one. She worried about him getting hurt, and she made sure he thought through decisions carefully. With him (Ron) she was more likely to move a stray hair out of his face or sit on the couch talking for hours about absolutely nothing.
He had learned more about Hermione in the last few weeks than he had ever taken the time to do with anyone else. He was beginning to like ” no love what he found. He found himself looking at her in an entirely different light and that scared him. What should he do about these newly realized feelings?
Hermione noticed that Ron had a far away look in his eyes and decided to call him on it.
“Hello, Ron? Are you in there?”
She laughed, watching Ron shake his head as if trying to clear it.
“Huh? Oh, sorry. I guess I was daydreaming or something. The silence got the best of me I suppose.”
Hermione looked over at the red-headed boy next to her and couldn’t help but think to herself, What if?
He was starting to grow on her, not so much like a fungus as much as a habit she didn’t want to break. He had finally begun to fit into his tall frame. It looked like he had started to take care of himself after school let out.
Quidditch with his brothers, maybe? Running or exercise?
She had never noticed how muscular his arms were and suddenly found herself staring at them. Every time he would grab a small stone or pebble to throw into the lake, his muscles in his arm would flex.
Very nice, she thought to herself.
She had really begun taking notice of Ron during their fourth year. She was truly jealous of his date for the Yule Ball and was very hurt that he hadn’t thought to ask her out, even as a friend before Viktor had. She knew they bickered all the time, and he knew exactly how to make her blood boil, but she also knew there was something else that was deeper. They would defend and protect each other to the end. She knew Harry would too, but it was different with him. Harry was more like a brother to her. The boys were both protective of her, but Ron was more of a safe shelter that she found herself seeking.
She was relieved that Harry had not joined them for their walk. They needed some time away, and she and Ron needed time alone. She watched him as he continued to stare across the lake.
Ron seemed to notice that he was being watched because he turned slowly and looked into her eyes. Hermione looked up towards him and gave a slight smile. He returned it and swallowed loudly.
“Hermione, I…I…”
“What is it, Ron? Is something wrong?” Hermione began looking around.
“No! I mean… no, nothing is wrong.”
He added in more of a mumble, “For once everything seems right.”
“Were you going to ask me something, Ron?” Hermione asked, ignorant of his muttered comment.
Rod inwardly grinned. Yes, he was actually going to ask permission to kiss her. Instead he decided to just go with his heart and simply do it.
“Close your eyes, Hermione.”
She looked at him with the slightest hint of doubt which caused him to roll his eyes at her in response.
“Please, just this once, trust me.”
She smiled, “I have always trusted you Ron… Fine, I’m closing my eyes.”
He looked at her and without thinking, leaned in for a gentle sweet kiss that had more meaning behind it than anything he had ever experienced. He had never felt more exposed in his life but had also never felt happier. He gently cupped her face with his right hand and placed his left hand on the small of her back. She inhaled as they made contact and wrapped her arms around his neck.
Ron was first to break the connection between them, afraid to overstep his bounds. He began stuttering, “I… I… I’m sorry about that. I shouldn’t have… Please don’t hate me.”
He tried to back away from her and she suddenly went from absolute bliss to looking hurt. In a quiet voice, she found herself getting defensive. “Did it seem like I was complaining, Ron? And don’t apologize unless you really regretted it.”
Ron quickly composed himself. “What? No, of course I didn’t regret kissing you - that’s insane. I’ve wanted to do that with you since fourth year! I just didn’t know how you felt about me and now here I am snogging you a few days after Death Eaters tried to kill you.”
“The attack is a distant memory, Ron. Everything turned out fine. I wouldn’t trade this moment for anything.”
Hermione took a leap of faith and continued, “Besides, I have been hoping you would do that to me since fourth year as well.”
It was Ron’s turn to be impressed. He had no idea that Hermione’s feelings for him were that strong.
“Well, why didn’t you say something? We’ve wasted so much time avoiding the matter, don’t you think? Look at the ground we could have covered by now!”
Hermione playfully swatted his arm. “Ronald, don’t be ridiculous! Everything happened on its own time. I believe everything happens for a reason and this was when we had the time to get together and, well, you know…”
Ron got a very serious look on his face. It made Hermione a little nervous at first, but she tried laughing it off. “What? Why are you looking at me that way, so serious-like?”
He took a shaky breath in. “You’re amazing, Hermione.” He took her hands in his and pulled her closer to him so he was able to whisper.
“I was so scared that you would turn me down. I “ I feel wonderful!”
He was stopped by her lips pressing on his again. She didn’t know where the courage to do these things was coming from, but it felt right, and that was good enough for her.
He used his right index finger to tilt her chin up so she was looking into his eyes. “You’re sure about this, Hermione? I mean, I’ve pictured you as my girlfriend for a long time in my head but this is real, you know? You say yes and you’re stuck with me.”
He gave her a shaky laugh. Even with his nerves as jittery as they were, he kept his sense of humor in check. She gave him a simple smile, tears now running silently and freely down her cheek.
He laughed again and then rolled his eyes. She scowled. “I can’t help it, Ron. These are happy tears, you know!” Giving her a hug, he pulled away and looked at her solemnly.
“You know what we have to do now, right?”
She nodded, “Yes, you need to kiss me again.”
He paused before answering, pondering which direction to go. “Well, aside from that… we have to break the news to Harry.”
Hermione cringed. “And Malfoy, ugh.”
Ron looked confused. “What’s wrong with telling Malfoy? He hasn’t tried anything with you, has he? If he did, I have no problem kicking him in the””
She placed a comforting hand on his arm to divert his thoughts. “No, Ron, but can you imagine how much grief they are going to give us when they find out? Malfoy is so cocky sometimes; I can only imagine what he’ll say.”
Ron’s face fell. “Oh no, I have one even better. My mum and dad! They’ll be making wedding plans before we start our first day of classes. That’s all my mom asked me about all summer; ‘Oh, how is Hermione, dear? You should try to contact her, maybe meet her in Diagon Alley over the summer. You know, just to spend some time with her.’” Ron raised the pitch of his voice to almost perfectly match his mother’s and said, “All summer, that’s what she was doing to me, every day!”
Hermione started laughing, loudly at that. “I can picture her saying it, too. Well, at least she already likes me and I don’t have to pretend to be something I’m not just to impress her and your family.”
Shaking his head he whispered, “No, my family already loves you. You should know that by now.”
With that final thought, he pulled her to him once more and kissed her soundly.
Safe Haven by NikkiSue
Chapter Notes: Thank you for your patience... People who read this chapter will either like it or hate it and that makes me a bit nervous about any upcoming reviews. :-) That being said, please be gentle. Also a big thank you to Rita Writer for being the bestest long term beta in the free world.