He looked at her. She had closed her eyes, her red tongue licking her lips and her smile was soft. It looked like she tasted her lips, and then she sighed.
Hermione opened her eyes, embraced Ron, and whispered, "I love you." Ron pulled her closer to him, and said, "I love you too." They were silent for a while, letting the confession sink in. The only sound in the living room was the clock on the wall, and the crackling fire.
"I've loved since fourth year, you know," Hermione continued.
"You have?" Ron asked, surprised. "But, you dated Krum, didn't you? Wrote to him every fortnight, and I saw you writing two rolls of parchment each time," he said, with eyebrows raised.
Hermione just sighed, and looked up at him. "Didn't you realize? I stopped writing to him that winter, since he 'felt that it couldn't work between us,' but it was just so funny to see your reaction every time I mentioned his name… especially 'Vicky' made me laugh," she said, grinning.
"Evil woman!" Ron said laughing, starting to tickle her.
Her laugh filled the room; it sounded like music to Ron's ears. He loved her laugh, he loved her smile. He loved everything about her, she was... his angel.
But...
"If you loved me, why were you with Dean? I mean you, of all people, must have seen the signs of my feelings to you, you were, and still are, one of the most intelligent witches I've ever met, so I guess you saw it?" Ron asked while he stroked her hair.
Hermione looked at him. It seemed like she struggled to answer the question.
"Oh, Ron... I saw it. And I felt like... like I was a queen. It may seem like I'm joking, but I felt that. You were one of the most handsome guys in our year, and the girls were after you. And the one you loved was me - Hermione, the bookworm with bushy hair. I couldn't understand it myself, why me?
You've known me for seven years, how could you love me? All those times I had offended you? God, it must have hurt you, I realize that now," she added, stroking his chin tenderly.
"But, you see, I was scared. I believed that you were playing a game with me - playing with my feelings. I had never had a boyfriend before, and I know how popular you were with the girls. The girls in my dormitory spoke about you every night - saying how good you looked, how handsome you were, how cool you were... and that you had had so many girls."
"I - They said that?" Ron said, surprised, eyebrows raised.
He'd had some relationships behind him, but it hadn't lasted for long. The girls were either too silly, too wild, too… bossy. No one was like Hermione. It was her he wanted all along, was to care about him. And he was always comparing them with Hermione; in his eyes she was perfect.
"Well. I didn't have many girls," he confirmed, looking at Hermione.
"I had a feeling about that. Mrs. Weasley would have killed you if you did," she said, smiling slightly. "But, I started dating Dean, yes. In one way, he was sweet - but nothing compared to you. He didn't have the spark in the eye that you have every time you're laughing, he didn't rumple up his hair like you do, and… well, he just wasn't you. But we had a fine chemistry, and it was fine... for a month or two."
Ron stared in the fire while he listened to Hermione talk. "Then, one night, he took me to the Library… said that it was over. He said he'd found another girl, in Hufflepuff. I didn't ask for her name, just nodded, felt nothing. I didn't take it so hard, I knew it didn't work anymore. He saw me looking at you, glancing at you when I thought he didn't see me," she said, laughing at herself.
"He figured it out, and broke up. But it was okay; I didn't sit in the dormitory and cry my eyes out. In fact, I felt like it was a good thing, breaking up with him. I saw that he was happier together with her, after all. And then... I could've asked you, but you were so sweet to me, and I didn't want to tell you, in case you got afraid. Afraid of me, telling you about my feelings. I thought it would scare you away, and destroy our friendship, and just stick together because of Harry," she said, taking Ron's hand.
"I told Ginny about it, you know. She wasn't surprised, just smiled and hugged me. Said that she knew. She had seen me, looking at you and smiling. I guess I looked like a moron, something like Lockhart."
Ron started to laugh.
"Trust me, you're not like Lockhart. You're better than him, a thousand times better," he said, smiling at her.
"Oh, thanks. That's reassuring," said Hermione.
She pressed her head to his chest, stretching out her legs as she threw a blanket over the both of them.
They listened to the fire, crackling joyful in the fireplace. The wind was howling outside, making the house whistle. Ron began to feel drowsy, and his eyelids were beginning to get heavy.
He heard a deep breathing from Hermione.
She's asleep, was the last thing Ron thought before he, too, fell asleep.
He woke up the next morning with the sun shining at his face.
He opened his eyes, and saw Hermione lying in the same spot as she did last night. For a while, Ron didn't do anything else than just lie there, with Hermione in his arms, thinking.
Thinking about what she'd said last night, about her feelings, Dean, Krum and the talking. And why hadn't Ginny told him something? She was his sister - she could have mentioned it… or given him a hint, or something.
But, on the other hand, if Ginny were told something, she wouldn't blurt out with it. Maybe it was for their own good, Ron didn't know. Or maybe that was just how girls were. One thing he did know was that boys were not that complicated.
"Good morning," he heard someone say, far away. He looked down to Hermione.
"Good morning yourself, love," Ron said, giving her a warm hug.
"What's the time?" Hermione asked, yawning and stretching.
"It's ten o'clock, and it's a Saturday, if you wanted to know," he said, pointing at the clock.
Hermione sat up, folding the blanket nicely.
"You have a good couch," she said, smiling.
"Yeah," said Ron, getting up. "Do you want some breakfast?"
"Oh, yes, please," said Hermione. Then, right after, her stomach rumbled, confirming her hunger.
"Mum sent me some food one day last week - her specialty... scrambled eggs, sausages and bacon," said Ron, looking in the freezer. "Ah, here it is," he said, laying the food on two plates and warming it up with his wand.
After the breakfast, Hermione told Ron she had to go home.
"Crookshanks is waiting for me, I bet he's hungry too," she said, chuckling.
"Oh, I see. Well, take some sausages to him, and greet him for me," Ron said, following Hermione to the door.
"Oh, one thing," Ron said before Hermione went, "Lupin's coming to town tomorrow. I thought perhaps you would want to see him?"
Hermione's face lit up. "Of course, I'd love that! Can't you send me an owl, or something, telling me where to meet him?"
Ron smiled. "Of course I'll do that. Then you'll meet Harry too," he said, going with her outside.
"Looking forward to it," she said, giving Ron a kiss. It still wasn't usual to him; he started to smile.
"Bye!" she said, waving.
"Bye, love!" Ron said grinning, closing the door.