Title: Ron being Ron.
Rating: This is PG-13 again.
Author: Kali Kato (SeekerGurl)
Chapter: Four, "Beauty Shining Through The Darkness"
Year: 6th year
Other: This fic is from Ron's POV.
Ships: Ron and Hermione.
Summary: What happens in the Astronomy Tower? Read onward!
Notes:
This is the final chapter. I managed to make chapter three longer, so it worked out perfectly into four chapters. This one is a long chapter, too. This is the end, ya'll, so I hope its everything you expected! ;-)
Thanks to everyone for the reviews, you guys are the best!!! :o)
~o~ Disclaimer: Everything belongs to the mighty J.K. Rowling. ~o~
~o~ = Snitch
_________________________________________________________________________________
For some reason, not totally unknown to me, I could not concentrate in potions class.
I kept on telling myself it was the fact that Snape's eyes were watching me with an uneasy stare. Or maybe it was because I was thirty minutes late. Or maybe its because Malfoy won't stop shifting in his chair, the little ferret. Or maybe its because I'm lost in the lesson. Or maybe its because that ginger rice wasn't enough to eat.
Or maybe its the girl sitting a table down from mine.
That girl, that one untouchable gorgeous girl... at least to me. Sure, some people call her a bookworm and mudblood (grrr Malfoy) and sometimes girls like Lavender say she isn't exactly sexy. But to me, to me she is. To me, she is the most beautiful creature at this school, no, the world.
I'm telling ya, we're made for eachother.
People say stuff behind my back, too.
I know they say I'm too tall, or my hair is too bright. Or that my clothes and robes are crap. Which they are, of course. I'm sure that they make fun of me, saying I'm just Harry's side-kick, and as soon as the war's over, he'll be rid of me, and the like. But thats okay, really it is. I can take care of myself. Besides, I know for a fact Harry is my best friend, and would never give up on me.
But you see, when people say mean things about Hermione behind her back, it really bugs me.
They can say what they want about me, the red haired guy, but it really makes my blood boil when they dare say things about Hermione.
But perhaps now, sitting in potions, when I see Pansy pointing at Hermione and wispering not-so-good things to her Slytherin friends, and sticking her tongue out at her, it gets me so angry my head hurts. Hermione doesn't even see these antics, her head is in her books, concentrating, as she should be and always does.
And you see, its very simple, even though I never knew it before. There's a simple explanation of why I'm jealous of Krum, why I want to protect Hermione, and why I want to defend her name and beat up Malfoy.
Its because I'm in love with her.
Now, if you think about this for a moment... it sounds insane. If anyone knew I was in love with her, they'd laugh. They'd probably say I could do better then the bookworm from the library. Then again they would probably say SHE could do better. But you know what? I don't give a damn what they say, not anymore. Hermione is one of the best things thats ever happened to me. If it wasn't for her, I would never pass all my studies, considering she's always tutoring me. I wouldn't have this great friend who is always there for me, no matter how many stupid things I say. And best of all, I would never know what love feels like. Its all because of her.
Sweet and wonderful Hermione Granger.
God, I love her.
It was 6:00 PM, after dark, and the Great Hall of Hogwarts was overflowing with students. It was dinnertime, my favorite meal. It was my favorite because they usually served meat. You know, big chunks of it with sauce and juice and cake for dessert. Sadly though, I could not bring myself to eat more than a few bites. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't feeling sick. I actually didn't eat because of Hermione. All I could think about was those blasted House Elves, and how much she wanted to help them, and how they should have equal rights when they cook us food and countless other things she supports for them. All I wanted to do was run up to my dorm and grab that silly button she had made. I told this is Harry, and he gave me a rather funny look, and told me to go lay down. I suppose it was strange, me not eating to support a campaign that would probably never work. But I guess Harry didn't understand, I guess he just wasn't in love. Then again, by the way he was hanging all over Cho, you couldn't tell the difference.
It was quarter after six, and Hermione had never come to the Great Hall. Being Hermone, it wasn't really strange, she always stayed at the library into the late hours. But I was more aware of these things now, I guess. Since I wasn't able to eat, I got up and decided to see if she was around. Seamus, who sprayed food all over me when he spoke, said he had seen her up at the owlery. I decided I should start there.
As I walked stair after stair, fleight after fleight to the old barn, my mind began to wander, as it always seems to do.
What if Hermione was up there sending a letter to Krum? What if she wanted to be alone? What if she was mad that I bothered her? I certainly didn't want to ruin anything, even if it did have to do with Krum. He is her boyfriend afterall, they can do what they want. Then again, if I have to see her blush over one more of his letters, I'm gonna lose it.
I guess there's only one way to find out.
The big door to the owlery creaked open, and I could hear feathers ruffle in the darkness. The only light available illuminated from the moon, which was clearly visible through the open roof. Hundreds of beady, yellow and brown eyes watched me as I moved through the racks of birds, looking for signs of Hermione. I ran across lil' Pig, who despite its lack of weight, cooed at me for some crumbs. I didn't have any, but gave him a scratch on the head as a friendly hello. The owlery was rather large, much bigger than my house. I knew Hermione had to be around here somewhere. But within fifteen minutes of looking, I decided to give up. She just wasn't there. So I left the owls, and made my way down the many stairs once again.
The library was stop number two.
Its probably where I should have looked first, it is where she spends 80% of her day. If she's gone now, its my fault. The library was surprisingly packed considering it was dinnertime. The study tables were scattered with quills and open books, open ink bottles left forgotten. I saw a few students from Ravenclaw I knew but didn't feel like saying "hi" at the moment. As I walked around, I discovered I was pretty much the tallest person around. Everyone else, even seventh years, were a few inches shorter. Oh well. I approached the table we usually sat at, it was right in the middle of all the history books, where Hermione liked it. But, there was not a single curly haired girl sitting there, it was only a bunch of first years. I shrugged and returned to the hallway. Lavender and Parvati passed me, and I asked if they'd seen Hermione up at the dorm. They both said no and gave me dirty looks. Whatever. I leaned against the wall, and tried to think of where she could be.
Hmmm.....
Aha! The House Elves!
Of course! Its obvious! She would never tell Harry and I about plans to visit the little fellows, she knows we don't really care. Although at lunch I did try and reassure her, she still might have gone by herself. Good God, she could be trying to get them to boycott or rebel or something. As much as I loved Hermione's sense of justice, it could get her in trouble. Just as my mouth got me in trouble.
Dobby greeted me with frantic happiness and helpfulness, as he always did. As soon as I tickled that pear on the hallway painting, he ran up to me shouting "Harry Potter's friend! Harry Potter's friend!" with his arms full of breads and sweets, obviously for me. You know, I never quite understood Hermione's reasons for helping the Elves, they seem perfectly happy in the kitchen, cooking up every food imaginable. When Dobby asked if I was hungry, my stomach answered for me with an annoying growl. He (I think its a he) immediatly started running around the room, clamoring for food in every corner. As weak and hungry as I was, I ate up. Sorry, Hermione, if I'm gonna help you fight the House Elf Liberation, I gotta eat. While I stuffed my face, Dobby asked millions of questions, mostly about Harry. I got in a few of my own as well, including if Hermione had been there, for she clearly wasn't here now. Dobby said no, but said she was there earlier this week. He also said he doesn't understand what S.P.E.W. stands for either. I guess Hermione really does need help with these guys.
I returned to the Gryffindor Common Room, my pockets filled with sweets and tasty bread. I decided that Hermione didn't want to be found, and I was out of luck. I was sure she was fine, she could perform spells better then Harry and I combined. Besides, I had to get ready for our meeting at midnight in the Astronomy Tower. Hermione still had my robe, and I needed to change. I had no idea what she wanted with me at the Astronomy Tower, but I figured I should look nice.
The boys' dorm was empty, everyone was still at dinner or the library. I made my way over to my bed, and layed down. My feet passed way over the edge of the bed, hanging off. That got very annoying at night, when you were trying to sleep. I looked over at my clock. It was already eight o'clock. I stood up and stretched a bit, feeling very tired from all the excitement from Hogsmeade. It all seemed like a dream, that I punched Malfoy, that I held Hermione in my arms for one tender moment, that I admitted my true feelings to myself. It felt good, to be honest with yourself.
I reached down and opened my ratty old trunk. The hinges were falling off, and the color was faded. I reached in and sorted through my things, trying to find my cleanest robe. I came up with a rather nice one, its color was more a washed gray than it was dirty. It was a little short in the arms, but at least it didn't smell like rat poop. I reached into my pants pocket, and pulled out another brillant blue daisy. I'd picked it on my way back to Hogwarts. I figured I'd give it to her tonight, to replace the one Pansy murdered. I also took out my S.P.E.W. button, and attached it to my robe. It had a little button on it that made it light-up, it was a little cheesy, but still cute. I combed my hair, even though it was long, and wouldn't stay in one place. I took a glance in the huge oak mirror that lined the wall. I noticed since last term my freckles had grown darker, making me look like I had a tan. I remember one time, in fifth year, Hermione had noticed this and said it made me look older. I guess thats a good thing. I made one last attempt at swiping a few red hairs from in front of my eyes, but the mirror cooed, "It'll do no good! Cut your hair!"
I sat at the end of the large red couch in the common room. By now, many students had returned. Everyone seemed to have something to do, someone to talk to or somewhere to go. A few younger boys offered to play me at chess, but I kindly said no, not wanting to crush their ego's or anything, knowing I'd beat them. Harry had retired early to bed, leaving me with no one to talk to.
It was now ten o'clock, everyone was up at bed, fast asleep. I had accidentially dozed off, and cursed myself for not staying awake to see if Hermione had ever came up. Someone had put a blanket on me, I figured it was McGonagall, she always seemed to be stalking us around here. I had been reading a Quidditch magazine, hoping to pass the time, and to look like I was doing something. There wasn't a single student left in the common room, and I felt very alone. Not that the feeling was anything new. Harry and Hermione were the only ones I was *real* friends with, anyway. I took a peek out the window, and realized it was raining. I liked rain, it was soothing. The noise of it on the roof made a nice sound for the ears to hear. I knew Harry wouldn't be happy, rain meant the match for tommorow morning's Quidditch game would be cancelled. It would have been a good match too, Gryffindor against Ravenclaw. It would be interesting, seeing Harry and Cho compete. Harry being Harry, would probably let her get the snitch. Then again, if it was I against Hermione, me being me, I'd let her win too.
I returned to my room, and very quietly walked over to Harry's trunk. If I was ever going to get to the Astronomy Tower, I would need the Invisibility Cloak. I knew Harry wouldn't mind. The boys were fast asleep, oblivious to my rummaging through Harry's stuff. I noticed a bunch of stuff in Harry's trunk, stuff I never knew he had. And I hope I never have to see that *stuff* again. I grabbed the cloak, and made a mental note to never, ever go in Harry's trunk again. I'll just be keeping my hands to myself.
The Astronomy Tower had more stairs than anywhere in Hogwarts. It was a bugger, climbing these stairs everyday for Divination. If I didn't know Hermione as well as I did, I wouldn't know where exactly to find her in the tower. There were five separate rooms, three of them were classrooms, the other two rooms contained telescopes and equipment. To the blind eye, most people never notice the sixth room, the secret room. Hermione had been the one to find it, back in fifth year. Harry and I had just finished with Divination, and planned to meet Hermione at the library. When we had just started going back down the stairs, she jumped out in front of us, from the middle of nowhere! Its one of the more fonder memories of Hermione I have. Us, scared out of our minds, and her laughing. It turned out there's a door made out of stone, the same kind as the wall, that opens up into a dark, moody room. Its very hard to find, unless you're looking for it. We three had made a point of visiting it at night, whenever we couldn't sleep. We'd never seen anyone else near it, and we kinda turned it into an unofficial hideout. Hermione had a collection of books under the floorboards, me with sweets hidden in the old candle holder hanging from the celing (I was the only one who could reach it, so I got dibbs.) Harry didn't hang out there as much as us, so he didn't leave anything there for the dust to collect.
I finally reached the door, and removed the cloak. Even though I'm sure it was cold outside, the candles lining the wall provided enough warmth. I moved my hands up along the wall, trying to find the small ridge that stuck out. I finally found it, and pulled sideways on it. The door slowly creaked open, and a small amount of light seeped from the room into the dim hallway I was standing in. Hermione always lit candles in the room at night, so it wouldn't be so creepy. The door was very heavy, so I only opened it enough for me to slip inside. I carefully shut the door behind me, wary not to make noise... just in case any Professors were around.
When I turned around, I faced the openess of our secret place. I hadn't been here since last year, and the dust had collected everywhere since then. There were a few candles lit around the room, and the chair in the corner looked like it had finally given away from age. I hung Harry's cloak on the hook we had placed on the wall. I walked further into the room, and it was then that I saw her.
She was standing at the window, looking out at the sky. She was still dressed in my robe, but she had placed a dark green shawl over it, probably to keep her warm. Her hair was pulled back into a bun, much like it had been at the Yule Ball. Her hands were resting on the window sill, but I could see she had mittens on. The ever cautious Hermione, always aware of her health.
To me, in that moment, she was the vision of beauty. She was truly beauty shining through the darkness.
I could feel a lump form in my throat as I approached her, my palms getting sweaty. I figured she knew it was me, otherwise she would have turned around by now. I stepped beside her, and glanced down at her from the corner of my eye. She was even more beautiful up close. The rain now pounded harder on the roof, and you could feel its mist through the open window. The stars were bright, brighter then on other nights. We stayed like that for a few minutes, watching the sky mingle with the rain. She hadn't moved since I'd gotten there. The only noise I could hear, besides the rain, was the pounding of my heart. I wondered if she could hear it too.
Finally, she shifted her feet and seemed to take in a deep breath, and then sigh loudly.
"Ron..." She said, breaking the silence.
Her voice sounded uneasy in the darkness, almost hard to hear. I swallowed hard, I didn't know what she would say, do, or anything. It was almost scary.
"Yes?" I said softly. I leaned against the window sill, so I could be at eye level with her... although she wouldn't look at me.
She once again seemed to shift her weight from foot to foot, like she was nervous. I knew if she bit her lip, that would be a true sign that something was on her mind. And she did.
"Can I ask you something?" She blurted out.
I looked at her like she was crazy.
"Of course you can!" I said, just happy to break the tension.
Still not looking me in the eye, she said:
"Are you jealous?"
For a split second, I didn't understand. But then it dawned on me, and I knew what she was talking about. The Note! Just twelve hours ago, we had been passing notes in McGonagall's class. It was just twelve hours ago that McGonagall had taken it away... and given it back. It had never occured to me that she would ever be thinking about what my answer had been ever again. Why did she care?
I suddenly had an idea.
"Am I jealous?" I said softly, almost smiling at the irony. I walked and stood behind her, I leaned down and whispered close to her ear, "What do you think?"
She turned around and looked up at me. Suddenly my daring attitude to get close to her mellowed down, and I took a step back. I was in her space, close to her, and it was driving me crazy.
"I..I don't know..." She said, looking down at her feet.
I knew my ears and cheeks were red now. All these embaressing questions were making me nervous. I sighed, and moved closer to her. She looked up at me again, probably wondering what was up with me and my new coy attitude.
"Reach into my robe pocket..." I said softly.
I almost fell down when she reached for the robe on me, her hand coming awful close to a certain body part of mine.
"No, no, my r-robe, your wearing it! L-Left pocket, 'Mione!"
It was her turn to blush, in her very cute manner.
She reached into the pocket, and fished out a crumpled piece of parchment. She looked at me and then to the parchment, with those lovely questioning eyes.
"Open it." I whispered.
She did, and I noticed her hands were shaking. Maybe she was cold? Nah, that couldn't be it. She opened it, and stared at it for the longest minute of my life. She didn't blink, didn't breath, and didn't say a word.
"Why are you jealous, Ron?" She finally spoke.
I looked confused, I'm sure. I knew admiting what I felt and why could be dangerous. If she knew I was jealous of her boyfriend, she'd never speak to me again. But, as I'd promised myself earlier, all is fair in love and war. Krum's a million miles away, and this would just be between us. Between friends. She has a right to know how I feel. Besides, by not letting her know, I'm breaking my own heart.
"You," I said, scratching my head as if she should know, as if it was an easy answer. "You, ah, you always get letters, once a week, you know, from that black... ugly.. owl. Doesn't it belong to Krum? Aren't the letters from Krum?" I said quickly.
"Well, yes," She said matter-of-factly.
Ugh, she just knows how to break my heart.
I sighed and walked over to the window again. I stared at the wall. Suddenly, all the rush of today's events came at me. But wost of all, it was my broken heart that hurt. If I had been alone, I might have even cried... but I wouldn't, not in front of Hermione. I hit the wall in a frustrated matter with my fist, I knew it wasn't the smartest thing to do. But I was hurt. How else was I supposed to act?
"Ron!" I felt her hand on my shoulder, and it wasn't until then I realized I was shaking. I pushed her arm away, not wanting to feel her soft touch.
"Ron!" She tried again, "Ron, you don't know the whole story!"
That got my attention. I turned around and faced her once again. I could feel my heart pounding in my ears, my mind racing to find out what she meant. She sighed and moved closer to me. I realized I had nowhere to go, I was pretty much against the wall. She wasn't touching me, but we were close enough to feel eachother's warm breath.
"Why do you," I said, my voice shaking, "Why do you blush when you read his letters? Don't tell me I don't know the story! I know whats going on!" I yelled.
I think I scared her, because she backed away from me very quickly.
Then, a very strange thing happened. A huge smile formed on her face, and before I knew it, she burst out laughing. This of course, caused me to feel very, very strange. Or maybe it was because my face had turned a bright red.
"Ronald Weasley!" She said in a very bossy tone, "The only reason I've ever blushed in my entire life is because of you! Don't you ever stop to think that maybe I see you looking at me when I'm reading those letters, and its because of you that I... well, that I blush like crazy!"
She blushed because of me?
I looked at her, and tried to think of the right things to say, and the right things to think.
"So... so... you aren't blushing because of Krum's romantic sayings or something?" I asked, shuffleing my feet on the floor.
She rolled her eyes, and looked like she was about to laugh. "He can barely say my name, what makes you think he can write poetry too?"
"I..I...uh..." I was dumbfouned. Everything she had said was... wonderful. But it didn't change the facts though. She was still with him.
Hermione turned around, and untied her hair from a bun, making it fall all over her shoulders. She then threw her hands up in the air in an exasperated way.
"Men are all the same," she said, shaking her head. "You jump to the worst possible conclusion!"
"Huh?" I said.
"What in the world makes you think I'm even dating Viktor? Have you ever stoopped and thought that maybe he's pursueing me, and I'm not responding? Maybe all these letters he sends me just end up on the bottom of my trash can, Ronald! And maybe, just maybe I blush when you look at me because you're just so damn cute! That maybe I like YOU, and not Viktor! I'm telling you, men are all the same!"
I just looked at her. All the pain of my heart started to melt, and a huge grin formed on my face.
I understood everything now.
I was so happy, it felt like all the weight in the world had been lifted off my shoulders. I couldn't even process all of what she just said, all I really heard and put together was the fact that her and Krum had never, and will never happen. At least, not as long as I'm around. I just wanted.. I just wanted...
I just wanted to kiss her.
She had this look on her face as I approached her, this sassy and beautiful look. She also looked very surprised, probably confused I was suddenly moving towards her with this look, which I think, was a look of desire on my face. I stood as close as possible in front of her, and moved my face down to hers. I could see that she was blushing, but I was surprised to feel that I wasn't. I knew if I didn't do this right now, I might never get the chance.
Now or never.
Now or never.
Now or never.
Now.
It was very quick, but almost what I expected. The first thing I noticed was that her lips were very soft. She was also wearing some sort of banana flavored lip gloss. At first, right before our lips connected, I wasn't sure where to put my lips. Should I cover her top or bottom lip? In the end, I choose her upper lip, not that it was very important anyway. The best part was when she slid her hands up my chest, and pulled me in closer to her. I had to lean down a lot to kiss her, but it was worth every second. Kissing Hermione was everything I expected. After a few seconds, we pulled away at the same time. I mostly pulled away because I forgot to breathe. She rested her head against my chest, and I put my hands in her hair, stroking it softly. For the first time in my life, I felt comfortable with her. I could show her affection, and it just felt right. Best of all, I wasn't blushing. Neither of us spoke, we just stood there in the moment, in complete bliss. The time started to pass, I'm sure it had been at least ten minutes, when she moved away from me and looked up into my eyes.
I had just kissed the woman I loved, and I didn't know what to say. I couldn't tell her I loved her, it was too soon for that. Someday I would tell her, just not now.
"You know what, Ron?" She said softly, breaking the nervous silence.
"What?" I noticed my voice was lower then usual.
"I've always wanted you to do that."
And you know what else?
Sometimes, against all odds, the red haired, tall side kick does in fact, get the girl.
And in our case, she stays with me the rest of our lives.
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Well, I hope you guys liked it! I'd love to know what you all thought of the ending in your reviews! Once again, thanks for reading! And you never know, I *might* come back with a rewrite of this story, but from Hermione's POV. Either that, or I'll just leave it as is. :)
-Kali ~o~
Rating: This is PG-13 again.
Author: Kali Kato (SeekerGurl)
Chapter: Four, "Beauty Shining Through The Darkness"
Year: 6th year
Other: This fic is from Ron's POV.
Ships: Ron and Hermione.
Summary: What happens in the Astronomy Tower? Read onward!
Notes:
This is the final chapter. I managed to make chapter three longer, so it worked out perfectly into four chapters. This one is a long chapter, too. This is the end, ya'll, so I hope its everything you expected! ;-)
Thanks to everyone for the reviews, you guys are the best!!! :o)
~o~ Disclaimer: Everything belongs to the mighty J.K. Rowling. ~o~
~o~ = Snitch
_________________________________________________________________________________
For some reason, not totally unknown to me, I could not concentrate in potions class.
I kept on telling myself it was the fact that Snape's eyes were watching me with an uneasy stare. Or maybe it was because I was thirty minutes late. Or maybe its because Malfoy won't stop shifting in his chair, the little ferret. Or maybe its because I'm lost in the lesson. Or maybe its because that ginger rice wasn't enough to eat.
Or maybe its the girl sitting a table down from mine.
That girl, that one untouchable gorgeous girl... at least to me. Sure, some people call her a bookworm and mudblood (grrr Malfoy) and sometimes girls like Lavender say she isn't exactly sexy. But to me, to me she is. To me, she is the most beautiful creature at this school, no, the world.
I'm telling ya, we're made for eachother.
People say stuff behind my back, too.
I know they say I'm too tall, or my hair is too bright. Or that my clothes and robes are crap. Which they are, of course. I'm sure that they make fun of me, saying I'm just Harry's side-kick, and as soon as the war's over, he'll be rid of me, and the like. But thats okay, really it is. I can take care of myself. Besides, I know for a fact Harry is my best friend, and would never give up on me.
But you see, when people say mean things about Hermione behind her back, it really bugs me.
They can say what they want about me, the red haired guy, but it really makes my blood boil when they dare say things about Hermione.
But perhaps now, sitting in potions, when I see Pansy pointing at Hermione and wispering not-so-good things to her Slytherin friends, and sticking her tongue out at her, it gets me so angry my head hurts. Hermione doesn't even see these antics, her head is in her books, concentrating, as she should be and always does.
And you see, its very simple, even though I never knew it before. There's a simple explanation of why I'm jealous of Krum, why I want to protect Hermione, and why I want to defend her name and beat up Malfoy.
Its because I'm in love with her.
Now, if you think about this for a moment... it sounds insane. If anyone knew I was in love with her, they'd laugh. They'd probably say I could do better then the bookworm from the library. Then again they would probably say SHE could do better. But you know what? I don't give a damn what they say, not anymore. Hermione is one of the best things thats ever happened to me. If it wasn't for her, I would never pass all my studies, considering she's always tutoring me. I wouldn't have this great friend who is always there for me, no matter how many stupid things I say. And best of all, I would never know what love feels like. Its all because of her.
Sweet and wonderful Hermione Granger.
God, I love her.
It was 6:00 PM, after dark, and the Great Hall of Hogwarts was overflowing with students. It was dinnertime, my favorite meal. It was my favorite because they usually served meat. You know, big chunks of it with sauce and juice and cake for dessert. Sadly though, I could not bring myself to eat more than a few bites. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't feeling sick. I actually didn't eat because of Hermione. All I could think about was those blasted House Elves, and how much she wanted to help them, and how they should have equal rights when they cook us food and countless other things she supports for them. All I wanted to do was run up to my dorm and grab that silly button she had made. I told this is Harry, and he gave me a rather funny look, and told me to go lay down. I suppose it was strange, me not eating to support a campaign that would probably never work. But I guess Harry didn't understand, I guess he just wasn't in love. Then again, by the way he was hanging all over Cho, you couldn't tell the difference.
It was quarter after six, and Hermione had never come to the Great Hall. Being Hermone, it wasn't really strange, she always stayed at the library into the late hours. But I was more aware of these things now, I guess. Since I wasn't able to eat, I got up and decided to see if she was around. Seamus, who sprayed food all over me when he spoke, said he had seen her up at the owlery. I decided I should start there.
As I walked stair after stair, fleight after fleight to the old barn, my mind began to wander, as it always seems to do.
What if Hermione was up there sending a letter to Krum? What if she wanted to be alone? What if she was mad that I bothered her? I certainly didn't want to ruin anything, even if it did have to do with Krum. He is her boyfriend afterall, they can do what they want. Then again, if I have to see her blush over one more of his letters, I'm gonna lose it.
I guess there's only one way to find out.
The big door to the owlery creaked open, and I could hear feathers ruffle in the darkness. The only light available illuminated from the moon, which was clearly visible through the open roof. Hundreds of beady, yellow and brown eyes watched me as I moved through the racks of birds, looking for signs of Hermione. I ran across lil' Pig, who despite its lack of weight, cooed at me for some crumbs. I didn't have any, but gave him a scratch on the head as a friendly hello. The owlery was rather large, much bigger than my house. I knew Hermione had to be around here somewhere. But within fifteen minutes of looking, I decided to give up. She just wasn't there. So I left the owls, and made my way down the many stairs once again.
The library was stop number two.
Its probably where I should have looked first, it is where she spends 80% of her day. If she's gone now, its my fault. The library was surprisingly packed considering it was dinnertime. The study tables were scattered with quills and open books, open ink bottles left forgotten. I saw a few students from Ravenclaw I knew but didn't feel like saying "hi" at the moment. As I walked around, I discovered I was pretty much the tallest person around. Everyone else, even seventh years, were a few inches shorter. Oh well. I approached the table we usually sat at, it was right in the middle of all the history books, where Hermione liked it. But, there was not a single curly haired girl sitting there, it was only a bunch of first years. I shrugged and returned to the hallway. Lavender and Parvati passed me, and I asked if they'd seen Hermione up at the dorm. They both said no and gave me dirty looks. Whatever. I leaned against the wall, and tried to think of where she could be.
Hmmm.....
Aha! The House Elves!
Of course! Its obvious! She would never tell Harry and I about plans to visit the little fellows, she knows we don't really care. Although at lunch I did try and reassure her, she still might have gone by herself. Good God, she could be trying to get them to boycott or rebel or something. As much as I loved Hermione's sense of justice, it could get her in trouble. Just as my mouth got me in trouble.
Dobby greeted me with frantic happiness and helpfulness, as he always did. As soon as I tickled that pear on the hallway painting, he ran up to me shouting "Harry Potter's friend! Harry Potter's friend!" with his arms full of breads and sweets, obviously for me. You know, I never quite understood Hermione's reasons for helping the Elves, they seem perfectly happy in the kitchen, cooking up every food imaginable. When Dobby asked if I was hungry, my stomach answered for me with an annoying growl. He (I think its a he) immediatly started running around the room, clamoring for food in every corner. As weak and hungry as I was, I ate up. Sorry, Hermione, if I'm gonna help you fight the House Elf Liberation, I gotta eat. While I stuffed my face, Dobby asked millions of questions, mostly about Harry. I got in a few of my own as well, including if Hermione had been there, for she clearly wasn't here now. Dobby said no, but said she was there earlier this week. He also said he doesn't understand what S.P.E.W. stands for either. I guess Hermione really does need help with these guys.
I returned to the Gryffindor Common Room, my pockets filled with sweets and tasty bread. I decided that Hermione didn't want to be found, and I was out of luck. I was sure she was fine, she could perform spells better then Harry and I combined. Besides, I had to get ready for our meeting at midnight in the Astronomy Tower. Hermione still had my robe, and I needed to change. I had no idea what she wanted with me at the Astronomy Tower, but I figured I should look nice.
The boys' dorm was empty, everyone was still at dinner or the library. I made my way over to my bed, and layed down. My feet passed way over the edge of the bed, hanging off. That got very annoying at night, when you were trying to sleep. I looked over at my clock. It was already eight o'clock. I stood up and stretched a bit, feeling very tired from all the excitement from Hogsmeade. It all seemed like a dream, that I punched Malfoy, that I held Hermione in my arms for one tender moment, that I admitted my true feelings to myself. It felt good, to be honest with yourself.
I reached down and opened my ratty old trunk. The hinges were falling off, and the color was faded. I reached in and sorted through my things, trying to find my cleanest robe. I came up with a rather nice one, its color was more a washed gray than it was dirty. It was a little short in the arms, but at least it didn't smell like rat poop. I reached into my pants pocket, and pulled out another brillant blue daisy. I'd picked it on my way back to Hogwarts. I figured I'd give it to her tonight, to replace the one Pansy murdered. I also took out my S.P.E.W. button, and attached it to my robe. It had a little button on it that made it light-up, it was a little cheesy, but still cute. I combed my hair, even though it was long, and wouldn't stay in one place. I took a glance in the huge oak mirror that lined the wall. I noticed since last term my freckles had grown darker, making me look like I had a tan. I remember one time, in fifth year, Hermione had noticed this and said it made me look older. I guess thats a good thing. I made one last attempt at swiping a few red hairs from in front of my eyes, but the mirror cooed, "It'll do no good! Cut your hair!"
I sat at the end of the large red couch in the common room. By now, many students had returned. Everyone seemed to have something to do, someone to talk to or somewhere to go. A few younger boys offered to play me at chess, but I kindly said no, not wanting to crush their ego's or anything, knowing I'd beat them. Harry had retired early to bed, leaving me with no one to talk to.
It was now ten o'clock, everyone was up at bed, fast asleep. I had accidentially dozed off, and cursed myself for not staying awake to see if Hermione had ever came up. Someone had put a blanket on me, I figured it was McGonagall, she always seemed to be stalking us around here. I had been reading a Quidditch magazine, hoping to pass the time, and to look like I was doing something. There wasn't a single student left in the common room, and I felt very alone. Not that the feeling was anything new. Harry and Hermione were the only ones I was *real* friends with, anyway. I took a peek out the window, and realized it was raining. I liked rain, it was soothing. The noise of it on the roof made a nice sound for the ears to hear. I knew Harry wouldn't be happy, rain meant the match for tommorow morning's Quidditch game would be cancelled. It would have been a good match too, Gryffindor against Ravenclaw. It would be interesting, seeing Harry and Cho compete. Harry being Harry, would probably let her get the snitch. Then again, if it was I against Hermione, me being me, I'd let her win too.
I returned to my room, and very quietly walked over to Harry's trunk. If I was ever going to get to the Astronomy Tower, I would need the Invisibility Cloak. I knew Harry wouldn't mind. The boys were fast asleep, oblivious to my rummaging through Harry's stuff. I noticed a bunch of stuff in Harry's trunk, stuff I never knew he had. And I hope I never have to see that *stuff* again. I grabbed the cloak, and made a mental note to never, ever go in Harry's trunk again. I'll just be keeping my hands to myself.
The Astronomy Tower had more stairs than anywhere in Hogwarts. It was a bugger, climbing these stairs everyday for Divination. If I didn't know Hermione as well as I did, I wouldn't know where exactly to find her in the tower. There were five separate rooms, three of them were classrooms, the other two rooms contained telescopes and equipment. To the blind eye, most people never notice the sixth room, the secret room. Hermione had been the one to find it, back in fifth year. Harry and I had just finished with Divination, and planned to meet Hermione at the library. When we had just started going back down the stairs, she jumped out in front of us, from the middle of nowhere! Its one of the more fonder memories of Hermione I have. Us, scared out of our minds, and her laughing. It turned out there's a door made out of stone, the same kind as the wall, that opens up into a dark, moody room. Its very hard to find, unless you're looking for it. We three had made a point of visiting it at night, whenever we couldn't sleep. We'd never seen anyone else near it, and we kinda turned it into an unofficial hideout. Hermione had a collection of books under the floorboards, me with sweets hidden in the old candle holder hanging from the celing (I was the only one who could reach it, so I got dibbs.) Harry didn't hang out there as much as us, so he didn't leave anything there for the dust to collect.
I finally reached the door, and removed the cloak. Even though I'm sure it was cold outside, the candles lining the wall provided enough warmth. I moved my hands up along the wall, trying to find the small ridge that stuck out. I finally found it, and pulled sideways on it. The door slowly creaked open, and a small amount of light seeped from the room into the dim hallway I was standing in. Hermione always lit candles in the room at night, so it wouldn't be so creepy. The door was very heavy, so I only opened it enough for me to slip inside. I carefully shut the door behind me, wary not to make noise... just in case any Professors were around.
When I turned around, I faced the openess of our secret place. I hadn't been here since last year, and the dust had collected everywhere since then. There were a few candles lit around the room, and the chair in the corner looked like it had finally given away from age. I hung Harry's cloak on the hook we had placed on the wall. I walked further into the room, and it was then that I saw her.
She was standing at the window, looking out at the sky. She was still dressed in my robe, but she had placed a dark green shawl over it, probably to keep her warm. Her hair was pulled back into a bun, much like it had been at the Yule Ball. Her hands were resting on the window sill, but I could see she had mittens on. The ever cautious Hermione, always aware of her health.
To me, in that moment, she was the vision of beauty. She was truly beauty shining through the darkness.
I could feel a lump form in my throat as I approached her, my palms getting sweaty. I figured she knew it was me, otherwise she would have turned around by now. I stepped beside her, and glanced down at her from the corner of my eye. She was even more beautiful up close. The rain now pounded harder on the roof, and you could feel its mist through the open window. The stars were bright, brighter then on other nights. We stayed like that for a few minutes, watching the sky mingle with the rain. She hadn't moved since I'd gotten there. The only noise I could hear, besides the rain, was the pounding of my heart. I wondered if she could hear it too.
Finally, she shifted her feet and seemed to take in a deep breath, and then sigh loudly.
"Ron..." She said, breaking the silence.
Her voice sounded uneasy in the darkness, almost hard to hear. I swallowed hard, I didn't know what she would say, do, or anything. It was almost scary.
"Yes?" I said softly. I leaned against the window sill, so I could be at eye level with her... although she wouldn't look at me.
She once again seemed to shift her weight from foot to foot, like she was nervous. I knew if she bit her lip, that would be a true sign that something was on her mind. And she did.
"Can I ask you something?" She blurted out.
I looked at her like she was crazy.
"Of course you can!" I said, just happy to break the tension.
Still not looking me in the eye, she said:
"Are you jealous?"
For a split second, I didn't understand. But then it dawned on me, and I knew what she was talking about. The Note! Just twelve hours ago, we had been passing notes in McGonagall's class. It was just twelve hours ago that McGonagall had taken it away... and given it back. It had never occured to me that she would ever be thinking about what my answer had been ever again. Why did she care?
I suddenly had an idea.
"Am I jealous?" I said softly, almost smiling at the irony. I walked and stood behind her, I leaned down and whispered close to her ear, "What do you think?"
She turned around and looked up at me. Suddenly my daring attitude to get close to her mellowed down, and I took a step back. I was in her space, close to her, and it was driving me crazy.
"I..I don't know..." She said, looking down at her feet.
I knew my ears and cheeks were red now. All these embaressing questions were making me nervous. I sighed, and moved closer to her. She looked up at me again, probably wondering what was up with me and my new coy attitude.
"Reach into my robe pocket..." I said softly.
I almost fell down when she reached for the robe on me, her hand coming awful close to a certain body part of mine.
"No, no, my r-robe, your wearing it! L-Left pocket, 'Mione!"
It was her turn to blush, in her very cute manner.
She reached into the pocket, and fished out a crumpled piece of parchment. She looked at me and then to the parchment, with those lovely questioning eyes.
"Open it." I whispered.
She did, and I noticed her hands were shaking. Maybe she was cold? Nah, that couldn't be it. She opened it, and stared at it for the longest minute of my life. She didn't blink, didn't breath, and didn't say a word.
"Why are you jealous, Ron?" She finally spoke.
I looked confused, I'm sure. I knew admiting what I felt and why could be dangerous. If she knew I was jealous of her boyfriend, she'd never speak to me again. But, as I'd promised myself earlier, all is fair in love and war. Krum's a million miles away, and this would just be between us. Between friends. She has a right to know how I feel. Besides, by not letting her know, I'm breaking my own heart.
"You," I said, scratching my head as if she should know, as if it was an easy answer. "You, ah, you always get letters, once a week, you know, from that black... ugly.. owl. Doesn't it belong to Krum? Aren't the letters from Krum?" I said quickly.
"Well, yes," She said matter-of-factly.
Ugh, she just knows how to break my heart.
I sighed and walked over to the window again. I stared at the wall. Suddenly, all the rush of today's events came at me. But wost of all, it was my broken heart that hurt. If I had been alone, I might have even cried... but I wouldn't, not in front of Hermione. I hit the wall in a frustrated matter with my fist, I knew it wasn't the smartest thing to do. But I was hurt. How else was I supposed to act?
"Ron!" I felt her hand on my shoulder, and it wasn't until then I realized I was shaking. I pushed her arm away, not wanting to feel her soft touch.
"Ron!" She tried again, "Ron, you don't know the whole story!"
That got my attention. I turned around and faced her once again. I could feel my heart pounding in my ears, my mind racing to find out what she meant. She sighed and moved closer to me. I realized I had nowhere to go, I was pretty much against the wall. She wasn't touching me, but we were close enough to feel eachother's warm breath.
"Why do you," I said, my voice shaking, "Why do you blush when you read his letters? Don't tell me I don't know the story! I know whats going on!" I yelled.
I think I scared her, because she backed away from me very quickly.
Then, a very strange thing happened. A huge smile formed on her face, and before I knew it, she burst out laughing. This of course, caused me to feel very, very strange. Or maybe it was because my face had turned a bright red.
"Ronald Weasley!" She said in a very bossy tone, "The only reason I've ever blushed in my entire life is because of you! Don't you ever stop to think that maybe I see you looking at me when I'm reading those letters, and its because of you that I... well, that I blush like crazy!"
She blushed because of me?
I looked at her, and tried to think of the right things to say, and the right things to think.
"So... so... you aren't blushing because of Krum's romantic sayings or something?" I asked, shuffleing my feet on the floor.
She rolled her eyes, and looked like she was about to laugh. "He can barely say my name, what makes you think he can write poetry too?"
"I..I...uh..." I was dumbfouned. Everything she had said was... wonderful. But it didn't change the facts though. She was still with him.
Hermione turned around, and untied her hair from a bun, making it fall all over her shoulders. She then threw her hands up in the air in an exasperated way.
"Men are all the same," she said, shaking her head. "You jump to the worst possible conclusion!"
"Huh?" I said.
"What in the world makes you think I'm even dating Viktor? Have you ever stoopped and thought that maybe he's pursueing me, and I'm not responding? Maybe all these letters he sends me just end up on the bottom of my trash can, Ronald! And maybe, just maybe I blush when you look at me because you're just so damn cute! That maybe I like YOU, and not Viktor! I'm telling you, men are all the same!"
I just looked at her. All the pain of my heart started to melt, and a huge grin formed on my face.
I understood everything now.
I was so happy, it felt like all the weight in the world had been lifted off my shoulders. I couldn't even process all of what she just said, all I really heard and put together was the fact that her and Krum had never, and will never happen. At least, not as long as I'm around. I just wanted.. I just wanted...
I just wanted to kiss her.
She had this look on her face as I approached her, this sassy and beautiful look. She also looked very surprised, probably confused I was suddenly moving towards her with this look, which I think, was a look of desire on my face. I stood as close as possible in front of her, and moved my face down to hers. I could see that she was blushing, but I was surprised to feel that I wasn't. I knew if I didn't do this right now, I might never get the chance.
Now or never.
Now or never.
Now or never.
Now.
It was very quick, but almost what I expected. The first thing I noticed was that her lips were very soft. She was also wearing some sort of banana flavored lip gloss. At first, right before our lips connected, I wasn't sure where to put my lips. Should I cover her top or bottom lip? In the end, I choose her upper lip, not that it was very important anyway. The best part was when she slid her hands up my chest, and pulled me in closer to her. I had to lean down a lot to kiss her, but it was worth every second. Kissing Hermione was everything I expected. After a few seconds, we pulled away at the same time. I mostly pulled away because I forgot to breathe. She rested her head against my chest, and I put my hands in her hair, stroking it softly. For the first time in my life, I felt comfortable with her. I could show her affection, and it just felt right. Best of all, I wasn't blushing. Neither of us spoke, we just stood there in the moment, in complete bliss. The time started to pass, I'm sure it had been at least ten minutes, when she moved away from me and looked up into my eyes.
I had just kissed the woman I loved, and I didn't know what to say. I couldn't tell her I loved her, it was too soon for that. Someday I would tell her, just not now.
"You know what, Ron?" She said softly, breaking the nervous silence.
"What?" I noticed my voice was lower then usual.
"I've always wanted you to do that."
And you know what else?
Sometimes, against all odds, the red haired, tall side kick does in fact, get the girl.
And in our case, she stays with me the rest of our lives.
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Well, I hope you guys liked it! I'd love to know what you all thought of the ending in your reviews! Once again, thanks for reading! And you never know, I *might* come back with a rewrite of this story, but from Hermione's POV. Either that, or I'll just leave it as is. :)
-Kali ~o~