Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Not a single word. Not even the word 'snog' which I happen to find incredibly amusing.
"You have to admit…all phlegm aside, it really was a very nice wedding." Hermione leaned towards Ginny, with a smile. They sat side-by-side at the table farthest from the dance floor. The newlyweds swayed together in the middle of the dance floor, Fleur with her father and Bill holding his teary-eyed mother.
"The flowers were cool." Ginny admitted rather grudgingly. Despite her best efforts to the contrary, she still wasn't pleased her brother was, or rather had married Fleur. She played idly with her fork, tapping it gently against her plate. Hermione grinned, but only slightly. She tapped her foot.
"You know…I think Harry might be looking for one last dance." She told Ginny, gesturing with a flick of her head towards where Harry was standing with Ron in a corner, fiddling sullenly with the corner of the tablecloth.
"You'll be alright here on your own?" Ginny questioned knowingly. Hermione nodded, watching with a laugh at Ginny bouncing energetically up from the table and nearly skipping over to Harry. She grabbed his hand and dragged him onto the dance floor, though Hermione didn't miss the rare smile that finally lit Harry's face.
She knew that out of the four of them, Dumbledore's death had hit Harry the hardest. That was only to be expected though, what with all they'd been through together. It had Hermione happy to see Harry happy again, even if only until this next song ended.
She caught sight of Ron's suit making its way through the crowds towards her, his red head bobbing above it. She giggled a little as he tugged at his shirt cuff. She knew for a fact he'd kicked up a fuss the entire morning about having to get dressed up. In her own personal opinion, she thought he looked rather charming. Not that she would admit that to his face or anything. She had no more time to ponder this particular point, because he was standing right beside her chair now and had cleared his throat rather loudly, apparently trying to draw her attention.
"I know you're there Ron." She told him pointedly, shifting slightly to look up at him from her chair. He shrugged, shaking his red head, making a few long locks flip over his forehead.
"Let's go for a walk, ya?" He said it questioningly, but he was already walking away, leaving Hermione to hop awkwardly after him in the high heels she'd been hell-bent against wearing.
She stumbled into a flower arrangement, then finally caught up with him outside the tent set up for the wedding.
"S'go around back." He walked away again and Hermione was getting thoroughly annoyed. She hopped after him unsuccessfully, wedging her heel into the mud.
"Ron? Ron wait a minute, would you?" He turned around just as she began flailing her arms wildly in an attempt not to fall flat on her face. And he couldn't help it. He started to laugh. He thought he would get away with it too, because she wasn't glaring at him or yelling.
Then she finally managed to pull off both of her shoes, apparently opting to go barefoot. She glared up at him and stomped over, covering her bare feet in mud and waving her shoes in his face.
"It is not funny, Ronald Weasley!" She snarled warningly. He clamped his mouth shut, then opened it again.
"It was a little funny." He ducked, but not fast enough. Her shoes still grazed his shoulder. "Oi!" He shouted indignantly. She glared. He stared. "Let's just go round back, ya?"
And with that, he walked away, for a third time. Hermione stood there a minute, watching his back disappear around the house. She crossed her arms. He was being a total prat, why should she follow him?
She turned to go back to the wedding tent. A slow ballad was seeping through the yard and almost everyone was tangled up in someone else's arms, twirling slowly. Well, she couldn't bloody well go back and sit there alone could she? So, she followed Ron.
He was sitting in the grass, legs stretched lazily in front of him, twirling a blade through his fingers.
"Get lost?" he teased.
"You're going to ruin that suit." She told him, ignoring his jib.
"That's the plan." He grinned at her and patted the grass next to him. She looked at the ground, then down at her dress. It was a pretty dress, she'd always thought. Light blue in colour, it fell down to just below her knees and ruffled around the bottom when she walked. But…it was itchy and rather tight in the shoulders, so ruining it wouldn't be a terrible loss. She sat down beside Ron and copied his relaxed posture, crossing her legs over one another and stretching them out in the dewy grass in front of her.
It really was a moment to remember, she would ponder about it later. Sitting in the dewy grass in utter silence beside each other, watching the sky turn pink with the setting sun, the grass tickling the backs of their knees. Once Ron opened his mouth however, things took a slight turn.
"I wanted to get a few things straight before we head off with Harry." He was deadly serious. Hermione didn't have to ask where they were heading or what it was he wanted to know, she just nodded.
"D'you snog Krum?" It was abrupt and caught her completely off guard.
"Excuse me?" she sputtered.
"D'you snog 'im or not?"
"I really don't think that's any of your business. What does that have to do with us heading off with Harry anyway?"
"I want to know, k? Did you or not?" Ron snapped irritably.
"Did you 'snog' Lavender?" She shot back, crossing her arms.
"That's got nothing to do with this!" Ron retorted, crossing his arms.
"And neither does what I did or did not do with Viktor!"
"So you did!"
"Well, it's not like I had anyone else to snog." She snapped, not quite realizing exactly what she was saying until the words had already left her mouth. Ron glared.
"Who else would you have snogged? Cormac McLaggen?" Hermione sighed loudly.
"Would you stop going on about that? You were going out with Lavender, why shouldn't I have a little fun? It's not as though I was tied to anyone!" she was on the verge of tears now and hastily swiped at her eyes.
"You only asked him to that stupid party after I said no!" Ron snapped accusingly.
"You never had a chance to say no because I never even asked you! You thought it was stupid, remember?" she practically spit the words in his face.
"Well, if you had've just asked, I woulda said yes!" Ron blurted angrily. Hermione's head jerked back in shock.
"You would?" she cocked her head quizzically.
"Well, ya. What are friends for, right?" Ron appeared pleased with himself.
"Friends?" Hermione said angrily, "Friends? Ron, you are so thick in the head it's astounding!"
"What're ya angry with me for? I'm only trying to be honest." He blinked rapidly, caught off guard by her anger.
"Yes, and your blatant truth has made everything abundantly clear." She heaved herself off the grass and prepared to stock off. Her arm nearly jerked out of it's socket as Ron took hold of her wrist and stood.
"Let go, please."
"No."
"Ron, just let go."
"No." he repeated stubbornly.
"You're really beginning to test my patience Ronald."
"Look, I said I was trying to be honest alright? I never said I was succeeding." Despite herself, Hermione was curious. She jerked her wrist away roughly and pulled both her arms in towards her, crossing them in front of her chest. But she didn't stalk away.
"I may've lied 'bout a few things." He told her, fiddling nervously with his thumbs.
"Like what? Got a few more digs about Viktor and McLaggen for me, Won-Won?"
"You really aren't gonna make this easy are ya?" She didn't answer.
"I suppose I lied 'bout the reason I would've gone to that party." He mumbled the last part rather fast, so it took Hermione a few moments to decipher his words. She licked her lips and tapped her forefinger on her arm.
"Go on."
"I suppose…I would've gone cause I…I…I would've liked to go out with you, alright?" He appeared very, very interested in the grass beneath his feet and kicked at it almost sullenly.
"But, you know…you like really good Quidditch players…smart guys…brave guys…" He was about to go on, but her hand on his arm stopped him. He gulped and took a deep breath, finally gathering the courage to look up at her.
Her face was a lot closer to his and it startled him. Her amber eyes bore into his blue ones, seeking into their very depths. Her fingers lay warmly on his cool arm, and her breath cascaded along his cheeks. She bit her lip shyly and laughed lightly.
"You really are thick in the head, aren't you?" His eyebrows knitted low in confusion and his arms fell to his sides, brushing her fingers aside. She seemed to lose her bravado then and stepped back, flustered.
"I wasn't going to ask you to that party as a friend Ron…if I was going to ask a friend I would've just gone with Harry…I wanted to go with you." She reached out to him again. Her fingers made it halfway to his arm and stopped, falling back to her sides.
"You wanted to go with me…as more than mates?" Ron wanted to make sure he was getting it straight before he did something stupid.
"Is that not what I've just been saying?"
"Just wanted to get everything perfectly clear before I did this…"
"Did what?" Hermione asked before he had a chance to do anything.
"This…" he told her patiently, closing the gap between them. His lips were on hers before he even really knew what he was doing. In fact, he still didn't know what he was doing. But it felt good.
"Ow!" Hermione shrieked suddenly, leaping away. Ron blushed the deepest shade of crimson known to man.
"What? Did I-"
"It bit me!" she exclaimed before he could finish what he had been about to say. She pointed hastily to the ground, where a gnome was grinning maliciously and scurrying away across the grass. She looked up at Ron. "I can't believe it actually bit me."
"Vicious little things." He agreed, taking her hand in his. "You alright?" he peered down at her bare ankle.
"I am now." She gave his hand a little squeeze. "Though I really would like to bludger that evil little thing." Ron laughed, leading her back around the house, switching his arm from her hand to draped over her shoulder.
"Just for the record…" Hermione whispered in his ear later that night after they'd made another quick appearance at the reception and snuck away again to a more private spot, "you're a much better snog than stupid old Krum."