Written for Gamma Orionis' Inspiration-by-Shakespeare Challenge (Much Ado About Nothing - Write about someone setting someone else up)

Slow

"But you guys snogged each other senseless in the middle of a war!"

"It was just one kiss," Hermione corrected, busying herself with the dishes in Grimmauld Place's kitchen. After the war, Harry had been quick to move into the house he now owned. He needed the space, he told them, but never objected to when Ginny, Hermione or Ron came to visit. Hermione and Ginny often stayed there even when Harry or Ron were doing something else.

"A kiss that you'd been waiting for, for years," Ginny argued, snatching a bowl more forcefully than she intended from Hermione and putting it away. "Come on, why haven't you made another move yet? It's almost been a month?"

"Why hasn't he?"

Ginny opened her mouth to respond, but then closed it rather quickly again when she realised what Hermione had just said. "You're waiting for him?" she asked, sounding genuinely surprised.

Hermione didn't say anything, but continued to wash up using her wand. She tried to ignore Ginny's jaw almost on the floor as she gaped at what she had just said. Personally, she didn't see it as much of an issue, and quite frankly none of Ginny's business. It wasn't like she and Harry were exactly together, either.

"Hermione… you know that's not going to happen," she said after a few moments, her tone changing to something Hermione couldn't quite pin point.

Tempted not to prompt her friend to elaborate, it took Hermione a few moments to ask, "Why do you think that?" She felt a lump form in her throat. Was Ginny just implying what she had feared for the past four and a bit weeks?

"Because it's Ron," Ginny said simply. "He's not going to say anything because he probably thinks the reason you're not saying anything is due to the fact that you're no longer interested." When Hermione refused to look at her, realisation dawned on her. "You thought that, too." It was suddenly making a lot of sense as to why – according to Harry – the two had been virtually inseparable throughout the battle, but had barely spoken a word to each other since. She had thought they would finally get their act together, but apparently not.

"For the love of Merlin," Ginny continued, throwing her hands up in the air. "You two are as hopeless as each other, you're perfect for each other." She moved to the other side of Hermione so she would be forced to look at her. "You both thought the other had lost interest so neither of you said anything. Is that it?"

"I can't speak for him," Hermione said solemnly, not really answering the question.

Ginny's expression softened somewhat. "You guys deserve to be happy," she said, calmly. "We all should have some kind of happiness in our lives considering… considering what's happened. I want to see you guys happy."

Finishing off the last bowl and placing it on a rack to dry, Hermione finally turned her full attention to Ginny. She smiled. "I appreciate your concern," she said, "But it's between us, and we'll deal with it how we want. Yes, I'd like something to happen, but it's not as easy as it sounds. A lot has happened, Ginny, and being happy is not always a choice. Maybe we'll work it out eventually… I don't know… but he has to do something about it, too."

Ginny wanted to throw her hands up in defeat – they're hopeless – but stopped herself as Hermione left the room. She had an idea, but she needed Harry to help her. She knew he wanted his best friends to be together, too, but they were both too damn stubborn for their own good to make it happen by themselves. It wasn't like her to intervene, but she felt that if she didn't, it would end with both of them not speaking to each other again, and she didn't want that.

…

"Are you sure this'll work?" Harry wanted to know, looking uncertainly at everything they'd set up in the living room of Grimmauld Place.

"I don't know," Ginny admitted, "but we have to try, right?"

"Ginny Weasley, the Matchmaker." Harry smiled slightly, which she knew would have once been a grin. It was hard to smile these days, though. It felt wrong.

"Someone should be happy, right?" she said, picking up a rose and placing it on the coffee table.

"We should all be happy," Harry corrected. "Though, we're not."

"No," Ginny agreed sadly. "No, we're not." She stepped back to stand beside Harry, admiring her handy work. Ron and Hermione thought they were coming over for dinner as a friendly get together with Ginny and Harry. What they didn't know was that Ginny and Harry weren't even going to be there. They had other plans in London and weren't going to get home until way after midnight. It was the perfect plan… Ginny hoped it was anyway.

"Should we leave?" Harry asked after a moment, studying the decorated living room. "Before they kill us?"

Ginny bristled at the one word, but nodded. "Let's go," she said. "I've never been to see a Muggle play before. What are they like?"

…

"Hello?"

"Ginny? Harry?"

"You here?"

Ron and Hermione walked through the empty hall of Grimmauld Place and into the empty kitchen. They had thought it a bit strange when there hadn't appeared to be any lights on, but had let themselves in anyway.

Ron glanced miserably up the stairs. "They better not be up there… doing anything while we're here," he said. "I mean, she's still my sister and –" He seemed to realise who was talking to then, and stopped. That topic was quite uncomfortable to discuss with the girl he fancied.

"Maybe they're in the living room?" Hermione suggested, moving back down the hall to where she spotted a shimmer of light. Upon entering, though, she gasped. "Oh, it's… it's beautiful," she breathed.

Ron joined her a moment later, looking bewildered as he took in the room. Some candles – enchanted to float in mid air – hung three feet above them. The room was covered in roses and rose petals, and what appeared to be a fully cooked meal.

"Bit fancy for Harry, isn't it?" Ron commented.

Hermione, however, understood what she was seeing, and groaned. "I shouldn't have said anything to Ginny," she said.

"What?"

Hermione shook her head, turning to face Ron with a conflicted expression. She had to tell him now, she supposed, but she really, really didn't want to.

Realisation then suddenly dawned on Ron, and even in the candlelit room, he had obviously turned quite a deep shade of red. "They're not coming, are they?" he said.

Hermione forced a smile. "Ginny thinks we should get our acts together and start talking to each other again," she told him.

"What do you mean?" Ron demanded. "We talk to each other all the time. You're living in my house, for Merlin's sake!"

"No, I mean… I mean us, Ron."

"Oh."

Suddenly, the room was very silent – neither knew what to say to the other. Ron suddenly became very interested in the room, while Hermione was determined not to look away from him.

It was her who made the first sound. "Ron –"

"I suppose I'll go, then," Ron interrupted, sounding down. "Whatever Mum's cooked will be fine."

From instinct, Hermione grabbed Ron's hand as he turned to leave. "Ron, please don't go," she said. "Ginny has a point."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, we haven't really spoken about what happened and it's been a month. We've both purposely avoided it, and… I don't know why. I think we were both waiting for the other to say something. That's what Ginny thinks, anyway, and I think she might be right. I've been waiting for you to bring it up again, but you didn't and –" She paused, catching her breath, "And I thought that after everything that's happened… maybe you'd changed your mind."

"What? Changed my mind?" Ron looked at her, bewildered. "I thought that you… that you had changed your mind."

There was another moment of silence, and then Hermione smiled up at him. "I suppose Ginny's right," she laughed. "We are hopeless."

Ron nodded, not saying anything. His mouth opened a few times, but no words came out.

"Should we not disappoint her?" Hermione pointed to the room – it looked like she'd gone to a lot of trouble to set it up.

Again, Ron was lost for words.

"Come on, I'm sure her cooking isn't so bad." Hermione took his hand, leading him into the room. She was just about to kneel by the coffee table, where apparently. They were going to eat from, when Ron stopped, letting go of her hand. "What is it?" she asked, turning to face him.

Ron shook his head.

"If you don't want to, I understand," Hermione said, trying to hide her disappointment. If she was being honest with herself, she liked the idea of a supposed date with Ron. She'd thought about it often over the last month.

"No, it's not that," Ron said, "It's just… it's weird, isn't it? Us being here?"

"Do you think?"

"Well… I don't know. I just never thought this would happen, to be honest." Despite himself, a small smile formed on his lips at the thought. "But I'm not saying that's a bad thing," he added quickly.

Returning his smile, Hermione picked up his hand again, squeezing it. "I don't think it's a bad thing, either," she agreed. "Come on, let's not let all of Ginny's effort go to waste. It looks like she's gone to a lot of effort."

"Too much," Ron observed. "I didn't realise she cared so much."

"I think she was just sick of us, to be honest," Hermione explained. "It looks lovely, though."

"Wait until you taste the food."

Hermione laughed, and it felt nice to laugh. They hadn't laughed in a very long time.

…

"What is it, Ron?"

Hermione had watched and waited for two minutes now for him to say something. He had opened his mouth multiple times, but had quickly closed it again. It was starting to pique her curiosity.

Startled that she'd picked up on his fumbling, he cleared his throat, face going red. "I just wanted to tell you… well I thought you looked nice tonight." He had now gone almost purple, and Hermione even turned faintly pink at the comment. No one had ever told her that before… not with the sincerity Ron had, at least.

"Oh, thank you," she said.

Ron fidgeted, as if he wanted to say more.

"Ron?"

"Nothing."

"Ron… what is it?"

"Nothing," Ron said again, shaking his head. "Nothing."

After knowing him for so long, though, Hermione didn't need to hear the words to know what he wanted to ask… or do. Taking the initiative herself, she moved to the other side of the table to where he was, sliding up close to him.

"Please don't be nervous," she said, taking his hands in hers. It felt weird, she knew, but that was because they had spent so long as friends (or denying their feelings). It would take some time to get used to the idea of a romantic relationship, but she was willing to be patient; she cared about him enough for that.

"I'm not nervous," Ron replied, though he bristled at her closeness, almost wanting to shy away. He'd thought about this moment often, but had convinced himself that last kiss had been a one off when they'd thought they were going to die. "I'm just surprised."

Ignoring his comment – an insistence that he somehow didn't deserve her affection – she pressed her lips against his, catching him off guard. But he kissed her back, and this time with even more enthusiasm than before.

They were alone this time; there was no war to stop them, no Harry, no anyone. It was just them, and in that moment they realised they liked that. It felt right.

Hermione broke away from the kiss, her hands still entangled with his. She hadn't realised she'd been holding onto him so tightly, as if she thought he might run for it. But he wouldn't; he wanted this as much as she did.

"Let's just take it slowly," she said after a moment. "There's no rush for anything."

Ron nodded, breathless. He knew better than to ruin it by rushing things. He didn't want to; he wanted this to work out, and suddenly – as the same thought came to Hermione's head – he could see himself with her.

Forever.

I've been in quite a Romione mood these past weeks after going through a phase where I just didn't want to think about it because I had no plot bunnies. But now all I want to write is Romione, so here is some more. A big thank you to Liza for beta-ing it for me :)

I hope you liked this, and your reviews would mean a lot.