A/N: Dunno why. The idea came to me and I said, 'maybe. I'll think about it'. Then I was having a conversation with Rodica about friends taking a leap between being best friends to being more than that. And then I was talking to Michelle ("FUCK YOU: YOU OWE ME A HAND!!" Michelle (herein known as Shelly), not "Like my boat? Choo choo!" Michelle (herein known as Michelle Cee)) about the same thing and decided that this story would be written. Takes place after Deathly Hallows. So enjoy and let me know if it was worth it.

Taking the Leap

It was late November when they talked about it. To be honest, she hadn't intended to talk to him about it at all. But when Harry knocked on the bedroom door at eleven fifty-three on the twentieth (yes, she remembered the date), Hermione Granger's life was about to change.

'Evening, Hermione,' Harry whispered. 'Mind if I come in?'

'It's not up to me, Harry.'

'Let him in, Hermione!'

Hermione grinned as she stepped to the side to let Harry in. Harry cleared his throat.

'Erm, I actually need to talk to Ginny. Alone,' he explained apologetically.

Hermione blinked.

'Oh, right. Of course. Sorry,' she said, grabbing her wand and her housecoat and stepping into her slippers.

Harry grabbed her hand as she passed him.

'He's awake and looking forward to talking to you,' he said gently.

Hermione bit her bottom lip.

'He … he wants to talk?'

'Yeah. And … well, I plan on staying here all night,' said Harry.

Hermione nodded.

'Right,' she whispered. 'OK. 'Night, Harry.'

Harry kissed her forehead.

''Night, sis,' he said, winking.

'Hey, Gin,' was the last Hermione heard as she closed the door behind her. Sighing, Hermione climbed the stairs, forgetting all about the squeaky fourth stair from the top until she had stepped on it. Whispering curses to herself for forgetting the stair, she stayed where she was for a split second before continuing her climb.

'Ron?' she asked quietly, opening his door a crack.

'That you, Hermione?'

'Yeah.'

'Come in, quick, before Mum wakes up.'

Hermione opened the door (this time remembering that his hinges squeaked) and slipped in, closing the door behind her. Ron was sitting on his bed, his pillow behind his back, a book in his lap and a quill in his hand. Hermione also noticed that Ron wore no shirt. He flashed her a grin that could melt her insides.

'Evening,' he greeted.

'Morning,' said Hermione, pointing to his clock: twelve-oh-three.

Ron snickered.

'Always have to be right, eh?'

Hermione laughed quietly as she padded over to Harry's cot. She shed her housecoat and kicked off her slippers before sliding into the cot and closing her eyes.

'Bed already?'

Hermione twisted her head to look at him.

'I'm tired,' she said.

'No; you're avoiding me,' said Ron.

Hermione sighed.

'What gives you that idea, Ron?' she asked, turning to face him.

'The fact that I know Harry told you that I wanted to talk because I asked him to tell you that I wanted to talk. Also, you came in, hardly say a full sentence to me and then head to bed. You're avoiding me, Hermione. Why?'

Hermione sighed again.

'I'm not avoiding you. I'm just tired. Can't we talk after breakfast? Or after lunch?'

Ron sighed.

'Fine. Sleep well,' he grumbled.

Hermione rolled back to the wall and closed her eyes.

She was shivering like mad, and judging by the red that she could see behind her eyelids, Ron was still awake. She opened her eyes.

'Ron, do you have an extra blanket?' she managed to stutter out.

'Erm …'

Hermione heard shuffling and Ron grunted.

'No, I don't. I'm sorry.'

Hermione nodded.

'It's OK.'

'Are you cold?'

'Frozen,' she replied, rolling to face him. 'What time is it? Why are you still up?'

'It's almost two in the morning. And I'm just … writing nonsense. Why are you so cold? The window's closed and you have three blankets.'

'I think it's a phase; I can't stand cold weather. My body chills instantly,' she whispered.

Ron closed the book and placed it on the side table with his quill before shifting on his bed.

'C'mere,' he said, lifting the blankets.

Hermione giggled slightly.

'Ron, you have one blanket. I doubt I'll be warm there if I'm not warm here,' she said.

Ron sighed.

'Just come over here, will you?' he said.

Hermione sighed and rolled off of the cot and walked over to Ron's bed, crawling in facing him. Ron dropped the blankets down over her and she gasped at how warm he was. Hermione snuggled closer to him, sighing.

'Gods, Ron. You're so warm,' she whispered, stretching out slightly and resting her head on his shoulder.

Ron slipped his right arm under her neck to support her head and curled his left arm around her to hold her close. His chin rested lightly on the top of her head and Hermione felt her eyes start to droop.

'Told you,' he teased.

Hermione mumbled something, but she couldn't begin to guess what it was. Ron hugged her closer and Hermione sighed happily, nuzzling at his warm chest.

'Why are you so warm?' she asked him sleepily.

'I'm a Weasley, Hermione. We're made with internal furnaces.'

Hermione giggled slightly and Ron brushed his lips against her forehead. Hermione's eyes snapped open and she looked at him.

'What … what are we doing?' she asked him.

Ron looked at her.

'Well, I'm warming you up. And you seem to be pretty appreciative about it.'

Hermione nodded.

'Right. I am. I think I might be able to sleep now,' she said.

Ron grinned at her.

'Good,' he said gently.

'Thank you,' she murmured.

Ron merely grinned again. They were silent for several minutes.

'Why did you kiss me in June? At Hogwarts? After we came back from the Chamber of Secrets,' he asked.

Hermione sighed and looked up at him.

'I don't know,' she whispered.

'You don't know? You don't know if you want to take our relationship a step further? Don't know if you fancy me?' he demanded.

Hermione groaned.

'I kissed you because I was scared that we wouldn't make it. And I'm still scared. But now it's of doing something I'll regret, Ron.'

'Something like what, Hermione?'

'Like … like taking the step that could destroy our friendship. I don't want to destroy our friendship, Ron. You mean everything to me and if I lost you because I wanted to take a step and it didn't work out, I would never forgive myself.'

Ron gaped at her.

'You're afraid that you'll lose me?'

'Ron, it's not easy going from being best friends to being … something more than that.'

'Lovers, you mean?'

'Well, yes, I suppose that's the term for it,' she said. 'Ron, you mean too much to me to lose.'

'Well, you know what, Hermione? I kissed you back. Remember? I obviously feel something for you, or I would have just … pushed you away!'

'I fancy you, Ron. I do, but -'

'I don't fancy you, Hermione,' Ron said sharply.

Hermione blinked at him.

'Then why -?'

Ron laughed humourlessly.

'Honestly, you can be so thick sometimes,' he growled.

Hermione frowned but before she could snap back at him, Ron was plundering her mouth with his, coaxing her tongue out to play and running his fingers through her hair. Hermione groaned but pushed him away.

'I can't, Ron,' she whispered. 'I don't want to make a leap that could result in losing you.'

'Hermione, I can promise you that if we make this leap from friends to lovers, I won't be able to go back,' Ron whispered. 'I don't fancy you, Hermione: I more than fancy you. So much it hurts. So much that I mean it when I say that I won't be able to turn back. I love you, Hermione, and I have for years. Before I could understand it, I loved you. I did. And I want to take that leap, Hermione. So badly. Don't make me wait any longer, love.'

Hermione choked out a sob and hugged him to her.

'I'm so afraid,' she whispered.

'I won't hurt you. If it doesn't work, I'll stay. I will. I promise. Hold me to it, love, but please: take this leap with me,' he breathed.

Hermione looked up at him.

'Say it,' she whispered. 'Say it, Ron.'

'I love you, Hermione. I won't leave you, even if it doesn't work,' he repeated. 'I won't hurt you. I would kill myself before hurting you.'

Hermione cupped his face in her hands.

'You promise you won't leave me?' she asked.

'I swear it,' Ron whispered, leaning his forehead against hers.

Hermione nodded.

'OK,' she whispered. 'All right. We'll do it.'

'We'll take the leap?'

'We'll take the leap,' Hermione confirmed.

Ron grinned and Hermione smiled at him before gently pressing her mouth to his. Ron rolled on top of her and kissed her fiercely, his tongue sweeping into her mouth.

'Hermione Granger, wake up this instant!'

Hermione grumbled and shifted slightly, batting her hand out blindly. A hand caught her wrist and she forced her eyes open. Molly Weasley stood at the side of the bed, Hermione's wrist in her grip. Hermione groaned as her eyes closed again and she buried her face in Ron's pillow.

'It's not what it looks like, Mrs Weasley,' she said, her voice muffled by the pillow.

Mrs Weasley dropped Hermione's wrist and Hermione turned her head slightly to look at her.

'Then what is it, exactly?'

Hermione reached behind her and grabbed for Ron; she never knew how to deal with Mrs Weasley unless someone was there to back her up.

'Ron. Ron, wake up! Ronald!' she grumbled, shaking Ron.

Ron grunted and his arms wrapped even tighter around Hermione's middle, pulling her back. Hermione squeaked slightly and nudged him in the ribs.

'Hermione? I'm waiting,' said Mrs Weasley.

'Harry came by last night and asked to speak to Ginny. So I headed up here and I went to Harry's cot. I fell asleep for about two hours but I really can't stand the cold no matter how many blankets I have on top of me, so Ron said I should come over here and so I did and he is so incredibly warm, Mrs Weasley, I was warmed up in an instant and I was so comfortable that I fell asleep. It's really not what it might seem to be,' she said quickly.

Ron groaned and stretched slightly. Hermione looked over her shoulder at him.

'Oh, so now you wake up,' she spat.

Ron opened his eyes slightly and grinned at her.

'Morning love,' he said, his voice low and crackly from lack of use.

Ron dropped a light kiss on Hermione's mouth and Hermione blushed.

'We … we also kind of talked a bit,' she said to Mrs Weasley, whose eyes had widened slightly.

'Apparently,' she replied icily.

Hermione chewed on her bottom lip slightly as Ron's eyes landed on his mother.

'Morning, Mum,' he said. 'Have you met my girlfriend?'

Hermione blushed furiously as she buried her face in Ron's pillow yet again.

'Ron, we're trying to fix the fact that it looks liked we had sex last night,' she whimpered.

Ron burst out laughing.

'Mum, you're joking, right? You think that the same night Hermione and I get together, she'd let me in her knickers?' he asked, still laughing.

Mrs Weasley's eyes narrowed.

'Watch your language, Ronald!' she snapped.

Hermione groaned.

'Ron -'

'I know, I know; fix it. Mum, seriously. We didn't. We kissed a little, that's it. All clothes that are currently on were on all night,' said Ron.

Hermione looked over at Mrs Weasley, nodding.

'You know me, Mrs Weasley,' she said. 'And you raised Ron.'

'I wouldn't do anything she's not ready for,' said Ron.

'And I'm not ready for that,' Hermione finished.

Mrs Weasley sighed.

'Brunch is ready,' she said. 'Should I let you two wake Harry and Ginny?'

Hermione sighed and nodded, making Mrs Weasley hang her head slightly.

'He loves her so much, Mrs Weasley,' Hermione said quietly. 'And she loves him just as much, if not more. And they're both legal now.'

Mrs Weasley sighed again.

'I'll see you two downstairs,' she said before leaving the room, closing the door behind her.

'You're brilliant,' Ron mumbled into her neck.

Hermione twisted her head to look at him and grinned.

'It's true though. He loves her so much and she loves him just as much and -'

Ron kissed her, making her moan lightly into his mouth.

'I love you,' he breathed, resting his forehead against hers.

Hermione smiled and nuzzled his nose with hers.

'I love you just as much,' she whispered, 'if not more.'

Fin