~Chapter One~

Hermione put down her book for the hundredth time that night and checked her watch again. 23:50 P.M. It was almost midnight and Ron would be expecting her soon.

Hermione rubbed the tired tears out of her eyes. Ron had insisted that they both sleep before their nightly meeting in the prefects' bathroom, but she was too petrified to accidentally sleep past midnight and miss their meeting. It had taken a long time to get Ron admit his feelings for her, and she wasn't going to ruin it by making him feel as if she was rejecting him.

Yes. She knew it was wrong. Ron was dating Lavender; that nasty hag of a girl. Hermione had been so jealous and upset. So she eventually cornered Ron and told him how he felt, and, flustered, Ron told her the truth. He was using Lavender to get Hermione's attention. And so the affair began.

Hermione rolled out of bed and quietly let her sock-clad feet touch the floor. She turned slowly to make sure her roommates were still asleep. Then she scratched her fluffy chestnut hair and stood up.

As she tiptoed to the bathroom, she wondered what would happen if Lavender woke up and followed Hermione. How disastrous it would be. She imagined the embarrassment; girls in her year would call her horrid names like a tramp or a whore, and Hermione would never be able to live with it.

A glance to make sure everyone was asleep reassured Hermione enough to let her shut the bathroom door and examine her sleep face in the mirror. Her white tank top strap had slipped over her shoulder and she considered fixing it, but decided that it would add to the "sleepy" affect she was going for.

Hermione splashed some cold water on her face and brushed the dirt out of her hair. She rubbed some baby powder on her arms and legs for softness, and then rubbed some cream on her face. It wasn't hers, it belonged to one of the other girls, but she was sure they wouldn't notice.

Hermione pulled at her nose and her lips, as if that would make them less plain and more appealing. She used one of the other girls' eyelash lengthener and then gave herself another once over. It was the best she could do. Sighing, Hermione put on some slippers, tucked her wand into the side of her plaid pajama shorts, and exited the girls' dormitories.

Ron rolled over in his bed and his eyes flipped open. The digital clock on the bedside table read 23:55.

Thank God. He thought. If he had woken just five minutes later he would've been late. He would've hurt Hermione more than he already had this year. He rolled out of bed loudly and headed to the bathroom. He knew he should've been quieter, but he knew that no one could hear him over Neville's snoring.

He finally reached the bathroom. In the mirror he saw his orange hair messy and sticking up. His eyelashes were heavy with sleepy dust. Drool dripped from one side of his mouth. His T-shirt had some drool on it as well. He got a tissue and began wiping his shirt, but when that only left dust all over him he decided to ditch the shirt all together. He threw it on the toilet, and examined his bare chest in the mirror. Will she think I'm chubby? Ron worried. Not wanting to deal with it if she did, he pulled his muscle shirt out from inside the tee he threw off and put it on.

Better, he thought. Ron washed his face with cold water and slicked his hair to the side with a part so that it would stay down. His pinstriped pants look too weird, so he pulled them off. He looked at himself. He was wearing a muscle shirt and boxers. His feet were bare.

He wondered what Lavender would think if she saw him. She'd probably think he was trying to sneak out to see her. He chuckled at the mere thought. As if.

Ron realized he was running out of time and hurried down the stairs to the common room. Hermione wasn't there. She'd probably left already. He shoved through the portrait hole quickly, ignoring the Fat Lady's screeching of protest as he did.

Hermione used her wand to turn every faucet in the prefects' bathroom so that the tub would fill quickly. Inhaling the scent of the sweet bubbly water, she dangled her feet over the edge. She leaned back onto the floor and stared at the high ceiling. As Hermione gazed at the beautiful sleeping mermaid, she wondered if she had chosen a less distracting meeting place. The seductive sighs of the blonde mermaid would certainly catch Ron's attention. He was only a boy, after all.

She checked her watch. 24:00. It was exactly midnight. She could see the moon high in the sky through the long bathroom windows. Moonlight flooded into the room and covered every surface with a dreamlike white glow. It was perfect. If only Ron was actually here. She sighed. Maybe this whole meeting-in-secret thing was a bad idea. But she threw away the thought as quickly as it had come.

Suddenly she heard loud footsteps outside in the hallways. Jumping quickly to her feet Hermione turned off the loud faucets and hid in a stall. She silently scolded herself for not performing a silencing charm before pouring the water. Hermione's breaths and heartbeat suddenly intensified in sound and she could no longer here anything in the hallway. She just had to wait and pray she wouldn't get caught.

After what felt like a lifetime, the door creaked open. Heavy footsteps fell on the floor. Hermione breathed out. It was Ron. She pushed open the door and peaked at him.

Ron was standing at the edge of the tub, obviously confused as to why it was half-full with pink bubbly water and there was no sign of his mistress.

Hermione tiptoed out of the stall and then paused, making sure Ron didn't hear her. Then she tiptoed again until she was right behind him. Briefly she examined him. He looked cute, with his baggy boxers and loose muscle shirt. His hair looked a little wet, though. She wondered if Ron sweated while he slept.

Hermione lifted her hand and slid her fingers in front of Ron's eyes. She felt him tense up, and then loosen when he realized it was just her.

"Guess who?" Hermione whispered, giggling. She sighed when Ron's large hands held her own and then he turned around and looked at her.

Looking at each was blatantly acknowledging that they had feelings for each other. It made Hermione blush violently. Ron gave a little half-smile when he saw the blood rush to Hermione's cheeks. His hands let go of hers and Hermione held her breath when he cupped her face gently.

This was what they'd been waiting for all day. As they shamelessly argued, this was all they were really thinking about. Hermione closed her eyes and let her hands fall to her sides as Ron's lips touched hers. She sank into their embrace and let her body be taken over by this sweet surrender.