I Think I Love You

I think I love you

So what am I so afraid of?

I'm afraid that I'm not sure of

A love there is no cure for

I think I love you

Isn't that what life is made of?

Though it worries me to say

I've never felt this way

"Ron!" said Hermione angrily, shoving her papers, quill, and ink well into her bag with a crash. "It is absolutely none of your business." She tried to keep her voice matter-of-fact, but she knew her annoyance was showing.

"I just want to know what can be so interesting about Neville," Ron persisted, leaning back in his armchair and glaring at her in suspicion. "You went to Hogsmeade with him! You always go there with me. And Harry, too."

"Oh, I do?" Hermione snapped, her temper getting the better of her. "I seem to recall a few times over the years where the two of you weren't speaking to me, so I had to make do by myself."

Ron opened his mouth to retort, but then shut it again, looking upset.

Hermione sighed. Ron's not-so-veiled envy at any boy she might want to date was getting old. Flattering as it was, it was rather irritating to deal with on an almost daily basis. And why in Merlin's name couldn't the insensitive prat admit that he cared for her,

and that was why he blew up at her and/or threatened any males she got anywhere near? Why couldn't he just come out and say that he was jealous, instead of making up stupid excuses for being angry?

"Look, Ron," Hermione said, pushing her hair back from her face, and almost blushing when she saw him watch her movement. "There is, and never will be, anything going on between Neville and me. I was helping him find a book to help him in Defense Against the Dark Arts, so he might have a chance for a decent N.E.W.T. next year. He barely scraped an O.W.L., if you'll remember. There's nothing for you to worry about."

"Worried!" Ron yelped, his face turning red astonishingly fast. "Who said anything about me being worried? I was just mad you ditched me and Harry at Hogsmeade!"

Abruptly, Hermione saw red. This really was getting old. If he actually fancied her, which was a favorite theory of Parvati and Lavender, what was he waiting for? If he thought she was going to sit around and wait for him, while he stared at every shameless bimbo in Hogwarts, he really needed a reality check.

Without another word, Hermione stood up and marched toward her dormitory. She rolled her eyes as she heard Ron's upset complaints and scrambling sounds behind her. When she was about halfway up the spiral staircase, she heard a particularly loud protest, and turned. She could only see the top of his red head from where she stood.

"Hermione wait, I'm sorry," Ron barked, obviously attempting to be pacifying but failing rather miserably. "I need to tell you something."

At his last sentence, his voice dropped several decibels, and Hermione's heart immediately jumped to her throat. Was he going to tell her now? Finally, after three years or so of jokes, of speaking through glances, and both just knowing but being afraid to say it?

Stop it, you're being stupid, most likely he wants to tell you that Neville snores like a freight train, or something stupid like that, Hermione told herself frantically, trying to will away the butterflies in her stomach and the rejoicing in the well-hidden romantic part of her heart.

"Tell me, then," Hermione commanded, somehow managing to keep her voice calm and a bit disdainful.

"I can't now," came the exasperated answer. Hermione was willing to bet that there was someone around that Ron didn't want hearing whatever he wanted to say. The most obvious culprits being Parvati and Lavender, or maybe even Seamus and Dean. "You need to come back down here, I'll tell you then." Ron's voice had become imperious, and

Hermione would be damned if she would obey his stupid little command, especially if he used that tone with her. Even if she was going to hear something that she had wished for a long time.

"Well, I'm quite busy at the moment, Ron," Hermione said, as loftily as she could with her heart still pounding in her throat.

There was silence for a moment, and then Ron's voice floated up the stairs again.

"Please? It's important."

There was something in Ron's voice that Hermione had rarely heard before. He sounded... apologetic?

That's it, hell has frozen over, Hermione thought in amazement, Ron might apologize. There are no more surprises left in the world for me.

Reluctantly, but not really, Hermione turned and walked back down the stairs. She suppressed the feeling of delight when she saw Ron biting his lip, his face red as a beet.

"Well, what did you want to tell me?" Hermione asked, trying and failing to rid herself of the hope and uncertainty that was coursing through her body.

"Well, ah," Ron looked around the room, apparently for inspiration, and his eyes lighted on a small group of second year girls that were avidly watching the exchange. "Go away, this is private business! I'll give you detention!" he snapped at them. The small children jumped guiltily, and left the common room immediately.

"Ron, that was abuse of your prefect badge," Hermione said, but without rancor. She was suddenly feeling a bit faint. What if he wasn't going to say anything on the lines of what she had hoped for?

"Yeah, well," Ron took a deep breath, and looked determinedly at his toes. "I wanted us to be alone."

"So you could tell me...?" Hermione prompted. She knew that prodding Ron was a good way to put him on the defensive and shut him up, but she was impatient to hear what he had to say. This state of unknowing was making her thoroughly anxious.

"Okay, what I wanted to say was," Ron took another heaving breath and raised his eyes to talk to the wall behind her, which was obviously his target audience, "you know, the reason I get so mad when you hang out with guys, like with Krum at the Yule Ball, or

Neville, is because I..."

Hermione waited on tenterhooks for a few seconds, but apparently Ron was at a loss for words.

"Is because you...?" Hermione said, feeling just absolutely desperate to hear this. It sounded as if Parvati and Lavender had been right all along, that he fancied her and he was finally going to say so. If he could say anything at all, that is.

"Well, I... Er, that is," Ron took one deep breath, and spoke so quickly that she didn't hear a word of it.

"Er, sorry? I didn't catch that."

"I fancy you, Hermione," Ron said in a slightly slower tone. "I have for ages. I've wanted to ask you out since about third year, but I didn't know how to ask you and I was afraid you'd say no. I know that now isn't the best time, since you're probably still mad at me, but if you aren't too mad I was wondering if you would ever think about maybe going out with me? Maybe. If you want to."

"Ron," Hermione began, a relieved smile spreading across her face. Ron apparently took the smile the wrong way.

"I'm sorry, I know it's ridiculous," he said, sounding mortified and panicked in one breath. "It's just that, you're pretty much the only girl I've ever really felt anything for, and it isn't physical-"

"Oh, so I'm not physically attractive?" Hermione asked, unable to stop herself, and almost unable to stop her exhilarated laughter.

"No! I didn't mean that!" Ron looked even more embarrassed, if it were possible. "You're quite pretty, I mean, that is, you're beautiful, erm..."

His voice trailed off and he glanced at her, looking abashed and unhappy. Hermione's heart softened at the rather terrified look on his very red face.

"Ron," she began for the second time, but she was interrupted yet again.

"It's okay if you don't like me like that! I mean, we can be friends and you can forget I said anything at all, in fact, why don't we forget this whole thing?"

He turned to go, but Hermione grabbed his arm and pulled him toward her.

She put her arms around his neck, and stood on her tiptoes to give him a long, soft kiss. She settled back on her feet, and smiled brightly at the amazed look on his face.

"Ron, I definitely feel the same way," she said, still smiling. "You are just too much of an insensitive wart to realize it. I love you, Ron."

"Well, I," Ron stuttered, obviously still in shock from the kiss, "I love you, too."

And to Hermione's great surprise he pulled her into his arms and kissed her awkwardly on the lips. When the kiss broke he didn't let her go.

"Was that all right?" he asked nervously. "It's not like I had any practice."

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"It was fine, you stupid prat!" she said, punctuating the remark with another quick kiss. "Now, I was in the process of writing a letter to the Ministry of Magic to try and get a house elf into the Department of the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, before I was so rudely interrupted, so if you'll excuse me..."