A Perfect Love

Chapter 3: The Second Date

At ten o'clock a week later, Ron and Hermione decided to have a second date. They went to the same place they had their first date, the two chairs in front of the table that was in front of the fireplace in the common room.

"Wait a minute," said Ron. He pulled out his wand, pointed it upwards, and said "Prodeo presidium." He made an X in the air with his wand and put his wand back down. "Now we'll have some privacy," he said, and smiled. "Hermione, I'm beginning to agree with Harry. I think that deep down, I have had a crush on you since second year. I was so upset when you were petrified. You didn't see how jealous I was when you turned up at the ball with Viktor Krum? I don't know how I didn't see it."

"I know. I've liked you too." A tear came to her eye.

"Hermione? What is it?" Ron said.

"It's just ..." she said, and sniffed. "I just can't believe that we're finally together after years of fighting and name-calling and disagreements."

"I know. It is rather unbelievable, isn't it?"

Seamus looked over at Ron and Hermione. They were moving their mouths, but no sound was coming out. "What's going on over there?"

Harry knew just what was going on. Ron had conjured a magical protective forcefield around himself and Hermione. "I don't know. Why don't you go and ask him?" He was still a bit angry at Seamus for turning against him in fifth year, so this was his way of getting even. Seamus walked over to the invisible forcefield, and when he touched it, he received a great electric shock that Ron and Hermione didn't see or hear. Harry laughed as Seamus fell backwards.

Harry watched in amazement as two people he almost thought despised each other were on their second date. He went up to bed.

"Hermione, I love you," Ron said unexpectedly.

"Ron - I ..."

He leapt forward and planted his lips on hers. She jerked upward in surprise and happiness, tears still on her face. He took away his lips and kissed away every tear. He replaced his lips. Hermione again jerked. He pulled away.

"Ron!" Hermione panted.

"I'm sorry," Ron said. "I was just ..."

"No. It's ... it's OK. I was just startled, that's all. But in a good way."

Ron smiled nervously.

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The next morning, Ron and Hermione were sitting next to each other at breakfast, and for some reason, Harry didn't show up. Ron and Hermione didn't care about Harry as they stared into each other's eyes.

"Hermione, do you think it might be time to take the next step in our relationship?"

"What might that be?" she asked.

"I thought maybe - "

"NUNDU!!!!! NUNDU IN THE CASTLE!!!!!!!!"

They looked up and saw their new Defense Against the Dark Arts, Professor Gray, running toward the Great Hall.

"Does this seem somehow familiar?" Ron asked Hermione, remembering five years before.

Before Professor Gray got there, however, he slipped and hit his head on the stone floor and was knocked unconscious. Professor Dumbledore stood up and, because the firecrackers didn't work this time, had to cast a freezing charm on the entire student body. They immediately froze.

"Please stop running," Dumbledore said, which was rather useless. "Everyone will now go their dormitories and perform the appropriate safety measures." He nodded toward the prefects who couldn't nod back. "Now, go." He lifted the charm and everyone ran out the doors. Ron and Hermione looked at each other. "Harry's not here. Maybe the Nundu got him," Ron said.

"Nundu's are the most dangerous creatures in the entire magical world," said Hermione. They ran out the doors and before long they saw Harry lying on the floor and the leopard-like Nundu turning a corner. Harry had four long claw marks in the side of his head.

"HARRY!" Ron and Hermione shouted. They tried to wake him up, but all of their efforts were futile. So Ron picked up his feet and Hermione picked up his head and they went to the Gryffindor common room, but when they got there they found that the Fat Lady's portrait had been removed and all that was there was a stone wall.

"Oh, no," Hermione said, and they heard a slight growl from behind them. They turned around and saw the Nundu coming straight for them. Hermione whipped out her wand and said, "Impedimenta!". The Nundu winced in pain, but kept coming toward them.

"Ron, I just want you to know that I love you, too."

Ron looked toward Hermione and smiled in spite of the deadly circumstances that were growling in front of them. The Nundu let out a breath of yellow air, the breath that could kill entire villages. The stone wall disappeared and Ron and Hermione pulled Harry away just in time. The yellow air kept after them and the stone wall reappeared, blocking it out. They saw Neville who had managed to hear them screaming from behind the stone wall and let them into the common room.

Hermione burst into tears and hugged Neville. Ron almost collapsed on the floor in relief, anxiety, and fear. Then almost turned into a memory as Ron fell. "Ron!" Hermione shouted. "Ron, speak to me." Ron jerked up and kissed Hermione. She laughed and kissed him back. Neville quietly crept out of the room as Harry woke up. "Well, well, well ..."

Ron and Hermione looked around and saw Harry. Hermione jumped up and threw her arms around Harry. "What's with all this hugging other guys?" Ron joked, and Hermione laughed and hugged Ron. "That's better." Harry laughed and went up to the dormitory to nurse his head.

"Now what were you saying before we were so rudely interrupted by that horribly deadly creature?" Hermione said.

"Oh. Never mind about that. I'm just glad you're all right."

"I'm glad you're all right. You could have been killed."

"Well, the good thing is that we're all right. Well, I'm tired. I've got to turn in. Good night, Hermione."

"Good night, Ron."

They both went their separate ways and waited until the morning.