Harry Potter and the Adventure He Affectionately Calls Life

Ron's heart stopped in his chest. Shit! She knows! The greatest love I've known in my life is going to go away all because I wanted to play some stupid joke. The only love. Oh shit!

Ron figured it was best to play innocent. "What are you talking about?" he asked, hoping Hermione couldn't hear his voice squeak.

"You know very well what I'm talking about, don't you?"

Ron chewed on his bottom lip. "No?"

"You." She stood up and looked him in the eye. "You said that you..." She seemed to soften at his gaze. "You said that you wouldn't let me go today." She grinned.

Oh thank you, God. I love you. I believe in you! Ron clapped his hands, wondering if God was like faeries, that if you clapped your hands and said you believed in them, they wouldn't die.

Hermione looked at him quizzically.

"Nothing," he said, bending down to kiss her.

"No more broken promises?"

"No more broken promises."

"Good." She enveloped herself in his arms and started kissing the sensitive spot on his neck, causing him to shiver with delight. Strange sort of behavior for Hermione in the library, he thought, not minding it in the least.

"Maybe we should wake Harry up?" Hermione whispered.

"Or maybe we should leave him here and continue this upstairs?"

"Or maybe we should wake him up and continue this in the hundreds of other places in the castle?"

"Good point."

"Harry?" Hermione gently nudged him, noticing for the first time that he snored.

Harry frowned. "Two more minutes, Aunt Petunia," he mumbled.

"I didn't know Harry snored," Ron commented, stroking his chin as if he was pondering some great mystery.

"I didn't know I was Aunt Petunia!"
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Ron and Hermione had decided to let Harry sleep in the library. Madame Pince would kick him out eventually, and if she didn't, well, there was always Filch. Now they lay on Ron's bed, wanting to finish what they had started before she had gone to the library. Kissing Ron was different from anyone else she had ever kissed, Hermione mused. Not that there had been to many others. That fling with her neighbor before their third year, but that didn't count. That just left Viktor Krum. Viktor was rough with her. He was everything that Ron wasn't. Maybe Ron was different because Hermione was actually in love with him. Whenever they were together, their kissing sessions were never solid kissing. There was always the exchange of tender words in between. There was alwat Ron would hear her heart beating.

"What are you thinking about?" Ron asked.

"You."

"Oh, really?"

Hermione nodded.

"How so?"

There was nothing Ron didn't know about her. "I was just thinking how kissing you is magical. You're so sweet and gentle." Hermione paused, searching for words. "You treat me like I'm crystal, Ron. Like if you rough-handle me, I'll break."

Ron took her in his arms and gently kissed her forehead. "I'd break if you broke," he said. "I love you."

Hermione blushed. "I love you, too." She reached up and brushed Ron's hair away from his face, the way she had done to Harry just a half an hour ago. Sighing contentedly, Hermione silently wished that her birthday could be this magical every year.

Ron closed his eyes, losing himself to Hermione's gentle fingers across his forehead. They outlined his face, traveled down his nose and onto his cheeks. Hermione smiled as she played connect-the-dots with his freckles. "What are you drawing on my face?" he asked her.

Hermione dropped her hands and planted a kiss on each bundle of freckles. Ron grabbed her hand and laced his fingers through them, kissing her fiercely. Hermione lay back against his pillows, breathing in the scent of his cologne. She knew that when she changed out of her clothes, they would be stained with the scent of him. Hermione knew that she would drape her cardigan over her pillow so that she could breathe Ron in even in her sleep.

"Thanks. You know, 'Mione, you never opened the present from Harry and me."

"Oh yeah. I'm sorry, I just-"

"No problem. Wanna' open it?"

"Sure," Hermione said tonelessly.

"Well thanks for the favor." Lana rolled her eyes.

Hermoine untied the giant green curls and opened the box. She pushed aside the turquoise waves of tissue paper to see a thin sky-blue blanket. White clouds actually moved lazily across the blanket. "Lana... it's beautiful! Thank you!" Hermione e.

"Anytime. They had some funky name for it, but Harry and I forgot." She grinned sheepishly. "But it's cool. It's day now, see, so the blanket looks like the day. And at night it turns to a really dark midnight blue and I think there are little stars, but I don't remember. It's also temperature controlled. If you're hot, then the blanket will automatically cool down. And if you're cold, it'll heat up."

"It's great," Hermione said honestly. "Thank you so much. I'll have to thank Harry when I see him."

"Glad you liked it," Lana said as Hermione flopped back down, covering herself with her new blanket.

Hermione tossed and turned in bed while Lana applied a second and third coat of nail polish.

"Whalans for today?" Lana wanted to know. "I'm meeting Harry later, but I'll stay if you want me to."

"No, it's okay," Hermione said. "I have other work to do."

"Oh do you?"

"Homework."

"You finished it on Friday so you could spend the weekend with Ron."

"Yeah, well..." Hermione squirmed uncomfortably. "I'll find something. Have fun with Harry."

Lana stared at Hermione's back. She hadn't gotten very far.

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Monday was weird. Lana and Hermione met Harry and Ron down in the Great Hall for breakfast. The boys were already seated across from each other. Lana and Hermione walked in, Hermione walking slightly faster than Lana. She sat quickly in Lana's seat, right next to Harry.

Ron stared at her.

Sighing, Lana sat down next to Ron. "G'morning, Ronnie," she said, reaching for a pancake.

"G'morning, Lana," Ron said tiredly.

Harry shrugged at Lana.

A few minutes later, the owls flew into the room. Hedwig flew in, a blue parchment tied to her leg. Everyone was surprised when she landed not in front of Harry, but Hermione.

Hermione reached out and untied it. She read it expessionlessly. "Anyone have a quill?" she asked.

Ron held one out.

"Thanks." She scribbled something on the parchment, then attached it to Hedwig's leg. She fed her a strip of bacon, then sent her off.

"You're going to make my owl fat, Hermione," Harry joked.

"One long fly will burn it oot; Ron reasoned.

"Weight watchers for owls," Lana said.

Harry laughed. "I can just see it now..." Hedwig landed again in the middle of their conversation. "What's wrong, Hedwig?" Harry asked, stroking her head with one finger. He peered at the parchment. "Lana. Letter."

Lana reached out and untied it, reading it, nodding curtly, then putting it in her pocket. "Gotcha."

"What's it say?" Ron asked.

"Nothing."

"You got a blank parchment?&quop>

Lana rolled her eyes. "You idiot. I mean it's none of your concern."

"But..."

Lana's eyes flashed.

"Right..." He poked through his scrambled eggs with his fork. He had sent that parchment to Hermione. I love you, Hermione, and I miss you, it read. Hermione had replied, and, as planned, it had gone to Lana. Why wouldn't she show it to him? He had a right to know. It came from his girlfriend. Ron sighed, resigning himself to the orange juice in his goblet. He took a swig of it. When he put the goblet down, he noticed Hermione staring right at him.

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On Tuesday morning, Lana reached the table first and resumed her seat next to Harry. She leaned against Harry's shoulder and smiled contentedly as he put his arm around her, cradling her. She smiled politely at Hermione.

"Bitch," Hermione muttered in Lana's ear as she sat down next to Ron.

"I'll move if you don't want to sit next to me," Ron offered quietly.

"Don't bother," Hermione said, spreading jam on her toast and taking a bite. As she chewed, she wondered if Ron had gotten her note. He had written that he loved her and he missed her. Hermione had written back one word: Don't

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Hermione dashed out of the girls dormitory first on Wednesday so she didn't have to sit next to Ron. She got to the table so early that even the boys hadn't reached yet. Lana arrived a few minutes later, still earlier than Harry and Ron.

"Harry, hun, sit with me." So Harry sat down in Ron's seat while Lana sat in Hermione's.

Helplessly, Ron sat down next to Hermione, who chewed on her lower lip to keep it from trembling.

On Thursday, Ron didn't show up for breakfast. "Hermione doesn't want me there," he told Harry. "It's like torture for her to sit next to me."

So Harry sat down next to Hermione that day. "You need to get over yourself," he hissed in Hermione's ear. "Ron will wait for you to finish before he comes down and eats so that you don't have to see his ugly face."

"Harry," she said quietly. "That's not it."

"Then?" Harry's tone had softened tremendously. "What is it?"

Hermione opened her mouth, but nothing came out. "Nothing," she choked, grabbing her books and running off.

"This is crazy," Lana sighed. "She's avoiding him like he's got the plague."

"I know. And last week, they couldn't keep their hands off of each other."

"Like us," Lana grinned.

"Except we haven't broken up for mysterious reasons. You didn't get anything out of 'Mione?"

Lana shook her head.

"Hmm... That's weird. It's so not like her. I don't get it, Lana. It's so fucked up."

Ron didn't come down to breakfast on Friday either.

"Where's Ron?" Hermione asked.

"He ate already."

"Right." Hermione preoccupied herself with buttering her waffle. "Youn't think I'm some kind of psycho-bitch, do you?"

"I would never think that of you, 'Mione," Harry said, hugging her. "I honestly do believe that you love Ron as much as he loves you. I honestly believe something happened somewhere and it scared you, and you just need time to figure yourself out. And that's fine, really, but until you do, couldn't you try to act civil towards Ron?"

Hermione sniffled.

"You're not being fair on any of us, Hermione," Lana pointed out. "Ron especially. You're lying to yourself, and you're putting a strain on Harry and I."

Hermione suddenly looked very guilty. "I'm sorry. Maybe you could apologize for me?"

"We could," Harry agreed. "But I think you should do ilf."

Hermione sighed, but nodded. "Okay. Tonight at eight by the lake. Tell him to meet me there?"

"That is something we can do." Harry ruffled her hair. "I know it's not easy on you, but I'm proud of you for trying."

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Ron paced nervously back and forth at the lake at a quarter to eight that night. The moon bathed everything in an eerie silver glow. He looked towards the castle to see Harry and Hermione walking towards him. Ron smiled at the sight of them together. Both were only children and had seemed to have found a sibling in each other. Harry hugged Hermione supportively, and for a minute, she clinged to him. Ron could just make out him whispering something to her, although he couldn't hear what. Hermione took a deep breath and nodded. Harry ruffled her hair, then walked back into the castle where Lana was waiting for him.

Hermione was alone with him now, and she knew it. Ron waited to see if she would make the first step towards him, or if he was going to have to walk. They both took a step towards each other at the same time. It was a small, tentative step, but a step nonetheless.

And then she was standing an entire three inches away from him, and he could take it no longer. He ran his hands up and down her shoulder. Hermione winced, but didn't recoil. Ron took this as a good thing. A second later, he kissed her.

For just a second, Hermione let him kiss her, and then pulled away. "Ron?" Her face curled into a question mark, but her eyes offered no clue to what she was thinking.

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