Finally

Finally

By: Medusa683

Ron woke up that Saturday in the middle of the day, with butterflies fluttering about in his stomach. No...they were not butterflies; they were carnivorous steel birds nibbling on the insides of his fragile heart. A bit exaggerated, yes, but that's what it feels like when it is Valentine's Day, and you are going to tell the women you love that you worship the very ground she walks on.

Tangled in bed covers, Ron wrestled with the maroon blankets to free himself. Today is the day, he thought as he ambled to the bathroom with a toothbrush in his hand. He glanced at his reflection in the mirror, observing his tousled hair and freckled face. He smoothed out his hair and got in the shower.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Hermione was sitting in her favorite armchair in the common room. It faced the front of the room. She liked to swing her legs over the right arm and lean on the left arm. That way she could see the entrance, the window, and the staircase leading to the dormitories and feel the fire on her at night. She looked at the staircase. Harry had left moments before to check on Hedwig in the Owlery. Ron had most likely slept in again. She settled back down in her favorite chair with her favorite book (which was not Hogwarts: A History as many of her fellow students liked to believe), waiting for Ron.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Ron entered the common room. He saw her bushy brown hair on one side of the arm rest and her feet swinging from the other arm, kicking the side of the chair in perfect time to the beat of his heart. He could be quite poetic at times, especially when it came to her. He loved the facial expressions she made while reading and that funny little smile she made when she tried to stop herself from laughing at his jokes. He even loved the bossy tone she had in her voice when telling him to stop procrastinating.

"Hey Ron," Harry said, walking into the common room. Ron realized that he had been leaning on the staircase wall, staring at her for a while. Hermione sat up and smiled at him.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Hermione saw him at the base of the stairwell and waved him over. She noticed he was nervous about something and decided to ask him about it later.

"Hello Harry, Hermione," he said.

Harry looked at Ron, then Hermione, and back at Ron again. He shook his head. It was obvious to him and everyone else for that matter, that Hermione and Ron liked each other.

"Lunch will be starting in a few minutes. Let's go," said Harry.

"Great! I'm starved!" Ron bounded to the door, followed by Harry and a very love sick Hermione.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Lunch went rather well in Ron's opinion. He and Hermione were talking alone; Harry had left them to sit with his girlfriend. Everything was going fine. He even got enough courage to start hinting his feelings toward her-then that bloody owl came.

A large tawny owl swooped into the Great Hall carrying chocolates and a rose. Everyone stared at it, especially the girls. Everyone was amazed when it landed in front of Hermione, including her. She read the letter and laughed, folded it and opened the chocolate.

"Who's that from?" She looked at Ron. His face was red, although green would have also been an appropriate color, as jealousy was written all over his face.

"No one," she said.

"Was it a guy?"

"Yes, but..." He fled the Great Hall, not allowing her to explain.

Harry walked over to Ginny and Hermione, looking from where Ron was moments before to a sighing Hermione. She handed them the letter and let it speak for her.

Harry read it and laughed.

Hermione nodded. "And I can't talk to Ron about it. He'll just yell and scream at me about 'fraternizing with the enemy.'"

"He's an idiot because he cares." Ginny patted her arm.

Hermione snorted and trudged back to Gryffindor Tower, not wanting to fight with Ron over something so stupid. She knew he would blow it out of proportion. He always did.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

How could she do this to me! Lost in angry thought, Ron paced the empty common room. Hermione entered the room.

"Don't even start Ron-I don't want to hear it," she said before he could speak.

"Why is there a guy writing you letters and sending you roses and chocolate? Was it Krum?" his voice rising with every word.

"Ron, do you really want to know?" She was getting angry.

"Yes, I do." He stared at her, arms across his chest. She looked down.

"It was my older cousin, Bradley."

He uncrossed his arms, and Hermione noticed that he had the cute look on his face that he always got when he was confused. "What?"

"He lives near our house and has been writing me since I was a 1^st year. He was the only friend I had before I came here. When I stayed at his flat with him over the summer, I told him that I never received anything on Valentine's Day. He sent me the chocolates and rose as his way of a little joke. That's all." She placed her hands on her hips. "Don't you feel stupid now?"

Ron groaned. "Yes, very. I'm sorry Hermione."

"You're always on about Viktor. That was two years ago Ron! Why don't you trust me?"

"I do trust you! I just don't trust him!"

"Is it because he was smart enough to realize that I'm a girl? One he could date?"

"It's not like that Hermione!"

"Enlighten me. What is it like?" Tears formed in her eyes.

"I...I didn't want it to be like this."

"Well it's a little too late for that, isn't it Ron?" She turned to leave but he grabbed her arm.

"Hermione, I have to tell you..."

"What Ron?"

"I do trust you, but I was jealous, as you call it..."

She smiled. "You were jealous?" she teased.

"Lemme finish." He took a deep breath. "I became bitter towards him because he got to you before I could. He did the one thing I was scared to do, and I envied him. I also thought that was it; that I'd lost my chance, which pissed me off even more."

She hates me now. She's probably grossed out. I bet she's-

"Oh Ron, You're such a dolt," she whispered and did the last thing he ever expected she would do; she kissed him.

"Finally!" they heard someone yell at them. Hermione jumped away from Ron and saw that Harry was standing in the portrait hole, smiling broadly. Ron turned a deep red but grabbed Hermione's hand, even surprising himself.

"Yep, finally," Hermione said smiling up at Ron.