The Forest of Mysteries

Chapter 4- A Late Night Stroll

Ron and Hermione left Ginny and Harry in the bedroom to go for a walk. They carefully walked out of 12 Grimmauld Place. They waited till it magically squeezed itself out of existence. They then turned and started walking slowly down the dark lane. They passed a deserted park, and a few closed stores. For a while they walked in silence, just enjoying the night sounds, till finally they both began to feel a little bit uncomfortable.

"So, Hermione, er tell me about your trip to Germany," said Ron, breaking the silence.

"Oh it was amazing. We visited Dunkle Kunststadt, the largest wizarding community in Germany. It's filled with a lot of history of the Dark Arts. I wondered what the name meant, so I looked it up. It literally means Dark Arts Town. Anyway the place is cheerful enough now, considering how big a tourist attraction it is. There were all sorts of little shops all over the place. My favorite shops were Magischer Buchverkäufer, the local bookstore, and this really interesting little shop tucked away in a corner of the town called Mühe Centaurs. It was this little store that had so much information about the history of the town. I could've spent hours in there!" Hermione explained.

"Sounds like fun. We had a lot of fun in Romania with Charlie, too. It was just really dangerous! I got to pet a full-grown Norwegian Ridgeback they were holding there," Ron said proudly.

"Whoa, like a full-grown Baby Norbert? Hagrid would've been excited to see that."

"Yeah, he probably would've been all, "Look 'ere at this little guy! 'E looks so sweet! I'd love to take 'im home and raise 'im," wouldn't he?" Ron joked.

"Yeah he would've been," Hermione agreed. After this little bit of conversation, they fell silent again. The night became darker and darker. They reached a cul-de-sac, and cided to head back to Headquarters. So, they turned around, and started to trek back.

Ron was feeling quite nervous about being alone with Hermione so long. He turned and looked at her. "She's beautiful," he thought. "No, she's your best friend; you shouldn't be thinking things like that!" He argued between his feelings for a while. He finally figured it might help if he stopped staring at Hermione, so he turned away. Eventually, however Hermione turned to look at him.

"He'll never feel the same way I do. What's the use?" she asked herself. "You don't know that. He could love you, too." As she thought this over, Ron averted his gaze back to her. They caught each other staring at the other, blushed deeply then turned away.

Ron began thinking to himself again. "All she can do is say no. You've nothing to lose," He thought to himself. He then turned to Hermione once more, but this time he took her hand.

"This can't be happening," Hermione thought. "This really can't be happening."

Since she didn't pull away, Ron continued to hold her hand. They came to the park that they had passed earlier. Ron spotted a park bench right near the road, and pulled Hermione gently towards it. They both sat down and gazed at the sky.

"Hermione?" Ron began.

"Yes, Ron?" Hermione answered.

"Er, we've known each other for a while now right?"

"Yes, we have," she agreed, beginning to see where this was leading.

"Right. Well, since about 3^rd year, I haven't been completely honest with you about my feelings," he said quickly.

"Oh Ron...," began Hermione, but she was cut short by Ron. She noticed that he was still holding her hand, and it just felt right.

"No, let me just get it out, Hermione. I... I love you!" Ron blurted out.

"Ron, I love you too!" Hermione replied.

"You mean just as a friend, right?" Ron asked gloomily. For the first time in a while, Hermione was lost for words.

"Er...well, no, I really love you, too. I've liked you ever since we had become friends," she admitted.

"Really?" Ron asked.

"Really," Hermione replied. They both had waited so long to hear each other say that that they were taken aback. Finally, after what seemed liked hours, Ron tilted his head. Hermione tilted hers, and let go of years of holding back their feelings. Hermione slipped her arms around Ron's neck, as he caressed her face. They kissed and held each other, never wanting the moment to end. Hermione pulled back slowly, took her arms from around his neck, then gently kissed Ron.

"Well, er, I guess we should head back," said Ron.

"Yes, I guess we should," Hermione agreed. They stood up, took the other's hand, and walked slowly back to the house. They found themselves back at the space between 11 and 13 Grimmauld Place too quickly. They thought about the Headquarters being at 12 Grimmauld Place, and the house sprang back from nonexistence. They walked up to the doorstep and stopped. Ron turned to Hermione; she turned to him.

"Er, so does this make us a couple, Mione?" Ron asked awkwardly.

"Yes, I think it does," Hermione replied. Then they kissed a few more times, and went inside. They walked slowly up the stairs towards their bedrooms. They reached Hermione and Ginny's room first.

"Good night, Hermione," Ron said as he kissed her sweetly on the cheek.

"Good night, Ron," said Hermione. She then walked into the room and closed the door. She found Ginny sitting up for her, wide awake.

"So, where have you two been?" Ginny asked

"For a walk," Hermione replied truthfully. She then gave Ginny a sneaky little grin.

"You two weren't out there snogging were you?" Ginny asked. Hermione nodded shyly and told Ginny the whole story.