To Love Someone

She knew what Ron was doing; he was so obvious that she found it rather endearing. Why Dumbledore had chosen Ron, she would never know. Well actually, come to think of it, she did know. The old man was cunning; that was certain. He had hoped that by blatantly putting forth someone to watch her, she would miss the others who spied on her. But she did not miss them; she watched them follow her. Did Dumbledore really think she was cleverest witch of her year for no reason? None of it mattered, however. They would find her to be innocent. She knew.

She enjoyed Ron's attentions all the same. Dumbledore, at least, had known that Ron would be her one weakness, her private love. She had grown tired of waiting for him in school, but he had grown up and now he was coming to her. She had thought that she could be happy with Harry, but they were too alike, too somber, and too diligent in their work. Their relationship had been stressed because they simply had no one to distract them; their sense of duty overwhelmed all else. The end of the relationship had been coming and her parents' death had only facilitated its speed. Ron, on the other hand, was perfectly distracting.

He held his hand out to her.

"Hermione," he said formally. His grin was barely suppressed.

"Ron," she said taking his hand, equally as formal. Her smirk was threatening to expose itself.

He escorted her into her own flat and they sat together on the couch. They spoke idly of nothing and everything, with very little attention paid to actual words. Ron unashamedly looked over her body and face while Hermione did the same, only in a more covert fashion. They had been dancing around each other for months now; Ron attempting to do his "duty" but instead falling in love all over again, and Hermione re-discovering Ron and loving him all the more.

Suddenly, there was silence between them.

"Hermione," Ron began shakily. He gripped her hands. "Hermione, please listen. Don't say anything until I've finished. I know that I was a prat when I left you and Harry. You didn't deserve that. I've never apologised and I'm sorry. But I love you, Hermione. That's why I did it. I loved you and I didn't know how I could be with the two of you, loving you so much. But, I still love you. I know this is a hard time for you, and if you want me to wait for you, I will. I've waited this long. But, please, Hermione, do you think...can you...love me back?"

His ears had gone pink and Hermione looked at him carefully. His eyes were still the same. Still that light blue that caught her own eyes every time she saw the flash. They were still filled with care and admiration and, now, love. His body was different, but he was the same.

"How can I not?" was all she said.

They stared at one another for only a moment before they were swept away by a torrent of emotion. The dam had burst and there were years to catch up on.

*---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------*

Ron was, again, called privately to Dumbledore's office about five months after their initial meeting. Cutting straight to the point the Headmaster began.

"Ron, you have proven to us that Hermione must be innocent. We no longer need for you to watch her. But," he paused with a twinkle in his eye, "you may most certainly continue to keep up the contact."

Ron did not know about the others sent to watch Hermione and thought that he alone had proven her innocence to Dumbledore. He felt like a knight in shining armour. Smiling shyly at Dumbledore, Ron's face pinked and he left the office quickly, searching for his lady.

*---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------*

He found her back at her flat. She sat at her desk in the living room scratching away at a piece of parchment. He watched her scribble thoughtfully. Her mass of curls was pulled back haphazardly into a bun with a pencil shoved rudely through it. Several tendrils had escaped, however, and grazed her neck and cheek; even though he could not see her face, he knew. Moving close to her, he bent down and kissed her neck lightly.

Startled, Hermione covered the parchment with one hand and whirled around in her chair. Seeing Ron she relaxed visibly and picked up the parchment and placed it in a drawer, which she then locked. Standing, she shyly faced Ron, went on tip-toe and placed her arms about his neck and buried her face in his chest. Looking down amusedly at her Ron tilted her face up to him.

"Now, HOW can you be so shy? You weren't this shy last night..." he growled.

Hermione went pink to the tips of HER ears and giggled as Ron swept her into his arms and carried her to her bedroom.