Log: Ron and Hermione
Who: Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger (with a Professor Sinistra cameo)
When: Friday evening, September 28
Where: the Hogwarts library, then the Astronomy Tower
What: talking, arguing, and being caught cute (...because, really, this is what they do best)
Rating: PG-ish (harmless)
Hermione sat alone at a small table in the library, quietly reading the medieval novel she'd bought in Hogsmeade. It had been a relatively quiet few days, and she was enjoying all of the time to herself to relax. It was quite a departure from the craziness of their last year at Hogwarts, and Hermione wasn't sure if she preferred simplicity to the chaos, but for now it was very comforting.
Flipping the page, Hermione found herself smiling at the text. The novel was impressing her so far, even though she wasn't particularly attracted to the romantic aspect of it, and she usually skimmed anything remotely relevant for the romantic plot, but she resigned herself to reading it anyway. And here, with the introduction of the romantic hero, she found herself enjoying it. Tugging the constricting helmet from his head with great exhaustion, his vibrantly red hair falling messily about his neck, he looked out towards the small gaggle of women approaching. Hermione smiled. It seemed she wasn't the only one who found ginger-haired men appealing.
Ron wandered around the castle, searching for Hermione. It had been a very quiet couple of days, and he hadn't seen her lately. He could only think of one place where she would be. 'The library!' he thought, turning around and running in the opposite direction. He reached the library door and stopped. He hadn't set foot inside since Hermione went into quarantine. That was when he missed her and feared for her life. Could he go in there and not act like he was bored out of his mind? Against his better judgement, and his love for Hermione, he stepped inside.
He spent several minutes wandering around the aisles between shelves before he found her sitting at a table near the study area. He carefully tiptoed behind her and slipped his hands over her eyes. "Guess who?" he murmured with a grin.
Hermione had just been getting into the chapter of her novel when two large hands suddenly covered her eyes, as if out of nowhere. She had no doubt as to who it was, but was extremely shocked that that person would have ventured into the library to look for her. "If it's who I think it is," she started, matter-of-factly, "then I'll have to tell him that I'm extremely impressed that he's entered a library without being forced." Smiling softly to herself, Hermione leaned back in her chair towards Ron as she added, "I didn't think it was possible to find you in here of your own free will."
Ron smiled and sat down next to her. "Well, I missed you a lot, 'Mione," he said sheepishly. "I wanted to spend a little time with you." Even if it meant that he had to venture into the library to see her. "What are you reading?" he asked, feigning interest in what she was up to.
"Just a book I picked up when we were in Hogsmeade," Hermione responded immediately, sticking her bookmark between the pages and closing it quickly; she didn't exactly want Ron to see her carefully reading about the red-haired hero.
Ron nodded, noticing that Hermione had closed the book too quickly. What was she reading that had her rushing to shut the book in front of him? Maybe it was a romance novel. The thought made him force down a gag. "Ah. What's it about?"
Proud that the book's topic was, for the most part, non-romantic, Hermione responded, "Medieval wizardry, eleventh century. I've not gotten that far into it, but it's very...intriguing so far." She smiled knowingly at Ron before adding, "And what brings you into the library instead of calling me out of it?"
Ron chuckled and smiled. "I've missed you. And I wanted to surprise you. Is that so wrong?" He frowned and gave her his best "kicked puppy" expression.
"No, of course not," Hermione replied warmly, gently touching Ron's cheek with her palm. Smiling gently at him, she continued, "I've missed you too."
Ron kissed Hermione and smiled. "I'm glad I found you here. There weren't many places I had to look, though." It was true. He only looked in her room, the Great Hall, and McGonagall's office. The library was one of the last places he looked, but he knew it should have been the first.
"Well, you know me," Hermione sighed, blushing a little that Ron had just kissed her in the middle of the Library, "when there is a free moment, go to the library." She bit her lip and leaned back in the chair again, enjoying the overwhelming sense of being back where they'd started, as students at Hogwarts in the library. There was something very comforting about it.
"That's our Hermione," Ron said happily. He missed her and wished that he could take her back to his room to snog her.
With a sigh, Hermione rose from her chair, her book in one hand. Placing the other hand gently on Ron's shoulder, Hermione asked carefully, "You probably don't want to stay here, and I'd never make you. Do you want to go somewhere else?" She was sure that Ron coming to the library was a labor of love only, and that the sooner she got him out of there, the better off they'd be.
Ron smiled and rubbed her shoulder. "Hermione, if you want to stay here and read, I won't have any problems with you reading. I'll just..." he looked around. "I guess I'll find something to do." He moved to stand so he could look at the books.
"No," Hermione said forcefully, putting a hand firmly on Ron's chest. "Reading in the library is a me thing, and I thought the point was to do an...us thing?" She wasn't exactly sure if she was going about this the right way, never having been in a similar situation, let alone with Ron, and the last thing she hoped to do was mess things up entirely by being too selfless.
Ron frowned. "Well, what would you like to do?" He hoped she'd like to do something that didn't involve reading. He hated spending time in the library. "I'm up for anything, 'Mione."
Hermione furrowed her eyebrows at Ron, partly because she didn't believe him and partly because she wasn't sure if he had actually decided to change his normally indignant nature. "Well, I..." she started, but couldn't think of an appropriate response. "Well, you know me, I...I don't do much but go to the library." She hoped that was an acceptable way of stating that she was nervous about doing anything else, worried that it would lead to fight or something more romantic and...adult.
Ron swallowed nervously. Did this mean Hermione didn't want to spend time for him? "Well, I might fly around a bit if you're going to be in here. I've got to stay in shape for Quidditch."
"Oh, well, I..." Hermione hadn't expected him to actually revoke his idea of them spending time together. Would she have to choose awkward togetherness over calm separation? She didn't like the sound of either. Letting out a tremendous sigh, Hermione narrowed her eyes and looked directly at Ron. "Look, Ron, I...I really want to spend time with you I just...we just..." the words were dying on her tongue and she couldn't seem to get anything out.
"We're two different people, right?" Ron asked bitterly. "I know you love books and I love Quidditch. I don't expect us to spend every waking moment together, just...a little more than only seeing each other at meals. Is that too much to ask?" He stood and turned to leave so he could fly and think about their problems.
Biting her lip, Hermione meekly responded, "No, it's...it's not too much to ask it's just...new, is all." She found herself wondering if it would ever not be new, if they'd ever get past this stage of awkwardness and make it out the other side into what Hermione knew could be brilliant. "Ron, I want to see you, but...oh, I'm just not used to this...this dating thing and I...I don't know that I'm doing the best job, or anything, and I don't want to hurt you and..." she trailed off. Brilliant, I'm rambling again.
"You're doing a wonderful job, Hermione," he insisted. Not that his experience with Lavender Brown was anything to go by. "Look, I know we're trying to take things slowly, because this is just as awkward for me. I just really miss spending time with you." Was that so hard to understand? He had barely seen her since her birthday, except at meals, and he missed their alone time.
Hermione didn't even think twice now about embracing Ron, and she wrapped her arms soundly around his chest. "I miss you too," she murmured against him, and she really did mean it. But how would they ever find common ground on which to arrange things to do together if their favorite activities were complete opposites and the only thing they tended to do together was eat...or snog, but Hermione didn't count that.
Ron smiled softly and kissed the top of her head. "We'll just have to find something that we both enjoy and do that." Other than snogging. While it was enjoyable, it wasn't the same as spending time together, talking and enjoying each other's company.
Hermione glanced out the small windows in the library and saw that it was just about sunset. Struck by a sudden idea, she grabbed Ron's hand and looked up at him. "How about we go up to the Astronomy Tower? It's Friday, and Professor Sinistra never holds classes up there on the weekends." It seemed an equal balance between the intellectual side of Hermione, the part of Ron that loved flying, and romance.
Ron smiled and allowed Hermione to lead him to the Astronomy Tower. He prayed that there weren't students in the tower before they got there. He hated sharing, especially when it came to a chance with a romantic moment with Hermione. "I forgot how far it is to the Astronomy Tower." It was quite a hike, and he barely remembered his days hiking to and from the tower in his school days.
"It's not that far," Hermione mused, pulling Ron up the spiral steps and out onto the stone landing. The sky was shimmering pink and gold with the setting sun, and Hermione wasted no time in running over to the edge of the tower, crossing her arms on the large stones and looking out over the grounds. This was home, in almost every sense of the word.
Ron's face lit up like a child at Christmas. Hermione was wonderful! The sky...it was one of the most beautiful sunsets he had ever seen. "Oh, wow. Hermione, this is fantastic!" He led her over to one of the benches and sat down. It was the next best thing to flying, and he had Hermione sitting next to him. Life was pretty good, and their petty almost-fight was forgotten instantly.
"I've never actually been up here at sunset," Hermione said wistfully, looking out from her seat on the bench onto the brightened colourful sky. "It's so...Merlin, it's just so beautiful!" She had to admit that she was more excited by the view than she thought she'd be, but it didn't bother her.
Ron shook his head. "The only time I've ever been up this high this late at night was for Quidditch practice. Angelina and Harry both wanted us focused on the game and not what was going on elsewhere on the grounds." It was a shame, he really liked the view. All the colors painting the sky in bright warm colored hues was magical.
Hermione was sorely tempted to ask whether everything had to somehow work its way back to Quidditch, but she thought against it. Laying her head on Ron's shoulder, she inched just a bit closer to him; it couldn't hurt, could it? "Well, you can enjoy it now, can't you?"
Ron nodded and took Hermione's hand in his. "Thanks for bringing me up here. It's really...wow."
Smiling to herself, Hermione looked up at Ron. "Don't mention it," she murmured softly, offering him a knowing and soft smile. She wasn't one to initiate anything romantic, but at this moment, in the sunset on the Astronomy Tower, Hermione just barely held herself back from pushing Ron onto the bench and snogging him, but she was far more reserved than that. It was just a bit of a fantasy.
Ron smiled and shifted slightly. He curled a finger under Hermione's chin and tilted her head up before kissing her soundly on the lips. There wasn't anything more perfect than snogging while watching a beautiful sunset.
Hermione's stomach flipped when Ron kissed her so intensely, and she immediately wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her. If somebody had told her months before that she'd be sitting snogging Ron on top of the Astronomy Tower, she'd have told them that they'd gone off their rocker, but now...well, it was far from crazy now!
Ron was so focused on snogging Hermione that he didn't hear footsteps marching up the tower stairs.
Professor Sinistra walked up the stairs, berating herself for leaving her telescope in her classroom. If you could call it that, since it was on top of one of the tallest towers in the castle. She nudged the door open and saw two of her former students snogging heavily on one of the benches. "My word, I thought you two would have at least a little more decorum than this!" she said. She was sick of finding people snogging in her classroom when it was empty!
Hermione jumped up, nearly banging heads with Ron. Smoothing the front of her shirt nervously, she stuttered, "Professor Sinistra! I...I do have...he...we...I..." It hadn't been Hermione's intention to get caught kissing Ron on top of the Astronomy Tower, least of all by a Hogwarts professor, and now...well, she hadn't exactly been put in this situation before.
Sinistra glared at the couple, but inwardly she was overjoyed to see Miss Granger snogging the Weasley boy. She had won the bet she had placed with Minerva, and now it was time to collect. "Yes, well, don't let me catch you up here again," she said. "And you," she pointed to Ron, "even though you're no longer a student, I warned you the last time you were up here that I would give you detention if I caught you again."
Ron's cheeks turned deep crimson. He hadn't expected to see Professor Sinistra up here again. "Bu-but..." he sputtered, unable to think of a good comeback.
"I will be speaking to Albus about your actions, Mister Weasley," Sinistra said, snatching her telescope and leaving.
Hermione turned around to face Ron, who was still sitting on the bench, his face the perfect shade of red. "Last time?" Hermione stammered, not sure what else to say. She had no doubt that it had to do with Lavender in sixth year, but she wanted to hear him say it.
Ron felt his face go hot. "Um, it was nothing," Ron said, just a little too quickly. He inwardly cringed. He was on a one-way road to being hexed into oblivion, he could feel it.
"Nothing," Hermione repeated, as if confirming his blatant lie. "Ron, do you honestly think that I believe that? It's not like I didn't know about you and Lavender," she added bitterly.
Ron winced. He hoped she wouldn't bring up Lavender. "Hermione, I'm sorry. I just dated her to make you jealous," he pleaded, hoping that he wasn't making things worse.
Hermione glared at Ron; part of her had expected that kind of response from him, and she'd certainly thought about his motives when he'd dated Lavender, but now it felt almost contrived to say so. "Just...just don't lie to me about her, Ron!" she said expasperatedly. "Professor Sinistra says she's caught you up here before, so there's nothing to hide from me."
"She dragged me up here, just before I was poisoned. We snogged and...um...other things." He felt his face burn with embarrassment and shame. "Sinistra caught us, and luckily let us off with a warning." He closed his eyes and readied himself in case Hermione decided to hex him. He still had scars on his hands from the time she attacked him with birds.
Hermione sat down rather forcefully on the bench beside Ron, her elbow on her knee and her face in her hand. "And...and other things?" she said shakily. Part of her was certain that Ron wouldn't have done anything truly embarrassing with Lavender, but another part of her was yelling at her for thinking that.
Ron blushed straight to the roots of his hair. "I'm sure you can imagine," he muttered, although he didn't want her to. "She initiated it. Said she wanted to take our relationship to the next level. And I regret it."
Hermione could tell that Ron was trying to avoid the subject, and that he was blatantly avoiding telling her any details. She truly didn't want to hear the nitty gritty of Ron's relationship with Lavender, but honesty was honesty and she wanted it. "No, I...I really can't," she murmured softly, biting her lip. "How...how far did you go with her, Ron?" Hermione asked quietly, taking Ron's hand in her own. Looking up at him, she added, "I won't be angry, Ron, I promise, I just...need to know."
"We didn't go all the way. I...couldn't." That is to say, he didn't feel right doing that with Lavender. "She wanted to, though. Whined and complained the whole time. That's why I dumped her."
Hermione bit her lip. She hadn't exactly paid Lavender enough attention to realize just how serious she had been with Ron. But now, hearing this...Hermione wasn't sure how she could've missed it. "Oh, well, I..." she started, trying to put words together, "...well, thank you for...for telling me, at least." She wasn't sure whether or not to be disappointed that Ron hadn't been inclined to go that far, but Hermione inwardly kicked herself for thinking it. It's not like you're thinking about that for the two of you.
Ron looked at Hermione, using his best "kicked puppy" expression to convey his remorse. "So you're not mad at me?"
"Of course I'm not!" Hermione said firmly, rolling her eyes. "Ron, did you think I would be? I just...I just don't want you to lie to me about it, or try and cover it up. If you're honest with me, then...well, it's in the past, isn't it? So there's nothing to worry about," she explained rather quickly, running the backs of her fingers over his cheek.
Ron smiled and kissed Hermione on the cheek. "Don't worry. I won't do it again." Honestly, he probably would, but never about another woman. He only had eyes for Hermione. All other girls just couldn't compete. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close.
Hermione snuggled closer to Ron, wrapping her arms around his chest. "I'm not worried," she confirmed, turning her head a bit and looking out over the grounds again. Beautiful. Serene. Just what they needed.
When: Friday evening, September 28
Where: the Hogwarts library, then the Astronomy Tower
What: talking, arguing, and being caught cute (...because, really, this is what they do best)
Rating: PG-ish (harmless)
Hermione sat alone at a small table in the library, quietly reading the medieval novel she'd bought in Hogsmeade. It had been a relatively quiet few days, and she was enjoying all of the time to herself to relax. It was quite a departure from the craziness of their last year at Hogwarts, and Hermione wasn't sure if she preferred simplicity to the chaos, but for now it was very comforting.
Flipping the page, Hermione found herself smiling at the text. The novel was impressing her so far, even though she wasn't particularly attracted to the romantic aspect of it, and she usually skimmed anything remotely relevant for the romantic plot, but she resigned herself to reading it anyway. And here, with the introduction of the romantic hero, she found herself enjoying it. Tugging the constricting helmet from his head with great exhaustion, his vibrantly red hair falling messily about his neck, he looked out towards the small gaggle of women approaching. Hermione smiled. It seemed she wasn't the only one who found ginger-haired men appealing.
Ron wandered around the castle, searching for Hermione. It had been a very quiet couple of days, and he hadn't seen her lately. He could only think of one place where she would be. 'The library!' he thought, turning around and running in the opposite direction. He reached the library door and stopped. He hadn't set foot inside since Hermione went into quarantine. That was when he missed her and feared for her life. Could he go in there and not act like he was bored out of his mind? Against his better judgement, and his love for Hermione, he stepped inside.
He spent several minutes wandering around the aisles between shelves before he found her sitting at a table near the study area. He carefully tiptoed behind her and slipped his hands over her eyes. "Guess who?" he murmured with a grin.
Hermione had just been getting into the chapter of her novel when two large hands suddenly covered her eyes, as if out of nowhere. She had no doubt as to who it was, but was extremely shocked that that person would have ventured into the library to look for her. "If it's who I think it is," she started, matter-of-factly, "then I'll have to tell him that I'm extremely impressed that he's entered a library without being forced." Smiling softly to herself, Hermione leaned back in her chair towards Ron as she added, "I didn't think it was possible to find you in here of your own free will."
Ron smiled and sat down next to her. "Well, I missed you a lot, 'Mione," he said sheepishly. "I wanted to spend a little time with you." Even if it meant that he had to venture into the library to see her. "What are you reading?" he asked, feigning interest in what she was up to.
"Just a book I picked up when we were in Hogsmeade," Hermione responded immediately, sticking her bookmark between the pages and closing it quickly; she didn't exactly want Ron to see her carefully reading about the red-haired hero.
Ron nodded, noticing that Hermione had closed the book too quickly. What was she reading that had her rushing to shut the book in front of him? Maybe it was a romance novel. The thought made him force down a gag. "Ah. What's it about?"
Proud that the book's topic was, for the most part, non-romantic, Hermione responded, "Medieval wizardry, eleventh century. I've not gotten that far into it, but it's very...intriguing so far." She smiled knowingly at Ron before adding, "And what brings you into the library instead of calling me out of it?"
Ron chuckled and smiled. "I've missed you. And I wanted to surprise you. Is that so wrong?" He frowned and gave her his best "kicked puppy" expression.
"No, of course not," Hermione replied warmly, gently touching Ron's cheek with her palm. Smiling gently at him, she continued, "I've missed you too."
Ron kissed Hermione and smiled. "I'm glad I found you here. There weren't many places I had to look, though." It was true. He only looked in her room, the Great Hall, and McGonagall's office. The library was one of the last places he looked, but he knew it should have been the first.
"Well, you know me," Hermione sighed, blushing a little that Ron had just kissed her in the middle of the Library, "when there is a free moment, go to the library." She bit her lip and leaned back in the chair again, enjoying the overwhelming sense of being back where they'd started, as students at Hogwarts in the library. There was something very comforting about it.
"That's our Hermione," Ron said happily. He missed her and wished that he could take her back to his room to snog her.
With a sigh, Hermione rose from her chair, her book in one hand. Placing the other hand gently on Ron's shoulder, Hermione asked carefully, "You probably don't want to stay here, and I'd never make you. Do you want to go somewhere else?" She was sure that Ron coming to the library was a labor of love only, and that the sooner she got him out of there, the better off they'd be.
Ron smiled and rubbed her shoulder. "Hermione, if you want to stay here and read, I won't have any problems with you reading. I'll just..." he looked around. "I guess I'll find something to do." He moved to stand so he could look at the books.
"No," Hermione said forcefully, putting a hand firmly on Ron's chest. "Reading in the library is a me thing, and I thought the point was to do an...us thing?" She wasn't exactly sure if she was going about this the right way, never having been in a similar situation, let alone with Ron, and the last thing she hoped to do was mess things up entirely by being too selfless.
Ron frowned. "Well, what would you like to do?" He hoped she'd like to do something that didn't involve reading. He hated spending time in the library. "I'm up for anything, 'Mione."
Hermione furrowed her eyebrows at Ron, partly because she didn't believe him and partly because she wasn't sure if he had actually decided to change his normally indignant nature. "Well, I..." she started, but couldn't think of an appropriate response. "Well, you know me, I...I don't do much but go to the library." She hoped that was an acceptable way of stating that she was nervous about doing anything else, worried that it would lead to fight or something more romantic and...adult.
Ron swallowed nervously. Did this mean Hermione didn't want to spend time for him? "Well, I might fly around a bit if you're going to be in here. I've got to stay in shape for Quidditch."
"Oh, well, I..." Hermione hadn't expected him to actually revoke his idea of them spending time together. Would she have to choose awkward togetherness over calm separation? She didn't like the sound of either. Letting out a tremendous sigh, Hermione narrowed her eyes and looked directly at Ron. "Look, Ron, I...I really want to spend time with you I just...we just..." the words were dying on her tongue and she couldn't seem to get anything out.
"We're two different people, right?" Ron asked bitterly. "I know you love books and I love Quidditch. I don't expect us to spend every waking moment together, just...a little more than only seeing each other at meals. Is that too much to ask?" He stood and turned to leave so he could fly and think about their problems.
Biting her lip, Hermione meekly responded, "No, it's...it's not too much to ask it's just...new, is all." She found herself wondering if it would ever not be new, if they'd ever get past this stage of awkwardness and make it out the other side into what Hermione knew could be brilliant. "Ron, I want to see you, but...oh, I'm just not used to this...this dating thing and I...I don't know that I'm doing the best job, or anything, and I don't want to hurt you and..." she trailed off. Brilliant, I'm rambling again.
"You're doing a wonderful job, Hermione," he insisted. Not that his experience with Lavender Brown was anything to go by. "Look, I know we're trying to take things slowly, because this is just as awkward for me. I just really miss spending time with you." Was that so hard to understand? He had barely seen her since her birthday, except at meals, and he missed their alone time.
Hermione didn't even think twice now about embracing Ron, and she wrapped her arms soundly around his chest. "I miss you too," she murmured against him, and she really did mean it. But how would they ever find common ground on which to arrange things to do together if their favorite activities were complete opposites and the only thing they tended to do together was eat...or snog, but Hermione didn't count that.
Ron smiled softly and kissed the top of her head. "We'll just have to find something that we both enjoy and do that." Other than snogging. While it was enjoyable, it wasn't the same as spending time together, talking and enjoying each other's company.
Hermione glanced out the small windows in the library and saw that it was just about sunset. Struck by a sudden idea, she grabbed Ron's hand and looked up at him. "How about we go up to the Astronomy Tower? It's Friday, and Professor Sinistra never holds classes up there on the weekends." It seemed an equal balance between the intellectual side of Hermione, the part of Ron that loved flying, and romance.
Ron smiled and allowed Hermione to lead him to the Astronomy Tower. He prayed that there weren't students in the tower before they got there. He hated sharing, especially when it came to a chance with a romantic moment with Hermione. "I forgot how far it is to the Astronomy Tower." It was quite a hike, and he barely remembered his days hiking to and from the tower in his school days.
"It's not that far," Hermione mused, pulling Ron up the spiral steps and out onto the stone landing. The sky was shimmering pink and gold with the setting sun, and Hermione wasted no time in running over to the edge of the tower, crossing her arms on the large stones and looking out over the grounds. This was home, in almost every sense of the word.
Ron's face lit up like a child at Christmas. Hermione was wonderful! The sky...it was one of the most beautiful sunsets he had ever seen. "Oh, wow. Hermione, this is fantastic!" He led her over to one of the benches and sat down. It was the next best thing to flying, and he had Hermione sitting next to him. Life was pretty good, and their petty almost-fight was forgotten instantly.
"I've never actually been up here at sunset," Hermione said wistfully, looking out from her seat on the bench onto the brightened colourful sky. "It's so...Merlin, it's just so beautiful!" She had to admit that she was more excited by the view than she thought she'd be, but it didn't bother her.
Ron shook his head. "The only time I've ever been up this high this late at night was for Quidditch practice. Angelina and Harry both wanted us focused on the game and not what was going on elsewhere on the grounds." It was a shame, he really liked the view. All the colors painting the sky in bright warm colored hues was magical.
Hermione was sorely tempted to ask whether everything had to somehow work its way back to Quidditch, but she thought against it. Laying her head on Ron's shoulder, she inched just a bit closer to him; it couldn't hurt, could it? "Well, you can enjoy it now, can't you?"
Ron nodded and took Hermione's hand in his. "Thanks for bringing me up here. It's really...wow."
Smiling to herself, Hermione looked up at Ron. "Don't mention it," she murmured softly, offering him a knowing and soft smile. She wasn't one to initiate anything romantic, but at this moment, in the sunset on the Astronomy Tower, Hermione just barely held herself back from pushing Ron onto the bench and snogging him, but she was far more reserved than that. It was just a bit of a fantasy.
Ron smiled and shifted slightly. He curled a finger under Hermione's chin and tilted her head up before kissing her soundly on the lips. There wasn't anything more perfect than snogging while watching a beautiful sunset.
Hermione's stomach flipped when Ron kissed her so intensely, and she immediately wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her. If somebody had told her months before that she'd be sitting snogging Ron on top of the Astronomy Tower, she'd have told them that they'd gone off their rocker, but now...well, it was far from crazy now!
Ron was so focused on snogging Hermione that he didn't hear footsteps marching up the tower stairs.
Professor Sinistra walked up the stairs, berating herself for leaving her telescope in her classroom. If you could call it that, since it was on top of one of the tallest towers in the castle. She nudged the door open and saw two of her former students snogging heavily on one of the benches. "My word, I thought you two would have at least a little more decorum than this!" she said. She was sick of finding people snogging in her classroom when it was empty!
Hermione jumped up, nearly banging heads with Ron. Smoothing the front of her shirt nervously, she stuttered, "Professor Sinistra! I...I do have...he...we...I..." It hadn't been Hermione's intention to get caught kissing Ron on top of the Astronomy Tower, least of all by a Hogwarts professor, and now...well, she hadn't exactly been put in this situation before.
Sinistra glared at the couple, but inwardly she was overjoyed to see Miss Granger snogging the Weasley boy. She had won the bet she had placed with Minerva, and now it was time to collect. "Yes, well, don't let me catch you up here again," she said. "And you," she pointed to Ron, "even though you're no longer a student, I warned you the last time you were up here that I would give you detention if I caught you again."
Ron's cheeks turned deep crimson. He hadn't expected to see Professor Sinistra up here again. "Bu-but..." he sputtered, unable to think of a good comeback.
"I will be speaking to Albus about your actions, Mister Weasley," Sinistra said, snatching her telescope and leaving.
Hermione turned around to face Ron, who was still sitting on the bench, his face the perfect shade of red. "Last time?" Hermione stammered, not sure what else to say. She had no doubt that it had to do with Lavender in sixth year, but she wanted to hear him say it.
Ron felt his face go hot. "Um, it was nothing," Ron said, just a little too quickly. He inwardly cringed. He was on a one-way road to being hexed into oblivion, he could feel it.
"Nothing," Hermione repeated, as if confirming his blatant lie. "Ron, do you honestly think that I believe that? It's not like I didn't know about you and Lavender," she added bitterly.
Ron winced. He hoped she wouldn't bring up Lavender. "Hermione, I'm sorry. I just dated her to make you jealous," he pleaded, hoping that he wasn't making things worse.
Hermione glared at Ron; part of her had expected that kind of response from him, and she'd certainly thought about his motives when he'd dated Lavender, but now it felt almost contrived to say so. "Just...just don't lie to me about her, Ron!" she said expasperatedly. "Professor Sinistra says she's caught you up here before, so there's nothing to hide from me."
"She dragged me up here, just before I was poisoned. We snogged and...um...other things." He felt his face burn with embarrassment and shame. "Sinistra caught us, and luckily let us off with a warning." He closed his eyes and readied himself in case Hermione decided to hex him. He still had scars on his hands from the time she attacked him with birds.
Hermione sat down rather forcefully on the bench beside Ron, her elbow on her knee and her face in her hand. "And...and other things?" she said shakily. Part of her was certain that Ron wouldn't have done anything truly embarrassing with Lavender, but another part of her was yelling at her for thinking that.
Ron blushed straight to the roots of his hair. "I'm sure you can imagine," he muttered, although he didn't want her to. "She initiated it. Said she wanted to take our relationship to the next level. And I regret it."
Hermione could tell that Ron was trying to avoid the subject, and that he was blatantly avoiding telling her any details. She truly didn't want to hear the nitty gritty of Ron's relationship with Lavender, but honesty was honesty and she wanted it. "No, I...I really can't," she murmured softly, biting her lip. "How...how far did you go with her, Ron?" Hermione asked quietly, taking Ron's hand in her own. Looking up at him, she added, "I won't be angry, Ron, I promise, I just...need to know."
"We didn't go all the way. I...couldn't." That is to say, he didn't feel right doing that with Lavender. "She wanted to, though. Whined and complained the whole time. That's why I dumped her."
Hermione bit her lip. She hadn't exactly paid Lavender enough attention to realize just how serious she had been with Ron. But now, hearing this...Hermione wasn't sure how she could've missed it. "Oh, well, I..." she started, trying to put words together, "...well, thank you for...for telling me, at least." She wasn't sure whether or not to be disappointed that Ron hadn't been inclined to go that far, but Hermione inwardly kicked herself for thinking it. It's not like you're thinking about that for the two of you.
Ron looked at Hermione, using his best "kicked puppy" expression to convey his remorse. "So you're not mad at me?"
"Of course I'm not!" Hermione said firmly, rolling her eyes. "Ron, did you think I would be? I just...I just don't want you to lie to me about it, or try and cover it up. If you're honest with me, then...well, it's in the past, isn't it? So there's nothing to worry about," she explained rather quickly, running the backs of her fingers over his cheek.
Ron smiled and kissed Hermione on the cheek. "Don't worry. I won't do it again." Honestly, he probably would, but never about another woman. He only had eyes for Hermione. All other girls just couldn't compete. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close.
Hermione snuggled closer to Ron, wrapping her arms around his chest. "I'm not worried," she confirmed, turning her head a bit and looking out over the grounds again. Beautiful. Serene. Just what they needed.