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A month had passed since Ron and Lavender broke up, and Hermione couldn’t deny it: she felt happier than she had in months. The constant tension she’d carried for so long had finally lifted, leaving her with a lightness she’d almost forgotten was possible. Her mind, at last clear, processed everything with renewed clarity.
Her relationship with Ron had improved noticeably. Still, Hermione remained cautious; she had no intention of confessing her love. It was far too soon. Ron was coming out of a complicated relationship, and for months they’d both said hurtful things that still stung when she remembered them. Yes, she liked her best friend—a lot—but she felt they needed to take things slowly, reclaim the time they’d lost, and allow their wounds to finish healing.
That day, they’d agreed to meet in the library to study for their Apparition lessons. Ron, as usual, had resisted, but Hermione had managed to convince him with patience… and a bit of cleverness.
Twenty-five minutes after the agreed time, Ron finally showed up.
“Did you forget where the library is?” Hermione asked lightly, smiling.
“Impossible,” Ron replied with a teasing grimace. “I’m usually the one dragging you out of here so you’ll eat and sleep. But as Muggles say, the best things are always saved for last.”
Hermione blushed despite herself. She interpreted his words in a way he probably hadn’t even considered.
“Oh, really?” she shot back, trying to keep her composure. “And what exactly are you the best at, Ronald?”
“You’ll have to find out,” Ron said, winking at her with clearly feigned arrogance before bursting into laughter.
His laughter was contagious, and Hermione quickly joined in. For a moment, everything felt easy again, as if the months of distance had never existed.
She felt a faint flutter in her stomach. So much had happened between them, but sometimes all it took was a smile or a look to remind her why she cared for him so deeply… and why the thought of losing him frightened her so much.
They spent the next half hour studying—or at least, Hermione tried to. Unconsciously, her gaze drifted again and again to the boy sitting across from her. During the months they’d been distant, Ron had changed. He was no longer just an awkward, all-limbs boy; he’d grown, filled out.
She noticed his broad shoulders, shaped by Quidditch. The line of his neck, the way his Adam’s apple bobbed every time he swallowed. His wide chest, rising and falling with each calm breath.
And Merlin… that jaw. It was ridiculous that someone could have a jaw like that and not even realize it.
He was temptation personified. And for once, that temptation wasn’t found in the pages of a book—it was sitting right in front of her. Distracted, she bit her lip as an image crept into her mind: what it would be like if he leaned in and finally kissed her.
At that exact moment, Ron looked up.
Mortified, Hermione flushed as red as his hair and immediately dropped her gaze back to her book. But it was too late. Ron had seen her.
“Miss Granger,” he said amusedly, closing his book and standing up, “I had no idea The Best Recommendations for Apparition was so entertaining.”
Before she could react, he sat down beside her.
“Mind if I take a look too?”
Hermione froze. They were too close. Her thigh brushed against Ron’s, and at that precise point of contact, she felt an intense, almost burning heat. She didn’t move away. Neither did he.
Summoning courage worthy of Gryffindor, she looked up at his face.
She was lost.
“You like it,” she said softly, almost unsure.
“A lot,” Ron replied, meeting her gaze. “I could look at it every day and never get bored.”
She found herself trapped in those two blue oceans. For a second, she thought she could drown in them and never want to resurface.
“What if you realize it isn’t what you wanted?” she whispered.
Ron leaned in a little closer, just enough for her to feel his breath.
“I’d be a complete idiot not to want it,” he said gently.
Hermione’s last thought was, oh… Merlin, I won’t be able to take it slow.
The End