JKR’s, not JR’s.

"She wrote what?" Harry nearly dropped the handful of beetle wings he’d been counting.

Ron looked around quickly, but all the other students were busy working on their Acceleration Potions. He looked back at Harry. "Exactly. That’s what’s so brilliant about it—there was no cryptic girly nonsense." He sighed. "She’s perfect."

Harry couldn’t help but laugh at his friend’s rather rapturous expression. Ron flushed and busied himself with their cauldron, sneaking a glance across the room, where Hermione was working with Neville. She hadn’t acted any differently in the past few days, and was always quite collected, as if she knew the answer to any question anyone could possibly ask her.

Ron was slowly going mad.

He couldn’t stand that she was being so damned nonchalant. He wanted to get under her skin. He wanted to get under more than that. He wanted to pin her up against a wall and get a taste —

"Ron!"

"What?" Ron tried not to sound too annoyed at Harry’s reverie interference.

"I asked you a question!" Rom shrugged him off. Harry waggled a finger at him. "Be glad I wasn’t Snape."

Ron had to agree with that, hazarding a glance the way of the Potions Master, who was far across the room. He looked back at Harry expectantly. "Well? What was the question?"

"I asked what you’re going to do now," Harry answered with a pointed look Hermione’s direction.

Ron faltered. "Oh—er—well, to tell you the truth…I have no idea."

"Staggering genius, you are." Harry rolled his eyes.

"Oh, so you’re wickedly talented with women all of the sudden?"

Harry put his hand on his heart. "Mortal shot, Ron! How can you say such a thing to your best friend?"

"Easily; you're dating my sister," Ron said with a grin."Seriously, though, what d’you reckon I should do?"

"I dunno. Drag her into an empty classroom and snog the daylights out of her?"

"Yeah, right. She’d kill me if I did something that wasn’t on her schedule."

"Perhaps."

Ron looked at him in surprise. "Perhaps? Do you know something I don’t?"

Harry smiled enigmatically then occupied himself with the potion. "Let’s see, two pinches of dried liver of newt…

"Harry!" Ron grabbed Harry’s arm. "Not fair!"

"Who said life was fair? Where is that written?"

"Bet Hermione could tell you."

Harry chuckled. "Probably."

"But back to the subject!" Harry attempted to look innocent. "Don’t even try it. I know where you sleep."

"Oh, all right." Harry sighed dramatically. "See, Hermione tells me things she doesn’t tell you…" Ron’s eyes widened. "…and although I’m not at liberty to say much, I can tell you that a little assertiveness is never a bad thing."

Ron let out a low whistle. "Really." It wasn’t quite a question.

Harry gave him a knowing look. "Girls are odd creatures."

Ron rolled his eyes. "You’re telling me."

***

"Ron? Do you want to play chess?" He looked up from his book, surprised, to find Hermione standing beside the common room table at which he was studying. She saw the look on his face and sighed as if this was her last resort. "I’m bored."

"What, not going to study for that Potions exam coming up in six months?"

She shot him a glare. "Oh, hush up."

He shrugged. Anything to get away from Divination work. He watched as she deftly set his book aside and replaced it with his chess set, sat down in the chair next to him and looked at him expectantly. His eyebrows scrunched together slightly. "Er—Hermione, it’s your go; you’re the white pieces."

She looked down. "Yes, well, sometimes you have to break the rules, Ron," she said, carefully keeping her gaze on the chess pieces. "I say it’s your go." And then she looked up at him.

With a jolt, he realized her intent. He hid his surprise, ignored the squicky feeling in his stomach, and cocked an eyebrow at her. "Oh, really?"

Her serious expression never wavered. "Absolutely."

He paused. His eyes flicked down to the chessboard and he moved his queenside bishop in a rare opening gambit. He looked back at her intently. "Good enough for you?"

A small smile flitted across her face and she concentrated on the chessboard. "We’ll see, won’t we?"

Ron tried to breathe normally.

Hot damn.

***

They sat next to each other at the table, Harry across from them. They had been studying in relative quiet for an hour or so, and Ron decided it was time to have a little fun. Keeping his gaze steadily on his Charms book, he reached his hand under the table and slowly ran a finger over Hermione’s lower thigh. He heard her sharp intake of breath. He chanced a look at Harry, who winked and pretended to busy himself with work.

Slowly, he traced his finger across to her inner thigh and upwards, under the fabric of her uniform skirt. He felt her tense, hold her breath for a few seconds, then, miraculously, draw her legs apart a fraction of an inch. But it was enough. He continued up as far as he dared, then went to the other thigh, running his palm along the skin he found there. Her body shifted and he sneaked a glance at her. Her eyes were focused on the book in front of her, but seemed a little wide, and her cheeks were most definitely flushed. He loved it. He could have continued for hours, curious about the soft warmth of her body and the way her breath hitched a little as she tried not to seem affected.

Harry coughed. "Oh dear, look at the time."

Ron glanced at his watch. It read ‘You’re going to be late!’ in green letters, which he knew from experience would turn into a red ‘You’re late!!’ in about two minutes. He stood up, a small apologetic smile gracing his face while Harry got ready to leave. "Harry and I’d best be off to Quidditch. See you in a bit." He gathered his own things and made to walk away, Harry a few steps ahead of him.

Her low voice caught him. "It isn’t nice to tease." She looked at him, and for a split second he saw something in her eyes like the hunger he felt. But it was gone in an instant and Ron started to wonder whether he’d had any affect on her whatsoever. She waggled a finger at them. "Come back in one piece, the both of you."

Harry rolled his eyes at her with a smile on his face. "Oh, come off it. Nobody’s died in years, mum." She shot him a look and he left, chuckling. Hermione went back to her book, leaving Ron standing there, looking a little nonplussed. Then he smiled and looked around, reassuring himself that they weren’t in anyone’s line of vision. He walked up behind where she sat, knowing full well she heard him but chose to ignore him, and leaned his head down next to hers

"That wasn’t a tease," he whispered in her ear. "That was a promise."

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i know, i know, no one would say ‘hot damn’ in the hp world, but my muse was undeterrable. in other news, yay for the princess bride and blatant plaguarism! (lady norbert, i will deliver, i promise.) ps it’s been a while since i played chess (like, hmm, third grade when i was on the school team), so forgive any inaccuracy.