�Over here.� Hermione got down on her hands and knees and crawled in the general direction of Ron�s voice. Suddenly, she ran into something very solid.
�Ouch, Hermione. That was my head.� Hermione was so scared by the storm that she put her arms around Ron and refused to let go.
�Hermione, I can�t go reset the circuit and get the lights back on unless you let me go.�
�Well, I don�t want to lose you again.�
�Okay, then here. Hold my hand.� A calloused hand reached over and took Hermione�s delicate hand and began leading her around aimlessly in the dark. Their only light came from the lightning barraging outside.
�I have found the circuit box,� came Ron�s voice, after looking for about fifteen minutes. He flipped a couple of switches and swore under his breath.
�We have no power.�
�What are we going to do?� came Hermione�s terrified voice.
�Not much to do but sit and wait for the lights to come back on.�
�Ron, they may not come on for a long time!�
�Okay, Hermione, tell me what I�m supposed to do about that.�
She could tell by the tone in his voice that Ron was getting irritated and scared. And maybe part of that was the thought of the prospect of spending the night with her in the dark.
�Ron? Promise me something.�
�What?�
�Promise that you won�t leave me.�
Ron paused a moment before promising to remain with her until they had power again.
Although Hermione�s nerves were jangling, she was still tired and wanted to go to bed. She could tell by the tone in Ron�s voice that he was exhausted.
�Hermione?�
�Yeah?�
�Let�s go to bed.�
Ron led Hermione down the hall to her room, where he lit a candle he had found in the kitchen for her to get in her pajamas. She dressed quickly, not wanting to be alone for a long time.
She slipped back through the door with the candle in her silk pajamas. She handed the candle to Ron and took his hand again. They progressed down the hall to his bedroom, where he dressed quickly while Hermione waited outside. Then they crawled into the big king sized bed and laid there for over an hour, just talking. Finally, Ron couldn�t take it anymore.
�Hermione?�
�Yes?�
�There�s something that I�ve been meaning to ask you. I�ve been too afraid to, though. I�ve been afraid of how you would react and what you would say. But it has come to the point where I need to ask it because I need to know.� Hermione heard the nightstand drawer open and close and heard a box open and snap close.