Author's note: I had submitted a challenge on the Portkey forums to anyone who wanted to write a mistletoe story in which Ron tries to get Hermione under the mistletoe in order to kiss her, but it backfires. The guidelines were as follows:
1. Ron has to have spent some time setting things up for "the perfect moment".
2. Harry can't know about Ron's plan.
3. The kiss must be in public (Common Room, Great Hall, etc.).
4. The kiss starts out timidly, but soon heats up, shocking all who witness it.
5. Harry and Hermione confess their feelings for each other.
6. Ron CANNOT be mad at the end of the story. Either he sees how perfect his two friends are for each other, another
girl enters the picture, etc., etc. Your choice.
There were some great stories submitted by Golasgil Sindar, Harrys Mistress, dupond, Bingblot, and most recently Etchelion. I tip my hat to all of them and thank them for their stories. If you haven't read them, I urge you to follow this link and do so: http://talk.portkey.org/index.php?showtopic=4622&st=0. However, this is my attempt at my own challenge.
Disclaimer: The characters in this story belong to J.K. Rowling. Thank you for creating them!
The Trouble With Mistletoe
Ron Weasley sat in his dorm room and glanced down at the sprig of mistletoe in his hands. For perhaps the hundredth time since Fred and George sent it to him, he pondered whether or not he should use it. What if I do this, and it turns out she doesn't like me? he thought. I'll be humiliated!
For the past two years, he had been harboring a tiny crush on his best friend Hermione Granger. This year, he had vowed to tell her how he felt. But his shyness when he was around her always took over, and he was tongue tied on how to do it. It wasn't until after talking to his brothers while working at their joke shop during the summer that he hit upon the idea of mistletoe. It seems Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes had just developed a type of mistletoe that floated above the intended victim's head until that person was kissed. Generally, the victim had no clue the mistletoe was there, and needless to say was very surprised upon being kissed suddenly, sometimes by a total stranger. (Hence why the Weasley boys thought it was funny!) The twins had sprigs that would vanish after one kiss, or as many as 20. For his purposes, Ron thought a "one-kisser" would do.
If I'm going to do this, then I had just better go ahead and do it, he said to himself. Steeling his nerves, he rose and headed downstairs to the common room. Several of his housemates were milling about, most gathering their books and heading to class. This is perfect, Ron thought. I'll float the mistletoe over to her, then wait until everybody clears out. When it's just the two of us, I'll point out the mistletoe, and the rest will be history!
Hermione was sitting at the large study table hastily putting her books into her bag. Ron pulled his wand, gave it a flick-and-swish motion, and whispered, "Wingardium Leviosa". The mistletoe rose and floated it's way to Hermione. Once it was over her head, flicked his wand one more time. A slight golden glow let him know the spell was in place. He watched a few moments as the sprig of mistletoe floated approximately eight inches above Hermione's head keeping time with her every movement.
Ron watched as the last of his housemates filed through the portrait hole. This is it, Weasley! It's now or never! Standing straight and tall, he strode forward. Just as he approached the table, Hermione jumped up and ran for the portrait. Ron saw his opportunity quickly fading away and he called out to her.
"Hermione!"
She stopped and turned to face him. Her face held a mixture of frustration and impatience. "What is it, Ron?" she asked briskly.
"Uh . . . um," Ron felt his resolve quickly fading.
"Can it wait? I'm running late for Arithmancy and I need to talk to Professor Vector before class starts."
Ron had known Hermione for six years now, and one thing he learned in all that time was not to come between her and her studies. Although he dreaded loosing this opportunity, he felt he had no other choice but to let her go. "Oh, yeah, sure" he said quickly. "Go ahead. I'll catch up with you at lunch."
Hermione just nodded and exited the common room. Ron slapped his palm to his forehead. Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! Why didn't I just go ahead and kiss her? Although he already knew the answer to that question. If she felt nothing in return, then not only would you have made a fool of yourself, but you would have made her late for class. She might forgive you for making a fool of yourself, but she sure wouldn't forgive you for making her late!
Ron grabbed his own bag and headed off for his Divination class. His only hope now was that no one would try to kiss her before he had a chance to see her again.
<<***>>
Hermione Granger was livid! Someone had placed some enchanted mistletoe above her head so that it followed her around. As a result, no less than ten boys tried to kiss her on her way to Arithmancy class. This only ended up making her late, and further fueling her anger.
After class was over, she sought out Professor Flitwick about removing the mistletoe. He had waved his wand and muttered a few incantations, but nothing happened. Eventually he had told her that the only way for it to go away was for her to have someone kiss her. That was not what she wanted to hear. Oh, she had plenty of boys who had offered to do the job for her, but there was only one person she wanted to help her, and she doubted he would do anything about it. Her relationship with Harry Potter had been strained lately.
She had started to fall for Harry during their fourth year, when he and Ron weren't speaking to one another, and she and Harry had been able to spend so much time together. That love had grown the following year as she saw all the problems he was going through. She had hated it when he started seeing Cho Chang, but she kept her feelings to herself, hoping beyond hope that Harry would come to his senses. It seemed that her prayers had been answered at the end of the year when Cho had started dating Michael Corner and Harry hadn't cared. But at the beginning of this year, Harry had been keeping his distance from her. Oh sure, they were still friends and still did things together, but he always seemed to be holding himself away from her. She understood why. She had been hurt at the Department of Mysteries and Harry felt it was his fault. Even though she had told him he had nothing to feel guilty for, and even though he had said he didn't, she knew that deep down he did. And so, he had stayed away from her as much as he thought he could. It was enough to make her want to scream.
Since there was nothing that Professor Flitwick could do, Hermione decided to salvage what was left of her day. She stalked off down the corridors until she came to the Great Hall. Taking a deep breath, she entered. As she suspected, once people saw the mistletoe floating above her head, everyone turned to stare. Girls giggled and boys looked hopeful. That is until she turned hateful eyes their way. After that, most everyone went back to their meals, although a few stole glances her way.
She walked down the rows of tables until she spied Ron and Harry sitting across from each other. Harry looked at her quizzically while Ron took one glance at her and immediately became engrossed in his lunch. Sighing, she sat down in the empty seat to Harry's right.
"Hi," she said dejectedly.
"Mmmm," Ron mumbled around a bite of roast beef.
Harry hadn't said a word, but rather kept staring at the mistletoe hanging above her head. After a few minutes of silence, Hermione finally turned to face him.
"What is it, Harry?" she snapped.
Harry jumped as if she had slapped him. "Hmm? Oh, nothing!" he said, and shifted his gaze down to his food.
Right! Hermione thought as she turned her attention to her own food. Then why is he blushing?
<<***>>
Harry Potter couldn't believe the things that were going through his head when he saw the mistletoe above Hermione. All he could think about was kissing her soft, luscious lips, wondering what her lip-gloss tasted like.
Stop it, Harry! he mentally berated himself. Don't do this to yourself. You can't think about her like that and you know it!!
All summer long, Harry had been plagued with thoughts of Hermione. He had owled her weekly, at first on the pretense of checking on her progress as she healed from the incident at the Department of Mysteries. But as the weeks wore on and it was obvious her recuperation was going well, he realized he was doing it just to be in communication with her. Before he knew it, he had fallen in love with her, and he felt that her feelings for him might have changed as well. That scared him. Not because he didn't want a relationship with Hermione; far from it. He would love nothing more than to walk the halls of Hogwarts with her hand in his letting everyone know that she was his girl. What scared him was the fact that a relationship with her would put her in danger, and he could not, would not, allow that to happen. And so, he had decided to put some distance between them. It had pained him to do so, and he could tell that she was hurt as well, but it had to be done.
They ate their lunch in an unnatural silence, a silence that made Harry want to pull his hair out. After another few minutes of this, he decided to try and get a conversation going.
"So, uh, Hermione," he began. "What . . . I mean, how . . ." He paused trying to gather his thoughts. "What's with the mistletoe?" He regretted the words as soon as he said them, but there they were. He saw Hermione stiffen and set her fork down. The strangest look passed over her face. Harry couldn't tell if she was angry or sad. He risked a glance at Ron, but his other best friend's face had gone pale and he was thoroughly engrossed in the roll he was buttering. He turned his attention back to Hermione and saw her staring at him.
"If you must know," she said icily, "someone has decided to play a joke on me this Christmas. One I do not think is funny. And whenever I find out who did this, they are going to wish they had never been born!"
Harry thought he heard Ron gulp.
"So . . . ," Harry said. "I assume that you have to, uh, kiss someone before the mistletoe goes away?" Hermione nodded. "And I also assume that you've talked to Professor Flitwick and there's nothing he can do." She nodded again. "Then what's the problem? Just have someone kiss you and the mistletoe goes away, no harm done!"
Hermione looked at him for a moment, as if pondering how to say what she wanted. Finally she spoke. "This is probably going to sound very silly to you. My family has always been big on Christmas traditions. Every year while growing up, my parents had the perfect tree. We decorated the house from top to bottom, and my dad too pride in draping the house in lights. Mum went all out in baking the candies and sweets associated with the season.
"One of the traditions we always kept was the sprig of mistletoe hanging in the doorway. I remember watching my parents walk underneath it several times a day, just to get a kiss from the other. At first I thought it was silly, but as I got older, I realized they did it because they loved each other. It was so romantic. Ever since then, I've wanted the kisses I received from under the mistletoe to always be from the one I love." As she finished, Harry noticed she was staring at him.
"That would be nice," he said softly. They sat and stared into each other's eyes for long moments, neither of them willing to move. The sound of Ron clearing his throat snapped them back to the present.
"Yeah, well," he said. "That doesn't look like it's going to be possible."
Hermione sighed.
"Although," Ron added. "I - I c-could p-p-p-probably . . . uh. That is I w-w-wouldn't mind . . . um."
"What is it, Ron?" she asked.
"I'llkissyouHermione," he said in a rush.
"What?" she and Harry said at the same time.
"I said that I'll kiss you, Hermione," he said timidly. His face was nearly as red as his hair. "After all, you said you wanted your kisses to be from someone you loved. And I know that you love me as a friend." He tried to keep the bitterness out of his voice. "So technically, you still get your wish."
Hermione smiled a sad smile and looked at Ron. "Thank you, Ron. I suppose you're right." She turned to look at Harry. "No sense holding out for something that will never happen."
Harry couldn't help but notice the sad look in her eyes. He looked over at Ron and thought he saw a smug smile on the redhead's face.
"So, do you want to do it now, or wait until we get back to the common room?" Ron asked. He had obviously gained his courage, now that Hermione had agreed to let him kiss her.
"Um, let's wait," she said.
Harry thought about Ron kissing Hermione, and instantly felt queasy. Jumping up from the table, he grabbed his book bag.
"I've got to go," he said hastily.
"Where are you going?" Hermione asked.
"I've got . . . stuff I need to do." With that, he left them sitting at the table as he quickly walked toward the entrance to the Great Hall. Images of Ron and Hermione's lips pressed together flashed into his mind, and he felt the bile rising in the back of his throat. Once outside the Great Hall, he leaned against the wall and slid to the floor.
"Why does the thought of Ron kissing her upset me so much?" Harry asked himself.
Because you love her and you don't want anyone else to touch her! his mind answered.
"That's beside the point."
Is it?
"Yes. Besides, this was my choice. I decided to push her away for her own safety, and now I've got to live with the consequences. I have no right to get upset if she gets together with Ron. At least she'll be happy!"
Will she? Based on the looks she was giving you in there, it was like she was practically begging you to kiss her!
"No! I can't think that way."
Why not?
"Because . . ."
. . . she'll not be safe if she's with you, blah, blah, blah. You've used this same argument before.
"But it's true!"
How do you know?
"Because Voldemort will try to target her!"
She's already a target because she's Muggle-born. Do you really think she would be even more of a target if Voldemort found out you love her? He already knows that she's your friend and he hasn't done anything yet!
Harry thought about that for a moment. That had to be true. Lucius Malfoy himself had called her by name that day in Diagon Alley before their second year. Obviously Draco had filled him in on everything Harry did at Hogwarts. And there was no doubt that the elder Malfoy had relayed everything he knew about Harry to Voldemort. So it stood to reason that Voldemort knew about Hermione practically from the day Harry met her. The only dangers she had been in were the ones she willingly placed herself in. That didn't mean that she wouldn't be in danger in the future. But Harry knew Hermione well enough to know that she could take care of herself.
Harry stood and straightened his robes. With a renewed determination, he re-entered the Great Hall.
<<***>>
Hermione had been silent ever since Harry left the table, and Ron didn't want to do anything to further upset her. He had tried to finish his lunch, but the thought of finally getting to kiss Hermione caused butterflies to dance in his stomach. Now, he was just getting anxious.
"So," he said with a smile. "Are you ready to go and do this?"
Hermione looked up at him blankly. "I guess so." Her voice was flat and hollow.
Geez! She could show at least a little enthusiasm!
Ron stood and she followed his lead. Just as they were about to leave the table, the doors to the Great Hall opened. Harry walked in with a look of determination on his face.
Uh, oh, Ron thought. This is not good.
<<***>>
Hermione sighed as she gathered her things. She had really wanted Harry to kiss her, but apparently he didn't feel about her the way that she thought he did. She had even made up that ridiculous story about her parents hoping he would feel sympathy for her. At least Ron had offered to help her with her problem, which is more than Harry did.
Ron, Hermione thought. He's such a good friend. I wish that I could feel for him the way I feel about Harry, but I don't. There's just no spark there. I truly hope that one day he will be able to find someone who will love and care for him the way he deserves.
Resigning herself to her fate, Hermione started to move toward the Great Hall doors, when suddenly they burst open. Harry came striding down the aisle with a purposeful look in his eyes.
Those eyes. If anyone wants to know Harry, all they have to do is look at those eyes. Everything he is thinking or feeling can be seen in them. Right now, I can see everything that is going on inside that mind of his. Determination. Turmoil. Fear. Love . . . love?!
<<***>>
Harry didn't say a word as he walked up to Hermione. He really didn't think he could if he wanted to, and right now he didn't want to. He didn't want to do anything that would cause him to loose his focus on this moment. Instead, he stopped in front of her, cupped her face in his hands, and kissed her.
It started out timid and meek, but eventually deepened into something more meaningful. Harry pulled back to look at her. Her eyes were still closed and her lips were slightly parted. A soft moan escaped her lips, and that was all the prompting he needed. He kissed her again, only this time he put months of longing and desire into the kiss. Harry dropped one hand to her waist and threaded the other in her hair, pulling her closer. She responded by wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling herself up to meet him.
Harry ran his tongue across her bottom lip and Hermione opened her mouth to him. Their tongues fought one another for supremacy. Harry had never experienced anything that felt this good before. Eventually they parted, both of them feeling the need to breathe.
"Wow," Harry said softly.
"I agree," Hermione smiled and ran a finger across his jaw line. He closed his eyes at her touch. "So. What took you so long?"
"Somebody had to talk some sense into me."
"Must have been quite a conversation."
"Oh, it was," he laughed. "Believe me." His laugh died away and his face became serious. "Hermione, I've been a fool."
"You'll get no argument from me," she laughed softly.
"I'm serious. Sometime this past summer, I fell in love with you, and that scared me. Not because I was afraid to love you, but because I was afraid something bad would happen to you. So, I tried to push you away.
"But there were two things I forgot to take into account. First, Voldemort is after all Muggle-borns. So whether you are with me or not, you still are in danger. I realized this and the only thing I can do is promise you I will always be there for you."
"And what was the second thing?"
He smiled. "That you are the smartest witch I know. And if anyone can take care of themselves against Voldemort and his Death Eaters, it's you."
"You're just now figuring this out?" she teased.
"I'm a little thick-headed sometimes," he answered.
"True," Hermione said. "But I love you anyway."
"I love you too, Hermione."
With that, he captured her lips with his again to the applause of the entire Great Hall. Neither of them noticed that their other best friend was missing.
<<***>>
Ron watched in horror as Harry walked right up to Hermione, took her face in his hands, and kissed her without missing a beat. The mistletoe dissolved in a shower of golden sparks.
No!, the words screamed through his brain. That was supposed to be me!
He stood there, dumbfounded, as the rest of the Great Hall stared in wonder at the display going on before them. Harry pulled back to look at Hermione, whose eyes were closed. Then he pulled her close and kissed her again. This time it turned into a full-blown snog.
Ron sighed. There was no possible way that he could deny there was passion between his two best friends. It struck him then that Hermione must have felt this way about Harry for some time.
She sure wouldn't have been kissing me like that! he thought bitterly. Though it pained him, he had to admit that it seemed his two best friends belonged together. While he was hurt that his dreams of Hermione ever liking him were now over, he was happy that Harry and Hermione had found each other. He bowed his head and walked slowly and quietly away. He slipped through the doors unnoticed and headed down the corridor to Gryffindor Tower.
About halfway to his destination, Ron ran into Luna Lovegood . . . literally. He picked himself up off the floor before offering her a helping hand.
"Sorry, Luna," he said quietly. "I guess I wasn't looking where I was going."
"That's okay," she replied, her eyes wide. "I actually meant to do that."
Ron looked at her, puzzled. "You meant to knock me down?"
"Yes," she answered. "I'd been calling your name for the past couple of minutes, but you keep on walking. I had to do something to get your attention."
Ron just stared at her. She really is loony! After a minute of silence he finally said, "Well, you've got my attention now. What did you want?"
"Oh," Luna said, coming back to reality. "I wanted to give you something."
"What?" he asked impatiently.
"This." Luna grabbed him by the robes and pulled him into a kiss, only it wasn't just a kiss. It was an all-out, toe-curling, blood-boiling kiss that caused Ron to blush from the tips of his toes to the roots of his hair.
Finally, she let him go and Ron was able to breathe again. Gasping for air, he stared at her. For the first time since he had known her did he really see her. He looked past the quirky personality and flaky attitude, and saw a young woman with flowing blonde hair and wide, piercing blue eyes. His breath caught. She was amazingly beautiful!
"I've wanted to do that for some time," Luna said, all traces of her former flakiness gone. "I just never had the nerve."
"What gave you the nerve now?" he asked. "Not that I mind!" he added, giving her a quick smile.
She just smiled and pointed above his head. He looked up to see a familiar sprig mistletoe hanging above his head. He was a little surprised to see it still floating there.
"I ordered it from your brothers a month ago," she said. "Only I went all out and bought the twenty-kisser!"
Ron looked and saw the seductive glint in her eyes. He grinned and leaned in for his second kiss.
This is definitely going to be the best Christmas ever!