“Ron, you know I love you, right?�

“Mmm . . .� he whispered softly in her ear.

Lavender smiled slowly to herself with eyes half-open and moved to a more comfortable position on their blanket on the ground. They were near the Black Lake alone and away from all of the other students. Ron shifted as well, sitting up and putting a soft thumb to her cheek, cupping his hand under her chin and pulling her close to him. He looked straight into her eyes; their depth was tinged with brown and green.

Ron was looking into her eyes with such ferocity she almost wanted to cry. She loved him so much. They had only been together for a few months, but she really, truly loved the boy- man seated in front of her. She leaned in to kiss him.

And he kissed her back. He took a deep breath as their lips met and she tilted her head into his even more, taking in all of him and the kiss.

She pulled back reluctantly and licked her lips, her heart tingling with the love she felt for him.

“I love you, too.�

When he told her that, the world would stop, and she could swear she was dead. She was so alive that death had looped all the way around, and all she knew was Ronald Weasley.

He leaned behind him on the blanket, and Lavender wondered what on earth he could be doing. He returned to her, a few inches from her face, with a red rose. He looked as if he had been saving it.

“Oh, Ron, it’s beautiful.�

“I thought you’d like it.�

They sat in silence for a few moments, both thinking of something to say.

“I saw you with her earlier today.� Her eyes narrowed down.

Ron rolled his eyes and shifted her off of his lap. She always had to ruin perfect times like this with talk about Hermione.

“You know we’re nothing more than friends, Lav---�

“If that’s what you want me to think.�

Her words were enough to make Ron yell in her face about how stupid she could be sometimes, but he held his tongue. He only leaned his head towards Lavender and stared straight into her eyes.

“I love you. Not---� He suddenly paused, thinking. He did love Lavender. He did. He leaned backwards from her and closed his eyes, willing himself to think about what he had been telling her. Love. Love was an extremely strong emotion to feel, especially at his age.

But he felt it.

And it wasn’t for this girl.

“I’m . . . I’m sorry, Lavender.�

He got up from his seat on the ground. Lavender stood to go after him, but she knew he wasn’t going to come back, no matter what she said.

She dropped the rose he had given her, it symbolising the loss of their relationship as it hit the ground before she burst into hot tears, her legs melting underneath her as he walked away.

~ * ~

Ron walked into the Great Hall to find an aggrieved Hermione sitting at the table, only slowly picking at her food with a dirty fork. She didn’t seem to notice him walk up.

“Hermione, I---�

“Oh,� she said, noticing him there. “ . . . What is it, Ronald?� she asked half-heartedly. She hadn’t wanted to talk to Ron much lately, and sneaking up on her like that was something he didn’t do. He would have much rather spend time with Lavender, someone she despised with all her true being; something that she didn’t do a great deal of. And funny enough, she didn’t know why.

No, she did. She just couldn’t admit it.

“I . . . I just broke it off with Lavender,� he told her casually, giving her a smile. He sat down in a seat across from her table.

Hermione’s heart jumped. “You- you mean, you---� She allowed the sentence to hang in the air, untouched, while Ron answered.

“Yeah. I just broke up with her. I couldn’t take all the lovey-dovey stuff. You know she’s been getting on my nerves for some time now.�

Hermione smiled and her eyes lit up.

The two sat in silence for a few moments, both just pondering the day. What neither one of them knew was both of them were itching madly to get out what they needed to say, but couldn’t find the courage to say it. ‘I love yous’ were in order for them both, but they kept their lips tightened. They both wanted to say it so badly to the other, but it just didn’t happen. Though, it was true. After a few moments, Ron spoke up.

“Well, I’ll see you tonight in the common room.�

“Okay.� Hermione gave him a grin, but as soon as he had turned away to walk through the doors, it faded suddenly and she resumed her unhappy state. He had just been here! He had just been there, right in front of her, and she hadn’t said anything. She could have talked about how much she had missed him as a friend, and how happy she was on how they could take up their friendship again as nothing had happened. To her dismay, his face still bore scars of his fight with the canaries she issued from his own wand.

And then, he came back.

“Hermione,� he asked, almost at a whisper, “I know this may sound odd, but would you like to come with me to the North Tower tonight? To, erm . . . study the star charts for Trelawney’s class? I know you’re not in the class, but I . . .� He put a hand to the back of his head and scratched with nervousness. “I- I may need some help, and you would be the one to---�

“I’d love to, Ron.�

~ * ~

Ron dressed in his best robes he owned, brushed his hair a bit, and walked down the stairs and into the Gryffindor Common Room. He saw Hermione with her hair back in a loose ponytail and casual clothes and stopped immediately. He felt so dim-witted. He nonchalantly made to go back up the stairs and grunge down a bit, but his ‘date’ saw him and called to him. His eyes closed as soon as the words reached his ears. He was caught.

“Ron, did you forget something?�

“Er--- Yeah, I forgot my---�

“Gee, Ronniekins, you look adorable.�

“Yes, and whom are you taking out tonight?�

“You know that those robes you’re wearing are served for special occasions, dear. Don’t want to dirty them up, do we? Taking Lav-Lav out?�

Ron’s ears reddened worse than they ever had before, but he just ignored them. But not without first saying, “Shut up, you gits.�

When he remembered that they had left the school the year before, he automatically asked, “What the bloody hell are you two even doing here?�

“Oh, we’re here on special business.�

“Yes, we were told by Dumbledore that there were some . . . profits waiting for us in the common rooms.�

“Some first and third years are looking for a way to protect themselves from . . . You-Know-Who.�

“So we’ve shown up here to help them out. You know our latest line of products.�

“Yes, I heard them all summer,� Ron replied.

“Exactly, so no need to explain them to you, then. Shall we, Fred?�

Fred nodded and the two went down the stairs and out the common room door.

“Well, that was odd,� Hermione stated as soon as she saw the two exit, walking up to Ron. “Are you ready to go?�

Ron looked down at his robes once more, hoping that she hadn’t noticed and trying to convince himself he looked good, then nodded.

~ * ~

“So, Venus lines up with Mars when the sun aligns with all the planets? That doesn’t make any sense.�

“That would be why I dropped out of the class, Ronald. And because of that absolute hag, Trelawney.�

“She’s not as bad as the years go.� He gave her a signature grin and she had to smile. She ran her fingers through her ponytail to insure herself she looked all right.

Merlin, Hermione, she told herself. This is just you and Ron. Ron. He’s your best friend and nothing more.

But a voice in the back of her head felt like arguing.

But he could be soon.

Hermione rolled her eyes and held back a snort, but a feeling inside of her wanted it so badly. But she knew Ron didn’t feel the same way about her as she did him. He had a girlfriend! He went out with---

But Hermione soon remembered that he didn’t have a girlfriend. They had just broken up. And the first person he had told had been Hermione.

Her.