“WON-WON!� Lavender Brown’s joyful squeal sailed down the corridor and directly into the very red ears of Ronald Weasley.





“Harry,� he pleaded, “Please make her go away!�





Harry chuckled as his friend was knocked to the ground in a torrent of blonde hair and baby noises.





“Oh, Won-Won,� Lavender cooed as she covered his now scarlet complexion with kisses, “I missed my Won-Won! Did he miss me, too?�





“Mph phaffa gehBLEH!� Ron promptly gave up his strangled attempts of protest upon receiving a rather large portion of Lavender’s hair in his mouth.





“Eeeew, Wonnie!� Lavender giggled as he batted at the light strands hanging in his face.





“I’ll uh, meet you back in the Common Room, eh Ron?� Harry grinned.





Ron’s helpless expression quickly turned to panic as he let out a muffled whimper. Harry gave him some encouraging eyebrow wiggles before mouthing “Go on,� so that Lavender couldn’t hear.





Ron looked absolutely miserable, but he gave Harry a half-nod as he watched him disappear up the smooth stone steps to the common room.





By the time Harry climbed through the portrait hole, Hermione had already tucked herself away in a far corner where she sat at a table, pouring over several thick textbooks. Bits of parchment littered the polished surface and Harry feared that the expression of immense vexation on her face might soon become permanent. In fact, the zest with which she normally completed her homework seemed to have been replaced by method of savage attack. Still, whatever was bothering her appeared to diminish slightly at the sight of Harry cautiously approaching.





“Hi, Harry,� she said distractedly, then went back to her almost brutal page-turning.





“Hey,� he said, still wondering as to whether or not he should stay. He finally decided he would be safe enough sitting across the table; that way if she decided to spit fire, he might have room to escape.





They worked in silence, except for the constant rustle of paper and scratching of quills. Suddenly, Harry felt Hermione’s eyes on him, studying him. He looked up as she glanced away and pretended to be immersed in a particularly large and grimy book. As he turned his own attention back to his parchment, however, he sensed her scrutinizing gaze once more. He squirmed.





“What?� he asked.





Hermione started.





“Oh! No, uh … I was just … nothing,� she finished lamely, shaking her head. She propped her book up on the table, giving a tiny sigh.





Harry dipped his quill into his ink pot and poised it over his still very bare parchment, then completely forgot what he was supposed to be writing. He gazed absently across the table and realized that Hermione had been peering at him over the top of her book.





“Look, Hermione,� he said, feeling slightly annoyed, “Is there something the matter or have I just got a giant bogey hanging out my nose that you’re afraid to tell me about?�





Hermione’s mouth hinted at the start of a smile, but quickly changed to concern.





“Harry,� she began, looking him straight in the eyes, almost pleadingly. “Are you…? I mean, you … Harry, you are being careful, aren’t you?�





Harry blinked at her.





“Well, I just … you know it’s just that Ginny, of all people, knows –“





Harry bumped his knee so hard underneath the table that his ink well nearly spilled.





“- how dangerous relying on a book can be,� she finished, clearly pretending not to have noticed this painful reflex.





“Hermione,� Harry said, grimacing slightly, “We’ve been over this a hundred times and I’ve already told you that I don’t think the Prince is keen on possessing people and personally, I’m quite happy about not failing Potions.�





Hermione, looking quite huffy indeed, opened her mouth to retort when she was interrupted by an ear-splitting yowl.





“I HATE YOU, RON WEASLEY, AND I HOPE YOU FALL OFF YOUR BROOMSTICK AND BREAK YOUR BLOODY NECK!�





Every head in the common room turned as a puffy-eyed, tear-stained Lavender burst through the portrait hole and up the winding stairs to the girl’s dormitory. Several girls hurried to follow her, casting threatening glances at Ron, who was now standing, stunned, in the middle of the room.





Harry winced. Hermione, who’s mouth had been hanging slightly open, snapped it back shut.





Slowly, Ron made his way to the corner, blushing profusely and trying to ignore the many eyes boring into him as he passed. Once he reached the table, he promptly plopped down next to Harry and buried his head in his hands.





“Good,� said Harry. “Looks like that went well.�





Ron groaned.





“So you two are over then?� Hermione more stated than asked, raising her eyebrows.





“Well, considering she wants me dead, I suppose that’s one conclusion,� Ron replied frostily.





“Oh, don’t be dramatic, Ronald,� Hermione sighed. “If she honestly wanted you dead, she would have used that long hair of hers to strangle you or something.�





Harry snorted.





“She did a fairly good job of that when she wasn’t angry,� he chuckled.





“Anyway,� Hermione continued, “I don’t expect she particularly fell for your sleeping act every time she came to visit you in the hospital wing.�





Ron gave a rather sheepish half-grin, then frowned and stared at his hands.





“I haven’t been screamed at like that since Mum’s Howler second year,� he muttered.





He shook his head and paused for a moment, frowning again, then looked over his shoulder toward the stairs.





“Girls,� he said, scowling grumpily.





Hermione narrowed her eyes into slits and shook her head in disbelief. Harry noticed just in time to stop her from making a rude suggestion.





“AH-HA!� he announced loudly, shooting her a warning glance. Ron looked as though Harry might have sprouted some large, fluffy wings.





“Er,� he continued awkwardly, “Now … now she’s gone and uh … and good on ya, mate!� he finished enthusiastically.





Ron nodded slowly, still rather surprised by Harry’s sudden outburst.





“Anyway,� he sighed, “I’m glad that’s done with.�





“You have NO idea,� said Hermione under her breath.





“Hm?� Both boys looked at her.





“Nothing,� she lied, “I was just trying to find a spell.�





She went back to flipping pages. Ron studied her closely. He could have sworn he heard her say “You have no idea,� but perhaps it was merely his own secret longing playing tricks on him …

“Alright, Hermione?� She, Ron, and Harry all looked up to see Grayson Leeland, a handsome seventh year with deep brown eyes and a lop-sided grin, standing near their table.



“Oh, hi Grayson!� Hermione beamed.



Please die, Grayson, Ron thought as he snatched up a quill and began savagely twisting it.



He couldn’t help but notice that ever since Grayson had commented upon Hermione’s “exceptional brilliance� a few weeks ago, she had gotten into the disgusting habit of blushing every time he looked her way.



“You wouldn’t happen to have an extra quill lying about, would you?� the older boy asked, cocking his head to the side and flashing a gorgeous smile.



“Oh! Um, let me check,� Hermione said and began fishing around in her bag.




“Ron!� Harry hissed, then nudged his friend sharply in the ribs.



“OW! What, Harry?!� Ron snapped.



“Stop twisting already. The quill’s dead.�



Ron glanced down at the mess of ink, feathers and to his disgust, blood that was now smeared into his palms. Hermione emerged from her searching, triumphantly raising a slightly dusty quill, and handed it to Grayson.



“Thanks, Hermione,� he grinned.



Hermione blushed. Ron looked as though he’d like to puke. Instead, he began gathering up soiled bits of feathers to throw away. Hermione suddenly saw his hands and let out a tiny yelp, which startled the still seething Ron so much that he dropped the feathers again.



“Ron! That was my quill,� she said moodily. “And what have you done to your hands?�



She waved goodbye to Grayson, then came around to Ron and grabbed his forearm to help him up.



“Don’t touch anything, Ron,� she said, “This is a mess.�



She began pulling him across the room and towards the fireplace. Ron soon become aware of the suspicious and steely glances (mostly from friends of Lavender) thrown at him from all sides of the common room and hung back. Hermione, who had yet to notice, continued to yank on his arm, giving Ron the appearance of an elderly dog being forlornly dragged along on his evening walk.



“UGH! Ronald, come ON!� Hermione began, but stopped abruptly as she too realized the thoughts that were sure to be flying through everyone’s heads at the moment.



“Right,� she murmured, coloring slightly and quickly let go of Ron’s arm. “Let’s try … um … not here, shall we?� and she hurried away towards the door. Ron made sure to keep his head down as he shuffled after her.




They emerged from the common room, trying very hard not to look at each other as they could still hear excited whispering behind them. Hermione sighed and started down the stairs, Ron trailing behind. Neither one said a word until they stood outside of the girl’s Prefect bathroom.



Ron looked at it quizzically, then down at his soiled hands, then at Hermione, who quickly scanned the corridor to assure their solitude before slipping through the doorway, yanking a slightly protesting Ron through after her. Once inside, she turned the lock and slowly traced the outline of the door with her wand while performing a muffling charm.



“I’d hate to have to explain what I was doing locked in the girls’ bathroom with a boy,� she said, laughing lightly, then turning back.



Ron raised his eyebrows. “What are you doing locked in the girls’ bathro-“



“Oh hush, Ronald!� Hermione rolled her eyes and moved to a gleaming row of sinks where she filled one with warm water, then added a few pinches of pink path salt from a small glass jar on the counter.



Ron immediately wrinkled his nose and backed away.




“Alright, put your hands in here and let them soak for a while,� Hermione said, motioning towards the rosy mixture.




“Like hell!� he retorted.




In fact, her request was met by such a look of flabbergasted horror that she finally had to resort to physically dragging Ron to the sink and holding him by the wrists to keep his hands submerged in the water. She waggled them back and forth a bit before demanding that he keep still and releasing her grip to drain the sink. Crimson water and feathers swirled away down the pipes, but much of the ink and splinters remained embedded in Ron’s skin.




“Well what was the point of that?!� Ron asked sniffing distastefully at his hands. “I smell like Ginny!�




Hermione shook her head as she spread a clean towel on the counter next to the sink.




“You’re right, Ron, how could I have possibly been so silly?� Hermione said with a tone that sounded suspiciously like sarcasm, “For what could be a more satisfying aroma than bloody feathers?�




Ron glared at her. Ignoring this completely, Hermione grabbed a hold of his wrists once more and laid his hands palms up on the towel.




“Do you want these out or not?� she asked, indicating the tiny quill shards.




Ron grumbled incoherently until a stern look from Hermione shut him up.




Then she took out her wand and began waving and muttering. Almost immediately, the tiny slivers began loosening themselves from Ron’s hands and hovering in a small cluster.







Swish, flick, swish, flick. “Win ::grumblegrumble :: osa.�




“So you do realize, Hermione,� Ron began rather condescendingly, “that that Grayson Leeland is an absolute git?�




Hermione stopped what she was doing and raised her eyebrows at him.




“Ron,� she replied in a similar tone, “Name one boy that talks to me, other than Harry or Neville, who you don’t think is an absolute git.�




Ron’s eyes became very round.




“Well that’s .. that’s not even,� he stammered, concentrating very hard on the tiny cracks in the floor, “That’s not true at all.�




Hermione said nothing and went back to charming the splinters out of Ron’s hand, looking rather pleased with herself .




“Hold on,� Ron said, realization finally dawning on him, “You’re only using Wingardium Leviosa! I could’ve done that myself! And without the girly … whatever that was!�




A faint blush painted Hermione’s cheeks but she only bent closer, pretending to be lost in concentration as the last splinters soared into the air. Then she pointed her wand at the cluster and tipped them into the sink. Ron watched glumly as they swirled down the drain.




“You just didn’t think I could do it, did you?� Ron asked crossly. “You just had to show me that you were better, didn’t you?!�




Hermione looked up in confusion and anger. “Ron, I was only trying to help!� she exclaimed, “That spell was only for the quill and I haven’t started on the ink yet so if you could just-“




“I’ll do it myself, thanks!� Ron snapped, and he pushed past her to rub his hands roughly under a stream of cold water.




Feeling rather slighted, Hermione gazed around the room, unsure of what to do. When she looked back at Ron, he was still scrubbing angrily to no avail. He glanced at her bewildered reflection in the mirror, then back to the sink again, determined to remove the ink by himself.




“The only reason you’ve got your wand in such a knot, Ronald,� Hermione said shakily, “Is because you can’t stand the fact that maybe someone is interested in me for a change!�




Ron snorted. “Yeah, I suppose he’ll never have to buy his own quill again. Perhaps he could just borrow your homework, too. Or maybe you could just do it for him.�




Hermione was very close to shouting as she struggled to control her anger. “Well, perhaps you’d like to teach him, then! You must be an expert at it by now!�




Ron glared at her as she blasted the muffling charm off of the door, causing a shower of dust to cascade onto the floor. As she yanked the door open and threw herself out into the corridor, Ron thought he heard a suppressed sob escape her quickly retreating form.

The next few hours in the common room seemed to last for days as Harry sat in irritable silence between his positively seething friends. He had long since given up trying to force conversation between them, as doing so proved to be about as effective as determining whether or not Blast-Ended Skrewts had heads. (Ever since Hagrid’s class in his fourth year, when Hagrid had invited the students to prepare mounds of food for the repulsive beasts, Harry had been very suspicious that they hadn’t any.) Of course, both Ron and Hermione talked to Harry occasionally. Still, it was so painfully obvious that they were ignoring each other that nothing they said ended up being very important.





“Well, Harry,� Ron said loudly, “Whadya say we head down to lunch, eh?�





“Oh, Harry,� began Hermione, pretending she hadn’t heard Ron, “I almost forgot to ask you … erm … who is it Gryffindor’s competing against in tomorrow’s match?�





Harry sighed in exasperation, raking a hand through his unruly black hair.





“Are you two completely mental?�





Ron and Hermione both shifted sulkily, neither of them looking at Harry.





“Honestly,� Harry exclaimed, looking pointedly at each of them, “You’re acting like first years!�





“Hey!� squeaked a tiny first year as he glared at Harry from the depths of a giant, cushy armchair.





Harry ignored him and gathered up his books.





“See you later,� he said shortly as he strode off toward the other end of the common room.





“Well, nice going, Hermione,� Ron muttered a moment later.





“Me?� she hissed incredulously, “You’re the one who’s got himself all worked up about a stupid quill!�





“A quill? You really think that’s what this is all about, do you?� Ron asked, turning to face her for the first time.





“Or perhaps it’s the boy who borrowed it?� Hermione said coolly, looking determinedly back at him. Ron colored slightly.





“Or maybe this is about you thinking you’re better than everyone else and not caring what anyone else thinks, even if they’re your friends!� he shot back.





For a long moment, Hermione simply stared at him. “You honestly believe that I think myself better than everyone else?� she demanded in a slightly unsteady voice.





“Well why else would you choose not to listen to one of your best friends?� Ron replied angrily, ignoring the fact that Hermione now looked close to tears. “You know, it was right good luck that Harry was with me when I was poisoned because I doubt you would have cared enough to help.�





It was clear from Ron’s expression that he had regretted these words the moment they left his mouth. Hermione was no longer on the verge of tears - positively beside herself, she had dissolved into a fit of crying. All around them, students began to look up, pointing and whispering excitedly. Ron lunged forward, desperate to take back his words.





“Hermione, I didn’t –“





But his voice caught in his throat as she stood, trembling, and looked him straight in the eyes. What Ron saw there was not the livid anger that he had expected, but instead, a montage of anguished disappointment that turned his insides to ice. Before he could call her back, Hermione had fled from the common room, her sobs echoing all the way up the stairs to the dormitories.





Ron swore loudly, then turned to see Harry halted halfway through the portrait hole. He seemed to be seriously reconsidering his decision to come back so soon. Ron sank dejectedly into an armchair, nearly sitting on a second – year girl who squealed and leapt out of the way. Meanwhile, the door to the portrait hole was bumping impatiently against Harry’s legs as the Fat Lady muttered something about “no respect� and “things to do.� He sighed resignedly and climbed the rest of the way into the common room.





After depriving the same second-year of yet another seat, Harry plopped down next to Ron. They sat in silence, watching the flames in the fireplace as they fervently devoured the kindling. Even with the firelight playing across his face, Harry noticed that Ron had turned slightly green.


“Do I even want to know what just happened?� Harry asked quietly, still staring into the fire.





Ron gave him a heavy sidelong glance before lurching forward, having just received a rather sound cuffing to the back of the head. Both boys whipped around in their chairs to find Ginny towering over Ron, her eyes blazing.





“What the bloody hell was that for??!!� Ron demanded angrily, massaging his neck.





“For being a right foul git, that’s what!� Ginny spat, then rounded on Harry. “And you! How could you just let him talk to her like that?!�





“I didn’t. I wasn’t there,� Harry said quickly, feeling his face heat up under her glare. “I don’t even know what he said.�





Ron gave a guilty squirm next to him. Both Harry and Ginny turned to look at him expectantly.





“Well?!� Ginny demanded.





“Well, I expect she’s already told you, hasn’t she?� Ron snapped.





“Yeah, and now you’re going to tell Harry,� said Ginny as though she was speaking to a five-year-old.





“Don’t tell me what to do!� Ron retorted.





“Fine, then I’ll tell him myself!�





“Make it up’s more like it!�





Ginny gave him another hearty smack in the back of the head.





“Look, it doesn’t matter what he said,� Harry practically shouted. “Obviously it was enough to upset Hermione!�





“Upset her? I have half a mind to take her to the hospital wing on account of her eyes being swollen shut!� Ginny exclaimed.





Harry stared at Ron, who had made a rapid transition from green to magenta and was beginning to look rather panicked.





“What should I do?� he asked in a very small, desperate voice.





This seemed to soften Ginny quite a bit, as she shook her head and perched on the edge of a low table.





“You’d best go talk to her, mate,� said Harry.





“And say what?� asked Ron, “Oh, I’m terribly sorry but I seemed to have gone temporarily insane. I do hope we can still be friends!�





Rather than being irritated, however, Harry and Ginny seemed to be seriously considering his sarcastic proposal. Realizing this, Ron scowled at the pair of them.





“Oh, come off it!� he huffed, “I’m not even allowed in the girls’ dormitory!�





“Since when have you ever followed rules?� countered Ginny.





Ron opened and closed his mouth, clearly searching for an intelligent argument. Meanwhile, Harry had jumped up from his chair and disappeared up the stairs to the dormitories.





“Where’s he going?� Ron asked, half-raising himself out of his chair and panicking more than ever. “I didn’t want him to talk to her!�





“Calm down,� said Ginny, shoved her brother back into his chair, “Hermione isn’t in the boys’ dormitory.�





“Oh, right, right,� Ron muttered absently, picking at a stray end of his sweater.





Harry reappeared a moment later carrying a silvery bundle. He dumped it unceremoniously into Ron’s lap before sitting on Ginny. Apparently, she had filled his seat upon his absence.





“Ouch!� she yelped as Harry vaulted back out of the chair, blushing scarlet.





“Sorry,� he muttered.





Ron was staring at the shimmering heap in his lap with a look of utter astonishment on his face.





“Harry,� he said, eyes wide, “You don’t honestly want me to –“





“Yes, Ron, I really think you need to go up there and apologize to Hermione once and for all,� said Harry, who was still recovering from his latest humiliation.





“But why do I need-“





“Ron, use your head,� Ginny interrupted. “The Invisibility Cloak will keep you from getting caught, and now you have no excuse so get on with it!�





Ron swallowed with difficulty, eyeing the cloak miserably. Then, slowly, his fingers closed around the bundle and he lifted himself gingerly out of his chair. Ginny and Harry watched as he warily made his way to the stairs, completely absorbed in his own thoughts of imminent doom and destruction.

Ron stared at the flight of stairs in front of him. Glancing over his shoulder, he threw the invisibility cloak over his head and carefully placed his foot on the first stair. Immediately, his nerves took control and he put it back on the ground, irritably wiping his sweaty palms on the front of his sweater. Once again, he mounted the first step, taking a deep breath and blowing it out again with so much force that the cloak slipped off of him and onto the floor.



Ron sighed in exasperation and snatched it up again, bunching it into a wad and stuffing it under his arm. Determination set on every inch of his face, he stomped purposefully up the first six steps as they promptly turned into a giant marble slide and sent him back down again.

“Oof,� he grunted as his backside came into sharp contact with the stone at the bottom of the slide. What little nerve he had possessed earlier was quickly retreating as he stared with longing apprehension at the door to the girl’s dormitories.



Then, without warning, it swung open and an extremely moody Lavender began stomping her way down the stairs, Parvati trailing obediently behind her.



Seizing his chance, Ron quickly threw the cloak over his head, moved to the other side of the wall and started creeping past them and up the stairs. But once again, they transformed into a slippery ramp, this time sending both Ron and the girls down the remaining steps. The volume of Lavender and Parvati’s shrieks nearly shattered his eardrums as he scrambled to cover himself with the cloak and stay clear of the wildly flailing limbs flying dangerously close to him. Somewhere in the middle of all that chaos, he felt a hand grip his sweater through the cloak, pulling him sharply away from the staircase. A moment later, Ginny whisked the cloak off and handed it to Harry, who tucked it hastily under his arm.



“Sorry,� Ginny whispered, “Forgot about the spell on that staircase.�



“Yeah, thanks for that,� Ron muttered in annoyance, rubbing his ears, which were still ringing. Behind him, Lavender and Parvati were still clawing at thin air and, apparently convinced that Peeves was floating just above their heads, cursing him to oblivion.



“McGonagall will be having a fit if those two don’t hush up,� said Harry, glancing behind him.



“I’m on it,� sighed Ginny, walking back toward the stairs.



After a few minutes, the shouting miraculously stopped and Ginny sauntered back to Ron and Harry, looking rather pleased with herself.



“My God, I think I’ve gone deaf,� Harry said, faking panic and clapping his hands over his ears. Ginny grinned. “But seriously,� he whispered, taking a quick look over his shoulder again, “how did you do that because this is the most glorious silence I’ve ever experienced.�



“Nargles,� Ginny answered simply, shrugging her shoulders and brushing a fiery strand of hair off her face. “It’s pathetic really, how gullible they are.�



Harry smiled as an image of Luna Lovegood popped into his head, valiantly defending the existence of the mysterious nargles.



“Well, it might as well have been nargles,� Ron muttered darkly, shoving his hands in his pockets. “It’s no use. I’ve tried everything.�



Ginny raised her eyebrows. “So you’ve told her you fancy her, then?� she asked.



“Wh- I,� Ron stuttered, shaking his head in what he hoped was a convincing display of utter confusion and failing miserably. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.�



“It’s rather obvious Ron,� sighed Ginny. She glanced at Harry, who nodded in agreement.



“No, it’s not obvious,� Ron said mockingly. “The only thing that’s obvious is that you two seem to have gone completely mental because there is nothing – “



“She still writes to Victor, you know,� Ginny interrupted.



Caught slightly off guard, Ron opened and closed his mouth a few times before he shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly and scuffed his shoes against the frayed edges of an oriental rug.



“Then you know he’s asked her to marry him,� Harry said calmly.



“WHAT?!� Ron exploded, earning startled looks from everyone in the common room.



“He’s joking, Ron,� said Ginny quickly, as she and Harry tried desperately to keep their faces composed.



Ron stood seething in front of them, his breath coming in angry gusts and his face bypassing purple.



“You’re right, Ron,� said Harry finally, his expression turning serious, “It’s not obvious.�



He caught Ginny’s eye and they both collapsed into howls of laughter, punctuated with snorts and gasps.



“Oh, you’re really clever,� Ron snapped irritably, as his friends struggle to contain their giggles.



Shaking his head in frustration, he stalked out of the common room, ignoring his friends’ stifled attempts to call him back.



* * *



It was already well into the afternoon as Ron made his way across the Quidditch pitch with his broom. He could almost taste the frost hanging in the air as the clouds moved ominously closer. As he pushed hard off of the frozen ground and soared into the air, he willed himself to concentrate on the weightlessness of flight and nothing else. Frigid air rushed past him, ruffling his hair and stinging his eyes as he dove and swooped. Still, he willed them to stay open as he soared higher and higher, then spiraled back toward the earth, stopping no more than a foot from the ground.



By now, Ron’s eyes were streaming from the stress of keeping them open against the bitter cold. He wiped them on the scratchy wool of his sleeves, then tilted his head back and squinted at the clouds as a fat raindrop fell across his forehead. His face set in grim determination, he pushed back off the ground again, completely unaware of the pair of deep brown eyes that were following him from a darkened window, high up in Gryffindor Tower.

When Ron finally returned to the Common Room, it was completely deserted, save for the warm fire crackling happily in the fireplace. Shivering and exhausted, he moved toward its warmth, then stopped in his tracks as he realized that he was not alone. As he moved around the couch, Hermione looked up from the flames with a look of so many emotions that Ron found it impossible to read any of them. Cautiously, he moved closer and upon no signs of rejection from Hermione, took a seat on the floor beside her.

They sat in silence for several moments, staring into the fire, then Ron felt Hermione’s gaze upon him. As he tentatively returned it, she looked away, then pushed herself up on her hands and stood. Ron watched her, bewildered, as she stepped quietly around the sofa and out of sight. He sighed and ran his fingers through his damp hair, then buried his face in his hands. He stayed like that for several minutes, when he suddenly felt something thick and wooly fall on top of him.

Once he had disentangled himself from what he soon recognized as a blanked, he realized that Hermione was once more beside him. She looked at him quietly, then tucked her knees up under her chin and stared once more into the fire.

“Thanks,� Ron murmured as he wrapped the enormous blanket around his shoulders. He was immediately grateful for the radiating warmth that spread slowly over his frozen body. After a moment, he realized that Hermione must have cast a warming charm over the blanket and felt a surge of guilt for his earlier actions. Cautiously, he turned so that he was facing her at an angle, then took a deep breath.

“Hermione?� he said softly.

She turned her head to look at him, once again fixing him with an expression that he could not read.

“Erm,� he continued nervously, ducking his head and staring at a patch of carpet in front of him, “About what I said earlier … well I was a bit distraught I suppose. And what I said … well, it really wasn’t true at all.�

Hermione said nothing, but continued to look at him, somehow determining in his features whether or not to believe him. Finally, she turned back to the fire once more. Ron hardly dared to breathe as she opened her mouth to speak.

“What exactly,� she began slowly, “Do you have against Grayson?�

She turned to search Ron’s eyes, pleading silently for the truth. For once, Ron held her gaze.

“He doesn’t deserve you,� he said quietly, his eyes set with determination and still locked with Hermione’s. Color seeped into her cheeks and she quickly looked down, pretending to study her fingernails.

“And Viktor?� she asked, her face half hidden by a bushy curtain of hair.

Ron looked as though he had just caught a whiff of something rather unpleasant. “Well, he’s just a ruddy pumpkin-head, if you ask me.�

He thought he saw the hint of a smile cross Hermione’s face at that, although it quickly disappeared, no doubt because she still regarded Viktor as a friend. She nodded seriously, furrowing her brow in a way that suggested Ron’s response might have in fact been an interesting tidbit she found in the Daily Prophet.

“I suppose they just didn’t seem like your type,� said Ron.

Hermione looked amused. “Oh? And what exactly is my type?�

“Oh, uh-buh well,� Ron stammered, becoming quite flustered, “Well I suppose he’d have to be quite erm … well witty and um … charming, handsome … that sort of thing.�

“Sounds like a knight in shining armor, doesn’t he? Hmmm, yes, I think you’re right,� said Hermione thoughtfully, biting her lip to conceal a smile.

A flicker of disappointment crossed Ron’s face before he turned once more to the flames dancing, almost mockingly, in the fireplace.

“It’s rather ironic really,� said Hermione.

“What is?� Ron replied flatly, not sure if he really cared to know.

“Well, I’ve actually already found him.�

Ron tried very hard to force a smile, but all he could manage to muster was a weak grimace in her direction. Hermione seemed not to notice.

“Not that he actually wears armor,� she continued conversationally, “but the rest of it fits!�

Ron suddenly became aware of the chill that still hung around him and shivered slightly, the blanket shifting off of his shoulders as they slumped in defeat. Hermione reacted immediately, grasping the edges of the blanket and pulling them back over his shoulders. Her fingers moved to his ginger hair, which was still a bit damp.

“Ron, you’re going to catch pneumonia if you don’t dry your hair,� she said sternly. She knelt in front of him, griping a corner of the wooly blanket and rubbing it over his head.

“’Mione!� Ron protested, snatching at her wrists. Eventually, he caught them, then immediately felt his breath hitch as he realized that his face was only inches away from Hermione’s.

“Oh, erm …� he began, lowering his hands, but forgetting to let go of her wrists.

They both seemed to realize this at the same time, however, when Ron moved to release his grip, Hermione caught his hands, brushing them lightly with her fingertips. He looked down at them, perplexed, then swallowed nervously. Finally, he took a shaky deep breath and found himself falling into the chocolate brown eyes gazing back at him.

Slowly, very slowly, Hermione let her fingers move once more to his shoulders. They were so close now that she could have counted every freckle on his nose. Still, she waited, leaving the final move up to him. With one hand resting lightly at her waist, Ron’s other hand moved to tuck her hair softly behind her ear. He reveled in the feeling of silk beneath his fingertips, and the sweet fragrance he had never been close enough to enjoy. However, he soon realized that this was nothing compared to the way her lips felt against his own. He kissed her slowly, gently, afraid that she might slip away any second.

After a few moments, Hermione pulled away, tears glistening in her eyes as she stared at Ron. He stared back in alarm, but she only wrapped her arms more tightly around his neck. Her next words sent a chill through him that had absolutely nothing to do with the cold.

“I love you, Ron,� she whispered.

Ron closed his eyes and rested his forehead against hers. Years of pent up emotion radiated from his touch as he held her close, praying he would never have to let her go. His hands made their way to her face and into her hair as he kissed her again, losing himself in the dream that even now, he hardly dared to believe.

After what seemed like hours, Ron pulled away once more. Hermione smiled, tears of joy rolling silently down her cheeks. She closed her eyes as Ron gently kissed them away. When at last she opened them again, he was already staring at her with a look of such intensity, she almost caught her breath. Once again, he looked deeply into her eyes, feeling his own prickling with emotion before finally whispering “I love you, too, Hermione.�