A/N This is a sequel to "The Unexpected Task Returns." All you really need to know is that Ron and Hermione have already been together for a few months but if you would like to read and review the other fic as well I would very much appreciate it. :)
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Harry and Ron wandered down towards dinner after yet another revising session. Even though N.E.W.T.s were more than a year away, they were already being set massive amounts of homework.
“I hope Hermione gets out of Arithmancy soon,” said Ron. “I’m starved.”
“You know, they’ll serve dinner whether Hermione’s there or not,” said Harry.
“Yeah, well, it is nice to wait for” your friends, isn’t it?” said Rod going a little red.
“Yeah, and your sweethearts,” said Harry in lovey-dovey voice trying to lighten the mood. Ron did not respond. “Come on,” continued Harry, “you’ve been getting all solemn every time someone mentions Hermione. She’s starting to wonder why, you know.”
Harry, too, had been wondering about the change in Ron’s behavior. He did not quite know what to make of the sudden change in Ron’s mood whenever Hermione came up in conversation or why Ron would constantly look worriedly at her from over his notes as they studied in the evenings.
“What? Has she said something about it?”
“Well, to Ginny. And Ginny told me”
Ron used that as his opportunity to change the subject. “My, you two have been talking about quite a lot the last several weeks haven’t you?” he said grinning.
Harry started to retort but as they reached the third floor, they heard a thump on one of the doors of a broom cupboard down the corridor.
“Someone’s probably locked themselves in,” said Ron in a bored voice.
Harry and Ron set off down the corridor to investigate. Ron got there first and opened the door to look inside. Ron gave a sharp yell and as a student fell forward out of the closet into his arms. Harry rushed to his side and knelt down beside where Ron was now kneeling with the stricken student. She was limp and very pale. Ron put his fingers to the student’s wrist and apparently found no pulse because at that moment, he trembled violently and his eyes filled with tears. She was facing away from Harry, but she looked vaguely familiar to him. Ron let out a mournful yell whilst looking down at the student.
“Who is it?” Harry asked, denying to himself who he knew it must be.
Ron was apparently incapable of speech. Harry grabbed the student by the shoulder and turned her over. It was Hermione. Ron stumbled sideways on his hands and knees, white and shaking, and blacked out. Harry was too stunned to even take notice. He looked down again but immediately sprang backwards, this time with a shout of terror. He had looked up into the folds of a dementor’s robes. Harry suddenly realized with a an almost nauseating wave of relief that this was, in fact, a boggart; but the shock of seeing Hermione dead had rendered him speechless. He looked up at the dementor and felt the familiar wave of chilling cold fill him. But at that moment he also heard, as if in the distance, a familiar voice, and a sudden bright white light in the darkness bounded past him. It was a bright, silvery otter and its radiating brilliance was driving the dementor backwards. As Harry began to emerge from the mist, he was able to mutter “boggart” and watched as Hermione rushed forward, pointed her wand at it, and yelled “Riddikulus!” After she got the better of the boggart she turned to Harry.
“What happened? ” she said and knelt down beside Ron and turned him over, propping him up as best she could with his head on her knee. At this, Ron awoke and looked up at Hermione. He jumped up and stumbled backwards, wide-eyed and mouthing wordlessly.
“It was a boggart, Ron,” Harry blurted out. Comprehension dawned on Ron’s face and in an instant, he had Hermione in a very tight embrace.
“What happened?” Hermione asked again, a bit muffled.
“It was you,” Harry said finally getting up. “You were” you were”“
“Oh!” said Hermione, pulling back from Ron, who was looking very white. “Ron, I’m just fine, see?” and she held her arms out to her sides as if to prove it.
“I need to go to the Common Room,” said Ron shakily.
“You need a hot bath,” said Hermione looking concerned. “You don’t look well, you need to calm down a bit.”
Harry waited outside the door as Ron and Hermione went into the prefects’ bathroom.
“I’ll get it started for you and then I’ll wait for you in the common room, okay?” Harry heard Hermione say.
Inside, Ron was sitting on the edge of the pool. He said nothing for several minutes, but looked aimlessly into the rising water.
“I don’t want to lose you, Hermione.” Ron finally said looking up at Hermione.
“You won’t, Ron.” She sounded a bit confused. “I’m fine. Really.”
“No, I mean” this summer. You know, after we go back home. I don’t want to have to leave you this summer and” with, everything going on, I’m afraid that something might happen and it will be the last time I ever get to see you.” Ron sounded a bit choked and his eyes were a little red. Hermione went over and sat next to him as the pool filled and put her arm around him.
“Oh Ron, I don’t want to leave either but I’ll be coming back to the Burrow soon.”
Ron stood up. “I just wish this wasn’t going on right now. I’m always afraid you’re going to get hurt.”
“I can take care of myself, too, you know” Hermione said, standing as well.
“I know but it doesn’t matter. Maybe you can see if Dumbledore will let you stay here for the summer. This is the safest place after all.”
“Ron, I’m not staying alone at Hogwarts all summer just so you don’t have to worry about me. I’m just as capable of looking out for myself as you are.”
Ron turned on her. “Look, I know you think you’re able to do anything because you’ve read it all in your books, but you’re no more capable of defending yourself against You-Know-Who than the rest of us.”
“Ron! I don’t think I’m able to do anything. Last I checked, you weren’t planning on staying yourself,” she said, now red in the face.
Ron started to retort, but at that moment he slipped on the edge of the pool. Hermione grabbed him but, with a yell, was pulled into the pool right after him. Despite the shock of falling in, neither of them acted instantly. Ron turned to look up, but saw Hermione floating over him, looking back down at him through the water with her bushy hair floating about her face. He reached up and took her face between his hands, and pulled her to him. As they rose from the surface of the water, they were still kissing. After a moment, Ron finally pulled back.
“I love you, Hermione. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
He leaned down so that their foreheads were together, and Hermione put her hand to the side of his face.
“Why don’t you owl your parents and see if they’ll let you come to my place for the summer until we can go to the Burrow?” she said.
Ron’s eyes lit up. “Do you think your parents would mind?”
“No, they’ve been wanting to talk to you, and this way they could get to know you better, and we won’t have to say good bye once we get to London.”
Ron wondered, a little fearfully, about what the Grangers wanted to talk to him about but he could not let this opportunity pass.
“That would be great.”
They got out of the pool and stopped in their tracks. Harry had come in and was looking at them with a half-puzzled-half-embarrassed expression.
“I came in when I heard the splash,” he said a little sheepishly. He had not planned on seeing them come out of the water as they did.
“We slipped,” said Hermione, sounding a little sheepish, too. She and Ron left with Harry for the common room, dripping all the way. Ron and Hermione departed, shivering, for their respective dormitories a few moments later. Ron climbed into bed, still a little shaky from the night’s events. After seeing he was all right, Harry pulled his bed curtains closed. A few moments later, he heard the door slowly open and shut again. He heard slow, padding footsteps go across the floor and did not bother to check who it was. He already had a pretty good idea.
“Hermione!” Ron gasped in a whisper. She had apparently gone through his bed curtains.
There was a creaking of bedsprings for a moment, as Hermione seemed to have sat down on the edge of his bed. “I love you too, by the way,” she whispered and there was a few moments silence. “Good night, Ron.”
“Good night, Hermione” whispered Ron.
A few moments later, Harry heard the door open and shut again. He pretended to be asleep.