Hermione Granger got up from her over-sized chair by the fire in the Gryffindor common room and walked towards the dark, gray-sheeted window on the other side. She knew who she'd find out there before she even looked. He was out there everyday, rain or shine, sitting alone by the gigantic lake that stretched out for what looked like miles across the school grounds. Sure enough, when she finally reached her destination by the window she was not surprised to be greeted by the sight of none other than a certain Ron Weasley, her boisterous, yet doting best friend whom, over the course of six years, she had somehow managed to fall in love with. Even through the thick sheets of rain she could make out his vivid ginger hair glistening, just as if the sun was shining directly above it. She watched as he paced around the edge of the mysterious lake, before promptly removing his cloak and taking a seat, allowing his abnormally large feet to tickle the surface of the water.

As she watched him, she couldn't help but wonder what was going through that baffling, impenetrable head of his. She wondered what brought him out there everyday after lunch, while most students took the time to catch up with each other, or in Hermione's case on some reading. Occasionally people would approach him, she had even seen Harry there once or twice, but they always walked away after just a moment or so, once again leaving Ron all by himself. It was for this reason that Hermione had always assumed something was truly bothering him, and sooner or later he would crack and confide in her and Harry what the problem was and the mystery would be solved. But time went by and still he never breathed of word of anything troubling him. Yes, it was true that Harry was now engaging in a great war, a journey that would lead to the final battle which would decide his fate, but they openly discussed the matter and Hermione could tell that Ron was not hiding anything in the way of his emotions on that subject. In fact, apart from these little spells after lunch, Ron acted just as Ron-like as usual, and thus, for the time being at least, Hermione was forced to continue only observing Ron's unexplained odd behavior by the lake.

Hermione watched as Ron's figure made its way up from the edge of the lake and across the grounds, and at this assumed that he was returning to the castle. She hastily reseated herself by the fire and picked up the copy of Uncovering Ancient Runes she had previously lain down. The tall, lanky, and yet all the same handsome shape of Mr. Ronald Weasley appeared through the portrait hole, drenched to the bone, although Hermione was not objecting to this. His gaze turned towards Hermione immediately, where it rested just long enough for him to shake his head and state simply, "I hate rain." He took a seat in an armchair near hers, and they sat in silence until Hermione finally decided to find out just what was going on with him.

"Ron, can I ask you something?"

"If I say no is that really going to stop you?'

Hermione shot an angry glance at him, hurt that while she was trying to be serious about something, he could still find a way to turn it back against her. He could obviously sense the hurt in her eyes though, as he quickly replied,

"Lighten up, will you, I was just joking. Of course you can ask me something."

"It's just that…" Hermione paused as she tried to think of a way to word the fact that she had spent every lunch break in the past year watching Ron sit. "I've noticed you outside by the lake everyday, just sitting there by yourself, and I can't help but think something must be wrong. I thought you would eventually tell me or Harry, but you never said a thing. And I've wracked my brains just trying to come up with something, anything that could be troubling you so much that you would hide it from your best friends, but so far I've come up empty handed. So please, Ron, tell me what's got you so bloody…disturbed!"

"…You."

It was silent for a moment, apart from the continual downpour of rain hitting the building from all sides. Hermione opened and closed her mouth several times in a desperate attempt to express everything that had just gone sprinting through her mind, but she was rendered speechless and instead continued to stare blankly into the beautiful, blue eyes gazing directly into hers. Ron, however, could apparently take the silence no longer, and stood up to make his way to the boys' dormitory.

"WAIT!" Hermione screamed, as Ron placed a foot on the bottom step of the staircase. He slowly turned and faced her, but said nothing. Hermione took this as her cue to go on.

"Ron, why….why didn't you just tell me?"

"Tell you!" Ron said, looking somewhere between confused and incredulous. "How could I! There was always someone in the way! First it was darling Vicky, and then that McLaggen git…and besides, when you weren't with anyone you were too busy yelling at me for me to get a decent word in edgewise. Then when I considered this, and tried to tell myself that it would never work because you hated me too much, and that I should just move on, you'd go and do something like..like this, and make it look like you actually care about me. And then I'd end up right back where I started, head over bloody heels in love with you!"

Tears quickly welled up in Hermione's eyes, but she knew that for once she couldn't let her emotions get in the way of doing something that was long overdue. As she mustered up as much courage as she had within her, Hermione ran full speed towards Ron and took haste in snogging him as passionately as she could. After several moments of unparalleled bliss, the two broke apart.

"So I take it you don't hate me…" Ron stated, and Hermione giggled at the stunned and perplexed look on his face.

"Good job! I'm glad you're learning the ability to spot the obvious. At least I've managed to teach you something over the years."

Ron grinned from ear to ear, but his smile faded as mere confusion overtook his emotion of happiness.

"Seriously though, 'Mione, if you always felt this way about me," both grinned again at the recollection of what had just occurred, "why did you always feel the need to scream at me for every little thing I did? And what was up with the boys, huh?"

"Are you really that thick, Ron? Actually don't answer that…" Hermione said this last comment quietly, and was thankful that Ron did not hear it so as not to start yet another fight and ruin the brilliant moment that seemed to be unfolding. "But did you really believe that I hated you? Even if I didn't feel this way, as you so subtly put it, about you, you're still one of my best friends, of course I couldn't hate you. Sure... I wanted to at times, but only to cover up the way I really felt, when you were being a bloody prat!"

"Well excuse me, Miss Know-It-All, watch who you're calling a prat!"

"Are you seriously going to sit there and tell me that you were just angelic all of these years? I do remember a certain Lavender Brown coming into play."

Ron sighed and looked slightly annoyed at the mention of the name. "You should've realized by now that I was only doing that to prove to Ginny that I could get action if I wanted it, and besides.. It made you jealous. I was hoping you would see that and come save me from the torture I was being put through just to have to date her every day. But instead you went off with McLaggen, which by the way, I noticed you avoided that part of my question."

Hermione laughed again at how naïve boys, and especially Ron, could be. "McLaggen was to make you jealous so you'd break up with Lavender. And I've told you a million times, Viktor and I are..."

"…just friends," Ron finished for her. "Fine, I guess I can accept that."

"Good," Hermione began, "Are we through with the third degree yet?"

"Yes," Ron stated matter-of-factly, as a mischievous smirk played across his face, "I believe we have…better things we could do."

At these words, Hermione made to engage in another fervent snog with Ron, but stopped just before allowing her lips to touch his.

"Wait… I have one more question."

"And what is that, my dear?"

"Can I call you Won-Won?"

Hermione began laughing hysterically, and took off running to avoid the pillows the now vivid, red Ron was hurling towards her.