Disclaimer: I don't own HP.

Chapter 1

"Harry James Potter, if you don't wake up this instant I will hex you into next week!"

Harry frowned, he knew that voice, very well actually, but it didn't make sense. He had seen Ginny Weasley tortured to insanity right before the final battle.

But Harry didn't want to scare away this dream… not yet. "Gin?"

"Yes it's me, I'm not insane--- yet, but if you make me suffer this hospital wing alone for one more day I'll jump out the window to escape!"

His lips twitched, yup, this was definitely Ginny, and a sane one at that.

Harry could feel her shift on the bed.

"I swear, if you laugh at me I'll be forced to kiss you."

…

And Harry laughed.

Ginny didn't hesitate to cover his mouth with hers. Out of instinct, Harry wrapped his arms around her and gave a low groan. It felt wonderful. He loved Ginny to a distraction, and that was exactly why Harry had stopped seeing her, so that Voldemort couldn't use her against him. Yet, here she was in his arms and her tongue felt very really against his own.

"What!" Harry pulled back to look into the watery blues eyes and silky red hair.

"Welcome back sleepy head." Ginny smiled down at him and gave him a big hug, "I missed you." Harry returned the hug full force, "Easy, I'm not going anywhere."

"I had the worst dream, Tom had you and I went to save you, but he caught me and he… he hurt you." He squeezed her tighter, making sure that she stayed right where she was.

"Harry…" Ginny pulled away and cupped his face. He noticed that she had tears in her eyes again, "It did happen. I was taken, you came to save me and… Voldemort used the cruciartus curse on me."

"Gin, I'm so sorry." He rubbed her back.

"I'm not, he's gone. You did it. Harry, you fulfilled the prophecy!"

"I… I did? Then, where is everybody?" He looked around the deserted hospital wing, "More importantly, why am I at Hogwartz?"

"Well, Remus thought that you'd be safest here, while the order rounds up the death eaters."

"Do I have to help?" Harry made a move to get up.

"NO!" She forced him back down onto his pillows, "Harry Potter you just defeated the most evil wizard of all time, you are not getting out of that bed until I am certain you are at the peak of your health."

He crossed his arms over his chest and frowned at her over his glasses, "I seem to recall a certain someone claiming that they'd jump out the window if they had to stay here one more day" Two can play at this game.

"No, I said that I would jump out the window if I had to spend another day alone in here." She tidied up the sheets, leaned down and kissed him lightly, "But you're awake now so we can…" kiss "have" kiss "a little" kiss "fun." She whispered.

Snore Snore

"Harry!" She slapped his arm, "I didn't mean that!" the snoring stopped, "I mean, I like you and everything, but I'm still in school and mum would kill me, and then she would bring me back to life just so that she could yell at me some mo---"

Harry opened his eyes, "Gin, you're babbling." She kept going, so Harry reached up and kissed her. "Wanna play a game of exploding snap?"

She smiled, "Yeah."

Hermione was pacing back and forth in the living room of the trio's flat. It wasn't much, just a 2 bedroom apartment and a kitchenette in the room she was currently burning a hole through.

Ron came in looking grave. She started to say something, but he cut her off before she could get in any words, "No, there's still no change, Hermione." She fell on the couch, and a choked sob escaped her. Ron couldn't stand it, he went to hug her. "Don't worry, Mione. It's only been three days. Harry might wake up." She was still sobbing, "I know you love him, don't worry, he wouldn't leave you behind."

"What?" Hermione wiped her eyes and looked up at Ron, "I don't love Harry, not like that anyway. He's like a brother to me."

"But I heard you and Ginny talking a couple weeks ago. Ginny was giving you advice about how to handle loving a friend who was in constant danger." Ron was very confused.

"Harry's not my only friend in danger." She looked up at him, hoping against hope that it would get through his thick skull that she loved him, Ron not Harry, not----

"Krum!" Ron let go of her and stood up. "Well, if you love him so much what are you still doing here? Go to Bulgaria already and have little Krum babies with that scum. I'm not stopping you!" He stormed out of the room, leaving Hermione in tears again.

That stupid idiot of mine is jealous of Victor. Ron likes me! Hermione thought long and hard about how to…

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" She rushed at the door Ron had gone through.

What is she doing? Is she really that happy to live----

WHAM What the…

"Her.. Hermione?" He sat up on the bed he'd been lying on.

"If you don't open the door this instant, you buffoon, I'll kiss you!" She hoped he would take the bait, then they might get to start a relationship.

"Is that a promise?" Ron's mood dropped, did she really find him so repulsive, or did she think he thought her repulsive. He'd wait it out and see what happened.

"Fine, you asked for it!" BOOM "Oops." She blushed, the blast from her wand had virtually disintegrated the boy's doorway. Ron didn't see Hermione coming because he was too busy staring at the gaping hole in the wall, but he felt her lips when they touched his and then he was lost.

She was so shocked at what kissing Ron made her that she lost her balance and toppled over onto the bed with him underneath her. Out of pure male instinct he reached up and grabbed her hips to stabilize her. Ron looked up into brown eyes and couldn't stop himself, he pulled her head down and claimed her lips in a slow loving kiss. Hermione shuddered in pleasure, snapping Ron out of the red mist of passion. He pushed her off and sat on the other end of the bed.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. I'll go make dinner." Ron got up and headed out the door, leaving a heart broken girl to sob into her love's pillow.

"I'm bored." Harry stated glumly as he stared up at the ceiling from his hospital bed.

"Don't complain to me, I'm just as bored as you." Ginny shot back from her hospital bed next to Harry's.

He looked over at his girlfriend… was she his girlfriend? Sure they had kissed, but they had also broken up because Harry needed to focus on the war. Was that one kiss just to wake him up, or did she want to get back together with him? Harry hoped it was the latter.

"Gin?" She barely heard it, he sounded so hesitant.

"What? Are you okay Harry? Did I wear you out?" She got up and sat on the edge of the bed, holding his hand.

He stared at her, taking it all in because this might be the last time she was this close to him. He took a deep breath, gathering courage, "I love you."

Ginny stared at him for a moment, and flung herself at him the next. "I love you too Harry, so much!"

He couldn't believe his luck. The woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with loved him. Wait! The woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with?

"Harry? Harry? Anyone in there?" Ginny waved her hand in front of his face trying to get his attention.

He started, "Huh, what?"

"What were you thinking about? You were a million miles away."

Harry smiled, "You." He leaned up and----

"Oh my God! EEEE! You guys are back together!" Hermione was standing at the end of the bed.

Why didn't I see her? Harry thought as Ginny got up and gave her a hug.

"How are you? Ron wouldn't say when you were coming yesterday." It looked for all purposes like they had forgotten he was there. Harry wanted more alone time with Ginny and the best way to do that was to reassure Hermione that he was okay and then get her to go tell Ron he was awake; though then he'd have to deal with Ron finding out that he and his little sister were back together. Oi! But he was going to find out anyway if he asked Ginny to marry him. Harry glanced at the two giggling on her bed and felt so happy; happy that the war was over; happy that Ginny still loved him; and especially happy that he could think about a future without Voldemort.

Chapter 2

Ron sat on the couch flipping through a photo album. He stopped at a picture of Hermione at the Yule Ball. She was laughing at something Krum had said. Ron loved her laugh, it sounded like a soft summer breeze over a calm lake. He had only heard it a couple of times, but that was reasonable considering what was going on with Voldemort at the time. Ron had always tried to make her laugh or smile, but he usually ended up making her mad. He stared at the picture, Krum hadn't made her yell, he'd gotten Hermione to smile and laugh. That just proved how much better Krum was for her than himself. Ron sighed and laid his head in his hands; maybe it would be best if he didn't see Hermione for a while. He needed to clear his head so that when he saw her again he could be there for her as a friend, just a friend. His mind made up he put the album away and started to pack.

POP!

She hadn't even been gone for more than 15 minutes and Ron's trunk wasn't even half full. This didn't make sense, Hermione usually stayed at least an hour to talk with Ginny and sit with Harry. Why would she be back so early? Maybe it wasn't her, it could be one of his brothers stopping by to say hello, but the knock on the door before it opened disproved his theory, as well as her voice, "What are you doing Ron?"

He turned to look at her, trying to block his trunk. "Nothing, I'm just looking for something."

Hermione didn't buy it, "In your trunk? I helped you unpack that ages ago!" She walked over intent on seeing what was in the object in question.

"NO! NO!" Ron tried to block her view, but she saw it anyway.

"You're leaving?" The look on her face tore his heart to pieces. "Why?" She was on the verge of tears, and all Ron wanted to do was hold her in his arms and keep her there until she was happy. But that was the problem, she wouldn't be happy in his arms.

"I'm going to stay with Fred and George. I mean we never said we were going to live her after You-Know-Who----"

"VOLDEMORT!" Ron flinched, from the name or Hermione's glare he didn't know.

"Well Harry's still in the hospital wing and it doesn't look like he'll be coming back soon so…" He looked down, unable to meet her eyes.

"That's why I came home early, Harry's awake!" She tried to catch his eyes with her own, "He should be out in two days." She said softly, "I thought we could throw a homecoming party for him… together."

Ron couldn't stand the look of anguish on her face any longer, he turned around, "I'm sorry, but I've got to get out of here." He finished stuffing his clothes into his trunk and snapped it shut the sound echoing hollowly through the anguished silence.