Disclaimer: All Harry Potter characters/situations are property of JK Rowling. No copyright infringement intended. I'm just using the characters for a bit self-entertainment. No credit. No profit. Just fun.

Summary: At the end of sixth year, Ron goes to spend the summer at Hermione's house. Together, they explore their relationship as a couple away from school, teachers and especially their friends. Little do they know that upon returning to Hogwarts, they'll find great changes in others, but more importantly, themselves. They have no idea that their lives will never be the same again.

PG-13 for some minor sexual content and some language

Prologue

"Ready to go, love?" Ron shouted to his girlfriend of eight months, Hermione Granger.

"I'm coming!" she replied. He watched as she came hobbling down the marble staircase in the Entrance Hall. Her bushy brown hair was everywhere, her cheeks were flushed and her forehead was covered in sweat.

"You look like hell," Ron commented, "What's up?" They were at a point in there relationship where insults were hardly taken seriously; they were too used to it. She dropped her trunk and Crookshanks' carrier at his feet and folded her arms across her chest.

"Lift that!" she snapped. He picked up her trunk with one hand and watched Hermione's eyes grow round as galleons.

"Ok, now tell me what's wrong."

"Don't you think it's heavy?!"

"Nope."

"Well, that's not fair! You're strong."

"Then I'll carry it for you."

"No, it's ok...I've got it." It wasn't the truth but she didn't want him to think she was using him. "Give it here, Ron." He raised an eyebrow.

"Now what kind of guy would I be if I didn't carry my girlfriend's trunk?" Hermione couldn't help but smile. She loved it when he called her his girlfriend. He didn't need to...she knew she was his one and only but it was reassuring all the same.

"At least let me carry Pig's cage."

"Fine, I'll be glad to be rid of the ruddy thing." He passed her the cage with a content Pigwidgeon hooting happily inside. She picked up Crookshanks' carrier and they walked out the front doors, Hermione leading the way with Ron stumbling behind with their trunks, one in each hand. She stopped outside one of the apparently not-so-horseless carriages, though neither of them could see the Thestrals. He stopped, caught his breath and heaved both trunks into the carriage before opening the door to let her inside. "After you," he said beckoning her to get in.

"Thank you," she said, kissing him swiftly on the cheek and stepping inside. He followed her in and shut the door behind him.

"So we're clear about what's happening, right?" he asked, taking a seat next to her.

"Think so. You'll send Pigwidgeon to me and I'll let you know if my parents say 'yes.'"

"Right...I don't think your parents will have any problems...It's my mum who'll get in the way of everything. She'll fuss on and on about how you should come to the burrow and the whole 'the more the merrier' crap." She gave him a light slap in the arm.

"That's not nice."

"I never said it was...but it's the truth." She shrugged; Ron was probably right. He put an arm around her. "Don't worry, I'll find a way." The carriage rattled slowly towards Hogsmeade station, with Ron and Hermione canoodling inside. Ten minutes later Hermione peeked out the sorry excuse for a window and sighed.

"We're here. Time to g-" Scccrrreeeeeeeech. Their carriage came to an abrupt halt. Ron opened the door to let Hermione out before grabbing both their trunks and stepping outside himself.

"Bloody hell, Hermione, what've you got in here?" She spun around so quickly, Pigwidgeon was sent flying against the wall of his cage and Crookshanks let out a loud hiss.

"Hah! I told you it was heavy!"

"I'm not saying its heavy; it just makes mine feel like a sheet of parchment."

"Its just some books I convinced McGonagall to lend me for the summer."

"Some books? Some books?! Hermione you've read every book in the library...twice!"

"I have not and you know it." He sighed. Now definitely wasn't the time to be picking a fight with her, not when she was already irritated about her heavy trunk...Not that it was a big issue, Ron carried it without complaint and he knew she was determined to prove she was not trying to use him. "Look, look! There's Ginny and Harry!" She pointed to two figures at the very end of the platform. Ron squinted.

"How can you see that far?"

"Trust me, that's them...Harry! Ginny! Over here!" She jumped up and down on the spot, thrashing the cage and carrier about.

"They can't hear you."

"Fine, let's go." She stomped off quickly leaving Ron to run in order to catch up with her. Luckily, Harry and Ginny spotted them halfway and ran to greet them. Ron was glad; Hermione's trunk was beginning to become a burden but he didn't dare point it out...she would only harp on about being right that it was heavy then insist on carrying it again.

"Ron. Hermione," Harry said, approaching them. "Looking forward to the summer?"

"Oh yeah," said Ron. Hermione raised an eyebrow at him. They hadn't told anyone about their summer plans. "Er- well..."

"You're coming to the Burrow again this year, Hermione, aren't you?" Ginny asked.

"I don't really...well, no. No, I don't think so." Her mouth fell slightly open.

"What? Why not?!"

"You see, Ron and I..." She cast a wary glance at Ron. He nodded. "We had plans to spend the summer together." Ginny simply stared as thought that didn't quite cut her definition of a proper answer. "At my house," Hermione finished. Ginny closed her mouth and smiled.

"I knew it! You wanted some 'alone' time. Right, well if that's the case, Harry's coming to the Burrow and," she turned to Ron, "he's using your bedroom."

"Fine," Ron muttered.

"Can I take your trunks?" asked a young wizard in a scarlet red uniform to match the Hogwarts Express.

"Be our guest," Hermione said, giving her own trunk a last spiteful glare. He took them all individually and loaded them on the train leaving Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, a restless Pigwidgeon, a sleeping Hedwig, and a hissing, spitting Crookshanks alone on the platform.

"Look, almost everyone's on the train...we should go," Ginny pointed out.

"Right."

They gathered their pets and filed one by one onto the Hogwarts Express. Harry and Ginny left Ron and Hermione to find a compartment of their own. Ron shuddered at the thought of his best friend and his sister alone in their secluded partition of the train doing what he'd been dying to do to Hermione for the past ten minutes. She stopped at the last empty compartment on the train and slid the door open. She turned around to face him. "Ron, I-" He pressed his lips against hers, shutting the door behind him with his foot. He felt her gasp into his mouth as he pressed her firmly against the wall. Three minutes of passionate kissing before he pulled away.

"Sorry. Couldn't wait," he said with a smile. "You were saying?"

"I...I forget." She smiled back, sitting down. He took a seat next to her and placed an arm around her shoulders.

"In that case..." He kissed her again as the rattling train carried them off towards what they hoped would be the best summer of their lives.