Disclaimer: I don't own Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Harry, or any other characters any more then I own the moon and stars.

AN: I'm sorry I got rid of this story before everyone. I was toying around with some ideas, screwed this story up big time, to the point where it could have become a Lifetime for Women's special. So here it is. As it should have been all along.

Chapter One- The Meeting on the Landing

Ron woke with a start, rain pounding his window.

So much for sleeping in, he thought grumpily.

He got up and made his bed, absentmindedly playing with the holes in his Chudley Cannons bedspread. His room was a disaster, as was his hair at the moment, but his mother hadn't commented on it yet. He might as well leave it be until she noticed that a tornado had gone through. Literally.

Only a week before (give or take a few days) Fred and George had been testing out another one of their Wizard Wheezes. On him. This tasty morsel looked to be the muggle chips Ron was fond of, Fritos. He had tried them at Hermione's house when the Weasley's had been invited to dinner, and Hermione had been sending him some ever since. As soon as Ron popped one into his mouth, he began spinning rapidly throughout the room.

Papers were flying, Pig's cage was over turned, and Ron's once orderly room was reduced to pieces. Fred and George had a good laugh, and continued down the stairs to Ginny's room so they could give her some too. Ron made a mental note not to except so much as a crumb from his brothers ever again.

Ron picked up a few things here and there, putting them back in their rightful places. He found his quill and what was left of his ink, and decided to write Harry a letter and send it when the sun came up. Problem was, he couldn't find the paper. Sure, there was paper everywhere, but all the paper was splattered with ink and what not.

Bingo! Paper. He found it under his bed with his good shoes, which he had been looking for since his little experience with the chips. He sat down on his Chudley Cannons bedspread and dipped his quill in the ink.

Harry,

How are you doing over in that prison? Dinner at Hermione's was great. Mrs. Granger made steaks and potatoes, and I have to say that even without the aid of magic her cooking is wonderful. Afterwards Mr. Granger took Dad over to his work to get his teeth cleaned. How muggles put up with all those shiny things being stuck in their mouths, I don't ever want to know. Dad found it quite fun. Anyway, have you heard from Dumbledore lately? I'm sending this with Errol, because I know for a fact that Hedwig doesn't like Pig. Give him a few days to recuperate. He's getting a bit old these days.

Ron

Ron finished the letter and tied it with a piece of string that he found hanging off the end of his bedspread. He opened his window and peered out at the sunrise. The sun was just coming up, and bits of paper littered his already messy floor with letters to Harry that Ron didn't know how to finish. They all seemed so boring, and Ron just couldn't find a lot to say to Harry lately.

Harry hadn't been the same since Sirius's death. He quieted down a lot, and didn't really talk much. Even getting letters from him seemed to be a hassle. Ron had been tempted to ask him whether or not his scar had been hurting him, but decided against it. He didn't want to upset Harry. He was probably upset enough at not getting permission from his Uncle to stay at The Burrow this summer.

Since it was Saturday, the house was quiet. Most of the family liked to sleep in on the weekends. He crept quietly out of his room and down three flights of stairs without so much as a sound. A sudden movement caught Ron by surprise, and he had to stifle a yell by shoving his fist into his mouth. Turning to see what it was that caught his attention, he saw her. No... it couldn't be!

It was! Hermione was standing on the fourth floor landing with her hair wrapped tightly in a towel, wearing a rather slimming blue dress that tied in the back.

" 'Mione?" Ron edged cautiously toward her.

Hermione Granger had arrived at The Burrow only the night before. Her parents had to fly across the country suddenly. She suspected that her Aunt Deborah was having her baby. Mrs. Weasley had gotten up at 11 p.m. to welcome Hermione into their home, and she had a warm meal waiting on the table too. How like Mrs. Weasley to cook for her guests, no matter what time it was, Hermione had laughed to herself.

When she awoke in the morning, it was well before her roommate, Ginny, had. It was still rather dark outside. Mrs. Weasley had said that if Hermione wanted to, she could take a shower in the downstairs bathroom when she awoke. Hermione decided to take her up on the offer. She took her purse with her, and her make-up bag. When she got in the bathroom, there were two fluffy white towels on the toilet seat, and a little note on top of the sink.

i Hermione,

I thought you would get up and take a shower. Your parents sent a letter back with Hermes (I sent him to them last night, and it's a good thing that they were outside when the letter got there) and you are going to stay here the rest of the month with us. They would like you to write to them as soon as you get a chance. Your clothes are going to be along shortly, along with you school trunk (which they said you'd already packed). Your Aunt Deborah had a little girl, and they named her Brianna. When you're done with your shower there should be breakfast on the table, and if not there are some oranges and other fruits on the table in the basket.

Molly /i

Hermione read the note and smiled. She had guessed right. How like her.

She took her shower and got dressed into a light blue summer dress that criss-crossed with a fine yellow ribbon and then tied in the back. This was her favorite dress. Her parents had bought it for her when they went on vacation this summer in Paris, but she hadn't worn it yet.

She put some make-up on to cover the dark circles under her eyes. She couldn't sleep really well last night, but she hadn't been sleeping right since Voldemort got his body back.

She passed up the offer to grab some food (it was right on the table where Mrs. Weasley said it would be) because her stomach wasn't feeling to good, and instead wrapped her drenched hair in a towel and went back upstairs. Hopefully Ginny would be awake by now. They had a lot to catch up on.

" 'Mione?"

She gasped and whirled around halfway up the staircase. She didn't expect anyone to be up yet!

It was Ron. He stood there with his mouth hanging open, looking from her soaking hair, to her blue dress, down to her painted toenails. She felt her face go red. Why did she have to blush now? Why?

The thoughts that raced through her head caught her by surprise also. Why do I care anyway?! It's just Ron!

Even though she tried and tried again to tell herself that it was just Ron, her face only got hotter. She noticed with some satisfaction that his ears were turning red also. She decided to take action while she had the chance.

"Hello Ron. Long time no see." She flashed him her best smile and winked.

His ears grew redder. She was gaining control of the odd situation.

"Uh... yeah. Long time." He mumbled. "You can't be here."

Laughing a little, she said, "Well I am."

"But... you can't. I mean... how'd ya get here 'Mione?"

"I came about midnight. Mum and Dad had to go see my Aunt. She had her baby last night."

"Oh. Well... I've got to go send this. See you later."

Ron hurriedly turned and went down the steps. Hermione did a double take of the events that had just happened. Why did she blush? Why did he blush? Stay in control?! Where had that come from? What has gotten into me?!

Even though she was Hermione Granger, she definitely didn't understand a thing that had just happened. Hermione suddenly felt very exposed in her new dress, and decided to hurry up to Ginny's room and ask to borrow a sweater.

Ron finally sent his letter after a considerable amount of noise was made by Errol, who didn't seem to want to wake up. After Errol was sent on his way, Ron grabbed an apple from the basket on the table and sat down to eat and think. His run-in with Hermione on the stairs had been quite unexpected, and he had ran downstairs in a jumble of mixed up thoughts and, strangely so, feelings.

But most of all, he wondered why he had blushed when he saw her in that blue dress. This was Hermione after all. Annoying Hermione, who always told him what to do. Perfect Hermione, who always corrected him. Hermione, one of his best friends since first year.

"Why, if it isn't Ickle Ronniekins!" came Fred's voice from right behind him, causing him to jump. This morning seemed to be full of unexpected surprises. "Is there something interesting about that wall over there Ron?"

Ron hadn't realized that he had been staring. He had been so lost in his own mixed up thoughts that he hadn't noticed much of anything. He quickly looked the other way.

"No. Nothing interesting over there." He replied nonchalantly.

He finished his apple in three large bites and got up to dispose of the apple core, but before he even took two steps, his other brother, George, grabbed his arm and spun him around. The apple core went flying who knows where.

"What the bloody hell is your problem!" Ron yelled angrily.

Fred was obviously part of this plan, because he quickly took Ron's other arm and the twins began dragging him backward up the stairs.

"What the-"Ron tried to yell out. Almost automatically two hands covered his mouth. He would have bit them, but he didn't know where their hands had been this morning.

When they reached the twins bedroom, the walked in and closed the door, throwing him on the bed. Ron hadn't been in their room many times before. He didn't like going in their room much, because the last time they had dragged him in here they had tried, and failed, to give him a proper lesson on 'the birds and the bees, and hair in mysterious places'.

"Oh no!" Ron jumped off the bed. George pushed him onto the desk chair instead.

The twins, although shorter than he was, were both considerably larger. When the two of them stood side by side in a doorframe, there was no escape route. Ron didn't dare jump out the window. He decided he would just have to sit quietly and pretend to listen. Fred and George both gave each other knowing looks, and then grinned at Ron.

"We saw everything Ron." George sniggered.

"What are you on about?" Ron asked, suddenly perplexed.

"We saw you and Hermione on the landing this morning." Fred said.

"And it's rather obvious, so you might as well tell us." George continued, trying to keep a straight, serious face and failing. "How could you not tell your older, wiser brothers?"

"I have absolutely no idea what you two are talking about. Maybe you should tell me what I'm supposed to tell you." Ron said, becoming more abashed by the second.

The twins once again exchanged looks with one another, and both burst into laughter. After what seemed like hours to Ron, who was not only confused but also angry at being locked in their room, Fred caught his breath and answered Ron's question.

"I can't believe you don't even know yet! How could you not?! I mean... you are you." Fred began laughing again. "You fancy Hermione Granger mate."

Ron's jaw dropped to the floor. He reached to his right and grabbed a hard cover book off the desk, and chucked it at the nearest brother's head. Both boys ducked in unison and the book dropped lamely onto the floor.

"I DO NOT!" Ron yelled angrily, jumping up once more, pushing his brothers out of the way as he walked out the door. It wasn't very hard to do, since both had begun laughing harder than before.

Ron stomped up the stairs to his room, slamming the door as hard as he could.

"Things change Ronald! Don't believe us then! But we have to tell you... It's obvious she likes YOU!" Ron heard George yell up the stairs.

Ron was glad he was in his own room, no matter how messy it was, because at that exact moment he turned bright red. Even his hair couldn't match how bright his face was. He hadn't told them, but the twins had been absolutely right. He did like her. He threw himself onto the Chudley Cannons bedspread, unbelievably embarrassed. Hopefully the girls didn't hear that, he thought fiercely.

Hermione and Ginny sat in Ginny's slightly uneven, pastel colored room, laughing and chatting away. Hermione had gone to Paris with her parents this summer, and when she had gotten her blue dress she had had her parents buy Ginny a matching pink one. The funny coincidence was, Ginny had saved up some money during the year and had gotten Hermione and herself extremely cute white matching cardigans. They were perfect with their new dresses.

Ginny thanked Hermione exuberantly for her dress, and Hermione had done the same for her cardigan. It was just what Hermione had wished for this morning on the stairs. She had told Ginny all about her run-in of course. Both girls stopped talking abruptly when they heard something bang into a wall upstairs.

"That's just Fred and George. They're probably working on more tricks." Ginny said exasperatedly.

"Don't believe us then Ronald! But we have to tell you... It's obvious she likes YOU!" both girls heard George yelling.

They immediately stopped talking altogether, and Ginny looked at Hermione pointedly. Hermione knew a change of subject was in order.

"I have a feeling I know what this is about." She said mischievously.

"I don't." said Hermione. How about that! Two things she didn't understand in one day.

"You mean that brilliant Hermione Granger doesn't even know when people are talking about her? No! I can't believe it!" Ginny staggered around her bedroom and pretended to faint.

"Me? Why would they be talking about me?"

And then it hit her. It's obvious she likes YOU! She heard George yelling in her head. Ginny noticed the embarrassed look on her friend's face and laughed.

"I think someone has a crush on you." She teased in a singsong voice.

"No... it can't be..." Hermione whispered almost to herself.

"Yes. It can be."

"You mean... Ron... Like me? No..." Hermione mumbled.

"It's obvious isn't it?" Ginny smiled. "You did say that he gave you a funny look on the stairs, and then he practically knocked you over while running away."

"That's just a coincidence Gin. He didn't know I was here until he saw me. I would be shocked if Ron showed up in my house with soaking wet hair at like... five in the morning." Pointed out Hermione, trying to defend both her and Ron. "I mean seriously... he hasn't seen me in over a month, and he hasn't heard much from me either. I've been too busy trying to cheer Harry up."

"About Harry... 'Mione... can I ask you something?"

"Gin, you're my best girl friend. Ask away."

"Are you and Harry... an item?"

Hermione was a bit taken aback with her question. Hermione had been charged with liking two people in one day! The number two seemed to be popular for her. What else was going to come in pairs? Hermione didn't want to know.

"Ginny! Why would you think that?" asked Hermione, flustered.

"You kissed him at the King's Cross Station at the end of your fourth year." Said Ginny bluntly.

"Oh that? No! I don't like Harry... he's just my friend. I was only trying to cheer him up. After what he went through..."

Ginny quickly changed the subject. "Good. Because I like him."

"Well what happened to Dean?" asked Hermione.

"He was a git."

Hermione laughed out loud and quickly tried to cover her mouth. She couldn't believe that Ginny had gotten back her schoolgirl crush on Harry. Ginny was such a cool, collected young woman. Hermione couldn't believe how blunt she was these days. Her personality was very mismatched.

"What?" Ginny asked, looking slightly embarrassed.

"I didn't expect you to be so honest. It's good to have a girl to talk to." Hermione chuckled.

Both girls broke out into giggles.

"One more question." said Ginny.

"Shoot." Hermione laughed again.

"Do you like Ron?"

Hermione was more taken aback with this question than she was with Ginny's question about Harry. This was one she couldn't answer on a whim. At the moment, she wasn't quite sure what to say...

"I-" Hermione began, then stopped. "I- I- I don't honestly know."

Hermione's face colored slightly. She did know. She was sure that Ginny would keep her secret, and she would keep Ginny's, but she had never been so open with her. She loved hanging out with Ginny. It was nice to have someone to talk to about more than quidditch and chess. The boys only had one-tracked minds. Ginny had a spontaneous mind, always ready for a challenge, and always quick with an answer. And Hermione... well she was Hermione. Book worm Hermione. Why would Ron ever like her?

Ginny laughed. "Apparently your vacation in Paris has rotted some of your brain cells."

Hermione tried to smile but ended up giving Ginny a confused sort of look.

"Don't worry 'Mione." Ginny patted her friend's hand comfortingly. "You have the next three years to find out."

Hermione laughed and both girls had soon turned the topic back to their summer vacations, and what they would do with the rest of it.