He waited nervously at the station for her to come in. He hadn't seen her in six months. He'd missed her company, her voice, everything. Who would have expected that after losing Fred, there would be anything left to live for. He would never have imagined that she would have become his best friend and so much more. They began comforting each other, being the shoulder they both needed to cry on but it began to lead to more. She never replaced Fred, she just made it okay to miss him and okay to be mad at him at the same time. She gave him a future to look forward to, something to live for. He watched people go by and waited to see her smile and those gorgeous brown eyes and her beautiful cocoa skin.
"You'd think she'd been gone forever instead of a few months."
"Shut up."
"Whatever. I never thought I'd see the day."
"I said shut up, Ron."
"Why am I here? It's not as if she's my girlfriend. Besides, if you're going to be nasty…"
"If I promise to let you and the other members of the DA get anything you want from the store for the school year, do you promise to shut up?"
"Thanks for the offer." Ron looked over at his brother. "You really love her?"
"Something like you and Granger."
Ron blushed. He wished things were like this between he and Hermione but since the war it had been damn near impossible to get her alone to talk. Maybe she wasn't interested. Maybe the kiss was just because she thought they were going to die or something. It didn't feel that way but it seemed like she had been avoiding him.
"Hermione and I are just friends."
"Yes. So friendly that you give each other the once over when you think no one's looking."
"George!" She came running up to him. He picked her up in his arms swinging her around. He squeezed her tight hoping this would be the last time they were ever apart this long then he kissed her. She kissed him back with such intensity he almost dropped her. George felt like he could have stayed like this forever. Then from somewhere far away they heard sounds of grumbling and they pulled apart. She looked up at him and whispered, "Merlin, did I miss you."
"Ron." She reluctantly left the peace of George's arms to hug Ron. She kissed him on the cheek and then looked around confused. "Spit, I lost her. I'll be back." She left her bag with George as she set off calling out something they could not hear as she got further away. She was out of view barely two minutes when she returned with a girl around Ron's age in tow.
"How is it your girlfriend's been gone four months and come back with this small bag?"
"Hermione spelled it for her. She wanted to travel light."
"Ron, George, this is my cousin, Ariana. I've been visiting with her family while I've been gone. She's gonna finish her last year of school at Hogwarts with you Ron."
"Ariana," George said giving her a hug, "it's great to meet you."
"Nice to meet you." She looked over at Ron and her eyes widened. "You're really him. You're really the Ron Weasley."
"Last time I checked. Nice to meet you." Ron stuck out his hand but she immediately enveloped him in a hug. Then she pulled away and looked down at her feet. "I am so sorry but you're even cuter in person. Chloe is going to die when I tell her I actually touched you." She stared at Ron with these big doe eyes.
For the second time that morning Ron blushed. He started walking away and George, still carrying Angelina's bag, caught up to him.
"That was kind of rude."
"She doesn't even know me and she hugged me. Are you really in love with her?"
"I know I fancy her something wicked and not being able to see her the last few months has been hell."
"Why'd she leave anyway?"
"Her parents asked her to. They wanted us to spend some time apart."
"But you wrote to her every day," Ron said confused.
"Yeah and she wrote back. They think our feelings for each other are based on grief and comfort not real love."
"Are you sure it's not?" He wondered if maybe his feelings for Hermione were because he'd never really had a connection with anyone else. Nobody knew him like she did.
"We used to spend all our time talking about Fred and how much we both missed him. We'd cry with each other and we'd talk about what we would do now that the war was over. Eventually we talked less about Fred and we just started connecting. Things we liked to do together and then one day she kissed me. I didn't really know what to make of it and…"
"What to make of what?" Angelina asked skipping up to join them and threading her fingers in with George's.
"Of you cousin being here because you didn't mention it when you said you were coming."
"Are you angry with me for not telling you?"
"Why would I be angry," George said squeezing her hand.
"Ron, I'm so sorry if Ariana made you uncomfortable. She and her best friend Chloe went on and on about what I knew about you. I didn't tell her much but she is a bit smitten with you."
"It's okay."
They walked a bit further to where Ron and George had left the portkey that Mr. Weasley had made for them.
"Is your family expecting you now? I know Mum would be glad to know you're back. She's going to notice that you've lost weight."
"I have not."
"You have and you know it. Okay everybody grab on."
Angelina, Ron, George and Ariana grabbed on to the portkey. There was that navel pull and before long they were looking into the distance at the Burrow.
