Chapter 1

Hermione sat on the shores of a French beach in her black bathing suit. Her mind wondered to subjects of school and the boys, her studies less than what had happened in the last couple weeks before school let out. She whispered her thoughts out loud, "I hope Harry is holding up, with Sirius and Dumbledore…everything happened so fast."

She sighed heavily and looked towards the sunset and glanced to her left.

A freckly, pale, gangly boy in blue swimming trunks was trying out the surf. Quickly withdrawing his foot from the cold water.

Hermione couldn't see his face, but only his blazing red hair. She looked back to the sea.

Blazing red hair...Ron?!

She stood up quickly and started toward the boy. He looked up, down, then up again in her direction.

"Mione!" he called waving wildly. They embraced in a hug when they met.

His heart beat hard.

"Fancy seeing you here Hermione!" He smiled at her.

"I saw you! You're a little scared of the ocean aren't you Ron?"

He flushed, "No!, it's just…cold! That's it!"

She shook her head smiling and suggested a walk.

They began and of course Harry got brought up.

"Do you think he's alright?" She asked concerned

"He can take care of himself, Hermione, he survived You-Know-Who's attack in the first place."

"That's not what I meant, I mean, well, with everyone dying. It was hardly a year ago when he lost Sirius, and now Dumbledore…And now he's sitting alone at the wretched Dursley house. I just hope he sends an owl soon…"

Ron kicked at a shell harder than he expected.

"Ouch!" He sucked air in sharply. They both looked down to see a long cut across the side of his foot. Hermione bent down to look at it more closely and Ron moved his foot away.

"Don't bother, it's fine." He spoke with a slight coldness in his voice. She pulled her hand away, slightly hurt and grabbed his.

His heart jumped.

"Here, my towel is this way, I'm sure I have something with me to fix that up."

Ron hobbling and Hermione supporting him, they walked awkwardly towards a pink and yellow striped beach towel with a big tote beside it. Hermione rummaged around in the big bag while Ron sat holding his cut closed. She pulled out a smaller towel and ripped off a section of the corner with her teeth. Ron watched her carefully, she seemed so determined and moving so quickly. Like an emergency medic. He thought she cared about him for a second, instead of Harry so much. The next thing he felt was her hand on his foot, asking to put the makeshift bandage around. She tied it just tight enough to hold it in place.

He shivered under her hand.

Their gazes met and she smiled at him sweetly. The roses in his cheeks deepened and he leaned forward an inch. He was sadly surprised when he heard Hermione's mothers voice.

"Oh sweetie, who's this?!" She asked excitedly

"Mom, this is my friend from school--,"

"Oh you mean Harry?! She's talked about you all summer!" She tried to stop her, really she did, but it was too late, she looked over at Ron, who's eyes fell to the sand.

"No, I'm Ron." He got up and started back the other way. Hermione glared at her mother and walked after him.

"Ron, hey, wait up, please!"

He swung his arm at her, suggesting he meant, get away from me, stop trying. It's not like he needed to tell her. It seemed that she probably never had.

"Ron, stop!" She yelled again, finally reaching him.

Wheeling around, furiously, his cheeks were no longer red roses, they were raging bonfires. All she had to see was the blazed anger in his eyes. All she had to see was the tears forming in the corners of those eyes. Any word she said would have been used against her. Hermione Granger and screwed up, and hurt her best friend. She longed to explain to him everything, but he was halfway down the beach by the time she cleared her own tears.