"Hermione, your hair's rather curly today," Ron said casually as he, Harry, and Hermione walked out of potions with Professor Slughorn and up the dungeon steps to lunch.

"You don't have to gloat about it!" Hermione said, painfully punching Ron in the arm. Harry snickered and Ron glared at him over his shoulder as he rubbed it.

"I wasn't trying to gloat," Ron said apologetically, "I like it actually." Hermione snorted and stomped ahead of the boys. Harry filled the space beside Ron that she had just emptied and patted Ron on the back.

"Good one, mate."

Ron rolled his eyes and laughed sarcastically. "I really do like it."

"Hey, I'm not the one you have to prove anything too." Harry said flipping his bangs back out of his face.

"And how am I supposed to do that?" Ron asked his fingers rubbing at his bruised shoulder as he caught one last glimpse of his curly haired love, before she disappeared into the Great Hall.

"What you tryin' to do?" Ginny asked through a mouth full of chocolate, walking up beside Harry. Harry slung his arm over her shoulders and pulled her closer, licking some chocolate off her cheek.

"Prove to Hermione that he loves her," Harry answered as Ron looked at his best friend and his sister in disgust.

"Well, just tell her," Ginny offered, holding out a piece of chocolate to feed Harry. "Have you ever considered contacts, babe?"

"I thought you liked my glasses." Harry pushed them up his nose.

"I was just sayin'," Ginny said shrugging.

"I'm gonna go find her." Ron said, pushing his way between Lavender and Padma, mainly trying to escape Harry and Ginny. He had nothing against them being together, or how the acted with each other—most of the time—but right now it was just getting to him. He needed to tell Hermione how he felt and fast. The Fall Ball was coming up and he'd planned on telling her then, but seeing Harry and Ginny together made him change his mind.

Ron hadn't realized that in the middle of all of his thinking and shoving he'd passed the Gryffindor table and was half way to Ravenclaw and Luna Lovegood.

"Hello, Ron!" Luna said excitedly. He was about to run into her but she caught him by the forearms and made him stop just short of running her over. He looked down to see who was blocking his way and her words registered in his mind.

"Oh, hi, Luna," he said distractedly looking over his shoulder to see how she ended up at his table. "Oh," he said again, realizing where he was.

"What's on your mind, my friend?" Luna asked, dusting off the front of his robe. He disregarded the gesture and looked back over his shoulder looking for curly brown hair.

"I figured it'd be obvious," he said grabbing her wrists and putting her hands by her sides. Ron had grown rather tall over the summer and it was easy to look over everyone, but he still couldn't seem to find her.

"It is, but I figured I'd be nice about it."

"Do you see her?"

"Actually she left about thirty seconds ago," Luna said nonchalantly.

"What?" Ron shouted, pushing Luna back. "Sorry, I'll talk to you later."

"Good luck, Ron," Luna called waving good-bye to him.

When Ron was out of the Great Hall he looked around frantically trying to see which way Hermione went. He looked front left to right and back before he saw her at the top of the staircase in front of him, looking down at him.

"Hermione!" he called and waved, running up the stairs to her. He was about half way up when she turned and darted away. He stopped for about two seconds in absolute confusion then shook his head to clear it and raced after her. "Hermione, wait!"

He raced left and right up and down stairs until she got to the Gryffindor common room. She quickly said the password and ran in. Ron caught the painting just in time to make it in after her.

"Hermione why are you—?" Ron's question stopped short as he hit the girls' dormitory stairs. He heard the door slam and stared in disbelief at the staircase. He stood there for about a minute then turned and sat in a chair in front of the fire place—as normal for the little trio.

Ron had peace for about ten seconds before it was broken by Lavender's accusations, "How could you, Ronald?"

"Wha-?" Ron looked up from the fire in confusion. "What I do?"

"Don't act all innocent." Padma said crudely.

"Yeah, we heard the horrible things you said about Hermione."

Ron jumped up almost knocking the chair to the ground and making the two girls step back. His next thought was how'd they get up here so fast, but that wasn't the point. "I haven't said anything about Hermione! In fact I complimented her this morning."

"Oh, yeah?" Lavender sounded skeptical. "On what?"

"Her hair." Ron said like it was nothing.

"What!" both girls shouted that the same time. This time Ron stepped back, hitting the chair and falling back into it.

"She spent like twenty minutes this morning complaining about how bad it looked." Padma said leaning on arm of the chair, as Lavender leaned on the other.

"She did?" Ron said, sounding horrified.

"Yeah." Lavender confirmed, nodding once.

"Well what other terrible things have I said about her then?" Ron asked, not sure if he wanted to know.

"How ugly her hair was." Lavender held up one finger.

"That she needed to lose some weight." Padma used air quotes around 'lose some weight' and Lavender held up another finger.

"And that you were gonna ask her to the Fall Ball as a joke and show up with Luna Lovegood," some girl sitting close by finished and Lavender and Padma both nodded. Ron had already been feeling sick to his stomach when Lavender started--by now he felt as if he were really going to puke. It must have been the heat of the moment, or the heat playing across his cheeks that made the next words come out, but he hadn't intended to say them to anyone but her.

"That's a load of crap! I lo—," he cut off and covered his mouth, he cheeks burning brighter. All three girls' eyes widen and grins broke out on their faces.

"You lo-?" Lavender asked, prompting him to continue.

"If I tell you, you swear to keep in between us four?" Ron asked through his fingers. The girls nodded.

"I love her." Ron said, dropping his hands and taking a deep breath, clamping his eyes shut and waiting for the laughter to begin. After all he was so not in her league. A stupid little blood traitor with the greatest witch of their year. Please. Fate wasn't that kind to him.

"You love me?"

Ron's eyes flew open and he stared up into the face of Hermione. He opened his mouth and formed soundless words, then gave up, shut it, and nodded. He could see the tear stains that had began to dry on her cheeks, but now her eyes were brimming with tears again and they were dancing like crystals in the fire light. Ron motioned to stand and Hermione stepped back, letting him do so. He stood so close to her that he could feel the heat coming off her body.

"I made this for you in potions class; it's why Slughorn started yelling at me." Ron said pulling a sheet of parchment from his pocket. He unfolded it and turned the words toward her. It read out: Hermione = Her-mi-one, with the intention of the 'mi' sounding like 'my'.

Her tears fell as she read it and she threw her arms around him, crying into the shoulder that she'd punched earlier. "I love you, too."

"You do?" Ron asked astounded, as he slowly wrapped his arms around her. She nodded and tightened her arms around his chest and he nuzzled into her hair. "I really do love your hair today."

"I know you do."

"Will you go to the ball with me?" Ron stroked her hair, feeling her tears soak through his shirt and the wet fabric touch his skin.

Hermione pulled away from his and smiled up at him. He was a good four inches taller than her. "Yes I will, only if you promise to take only me."

"Luna creeps me out, so you have nothing to worry about."

Hermione laughed and it was perfection to Ron's ears.

"Kiss me?" he asked, hoping that it wasn't over kill. He heard the people that had filled the room to see the spectacle gasp as Hermione nodded, "Okay."

Ron smiled and leaned down, pressing his lips to hers, kissing her deeply and lovingly.