She was quiet. Almost, in fact, too quiet. He began to repeat what he had just said, but she stopped him.

"Oh."

Was that all he was going to get out of her? "Oh"? Here he was, bearing his soul to her in the middle of the Griffindor common room, in front of Harry and Ginny and his brothers and even Neville Longbottom, in the middle of a heated argument, and that was all she could say! "Oh" was completely inappropriate when someone says that the only reason they bothered you about letters from a certain Bulgarian Quidditch player was because they were in love with you. Certainly Hermione, Hogwarts' smartest witch, knew that?

She opened her mouth again."Oh dear" Hermione fled the common room, past an intrigued Fred and George, through the portrait, and out of sight.

"That went well." Ginny commented. Ron glared at her, and she looked back down at her hands, one of which was intertwined with Harry's hand.

Harry.

"Thanks a lot, Harry!" Ron yelled.

"What did I do?" Harry asked.

"You said Hermione would like me. You said to tell her how I felt. You convinced me to make a complete fool out of myself. And look where it's gotten me!"Ron shouted, throwing his hands up in the air.

Harry gave him a look, as to say, "Don't blame me" and Ron scowled back at him. By this time, Neville was hiding behind a book, trying to look as if he hadn't seen the events that had taken place just moments later, and Fred and George were mouthing potentiality rude things about Ron's lacking in the romance department and snickering. Ron tried to ignore them, instead looking to Ginny.

"You're a girl, Ginny." Ron stated.

"Yes, she certainlyis." Harry laughed.

"Ok, Potter, I do not want to know how you found that out." Fred said. Ginny glared at him.

"Shut it, or I'll hex both of you from here to Romania. Yes, Ronald, well spotted, I am in fact a girl. How does that pertain to our present situation?" Ginny asked.

"Well, see, you're a girl, and Hermione is a girl-" Ron was cut off by George.

"If she wasn't we'd be a bit worried."

"ANYWAY, since you're both girls, then maybe you can explain why she just LEFT like that."

"I don't think I can do that, Ron," Ginny whispered, "But maybe she can."

Ron looked at the portrait, and there she was, walking towards him, her face red and streaked with drying tears. After a moment, she stood less than an inch from him, looking up at his face, almost a foot above her. She looked sad, angry, and surprised all at once. Then she spoke, in a soft, trembling whisper.

"What took you so god dammed long?"

He gave a sad laugh. "I love you." he said.

"I love you too, you know."Hermione said.

"Then why did you..." Ron asked.

"I didn't believe you."

"Oh. Well, I do. Love you."

"Oh, yes. I know."

"What are you two saying?" Harry asked.

"He said he loves me " Hermione said.

"And she said she loves me, too."

"Ohhh!" Ginny, Harry, Neville and the twins said.