This was my gift for the Pick-a-Prompt fest at Ron-x-Hermione! (my group at Deviantart) My prompt was 'Perfect deliberation, divination, and desperation or whatever the hell it is.' Thanks a lot to Shannon for revising this!
And where's the post-Potter depression? Well... right here. Because I wrote this before last Thursday, hehe.

Dessi

Three D's

Twenty-first of April. It was funny to think that, two years ago, the date stood as the door to a world of possibilities. One year ago, it meant absolutely nothing. And now it looked like a somewhat terrifying prospect to him.

'Are you all right, Ron?'

Hermione was looking at him with a concerned expression from across the table. She had a free period after lunch that day, which she usually reserved for a lengthy study session at the library. Resigning that necessary time in her busy schedule to wait with him until he had to re-take the Apparition test was something he deeply thanked her for.

Ron smiled at her.

'Yeah, just remembering.'

'About the last time? Don't think on it, you'll do fine,' Hermione said reassuringly, reaching to squeeze his hand. 'You'd only had minor problems in your previous practise—'

'And then I splinched twice,' he reminded her gloomily.

'You can't count those... You were under a lot of pressure... we all were, just in different ways, I suppose.'

Noticing that she was finished, Ron dropped his fork and knife onto his empty plate. 'You want to take a walk?'

After paying for their meal, they left The Three Broomsticks and set out through the sunny streets of the village.

'I really think you can do it, Ron,' Hermione resumed the conversation, rubbing up and down Ron's arm soothingly. 'You've only splinched those two times, if you don't count the missing eyebrow—'

'Half an eyebrow,' Ron corrected her, looking serious. 'And that was the most painful time, if you ask me.'

'All right,' she laughed. 'But since then, you've done just fine. What are you nervous about?'

'I dunno. It's still a test I need to pass. And it all seems so stupid right now... you know, because I thought it was really cool and all, until we had to Apparate to save our lives, that is.'

'Don't think about that now,' Hermione replied, suppressing a shiver. 'It'll do no good. Apparating is something you do all the time, and you don't think much about it, do you?'

'You're right.' Ron was starting to feel more confident, knowing how badly she wanted him to be fine and how much she had faith in him. 'You know, I think my problem starts when I try to remember the bloody three D's.'

'What are you talking about? They're really easy and helpful!'

'Maybe for you,' he snorted, slipping his arm around her waist. 'But I recall being more concerned about a different set of D's back then.'

'How's that?'

'Well, I...' Ron rubbed the back of his neck nervously, chuckling, 'I Definitely had to break up with Lavender, I Deliberately wanted to ask you out, and I Desperately needed to find out what it'd feel like to be more than friends with you.'

'What—?' Hermione started, smiling, but she found she actually didn't know what she had been about to ask. 'Did you find out?'

'Oh, I'd need to refresh my memory,' he replied with a smirk, turning to her for a kiss.

Definitely, best thing ever.

'Bloody great.'

'I missed you,' she breathed.

As they left behind the entrance gates with the rest of the students who were going to take the test, Ron mentally thanked Harry—and most importantly, Lavender—for not being seventeen yet. Before they started taking lessons for Apparition at Hogsmeade, Ron couldn't remember the last time he and Hermione had spent time together without Harry, and even though he had missed it, even though he knew they were in good terms now, he had hoped it wouldn't be awkward. Although, for some reason, he had felt awkward around Hermione for ages.

'... I understand that he must be ashamed of whatever he's hiding. But hasn't he thought that if he gave the real memory to Dumbledore, he would be making up for it in some way? Although...' She frowned in concentration, 'what do you suppose could be so bad to make Slughorn act that irrationally?'

Thankfully, their relationship as friends re-adjusted after a while to the usual. The usual, however, included way more discussion about Harry than Ron would have wished for. He was concerned about Harry's fate, he feared Voldemort, he wanted to help his best friend, but lately he wished there was something more to talk about. Hereby, the 'thankfully' was questionable, in Ron's opinion.

'Dunno, never heard of those Horcruxes in my life.' Ron shrugged and tried to wipe his sweaty hands on his jeans. If they finished early and they passed, he could casually ask her if she wanted to go for a drink, to celebrate, before heading back to Hogwarts. It wasn't asking her out, she was his friend—he wouldn't be cheating. True, Lavender hadn't been very happy with not being able to supervise Ron during the Apparition lessons, but so what? He wasn't doing anything wrong, but if it annoyed her, he would gladly take the blame and accept a goodbye.

And if they did break up... what was he expecting to happen next? Ask Hermione out? Sure, because they weren't best friends and it wouldn't be awkward, and they surely were very similar persons. Ron knew he was thick and wouldn't be able to tell what girls meant even if his life was at risk, but Hermione's jealousy at him dating Lavender could not be just because. She had been quite hurt (he knew it), and it had been because of him (he regretted it), but he still wasn't very convinced about it, as he wasn't convinced about what he felt towards her. Even though a year ago Hermione had called him insensitive, she was the only one who made him have a whole range of feelings all at once, and agreeing with his theory, it was going to make him explode at any moment.

'Ron, are you all right?' she asked, pulling him out of his reverie. She had obviously continued talking after his last response, which he didn't remember, and then became quiet at his lack of enthusiasm on the topic. He must have been pulling faces as he thought. Was he ever going to learn not to be so readable?

'What?' he asked, startled.

'Don't be nervous, we'll pass,' she said confidently, in the Hermione way, which meant she was still showing too many signs of anxiety as to be called 'calm'.

'What?' Ron repeated. Seriously, what were they doing at Hogsmeade?

'The Apparition test, Ron, what do you think we're doing here?' Hermione said, slightly exasperated.

I dunno, dating?, Ron thought, as he made a noise of agreement with his throat.

'Just remember the three D's,' Hermione advised him before he could reply.

Three D's... The three D's Ron had been trying to brand in his brain to help him Apparate as well as possible had suddenly Disapparated themselves.

'Are you ready?' Hermione asked him, smiling, as they approached the group of people already surrounding Professor Twycross in a clearing outside Hogsmeade.

'Yeah,' Ron said. He still felt slightly uneasy, but he was determined to pass. He knew how to Apparate. He was there to show them how it was done and to get his license.

Just then, Harry joined them, sweaty and panting.

'Hi,' he said, doubling over as he tried to catch his breath, 'I was with — Ginny — Quidditch pitch —'

'I know, mate, she was training today,' Ron completed.

Harry nodded.

'Well, you better go over there,' Hermione urged them, pointing her chin at the group of people ready to get their license. 'As this is a test, I know luck has nothing to do with it—'

'But just to follow the tradition...' Ron objected.

'I'll wish you good luck anyway, yes,' Hermione said, chuckling, and kissed him. 'And you too, Harry...'

'No good luck kisses for me?'

'Come on, you tosser.' Ron shoved Harry onwards, while Hermione retreated from the group to watch.

A short time later, Ron still felt dizzy, only aware of the big goofy grin on his face and the small square of parchment tightly gripped in his hand. Hermione was already there, and before he could come any closer, she ran to him and almost strangled him in her embrace.

'Congratulations, Ron!'

'Thanks,' he said in a raspy voice, releasing her gently. 'I mean it, thank you.'

'For what?' Hermione said, smiling.

'For being here.'

'My pleasure. Did you remember the right three D's this time?'

'Absolutely,' Ron replied as Harry, seeing that they had finished being mushy, approached them and they started walking out of the village in the sunset light.

Step one: Fix your mind firmly upon the desired Destination. That is, next to her.
Step two: Focus your Determination to follow her wherever she goes. Let your yearning to be with her flood from your mind to every particle of your body.
Step three: Turn on the spot, feeling your way into nothingness, and kiss her with Deliberation when you materialize.