"Ronald, wake up and come down to breakfast" Molly Weasley called from her youngest son's doorway.
"Umph" Ron moaned rolling out of his bed.
"Ronald, Now!" She yelled again.
"Coming" He mumbled as he stood up.
She could hear his footsteps as he followed her down the stairs. She smiled to herself when she walked into the kitchen. It was so nice to have all of her children home.
Ron threw himself into the chair by his little sister still looking half asleep. Molly put a plate in front of him and just as she predicted that woke him up.
"So Ron," Bill said. "How was Hogwarts?"
"It was ok" Ron replied still focused on his breakfast.
"Ok?" Ginny squealed. "Ok? Your friends with Harry Potter! You went on an adventure where a gigantic chess set almost killed you! That's not ok- that's exciting"
Ron shrugged and went back to eating.
Ginny continued to stare at Ron for a few minutes. "What's he like?" Ginny blurted out.
"Who?" Ron asked looking genuinely bewildered.
"Harry Potter!" She shouted at him.
"Ginny!" Her mother scolded. "Leave your brother alone and no shouting at the table"
Ginny crossed her arms and pouted. Ron looked over at her and rolled his eyes.
"Harry's just a normal bloke" Ron told her.
"I heard he is quite a seeker" Charlie commented.
"He is" Ron said enthusiastically. "I was surprised to see him on a broom for the first time, he is a natural flyer"
At that moment Errol the family owl flew right into the open kitchen window and landed in front of Ron. Ron pulled the letter off of his leg and opened it. He rolled his eyes and smiled as he read it.
"Is that from Harry?" Ginny asked excitedly- earning her a glare from Ron and a chuckle from her other brothers.
"No, it's from Hermione" Ron told her.
"Who's Hermione?" Bill asked.
"She's our other friend" Ron mumbled and growing a little red. He didn't know why but he didn't much like talking about Hermione.
"What's her last name?" Bill asked.
"Granger" Ron mumbled trying to finish her letter.
"I don't think I know that last name" Bill replied.
"She's a muggle born" Percy answered. "I got to know her a little this year. She's very smart and very well spoken. She finished first in her class"
Ron was hit with a sudden urge to maim his brother; Hermione was his friend not Percy's!
"Well, she sounds lovely Ron" Molly beamed.
"Ok" Ron said not really sure how to respond to that. Charlie and Bill were exchanging knowing glances. Ron noticed Hermione had included something else in the envelope; he pulled it out and realized it was pictures of the three of them on the last day.
"What is that?" asked.
"Hermione sent a picture" Ron said. "She had someone take this with her muggle camera. The people don't move." He handed the picture to his mother.
"Can I see?" Ginny asked she stood up and looked over her mother's shoulder. She looked at the photo dreamily and Ron knew she mooning over Harry again.
"Hermione is just adorable Ron. I love her hair." Mrs. Weasley said handing the picture back to Ron. "Make sure you show that to your father. I'm not sure he has ever seen a muggle photo. I might get him one of those cameras for his birthday."
"Ok, mom." Ron said.
"Can I see Ron?" Charlie asked. Ron begrudgingly handed him the picture. Bill peered at it with Charlie and they chuckled.
"Mom's right." Bill teased. "Your girlfriend is cute."
"She's not my girlfriend." Ron snapped taking the picture back.
The door opened and came in and said, "Good morning family."
"Morning." They replied in unison.
He sat down in a chair and heaved a sigh.
"Long night dear?" Mrs. Weasley asked sympathetically. She stood up and got his breakfast for him.
"As usual." muttered. "What are we talking about here?"
"Ron's girlfriend," Fred smirked.
"She's not my girlfriend!" Ron snapped.
"What?" asked.
"Here," George took the picture from Charlie and handed it to his dad.
"Was this taken with a muggle camera?" asked with excitement.
"Yeah," Ron answered. "My friends Hermione had it taken with her camera."
"It's strange," Mr. Weasley commented. "But fascinating. I wish I had one of those cameras."
"Isn't Ickle Ronnikins girlfriend cute dad?" George asked.
"George." his voice full of warning. "Leave Ron alone."
"It's not nice to tease your brother." Mrs. Weasley said.
"It's perfectly normal to start getting interested in girls at your age," George advised Ron.
"Unless your Percy," Fred interjected. "And then all you are interested in is following the rules and bossing people around."
Percy glared at Fred but didn't say anything.
Ron slammed his fork down on the table. "I'm not interested in Hermione and she's not my girlfriend!" He jumped up and stomped away from the table. He could still hear his brother's chuckling from the stairs.
A few minutes later there was knock on his door, "Go away," he said.
"Come on Ron," Bill urged. "I just want to talk to you."
"Fine," Ron said. He opened the door and let his oldest brother inside the room.
Bill sat down on Ron's bed. "I'm sorry we teased you. That was wrong and I will never tease you about Hermione again." He held up the picture. "I brought this back."
"Thanks," Ron replied grudgingly and he took the photo. He sat down beside his brother.
"But can I say something before I go?" Bill asked.
Ron nodded.
"If you didn't like her a little you wouldn't be so sensitive about it." Bill told him. "Plus from the sound of it you would be lucky if she was your girlfriend. She sounds great. But you've got plenty of time for girls and you will meet a lot of girls in your life." He stood up and walked to the door. He turned around and winked, "One day you will probably look at Hermione differently."
After he was gone Ron looked at the picture. Hermione wasn't awful to look at and she was really smart. But she was not his girlfriend!