"How can he sleep on our last ride on the Hogwarts Express?" Hermione asked Harry, who was shuffling through his Quidditch magazine.
Harry looked up, "You know Ron," he said, "he can sleep through a tornado."
"But it's our last ride!" Hermione exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air.
Harry sighed, "Then wake him up. We're almost to the station anyways."
Hermione shifted closer to Ron, who was leaning his head against the window of their car.
"Ron," she whispered, frowning when he didn't wake up.
Harry chuckled, "You're going to have to do better than that, Hermione."
Hermione turned back to Ron and thought for a moment.
"Ron!" she yelled, pinching his left arm.
Ron bolted upright, "Ouch! What was that for?!" he exclaimed.
Hermione furrowed her eyebrows and bit her lip. "I didn't think you'd want to miss our last ride on the Hogwarts Express," she said sweetly.
"Well you didn't have to pinch me," Ron said, rubbing his left arm where her fingers had left a mark.
Hermione smiled and batted her eyelashes, knowing that Ron could not stay mad at her if she put on her innocent act. It worked. Ron's face softened and he smiled back at her.
"I'll be back soon," Harry started, "I'm going to go see if I can find Neville." Ron thought that he saw a smirk cross Harry's face as he left the compartment.
Ron and Hermione sat in silence for a few minutes before Hermione said, "I cannot believe that we're not coming back to Hogwarts in a couple months."
Ron closed his hand over hers, the sudden embrace causing her breath to catch in her throat.
"I know," he said.
"No more platform 9 ¾, no more sorting ceremonies, no more--"
"No more us," Ron interrupted.
Hermione looked down at her hand that he had let go of. She felt a shiver run down her spine and turned to look up at him.
"We're still going to talk," she said desperately.
Ron gazed down at her, "Yeah, but we'll be in two different worlds. You'll be so busy with your healer training at St. Mungo's that you won't have time to talk to me."
"I can't believe that after everything we've gone through, you think that I won't keep in touch," Hermione said, sounding hurt.
Ron had noticed the pain in her voice and turned his face to look down upon hers. Her eyes were brimming with tears that made her brown eyes sparkle. He loved her. He loved her more than anything. His love for her intensified every time he looked into her big beautiful eyes.
"I didn't mean it like that," Ron stated, "I just meant that we'll both be doing our own thing, leading new lives, and we won't be able to see each other as much."
Hermione stood up. "I guess you mean more to me than I mean to you, Ronald Weasley! I wouldn't let a new schedule and change of location keep me from being with my best friend." Having said that, Hermione stormed out of the compartment, leaving Ron sitting there with a bemused look on his freckled face.
Half an hour later, the Hogwarts Express pulled into King's Cross and the train doors slid open. Hermione had not returned to the compartment that Harry and Ron were in , finding that she would much rather sit with Ginny, Luna, and Neville. Students filed out of the train in search of their parents and other relatives, including Harry and Ron.
"Are you coming?" Harry asked Ron, pointing in the direction of Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.
Ron looked behind him then back to Harry. "No, you go ahead, I'll be there in a minute."
Harry strode off towards Ron's parents, and Ron thought he heard Harry mutter something like, "Good luck, Weasley."
Ron watched Hermione step off of the train with Ginny and Neville, and walked over to them.
"I need to talk to you," he said, pulling her away by the arm.
"What's to talk about?"
"Us. We can't leave mad at each other," Ron said.
"Ron," Hermione sighed, rubbing her forehead. "I'm not mad at you, I'm hurt.
Ron shuffled nervously and fidgeted with his shirt. "I didn't mean to hurt you, Mione."
"I know you didn't," Hermione said. "But the truth is, you were right. Things will be different between us."
Having said that, Hermione lifted her hand to rest on his shoulder, leaned upwards, and kissed him on the cheek
"Goodbye, Ron," Hermione said softly, then she turned around and began walking towards her parents.
Ron touched the spot on his cheek that tingled from her kiss. He was about to reach out for her when he was bombarded by his freckled, red-haired older brothers.
The feast at the Burrow that night in celebration of Harry and Ron's graduation from Hogwarts was a grandiose event. Mrs. Weasley had prepared all sorts of food and Harry, Ginny, and the Weasley boys had entertained themselves with a game of Quidditch after dinner. Ron, however, was too preoccupied with his stream of thoughts to join in on the fun.
"How could she just walk away from what we had?" he asked himself. He was lying on his back on his bed looking at his ceiling.
"Who am I kidding?" he sighed, shifting to his side. "We didn't even have anything going on between us."
As the laughter and voices of the inhabitants of the Burrow diminished, Ron pretended to be asleep when Harry entered Ron's bedroom and got ready for bed. Ron was not in the mood to discuss what had happened between him and Hermione earlier that day, even though it was obvious that something was troubling him.
After several minutes of listening to Harry's even breathing and the tick-tock of the clock on the wall, Ron silently crept out of bed and descended down to the Weasley kitchen. Two gingerbread cookies and a glass of pumpkin juice later, Ron made himself comfortable on the couch in the living room.
"Doesn't she realize how much I care about her?" Ron asked himself silently. Thoughts of the last seven years at Hogwarts flashed before Ron's eyes. Hermione had always been right by his side whenever he needed her, which was more often than she realized. She was there for him when he sacrificed himself so Harry could capture the Sorcerer's Stone. She was there for him when Ginny was taken into the Chamber of Secrets and he had been so worried about her. She was always right by his bed in the hospital wing when he was injured. Ron always saw her beautiful face first in the stands at Quidditch games, cheering loudly just for him.
Lastly, before drifting off to sleep, Ron replayed their first kiss that happened last summer. It was the kiss that changed Ron's feelings for Hermione, and ultimately, changed his life.
Harry looked up, "You know Ron," he said, "he can sleep through a tornado."
"But it's our last ride!" Hermione exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air.
Harry sighed, "Then wake him up. We're almost to the station anyways."
Hermione shifted closer to Ron, who was leaning his head against the window of their car.
"Ron," she whispered, frowning when he didn't wake up.
Harry chuckled, "You're going to have to do better than that, Hermione."
Hermione turned back to Ron and thought for a moment.
"Ron!" she yelled, pinching his left arm.
Ron bolted upright, "Ouch! What was that for?!" he exclaimed.
Hermione furrowed her eyebrows and bit her lip. "I didn't think you'd want to miss our last ride on the Hogwarts Express," she said sweetly.
"Well you didn't have to pinch me," Ron said, rubbing his left arm where her fingers had left a mark.
Hermione smiled and batted her eyelashes, knowing that Ron could not stay mad at her if she put on her innocent act. It worked. Ron's face softened and he smiled back at her.
"I'll be back soon," Harry started, "I'm going to go see if I can find Neville." Ron thought that he saw a smirk cross Harry's face as he left the compartment.
Ron and Hermione sat in silence for a few minutes before Hermione said, "I cannot believe that we're not coming back to Hogwarts in a couple months."
Ron closed his hand over hers, the sudden embrace causing her breath to catch in her throat.
"I know," he said.
"No more platform 9 ¾, no more sorting ceremonies, no more--"
"No more us," Ron interrupted.
Hermione looked down at her hand that he had let go of. She felt a shiver run down her spine and turned to look up at him.
"We're still going to talk," she said desperately.
Ron gazed down at her, "Yeah, but we'll be in two different worlds. You'll be so busy with your healer training at St. Mungo's that you won't have time to talk to me."
"I can't believe that after everything we've gone through, you think that I won't keep in touch," Hermione said, sounding hurt.
Ron had noticed the pain in her voice and turned his face to look down upon hers. Her eyes were brimming with tears that made her brown eyes sparkle. He loved her. He loved her more than anything. His love for her intensified every time he looked into her big beautiful eyes.
"I didn't mean it like that," Ron stated, "I just meant that we'll both be doing our own thing, leading new lives, and we won't be able to see each other as much."
Hermione stood up. "I guess you mean more to me than I mean to you, Ronald Weasley! I wouldn't let a new schedule and change of location keep me from being with my best friend." Having said that, Hermione stormed out of the compartment, leaving Ron sitting there with a bemused look on his freckled face.
Half an hour later, the Hogwarts Express pulled into King's Cross and the train doors slid open. Hermione had not returned to the compartment that Harry and Ron were in , finding that she would much rather sit with Ginny, Luna, and Neville. Students filed out of the train in search of their parents and other relatives, including Harry and Ron.
"Are you coming?" Harry asked Ron, pointing in the direction of Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.
Ron looked behind him then back to Harry. "No, you go ahead, I'll be there in a minute."
Harry strode off towards Ron's parents, and Ron thought he heard Harry mutter something like, "Good luck, Weasley."
Ron watched Hermione step off of the train with Ginny and Neville, and walked over to them.
"I need to talk to you," he said, pulling her away by the arm.
"What's to talk about?"
"Us. We can't leave mad at each other," Ron said.
"Ron," Hermione sighed, rubbing her forehead. "I'm not mad at you, I'm hurt.
Ron shuffled nervously and fidgeted with his shirt. "I didn't mean to hurt you, Mione."
"I know you didn't," Hermione said. "But the truth is, you were right. Things will be different between us."
Having said that, Hermione lifted her hand to rest on his shoulder, leaned upwards, and kissed him on the cheek
"Goodbye, Ron," Hermione said softly, then she turned around and began walking towards her parents.
Ron touched the spot on his cheek that tingled from her kiss. He was about to reach out for her when he was bombarded by his freckled, red-haired older brothers.
The feast at the Burrow that night in celebration of Harry and Ron's graduation from Hogwarts was a grandiose event. Mrs. Weasley had prepared all sorts of food and Harry, Ginny, and the Weasley boys had entertained themselves with a game of Quidditch after dinner. Ron, however, was too preoccupied with his stream of thoughts to join in on the fun.
"How could she just walk away from what we had?" he asked himself. He was lying on his back on his bed looking at his ceiling.
"Who am I kidding?" he sighed, shifting to his side. "We didn't even have anything going on between us."
As the laughter and voices of the inhabitants of the Burrow diminished, Ron pretended to be asleep when Harry entered Ron's bedroom and got ready for bed. Ron was not in the mood to discuss what had happened between him and Hermione earlier that day, even though it was obvious that something was troubling him.
After several minutes of listening to Harry's even breathing and the tick-tock of the clock on the wall, Ron silently crept out of bed and descended down to the Weasley kitchen. Two gingerbread cookies and a glass of pumpkin juice later, Ron made himself comfortable on the couch in the living room.
"Doesn't she realize how much I care about her?" Ron asked himself silently. Thoughts of the last seven years at Hogwarts flashed before Ron's eyes. Hermione had always been right by his side whenever he needed her, which was more often than she realized. She was there for him when he sacrificed himself so Harry could capture the Sorcerer's Stone. She was there for him when Ginny was taken into the Chamber of Secrets and he had been so worried about her. She was always right by his bed in the hospital wing when he was injured. Ron always saw her beautiful face first in the stands at Quidditch games, cheering loudly just for him.
Lastly, before drifting off to sleep, Ron replayed their first kiss that happened last summer. It was the kiss that changed Ron's feelings for Hermione, and ultimately, changed his life.