As Ron stumbled out of bed that morning, he took in all of his surroundings. The clutter of his clothes that surrounded his bed, the cluster of spell books he had left open on the table last night, and the picture of Hermione in the frame on his bedside table. It was going to be a long day.

As Hermione started packing her school things, her mind wasn't working right. It was their last year. She had to tell him. But how? That she had planned out. The words she had carefully chosen, the three hours she had put into it by practicing them in front of her mirror. When she arrived at the burrow, she didn't want everything to be all fun and games, she wanted action. She needed to know how he felt.

Hermione wished she didn't have to travel by flu powder to the Burrow. She needed a longer period of time to think about what she wanted to do. About what she had to do. She didn't want to have to hide her feelings around Ron anymore.

"Ron, I, I…" Hermione couldn't believe how much he had changed over the summer. His muscular arms, his handsome body frame. She wanted to go up to him, to wrap herself up in his arms.

"Hermione! It's so…nice to see you again!" Ron was trying to act casual. To him, he sounded like a complete git. He wanted to hide. He looked around the room for possible places. Would the armchair be large enough to hide him? Yes, that looks like a nice size. But it was too late. Why had he come downstairs at all? Why didn't he stay hidden in the clutter in his room?

"Ron, you've, you've…" WHY was she so obsessed? She couldn't help but notice that her eyes kept traveling to his lower body. 'I wonder what it would be like if there wasn't anything to cover…' 'Stop it! You're acting like a complete git.' She was glad her thoughts were concealed by her head.

"Um, uh, why don't I help you take the stuff into my room?"

"What? Oh, yeah…Thanks, that would be great."

Suddenly, Ron froze. 'Crap! Her picture is framed in pink on my table! How can I hide it now?

Ron and Hermione ventured up into Ron's room, all the way each lost in their own worries.

'She'll find out! How can I tell her though? After all these years… I can't, I just can't! But I have to now; it's too late to hide the picture…'

'Okay, calm down. Once I get myself together everything will be fine. I just have to find out, I can't go on living without knowing if he feels the same.'

Ron swung open the door, and put down Hermione's bag. Hermione closely followed. She examined Ron's face, and noticed that he was examining hers. Their eyes met. Know is the time to tell him.

"Ron…"

"Hermione…" They both started talking at the same time. Oh great, she probably sees right through me. She probably knows how I feel to her, and she probably thinks I'm an ugly git…"

"You first Ron," Hermione said, relieved for the destraction.

"Um, okay…" Here it goes… "Hermione, I have to tell you something." But do I? Can't I wait? Do I have to tell her now? Yes, I guess I do, I already started talking. "It's complicated. Why don't we sit down?" Oh great, she probably thinks I'm turning into her mother…

"Okay Ron, what is it?" Hermione asked quizzically, after she had taken a rather long time getting comfy on Ron's bed. Maybe a bit too comfy with Ron and not enough comfy with the bed. 'Oh great, now he probably thinks I'm trying to warm up to him,' Hermione thought, so she moved a little farther away from him.

'Oh no, she's already moving away from me! What did I do this time?' Thought Ron, "I better say it quickly and be done with it…

"Hermione, I love you."

A/N: Please, reviews are always appreciated!