In it

Author's note: I do not own Harry Potter and all related characters and settings. Also this story contains dialogue and scenes taken from Garden State by Zach Braff.

Ron sat in the common room with Hermione Granger the love of his life. He hadn't told her yet but this night was turning into one of the best he had ever experienced. He was watching the light from the fireplace flicker on her skin and her eyes.

They both had been out swimming by the lake and had just come back when it started raining, soaking them. Harry and Ginny were asleep. They had the common room all to themselves. Hermione looked at Ron and said "You're in it right now, aren't you? My mum always says that when she can see that I'm working something out in my head, she says you're in it right now. And I'm looking at you and you're telling me that story and you're definitely in it right now."

"I think you're right, I am in it." Ron replied. Suddenly he became embarrassed. "I mean…whatever let's just talk about good stuff."

"Good stuff?" Hermione replied

"Yeah, like glass half full stuff. What do you have?" Ron said.

Hermione looked at him and said "I have a slight chill. What do you have?"

"I got a little chill as well. But…I like you." Ron said. Hermione grinned at him. "So there's that, I guess I have that."

Hermione then said out of nowhere "I can tap dance, do you want to see me tap dance?"

"I would love to see you tap dance." Ron said.

Hermione stood up and danced as the flames kept on burning in the fireplace. Ron clapped and then they looked at each other. Then they walked out into the hallway when suddenly Malfoy came around the corner.

"Well, what do we have here? The Mud blood and Weasel enjoying a little midnight tryst hmm?" Malfoy said mockingly.

"Malfoy, leave I think you've corrupted this innocent girl long enough." Ron said.

"I'm not innocent." Hermione replied sweetly.

"Yes you are and that's what I like about you, okay?" Ron said, "And I don't want this guy naming us because of our heritage or something stupid like that."

"He's protecting me." Hermione said coyly.

"Don't be cute." Ron replied.

"He's my knight in shining armor." Hermione said.

"Don't talk about knights in front of Malfoy, it's a sensitive subject." Ron answered.

Malfoy looked at him in pure hatred. "I'll kill you for that, peasant!" he charged at Ron, while Ron just dodged and tripped Draco's ankle. Malfoy started to get up when he saw Hermione's wand right in his face.

"You foul, loathsome, little cockroach!" Hermione yelled. Ron tried to hold her back but she struggled out of his grip. She put her wand down and turned around.

"I knew you couldn't go though with it Mud-blood…" Malfoy tried to say more but talking when one's nose is broken is hard to do. He scurried out of there as fast as he could.

Hermione looked at Ron with a sly grin on her face. "That felt good."

Ron stood there with jaw agape hardly believing that Hermione Granger had punched Malfoy in the nose. "Not just good Mione but brilliant." Ron finally said. Looking around he realized they shouldn't be out of the common room this late. Grabbing Hermione he took her to the one place he knew where no one would find them… The Prefect's Bathroom.

Ron and Hermione were now in the bathtub just looking at each other still in their wet clothes. Ron was staring at his scars. "You know this reminds me of a really random memory of my mother. I was a little kid and Fred and George had just turned my teddy bear into a bloody spider when I ran up to her with snot dripping out of my nose. She took her sleeve and she told me to blow in it and I remember thinking, even as a little kid that this was it. This was love." As he said this a small tear escaped his eyes.

Hermione listened but when she saw the tear she couldn't help herself. "Ron, I think I see one."

"Shut up." Ron said, smiling.

"We should save it or something, you know, it's not every day that a boy with the emotional range of a teaspoon start's crying." Hermione said, jumping out of the tub and getting a cup. Running back to him she caught the tear, looking at him. "Is that it?"

"Yeah, I don't really feel anymore coming. We could put it in my scrapbook, if I had a scrapbook." Ron replied.

"Well, just let me know and I'll get the cup, okay?" Hermione said, leaning back against the bathtub.

"Who are you?" Ron said.

"I'm you're old friend, Mione. Tissue?" she said, bringing up her hand to his face, wiping away sweat.

"Come here." Ron said, grabbing Hermione and holding her to him. Suddenly he started crying and he couldn't explain why.

Hermione started lightly kissing him and saying "I'm never going to be able to get all these, am I?" She kept him close to her and then their noses met.

"Bloody hell this hurts so much!" Ron said fiercely.

"I know but that's life. It's real, sometimes it hurts but it's sort of all we have, you know? Describe it. That always helps me. My mom…my mom says what's the word that's burning in your chest? What is it?" Hermione soothingly said, looking into his eyes.

"I would say that it's love. It's this love I have…for you." Ron said.

"Yeah, it is. You've got years of it in you just dying to get out." Hermione smiled warmly.

"How do you know?" Ron said skeptically.

"Because that's the exact same way I feel." Hermione said snuggling into his shoulder. "How are you feeling?"

Ron pulled away and looked at her. "Safe, when I'm with you I feel so safe, like I'm home." Taking her face in his hand he looked at her "You've changed my life. You've changed my life and I've just now realized that I don't want to spend the rest of my life without you in it and I'm really screwed up right now and I have a whole lot of problems I've got to sort out but we can do it right? I mean we have to, right?"

"Yes." Hermione said, smiling warmly at him.

"So what do we do?" Ron said. Hermione for once, couldn't come up with an answer. "What do we do?" Ron repeated.

Harry got up feeling lethargic. Putting his glasses on he glanced at Ron's bed. What he saw made him rub his eyes, sure he was still dreaming. But no, there it was. Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger lying in each other's arms. He smiled because now he wouldn't have to put up with their stupid bickering and dodging their true feelings with each other. Walking out of the boy's dorm he saw Ginny. "Looks like both our friends have finally let go." Harry smiled.