Once more, thanks to ObsessedRHShipper for correcting this.


Chapter 2

The Train Ride

"You really, really can't come to The Burrow?" Ron was asking Hermione as they made their way towards the Great Hall for breakfast before taking the Hogwarts Express to go home.

"Yes, Ron, I'm sure. I spent half the summer in your house. My parents miss me, and I miss them."

"I'll miss you, too," he pouted. "In fact, I'm already missing you."

She shook her head. "You're such a child sometimes ..."

"I'm not!" he retorted. "I'm a man!" he added, and raised his head high to accentuate his already considerable stature. She grinned and shook her head.

They kept walking silently for a minute or two, and then Ron stopped abruptly. "Wait a moment!" Hermione, surprised, turned round to look at him. "You aren't refusing to come because of what my mother could think about us, are you?"

"Of course not!" she replied, a bit too quickly, and couldn't help blushing a little.

"You are!" he yelled, pointing an accusing finger at her.

"NO!" she denied vehemently, but then sighed. "Well, maybe I am a bit worried ... but that is not the reason I'm not going to your house."

"Hermione, my family loves you; you know it. My parents treat you and Harry almost as if you were their children. I assure you they will be delighted when they find out that we're together. I'm sure Mum will say that I'm very fortunate to have such an intelligent, caring and beautiful girl as a girlfriend, and that if I screw it up with you they'll disinherit me."

Hermione couldn't help laughing.

"Okay, Ron, you've convinced me. But I'm still not going. You know I had plans with my parents."

"Well, at least I tried," he said, shrugging.

"Why don't you come to my house, instead?" she asked, the idea hitting her suddenly. "Maybe just for a day — or two?"

"Going to your house? Me?" he asked, taken aback.

"Yes!" she said, carried away. "My parents are always asking why I'm always going to The Burrow and why I don't invite you and Harry over."

"I'm not sure ..." he said, hesitant. "I don't know how I'll manage in a Muggle house. And are you sure your parents would want me there?"

"Of course, I am. They like you, you know it. They see you every year. They even stayed for tea when they brought me to your house this summer, Ron."

"Yeah, but I wasn't your boyfriend back then," he argued.

"Oh, Mum knows very well that I fancy you, Ron. And I suppose Dad knows, too."

"They know?" he asked, looking half-pleased, half-horrified. "Really?"

"I talk to my parents, you know," she said, surprised by his reaction. "I can't talk to them about Voldemort, but we have mature talks about a lot of things."

"Well, that's because you're too mature for your age, Hermione," he mocked her.

She fumed upon hearing that, a little offended. "Well, then it's good you're with me, Ron Weasley, because you're too immature for your age!"

"Okay, okay, let's forget about maturity," he said, raising his hands in an attempt to placate her. "So — staying a few days in your house, eh?" he commented.

"Yes. Do you want to come?"

Ron thought about it for a moment. "Well, I suppose it would be great, but now that I come to think of it, Harry's coming to The Burrow. I can't leave him there while I go to your house. It wouldn't be right."

"He can come, too. And Ginny, if she wants to."

"I'll talk to my parents about it, then," agreed Ron. "But only if you come to The Burrow for New Year's Eve. Your parents can come too. I'm sure Mum won't mind, and Dad will be simply delighted."

"We'll see," she said, as they walked across the Entrance Hall and towards the Great Hall.

Harry joined them ten minutes later. He and Luna had left the party earlier than Ron and Hermione the night before, so they had not been able to talk. Hermione noticed he still seemed a bit upset. He said 'Hi' to them, and then looked at the staff table and scowled.

"Are you going to tell us what the matter is?" she asked him, bending over the table and speaking in a low voice.

"Later, on the train," he said, and then changed the subject, "Did you enjoy the party?"

"We did," Ron said, grinning, and Hermione felt herself blush a little.

"Good," Harry said, nodding, and began to put some jam on a piece of toast, looking worried and thoughtful again.

"Hermione says we should spend one or two days at her house this Christmas," Ron commented. "I think it may be great."

Harry stared at them for a moment. "Yeah, I suppose it would, but I can't go."

"Why not?" Hermione asked him, frowning.

"Dumbledore made me promise I wouldn't wander around," he explained. "The Burrow is well protected and full of wizards, but your parents' house is not. I can't go there and risk their lives."

"Oh!" Hermione said. How could she have forgotten? "Yeah, you're right." She looked at Ron. "Sorry, then. I didn't think about that."

He shrugged, a bit disappointed. "You can still come for New Year's Eve. I'd like it a lot if you came."

"I'll try," she promised. "If my parents don't have any special plans, I'll try to convince them."

They finished their breakfast and then the three of them began to walk towards Gryffindor tower to get their things. Hermione felt Ron's hand grabbing hers and smiled at him.

"This prat has come to his senses, then?" they heard Ginny say. She was hurrying to reach them and was smirking, looking at Ron and Hermione's hands. She beamed at Hermione, who smiled back. Ron, however, glared at his sister, turning red.

"Shut up!"

"I see that some snogging has not done anything for your mood," commented Ginny. "Anyway, Congratulations, Hermione — I think," she added, glaring at her brother. "You'll need luck and a lot of patience to deal with him."

Ron's face turned even redder. "I told you to shut up! Can't you leave us alone?"

"Ron!" Hermione scolded.

"What?" he said to her. "This is none of her business."

"You don't say that when it's the other way round!" yelled Ginny. "I'm going to say goodbye to Dean," she informed them. "I'll see you later, Harry, Hermione."

Ginny ran off and Hermione saw Harry watching her with ... longing? However, Ron was still fuming, murmuring things that sounded like 'insufferable nosey brat' and didn't notice anything.

As they made their way towards the marble staircase, Parvati and Lavender moved past them, walking fast. When they reached the stairs, Lavender turned her head round and threw a nasty look at Hermione before climbing up the stairs.

"I think Lavender won't be congratulating you soon," said Harry to Hermione in a joking tone.

Hermione frowned and looked at Ron, who seemed a bit embarrassed by the whole situation.

"I didn't do anything!" Ron defended himself, even though nobody had said anything to him. "I didn't encourage her or — or anything like that!"

"I know it's not your fault," Hermione said, a bit crossly.

"Well, you looked at me as if it was."

"It was too much to hope, for you to stop bickering," Harry commented, shaking his head.

"We are not bickering!" Ron and Hermione shouted together.

o o o

"This compartment is empty, come in," Harry told his two friends. Ron and Hermione entered behind him and Ron closed the door.

"Well?" Hermione asked, once they were settled. "Are you going to tell us what's upsetting you?"

"I followed Snape and Malfoy last night, when they left the party," Harry began to tell, and Ron and Hermione couldn't help exchanging a meaningful glance. Harry saw it and frowned. "Wait until I tell you what I heard, okay? Then we'll see who's right," he said, and he proceeded to relate to them what he had heard about Malfoy's mission and the Unbreakable Vow Snape had made.

"And well?" he said, once he had finished. "You can't deny now that Malfoy is plotting something nasty. I told you. And Snape is trying to help him."

Hermione hummed. "Well, I never said Malfoy wasn't up to anything. But you didn't hear him saying Voldemort's —" (Ron fidgeted uncomfortably in his seat) "—name, did you?"

Harry frowned. "Snape said 'your master.' Who else could they mean?"

"I don't know," admitted Hermione. "It could be his father. It could be anyone."

Harry snorted.

"And what about Snape?" he continued. "He is obviously trying to help him!"

"Well, he could just be offering him help to discover what he's up to," reasoned Hermione. "Dumbledore could have asked him to do so."

"You're incredible," said Harry, shaking his head with frustration. He looked at Ron. "What do you think?"

Ron frowned, a bit uncomfortable. "Well, Malfoy is clearly up to something," he said. "It's a shame you didn't hear what, though. And about Snape ... Well, an Unbreakable Vow is something pretty serious," he added, thoughtfully.

"He could only be offering Malfoy help to try to find out what he's planning, Ron!" insisted Hermione.

"He could," Ron admitted, avoiding Harry's glare.

"You're only saying that because she's your girlfriend now," Harry accused him. "You are usually willing to think the worst of Snape."

"Well, yeah ..." Ron smiled sheepishly. "I appreciate you, mate, but she snogs me," he added, and his ears turned red.

Hermione scowled at him. "So you're just agreeing with me because I snog you?" she asked, annoyed. "You don't really think Snape could be offering Malfoy help on Dumbledore's orders?"

"I know it's a possibility, Hermione," Ron said, "but he made an Unbreakable Vow!"

"Yeah, that intrigues me," said Harry thoughtfully. "What happens if you break an Unbreakable Vow?"

"You die," answered Ron. "If Snape promised to help Malfoy, he will have to do so or he'll snuff it."

Hermione wanted to reply, but the truth was that she didn't have an explanation for the Unbreakable Vow part.

"Well, we'll see," she said simply, folding her arms.

"Yeah, we will," said Harry, and they fell silent for a while. Hermione took a book from her trunk and leant against Ron's shoulder.

"You're not going to read, are you?" he said from behind her.

"I was," she said. "Why?"

"When we arrive in London you'll be gone for at least a week, maybe more, if you don't come to my home for New Year's Eve."

"Well, what do you suggest we do, then?" she asked, sitting straight again.

"I don't know, we should patrol the corridors a bit, don't you think? I mean, we're prefects —"

Hermione eyed him suspiciously, and Harry raised an eyebrow.

"Patrol the corridors," he repeated, watching Ron disbelievingly. "If you want to be alone so you can snog, you can say it."

"We don't," Hermione stated, glaring at Ron.

"Speak for yourself," he replied. "I don't find anything bad in snogging."

"Ron, that's very rude! We aren't going to leave Harry here all alone! Do you have to be so tactless?"

"I'm going to spend the entire Christmas with Harry!" he protested. "I just want to spend some time with you! Is that so bad?"

"It's okay, Hermione," interjected Harry, and she swallowed her retort and looked at him. "I'm sure I can spend some time with Neville and Luna ... maybe even Ginny."

Hermione stared at him, studying him.

"See, Hermione? Everything's all right. Besides, it's only for a while," said Ron, very pleased, who had obviously not noticed the hopeful tone in which Harry had said 'maybe even Ginny.'

"See you later," Harry said, smiling at them, and then left the compartment.

"Ron, that was inappropriate, and you know it," she said in a scolding tone. "We don't want Harry to feel left out!"

"Oh, Hermione, I just want half an — well, an hour alone with you. I mean, it is not fair, we got together last night and now we have to spend a lot of days apart. What if you change your mind and decide you're making the worst mistake of your life?" Hermione opened her mouth to reply, but Ron didn't give her enough time. "I want to enjoy kissing you while I can."

"Ron, I'm not going to change my mind!" she almost shouted, offended. "I waited for you for about two years, why would I — Oh, you're making fun of me!" she said, slapping the arm of a smirking Ron and moving away from him.

"Sorry, it was too fun!" he said, laughing. "Besides, I owed you one for making me suffer yesterday, when I asked you if you wanted to be my girlfriend."

"You think you're very funny, do you?" she asked, frowning and folding her arms. "What if I spent the next hour reading instead of kissing you?"

"You wouldn't," he said, but he didn't seem very sure, and Hermione smiled inwardly. He looked so sweet and vulnerable when he looked like that.

"Oh, I definitely would!," she replied fiercely.

Ron stared at her, open-mouthed, and she remained where she was, looking at him defiantly.

"Oh, come on, you're just pretending to be angry at me."

"If you're so sure ..." she commented, and opened her book again, putting it in front of her so that she couldn't see his face, or he hers.

Ron didn't reply, and they sat there, silent, for a few minutes. Hermione tried to focus on the words in the book, but she couldn't. Finally, sighing with frustration, she lowered the book and saw Ron looking at her with an expression full of longing.

"I hope you're happy; you've made me so angry I can't even read," she told him, and folded her arms tightly across her chest.

Ron just stared at her, and she returned the stare. And then, without knowing how, they were embracing and kissing passionately.

"I've missed this," he said, grinning, when they parted, after two minutes of good snogging.

"So did I," she said, panting. She was pleasurably flushed and felt absolutely happy.

"Then why were you so reluctant?" he asked, taking her hand and squeezing it.

"I don't know," she said, shrugging. "It felt like ... shutting Harry out, or something like that."

"You know what?" he said, and she looked at his blue eyes, which were sparkling with content and happiness. "You need to listen to me more and loosen up a bit."

She didn't respond immediately, but continued just staring at him. Then she gave his hand a squeeze.

"I think you're right," she said, shocking him. "But only if you listen to me more about your homework," she added playfully.

"That would be good for me, I suppose," he said. "Boring, though," he added, playfully. "It's a deal, then?"

"It's a deal," she nodded, grinning, and extended her hand in a formal manner.

"Oh, come on!" he said. "Come here and kiss me."

She shook her head and moved backwards. "You said that you agreed with me because I snogged you," she commented, "and I don't want to do anything that would force you to say something you don't believe."

"I thought that girls wanted that from their boyfriends."

"We don't!" she replied. "I don't, at least. I want you to be you, Ron. I told you that yesterday," she said, becoming serious.

He smiled at her, and, taking her face between his hands, kissed her full on the mouth. She let out a moan of pleasure and surprise, and then responded with equal force, pushing him against the back of the seat.

They were so focused on each other that they didn't hear the door open.

"So Blaise was telling the truth," said a sneering voice. "The Mudblood and the Weasel are eating each other's mouths. Absolutely disgusting."

Both Hermione and Ron parted and looked at the doorway, where Draco Malfoy was watching them, an expression of utter disgust on his face. Crabbe and Goyle were behind him, smiling stupidly.

"What the hell do you want, Malfoy?" Ron yelled, his face turning red with anger.

"Fuck, Weasley, you have no pride at all. I thought that even you could do better than a filthy Mudblood."

Ron drew his wand in an instant and pointed it at Malfoy's face. "Don't — call — her — that!" he threatened, and from the tip of his wand flew a few sparks. Draco retreated, his expression becoming serious.

"Enjoy her while you can, Weasley. Because when the Dark Lord takes over —" he said, lowering his voice and leaving the sentence purposely unfinished.

Hermione saw Ron's hand tremble with rage, and put a soothing hand over his shoulder. "Don't, Ron. He's not worth it."

Ron kept his wand pointed at Malfoy's face for a few moments, and then lowered it. "Yeah, he isn't. Fuck off, Malfoy. Go visit your father; he must feel so alone there in Azkaban."

Malfoy's face contorted in rage and he made an attempt to take his wand out, but Hermione drew hers quicker and pointed it at him. "Get out and leave us alone," she warned him.

Malfoy hesitated for a moment, and then relaxed and retreated. "Your time's almost over. Enjoy it while you can," he hissed, and then he left, Crabbe and Goyle following him.

Ron closed the door much more forcefully than was necessary and then dropped on the seat, fuming. "Stupid git! I should've broken his pathetic face!"

"Don't get upset, Ron. That's what he wants," Hermione said softly, sitting beside him and caressing his arm in a soothing way.

"That's easy to say," he replied.

"He doesn't seem very healthy, did you notice?" she commented, and bit her lower lip thoughtfully.

"What do you mean?" Ron asked, frowning.

"Well, he looks pale, and has bags under his eyes ..."

"He looked as repulsive as always to me."

"Umh ..." she bit her lower lip again.

"I find it incredibly sexy when you do that," blurted out Ron, staring at her mouth.

"What?" she said, turning pink and feeling suddenly embarrassed. "What are you talking about?"

"When you bite your lower lip in concentration," he explained. "It makes me want to kiss you and bite it myself."

She tore her eyes away from his, even more embarrassed, but not before noticing that his ears had also turned red. "You — you think I'm sexy?"

He looked at her, surprised. "Are you mad?" he said. "Why do you think I want to snog you all the time? So that I can write an essay about it?"

"Well, I know I'm not ugly —"

"Of course you aren't!" Ron shouted hotly.

"— but I had never thought about myself as 'sexy,'" she admitted.

"Because you're mental," he said plainly. "But perhaps that's one of the reasons you are sexy: because you don't think you are."

"That makes no sense."

"It makes perfect sense," Ron replied.

"Well — thank you," she said, smiling shyly.

"I've only said the truth," he commented. "I mean — that's how I see you."

They fixed their eyes on the other's, and stared at each other for about a minute, simply enjoying the sight, until Hermione whispered, "Kiss me, Ron. Kiss me now."

Ron didn't need more encouragement. He moved quickly towards her, put his arms around her and crushed her lips with his, pushing her against the window. She closed her eyes and almost moaned due to the intensity of the kiss. She immediately put her arms around Ron's neck and tried to get him even closer to her. He thought she was sexy! The idea was so incredible, so exhilarating! And now she felt thoroughly warm and was totally enthralled by him and the passion he was pouring through this kiss. Merlin's beard, she wanted to kiss him forever ...

She had thought that the idea of being 'meant to be' was foolish and ridiculous. But now, being wrapped in his arms, being kissed by him, and feeling the affection and the adoration he felt towards her, the idea no longer felt ridiculous or foolish, but seemed right and entirely appropriate. Although maybe it really was a foolish idea ... maybe every couple felt like this in the first stages of a relationship ... maybe it was simply that she was in love and —

Oh, Merlin! she thought, opening her eyes and stopping the kiss so she could breathe properly. I'm in love with him! she realised, looking at his flushed face and his pleased expression.

"Bloody hell, Hermione!" he commented, panting. "You really have a wild side, haven't you?"

"Surprised?" she said, still amazed by her sudden realisation.

"Amazed," he admitted. "But I have no complaints!" he said, and both of them laughed happily.

"Well, I don't have any complaints, either," she declared, and leaned forward to give him a chaste kiss on the mouth.

"How long have we been here?" he asked her, checking his watch.

"About half an hour, I think," she answered.

"Do you think we should go and find Harry?"

She knew that they would, but she didn't want to. She needed time to think about these new feelings, yes — though maybe they weren't new, but had been there for a long time, repressed, and now were out of control — but she would have time for that over the holidays. Right now, she just wanted to be with him, and only with him. It was a bit weird, because he was just Ron, her best friend, a boy who she had known for almost six years, since she was just a child of eleven. But, at the same time, it was perfectly natural, as if it was like it was supposed to be ...

"Do you want to?" she asked.

"Well, to tell the truth — no."

"I don't want to, either."

Ron looked at her, surprised. "You don't?"

"Why are you so shocked?" she asked, a bit offended. "Do you think I don't like spending time with you?"

"No, it's not that. In fact, taking into account those little noises you were making, I think you enjoy it pretty much," he said, with a smug smile, and she couldn't help blushing a little. "I simply thought that — well, we shouldn't leave him alone."

Hermione bit her bottom lip, thinking, and then noticed Ron's eyes were fixed on her mouth and realised what she was doing. She smiled.

"Well, I think Harry can manage another half an hour without us," she stated, smiling broadly.

He grinned back. "I'm a bad influence on you," he said.

"I know, but it's a bit late to change that, isn't it?" she said, and they both laughed.

"Yeah, a bit," he nodded. "Well, what do you want to do the next half an hour, then?" he asked.

"I think I have a good idea," she said, slowly getting closer to him. He beamed and opened his arms, and she settled between them, snuggling against his chest. "This feels so good," she couldn't help confessing.

"It does," he nodded, and, putting his hand under her chin, he lifted her face towards his and kissed her.

The moment she felt his lips on hers, she put her arms around his neck and pulled his lean, hard body against hers. He responded squeezing her even tighter and putting his tongue inside her mouth, something he had never done before.

The sensation of Ron's warm tongue inside her mouth was almost too much, and she couldn't help moaning again, trying to get even closer to him. Then, struck by a sudden inspiration, she sucked on his tongue and this time it was he who let out a moan.

Merlin's pants, this felt incredible! Hermione couldn't understand why they had waited so long to do this. She felt tempted to express this idea out loud, but that would imply stopping the kiss, and it felt way too good to end it. No, she didn't want to stop kissing Ron; she wanted to kiss him forever.

And so this time she put her own tongue inside his mouth, where it was welcomed by his with frantic caresses that almost drove her crazy. They embraced each other even tighter and time lost its meaning.

o o o

"Merlin's beard, you both look as though you were hit in the head with a beater's bat!" exclaimed Ginny, when Ron and Hermione opened the door of the compartment were she, Harry, Neville and Luna were sitting, an hour later. "I don't want to think about what you must have been doing."

Hermione felt her cheeks heat with embarrassment, and Ron's ears turned red. "Shut up, Ginny," he told her before dropping beside Harry. Hermione sat in front of him.

"Sorry for the delay, Harry," she said shyly, without looking at him in the eye.

"Don't worry," he answered dismissively. "All's well, then?"

"Yeah," said Ron, nodding, taking a Chocolate Frog from Harry's pile, because they had been too ... occupied when the witch of the food trolley had passed. "Except for Malfoy's visit, of course."

"Malfoy's visit?" Harry asked, suddenly very interested. "What did he do?"

"The usual," answered Ron, "Being an absolute arsehole, insulting me and Hermione —"

"Hermione and me," she corrected automatically.

"— and threatening us," Ron finished, ignoring her.

"He didn't look as smug as usual, though," commented Hermione. "He was a bit pale, to say the truth."

"Well, he surely is worried because Katie is alive and could wake up any moment and tell everyone that it was he who bewitched her," blurted Harry, clenching his fists.

"What do you mean?" Neville asked, looking at them all in turn. "Are you saying that Malfoy is the one responsible for Katie being hurt?"

"Yes," said Harry hotly.

"We have no proof of that," answered Hermione at the same time. They looked at each other, and Harry glared at her.

"I told you what I heard," said Harry stubbornly. "You'll be eating your words, Hermione!"

Hermione refrained, with difficulty, from rolling her eyes. Ron was right; Harry was becoming obsessed with Malfoy.

"Harry, Draco Malfoy is an evil git," interjected Ginny. "But seriously, do you think he would be able to do something like that? Under Dumbledore's nose?"

"Someone did, didn't they?" argued Harry. "And Malfoy is the most logical suspect, what with him being a Death Eater and all that —"

"WHAT?" Neville and Ginny shouted together. Hermione exchanged a look with Ron. "What makes you think Malfoy's a Death Eater?" Neville asked, totally shocked.

Harry told them about his detour to Borgin and Burke's, his outburst when Madam Malkin had tried to lift his left sleeve, and the conversation he had overheard during the train ride to Hogwarts.

"Well?" Harry asked them, once he had finished. "What do you think?"

"I think you're right," said Luna. "He is a Malfoy," she explained. "All Malfoy males are into Dark Magic. Daddy once discovered that his grandfather, Abraxas, had developed a potion to force centaurs into submission, so he could create an army, but the Ministry hid it all."

"Well ... thanks, Luna," said Harry, blinking disbelievingly.

"I don't know, Harry," said Neville. "Malfoy's just sixteen years old."

"Yeah, and yet he's twisted and evil," interjected Ginny, "and he's always gloating about how You-Know-Who is going to take over, so it wouldn't surprise me much if he had something to do with Katie's attack," she concluded. "At least, it is pretty suspicious."

"That's what I say!" declared Harry eagerly, clearly feeling vindicated by Ginny's apparent support.

Hermione wanted to retort, but, as she didn't want to argue, remained silent, just like Ron, who avoided her eyes until the subject was dropped. With the discussion over, they decided to play several games of Exploding Snap.

The hours went by quickly, and soon the night had fallen and they were arriving in London.

"Well, see you next year," Neville and Luna said to the others, grabbing their trunks and exiting the compartment.

"Goodbye, Neville, Luna," said Harry. "Merry Christmas."

"So, are you going to come to The Burrow, Hermione?" Ginny asked, as they got out of the train.

"Maybe," said Hermione, shrugging. "I'll try to convince my parents. I'd love to go and spend New Year's Eve with you."

Once they had walked through the wall into the Muggle part of King's Cross, Hermione spotted her parents amongst the crowd. They were talking to Mr Weasley, who was there, accompanied by Lupin, Tonks, Mad-Eye Moody, Bill and Dedalus Diggle. Hermione supposed they were there to protect Harry during the journey to The Burrow.

She began to walk towards the group. Her parents saw her and smiled.

"Hello, dear," her mother greeted her, enveloping her in a warm hug. She returned it wholeheartedly.

"Hi, Mum."

"Oh, Hermione, you've grown since last July," her father told her, before putting his arms around her and kissing her cheek.

"Just one inch, Dad," she said, smiling.

Hermione parted from her father and was greeted by Mr. Weasley and hugged by Tonks.

"How's the term been, boys?" Hermione's father asked Ron and Harry.

"Oh, rather ... interesting," said Ron, as his ears turned a bright shade of red.

"Yeah, interesting," confirmed Harry, trying not to laugh at Ron's obvious embarrassment.

"This little gathering its lovely, but we have to get going!" shouted Mad-Eye, and Hermione knew for sure that his magic eye was spinning under his hat so he could look all around him.

Hermione's father looked at him, a bit taken aback, and she felt bad. She wanted to tell them everything, but she couldn't. Maybe, one day, when the war had ended ...

"Well, see you, Hermione," said Ginny, hugging her. "Merry Christmas."

"Yeah, Merry Christmas, Hermione," said Harry.

"I'll send you a letter, OK?" Ron told her. She nodded and then, after a moment of hesitation, he kissed her on the cheek. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas, Ron," she told him, and kissed him back (on the cheek, too).

"Merry, Christmas, Mr and Mrs Granger," he added, and then the group parted, and Harry, Ginny, Ron and their guards were gone.

"Let's go home, then?" Hermione asked, looking at her parents.

"Let's go," said her dad, and the three of them began to walk towards the exit. Hermione noticed her mother was watching her, looking amused.

"What?" she asked, as they got out of the station and turned towards Pancras Road, where they had parked.

"I've never seen Ron kiss you before," she commented.

"Yeah, well ..." she muttered, blushing a little.

"I assume your date with him went well, then?" her mum insisted, as his father put her luggage in the car's boot.

"Well, it wasn't exactly a date," Hermione replied when she got into the car.

"When you wrote to us, I saw it as a date," her mother replied. "And, honestly, dear, the news brought me a bit of relief. You're seventeen and you have only had one date before —"

"Oh, Mum!" she protested. Despite what she had told Ron about her mature talks with her parents, she did not want to have this particular conversation.

"What?" her mother asked. "I mean, when I was seventeen, I used to date all the time."

"That's something I don't need to hear, thanks," her father said.

"Oh, come on, William!" Hermione's mum exclaimed. "You weren't exactly a monk, were you? If I remember well, in the year since we met until we began to go out, you had three different girlfriends!"

"They weren't exactly girlfriends!" her father exclaimed, frowning. "They were — er —"

"Well, Hogwarts doesn't offer plenty of dating opportunities, you know," Hermione interjected, saving her father from the embarrassing moment. "And you know that I study very hard and I'm always busy ..."

"Yes, we know, and we're very proud of you. But you're an intelligent, caring and beautiful woman, Hermione. I'm sure you have a lot of boys lining up, waiting for a chance — apart from Ron, of course."

"I don't know if I want to know that, Jean," William Granger commented.

Hermione scoffed.

"I don't have plenty of boys waiting for me," said Hermione. "They see me just as a know-it-all."

"I'm sure that's not true," said her mother. Hermione didn't say anything, and her mother turned her head and looked at her. "Well, are you going to answer, then?"

"Answer?" asked Hermione, blinking.

"About the party, Hermione!"

Hermione sighed. "Yes, it went well. Beyond well, actually."

Hermione's mum beamed. "He kissed you then?"

"Actually, it was I who kissed him. But I have to say that he responded rather eagerly ..." she said, and couldn't help a little smile.

"It's about time!" her mum yelled. "So you're together now?"

"We are," Hermione nodded.

"Now I understand why the poor boy seemed so embarrassed and afraid when he saw us," her father commented, and smiled. "Well, I'm glad it's Ron. He is a good boy, and from a good family. He makes you happy, doesn't he?"

"He does," Hermione nodded, and smiled radiantly. "Very happy."

"Well, that's what matters," her mum said. "I'm so happy for you, Hermione."

"Thanks, Mum."

"Why don't you invite him to spend a few days with us?" her mum asked.

"I did, but Harry's going there, and — well, he can't leave The Burrow. There are protection enchantments around it and he's safe."

"That's a bit excessive, if you ask me," her father commented. "I understand that the poor boy lost his parents, and that some of the accomplices of that Lord — Voldemort, was the name?" he asked, glancing at her through the mirror. Hermione nodded, "want to kill him, but it happened fifteen years ago! Nobody has tried to kill him recently, have they?"

"No," lied Hermione, trying to maintain a straight face. She really hated lying to her parents, "but Dumbledore thinks it's safer this way, at least until he is seventeen."

"Well, it's a shame," said her mother.

"Ron invited me — well, us — to spend New Year's Eve at his house," Hermione said, a bit nervously. "He will send me a letter with a written invitation."

"Do you want to go?" her mother asked.

"Yes," she answered.

"Well, your aunt Emily and your grandparents are coming for Christmas, but we don't have anything planned for New Years' Eve."

"We were invited to a party, but we can decline," said her father. "I think it would be interesting to spend it with a Wizarding family. I have the perfect present for Arthur: two or three old radiographies."

"He'll love them," commented Hermione, smiling.

"But we'll go only if Molly doesn't mind," her mother said. "They're already a lot of people and I don't want to cause her more trouble."

"All right," Hermione said, and leaned against the back of the seat, smiling happily, thinking that she would have to write Ron the moment they arrived home.


I hope you liked the chapter. Next one, on Friday. See you!