Hey Everyone! Please leave me any reviews to let me know what you think. This is my first fanfiction. I do not own anything Harry Potter.

Chapter 2:

As Hermione strode into the great hall, her confidence started to waver with every step. Now that she was nearing Ron, it seemed it would be impossible to act normal. Ron and Harry both looked up at her as she took a seat across from them. Ron immediately averted his gaze back to his plate of food while Harry gave Hermione a smile and wave.

"Morning Hermione. Did you sleep well?" Asked Harry.

Hermione nodded. "Yes, thank you. How about you?" Harry nodded yes with a smile. She looked over at Ron who had not looked up since she took her seat. She took a quick breath. "Ron, how about you?" she tentatively asked.

Ron glanced at her briefly and said fine. Harry and Ginny both looked at her, Harry with a sad smile. Ginny looked hard at Hermione and mouthed "go ahead. Act normal." Hermione nodded at her friend, took another deep breath to calm the nerves she was feeling, and did what Ginny suggested. "Well, are you guys packed yet? We need to leave here before lunch to get back to the burrow."

Ginny responded that she was pretty much packed while Harry and Ron both said they hadn't packed a thing. That was when Hermione stepped right back into her mothering role, and ordered both of them to go straight upstairs and get their things together. When both boys made no move to leave, Hermione clapped her hands and yelled at them to get moving. Both Harry and Ron stood up right away and Hermione followed quickly behind them because she knew she would have to actually help them pack.

"I think she's gone mental again" Ron attempted to whisper to Harry as they made their way back to their dormitory. Harry stifled a laugh.

"I heard that Ronald Weasley!" Hermione snapped. Ron's face turned red from embarrassment as a small smile found its way to Hermione's face at his reaction. Finally some normalcy again to their friendship where she is bossing the two of them around because of course they are not prepared. Some things just never change.

Harry and Ron started their way up the stairs to their dorm when Ron turned around and told Hermione that there was no reason that she had to come into their dorm. Instead, she just brushed past him and opened the door to their room and stopped dead. The room was a complete and utter mess. They had literally only been here for four days and somehow, all their clothes and belongings were scattered everywhere.

"What the bloody hell?" Hermione couldn't help herself. Both Ron and Harry looked at each other and shrugged. "We've been here for four days! How could you both have possibly made such a huge mess? I mean you don't even have everything you own here and half of the belongings that you brought are still sitting in my beaded bag!" Hermione explained as she turned around to look at them in astonishment.

"It just happened." Was all Ron replied with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Well, you both have a lot of cleaning to do. So let's get to it." She said as she walked into their dorm.

Harry and Ron were able to at least organize what was theirs before Ron jumped on his bed and laid down placing his hand behind his head.

"Ron, what are you doing? You still have to pack your things." Hermione asked, a bit of irritation slipping into her voice as she placed her hands on her waist.

"Hermione, I just organized the room. I need a break." Harry looked at Ron with eyes that said 'what are you doing'? He was definitely going to feel Hermione's wrath for needing a break after just ten minutes.

"Oh Ronald, we are leaving in the next hour! Just give me your bag. We don't have time for this." Now you could hear the full irritation in Hermione's voice. Harry turned away so that he could smile. This was the Ron and Hermione that he was used to rather than the silent and tensed interactions that have been going on since the day he defeated Voldemort. Ron giving Hermione a hard time and Hermione not being able to help herself and constantly nagging Ron and in the end, always giving in and doing things for him that he can do for himself.

"Hermione I can do it. Just give me a minute. It's not like it's going to take me an hour to pack." Ron argued.

"Fine. I will give you 15 minutes. I will be in my room to get the last of my things together. If you do not have all of your stuff packed by then, then we will be leaving the rest behind." Hermione glared at Ron for a moment before he nodded at her. She took that as her cue that he understood and walked across the hall to her and Ginny's dorm.

Ginny looked up when she saw Hermione enter the room. "So, how is it going?"

Hermione sat down on her bed before she answered. "Well, their room is an absolute disaster. I will never understand how they could make that big of a mess in such a short amount of…"

"No, that's not what I'm talking about." Ginny interrupted Hermione. "I meant between you and Ron. It seemed like it was somewhat normal at breakfast."

"Well, Ron is still his usual lazy self. But yes, I finally feel a bit more relaxed and that a lot of the tension has already declined in the short amount of time. Hopefully, we are back on, as friends anyways." Hermione said as she looked down at her hands. "It's hard to tell though."

"Don't give up just yet Hermione. You haven't had any type of conversation with him. Your focus should be on being friends just so that everything will feel normal. Remember, you told me not give up when Harry was with Cho and I didn't and look where Harry and I are now. You can get there too. Just be patient." Hermione nodded. Ginny was right. She just had to get back on track with Ron first and then she can worry about everything else.

"Are you ready to go? It's about that time." Ginny nodded her head that she was. Hermione nodded to her as well and grabbed her beaded bag as Ginny grabbed her bag and they made their way across the hall to the boys' room. Hermione took a calming breath, hoping that Ron decided to get up and pack his bag. She opened the door and saw both of them sitting on their beds, placing the last few items into their bags. Hermione let go of a breath that she hadn't even realized she was holding. Ron glanced at her with a cocky smirk, knowing that he did actually get his stuff together. She just rolled her eyes at him.

"Are we all ready? We need to go see Professor McGonagall so that she can remove the anti disapparate charm from around the castle." Stated Harry.

"Why is that charm still up anyways? It's not like You Know Who is around anymore." Complained Ron as they made their way out of the common room.

"Well, she can't just leave the castle unprotected Ron. There are still death eaters out there. Most of them fled when Harry showed that he was still alive but that doesn't mean that they might not come back and attack." Hermione said.

"Oh, Right." Ron answered a bit annoyed. Sometimes, he just hated how smart Hermione was. He never would of thought of death eaters still coming back to attack Hogwarts. But he also envied her brain. It still amazed him how smart she is.

"Besides, I read in Hogwarts, A History that castle has always had protections placed around it for the safety of students and teachers because there is always some force of evil that will try and penetrate the walls here. Just because Voldemort is gone, does not mean there are not others out there trying to follow in his footsteps." Hermione stated.

The four of them all made their way to the headmaster's office where Professor McGonagall was currently residing. Harry said the password and the revolving stairs started to move as the four of them each got on a step. Once they got to the door, Harry knocked and heard a "come in."

Professor McGonagall was sitting at her desk currently reading some paperwork when the four of them entered. She put the papers down and looked at them. "I guess the four of you would like to head out then?" She peered over her glasses at them. They all nodded in confirmation. "Very well. Just follow me outside onto the balcony."

They did as they were told and followed her outside. As soon as they were outside, McGonagall waved her wand and since she didn't say anything, she removed the charm non-verbally.

"Thank you Professor, for letting us stay here to recuperate." Said Hermione and Ron and Ginny nodded in agreement. McGonagall gave them curt nod in response.

"Yes thank you Professor, especially for giving me as much time as you could get me." Said Harry, with somewhat of a smile. Professor McGonagall looked at Harry and put her hand on his shoulder, smiling briefly, before giving a curt nod to him as well before she walked away.

Harry and Ginny paired up and disapparated together. Ron and Hermione looked at each other for a moment when Hermione reached out her hand to Ron's. He took it and they disapparated together and landed on the hill a few yards away from the burrow. As Hermione went to let go of Ron's hand to start walking towards the Weasley's house, she noticed that her hand was being tightly held on to by Ron and was pulled back.

"Ron, are you okay?" She asked nervously. She wasn't sure if he was hearing her since he didn't respond and was just staring at the burrow, so she moved in front of his face and looked into his eyes. She asked again and that seemed to get his attention.

"W-what? Oh, I'm okay. It's,it's this is my first time back home since, since, you know…" He looked down at his feet because he couldn't bring himself to say his brother's name and mention his death. Hermione took the hand that she was holding and kissed it softly, while she used her other hand to lift Ron's chin to get him to look at her.

"Ron, it's going to be okay. Harry and I are right here with you but your family does need you. I know this is hard but we'll get through it. I promise everything will be okay."

Ron gave Hermione's hand a squeeze as he said thank you. Unfortunately for Hermione, he let go of her hand after that and started heading for the house. He had only taken a few steps, when he turned around and asked Hermione if she was coming. She nodded and he waited until she caught up with him before he continued making his way to the house.

Hermione couldn't help thinking that even though they were no longer holding hands, it was again a start. He seemed to be acting normal again, or in this case as normal as someone who has to go back home to a grieving family. But her words of encouragement seemed to be enough to get him moving and their friendship back on the right track.