Chapter 2: Girly chats and high flyers.

The sun had just begun to rise over The Burrows in the early hours of Sunday morning and Hermione had been up and dressed in a red polka dot summer dress that stopped just before it reached her knees for a few minutes. She left Ginny fast asleep in the room they had been sharing and made her way downstairs. Hermione had always been an early riser and was as pleasant as a teenage girl can be at 6am. Unable to keep herself occupied in the house, she grabbed a flask of freshly made tea and went for a walk around the grounds. It was a gorgeous summer day outside with a cool breeze blowing, and the sky several shades of blue and orange as the sun rose higher in the sky. As she passed the broom shed she couldn't help but think of how Ron and Harry would be putting them to good use today flying high into the sky, racing like small muggle boys would on their bikes back near her home. She smiled to herself and carried on walking. She wasn't really sure where she was aiming to get to but after another 5 minutes of walking, she found a bench just in front of some fencing and with her flask in hand, she sat down and took a small book out her bag that rested on her shoulder.

The others in the house were beginning to wake as they smelt pancakes and waffles and bacon and sausage coming from the kitchen. Molly had risen shortly after Hermione and made her way straight to the kitchen knowing that everyone would be looking forward to a hearty breakfast. She thoroughly enjoyed having all of the kids around her. Fred and George were due to arrive any moment after closing up the shop for the morning to spend time with their family. At about 8 o'clock almost all of the Weasley clan were seated at the table and getting stuck in to their morning feast. Harry and Ginny sat next to each other, Fred and George opposite them with Arthur and Molly at either end of the table. While fussing with the food, Molly scanned the table and the kitchen for any signs of Hermione. A door closed above them and they heard footsteps coming down the stairs.

"Is Hermione not feeling well today Ginny? She's normally up and about by this hour?" Molly asked in a concerned tone.

"Her bed was already made when I woke up. I expect she's gone for a walk, looks like she's taken my muggle flask off the counter too."

"Should I go and look for her? Don't want her to miss breakfast."

Ron made his way down the last few steps into the kitchen and as he made his way round the other side of the table, he caught the last part of his mum's sentence. He hoped Hermione was okay, especially after the brief moment they shared last night. He didn't want her to feel awkward around him, and he was worried about her.

"I'll go and look for her. I'm standing up anyway" Ron told his mother as he picked up his jacket and put on his boots over his pyjamas.

Harry and Ginny exchanged a look between them, almost letting out a giggle at Ron's enthusiasm to see Hermione. Sure the whole family knew that Ron liked her but only Harry and Ginny had spent enough time around them to know just how much he liked her.

"Thank you son" She said with a smile on her face as she served the twins another pancake each.

Walking around the grounds of the house, Ron noticed a small set of footprints making their way to the back of the house, passed the broom shed and a box of balls they used for quidditch practice and as he turned the corner he saw her. Hermione's hair was glowing under the low sun and her attention had been captivated by the book she was reading. He walked over quietly trying not to disturb her reading and tapped her lightly on the shoulder.

"Oh, Ronald, good morning" She said as she placed her bookmark into the page she was reading and put the book away to give him her full attention.

"Morning 'Mione. Mum's had breakfast ready for about ten minutes and Fred and George are here too; arrived in the fireplace about half an hour ago. She didn't want you to miss the food; we've got pancakes and everything!" He had an excited look on his face that was only expressed when food was involved.

"Ha! Oh Ronald you get way too excited over your mum's cooking. I guess I just got lost in my book." Ron let out a little smirk and held his hand out to help her off the bench. She took his hand in hers and was pulled up. She could feel the strength that Ron had but also the softness of his touch, making her go a bit weak at the knees.

They made their way back to the front of the house and Hermione spoke of the book she had spent the last few hours reading. It was a muggle book called 'The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe' by a guy called C.S. Lewis. She explained the plot to Ron and told him how she could relate to the main character of Lucy, who had been brought up in a normal family in England and had discovered a magical land full of talking creatures and a whole other realm of good and evil. Ron understood how she could love this book so much. He had noticed that when she spoke of books she loved, she would get a sparkle in her eye; almost like all the joy and magic she felt whilst reading had to make its way its way out of by using her eyes.

Inside the house, Harry and Ginny had finished their breakfast and were about to go and get changed when they saw a head of ginger hair and a head of brown, barely brushed brown hair coming towards the front door. They were both laughing and Hermione kept pointing the book almost as if she was explaining something that Ron just couldn't get his head round. It always made Hermione smile when Ron tried to understand things of the muggle world. His sister and Harry looked out the window and as Harry hugged Ginny from behind, he cleared his throat and began to speak.

"Do you think they will ever tell each other how they feel? I mean, she's a genius but can't see how much he loves her and sure Ron is strong and brave…"

"Unless there are spiders or a grim involved" Ginny interrupted.

"Well yeah, but he can't man up and tell her he loves her. Why doesn't he just kiss her?" He asked as Ginny turned her body so she was now facing him wrapped in his arms.

"Oh like I did with you in the room of requirement you mean?" She replied in a tone that made Harry think very carefully about his next words.

"Yeah! Well, no, I mean…You know what I mean." He said with a sheepish grin. With that, she kissed him on the cheek and they both made their way to their bedrooms; Harry changing into his quidditch training gear and Ginny into a pair of dark blue shorts and a top with three-quarter length sleeves and some flat canvas shoes.

The twins were already out on the grounds warming up on their brooms when Ron and Harry made their way through the kitchen and out into the garden. Hermione, now having brushed her hair, was helping Molly in the kitchen. She liked talking to Ron's mum, it made her forget that her parents were away and she found washing up very calming, as did Mrs Weasley.

"Go on dear, you've helped enough. Go on and get Ginny and laugh at my sons trying to knock each other of their brooms." She placed a hand on Hermione's shoulder and nodded her head towards the front door.

Ginny was already out watching them, her eyes following Harry as he flew on his broomstick, being chased by Ron.

"You not playing today Gin?" Hermione asked as she sat down with her legs to the side of her.

"Nah, thought I'd let them have a bit of fun. And we all know I show them up when I play." The girls both broke into laughter and caught the attention of both Harry and Ron as they stopped mid race in the air.

"Come on you two! We'll never win a world cup if you're both staring at girls!" George shouted from around 50 meters in front of them. They both snapped out of their fantasies as George threw the quaffle between them to Fred.

Back on ground level, Hermione and Ginny had been having some banter of their own.

"So, you don't like him then?"

"Ginny, he's your brother. I'm not going to talk about him to you." Hermione went a shade of pink that couldn't have come from sunburn.

"So you do like him? And it's never stopped you before when you were slagging him off behind his back about snogging Lavender"

"It's different now. There's more to it than that." She paused and took in a deep breath. "Oh, Ginny I don't know how I got here. He does my head in and he's so cocky and annoying but then…every time he smiles at me my knees go weak, and the way when he laughs, his whole face lights up. Even this morning when he held my hand to help me off the bench, my heart skipped a beat, just at the touch of his hand."

"Sounds like you more than like him 'Mione."

"That another thing. Whenever he says my name around you lot, he says it in his normal low voice but when it's just the two of us, he says my name so softy and quietly, like another person has taken over his voice."

At this Ginny smiled and looked up at Ron as he laughed against a backdrop of nothing but pure blue skies.

"You know, I've never seen Ron happier than when is talking about you, or when he gets the seat next to you at the dinner table. It's kind of sickly sometimes when you're with your parents and all he does is mope about the house, looking at old pictures of you from first year."

Hermione laughed at this, knowing how much younger they all looked back then and how she and Ron would do nothing but argue with each other; much like they did now. They both lay back watching the boys fly across the skies above them chatting about various girly things they could only speak of when the boys weren't around. The truth was they were both like the sister neither of them had ever had.

There was a loud crash in the distance around ten minutes later where the boys had put there brooms away and knocked over various things in the shed. Harry and Ginny held hands and went inside while the twins picked up the mess they had made, leaving Ron with sweat on his face to accompany Hermione into the living area.

"Ron, you've got dirt on your nose; just there" she placed her finger on the right side of his nose and smiled innocently.

"That sounds somewhat familiar. Thanks" Ron chuckled as he wiped the mark off his face and put an arm around Hermione pulling her into a side hug. They both stopped and looked at each other as their skin made contact once again and in an awkward moment of them both talking over each other, making excuses to go their opposite ways, Ron took off for a shower and Hermione stood there watching him run up the stairs, two at a time with a spring in his step. She held her face knowing that she must have gone red.

"Honestly, you two" Ginny sighed as she passed Hermione in the hallway giggling to herself as she entered the kitchen.