The next day passed in awkward silence between the two of them. It wasn't until the next night, as they sat in Ginny's room, waiting for the Order meeting to be over that they spoke at all.

Ron was sitting in Ginny's desk chair, Ginny was lying on her bed, and Hermione was sorting a great pile of what looked like camping implements.

"So where are you going that you need all THAT stuff?" Ginny's innate curiosity was rearing its head in spite of herself.

"I don't know. I figure it can't hurt to be prepared." Hermione shrank three sleeping bags and checked them off of her parchment list that rivalled the one that Mrs. Weasley was keeping for the wedding.

Ron crossed the room and plunked down on Hermione's camp bed, earning a raised eyebrow, though she didn't stop packing. He spoke in undertones, to which the girls rolled their eyes. "I think the meeting is about going to get him."

"His birthday is in a week." Hermione agreed.

There was a knock on the door, and Ron and Ginny's dad opened it. "Hermione, Ron? Could we see you downstairs for a moment?"

Ron and Hermione exchanged a look. "Sure, Mr. Weasley." He escorted her downstairs.

Bill stood behind, ready to escort Ron; instead he found himself restraining his sister. "Not you, squirt."

"I'm not a child, Bill."

"I realize that Gin. But the fact is, you're not of age for another what? Thirteen months. So sorry, you're out."

She huffed as he cast a shielding charm on her door. "Like that's going to keep me out."

One swish of her wand, and she was in the hallway.

Bill raised a brow. "Impressive. But it's still a no-go. Mum's down there and she'd kill me. Go on down, Ron."

Hermione entered the surprisingly crowded kitchen. She nodded greetings to Moody, Lupin, Tonks, Hagrid, and Professor McGonnagall.

It was several moments before Ron joined them. He stood close behind her.

"What took you so long?" The question came from George, who was leaning against the mantel.

"Ginny." That one word earned appreciative nods from his brothers, and an exchanged look between their parents before Molly emitted an exasperated huff, excused herself, and trouped up the stairs.

"Anyway," started Kingsley Shacklebolt, from his place at the head of the table, where he was apparently chairing the meeting, "back to our plan. As you know, Harry comes of age a week from today, and at that time, the blood protection of his aunt's house is lifted."

Kingsley went on to outline the Order's plan to retrieve Harry. "So, we're looking for volunteers. Volunteers must be of age, because there are definitely inherent risks to disguising yourself or being seen with Voldemort and the ministry's most wanted person."

"The ministry?" Hermione breathed.

"Unfortunately, yes." McGonnagall confirmed. "Outside of the Order, we must all be careful who we trust."

Ron reached a hand to Hermione's shoulder to steady her as she swayed. She took a deep breath, summoning her Gryffindor courage. "I'm in."

"But you're bollocks on a broom," her best friend piped up behind her.

"Thank you, Ronald, for that assessment of my skill."

"Just pointing out the obvious."

She scowled at him.

"We won't all be travelling by broom," Arthur explained.

Hagrid piped in, "I've got some thestrals available, and I know where Dumbledore hid Sirius' old bike."

"Very well," concluded Kingsley. So those up for this detail, sign in here. We need 6 doppelgangers, 7 flying escorts, and 2 escorts for Lily's sister and her family. You all have your assignments as far as warding order homes? Let's get to it, people."

Ron and Hermione signed in with the others, excited to finally get to participate in an Order mission instead of sitting in the dark. Hermione did feel a pang of sympathy toward Ginny, who apparently had been somehow restrained in her room by her mother.

Supper was a quieter than usual affair after the break-up of the meeting as everyone apparently was anxious to attend to their assignments. That, and Ginny was making a point not to talk to anyone, Ron and Hermione had lapsed into their previous silence, and the twins had begged off to meet school friends and Bill and Fleur had taken off to France to finalize wedding plans with her parents. So that left Arthur and Molly to make polite conversation across their youngest children and their friend.

"Well, it won't be long and those letters from school should be arriving, shouldn't they?" Molly tried to engage the three in conversation.

"Um, actually, mum." Ron cleared his throat, and the girls looked at him. "We're not going back."

"What do you mean, not going back, of course you're going back."

"No, I'm not." Ron was more forceful than he'd intended, but he continued. "Before he died, Dumbledore gave Harry a mission. He told him he could only tell Hermione and me, and that we couldn't tell anyone else."

"But Dumbledore's gone now." Ron's father pointed out.

Ron nodded. "Yes, and that leaves it to us to complete this mission."

"The Order would be happy to help."

"I'm sure they would, but Dumbledore told Harry specifically that this needed to be him."

"Surely, he didn't mean …" his mother covered her mouth, horrified.

"He did, mum."

"Well, as your father said, Dumbledore's gone. So the secrecy of this so called mission"

"Is even more important, mum." Ron broke in and stood up. "As it was pointed out this evening, I'm of age now. I can make my own decisions, and I've decided to go and help Harry." He stormed out the back door into the night.

Hermione looked after him.

"Surely, Hermione, dear, you want to finish school, don't you?"

"Yes," Hermione admitted. "But," she added emphatically, "if we don't do this, there may not be a school to finish. And as a Muggle-born, my chances of being allowed to finish are slipping unless we do what we can to stop this."

She looked at the door. "I'll go bring him in now."

"Right, dear, can't be too careful," Arthur Weasley nodded at her.

Hermione walked out into the garden, stopping as she allowed her eyes to adjust to the dark. She saw his tall silhouette over near the wall, where he'd found her. She silently went to him and rested her head on his back, wrapping her arms around him.

She could tell by the tension in his body that he was trying not to cry.

After a while, with a big sigh, he untangled her arms from her middle, but laced one of his hands in hers. "Actually, I suppose it could have been a lot worse than that."

She nodded. "Could have."

"There wasn't really any yelling. When Charlie went to Romania … and then when Fred and George left school …"

"Overall, I think they took it well. Hermione stepped back against the fence, and awkwardly started to perch on the top rail.

When Ron realized what she was doing, he grasped her waist and lifted her, leaving his hands around her middle. He looked down at her. "I just hate always being a disappointment to them."

"Why would you be? You're prefect, you're on the quidditch team, you pull in decent marks, including a respectable number of O.W.L.s, I don't hear them complaining about anything except the state of your room."

"But I'm not Head Boy … I'm not going back, but even if I were, it's not bloody likely. And I'm not captain of the quidditch team. My marks are ok, but not spectacular. I'm mediocre at everything … and after Bill and Charlie and Percy and even Fred and George …"

"What about what you did when Hogwarts was attacked, and in the Department of Mysteries. Not to mention helping Harry get through the chess game first year, solve the mystery of the Chamber of Secrets and help save your sister second year, not to mention all of the other times … Ron, none of your brothers ever did any of that."

"I suppose not." A small smile crept onto his face.

She reached up and stroked his face. "You know something, Ron Weasley?"

"What?"

"You're my hero."

He looked at her with abject disbelief.

"No, really, ever since first year and the troll, you've been my hero."

"What about Harry?"

"Harry, well, trouble just seems to find Harry. But you're the one who always goes charging in after him, after me, when we're in danger. It's you who are my knight in shining armour." She stroked his cheek fondly.

"Hermione…" he stroked his hands gently up and down her sides, eliciting a shiver from her.

"Yes, Ron?"

"I know now's not the time, with a war on and all and us needing to be focused on helping Harry with the horcruxes … but do you think that maybe after … after everything with that is settled, that you and I … that we might…"

"Might what?"

He sighed. "Ok, I know we fight a lot and all, but the only reason I fight with you so much is because I care. I care a lot. I know sometimes things don't come out right, and I think I've honed mucking things up between us to a fine art."

She chuckled. "I don't think you have a monopoly on that," she added seriously.

"So I guess what I'm saying is you're one of my best friends, and right now for Harry's sake, I know he needs for us to be there for him … as friends. But after … I'd like to try … to try to be more than just friends."

She looked up at him, eyes shining. "I'd like that too."

He swept her up off of the fence into a fierce hug.

They walked hand in hand back to the Burrow. His parents and sister had apparently retired for the night, though the kitchen light was left burning. He stopped her at the door to Ginny's room, and kissed her on the forehead. "Good night."

"Good night." She beamed up at him. He responded with a goofy lopsided grin as he continued up the stairs to his own room.

"Have a good snog?" Ginny had been waiting up to interrogate her, and was now propped up on her elbows.

"No." Hermione continued getting ready for bed.

"No? Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Then what were you two doing out there? You're got to tell me. I told you all about Harry … and Dean … and Michael."

"And you grossly exaggerated what I told you about Viktor … and to Harry and Ron, too."

"I'm sorry." Ginny was emphatically contrite. "I promise I'll never do that again. Besides, this is my brother." She flipped her hair over her shoulder.

"And you have four other brothers who would love to harass him and take the mick."

"Ok, I swear I won't tell anyone. So what were you doing out there?"

"Talking." She looked at her friend's sceptical glance. "Really. Talking. Verbal conversation. Truly, that's all we did."

"So, are you two together now?"

"Yes and no."

"Still? My brother is such a prat. Why doesn't he just get on with it already?"

"It's ok, Ginny. We need to be focused on helping Harry right now. We don't need any … distractions." Hermione almost giggled. "We did reach kind of an understanding though. That after all of this is over, that we'll give it a try." She collapsed back on the bed with a silly grin on her face.

"You're mental, the both of you. You know that don't you?"

Hermione did giggle at that. Ginny stared in wonder at her friend. "It's just Ron, you know?"

"My hero," Hermione whispered, as she rolled over and fell asleep with a smile on her face.