Chapter Two: Ron

Disclaimer: I do not own or claim to own any of the characters described in this story, nor do I own the Harry Potter world. All credit goes to J.K. Rowling.

After a filling dinner of mince pie and assorted steamed vegetables, Ron and Hermione were left alone in the kitchen to wash the dishes. This turned out to be quite a job, as the Burrow was currently home to almost 10 people. Ron was muttering under his breath about how he didn't understand why his Mum couldn't have Bill or Charlie do it. After all, He and Hermione had a lot of catching up to do.

The two worked in silence for a while, each lost in their own thoughts. Ron's included how nice Hermione looked. She hadn't changed drastically since he had last seen her, but there were subtle changes that made all the difference. Her figure was ever so slightly curvier, her waist more accentuated. She was wearing a simple jumper and jeans, but she somehow looked wonderful. Her previously unruly hair had been tamed slightly, so that it shone when the light of the kitchen lamp hit it. Her cheeks were a tiny bit red from the work of cleaning, which only made her look more attractive. The sleeves of her jumper were rolled up at the elbow, allowing Ron to appreciate her silky, porcelain skin.

The silence was interrupted by Hermione asking, "Is it a bit hot in here?"

"Yeah, it's warm isn't it? I wonder if Fred and George have gone screwing around with Mum's heating spell. They've been unbearable since they turned seventeen. Using magic for bloody everything. George singed a bit of his hair off trying to comb it by magic.", Ron laughed.

Hermione smiled at him, making his heart beat faster. He loved her smile, the way her eyes lit up. He caught himself staring and immediately cleared his throat and turned away. After scrubbing the last dish, the two of them started up to Ron's bedroom. The sat on the floor, backs against the bed, heads resting on the mattress.

Ron sat up and asked, "How have you been doing? I mean, after everything..." He trailed off, leaving both of them to remember the horrific events that took place at the end of last year.

"I...um...oh God, Ron, I'm so scared. I'm scared for Harry and for you and for everyone. He's back. He's back and we don't know how to stop him. We can't even try with Fudge being the blithering idiot he is. How can he deny it? He's putting us all in more danger. I don't know, Ron. I'm starting to get anxious about everything. I don't know if I can handle this, but I haven't really got much of a choice, have I?" Hermione asked. Her voice became unsteady and her eyes were in danger of spilling over with tears.

It made Ron's chest tight and his stomach hurt to see her so distraught. He put an arm around her shoulder as she tried not to cry.

"I know, Hermione. I'm so sorry. God, I wish I could just stop time so we could have just a second of peace. I want to say it's all going to be alright, but I don't know what's going to happen. I'm so sorry, Hermione." Ron said, pain in his eyes as he saw a tear run down her cheek. He suddenly had an urge to get up and do something, anything, instead of sitting there feeling helpless. "Hey, you know what? We could go for a swim. Get our minds off of everything. And get out of this bloody heat."

Hermione looked surprised, but after a minute said, "Actually, that's not a terrible idea. I'll go change." She got up, wiped her eyes, and smiled at Ron. "Thanks, Ron. Really." And with that, she left to get her bathing suit.