That day Hermione had gone into the local village with Ginny; she'd found that retail therapy had done her a considerable amount of good. Buying a whole new wardrobe of clothes as well as plenty of new books, she had returned with a more relaxed attitude about her situation. She could act naturally around Ron, she'd been doing it for years after all, nothing had to change between them. Once she'd got used to the situation they would be able to act normally again, banter, argue, and be friendly around each other. It would just take a day or two to get used to, that's all.

Pushing their way through the back door to the kitchen that evening, Hermione and Ginny promptly dropped their bags of shopping on the floor, their arms aching from the strain. There was evidence on the kitchen table that the evening meal had already been served and eaten, Hermione and Ginny had been to a film showing at the village hall then picked up a bite to eat that afternoon before heading home. As Ginny went to get herself a drink from the cupboard, Hermione decided to head to the living room to collect her book.

However, as she rounded the corner she met with the sight of Harry leaning against the doorframe, listening intently with his ear to the closed door leading to the living room.

'Harry?'

'Shhh!' Harry hissed as he jumped away from the door and indicated for Hermione to lower her voice.

Hermione rolled her eyes then took a few steps forward and whispered, 'what's going on?' Within seconds Ginny was at her side.

'Mrs Weasley has called an emergency meeting, she's spent the last ten minutes lecturing the twins and Ron on what they can and cannot do with you,' Hermione winced at this blunt statement, 'rule number one was not to fall in love with you or try to kiss you!' Harry looked at Hermione in amusement, as her expression became one of embarrassment, 'so what are the odds that one of them will fall for you by the end of this now that they've been told not to?'

As Harry said this Hermione's heart seemed to sink, he obviously knows that Ron doesn't like me or else he wouldn't have said that "one of them will" fall for me.

By now Ginny was looking thoroughly amused, 'I wish I'd been there to be asked to the meeting.'

'Yeah, but you wouldn't need to be. You don't intend to fall in love with Hermione, do you?' Harry reminded her.

Ginny raised an eyebrow cheekily, Harry's eyes became as wide as dinner plates, 'you wouldn't, would you?'

Ginny grabbed hold of Harry's collar with one hand and pulled him towards the stairs, turning back she winked mischievously at Hermione whilst Harry just stared at her in bewilderment. Finding it difficult to hold back a fit of giggles, Hermione just bit her tongue and went to collect her shopping bags from the kitchen. Once she had finally been able to balance the bags she decided to go up to her room, walking down the hallway she walked into Ron who was exiting the living room looking slightly flushed.

'Oh, sorry Hermione,' Ron said as she squatted down to pick up the bags which were strewn across the floor, he bent down to help her, 'let me do it.'

'Thanks Ron, that's very… erm… different of you.'

' "Kind" would have been a better word, why "different"?' Ron asked as they both returned to full height.

'You don't usually do anything for me unless you're sticking up for me, usually around Malfoy,' Hermione shrugged and headed for the stairs.

Ron gave a shudder and followed her up the staircase, 'can we forget about him please?'

'Of course.'

'Anyway, I'm turning over a new leaf, it makes a change to help you.'

'What do you want?' Hermione asked as she turned to look at him with a scrutinising gaze.

'Nothing!' Ron laughed, 'just take the help or I can always take all these bags back downstairs.'

'Don't you dare, come on!' Hermione led the way through to her room. As she began to put her new clothes away in the wardrobe, Ron lounged on Ginny's bed.

'So you're my sister now?' he asked.

'Looks like it,' Hermione replied lightly as she placed a dress onto a coat hanger.

'Great, like I need any more siblings around here,' Ron mumbled, rubbing his eyes.

She turned and looked at his innocently, 'I can always leave if you want.'

For a second Ron just looked across at her, then realising that she was messing with him he yawned, 'you know what I mean.' At that moment as he looked at her, Hermione presented a black bikini followed by a red summer dress. Ron seemed to stare in awe at the items of clothing. Although he had never seen Hermione in anything less than jeans and a jumper or t-shirt, or a dress at the Yule Ball, he had always imagined that Hermione had a well-shaped body but in his mind this confirmed it.

Realising at that moment that he was staring, he blushed at the fact that he was thinking of Hermione in that way only minutes after his mother had laid down the rules. Turning to look at the ceiling so quickly that he almost gave himself whiplash, Ron tried to come up with a new topic, 'So where's Harry anyway?'

'Off somewhere with Ginny,' Hermione placed a blue striped jumper in the wardrobe beside the red dress.

'Doing what?' Ron mustered his strength to look back at Hermione, relieved to see that there were more jumpers and t-shirts than dresses and swimwear coming out of the shopping bags.

Hermione glanced at him momentarily and raised her eyebrows. Taking the hint, Ron gave her a puzzled look, 'but they broke up.'

'No they didn't,' Hermione paused and considered this statement, 'well, they did but then they got back together.'

'No, Harry would have told me if they were back together. I mean, she's my sister and he's my best mate, I would have known somehow.'

Placing the last item of clothing in its place, Hermione crossed the room, kicked off her shoes and sat down on her bed facing Ron, 'I'm telling you that they're dating, just take my word for it.'

'Never, you're wrong. I know you are! Wrong, wrong, wrong,' he sang, 'thoroughly misinformed.'

'Why do you think I'd lie to you about something about that?' she crossed her arms and asked challengingly.

'I don't know, to have one-upmanship and make me irritated. You're abusing your role as family,' he joked with the last line, pointing accusingly at Hermione.

'I am not!' She leant forwards and poked Ron in the ribs, 'I'm telling the truth, why won't you just believe me?'

'Ow! Why do you always have to be right? Maybe you just go the wrong idea.'

'I did not!'

'Did so!'

'Did not!'

The arguing continued for a good while before Hermione had to drag Ron out of the room so that she could go to get a drink, not trusting him to not look through her possessions whilst she was gone.

'I'll just check on Harry,' Ron stated as they passed the room he and Harry were sharing.

'Ok,' replied Hermione smugly, 'but be careful in case I am right about him and Ginny.' Ron pulled a face at her before she turned and headed down the stairs.

Hermione's lips formed a huge grin as she heard what was going on upstairs moments later. There was a banging of doors, a chorus of, "GET OUT RON!" from Harry and Ginny followed by a confused Ron yelling, " Bloody hell, she was right!" before stumbling dumbstruck backwards out onto the landing with a resounding crash as he backed into the banister. For a minute Hermione was rather disappointed that she'd missed it before shrugging it off and heading for the kitchen.

Tapping the kettle on the stove with her wand, Hermione leaned back against the work surface and choked back a burst of laughter as Ron entered the kitchen red-faced and extremely agitated. Out of breathe as he had managed to knock the wind out of himself whilst tripping down the stairs he coughed, 'ok, so you were right!'

Hermione couldn't control the laughter any more and doubled over in hysterics.

'It's not funny!'

'Oh, I'd care to disagree,' Hermione replied once she had eventually composed herself, 'make some tea and get out some cutlery.'

Ron obliged as Hermione headed for the fridge, she was feeling quite hungry, as she had eaten her evening meal at an absurdly early time. Getting out an apple pie and some cream she returned to the table where Ron was sitting with two cups of tea, two bowls and two spoons.

Sitting across from him, Hermione began to serve up the dessert, 'humble pie?' she offered to Ron who was finally returning to his normal colour.

'I thought it was apple,' Ron said in confusion.

Hermione chuckled slightly at his naivety, 'No, I meant… oh, never mind.' She opened up the cream and spooned some onto each slice of dessert. Once she had finished she took one final spoonful and flicked it in Ron's face playfully, giggling childishly as his expression became one of incredulity.

'Oh thanks, Hermione,' Ron scoffed as he began to laugh, 'very mature!' Taking the forefinger and middle finger of each hand, he wiped some of the cream off his face. He then leant forward and made cream whiskers on Hermione's cheeks, 'there we go, very cute!'

'Cheers Ron,' Hermione replied.

'You started it,' Ron smiled cheekily.

'Yeah, but I can do anything I want now that we're related. I'm making the most of it, it could all end tomorrow.' I wish it would end tomorrow, she thought.

If only it could end tomorrow, thought Ron, but maybe she wants it to last. Maybe this is the way it's always been for her.

As silence fell over the two teenagers, Hermione pushed a bowl across to Ron and they both began to eat. Not bothering to clean themselves up, both ate in silence for a few minutes before Hermione said, 'This is nice.' Ron looked up for his bowl to see her staring at her own. She felt him looking at her and looked up to meet his gaze, 'us not fighting, I mean. Just some quiet time, just the two of us…'

Ron swallowing his mouthful of apple pie whole at this statement before coming up with the reply, '…both looking like complete prats…'

'…but still having fun,' Hermione finished quietly.

'Who'd have thought it?' Ron joked as he kicked lightly at her foot under the table and grinned roguishly at her. In return she offered him a laugh and a warm smile. For a moment their bare ankles touched and a jolt of electricity passed between them.

Convincing herself that she had imagined it, Hermione mentally shook herself before continuing, 'If anyone saw us now they'd think that the world had gone mad.'

'You mean because you're not being so serious?'

'No!' Hermione cried indignantly, as Ron raised an eyebrow and stared at her wordlessly she backed down slightly, 'ok, point taken.'

'You just need to lighten up a little, relax and let yourself go,' Ron explained as he took another mouthful of cake.

'Teach me, you're better at being lazy and a joker than anyone I know,' Hermione said bluntly.

Again, this caused Ron to swallow his mouthful of food whole and gaped at her before replying in admiration, 'touché!'

Standing up, Hermione took a fake bow and giggled fiercely before perching herself back on her chair opposite Ron.

'There you go, that's a start already!'

'I've learnt a lot from you. I just need to put it into practice if I want to be laidback and useless.'

'I'll take that as a compliment,' Ron pointed his spoon at Hermione, 'but I think it's the tea talking.' He indicated at the mug in front of her.

She stared at him warily, 'what did you put in the tea?'

'Well, let see, milk, sugar, tea bag. That's about it, I think you've overdosed on tea leaves,' Ron said, attempting to sound scientific.

'Very funny, and yes, take it as a compliment.'

'Why?'

'Just do, don't ask questions. I'm too tired to answer them tonight.'

Ron didn't bother to test that point that evening, he felt that he didn't want an argument between the two of them quite yet given that they were now living under the same roof for the foreseeable future.The two continued to talk in the kitchen through to the early hours of the next morning, gradually finishing off the last of the apple pie between them.

Later that morning, as the sun came streaming in through the window, Ginny and Fred entered the kitchen to find both Ron and Hermione sleeping peacefully at the breakfast table. They were resting with their heads on the table, sitting across from each other, with cream across their faces and in their haphazardly set hair.

Turning on Fred, Ginny pointed one of her nimble fingers at his chest and whispered threateningly, 'not a word.'

Fred, in turn, just stood there; the sight of Hermione enraptured him. The way the morning sun caught her messy brown tendrils of hair, the way that the smudged whiskers of cream made her look adorably naïve and childlike, the way that her lips were a deep cherry colour in contrast to the cream.

'I repeat…' his sister's strict tone unwillingly broke his thoughts, '…not a word. Not to George, not to the others and you will certainly not tell those two,' she indicated to the boy and girl at the table, 'that you saw them this morning. Now get out.'

With one last lingering stare at Hermione, he reluctantly left the kitchen. What it wrong with me? He mused, this is Hermione we're talking about, Ron's friend, literally my sister. I repeat, what is wrong with me?

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