4.

Hermione glared at Ron from across her parents' living room. If she hadn't been so angry she too would have taken a moment to realise that this was the first time he had been in the house. The anger, however, took over. Hermione hadn't been in the best of moods today anyway and then he had just turned up out of the blue and really sent her over the age.

Okay, so maybe there was a part of her that was happy to see him. It had been two weeks and 3 days since she had braved The Burrow, since she had last seen him and gotten nowhere. She just wished that he had bothered to tell her that he was going to come and see her, she hadn't had time to prepare herself.

He must think I look a mess. She thought to herself as she lifted a hand to her face and tucked her hair behind her ear, she had been busy cleaning up after making some lunch and she knew she wasn't looking her best, well, she hadn't been expecting visitors had she? In fact she had just been about to go in the shower and make herself look presentable.

Why couldn't he have turned up a bit later? She wondered before deciding that maybe him appearing now had been for the best, it would have been a bit more awkward if she had been in the shower.

Realising that she had just been talking to herself and he still hadn't made an effort to speak to her she straightened herself up and glared at him, still self conscious though.

Honestly I don't know why I care. Its just Ron. She knew exactly why she cared.

Ron had been waiting, hoping, that if he didn't say anything then she would start a conversation. No such luck though.

You're a coward, mate. A voice inside his head told him and he couldn't help but agree. How many times had he stood up to Hermione? They bickered and fought nonstop, it was as though their friendship depended on it, was fuelled by it. This was different though, this wasn't Hermione this was – well, it was Hermione but as he stood across from her right now she wasn't just his friend, she was the girl he felt so much more for. The girl he really ought to tell about these feelings, after six years of beating around the bush.

"I –" he began when he saw her straighten herself up, if he didn't explain himself soon she would most likely hex him.

"You, what?" she demanded.

"We should talk." He finally managed.

"Yes, yes we should." He smiled slightly at her response, he had said something right. "That is exactly what I said two and a half months ago, Ron. And then again two weeks ago. Its about time you got it into your thick skull." His smile vanished.

At that moment, for just that moment, Ron wished they weren't friends. It would have made all this so much easier. It wasn't as if not talking to her would mean that he wouldn't tell her how he felt, that there would be no way of them ever developing their relationship. He could easily back out of all of that if he wanted but he knew that things had gone further than that now. If he didn't talk to her now, mentioning their possible growing relationship or not, he could lose her friendship too.

He heard Hermione let out a sigh and he screwed his eyes shut for a moment.

"I'm been an idiot, I know that. I've ignored you, I've been cold towards you and now I've turned up here expecting things to be fine." He finally said, his eyes trained on hers, she didn't speak, let him continue. "Hermione, I know there's no excuse for how I've behaved with you but –"

"Your brother died, Ron." Her words not only stalled his own but cut right through him. It had been two and a half months since they had lost Fred and no one had dared put it so bluntly, not until Hermione.

Ron could feel the tears trying to break through but he wasn't going to let them. He wasn't going to look weak in front of her.

"I understand that you're angry, sad, conflicted. And I wasn't expecting you to forget about him, to stop mourning him for me. I just wanted you to let me be there for you, to help you in any way that I could but instead you rejected me." She continued honestly.

"I never rejected you." Ron couldn't meet her gaze.

"It felt that way."

The two stared at each from across the room; it was so typical of them. Neither was willing to close the distance between them and so they just stared at each other in awkward silence, it was as though there was something invisible between them that always stopped them from being close.

"I'm sorry." He muttered after a moment.

"I know." And she did, he knew she did. Not only was she the brightest witch of her age but Hermione had common sense too, especially when it came to him. Ron was pretty sure that no one knew him better than she did. "Come sit down." She added after a moment with a glance towards the sofa that she stood beside.

Deciding that there was little way that things could get more awkward Ron crossed the room in a few long strides and soon found himself sat on the edge of the sofa, his eyes on the floor beneath him. Out of the corner of his eyes he saw her sit beside him and he longed to reach out and pull her to him but he didn't know how to.

He didn't need to either because a moment later Hermione had pushed away all the boundaries that had ever been between them and had placed her hand softly on his back. Wordlessly he turned into her and she wrapped her arm properly around him, pulling him in and holding him close to her.

Ron took a moment to just feel completely hopeless, to think over everything that had happened, everything he had lost and know that he was safe, safe with her. And then, after a few moments, he let out a sigh and sat up. Hermione instantly retracted her arm from him and made to move away from him on the sofa but he reached out, in the smallest of gestures, and took her hand. Their eyes met and Ron couldn't help but smile, a smile she mimicked as he ran his rough thumb over the soft expanse of her hand before threading his fingers through hers and holding on tightly.

"He wouldn't want me like this." Ron said after a while.

It took Hermione a moment to understand what he meant but when she did she nodded, "No. No, he wouldn't." She looked up from where their hands were interlaced, her smile sad. "I'm sure him and George would be mocking you right now."

"Probably." He let out a soft laugh and it broke her heart to hear him sound so defeated. "He wouldn't forgive me for the way I've been with you either." He added looking up at her once more.

Hermione furrowed her brow, unconsciously, not really understanding what he meant. "Fred he-" Ron paused, it was the first time he'd said his name since it had happened. The small squeeze of his hand told him to carry on, told him she was there for him. Ron let out a sigh, "- he used to tease me, for not knowing how to act around you."

"Around me? What do you mean?"

"Apparently it was painful to watch me dance around my feelings for y-" Ron paused, Hermione's breath caught and the two stared at each other. She was so close to him, his eyes fell to her lips, soft he remembered from that brief moment of brilliance in the midst of the battle. It had been perfect, long overdue and perfect despite everything else that had been happening. And it could happen again right now. Would she push him away? Or would she melt into him like he had dreamt so many times? There was only one way to tell. Lifting his gaze back to meets hers Ron inched closer, this was it, this was –

"Hermione?"

Ron jumped up from the sofa, his hand dropping hers. "Ron, its just my parents." She said softly, standing too. There was a faint blush to her cheeks, he noticed, as she faced him.

"I shouldn't be here."

She reached out to take his hand once more but he recoiled. "What? Of course you sh-"

Crack!