A/N: More sad memories for poor Ron...

Chapter Four: Diving Into The Pensive, Second Part

"Well?" Ginny asked impatiently. A ringing silence had fell over her brother and her, and she could wait no more. She was itching for Ron to tell her everything about his problems with Hermione. Especially now that she knew that Harry was involved too.

Ron shook his head and stood up, "I gotta go, Gin," he smiled sadly at her, "thanks for lending me an ear, I really needed to get that stuff off my chest."

"You're not getting everything off your chest, are you?" Ginny asked him somehow angrily. Why couldn't he trust her?

"Oh, please, don't be angry at me..." Ron sighed, sitting back beside her.

"Angry? Well... I'd like to know. And more if Harry was involved," she confessed, her cheeks turning bright red.

Ron smiled. "Harry was not involved in what happened next, believe me."

"Oh, Ron, come on!" Ginny exclaimed. "Do tell... please? I am not asking for details, just—"

"Alright, alright," he interrupted her. She wanted to know? Well, she would. "When Hermione and I met after those three years appart, something happened between us, something very..." he thought for a moment, he wasn't able to find the right word for it, "special," he finally said.

"What?"

"You know… W-we-we made love."

Ginny's eyes went as big as plates, "Wh… what? Where? Um… how?" she exclaimed. She had so many questions to ask him and didn't know where to start.

Ron chuckled bitterly, "Well, I don't really know how we ended up in that situation, but …"

Harry and Ron had finally given in. They'd have a graduation party at The Burrow, and Mrs. Weasley couldn't be happier about it. She'd been going on and on about that party for weeks…

"What about a costume party? I'll take care of everything. Ohh, I'm so excited! We haven't had anything to celebrate since Bill and Fleur's wedding," she clapped as Ron and Harry exchanged looks.

"Alright mum," Ron nodded unenthusiastically, and then whispered in Harry's ear, "Whatever it takes to shut her up, really."

Harry laughed. Mrs. Weasley turned to them again and grinned, "I knew you would agree! I've already sent the invitations!"

"The invitations?" Ron asked as he chewed on a ham sandwitch Mrs. Weasley had prepared for him.

"Yes! I've invited all your ex-classmates, and all the members of The Order! Fleur helped me with that, you know? And I've invited somebody I think you both would love to see, after so much time..."

"Who?" Harry asked.

"Hermione, of course!" she beamed at them. "She wrote back saying that she would love to come and that she was really happy both of you had made it. Isn't she a lovely girl?"

"Hermione went to the party!" Ginny asked, really surprised.

"Yes," Ron nodded, "I thought you knew about it."

"No, I didn't. Nobody told me anything. You know, I was so busy with training I wasn't able to go."

"I know... well, do you want to hear what happened?"

"Yes, please!"

"I don't like this… I don't like this at all," Ron put his head in his hands.

"Stop feeling sorry for yourself, mate," Harry patted his back, "who knows, everything might turn out just fine," he shrugged.

Just then, the ghoul that lived in the attic above Ron's room started howling and Harry thought, smiling briefly, that it shared Ron's opinion on the party.

So the dreaded day arrived. Ron had been able to convince his mother at the very last moment to leave aside the idea of wearing costumes, but nonetheless many of the guests turned up wearing fabulous disguises.

"What are you supposed to be, Remus?" Mad-Eye Moody grunted, giving Lupin a crooked smile.

"A Patronus," Remus smiled, pointing down at his silvery attire.

Hermione arrived quite late. She was dressed as…

"A house-elf!" Tonks exclaimed, "very ingenious!" she smiled, turning around so Hermione could appreciate her Fairy costume. Her normally bubblegum-pink hair was long and silvery blonde now and she had changed her eyes from brown to light blue.

"Thank you," Hermione smiled, "It's a sort of a tribute, you know," she said.

Ron had been standing in a corner, talking to Harry, Neville (who was dressed as a Mimbulus Mimbletonia) and Luna (dressed as a vampire) when he saw Hermione. Her costume made him smile, she still was very active with S.P.E.W. and that reminded him of the countless times on which they had discussed the subject. Her political ideas were very solid, and nothing Harry or Ron said made her change her mind.

She looked smashing to him and very adult. He watched her for what seemed an eternity, until a dreamy voice brought him back to reality.

"Oh, look, there is Hermione," Luna grinned, pointing at her.

"Oh!" Neville exclaimed. "Hello, Hermione!" he shouted.

Hermione's eyes focused on Neville when she heard him calling her name. She beamed at him and started walking towards them. Ron's heart was beating so fast that he was afraid it would collapse in any second. He looked at Harry, who was smiling at Hermione as she approached them and then lowered his sight towards the grass, as though it was somehow fascinating.

The conversation that followed was completely centred on her and how well she was doing in the Department of International Cooperation. Hermione then learnt that Neville had his own shop in Diagon Alley, which was plant-related (he sold all sorts of tonics and took care of sick flora of all kind) and that Luna was working for his dad at The Quibbler.

Then Neville and Luna went to greet Hagrid and Professor McGonagall, leaving the three of them alone.

"Why aren't you wearing a costume, Harry?" Hermione asked, trying to make conversation.

"Of course I am," he smiled, "I'm The Boy Who Lived," he said with a little chuckle.

"Oh, really clever," Hermione laughed a little, then she turned to Ron, "and what about you, Ron?"

Ron mumbled something about not having time to pick a costume as his cheeks gained a rosy tone and added, "Anyway, I was planning on dressing as Nearly-Headless Nick, but then mum invited him, and ruined everything," he smiled weakly.

Hermione laughed heartily for a moment. Ron's heart jumped and he smiled too. It was great to make her laugh.

"I'm really glad you two made it, really," Hermione beamed at them. "I knew you could."

"We couldn't have done it without you, though," Ron said.

"Yes, he's right," Harry nodded. "If it hadn't been for you, we would have never got the necessary O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s to enter the Aurors Academy."

Hermione blushed instantly and dismissed their words with a wave of her hand. "You would have done it anyway."

"No, that's not true," Harry shook his head. "Thanks, Hermione."

She smiled at both of them, her eyes shining as she looked at her friends. "You deserve it, congratulations." And with that, she held both of them in a very tight hug.

"We're so very stupid," she said in a teary voice, "letting things get in the middle of our friendship, that's really thick," she said, hugging them tighter.

Harry patted her back awkwardly, "We've been sort of… apart, that's all 'Mione…" he said, hoping she'd hear the smile in his voice.

She pulled away from Ron and Harry as she nodded, and kept murmuring things like "so very stupid" and "ruddy idiots".

"We'd better get our friendship back, then," she said, "cause my life's been so boring without you two as my best mates," she said, emphasising the word 'mates', to make sure Ron understood the fact that there was nothing between Harry and her. And after saying that and giving them one last hug, she turned around and stormed away. Leaving Harry and Ron totally bewildered.

"Women are crazy," Ron said, still trying to overcome the shock of having been hugged by Hermione.

"Yes, but I'm glad about it," Harry replied. "It's good to be friends with her again, isn't it?"

Ron nodded, but he was lying. He knew for a fact that he would never, ever be friends with Hermione again.

"Well, Ron..." Ginny said, looking at him. "I still don't understand how you managed to convince her to spend the night with you. It sounds to me that she was very resolute about you two being only friends."

Ron chuckled bitterly. "I did not convince her to do anything."

Ginny looked confused.

"She convinced me."

"Oh, dear..." Ginny shook her head. "How weirder can this get?"

"Listen and you'll see..."

"Ron! Ron, dear!" Mrs. Weasley called him.

The party was about to come to an end and many of the guests were starting to leave. It had been a pleasant evening, his old friends were there, but he still felt uncomfortable about it all. Seeing Hermione again had not been easy, and now thinking that she would be leaving at any moment was even harder.

"Yes, mum?" he asked as he walked towards her.

"Fred has asked me to tell you to go to your room. They have something there for you."

Ron nodded, "Alright."

"Just be careful!" Mrs. Weasley added. "You know how your brothers are."

Ron smiled. "I'll manage, mum. I'm an Auror!" he joked.

"Oh, sweety, I know you are! I'm soo proud of you!" she said as she kissed his cheek and left to talk to Tonks and Lupin, who had been holding hands during the whole party.

Ron walked slowly towards the house. He was very curious, the twins had already given him something as a present when he finished Auror training. What else did they have for him? He climbed the stairs, walked along the corridor to his room and opened the door.

His eyes grew to the size of two dinner plates when he saw Hermione sitting on his bed, looking out the window.

At the sound of the door opening, Hermione turned her head, and smiled at the sight of Ron, who was looking at her, thunderstruck.

"Hermione, wh—"

"I asked Fred and George to call you," she interrupted him.

But that statement didn't explain much, really. Ron's face acquired a puzzled expression.

"I need to talk to you," she explained, patting Ron's bed, so as to show him where she wanted him to sit.

Ron walked to her, wordless, and sat down on the very spot where Hermione's hand had been a second before. "Yes?" he asked.

"Well… this is really hard for me, Ron… last time we met… well, let's just say it wasn't a happy event for either of us…" she said. Ron could notice she was getting nervous, for she was babbling. "Um, what happened between us –or didn't happen- is strictly a thing from the past—"

"No, it's not—"

"And I'd like to be friends with you again," Hermione interrupted him.

"That's like… like asking Umbridge to marry a centaur or something like that," Ron shook his head at her farfetched request.

"Why don't we just try? I believe we—"

"I can't be your friend," he said sharply. "I still love you…" he said, not caring if she didn't love him back, he just needed her to hear those words, and understand what they implied. "I can't be your mate. I can't be Ickle Ronnniekins, I simply can't."

"Then… then just be there for me," she said, not even thinking what she was doing, she giving in completely to her impulses, she kissed him.

Ron couldn't believe it was happening. He didn't move for a while, and then he just guided a hand to his own arm and pinched it softly, fearing it was a dream. But it wasn't. Hermione's kiss was real and he didn't waste any more time. He quickly kissed her back, putting one hand on her waist and caressing her hair with the other. Both Hermione's arms were wrapped around his neck, hugging him to her firmly, as if she didn't want to let him go. Every rational thought flew from Ron's mind as he deepened the kiss; feeling things he had never, ever felt when he kissed other girls. But then, Hermione always was unique. He had the strong conviction that they had been made for each other, and the sparks their kiss and touch were producing just proved to him he had been right all along.

Hermione's shaky hands moved quickly to the buttons of his shirt, not breaking the kiss, and it seemed she couldn't wait to take it off him.

When Ron realized what she was doing, he had to stop. He broke the kiss gently and put both hands on Hermione's face, making her look at him. Her lips were moist, and red, and she was panting softly, making it hard for him to resist. But he had to. He had to ask.

"Hermione," he said, trying to catch his own breath. "Are you sure about this?"

Hermione closed her eyes for a second (an extremely long second to Ron) and then nodded, reopening them as she did so. She smiled reassuringly at Ron and, without saying a word, kissed him again.

For Ron, that was a good enough answer.

"There you have it," he told Ginny, "that's all."

"And then what happened?" his sister asked impatiently.

"I woke up the next day, and she was gone…" Ron said his sight lost in the water of the Otter River.

"What? Gone? Didn't she leave a note or something?"

Ron took out his wallet from the pocket of his jeans. He opened it and after some seconds, he found what he was looking for. It was a tiny tiny piece of folded parchment, he handed it to Ginny. She recognized Hermione's handwriting immediately…

My dearest Ron,

I'm so sorry, I had to leave. Last night was

wonderful, but I cannot stay any longer.

Please don't try to find me,

I won't be here.

Love always,

Hermione.

A/N: So? How are we doing? Did you like it? Are you tired of the pensive? Haha! Please review!