Chapter Four

Memories can haunt, but they cannot touch

I can feel you on my skin

A graceful touch

Lips like fire

A kiss that will sear me for ever

And burn my memory until it's black

As usual, she had stayed longer than expected and watched as the table now only sat the Weasleys, Harry, and herself. She yawned and stretched at the table, winking at Ginny to assure she was fine. She felt a poke at her side and swatted the hand away.

"Yep, she's tired." Ron said next to her and she in turn scowled. "I'm not tired."

"Yeah, that's why your mouth opens up wide enough to stick a cauldron in there."

"Oh quiet Ginny."

Ginny smirked and leaned against Harry. He looked down and smiled as he began to run his hand through her hair. If he was truthful to himself, he knew he couldn't live without the witch, but he usually didn't like to think like that. He smiled and leant down to kiss her forehead, but Ginny on the uptake smacked him on the lips. Ron and Hermione gave each other a quick glance and without missing a beat, screeched, "Ewwww! Get a room!"

Suddenly, all the Weasleys were looking at the youngest red head and Harry, who simply smiled and waved off the jest.

"Aren't you supposed to watch her so she doesn't kiss strangers?" Charlie said as he watched his youngest snog his "little brother".

"Charlie close your mouth before I hex it for you." Charlie looked at his younger sister completely taken back and feigned innocence. With his hand on his chest, he exclaimed, "Who me?"

"Don't pull a Fred and George."

"Who us?" Came in perfect unison, Fred and George. They had been in their own little conversation for some time about their new product. The twins looked at one another and gave a maniacal grin before Fred said, "So when's the wedding?"

"Yes George, I want to know too. When is the wedding dear sister?"

"Because we would love to be there."

"All those people."

"All the possibilities."

"Fred…George.." came Mrs. Weasley's warning. She stared at the boys and looked to Mr. Weasley who was intently watching rather than interrupting.

"Not to mention the lovely shade of angry red that will go perfect with the wedding dress."

"I do love a good wedding."

"Yes but she might need to year a red dress."

"Oh George! How could you! You can't wear red to a wedding!"

"And why not dear Fred?"

"Because it would clash so horridly with the white on a winter, summer, spring, or fall day."

At this point, Ginny interrupted and was about to point her wand at them when Harry said, "Ginny, the wedding will just you and me and no one else."

She looked at him and blinked, stunned he had said anything. There was suddenly a hush and Ron and Hermione who had just been watching now decided it was time to clean up.

"I'll get the dishes."

"I'll get the food."

They were up in a second and in the kitchen were both guffawed out loud. Slowly, she and Ron made it over to the counter and sat down across from one another. While they were laughing, Ron looked at Hermione and felt his insides cringe. She was so beautiful, gone was the bushy haired, bony know it all. In her place, stood a lean, strong, and graceful woman. She had soft, honey brown hair that trickled down her shoulders in gentle curls and ended just below her shoulder blades. She had alabaster skin and though pale, seemed to glow from within. She had an angel's face, but with piercing eyes Her face was angled and curved in all the right places with pouty lips and a pointed nose. Her eyes, though brown, were not a brown he had ever seen before. In those brown orbs were whirlwinds of color. Swirls of emerald and specks of gold illuminated her eyes.

Hermione caught him staring and raised one eyebrow and he just smiled back.

He loved her, god he loved her. It was everything about her. The way she screamed, the way she fought back, the way she laughed, the way she tripped- everything. He knew he couldn't survive without her because she was the one thing that truly made him feel his worth. He had a family who loved him, a best friend whom he shared the task of saving the world, but he had always been second in that, in her eyes, he was first. He might not be the first in her actual love life, but just like Harry, he had a special place in her heart as well.

"What are you doing, Ronald?" She asked as she stared directly at him. He smiled back at her, grabbed her hand across the table, and answered, "Just remembering the first time I kissed you." She blushed in return and without missing a beat, asked, "Was it nice?"

Ron stared at her and wanted to tell her it was the greatest thing he had ever done. It was like tasting an Angel, and when he had told Harry about it, his friend thought the same thing. She was hard soft at the same time, passionate and reserved, wild and free but hard working and organized. She was like feather and granite- there was no sense in denying, Hermione was the perfect mixture of hard and soft. Even her scent proved it. She smelled like vanilla and cinnamon- just enough to through you off, but too enticing to leave be.

"Like kissing a cloud." She smirked again and squeezed his hand. Ron would always be her special support and the one she would always love to a point- yes they did have a platonic relationship, but she'd never forget what it was like to kiss that man.

Ron looked back at her and knew she was thinking about him, knew she understood him. He might play the idiot, but he was a Gryffindor and in all the advanced classes. He had worked with Harry and Hermione when they were sent to defeat Voldemort. He knew he was the comic relief and knew when to relieve tension, when to act, and when to listen. Harry might be the bronze, Hermione the brains, but Ron was the glue and he knew it.

It was why he started the argument and allowed his "pigheadedness in the way." If his stubbornness would save the group from an argument, he would by all means give himself to it.

He looked back at Hermione and knew it was because of their arguing they were closer. He also knew because of his stubbornness she was all right and sitting in front of him.

He loved her, he protected her, and he may never have her, but he would protect with his life to keep her safe, even if Azkaban was on the other side. The funny thing was, he knew Hermione would do the same.