On Halloween morning, Hermione woke to the sound of Ginny banging on her door.

"C'mon, Hermione, we're going to Hogsmeade today!"

Hermione groaned and rolled out of bed. She got dressed and hurried down the common room to find Harry, who looked exceptionally depressed. Though as she descended the stairs, he tried a failed smile and she could see he was trying to hide his miserable mood.

"Hey Hermione, Ron's already gone down to breakfast, but I reckon I should wait for you."

Hermione smiled at Harry. "Thanks. The great git wouldn't wait for me even if we weren't furious with each other."

"Can't you stop fighting for one day?" Harry snapped at her. "It's driving me mad…"

"Alright!" Hermione exclaimed. "I won't say anything if he doesn't."

"You're both too stubborn for your own good if you ask me…."

As they entered the Great Hall, Hermione spotted Ron at the end of the Gryffindor table. She decided to leave the argument they had gotten into the night before in the past, just for Harry's sake. And as she sat down next to Harry, it seemed Ron had been thinking the same thing. Besides, he was the only company she was to have today, for Harry wasn't allowed into Hogsmeade.

After breakfast, Ron and Hermione bade Harry goodbye and promised they would bring back plenty of sweets from Honeydukes' and fun joke products from Zonko's.

Once off the castle's grounds, Hermione turned to Ron and said, "So, where first?"

"Reckon we should go to Honeydukes' first, I'm starving anyway."

"You just had breakfast!"

"And your point is…?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Oh shut it, you. Fine, we'll go to Honeydukes', but let's go to Zonko's too, and I promised Ginny we'd meet her at the Three Broomsticks at noon…"

"Well Miss Granger, you seem to have my schedule planned out." Ron grinned cheekily at her, and Hermione smiled sarcastically back at him.

"Ha, ha. You'd rather have me here than no one, wouldn't you? I've seen you with Dean and Seamus, and despite your friendship with them, I don't think you like them as much as Harry and I…"

Ron hesitated. "All true, I'm afraid. Just like me to end up with a scrawny git and a know-it-all girl for my best mates."

"Hey!" Hermione yelled. "This know-it-all girl happens to be saving your arse from failing out of school!"

"Hmm…" Ron pretended to be thinking harder than he was. "Nope, I got on pretty well for those first two months in first year."

"I'm sure you did," Hermione scoffed.

"Oi, there's Honeydukes'!"

Ron pointed it out and Hermione saw him run faster than he ever had. Just like a boy, she thought. Go running off to find more food.

Hermione quickly followed Ron's footprints, so she could stop him from eating the whole store. They both had a limited amount of money, and they still had to buy for Harry, and go to Zonko's. She couldn't let Ron spend all his money in Honeydukes'.

She entered the small sweet shop, and found Ron within the shelves; his arms already full with sweets.

"Right," she said as she approached him, "limit yourself, Ron!"

"What?" Ron gave her one of his famous innocent looks. But Hermione didn't fall for it.

"Ronald, do you really think you'll be able to afford all this, plus things at Zonko's, plus things for Harry?"

Ron frowned, but he couldn't possibly argue with that logic. "Alright, but I don't know what to put back!"

Hermione smiled. "I'll help you. Now do you really need three packages of Chocolate Frogs?"

Ron put back two of the packages, and Hermione shook her head with exasperation. Boys.

With Hermione's help, Ron was able to limit himself with the sweets.

"There," Hermione said as they left the shop. "Now, don't you feel better now that you know you have enough money for the rest of Hogsmeade?"

"Oi, shut it," Ron said as he shoved the bag of his purchases in his pocket. He tried to sound irritated, though he was smirking that lopsided grin that made her smile.

"I'm having some of this right now," Hermione said as she pulled out a package of Every Flavor Beans.

Ron's mouth fell open, as he stared accusingly at Hermione. "Well, if you get some, then I'm having some of mine!"

"I never said you couldn't, Ronald."

"Yeah, well," Ron mumbled as he pulled out an identical package to Hermione's, "I feel like I've been shopping with my mum, so I automatically thought I wasn't allowed sweets until we arrive home…"

Hermione giggled. "And since when has that ever stopped you?"

"I've an idea," Ron declared.

"Do you now? And what would that be?"

"Whoever can find the most disgusting Every Flavor Bean owes the other…a package of Droobles'."

Hermione's mouth fell agape. "Ron, no, that's so gross! I –"

"What?" Ron pointed at Hermione with mock accusation. "Do my ears deceive me? Is the great Gryffindor Hermione Granger passing up a challenge?"

Hermione raised her eyebrows to him. "Alright then, package of Droobles' it is." She held out a hand, and Ron shook it. They both sat down at a bench to start the competition.

"Right, first bean," Ron said, digging through his box. "Try to find the most disgustingly colored bean you can find. On the count of three, alright?"

Hermione nodded, holding up her bean, which was a weird yellow color.

"One…two….three!"

They both shoved the beans into their mouths, and started chewing. At the exact same time, they both started coughing up the beans and spitting them out in the snow.

"Earwax! I got earwax!" Hermione yelled after thoroughly getting rid of the taste with some snow on the ground.

Ron was still having a fit; Hermione suspected he was being a bit overdramatic.

"Ron, it's not that bad – "

"Oh yeah?" Ron challenged as he let out a few extra coughs. "I got vomit."

Hermione made a painful face. "I think you win."

"Yeah. Pay up." Ron held out his hand.

Hermione sighed and reached into her pocket for the Droobles'. She held the package out away from Ron's awaiting hands.

"You'll have to catch me first!" And with that, Hermione ran with the Droobles' in hand, towards the outskirts of the little town.

Ron swore loudly behind her, and started running after her. She was almost to the Forbidden Forest when Ron caught her around the waist, and tackled her to the ground.

Both laughing and breathing hard, Ron was able to wrestle the Droobles' from her hands, and shout, "Victory!"

This made Hermione laugh harder, her sides now ached from the running and the laughing. When they both had finally settled down, the two friends were lying side to side in the snow staring up into the gray sky.

"That – was enough exercise for the year," Ron said finally. Hermione gave a giggle.

"Hey – look!"

Ron had sat up suddenly, and he was looking over at a small hut off the beaten path.

Hermione sat up next to him. "What?"

Ron got up and pointed at the Shrieking Shack in a small valley away from the village.

An evil grin crossed his face that Hermione knew couldn't be good. "Let's check it out."

And with that, he climbed over the fence, and started running toward the shack.

"No, Ron!" Hermione looked around to see if anyone saw. She turned to see him running back to her. "C'mon!"

Hermione hesitated a second more, then let Ron help her over the fence, and they both ran for the shack.

When they were in front of the Shrieking Shack, they both stopped and looked up.

"Ron, I really don't think we should –"

"C'mon Hermione, what's life without some rule-breaking?" Ron flashed her one of his famous smiles, but she still looked unsure. "Hermione, you're top in every subject, what will happen if you get in trouble just this once?"

Hermione paused. "Points taken away from Gryffindor, and a week of detention."

Ron rolled his eyes. "We can get the points back and as far as detention goes, so what? I've had at least two months worth of detention and I've only been at Hogwarts for two years."

Hermione scoffed, "That's because you don't care about school, Ron, and where you're going with your life. I do."
Ron ignored her. "C'mon, Hermione, for me?" He gave her another lopsided grin that she couldn't refuse. She smiled back and said, "Fine, but if we get caught, you'd better move to Australia, because I'll come after you."

But Ron didn't hear her last threat, for he was already in the house.

Hermione rushed inside after him, and started calling his name.

"Ron! Ron, where'd you go? Ro – ARGH!"

Ron had grabbed her from behind, and made her yell. "Hermione, it's only me. What, are you scared?"

"Ronald Weasley, you great prat!" Hermione slapped him on the arm, making him jump back.

"Ow, Hermione, you've got an arm on you!" Ron held his arm as if it had really hurt, while Hermione rolled her eyes at him. "Oh, please. Are you honestly that weak? Best start working out Ronald, otherwise I might have to tell the boys you're afraid of a girl hitting you."

"Hey – do you hear that?"

Hermione turned to see Ron looking almost scared. "Hear what?"

"Shh – there it is again!"

"Ron, stop playing with me, what are you on about?"

Ron looked wildly around, then at Hermione. "It's upstairs, come with me!"

He grabbed her arm, and they both raced upstairs. Hermione looked around. It was nothing special; it simply looked like an old abandoned house. "Alright, you got me up here. Now what is it?"

She turned around, but Ron was no longer there. She turned in a full circle, but he was no where to be found. Hermione automatically assumed Ron was playing with her again.

"Ron, this isn't funny, where'd you go?"

She listened for a moment, and just when she was going to call again, she heard someone faintly call her name.

"Hermione…"

"Ron!" Hermione walked, with her heart in her throat, down the hall to where the calling was coming from.

"Hermione!"

She could now hear his voice clearly, and she knew it was Ron. He was calling her from the room directly in front of her.

Hermione rushed forward and tried to wrench the door open, but it wouldn't budge. She then threw her whole body weight against it, and it flew open.

And there was Ron. "What happened? You weren't playing with me again, were you?" Hermione asked accusingly.

"No!" And by his face, Hermione could tell he was dead serious. "I thought you had locked me in here as a joke!"

Hermione shook her head. "No, I thought you were pranking me again!"

They stared at each other for a moment more, then Ron said, "Let's get out of here." Hermione strongly agreed, and they both ran for the stairs.

As they ran down the hallway, however, there was a loud creaking, and the floor fell from beneath Hermione's feet. Ron caught her around the waist before she could fall through. They both watched the floor fall to the landing below, and Hermione turned to Ron and said, "Thank you."

"Anytime," he said back.

"Let's go to the Three Broomsticks. I've had enough of sneaking around for one day."

"Good call."

They carefully stepped around the gaping hole, and fled the shack.

They met Ginny at the Three Broomsticks and told her about their adventure at the Shrieking Shack. Ginny was appalled; she had never known Hermione to do anything like this before.

After a few butterbeers, they made a quick stop at Zonko's, and then they decided to go back up to Hogwarts.

As Ron and Hermione climbed the hill to Hogwarts, Hermione thought of how much fun she had had with Ron. Maybe, just maybe, sometimes it was alright if Harry wasn't allowed into Hogsmeade.