-Steph's POV-

The last thing I wanted was to be in the same room as Ronald Weasley for the next few weeks, but I couldn't bring myself to deny 's kind offer to spend the Christmas over at her house. Any friend of Harry's was welcome at her house was what she'd said and when Ginny pinned me with a look I was forced to accept. Josh was clearly displeased with my choice and he'd tried to coax me out of it in a million different ways. But when Christmas Eve rolled by I found myself walking to the Hogwarts Express with the Burrow as my destination. Ron lagged behind me and that was good because I didn't even want to see his face. I mean, who the hell does he think he is?! Not only did he attack my boyfriend but he nearly destroyed the Great Hall in the process. It was about the time that Hermione appeared that Josh and Ron stopped fighting; it was either that or getting hexed by the Head Girl. I didn't think I could get any more angry or embarrassed but I was proved wrong when McGonagall met up with us, her lips white as she pressed them into a thin line. Between her and Hermione, Josh and Ron had gotten almost a month of detention and it involved cleaning up the mess they'd made. However, just when it seemed like they'd be spending Christmas alone at Hogwarts, Ginny, Harry and even Caiden butted in, insisting that they were being unfair. Now, Josh held my hand as we stepped onto the train. He didn't want to leave me, but I told him I needed a bit of space and he grudgingly complied. I went to the compartment that Harry had picked and sat down next to the window, having something to distract me for the whole ride. I heard the others filing in; Caiden sat next to me, her owl out of her cage and perched on her shoulder. Ron had the incredible audacity of sitting across from me.

"I need this vacation," said Harry, rubbing his eyes. Ginny leaned against him which meant that Hermione had sat on Caiden's other side.

"Oh please Harry, what have you done all semester?" questioned Caiden jokingly. Harry feigned being insulted.

"I beg your pardon? I've been studying and conducting Quidditch practices all term! It's the reason we've won the last two games," he told her, a smirk on his face. Caiden chuckled.
"Well, that beats the hell out of taking classes with second years. I swear they get worse as they grow up," she commented and Ron smiled at her, causing me to glance at his face for an instant.

Damn Ronald Weasey; there should be a law against him and his stupid smile that made one go weak at the knees. I swear he was the only man in this world that caused me inner turmoil. He made me angry, sad, and happy all the same time. But this time he'd gone really far and if he even wanted me to speak to me again he'll probably have to move mountains.

"At least you're moving up," said Ginny, "You're not a first year anymore." Caiden stuck out her tongue, Midnight hooting softly from where he stood. The train began to move just then and the castle became smaller and smaller until it was out of view and we were racing through the green fields around us. Harry and Caiden began a game of Memory while Ginny observed quietly. Hermione came and went a few times until she finally settled down with a book. I continued to glare out the window, ignoring the way Ron was staring at me. He wasn't even being subtle about it and I was constantly steadying my breathing so as to not get mad quickly. Time went by painfully slow but I didn't give in to temptation. I thought about how sweet Josh had been when he'd asked me to be his girlfriend; I hadn't been expecting but after liking him for years I decided to give him a shot at it. Everyone else had somebody and they were happy so why couldn't I? The moment his lips met mine a surge of warmth had spread through me and I loved it. He was delicate and smooth, like he'd been born to kiss a girl forever. I was about to deepen the kiss when Josh was yanked away from me and then... well, things went slowly downhill. After McGonagall's sentence I quickly said goodbye to Josh with a brief kiss and left for the common room incensed. There, Ron had caught up to me and things had gotten really ugly. He had the gall to look innocent and I don't know where I had gotten the energy to scream so loud, but Ron had flinched and I had made a first year cry. Hermione wasn't one to fall behind and she yelled at him some more for being an insufferable, irresponsible jerk. Harry, Caiden and Ginny had caught up later, deciding it was better to hang back while the storm passed. The thing was that Ron didn't seem fazed at all by Hermione's shouts and he appeared to look nonchalant about the way I was treating him but his eyes showed his pain and I knew that I had hurt him. Well, good! He had hurt me too. First he led me on, sending mixed signals while being in a relationship with another girl and then he'd tried to ruin my evening with Josh, which he succeeded in doing. I was beginning to think that Ron had no limits. He acted purely on impulse, without thinking, letting his emotions get the best of him. He was a hot-headed, sexy redhead that was currently trying to meet my eye. I sighed and leaned back against the seat, closing my eyes. This vacation was supposed to be relaxing but it was turning to be the exact opposite. I opened my eyes when someone tapped the door and I was startled to see Josh on the other side, smiling shyly.

"Hi," he said when Hermione opened the compartment door for him, "I don't mean to intrude." I saw that he nodded to everyone except Ron, who he was ignoring completely. Ron's blue eyes blazed and I stood up to meet him.

"What are you doing here?" I asked him, not wanting to start another discussion that would surely end with me having a headache. Josh extended his hand and held out my wand.

"You left it in my room last night," he said, blushing deeply. Yesterday was supposed to be the day where everyone would rest from the dance the night before embarking back to their houses for Christmas.

"Thanks," I muttered, getting a bit red myself. I had spent the whole day with him, trying to forget about my heated one-sided row with Ron and had ended up, not only in his common room, but in his dormitory where I then snogged him until we both were breathless and decided it was late. Josh smiled at me and leaned in for a chaste kiss.

"Happy Holidays everyone," he said, grinning at my friends who looked like they were intruding on a private moment. He left and I closed the door behind him.

"I should've made sure I had this with me this morning," I said to fill the silence. Ron's eye was twitching slightly. I gave him a hard glare, meeting his eyes for the first time since the ball. He looked completely heartbroken; I glanced at Hermione who seemed oblivious to his behavior. I didn't know if that was because she was giving him the silent treatment or because if she was more concerned with Caiden. That was when I noticed that they were sitting a little too close for comfort although they weren't touching. I raised my eyebrow but Caiden pretended not to see me. I sat back down next to her, stashing my wand inside my robes.

"Now it's just your wand," said Ron, an edge to his voice, "I wonder what you'll lose next." The room tensed as he and I glared at each other.

"That's none of your business," I spat at him, crossing my arms across my chest, "What Josh and I do is between us." Ron sucked in a shaky breath.

"Don't start," warned Caiden, looking at me and then at Ron, "You're both acting completely childish." I scoffed at her.

"Really? You're one to talk," I told her, knowing full well that I was directing my anger towards her without fault. But she accused me of being childish and that was exactly the way she acted whenever she was around Hermione.

"Look," said Harry, sweat breaking on his forehead as he glanced nervously at his best mate, "it's Christmas. Why don't we just all attempt to get along?" But Ron was having none of that.

"You know what I hate Harry? Backstabbing friends that you think are actually worth the trouble but then turn around to mess with useless gits." That did it. Quicker than lightning I had stood up and slapped him across the face. Hermione gasped and made to move but Ginny shook her head. As tears prickled my eyes I turned around and left, slamming the door behind me. I was halfway down the length of the train when two, strong arms caught me around the waist and spun me around.

"Let me go Ronald Weasley!" I yelled, drawing the attention from a couple of people. I struggled with his hold but it was useless.

"Look just stop for a moment," he told me, grunting as he tried to calm me. I was so angry that I'd begun to cry. When I stopped flailing around he crushed me to him in a hug that knocked my breath away.

"I'm sorry," he apologized miserably, "What I said was uncalled for, but I just..." He trailed off. I could hear his erratic heartbeat thumping wildly on his chest. I pushed him away and turned my back to him.

"Just leave me alone Ron," I said attempting to sound strong but failing horribly. Ron sighed and hung his head.

"I never meant to hurt you Steph, you have to know that," he said touching my arm gently from behind, "I don't know what came over me."

"You think a simple sorry is going to save you?!" I suddenly exclaimed, coming to face him, "Do you have any idea what you've done? You not only insulted Josh but you insulted me as well." Ron just stared at me, his eyes wide.

"We were kidding ourselves Ron," I told him softly, my anger having exhausted me, "You had a girlfriend. In fact, you still do and I was content with having you as a friend if that was all I could get." Suddenly, I pushed him back, feeling completely irritated.

"But I won't be friends with a jealous jerk!" That was the last thing I told him before I turned around and left to look for Josh, leaving Ron standing rooted to the spot behind me.

-Harry's POV-

I don't know how the train didn't explode with all the anger that sizzled in the air. Ron and Stephanie were currently breaking the record. Not even Viktor Krum made Ron glare as deeply as he had when Josh had appeared out of nowhere. I don't think that Hermione and Ron had even fought so heated; usually they ignored each other but Steph and Ron couldn't stay silent and were jumping down the other's throat repeatedly. When Steph slapped Ron I knew things had spun wildly out of control.

"Well? Don't just sit there," said Ginny, snapping at her brother, "Go after her." Ron glanced at Hermione and they shared a look. Ron gulped and hurried out the door behind Stephanie.

"I swear, they'll kill each other before the year is up," I said, breathing freely again in their absence. Ginny snorted in disagreement.

"You give them a year?" she asked incredulously, pursing her lips, "It's probable that they'll kill themselves before the Christmas vacation is up. Mum's going to have a very interesting full house." I nodded and looked at Caiden who was petting Midnight gently. Hermione, however, surprised me; she shared no insight and didn't seem troubled at all about Ron's behavior with Steph. When I questioned her about it she frowned.

"Ron's always been impulsive. Besides, he's always thinking that guys are taking advantage of the girls in his life so it's not entirely surprising." She wasn't completely off but still, he was her boyfriend and she should've been complaining endlessly about his lack of attention to her.

"But he's your boyfriend," I said slowly, eyes narrowed. Ginny sighed and sat up straight, making everyone look at her.

"This is beyond ridiculous Hermione," she said, "It's Harry we're talking about." They lost me there.

"Ginny," hushed Hermione exasperatedly, "Don't start this again." I noticed that Caiden had tensed but continued to stare at her owl.

"I'm just saying it's an insult not to tell him. We have to work something out now that Steph's out of the picture." I was about to question what the hell she was talking about when Caiden snapped to attention, giving Hermione a glare.

"It's not worth it Ginny," she said lowly, her voice hard, "She doesn't care for it."

"Oh for Heaven's sake Caiden," Hermione glowered at her through her eyes, "Don't be so dramatic."

"I'm not the one being dramatic here!" exclaimed my sister, standing up and I thought that another fight was going to ensue.

"What in Merlin's beard are you all going on about?" I asked before Crookshanks bit the hell out of Caiden. Midnight began flapping her wings in anticipation to fight the damn cat. Caiden sat back down with a huff and Hermione crossed her arms like an angry child. If I wasn't about to blow a casket I would've found the whole scene slightly comical.

"It's just that I caught Caiden basically on top of Hermione as they were going at it in the girls' bathro-"

"Ginny!" interrupted Hermione, doing her best to sound upset but I waved her off, a smile spread about my face.

"Really?" I inquired and turned to Caiden, who still looked put off but had a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. She seemed proud of what Ginny was saying.

"Yes," she answered me, "but Hermione insists on acting like it never happened." I was shell shocked.

"Why the hell would you do that?" I questioned, incredulous, "It's what you've wanted to do since you saw my sister and don't even dare deny it." Hermione bit her lip, looking worried.

"I know that Harry but what about Ron? I can't leave him now when's dealing with-"

"Ron caused the shitstorm so he just has to get over it himself," Ginny said, dismissing that argument swiftly, "You can't take up his problems as your own." But Hermione was stubborn and wouldn't hear it.

"I won't break up with him now," she said and Caiden got mad all over again, "Besides, it's not like that would solve anything. There's a Slytherin on your part Caiden." I had forgotten about Natalie completely; for me she just didn't exist, but Hermione had a point. Not only did she have to deal with Ron and explain everything to him but Caiden's girlfriend had no clue either and she posed a problem. At least for Hermione and me she did but Ginny rolled her eyes at the statement.

"That girl has nothing on you Hermione. You can hex her arse from this universe in a heartbeat," Ginny told her and Caiden nodded, like that was the solution. I saw that she was no longer angry but trying to get Hermione to start an affair of sorts with her while the whole Ron/Stephanie ordeal gets dealed with.

"I won't be second to anyone," Hermione said, losing a bit of her concentration as Caiden leaned into her with a smirk. Just as Caiden was about to kiss her she turned her head. Caiden sighed.

"But I'll be second as well," mumbled my sister, sitting back against her seat. Ginny looked as she was going to continue the argument but in came Ron looking completely defeated and sat down on the floor at Hermione's feet and leaned his head on her thigh. Caiden looked surprised as did Hermione. Ron swallowed and his face changed completely as determination became evident on his face.

"I love you Hermione," he said unexpectedly in a voice that was not his own. Hermione looked like a fish out of water as Ron knelt before her. He took her face roughly and began kissing her, right there in front of us. I figured he was acting like this because Stephanie had lashed out at him with her whip of rejection and he was looking for solace. Caiden's eyes darkened as she stared at the couple. Ginny cleared her throat and basically pulled Ron away from a smothered looking Hermione. He sat next to her properly and leaned his head on her shoulder, shortly falling asleep. Caiden didn't want to fall behind but all she could do was hold Hermione's hand for the remainder of the ride. Stephanie didn't reappear until the train had pulled up on King's Cross and even then she was shadowed by her boyfriend. As I stepped out of the train to meet the Weasley family I couldn't help but think that things would get spicier and more complicated as time continued to pass.

-Ginny's POV-

My brothers Fred and George had met us on the station, waiting patiently with the car that would transport us home. However, as I regarded it with a glance, I knew that there was no way on Earth we would fit.

"Don't worry sis," said Fred, opening the door and ushering us in with a wave of his hand.

"It's enchanted to be a lot bigger than it looks from the outside," finished George for him as he took the driver's seat. The front seated up to three people and Caiden quickly called shotgun, taking her chances with the twins instead of cramming herself with the lot of us. She had made the smart move because as soon as Hermione, Ron, Steph, Harry and I climbed in the back seat we found out that the car hadn't expanded that much and we were squished together. George winked at us through the rearview mirror before putting the car in gear and driving off. Caiden chatted animatedly with them all the while I was losing the circulation in my right leg. Harry had to position himself so his arms weren't pinned to his sides; that meant that he had an arm around Stephanie and I and I had no idea if Ron was even slightly put off. By the uncomfortable silence I guessed that he was doing his best to ignore it.

"What the matter back there?" questioned Fred as he turned his head to look at us.

"Cat got your tongue?" said George jokingly and Crookshanks hissed at him from Hermione's lap. The cat didn't take insults lightly.

"As I was saying, we've managed to make a quill that actually writes by itself while you dictate..." I tuned out my brothers as they talked about their inventions. When I got out of this car I deserved a t-shirt that said 'I survived the ride to hell' because this was seriously way worse than the train ride. I had no idea how we were going to live through these next few days with the whole Ron, Hermione and Stephanie drama. Not to mention that there's another triangle that includes Caiden. The girl was stubborn and would give in to Hermione's worries but she would tire and, judging by the way I'd seen her kiss Hermione, it would be soon. I was immensely relieved when I was able to see the Burrow from my window and breathed a heavy sigh when I was able to stretch out my limbs after being compacted for so long.

"Oh my dears!" exclaimed my mother as she hurried out the front door to meet us. She gave us each a bone-crushing hug, stopping only to gaze at Caiden adoringly.

"You poor thing," she said, taking her face in her hands, "I'm so glad you made your way home. You look so much like Harry."

"That's because she's his twin mother," grumbled Ron, rolling his eyes. Mum's eyes lit up at his statement.

"Mrs. Weasley," said Caiden, struggling with her hold and motioning towards Stephanie, "This is my best friend Stephanie Tasch. She's the one who looked after me all these years."

"It was nothing really," Steph said blushing before being crushed under Molly's hug.

"You're all family," mum said and beckoned all of us to get accommodated inside the house. Hermione was going to be sharing my room and Ron was rooming with Harry while Caiden and Steph took Percy's old room. My room was the same as I'd left it but Percy's had been cleaned out and given special care to accommodate our guests. Typical Molly Weasley. After we got settled we were informed that all the family was getting together for the Christmas Eve supper and that meant that all my brothers were coming and probably with all their girlfriends. Bill was the only one that had gotten married and I learned soon enough that Fleur was expecting which meant another reason to celebrate. For the next two hours the hall between my floor and Ron's room was a flurry of activity as we all bathed and got dressed for the night ahead. When Caiden, Harry and I came into the kitchen, it was to find that Lupin and Tonks had also decided to join us, carrying Harry's godson, little Teddy Lupin. Caiden was surprised to see the baby and to learn about his relationship with Harry but accepted to carry the boy for a while as he slept. When Hermione and Ron crowded the room as well we thought it best to head outside where the dinner was taking place, especially when Stephanie came down and coed over the baby. Fred and George were working behind a table, setting up expensive looking equipment.

"What's that?" I asked them, looking at a big rectangular black box that was linked to another device on the table by dozens of wires.

"That's the sound system," answered Fred, "For music; we're going to turn this thing into a party." He wriggled his eyebrows in clear mischief.

"And this is a computer," explained George, pointing at the open screen that displayed a list of songs, "Muggles aren't magical but they sure have some cool stuff." I still didn't understand how all this would play music but then Fred gave George a thumbs up and Fred hit a key on the computer. Suddenly a song played throughout the whole yard; but it had a weird rhythm, like robotics. I was awed at the whole experiment with the machinery; I heard Hermione laughing and turned around to see Caiden and Stephanie dancing but it wasn't random. They seemed to know the whole choreography and it was like nothing I'd ever seen before.

Need a ride I can Range you up,
Money I can change you up,
You can ride your own, no longer be the passenger,
Swag low I build you up,
Knees we can stand you up,
Red lips, red dress, like em like a fire truck.

The words were absolutely meaningless but the beat was catchy. Ron and I stared as Caiden and Steph pulled Hermione and Harry into the dance; they should know something about it since they've been raised by Muggles. And I wasn't wrong. Hermione and Harry laughed as they twirled around, not knowing the dance but recognizing the song. My parents had burst out of the back door, quickly followed by Lupin and Tonks. They looked startled by the sudden noise, as if Death Eaters were attacking the house but one look at the crazy teenagers in this house showed the complete opposite. I saw, rather than heard, the backyard gate open; a middle-aged looking couple appeared, their brows raised in question as they approached the house. None of the 'dancers' noticed them but my mother did and hurried over to them possibly mumbling her many pardons for the loud music and asking them to please forgive her sons, because they didn't know any better. The man smiled in return, his eyes landing on Hermione as she danced closely to Caiden. The woman's eyes stared at them, clearly appalled at their behavior. Dad called the twins to attention and they cut off the song unexpectedly. Something clicked suddenly in my head as I realized who the guests were. Before I could even begin to utter a warning, Caiden backed up and tripped over her own feet, almost dragging Hermione with her to the ground. If it hadn't been for the man's reflexes, Hermione would've landed on top of Caiden on the grass. Caiden turned around, ashamed that she almost fell on the stranger.

"I'm so sorry," she began apologetically, "I didn't even see you the-" She didn't finish her apology as she stared at the man wide-eyed. The woman gasped in surprise and gripped her husband's arm as she focused on Caiden. Caiden's eyes turned hard as she gazed at the man knowingly. Hermione squeaked and was about to open her mouth when her father cut her off.

"Hermione! What is she doing here?!" Mr. Granger exclaimed, his face flushing with anger as he stared at his daughter and then at Caiden. Harry and Ron gaped while I just stood there with nothing good to offer. My mum and dad looked shocked at the outburst and everyone stood still as the stare-off continued. I didn't think it was possible but things just got a hell of a twist.