A/N: So, I am not sure yet how this chapter is going to play out, but it was one of the original ones that I was most excited about writing. The list of chapters I intend has grown to about 65-68, so I hope you are all in for the ride! Enjoy this chapter and please look up the music.

The day had continued on and Ron and Hermione were the talk of Hogwarts. It seemed that dozens of students surrounded by thousands of years worth of magical history and knowledge had nothing better to talk about than the blossoming of a relationship that apparently had been coming for years. Their tale was being retold by each student who claimed to have any type of relationship with either of the couple. Hermione had been sure that a girl as mundane as herself would have no problem keeping her social life under wraps but now there was no stopping the flurry of gossip surrounding here and here new red-headed beau.

Ever since the two had been spotted in the Great Hall, Hermione couldn't decide if she regretted showing any public signs of their new relationship, but then she saw a sense of pride wash over Ronald's face and knew that no matter what, it was all worth it. And then she dwelled on the thought for a bit longer and realized that maybe he wasn't just proud of the fact that he had landed himself a girlfriend, because she had seen him after he had first started dating Lavender Brown, and it dawned on her that he was proud of dating her. Hermione had never thought of herself as someone that a boy wool,d be pro to have hanging n their arm. A warm glow filled her up inside, remembering all the times she had thought that Ron had been embarrassed to be seen with her, all the times she knew she wasn't cool enough to be one of the Golden Trio.

It had been six years since that wretched day but it was still a fresh wound on Hermione's young ego. It was early the morning of Halloween and Hermione had been so excited to become a part of the magical traditions that she had been reading so much about. Halloween seemed to be a very significant day j. The wizarding culture and she was ready to observe all that it had to offer. After an early morning treat of a feast-like breakfast, Hermione headed off to Flitwick's class, walking by herself as usual. The cholla year hadn't proven to be very exciting socially but that was no surprise to Hermione, who had never been one of the popular kids at her grade school back home, and knew that certain things never changed. She was a know-it-all who refused to stand down when it came to her intellect, but what she didn't know was how much it bothered her peers.

The class had been exhilarating and Hermione was so proud that she had been bald to levitate her feather before anyone else, but there was a distinct air of disdain in Ron' s demeanor after she had tried to help him. She had thought that she was just giving him a push in the right direction, but as she walked off to her next class she heard a certain young red-head's unique voice impersonating her.

"It's no wonder no one can stand her, she's a nightmare, honestly. "

And for the first time that she could remember, the insults of a classmate had actually hurt. Her whole life had been full of taunting but she had admired the whimsical nature of the Weasley boy and was so envious of his natural ability to make friends. He had everything she wanted and it was his words that stung her the most.

Since then, Ron Weasley's words had not made such an impact on her life. While his words had been cruel as a child, those mocking words had pushed her in the right direction. It had been time for her to come to terms with her arrogance and begin acting like a real kid. Ron seemed an unlikely candidate for a romantic role in her life back then, especially to anyone who noticed the way that he talked about her. But even then Hermione's admiration of Ron ran so deep that it eventually turned into infatuation and as their friendship grew, she grew to love him. She wondered how the world had changed so much and how her relationship with Ron had managed to make it through it all.

Ron and Hermione walked to their classes hand in hand the rest of the day because there didn't seem to be any point in hiding their relationship. By the end of breakfast practically every student in every house was aware. Ron found himself in the lucky position of having an absolutely stunning girlfriend and having the privilege of showing her off to everyone. He'd always felt like the loser of Hogwarts, because even though he was well known, he was only known for his associations with those more important than him. His brothers were legend at Hogwarts, man of them acting as Prefects and later on Head Boy, and Fred and George had made more students laugh in the history of Hogwarts than one would think possible. Not only did his family have a supreme legacy, but he was best friends with The Boy Who Lived and 'the brightest witch of her age'. There hadn't been many honors Ron had all to himself, but to be the one boy who Hermione had chosen felt better than any Head Boy badge or headline in the papers.

Sitting in classes was a waste for Ronald that day as all he cared about was rushing back to Hermione's dorms a staring into her eyes for hours. For once he could just stare at her without any inhibitions. He had spent years finding moments to look at her, whether romantically or just in awe at her sheer power. There was something hypnotizing about that girl and he finally had all the time in the world to just gaze at her. He felt so emasculated by his own thoughts that he tried to switch his brain to thoughts of Qudditch and the Chudley Cannons, but he kept drifting back to Hermione.

It was yet another Halloween and Ron was worried that his parents would send some horribly embarrassing card or that Fred and George would spike his candy with another odd potion. Halloween was an overdone holiday in the Weasley family and all he longed for was a relaxing day with his fiends. He and Harry slowly made their way to Professor Flitwick's room and much to Ron's dismay they had been the last two to arrive and the only seats available were next to Seamus Finnigan and Hermione Granger. Ron didn't know what was worse, sitting next to a know-it-all or sitting next to a boy who is sure to singe the tips of your eyelashes. Lucky for Ron , Harry made that decision for him.

"Sorry mate, see you after class." he chuckled as he went to sit next to Seamus, who was absolutely elated to have a classmate willing to sit next to him.

Ron sulked over to sit next to Hermione, but he was sure this would be a bad day from the moment he had rolled out of bed. After Flitwick droned on and on about the technique of how to move their wands but Ron could really care less on a day like that. Most of the students didn't care about their classes on a holiday as important as Halloween. But even with all the chatter around the classroom and the failures of several of his peers, Ron was astounded to see Hermione turn towards him and offer advice. He was quite sick of her answering every question and constantly sucking up to all of the professors, but her brown eyes looked so sincere, so honest, and he took her advice to heart. Later on he would surely be able to preform the levitation spell, but for now he had an image to uphold and didn't want his friends thinking he would take advice from a silly girl.

Later on he joked around with the other boys of Gryffindor about Hermione's attitude, but it was all just to keep up appearances. Even if he hadn't fully understood what he was doing, Ron was subconsciously trying to prove himself as a guy and as a wizard all the time. His brothers were popular and powerful, and Ron wanted to blend in with his dormmates, so he continued to laugh at the expense of the brown eyed girl. But as he heard his friends laughing at his jokes and taunts,he realized how absolutely wrong he was about her. She was bloody brilliant, and that was probably the must justified use of that phrase Ron had ever had. Everyone, including himself, teased her for her oversized teeth and wild hair, but when he had really looked at her as she tried to help him, he saw the beauty behind her awkward looks.

There was something odd about the way that he had been drawn to Hermione. As an eleven year old boy he was generally digested by girls, especially girls his own age. The castle was full of older girls who were far prettier than she was, but he was absolutely drawn into her and her powerful attitude. He didn't even know her, but every time they had spoken she was so sure of herself, but Fred he told the boys what a nightmare she was he saw her shuffle away in tears. Ron had broken the young girl and was no longer confident in his attempts to make friends. To what lengths would he go to impress other eleven year old boys? It was then that Ron knew he couldn't let Hermione stay a stranger in his life, he wanted a girl like her on his side.

They headed to Transfiguration together and found a table to sit at somewhere near the middle of the classroom and Hermione caught McGonagall giving her a knowing glance and raise of the eyebrow. She laughed a bit and Ron shrugged at her unknowingly, but she just nudged him closer to their seats. Class began and Ron lightly placed his hand on Hermione's knee under the table. She was so deeply comforted by the soft touch and by the fact that Ron wasn't afraid to be near her. She had spent the early years of their friendship connected merely by their common interest in Harry, but the summer after third year she had been willing to go the Burrow so that she could try and gain some ground in their weak relationship.

That summer was crystal clear in her mind as she had been so anxious to spend time with the entire Weasley clan, including her new friend Ginny, but most importantly she wanted to impress Ronald. She was never noticed by anyone, except Harry who treated her like she was the sister he had never had. This was to be the summer that she earned the attention of the Weasley she so frequently daydreamed about, though she would never admit it. Hermione was seen by all of her peers as a purely intellectually driven girl, but in her mind she took the challenges of a social life very seriously. Her desire to be seen as a girl, and not just a homework tool, were deep rooted. This was her chance to prove herself, not just to Ron, but in her own mind.

And so the summer had begun and she continually read in her room, which Ginny pointed out to be rather ineffective if Hermione ever intended to belong socially. She migrated outdoors and watched as the boys zoomed around on their brooms, basking in the sunlight. Her books were full of adventure and tales of true love. She had never let anyone see what she was really reading during the summers, because her dirty little secret her infatuation with romance novels. She had grown up in a family with parents who were very much in love, for all she knew, but they never discussed it. The Grangers were a people of facts, and Hermione had grown obsessed with the immeasurable powers of love.

It was this secret that brought Ron and her into the depths of friendship. While sitting by the lake out back one day, Hermione continued to read while the Weasleys and Harry swam around laughing. So as not to get splashed or let her book get damp, Hermione was sitting beneath a tree several feet away, but still lounging about in her swimsuit. Without being noticed by Hermione, Ron had snuck up and picked her up from behind, watching her book fall the the grass. The false textbook cover split away and went flying in the other direction, causing Ron to abruptly let go of the girl and rush to get to the real book first.

After yelping at first at the book's title, Hermione had gotten aRon to hold his tongue under the conditions that she play one round of wizard's chess every evening and that she actually play in the lake with everyone else, and most horrifying, that that he got to keep the book that he had stolen from her.

It had been three years since Ron had found her silly book but he had never mentioned it to anyone else, not even Harry. She never would have guessed that Ron Weasley could keep a secret, but their friendship had grown stronger after spending hours playing chess that summer. It had become some sort of tradition, one that they hid from the rest of their friends. Each summer they would stay up late and bring out the chess board after everyone had fallen asleep, or wait until they could sneak out from their beds to go and play in the living room. Whenever the two had been overly stressed or worried about Harry they would stay in the Gryffindor Common Room and continue their tradition of chess playing. There was something so satisfying about seeing the smile of triumph on Ron's face.

Six years ago they had been total strangers, starting out on a wild journey due to the odd chance that they had befriended The Boy Who Lived. Here at the end of their years at Hogwarts, they sat together at the beginning of a new relationship, ready to take on the journeys of love and of war. There was something so magical about how their lives had changed and they both walked hand-in-hand, knowing just how lucky they were.

A/N: While I realize this chapter is mostly fluff, at the time I started writing it was not properly working and it said that I had no readers for chapters 6 and 7, so I figured I could write a happy silly little chapter. Hope you enjoyed the fluff of the past and them together starting their futures. Please review and I will surely write Chapter 9 soon (which I swear will have more substance)