AN: For those of you who have patiently waited for some Ron/Hermione action, this chapter and the next should be a delight! Thanks for all the continued support and I hope you all enjoy!

"Good morning beautiful." He mumbled the words into her hair, his pleasantries disappearing into the thick tumble of curls she was famous for. A warm giggle escaped from between her lips.

"You must've hit your head harder than we originally thought." She giggled again, a reflex of the way his arms wound tightly around her midsection and hugged her ever so close.

"Shut up." He buried his face even further in her hair, his nose rubbing along the back of her neck. She shivered and huddled deeper into his embrace.

Hermione Granger stared pensively at the dark tea sitting inside the mug she held between her hands. Her memories had been replaying in the forefront of her mind all too often, and coupled with Ron's frequent visits to her office, she had been seriously wondering where things had gone haywire. They had been the Wizarding World's golden couple, smiles glittering across front pages of the Daily Prophet for months. Harry had been more than happy to take a backseat to their fame at the time, enjoying the limelight as he dashed across the United Kingdom in search of errant Death Eaters and Voldemort sympathizers.

A soft meow from the floor let Hermione know she had been sitting still for too long, brilliant green eyes gazing at her expectantly. Crookshanks had passed years ago, living an exceptionally long life even for a Kneazle, and she had gone out and gotten herself a long haired kitten.

"I'm not entirely sure it doesn't have mange, or at the very least an infestation of fleas." Ron turned his nose up at the meowing kitten Hermione had shoved in his face. "Look at it, Hermione, the thing is missing a whisker or two for certain."

"Ronald." Hermione chided lightly, turning her attention to the midnight colored kitten and cooing at it softly. "He's a darling and I love him."

"I've been replaced by a fur covered disease machine!" Ron pretended to wail and sank back against the cushions of the couch, a smile covering his face as Hermione curled up beside him. His arm fell almost naturally around her shoulders. "So what's the bugger's name then, just to make sure I get it right whenever I have to curse at him?"

"Banquo." Hermione replied immediately. "I think it suits him."

"You couldn't have picked a normal name? Stripes? Fluffy?"

"I'd rather not name my cat after a three headed dog, Ron." Hermione rubbed her nose against the kitten's, the creature's loud purrs soon filling the quiet room. "I think he's perfect."

"If it's what makes you happy, darling." Ron kissed her temple and begrudgingly scratched behind Banquo's left ear.

"Yes, yes, I'll feed you now." Hermione muttered to the now fully grown Banquo. The cat, larger and longer than Crookshanks had been, wound himself dangerously through her ankles, his one off kilter ear twitching in anticipation. Hermione smiled to herself as she watched the way that ear moved, remembering the way Ron had always teased her about the broken cat she had adopted. A small bowl of kibble was dropped to the floor and Banquo set about eating with a few thankful grumbles.

Hours later Hermione again found herself staring blankly at the now cold tea in her grasp. She had lost track of time, her brain now clicking in to gear to berate herself for wasting such a precious asset. She grabbed a cloak, twisted it around her shoulders, petted Banquo as he rested on the kitchen counter, and Apparated from her flat.

"You'll run a hole in that page if you pass your finger over it one more time." Ron teased as he entered the study where Hermione had set up camp in Grimmauld Place. She chuckled and finished writing down her latest findings before turning to the redheaded boy. "You can't possibly still be looking up information."

"It'll be useful for Harry, once he gets back, to know Riddle's usual hangouts and frequent visiting places." She answered smartly. "Draco has been helping me sometimes, he's actually very clever."

"Yes, I suppose all he has to do is tell you where he's been going for the last few years." Ron grumbled, dropping none too elegantly into an armchair across from the desk she was working at. She narrowed her eyes at him.

"He's not all bad, Ron."

"And not all good either."

"He saved Ginny's life two weeks ago!"

"But nearly got Harry killed not two days after that!"

"And he broke his leg in the process, I think it's more than fair to say you can lighten up on him!"

"Why are you so damn defensive about him anyway?" Ron asked in a growl. "If I didn't know any better I'd say you actually liked the git."

"Ronald." Hermione sighed in exasperation and shook her head. "He needs someone, and if the only person willing to reach out to him in this house is me, then I will. And if you're going to give me grief then you may as well start bothering Harry about exactly how much time he's been spending with Pansy." She snapped the book shut and stomped out of the study, furious.

"Hermione!" Ron called after and his footsteps pounded down the hall. His hand went around her arm carefully, tugging her back into a tight hug. "I'm sorry. I'm just…" He sighed and pushed back on her shoulders. "I'm a jealous ass."

"I know." She smiled when he brushed a kiss across her forehead, his apology ringing in her ears.

"Hermione?" She looked up from the book in her lap to see Ron, his eye still bruised from the previous day's battle. "Are you busy?"

"Just reading." She closed the book and nodded for him to enter the room. "Do you need something?"

"I was wondering if I could talk to you for a moment." He shuffled into her bedroom nervously, his hands folded behind his back as he tried to lift his eyes to look at her. She grinned.

"Of course!" She moved to the edge of the bed, her hands on either side of her legs as Ron toyed with the tassels of the rim on her lamp.

"Well, see, I was thinking. And after yesterday, when we went back to Hogwarts, it just got to me a little and I, well, I'm horribly bad at this but…" He let out a long breath of air and brought his hands together in front of his body. "You're a brilliant fighter, Hermione. And wicked smart. You're one of my best friends and I don't…I don't want to bloody fuck this all up but damned if I'm not doing a fantastic job of that-"

"Ron." Hermione interrupted him gently and stood from the bed, moving until she was directly before him. "Yes."

"But how did-"

"Because I've wanted to be your girlfriend for quite some time." She lifted up onto her toes and pressed a shy kiss to his mouth, so unlike the one they had shared months earlier in the Chamber of Secrets.

"Ron, get down!" She was screaming at him from across the battlefield, curses lighting the dark night sky with brilliant shades of green, red, and white. Harry had disappeared hours ago, chasing after Rodolphus Lestrange in a fit of rage after the man had shot a very well-aimed Cruciatus at Neville. Ron blindly followed her order, dropping to the ground without second thought as he covered his head. The wall that had exploded above him crumbled to the earth, Hermione's Shield Charm protecting the redhead from any serious damage. He shot her a brief look of gratitude before climbing back to his feet and running away from her. Her heart pounded in her ears and she couldn't help herself from following, covering his back as he darted through the wreckage. She didn't know what he was trying to get to, all she knew was that she needed to follow him. Lucky for him she was, otherwise he would have been taken out several times over for his lack of backwards attention.

After chasing him for several minutes, dodging too many spells and firing not enough of her own, she lost track of exactly where Ron had gone. A feeling of panic set in around her shoulders as she scanned the battlefield around her, watching as members of the Order attempted to detain the straggling Death Eaters. She considered shouting his name in an effort to find him, her mind reeling to try and figure out what to do.

"Hermione!" His shout of warning came a second too late and the Stunner hit her directly in the middle of her stomach, knocking her flat onto her back. All of the wind left her lungs as she hit the ground, her vision blurry against the rush of shocked tears. His growl of a curse had the Death Eater that had hit her screaming in agony for nearly a minute before he dropped lifeless to the ground. "Shit, Hermione, are you alright?" Ron was at her side, his hands feeling for any immediate injury that he could sense.

"Fine." She gasped the word as air started to refill her lungs. "I'm fine."

"I'm so sorry!" He gathered her up into his arms and together they stood, his lips peppering her face with quick and feathery kisses. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to and-"

"Ron it's fine! We're in the middle of a war!" She couldn't help but laugh and left him standing there after dropping a kiss of her own onto his bottom lip.

AN: Please let me know what you think!