Author's Note: Ok, so how many of you have finished Deathly Hollows already? Go on, you can raise your hands…

In any case, I apologize profusely for the delay in posting this chapter. My husband commandeered the computer Thursday night and it was all downhill from there. In any case, here is the next bit. And I promise, it isn't a cliffhanger.

Enjoy!

Oh. My. God.

Ron was kissing her. Ron was kissing her!

How had this happened? Ron, the boy with the dirt on his nose, the one who tied her stomach into knots (and not always in a bad sort of way), the one boy that she would always love was kissing her!

It happened so fast that at first, all she could do was close her eyes and try to keep her neck straight. He came at her with such force that if she hadn't pushed against him, her head would have gotten smacked into the tree. Not that that was necessarily a bad thing…

But here they were. Only moments ago she had been sobbing and now she had his lips planted on hers. All she really had the presence of mind to do was stay still.

Finally, unfortunately, he pulled away. Not too far; just enough so that their faces had some space. Hermione opened her eyes and tried to calm her breathing. Ron, on the other hand, tried not to stare at her mouth. The sight of her lips parting slightly and her eyelids languidly pulling open as their bodies separated was driving him a bit mad.

Eyes, eyes, focus on the eyes!

"Ron," she began. Her fingers were still clutching his shirt despite the fact that her brain had commanded them to let go. And she WAS NOT moving back from him either.

"Yeah?" He seemed awfully sure of himself. Hmm…

"You kissed me." Wow, she sounded so calm.

"Yeah." He grinned at her.

She was going to do it, DAMNIT, she just couldn't help herself. "I know I am going to regret asking this, but why?"

"I'm trying to move forward," he looked down at her, a soft look.

"Move forward?"

"Yeah, like you said, we can't change what's happened; the only thing we can influence is what happens next."

"So, the next step is kissing?" Her head hurt.

"Well, I reckon that should have been a couple steps ago," at last that almost smug look left his face, "but you know how slow I am."

"You aren't stupid," she answered defensively, more of a reflex than anything. He was starting to make her angry. Why didn't he ever just say what he meant? "Why don't you just say what you mean?"

"I mean I've fancied you for a very long time. I just didn't know what to do about it," he looked away from her and picked at some grass, "and now I know that I want to be your boyfriend…"

Whatever else he was going to say was smothered as Hermione launched herself at him, wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her lips to his again. Unfortunately, Ron hadn't been prepared and they toppled over, Hermione landing atop him. His arms instinctively went to encircle her waist and he squeezed her to him. That was nice.

"Oh, sorry," Hermione said, embarrassed, when she realized their positions. Ron just smiled up at her.

"You think that was bad?" They looked at each other and laughed. She tried to sit up, but Ron, apparently had other ideas.

"So, this is really it?" Hermione asked. Why were her eyes pricking again?

"Yeah," he replied as he tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and ran his fingers down the side of her face.

"I just don't understand how you went from being mad at me to being my boyfriend. Which you never asked properly, by the way…"

"You never gave me the chance, Miss I'm-going-to-wrestle-my-new-boyfriend-to-the-ground. Again, not that that's a bad thing. I kind of took it to mean that you were amenable to the idea."

"Amenable?"

"Yeah."

"So were you really mad at me, or was that all just conversation?"

"No, I was and still am pretty brassed off about the thing with Wanko Malfoy. But as Harry was saying, I really couldn't complain if I didn't at least try to do something about it…"

"Harry?" Uh-oh. Ron realized his mistake too late, as usual. "What does Harry have to do with all this?" she was getting angry now. Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea to let her go. As soon as she felt his arms relax, Hermione scrambled up and sat where he had found her, a good two feet away. Ron reluctantly sat up as well.

Honesty is the best policy, honesty is the best policy…

"Harry picked a fight with me and said that everyone knew that I fancied you and that I needed to ask you out and stop being such a eunuch…" Ron babbled like a three year old caught in the cookie jar. He looked at her nervously. The expression on her face didn't give him a lot of hope.

"So the only reason you are out here with me is to prove something about your manliness to Harry?"

"No! Ok, I am out here in this moment because he started in on me. But that doesn't change the way I feel. He just lit a fire under my ass, is all…" ok, she was looking better, "granted, you may have been celebrating your 90th birthday before I got the nerve, but I would have gotten there eventually." She chuckled slightly and gave him that smile, that smile that was only reserved for him, kind of a half smile. The smile made him brave and he reached out to take her hand.

"Are we ok?" he asked.

"What do you mean, 'ok?'"

"I mean," Christ, she was really going to make him go through the whole thing, "are you my girlfriend now?"

"Well, when you put it that way," she answered sarcastically, but the sting was taken out because she was still smiling and holding his hand, "yes, I'm your girlfriend now." Ron's face hurt, he was smiling so broadly.

"Did Harry really call you a eunuch?"

"Yes," answered Ron, insulted that she was bringing it up again. It also didn't help that she laughed uproariously at his answer.

Not really knowing what to do next, Hermione and Ron spent the next few hours getting used to this new aspect of their relationship. It was strange to note that not all that much changed. The biggest difference was that they were free to touch each other without anyone freaking out.

They were fortunate, in a way. They didn't have to spend weeks and months getting to know each other. They already did. There were no awkward silences, they didn't have to speak to each other. After a little while, Ron laid back with his head in Hermione's lap and dozed off while she went back to her book. It was comfortable; it was like coming home after being away for a long time.

"Do you think we'll still fight?" he asked from some place between sleep and wakefulness. She harrumphed and looked down at him, easing some fringe out of his eyes.

"I would be terribly bored if we didn't," she replied. He chuckled.

"Well, we wouldn't want that. Although, I can think of other ways to keep you entertained." Was he leering at her?

"I think you had better slow down, Mr. Weasley, you might pull something," she retorted. He captured the hand that was playing with his hair and held it to his chest.

"What are we going to do about Harry?" she asked.

"He's going to interrogate me as soon as we see him, anyway, so we tell him the truth."

"Hmm…I guess there's no way to keep it a secret, huh?" Ron sat up and looked at her.

"Why do you want to keep it a secret?" He looked insulted.

"I just like having something special to keep to myself, is all. I'm not ashamed of you or something, since I know that's what you're thinking."

"It's special whether people know about it or not," he sounded cranky and crossed his arms over his chest.

"That's true," she said, wrapping her arm around his and cuddling up next to him. Getting this much unrestricted access to him would take some time to get used to.

Eventually it got too dark to read and the new couple trudged inside to the Gryffindor tower. They found Ginny working on some homework at the table and Harry engaged in a game of Exploding Snap with Seamus. Harry looked up at Ron.

"So?" he asked, fishing for information.

"What do you think?" replied Ron as he plopped down on the couch and pulled Hermione into his lap. His new girlfriend looked less than thrilled at the display, but he solved the problem by kissing her on the cheek.

"Oh my God," Ginny squealed from across the room as she ran over.

"So..?" she looked at her brother.

"Yes," he replied.

"And you…?" she looked at Hermione.

"Yes," she replied. Ginny ran over and hugged them both. Just then Hermione's stomach decided to growl.

"Only an item for a few hours and already he's rubbing off on her," said Harry smugly. He looked over at Hermione indulgently, pretending that her face wasn't red as her tie. "Maybe we should go get some dinner."

"All right, food. I'm starved!" Thanks, Ron, it was good to see that some things never change.

Despite the fact that she and Ron had just started dating, and the fact that that information was rapidly making its way throughout the house tables and dormitories, Hermione decided to sit next to Harry at dinner. Ron was seated across from her next to Ginny, and seemed to be okay with his girlfriend not being directly by his side.

She was worried at the expression on Harry's face. Her other best friend (not her boyfriend, now, she smiled to herself, the other one, her best friend) had a tendency to keep his feelings to himself until all his frustrations resulted in his acting in very dangerous ways. Harry was an all or nothing kind of guy. Not having a gray area was not always healthy.

"What's the matter?" she whispered to him as she reached across his plate to get the bowl of carrots.

"Nothing," he replied, startled.

"Typical," she rolled her eyes as she nonchalantly spooned some of the vegetables on her plate, "I've known you for seven years, Harry. I know when something's on your mind. And I won't let you know any peace until you tell me, so you might as well get it over with now." She smiled at him when his head whipped around.

"You are such a bully," he smiled, and then thought for a few moments. "You know that I really am happy for you and Ron, right?"

"Of course. The way I hear it, you had something to do with his being out looking for me this afternoon in the first place. A eunuch, huh?" Harry chuckled at that, but didn't say anything.

"But…?" Hermione supplied.

"But I'm being a selfish bastard again, and I worry that in all the time you spend doing 'couple' things, you won't have any time for me…"

"Do you honestly think I can only do one thing at a time? Come now, you know me better than that."

He gave her one of his looks.

"Ron had a girlfriend last year and you weren't this upset."

"Yes, but that girlfriend wasn't you, so I still had you."

"Oh, yeah, we spent oodles of time together."

"You know what I mean. Besides, Lavender and Ron is different from you and Ron, and you know it. It's gonna be more intense."

"Mmm…" Hermione smiled off into space, "that's true, but there's one thing you're forgetting."

"And what's that?"

"You're the closest thing I have to a brother. Do you really think I would forget all about you?" He smiled a little at that. He knew how she felt.

"Besides," she added, feeling her eyes start to prick up again, "what makes you think that I don't need you too?"