A:N/ Link to song for this chapter: www[]youtube[]com/watch?v=9cEL5gDJyuI

Copy, paste and replace the closed brackets with fullstops.

To Be By Your Side

Chapter 25

Serenity and Chaos

"Remembering you fallen into my arms

Crying for the death of your heart

You were stone white so delicate

Lost in the cold."

Pictures of You – The Cure

Hermione's breath caught in her throat at the sight before her. She couldn't believe she'd done it. It had all worked according to plan.

She was sat on a bench opposite her house with a concealment charm placed over her, looking inside the living room where her parents were. They weren't doing anything out of place. They were eating breakfast, like they would on any other day. But there was just something about them that had changed. Obviously she knew what it was but she hadn't expected to notice it from their appearance alone. She thought she'd have to wait till she heard them talking to see if the memory charm had worked. Apparently there was no need though, there was enough evidence before her. For an acquaintance it would be hard to notice it, but being who she was, Hermione could see it easily.

They somehow seemed more youthful. With all those memories gone; no longer aware of the fact they had a seventeen year old daughter, they looked as if they had their whole lives ahead of them. They didn't have as much responsibility in their lives and were virtually free to do whatever they wanted.

Even in the way they acted around eachother was different. They weren't holding anything back. Instead of eating on separate chairs, they were both on the sofa leaning against one another. When they finished their breakfast, they didn't move and start getting on with something more productive, they remained as they were. It couldn't have been for more than a few minutes but it was still strange for Hermione to see. They'd always be doing something, even if it was just watching the television. They'd never sit in the living room chatting to eachother without reading a newspaper or listening to the radio, but they were now. At one point they stopped to share a kiss too, causing Hermione's heart to sink into her stomach. They'd never been very affectionate with eachother in her presence and she'd never thought much of it. It was only after they'd had a few too many drinks that they'd start kissing or hugging in front of her.

She couldn't help but feel saddened, knowing she had affected her parent's relationship in that way.

"Are you okay? Do you want to go back? I don't mind staying and making sure it's worked." Ron said, reminding her that he was there. She didn't want to take her eyes off her parents for a second, not knowing when she'd be able to see them again, so she instead placed her hand on top of his.

"No, I need to stay." She replied slowly, furrowing her eyebrows as she saw them go upstairs. Ron didn't question her any further since he'd thought she'd say that. He glanced down at their hands before looking back at her, noticing her glassy eyes. He could feel how tense she was from the way she was holding onto his hand, so he twisted his wrist so his palm met hers and entwined their fingers. She squeezed his hand back in appreciation, making him smile lopsidedly.

Her parents came back down the stairs, this time with their luggage too and Hermione tensed even more, knowing what was about to happen. They walked outside, making her hold her breath.

"Where are the tickets?" Phillip...Wendell asked, carrying a large suitcase in one hand while holding a notebook and pen in the other. Audrey – Monica opened the boot of the car before placing some bags in it.

"They're in my handbag which I'm about to put in the front seat of the car." She replied, picking up his suitcase as he ticked off 'the tickets' on his list.

"Passports?"

"In my bag as well."

"Schedule?"

"In your notepad."

"Phone numbers?"

"Wendell, do we have to go through this procedure everytime?" Monica said, making Hermione flinch. That was all she needed to hear to know whether or not the spell had worked. What made it all the more painful was that it seemed like nothing had changed for a few seconds. They'd been just like her parents on every other holiday they'd been on. They'd been Audrey and Phillip, not Wendell and Monica.

"It doesn't hurt to make sure." Wendell answered tiredly, before looking at Monica. She had a soft smile on her face, letting him know she was joking. A smile of his own spread across his face and he pocketed his notepad and pen. "Shall we go?"

"Yes, that'd be great." She said relieved, shutting the boot door while Wendell locked the front door to the house.

"I've already locked the back door." Monica called out, knowing what he was about to do as she got in the car. Wendell chuckled and got into the car as well, before they drove out of sight.

Hermione didn't know what to feel. She was glad the spell had worked and at the same time sad it had. Yes, they were safe now, but she'd lost them in the process.

She felt Ron stroke the back of her palm softly which caused all her uneasiness to melt away.

"You ready to go?" He asked quietly, and she nodded, not trusting herself to speak. She had a feeling that once she started talking all her feelings would come flooding out of her.

They both stood up and she was sure she would have fallen down from how badly her legs were shaking if she hadn't been gripping onto his hand. She felt like she was in a daze. She was feeling all of these emotions but she couldn't focus on any of them, so instead she was numb. It was as if nothing was happening, as if she was in some sort of dream state.

"I can apparate us both back if you want." Ron suggested, and she looked at him blankly. It took her a minute to understand what he was saying but once she did, she nodded again. The concern in his eyes was impossible to not see and it was that which made a feeling far more distinct than the others. She forced it down, not wanting to break down again and looked away from him. His eyes remained on her while he didn't move a muscle, making it all the more difficult for her to keep her emotions at bay.

"Are we going or what?" She snapped, resorting to an old tactic to stay strong in front of him. She despised herself for doing it but she didn't know what else she could have done. She heard him sigh but he didn't say anything, instead they walked into a secluded place between two points as he pulled out his wand and then apparated them back to the Burrow.

Her feet felt unusually heavy when they landed. All she wanted to do was sink to the ground and never get back up again. He started heading towards the house but turned around when he realised she wasn't following.

"I'm going to stay here for awhile." She said, a soft breeze flowing over her, helping relax her.

"Are you sure? Do you want me to stay?" He asked comfortingly, and for the first time that day, happiness began inking itself through her.

"If you wouldn't mind."

He made his way back to her and they sat down on the grass, their hands still clasped together. Hermione didn't hesitate in resting her head on his shoulder, needing to feel that warmth she always felt whenever they touched. It instantly set her at ease and she closed her eyes, letting everything sink in.

She didn't realise until then how desperately she needed this moment; where everything was perfectly serene. It was something about the wind blowing through the trees, feeling the grass beneath her skin, staring out at the landscape that relaxed her whole being.

The moment somehow managed to become more perfect when he took his hand out of hers so he could wrap an arm around her waist. Normally this would have sent her into some kind of frenzy, but in this state it helped make her feel better, washing away the sadness.

No words were exchanged between them, because none needed too. She didn't know how long they stayed like that, because eventually exhaustion had taken over and she'd fallen asleep. When she awoke again, she was no longer in the safe confines of his arms but was in her bed, clutching onto her duvet cover. It was only then that she allowed herself to let go of everything she was feeling.

A couple of weeks passed faster than she thought possible. Although it was difficult, it did become easier with each passing day and she knew it was because of the people she was with. Initially it had been tense, particularly with Molly and George, but once they all got used to her being around it seemed hard to believe there had ever been any awkwardness at all. They weren't exactly comfortable if they were left alone but apparently that wasn't going to be a problem with Bill and Fleur's wedding coming up.

The house was in complete chaos from it since it was being held at the Burrow. Everyone was spending all of their time in helping prepare for it in any way they could. This mainly meant that Molly had taken on a lot of the duties needed for the wedding, leaving the normal house chores to the younger members of the household. It was for that reason Hermione had barely spent anytime with just one other person.

It became even worse after Fleur and Bill arrived along with Fleur's family a few days before the big day. It meant that Fleur's sister, Gabrielle, was forced to sleep in Ginny's already cramped room, virtually extinguishing the last amount of time Hermione had to herself. She didn't mind all that much, in a way it was easier to keep her mind off of other things, but that also meant she hadn't been able to spend time with the one person she really needed too.

It was odd not being able to be with a person when you were both living in the same house. Whenever she'd try to find him, she'd run into someone who would give her another job to do. The only time they saw eachother was at meal times, and even those had become brief with everyone eating as quickly as they could since they always needed to get on with something else. Unfortunately, that was why she had barely said two words to him since the day they'd seen her parents.

It wasn't until the day of the wedding she was able to speak with him.

As expected, the ceremony had been beautiful. Everything had gone perfectly and even though Hermione barely knew the couple, it had been an incredibly touching scene to witness. No-one could have denied the immense amount of love that was shared between them as they exchanged vows, gazing at eachother the way they had been. While it had been stunning in that way, she couldn't help but feel fascinated by it as well. Having never been to a wizarding wedding, it was interesting to see how it meant more than a muggle wedding. Maybe it was the use of a spell that embedded their vows, or maybe it was because she'd never been to a wedding where the couple had been so in love, but there was a certain aspect about it that seemed as if it would last forever.

Hermione was now sat at a table by herself, sipping at some butterbeer. She had been with Ginny and Luna but they'd decided to dance. She laughed at seeing Ginny's expression from Luna's...unique dance moves. Ginny quickly shrugged her shoulders and danced similarly, looking genuinely happy for the first time since Harry ended things between them.

Hermione's gaze gradually wandered over the crowd, noticing how virtually everyone was dancing except for those few who were talking and still drinking. She wasn't sure why she didn't feel like dancing herself, but it might have had something to do with wanting to dance with someone in particular.

She took a large gulp of her butterbeer before looking down at her lap, straightening out the skirt of her dress. Well, technically it was Fleur's, since Hermione hadn't expected to be needing a formal outfit when she was packing, so Fleur had generously offered to let her have it. Fleur had said she'd never really liked it and that Hermione would actually be doing her a favour if she had it. While Hermione didn't believe a word of what Fleur said, she accepted it and was glad she had, even though she did have to make a lot of adjustments in order for it to fit properly.

Admittedly, it wasn't something she'd usually go for. The cut was a bit too low for her liking and the fit might have been a little snug, but Ginny had insisted that she shouldn't alter it anymore so she'd kept it as it was. It was fairly simple, but was still pretty. It was sky blue in colour and had thin straps with the bodice of it clinging onto her skin while the skirt fanned out to her knees. Luckily, Fleur had also had a matching pair of shoes with a small heel which she was also wearing.

Hermione took another gulp of her butterbeer, finishing it off when she heard,

"Do you want another?"

She whipped her head around to see Ron standing behind her with a lopsided smile on his face, holding a butterbeer in one hand and a drink she couldn't identify in another. Having only managed to catch glimpses of him before, she was surprised at how seeing him sent her heart racing. She'd never seen him dressed so formally and it was making her squirm uncomfortably. He was in a set of new dark blue robes that co-ordinated brilliantly with his eyes and his hair, while slightly messy, still looked as if it had been combed back.

She blinked a few times, feeling a blush working its way up her neck, and beamed at him.

"Yes, thankyou." She replied eventually, and he handed the drink to her as he took a seat next to her. All of a sudden, she was finding it stifingly hot so she immediately started drinking and didn't stop until she'd finished half of it.

"Thirsty?" He said sniggering, his eyebrows raised. She swallowed painfully and nodded, just realising how flushed he looked. Now she could look at him properly, she could see his eyes were slightly hazy and how he was a bit sweaty. She scrutinised him for a second longer before glancing at the clear liquid in his hand.

"Ron, is that firewhiskey?" She asked, and he snorted, failing in trying to hide his grin, practically answering the question for her.

"Maybe." He replied chuckling, and she shook her head in disbelief. It was irresponsible for him to be drinking, but then again what was really wrong with it? He was at his brother's wedding and he was of age so there wasn't exactly a problem. But she couldn't help but still feel that twinge of annoyance that he'd done it, despite there being no real issue.

"You shouldn't have done it." She said disapprovingly, which only caused him to chuckle a little.

"Why?" He asked, and she sighed, unable to come up with a decent reason. She glanced over at him and seeing how handsome he looked in that moment somehow dissipated her anger.

"Come on then, how many have you had?" She questioned, smiling playfully and guessed by his louder than normal laugh that it was certainly enough.

"A few." He replied, stifling more laughter and she rolled her eyes.

"What am I going to do with you?" She said jokily, taking a sip of her own drink.

"Anything you want."

She coughed on her drink, her cheeks aflame as warmth flooded her stomach. The last time he'd said something in a tone like that had been just before they kissed. That thought only heightened her embarassment since a familiar pulsating started between her legs.

She swallowed and looked over at him to see he was grinning at her, completely unaffected by what he said, which only proved how much he had drunk. She knew he'd normally be utterly embarassed by his comment but on the contrary, he was actually looking very confident.

She blinked a couple of times thinking it over before glancing at him again. Was he...flirting with her? She instantly put it down to his intoxicated state, thinking he wouldn't ever do it if he was in his right mind.

"I think you've had enough to drink." She said, taking his drink off him and placed it on the table out of his reach. He shrugged his shoulders lazily, sinking back into the chair and looked at the dance floor for a moment before turning his attention back to her.

"You look beautiful." He stated, practically making her heart burst with joy and she beamed at him, all thoughts of his state drifting out of her mind. She didn't know how to reply, she couldn't remember him ever saying anything similar about her before and he'd said it with such conviction that anyone would have thought he'd said it a hundred times.

She pressed her lips together, resisting the urge to chew on her lip, and tucked a wisp of her hair behind her ear, her gaze downcast.

"Thankyou." She finally said, "You look rather handsome yourself."

She forced down her embarassment and looked over at him, to see him surprised but undeniably pleased too. She smiled shyly at him and took a few gulps of her butterbeer, suddenly feeling parched.

Out of nowhere, he abruptly stood up and held out his hand to her.

"Come and dance."

"Okay." She said instinctively, not wanting to refuse an offer that might never arise again. He led her to a space in the dance floor where they stood awkwardly for a second, neither sure of what to do until Ron quickly opted to take a step closer to her, placing his hand on her back. His other hand was still holding hers so he moved them so he was leading her as she put her other hand on his shoulder. It was awkward at first - for the both of them, since neither of them really knew how to dance properly, but it didn't take long for them to find a rhythm that suited them. Naturally it wasn't perfect, they kept on tredding on eachother's toes and knocked into other people dancing more times than they could count, but it didn't matter because they were happy.

As he span her out, he did it a bit too roughly so she stumbled, nearly crashing into another couple, before spinning her back into his arms, again too roughly. It didn't help that she wasn't used to wearing shoes with a heel so when she stumbled this time, she would have fallen if she hadn't stopped herself by gripping onto his shoulders. Feeling completely ridiculous, they both started laughing and she straightened up to realise just how close they were. Their laughter died down and she swallowed, knowing exactly what was going to happen if she didn't stop staring into his eyes. While it would have been wonderful for that to happen, she remembered what he'd said about the one and only time they'd done it and it was knowing that which made her take a step back.

It seemed ironic that the song changed into a slow one then. They started dancing in time with it and she forced herself to look at his tie so she wouldn't do anything she'd regret. Meanwhile he was doing the exact opposite, since he was staring precisely where he wanted. He was searching her eyes, trying to work out what was happening between them. He didn't like where they were. He was back to being just her friend and while that was great, in a sense it wasn't. He was back to wanting what he couldn't have and that killed him. He'd spent months being trapped in the situation and had a glimpse of freedom before returning back to his imprisonment. He didn't want to spend all his time hoping for something that could never be, more importantly he wouldn't.

"Hermione," He said, gaining her attention. She looked up into his eyes and he swallowed before saying, "Do you really want this?"

She furrowed her eyebrows, not having a clue what he was talking about.

"To be friends with me." He explained, slurring slightly.

"Of course I do. I wouldn't have said I did if I didn't." She said simply, and he licked his lips, unintentionally holding onto her waist and hand more tightly.

"But - is that all? You don't want to be anything else?" He questioned, and her eyes widened. Had he figured her out? Her stomach tightened as she felt uncomfortable, wanting to be anywhere except where she was.

She stayed silent, knowing if she did reply it would be a lie and she couldn't lie to him, but she couldn't tell the truth either. She'd already put her heart on the line and he'd shot it her silence revealing the truth though?

"Do we have to talk about this here, now? You're not exactly in the right state too." She said irritably, and he gritted his teeth.

"Don't do that. Just tell me, did it mean anything?" He asked in the same tone as her.

"Does what?" She retorted, and he sighed angrily. He glanced around and let go of her waist, but still kept her hand in his. He started walking through the crowd with her following him and she worked out he was taking her somewhere where they could talk in private. They exitted the tent and he headed towards the Burrow, not stopping until they were inside.

As soon as the door closed, he dropped her hand looking lividly at her.

"Don't pull that bullshit on me! You know I'm talking about our kiss." He snapped, and she crossed her arms, using all her self-control to not recall the memory.

"Yes well, how exactly did you expect me to respond? I thought we'd already agreed to forget it ever happened." She retorted, not hiding her bitterness. She could feel a headache coming on so she started taking her hair out of the tight bun it had been in, unintentionally taking her anger out as well.

"Like that matters! I don't know about you but I find it hard to forget something like that." He stated, and she looked at him, hope rising inside of her.

"Something like what?" She asked calmly, and he ran a hand through his hair frustratedly.

"Can you honestly say it meant nothing to you?" He said heatedly, and she looked at him absurdly, not believing he could think such a thing.

"No, of course it didn't." She snapped, pulling a clip out of her hair too harshly and she winced.

"Then why did you say it did?" Ron all but shouted at her and she glared at him acidicly.

"I didn't! You were the one who said it was in the heat of the moment sort of thing, all I did was agree!" She shouted, slamming the various clips and hairbands onto the table.

"No! You were the one that said nothing could happen. You were the one that said you couldn't about two seconds after it happened. You were the one that threw it all away!" He bellowed, no longer sounding angry but hurt.

An immense amount of guilt fell upon her and she bit her lip, feeling a lump rise in her throat. She looked down, ashamed of herself for the truth that his words held. It was all her fault.

"It wasn't like that." She said quietly.

"It bloody was! It – it hurt what you did. I must have been a prat to think you could feel that way about me." He said, his voice breaking mid-sentence and he turned his back to her. Tears were welling in her eyes but she forced them down, taking a breath to calm herself.

"I just said I didn't say it for that reason! I said it because I didn't think it would be right for us to do it!" She said, pleading with him to listen to her. He frowned, and turned back towards her.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He asked.

"I thought given the circumstances it would be a bad idea, because of my history with George and with Voldemort's power rising." She explained, and it looked as if a light clicked on in his head.

"Then why didn't you say that?"

"I thought you understood -"

"Well clearly I didn't! You can't expect me to know that when you don't tell me." He said, feeling like a complete idiot.

Hearing him, more guilt fell on her and she wondered why she'd never explained. Of course he would think that. She knew him and that he'd always think the worst of himself, so why would that situation be any different?

"If I didn't feel that way about you, then why did I kiss you in the first place?" She asked, not really wanting an answer. He blinked a few times, processing the information and what it implied, before looking back at her.

However, his attention was drawn away to something he saw outside the window. She turned around and saw a patronus was heading towards the tent. She frowned, unsure as to why there would be such a need for a spell.

"We should go and see what it's about." She announced, trying to work out why an unsettling feeling was washing over her.

"Yeah." Ron answered slowly, clearly thinking along the same lines as her. They both walked outside the Burrow to have the question answered for them as a sudden burst of screaming was heard and they saw people running out of the tent in every direction before apparating themselves away. One side of the tent caught fire and they could hear spells being shot all over the place, meaning only one thing. Death Eaters had attacked.

Ron instantly started running towards the tent but Hermione grabbed hold of his hand and pulled him back. She abruptly apparated them away without a moment's thought and they appeared in the centre of muggle London, Tottenham Court Road. She was lucky that it was so busy since their abrupt appearance virtually went unnoticed, and those who had seen them obviously thought they were seeing things so they carried on walking.

"What the hell was that about? We should have stayed there, we should have helped! That's my family and I have no idea if something's wrong with them!" He shouted, ripping his hand out of hers, wanting to storm off but since he had no idea where he was, he had to stay.

"I know that, Ron, and I'm sorry but I had to get you out of there!" She retorted fiercely, well aware of the attention they were recieving from their shouting.

"It wasn't your decision to make though! You could have warned me!" He snapped, and she noticed how he was pulling out his wand. Her hand snapped around his wrist of its own accord and she stepped closer to him.

"I am sorry, Ron, but I did what I had to do. My first thought with the Death Eaters arriving there was that they were trying to get you because of what happened that night at Hogwarts." She said quietly, giving him a stern look, hinting that he should keep his voice down.

As he thought over her words, his anger slowly dissolved but it was replaced with an arguably worse emotion.

"What makes you think that they want me though?" He asked, trying not to show how scared that made him.

"Because they may have intended to kill you that night, since the Dark Mark was above your body, but they might have found out you're actually still alive." She explained, and saw how he grew paler with every word she spoke. "It's only a small possibility but I couldn't take any chances. I wanted to be absolutely sure nothing could happen."

He swallowed and ran a hand through his hair, taking a deep breath.

"I'm sorry, we can send a patronus in a minute if you want, we just need to find somewhere more inconspicuous." She said, hoping that would be enough to get the fearful expression off his face. He nodded and she quickly let go of his wrist when they started walking. They had only walked a few steps when she felt his hand wrap around hers. She glanced over at him and saw how worried he was for his family so she gave his hand a squeeze, walking that little bit faster to a safe destination.

It didn't take them long to find one. Luckily for them, Hermione knew her way around London very well so she was able to find them a deserted street where all the shops had closed down. They walked into an alleyway where she quickly cast a patronus letting the Weasleys know that they were safe, but didn't give their whereabouts for obvious reasons.

Once she was done, she turned around to see Ron leaning against the wall behind him looking fretful. She bit her lip, wondering what she could do to help.

"We can't do much else I'm afraid until we hear back from them." She said, and he nodded, successfully making her even more worried for him. He hadn't said a word to her since she mentioned her theory on why the Death Eaters had attacked.

She couldn't believe she'd been so casual about it all. She'd just been so used to talking about those kind of situations with Harry that they'd virtually become second nature to her. It was something that they always had to consider and while it was scary, it wasn't as much of a terrifying thought then when it had been the first time they had to deal with it. But this was Ron, who wasn't used to these kinds of situations and had it thrust upon him, not really having any idea as to why it could be happening to him.

"Did you want a drink? Or something to eat? We'd probably be able to get something a couple of yards away and bring it back here." She suggested, and he shook his head looking down at the ground as he scraped his shoe along it.

Not knowing what else she could say, she remained silent. She shivered, realising how cold it was, and crossed her arms, rubbing them up and down.

Maybe she was wrong about it all. It wasn't exactly news now that Voldemort was taking over the Wizarding World, and Death Eaters had been making random attacks everywhere to demonstrate their power, so it was possible that it could have been another one of those situations. And what better way of showing off your power than by destroying what should be a happy, loving ceremony?

"Are you cold?"

She blinked a few times, breaking out of her reverie and turned towards Ron. He was looking at her expectantly and she had to wait a moment for what he said to sink in.

"Oh, no I'm fine." She replied, but he started taking off his jacket. "Really, I'm okay."

"Don't be stupid, it's freezing out here and I've got enough layers on." He said firmly, forcing it into her hands.

"Okay." She said, thinking it best not to disagree with him since she was actually cold and put the jacket on. "Thank you."

He gave her a smile that didn't reach his eyes and glanced off.

They were silent for a few minutes, both fidgeting awkwardly but for very different reasons.

"Please say something. Anything, I just don't want to think about it right now." Ron said pleadingly, and a rush of her sympathy went towards him.

But she had no idea what to say. What was appropriate in a situation like this? All she could think about was the wedding and everything that could be happening there at that precise moment in time.

"You're a good dancer."

She could have hit herself for saying something so stupid. Of all the things she could have said, that was what she'd chosen to comment on?

Ron furrowed his eyebrows and looked over at her, as if he couldn't believe what he'd just heard. Seeing how embarrassed she looked, he had no option but to trust he'd heard correct. He let out a small burst of laughter and she whipped her head around.

"Now that's a lie." He stated lightly, smiling playfully. A smile of her own was working its way onto her face and she raised an eyebrow at him.

"What makes you say that? It wasn't that bad." She said truthfully, and he snorted.

"It wasn't good either though! I kept on tredding on your feet and we kept on knocking into other people dancing. I think we managed to get half the people off the dancefloor because they were getting so frustrated with us." He said, making her laugh.

"I suppose. Technically it wasn't good then, but I still enjoyed it. It was nice." She said, remembering how it felt being that close to him again. He gazed at her softly as she blushed and pulled his jacket around her more.

He swallowed, not entirely sure if what he was about to say was the best idea. Now that he was most definitely sober, the prospect of talking about it was a lot more daunting. He took a deep breath and said,

"You know before – when we were talking about...what happened at Hogwarts – between me and you."

"Yes." She said slowly, worried about where this conversation was leading. Ron's ears started turning red and he scratched the back of his neck.

"Did you...when you said...actually, it doesn't matter. Forget I mentioned it." He said, hating that he was backing down but couldn't see how he could continue talking without making a prat of himself.

"Did what I say about me kissing you imply that I had feelings for you?" She said for him, ignoring how nervous she was feeling. They needed to have this conversation and it was probably better they had it sooner rather than later.

"Well...yeah." He replied, his entire face turning a bright red as he continued, "So do you?"

She closed her eyes for a second and took a deep breath before saying the one word that could be either the best or worst thing that ever happened to her,

"Yes."

She opened her eyes, not entirely sure what his response would be. When she looked at him, he had the exact same expression on his face after she had first kissed him. He just looked shocked. At the time, she had no idea whether that was a good thing or not, and she still felt the same way about it.

"Have they changed? Do you still feel that way?" He asked hesitantly, making her want to dig a hole into the ground so she could climb into it. How could he ask her that when he'd given no indication whether or not he had those feelings for her?

She chewed on her lip, tucking her hair behind her ears.

He was making his way towards her at a torturously slow pace. She didn't know what he was intending to do or why he was doing it and it set her on edge. Then she looked at him. All she could see was a mixture of hope and longing in his expression and that's when it hit her. There was only one reason why he would be looking at her like that, and she wasn't going to let a shred of doubt cloud over her mind and make her think differently. He clearly felt the exact same way. Why else would he be looking at her in that way? It was because of that she had the courage to say how she truly felt.

"A couple of weeks could hardly change something like that in any way at all." She stated, and he stopped walking, inches in front of her. His expression had now changed into one of complete relief and elation. She grinned at him, wondering if it was possible for her heart to be beating any faster than it already was, and he returned it.

"What about you then? Do you feel the same?" She asked, not really needing an answer, but still wanted one nonetheless.

"'Course I bloody do." He said, scoffing at her. She laughed heartily at him and was about to throw her arms around him in an embrace when they were brought firmly back to reality. A patronus had appeared in front of them, and she guessed by the voice of it that it was Arthur's as it said,

"We're safe now."

A:N/ From your reviews in the last chapter, it was quite mixed on whether you guys liked it or not so for those of you that didn't like it, hopefully this chapter makes up for it? And maybe make it a little understandable as to why I did it? Sorry again. I'd just like to thank the people that didn't like it though, as you all said it very constructively and it genuinely did help me.

Despite that, thanks for reviewing and keep 'em coming ;) It's gotten to the point now where I really just don't have the time anymore to thankyou all individually and I do hate that but I do appreciate them all! And I figured you'd guys prefer me spending my time writing rather than thanking you all ;)

Also someone (sorry can't remember who) was saying how I haven't actually gotten to the point where we're finding out about why Ron's in Slytherin and how they felt I was stringing them along with this fic. I am sorry you feel that way but I can assure you that wasn't my intention. Really this fic has two parts to it, 1) the development of everyone's relationships, what differs from the canon etc (which we're coming to the end of now) and 2) when Ron and Hermione try to find out why he's in Slytherin, Voldemort's rising of power. When I started this fic, I had a basic outline of where I wanted to take it but not a detailed one so I couldn't have really said this at the beginning. That's not to say the first part has been entirely pointless in the reasons to why Ron was placed in Slytherin, as there has been some hints about his placement there. Again, I'm sorry for not mentioning this earlier.

On a complete unrelated note, I've been sucked into the TV series Sherlock recently and *brain explodes* I've fallen in love with it completely so for some reason, I'm now recommending you all watch it. Honestly, it's one of the most cleverly written, brilliant shows I've watched in a long time. And I'm also in the small category of Sherlock/Molly shippers it seems :P

Anyway, as always expect the next chapter in two weeks, and thanks for reading!