A:N/ Link to the song for this chapter: www[]youtube[]com/watch?v=GNFs2CkCFaw

Copy, paste and replace the closed brackets with fullstops.

To Be By Your Side

Chapter 26

A Plan

"You are not alone

I am here with you

Even when you're scared

I'll never leave you

Standing in a storm

Making it insane once again

I will try to unchain you."

Lonely – Yael Naim

Ron apparated them back to the Burrow instantly and they were shocked by the sight before them. The tent that the wedding had been held in was now burnt to the ground, along with all the furniture and objects that had been inside of it. Even though the flames had died out, the smoke was still flowing through the air from it, proving just how recently things had been put under control again. That was more than enough incentive for them to rush inside the Burrow, all thoughts of their previous conversation vanishing from their minds.

When they crashed through the front door, both of them were relieved to see that no-one was hurt, just shaken.

"And where exactly have you two been?" Molly shrieked, with her hair singed and the bottom of her dress torn. She had been doing what she usually did whenever she was anxious or worried and had been washing the dishes manually.

"I'm so sorry Mrs Weasley, I just apparated us out of here as soon as we saw what was happening. I thought it was possible that the Death Eaters would be after Ron – given what happened to him at Hogwarts -and I also thought they might have discovered that I was here now, so they might have wanted me for information about Harry." Hermione rambled, trying to catch her breath.

Arthur sighed as he collapsed onto the sofa behind him before magically fixing his glasses and put them on.

"No-one apart from us knows you're staying with us and as for Ron..." He trailed off, dreading what they would have done to his son if he had been why they attacked. He stared at him before running a hand down his face, looking exhausted.

Ginny, who looked completely unscathed, stood up from where she had been sitting and made her way into the kitchen.

"It sounds as if you did the best thing then." She said honestly, setting the kettle to boil. "Anyone want a cup of tea?"

"Yes." Everyone answered in unison

"What did that patronus say?" Ron asked, suddenly remembering it and started getting out some mugs, before inspecting Ginny more closely for any injuries.

"It explained how the Death Eaters had infiltrated the ministry and were coming." Fred said, rubbing herbal salve onto the few cuts and bruises he had on his skin.

"Was that it? Nothing about why?" Hermione questioned, walking over to help Molly with the dishes.

"No, they probably didn't have time." Arthur answered yawning.

"Where were you two if you didn't see it?" Ginny asked, a playful smile on her lips, glancing between Ron and Hermione. The two of them looked at one another, unable to prevent their blushing as Ron rubbed the back of his neck and Hermione chewed on her lip.

"We – we were, we were just -" Hermione started, and Molly looked at her expectantly. Luckily, the kettle had boiled so she didn't have to answer.

Once everyone was settled in the living room with their drinks, they discussed every plausible reason as to why the Death Eaters would have chosen to attack. While none of them wanted to admit it, it did seem that Ron was the only explanation for it but, for Hermione, that arose the question of why hadn't they attacked before? Had they only just learnt about his survival or had there been a more specific reason for them to do it at the wedding? She couldn't bare to think about it so she chose to look positively on the situation and was thankful that he was with her, alive and unharmed.

After an hour or so of fairly pointless debating, they had come no closer to a conclusion and had to accept that they probably never would and mutually agreed that it was time for bed.

Hermione had just got out of the bathroom from brushing her teeth when she nearly bumped into George, making her jump.

"Oh sorry, I didn't know anyone else was out here." She apologised, about to move out of the way.
"It's all right, I was actually looking for you, do you mind if I quickly talk to you?" He asked, making her eyebrows shoot up.

"No, not at all but wouldn't you rather do it somewhere other than the bathroom?" She suggested, and he sniggered, backing her up into the room.

"Trust me, in this house this is the only private place we'll find." He said, closing the door behind him.

"Okay," She said, still sounding apprehensive but didn't question it, "So – what did you want to talk about?"

"Well, you know about earlier – it was really great what you did and we all appreciate it." He said gratefully, looking a little uncomfortable from the seriousness of the situation.

"Oh, well, it was no problem. I was acting on impulse really." She replied honestly.

"But still, that might be the reason he's still here and...yeah, you know what I mean." George said awkwardly, not wanting to say on that topic too long. He instead quickly moved on, "Actually, I wanted to talk to you about him. Well - you and him to be more specific."

Her eyes went wide and a feeling of dread overcame her. This was it. She knew it had to come eventually. No doubt he would say that he didn't want them to become a couple and that as soon as the school year began he would be happy to never see her again.

"I just wanted to let you know that's okay, if you wanted to get together or something." He disclosed, a warm smile on his face. She had to blink several times and run what he said through her head repeatedly before believing what he said. Even then, she still couldn't believe it on some level.

"Sorry?" She said, her face masking one of complete disbelief.

"Come on, it's obvious you both want to jump the other whenever you're in the same room." George said, chuckling lightly, fidgeting a little. She furrowed her eyebrows, wondering if he was joking or not. She struggled to find the difference sometimes.

"But – I mean – are you serious?" She questioned in an unusually high pitched tone.

"Yep. I guess it'd be a little weird but I'm not that bothered about it. Ginny actually spoke to me about it and made me realise you wouldn't do anything until I told you I'd be comfortable with it so here I am." He said truthfully, laughing at her gobsmacked expression.

"Really?" She asked, trying not to sound too hopeful and failing.

"Yeah, you and me that was well, looking back on it, it wasn't really ever that..serious. It was just a mess and I don't know, it already feels so long ago. All I want is for you both to be happy and if that means you want to be together then that's fine with me." George explained, doing his best not to make an inappropriate joke.

She was speechless, she never expected him to be so accepting towards her.

"Obviously I don't want to see you both sucking eachother's faces all the time but you know, go for it." He said, needing to break the silence.

"Are you positive-" She started, and he groaned, unsure as to why she was so determined not to believe what he was saying.

"Merlin, Hermione, can't you just accept what I'm telling you and go do whatever the hell it is you want? You don't have to do everything for other people all the time you know." He said lightly, opening the door and that seemed to be what made her accept what he was saying to her.

"Thankyou." She said, that being the only word that came to her mind. He shrugged his shoulders in response and left her.

It took her awhile to fully comprehend what the conversation meant. It seemed like something from her dreams rather than her real life. Things like this just didn't happen to her.

She ran a hand through her hair, exhaling slowly, before happiness finally took over. She beamed to herself, resisting the urge to let out a noise of elation, and walked out of the bathroom into Ginny's bedroom, telling herself that tomorrow (or later that day to be exact) she would explain to Ron how George felt, and they'd hopefully be able to start a relationship. She couldn't see any problem with it, after all, he had told her he had feelings for her, and what had mainly been stopping them from becoming a couple had turned out to not be an issue, so there was nothing standing in their way, right?

The next morning, Hermione woke up later than usual but, considering how late it had been when she'd fallen asleep, she thought nothing of it. What did concern her was when she turned over in her bed to see that Ginny's bed was empty. She sat up, looking around the room for her and she guessed as the door was open that she was downstairs. She yawned and slowly got up, heading down to the kitchen. Her eyebrows shot up at the sight of everyone already awake, sat around the table, all of them sharing the same solemn expression.

"What happened?" She asked abruptly, immediately feeling wide awake. Everyone turned their attention towards her and a nervous coil formed in her stomach at the pity in everyone's gaze. Well, nearly everyone's. The one person who she was most concerned about looked as if he was about to be sick while also somehow looking furious.

She took a few more steps towards them before her eyes landed on the Daily Prophet which was spread out on a specific page. She'd only read the headline when her heart sank into her stomach.

The Muggle Born Register

She shakily picked up the newspaper and started reading,

'The Ministry of Magic is undertaking a survey of so-called 'Muggle Borns', the better to understand how they came to possess their magical secrets.

Recent research undertaken by the Department of Mysteries reveals that magic can only be passed from person to person when wizards reproduce. Where no proven wizarding ancestry exists, therefore, the so-called Muggle-born is likely to have obtained magical power by theft or by force.

The Ministry is determined to root out such usurpers of magical power, and to this end has issued an invitation to every so-called Muggle-born to present themselves for interview by the newly appointed Muggle-born Registration Commission.'

She let out a long sigh as she placed it back on the table. She'd expected something like this would happen but she didn't think it would have been so quickly. Could it have been to do with the fact they didn't find her at the wedding last night? Was this all a grande ploy to actually get to her? Or was it simply the beginning of oppressing muggleborns? Truthfully, she didn't want to think about what it could all mean, what she wanted to do was figure out how she could avoid it.

No-one knew what to say. What could you say in a situation like this one? It was deathly silent in the room as her eyes met Ron's from across the room. She could see a deep concern within them and it was as if he was silently telling her that he'd be damned if anything happened to her.

"One thing's for certain, there's not a chance you'll be going to it. They won't even think to interview you if you take one step in that building, I wouldn't put it past them to take you straight to You Know Who." Arthur said, pushing his glasses up his nose. Hermione nodded, a slight blush rising in her cheeks as she tore her eyes away from Ron.

"Of course not, we'll figure something out." Molly agreed, collecting up the dishes on the table.

"Can't we convince them you're a part of our family? We could teach you our family tree if they ask you questions. We could say you're a distant cousin or something. I won't let them get to you - we won't." Ron said fiercely, making a small smile spread across Hermione's face. She had to suppress the urge to rush over and take his hand in hers.

Arthur took a sip of his tea and shook his head grimly.

"I'm afraid Hermione's too well-known for that to ever work." He replied in an apologetic tone.

"What about going into hiding?" Hermione asked, not really liking the option but felt she had to suggest it. Arthur thought over it for a minute before shaking his head again.

"That would be pointless. You Know Who's taken over too much now, it wouldn't take a lot for him to find you if you remained in one place. No-one's safe now, you saw last night how easily he got through those protective enchantments we had set-up around the house." Arthur answered, and Hermione chewed on her lip, as she started running out of ideas.

"What about going on the run?" Ginny suggested half-heartedly.

"Absolutely not! That's far too dangerous, especially if she was on her own." Molly snapped, and Hermione felt a rush of gratitude towards her from how much she cared. It wasn't long ago that she could barely stand the sight of her.

"Also I suspect lots of other muggleborns will be doing the same thing, so no doubt there'll be people searching for them." Arthur said, and Hermione had to agree. She chewed on her lip until another possible solution came to her mind.

"What about a disguise then? Or maybe taking on someone's identity?"

Arthur blinked several times before looking at Hermione and smiled.

"Now that might actually work." He said enthusiastically, and Hermione grinned, as did everyone else. Everyone except Molly that was.

"Oh Arthur, be rational!" She said heatedly.

"I am! Think about it, we have plenty of time to come up with a way of doing it before the school year starts and if we chose the right person, it could make her far safer than going into hiding ever could." He explained briefly, raising everyones' hopes.

"Yes but that's the problem! How are you ever going to find anyone who'd be willing to do that?" Molly retorted, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"You'd be surprised at the amount of people who've decided they don't want anything to do with You Know Who anymore. Kingsley told me there's a fair few families that have been looking for certain kinds of protection and what better kind of protection then that? Especially since You Know Who's now made attendance at Hogwarts compulsory, if it still appeared that their child was going to school, there'd be no reason for him to suspect that they'd turned against him." Arthur defended, sounding more enthusiastic about the idea with every second that passed.

"I don't know." Molly said hesitantly, not liking how risky it all was. There was just so much that could go wrong with it.

"Look, I know it's a long shot but it might just work. I need to be getting to work now anyway so I'll explain it to Kingsley and see what he thinks." He insisted, standing up hurriedly.

"But-"

Before Molly could say another word, Arthur was out of the door. She huffed in annoyance, abruptly turning back to the washing she'd been doing, leaving everyone else to contemplate on the idea. While Hermione was glad that they'd at least gotten somewhere, she couldn't help but be a little apprehensive about it. It all depended on the reliance of other people, not to mention she would have to put her trust in them even if she didn't know them.

When Arthur returned at dinner, he said that Kingsley was on board with the idea and would try and find the best person who would fit the position, bringing a little reassurance to Hermione. Not wanting to dwell on the subject too long, mainly due to Molly's dislike over it, they moved on to a more pleasant subject. Over the course of it though, Hermione caught Ron's eye several times, and everytime they looked hopeful but there was always an undertone of worry in them.

After dinner, Hermione had spent the rest of the evening looking through all her books for the best way of disguising herself. Naturally the thought of using glamour charms and the Polyjuice Potion had already entered her mind, but she just wanted to make sure if there were any simpler solutions. Her researching was interrupted however with someone knocking at the door. She hurried over to it, nearly stumbling over some books on the way, and opened it to see Ron. Her cheeks went a brilliant shade of pink at the sight of him in his Chudley Cannons pyjamas, mainly because they were too small so the t-shirt was stretched over his chest, leaving very little to the imagination as to what lay underneath. She had to force herself to quit staring at him there and reluctantly brought her eyes up to his face. She noticed how his ears had gone bright red at the sight of her too, and she quickly remembered how she was only wearing a tank top and shorts, due to how hot it had been recently. She crossed her arms in an attempt to cover herself up which seemed to bring him back to earth as he remembered why he was there.

"Uurr could I talk to you? Privately – in my room, I just don't want us to be interrupted." He said, and cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Of course, I just need to grab something." She answered, and threw on her dressing gown before following him up to his room.

It didn't take long for her to realise she'd never been in his room. As expected it was a complete mess, with various clothes and items thrown all over the place. The walls were painted in a vivid orange with several moving posters of the Chudley Cannons covering them. Essentially, it was exactly how she thought it would be. She didn't focus on it for too long as there were more pressing matters at hand so she looked over at him, now sat on his bed

Not knowing what she would do if she sat down on his bed with him, she chose to sit herself down on one of the cots in the room, which she assumed Fred or George had been sleeping in since the Delacour family had been staying.

Ron thought nothing of it as he propped his pillow up against the wall so he could sit facing her.

They sat in an awkward silence for a few minutes, as Ron began wondering whether what he was about to say was the best idea.

"I just – I was wondering whether you were really going to go through with this plan?" He asked eventually, which somehow disappointed her. The way he'd been fretting had made her believe there was a lot to what he wanted to say.

"Well, it's not exactly what I had in mind but it doesn't seem like there is a better idea so I guess it'll have to do." She replied simply, tucking her hair behind her ears as a way of distracting herself from this conversation.

"But there is! You could go into hiding, leave the wizarding world!" He retorted, abruptly moving himself to the edge of the bed. She chanced a glance at him and the amount of enthusiasm in his face about the idea made her ache. She swallowed, feeling as if her stomach was plummeting to the ground.

"You heard what your dad said earlier, hundreds of muggleborns will probably do the same thing and there's bound to be some people sent out to search them. And Vol-"

"Don't say his name! Dad just got a letter saying the name's jinxed – if anyone says it, Death Eaters come." Ron explained, and she frowned. She wanted to question him further about it but knew that this wasn't the right time to.

"Okay then – You Know Who is attacking the muggle world now as well." She finished.

"But what if you leave the country? Surely that's safer! I'll go with you too, we could go to a country where there's no wizards whatsoever." Ron said, now standing up, as if he was ready to pack his bags up and run away with her right at that second. She closed her eyes, not allowing herself to fantasise over the thought, and gave him a strict look.

"I can't, Ron, and we both know you can't either." She answered logically, and his face fell.

"Why? And I can go, I will if I have too." He insisted, taking a step closer to her, making it all the more tempting for her to do it. But she couldn't, more importantly, she wouldn't.

"I can't leave Harry here. I have to help him in any way I can, and I just can't do that somewhere else. And I know you don't want to leave your family."

She couldn't stand to look at him as she spoke, knowing how easily she would cave in to his suggestion if she did. She felt the bed sink next to her so she guessed he was sitting next to her.

"I'll deal with it somehow, please. Can't you just consider it?" He practically begged, and she shook her head.

"No, I won't." She said, tensing her body, sensing that his temper was rising.

He groaned and ran his hands through his hair frustratedly.

"Why are you being so unreasonable about this? You could die if they found you!" He snapped, and she whipped her head around, scowling at him.

"As could you or Ginny or your dad or anyone! And I am not being unreasonable!" She spat, resenting the accusation.

"But you're more of a target than anyone! And you fucking are! You're not willing to take a chance on something that will keep you safe!"

"I'll be just as safe with the plan we already have!"

"You won't be and you know that! Please – why can't you do this? I just want you to be safe. I don't want you to get hurt – I can't let you, I can't." He trailed off, unable to talk anymore and he ran his hands down his face. It felt as if his throat was closing up from the amount of emotion he was feeling.

Hermione's gaze instantly turned into sympathy as she understood why he was saying all of this. He didn't really believe he was capable of doing it at all, just like her, but he was willing to try for her. Her eyes shone with how much she adored him in that moment.

"I understand how you feel, Ron, but you have to understand I can't abandon Harry like that. And I know that you would regret abandoning your family like that too." She said softly, and he looked alarmed, as if he was sensing that he was losing the battle.

"I wouldn't-"

"You will, Ron. You know you will. You'd go mad with worry not knowing whether they were safe or not." She said, and he reluctantly had to accept that she was speaking the truth. He let out a long breath before looking over at her.

"I'm just really scared about anything happening to you." He stated, his tone full of concern, making her insides melt. She smiled at him reassuringly and placed her hand on top of his.

"I know, and I'm scared too." She said honestly, and he gripped onto her hand, turning his body towards her.

"I won't let anything happen to you." He said passionately, staring so far into her eyes that it felt as if he was looking at her very soul. She swallowed, overwhelmed by the intensity, and noticed his eyes flicker down to her lips before shooting back towards her eyes. Before she could even comprehend what he was doing, he had dove forwards and placed his lips on hers. Her eyebrows shot up but she didn't question what he was doing at all, as she instantly responded. She ran her hand to his neck, closing her eyes, and felt his hand wind around to her back.

It was a soft, tender kiss, reassuring her that he'd always be there for her. It wasn't meant to be anything grande, it was meant to be a simple thing. But it felt like so much more. It felt as if she was loved.

He pulled away after only a couple of seconds though, as if he suddenly regretted it.

"Sorry." He said with a dry throat, looking away from her.

"Don't be." She replied, and his gaze shot towards her. He looked reluctant to believe her so she continued, "I meant what I said last night."

He gathered she was referring to when they told eachother how they really felt and he smiled lopsidedly. She returned it and he had to force himself not to kiss her again. They'd never really had a chance to finish that conversation, so what was the harm in having it now?

"So...what now?" He asked, looking down at their entwined hands.

"Well, I-I'd like it if we maybe became something." She said cautiously, unconciously doing the same as him. She watched as he traced his calloused fingertips over her skin, sending pleasurable shivers up her spine.

"Good 'cause I'd like that too." He replied, the edges of his lips curving upwards. He stopped his minstrations only to have her do the same to him.

"Good." Her fingers were soft against his rough skin, so much so that they sent sparks of electricity through him. He swallowed, trying to ignore his increasing pulse rate.

"What about you know? All the things that were stopping us."

"Earlier, he said that he'd be all right with it." They both simultaneously looked at one another rather than their hands and she slowly stopped stroking the back of his palm.

"Oh... wow, okay. What about the other reasons though?" He asked, praying he hadn't just accidentally reminded her of them. She chewed the inside of her lip as she tried to think of a decent explanation, but there simply wasn't one, so she instead shrugged her shoulders.

"They all seem a bit irrelevant now, don't they?" She said hopefully, and he smiled in relief.

"Yeah."

They sat in silence for awhile, both letting the information sink in of what this conversation meant. Ron unintentionally started stroking her skin again, causing her to suck in a sharp breath. He really had no idea about the effect he had on her, did he? She moistened her lips, pressing her legs together in an attempt to relieve some of the friction she desired there. She looked over at him to see he had been staring at her the whole time.

A small blush rose in her cheeks as she realised that now they were holding eachother's hand as something else. They weren't friends anymore. They were more then that. She guessed the technical term would be 'boyfriend and girlfriend' but that didn't seem a valid way of describing them. It just didn't feel right, it somehow felt as if they were past that. Because they both knew if they were going to do this, it wasn't going to be some kind of fling that would be short-lived. No, this would be something far more permanent. What they were getting into, it felt like it was life altering.

"So - we're doing this then. You and me." He said, just wanting to make absolutely sure they were both on the same page.

"I guess so." She said beaming. He chuckled in disbelief, which in turn made her laugh too. It quickly died down though as something occurred to him.

"Hermione," He said softly, and she wondered whether she'd ever liked the sound of her name more than she did when he said it, "do you – I mean," he let out a frustrated sigh, "this is going to make me sound like a prick."

"What is it?" She asked concerned, running her thumb over the back of his palm.

"Would you mind if we maybe didn't tell anyone yet? Just with everything going on, and I know everyone will over react about it and I can't deal with that now." He said hurriedly, hating himself for saying it. Her happiness started dissolving and it showed on her face.

"Are you sure it would really be that much of an issue?"

"Have you met my mother?" He said sarcastically, trying to lighten the mood. She took her hand out of his, incapable of making a decision with that distraction, oblivious to how he tried to grab hold of hers again.

"I don't know, if it's really going to be a problem then maybe we shouldn't-"

"Don't say that." He interrupted. "I will tell them, I promise."

"I don't doubt that, but I wouldn't want to come between you and your family." She said simply, wondering why she'd never thought of it before. She'd sort of assumed that as long as George was fine with them being together than the rest of the family would. She already knew Ginny was okay with it and she'd guessed that Fred would have the same opinion as George about it. She'd never thought about Molly or Arthur or the rest of Ron's brothers.

Her thoughts from before swam back into her mind. Yes, what they were getting into was life altering, and therefore it would naturally effect everyone around them too.

"You won't, it's just – well, it's mainly for mum's sake. It's not that she doesn't like you or anything, because she does. She just won't understand yet. And I know my family and they can't keep a secret if their lives depended on it. It's just easier this way." Ron tried to explain, rubbing the back of his neck, knowing what he was saying wasn't convincing her.

"Shouldn't we wait then? It doesn't feel right to be sneaking around behind their backs." The last thing she wanted was for Molly to start hating her again.

"I'm sick of waiting though!" Ron exclaimed, something inside of him breaking. Her gaze shot towards him and she felt overwhelmed by the fervid look in his eyes as he continued, "All my life I've been waiting for something better. I never really thought it would but I still hoped for...I don't know, just something that would make me feel like it was worth living."

He paused to take a breath, trying to work out how he could describe what he was feeling. He always knew he never had much of a way with words. He usually spoke better through actions, which was why he'd wound up kissing her before, but he had to get this out. He wasn't going to lose her.

"It's hard to explain 'cause I'm not really sure when it happened, probably when we met if I'm honest but, I've always felt...always felt something for you, I reckon. And I did my time, I waited for you as well, for months and I know that makes me sound like a selfish prat since you were with my brother for some of that time, and I really fucking hated myself for it, and I still do a bit, but – I've never had what I wanted. And now I can, and I just can't wait for it any longer. Without knowing what could happen to either one of us, I can't wait for you anymore. We both want this now, so why should we hold off on something that will only benefit other people?"

Hermione was speechless when Ron finished. She'd had absolutely no idea that he had felt that way, and for so long too. She couldn't help but think back on those few months where they both had been single, both pining for the other without knowing it, and wondered how they could have spent all that time actually together. It did sadden her, thinking of all that time they wasted, and it hit her how much she actually agreed with what he was saying. Why was she so worried about pleasing other people all the time? Why couldn't she just seize what she wanted and be damned with the consequences of it? It was that thought which stayed in her mind as she said,

"Okay."

"Okay?" He questioned, and she nodded.

"Okay. Let's do this." She said enthusiastically, and he blinked slowly.

"So - you don't mind not telling anyone yet?"

"Nope." She replied simply, and he frowned at her, not sure if he'd ever heard her say that.

"Really?" He said in disbelief, and she rolled her eyes.

"Yes - all right. I don't care about anyone else. I want to be with you and if that means we have to keep it quiet for a few weeks then that's fine."

He looked at her astounded and remained that way until she smiled at him hopefully. It seemed to jog his mind that she was essentially saying she was fine with it, and he grinned at her. He couldn't hold himself back a moment longer and pulled her into another kiss.

She briefly wondered if she'd ever get used to the swooping sensation that would happen in her stomach everytime he kissed her but she didn't particularly care as all she could focus on was how elated she felt.

She twisted her upper body so she was able to wrap her arms around his neck while his did the same to her waist. This altered the kiss immediately. It shifted it into one of complete desire.

She couldn't believe there was a time where she'd almost forgotten how it felt to kiss him. It was just nothing other than fantastic with the way his lips ravished hers, making her pull on the ends of his hair as she edged closer. It was intoxicating, causing her to feel so undeniably happy with how he was pulling her in. Her heart was pounding so hard that she was sure he could feel it. They were kissing so deeply and heavily that she could barely breathe. Her body was aching with her need for him. It was all too much. It was too intense.

She slowly pulled away, keeping her arms around him and opened her eyes to see he was already looking directly at her. She swallowed and gave herself a few seconds to catch her breath.

"Okay, I should probably go." She announced, moving herself out of his arms but his hand ran down one of hers to grab hold of her hand.

"Stay." He said pleadingly, making it horribly tempting for her to do just that.

"I can't."

"Why?" He whined, and she bit her lip, not sure if she was confident enough to give the real reason. The truth was that she didn't know how to control herself around him. Now there were no boundaries between them, which was brilliant but it also meant they could do whatever they wanted. And her reaction to him as they kissed scared her a little with how strongly her body responded to him. If she hadn't stopped when she did, she didn't think they would have ever stopped.

"Because it's getting on for two in the morning." She said laughing lightly. "And I'm pretty sure Ginny's wondering why I haven't gone to bed yet."

His smile faltered a little, which did the same to hers.

"Suppose you're right." He admitted, and let go of her hand. She deliberated with herself before she leant down and kissed him softly. She pulled away and looked at him straight in the eyes.

"You know I want to stay, but the truth is I can't trust myself around you." She stated, and he grinned, his eyes gleaming. "Don't get any ideas."

"I wasn't." He said innocently, and she didn't believe him for one second. She pecked his lips again and straightened up.

"See you in the morning." She said, unable to stop herself from smiling.

"See you." He replied, and she left his room. As she closed the door behind her, it felt as if the world was just a little bit brighter around her, because now, she was beginning to realise how good life could be, now that she was with him.

A:N/ *throws confetti*

I've decided to start putting a little tease at the end of every chapter now for what's to come. Anne Mary Ellen suggested it and I thought, why not? It'll mainly be mindless fun segments, but I might throw in the odd serious moment here and there :P

Tease for the next chapter:

"Morning dear, you're certainly in a good mood." Molly commented, putting on some more bacon and sausages for Ron. He shrugged his shoulders and sat down at the table opposite Hermione.

"Yeah, don't know why." He said, looking directly at Hermione.