A/N: Well it has been a very long time between updates and I'm really sorry to all of you for not getting my butt in gear. As always I want to thank you for your support and share my appreciation of LadyKahlan (the best Beta in the world). Hope you enjoy this chapter, it's very mushy but I can't help it! Everyone around me is planning weddings and having babies at the moment. It's a little infectious!

This is the first moment from Deathly Hallows. This one takes place before Harry's arrival at the Burrow.

Ron comes to Hermione's aid.

Chapter Thirty-Seven: Saving a Princess

Ron glanced at the clock on his bedside table and sighed.

Twenty-two minutes past seven.

Hermione was over an hour late.

He sighed again and got up from his creaky bed. She had said she would be at the Burrow by six, so where the fuck was she?

He began to pace his messy room in frustration and fear.

Ron had known this would happen.

From the minute Hermione had sent him a brief note explaining that she was sending her parents away, Ron had known she would struggle. He should have gone straight to her and helped. Instead he had sat here all day waiting for her promised arrival at the Burrow.

Yet she was over an hour late.

He glanced at the clock again, making a decision and grabbing his wand.

Hermione shouldn't have to deal with this alone. Ron would go to her and help in whatever way he could. He scribbled a quick note to his family, in case they noticed he was missing, and Apparated to his bushy haired best friend's smart townhouse.

He gasped as his feet landed on the solid oak of the Granger's living room floor. The entire room was empty; there was not a single piece of furniture in sight. It was a far cry from the beautifully decorated and furnished room Ron had visited before.

Ron quickly moved into the hallway, noting the silence and emptiness of the entire house. Panic made his belly flip as he quietly walked into the large kitchen. What the fuck had Hermione done?

'Hermione?' Ron called hesitantly into the lifeless house.

Silence.

Fear pushed him on. He quickly ran back to the hallway and took the sweeping wooden stairs two at a time.

'Hermione?'

Nothing.

Ron moved from empty room to empty room, urgently calling for his favourite bookworm. Surely she hadn't left him? His Hermione would never abandon him and Harry, would she?

'Hermione, where the fuck are you?' Ron shouted, as he took the next flight of stairs. His heart pounding as thoughts of Hermione running away with her parents entered his mind.

He pushed a smart white door open forcefully, as he entered the room he knew to be hers. A sob escaped him as he surveyed the empty room. There was no trace of her ever having been here.

She had run away with her parents.

Another sob shook through Ron's body as he took in the bare room. No books on the built-in bookcase, no desk full of papers and quills, no pictures, no precious objects and trinkets.

No Hermione.

Ron ran his fingers through his hair and sat down heavily on the floor. He felt paralysed with grief. How would he get by without her? How would he survive without knowing where she was or what she was doing? How was he supposed to help Harry without her?

Mournful sobs punctured the silence.

Ron sat up in shock and glanced around him. Tears were flowing freely down his face, but he hadn't made a sound. He stood shakily to his feet and made his way back onto the landing. Instinct told him to look up, and as he did he noticed the attic trap door was open. A pitiful noise issued from it.

Carefully, Ron pulled the attic staircase down. A small gasp made Ron's heart soar. Of course Hermione hadn't left them. She was far too wonderful to do such a dreadful thing. He cursed himself for thinking so badly of her and rushed up the staircase to meet her.

'Hermione?'

'R-Ron?' she choked from the floor of the heavily cluttered attic.

Ron made his way across the room, avoiding box upon box of family possessions.

'What are you doing up here?' he asked, dropping to his knees and grabbing her into a tight hug. 'I've been going bloody mental waiting for you. Then I come looking for you and find the house empty. I didn't know what to think, and fuck Hermione, I thought you had left us!'

Hermione pulled away from him in shock, giving Ron a view of her tearstained cheeks and dark circles under her eyes.

'I would never leave you!' she croaked empathically.

'I know,' Ron agreed, feeling terrible for thinking it. 'I just panicked when I saw the house empty. I'm sorry; I know you'd never do something like that.'

Hermione nodded, clearly sensing his shame.

'Why is the house like this?' Ron asked gently, feeling concern for the pitiful girl beside him. She looked like she needed a good meal and some sleep.

'I've sent my parents to Australia,' Hermione whispered, looking away from him.

'What!' Ron exclaimed in shock. Of all the things he had been expecting, this had never crossed his mind. 'How did you get them to agree to that?'

'I modified their memories,' she replied, as a wave of fresh tears washed over her face. 'I've changed their names and made them forget that they have a d-daughter.'

'Fuck Hermione!' Ron said, in awe of the brilliant witch sitting in front of him. 'That's some serious magic.'

'I-I know,' she muttered, wiping her eyes roughly. 'It's taken all summer to sort out and ensure that what I've done won't h-hurt them. I've had to clear the house of anything to do with m-me.' She gestured at the boxes of items littering the room. 'I've had to sort out living arrangements for Australia and the things they'll need for their new identities and l-life. I've had to tweak modifying spells and place protection around this h-house!'

'Why didn't you tell me?' Ron asked, pulling her into another tight hug. 'I could have helped you!'

'I couldn't write about it in a letter, in case it got intercepted. Besides, you have your own f-family to deal with,' Hermione said, resting her head on his shoulder. 'I had to do this by myself.'

Ron nodded. He understood her reasons but that didn't make him feel any better about her doing all of this alone. How could he have ever doubted her?

She was so fucking amazing.

'They left three hours ago,' Hermione whispered. 'I performed the spell and watched them pack up their things and l-leave.'

'It was the right thing to do,' Ron muttered, kissing the top of her unruly curls. 'You've just saved their lives.'

'I-I know,' Hermione stuttered, 'but I'm finding it really difficult to g-go myself. I shouldn't have come up here, but I couldn't resist. These boxes are all that's left of my f-family.'

Ron reached for the closest box, taking out a heavy photo album and carefully opening it. He chuckled at the still photo staring up at him. 'Your baby photos?'

Hermione nodded against him, 'I've had to put every photo of me up here.'

Ron turned the page, marvelling at the pretty, brown eyed baby staring back at him. 'It's strange seeing pictures that don't move.'

'I used to find it strange seeing pictures that did move,' Hermione noted, as Ron looked at the next picture of a tiny girl in a pink tutu.

'Well you live in our world now, not with the Muggles,' Ron said softly, glancing up with a small smile.

'Sometimes I don't feel like I belong in either,' Hermione muttered as she gazed at the photo album.

'You're all magic, Darling. You've proven that,' Ron said as he stared at the tutu picture again. 'Why were you dressed like that?'

'I used to take dance lesson,' Hermione said, slightly breathlessly. 'Mum always wanted me to be a bit more girly so she signed me up for years of ballet. I actually liked doing it, but stopped when I went to Hogwarts.'

Ron stared at his best friend of six years, shocked that he never knew about this. 'Dancing?'

Hermione chuckled and gave a quick nod, 'I also took horse riding lessons but wasn't very good!' She moved away from his shoulder to turn the pages of the album, until she came to a picture of a frightened-looking, curly haired child on a large horse.

'What else did you do before coming to Hogwarts?' Ron asked in wonder. Why had they never discussed her life before magic?

'I learnt to play the piano,' Hermione said shyly, blushing at the attention Ron was lavishing on her. 'My dad wanted me to do that because he thought it was a good skill to have. I sort of stopped when I went to –'

'– Hogwarts?'

Hermione nodded, 'Dad says I gave up a lot to become a witch.'

'But you got loads back in return,' Ron argued, as he looked through more childhood images.

'Yes I did,' Hermione agreed, 'but it's been hard on them because they have never been able to see all the good that has come out of me being magical.'

'They will one day,' Ron said, touching a picture of Hermione hugging her parents and beaming happily. 'When you get them back and have a job, a family and a life. They'll see how amazing you are as a witch.'

'I hope so,' Hermione whispered, sadly looking at the smiling faces in the picture. She gently pulled the picture out of the album. 'I think I'll keep this one with me.'

'Good idea,' Ron replied, as she placed the picture into a small bag which had been resting on the floor next to her. 'I'm sure it'll help.'

'I think I'm ready to go now,' Hermione muttered as she gazed around the crowded attic. 'This stuff can stay up here until we get back. I've placed loads of charms on the house so I doubt anyone will get in.'

Ron stood and held out his hand for Hermione to take. 'Are you sure you're ready?'

'As ready as I'll ever be,' Hermione said honestly. 'I knew it would be hard to leave, but it has to happen, doesn't it?'

'Yeah, you're needed in our world,' Ron agreed, gently cupping Hermione's stained left cheek. 'I promise we'll get your parents back when this is all sorted.'

'Thank you,' Hermione said, as a light blush settled on her face. 'I don't know what I'd do without you.'

Ron shrugged, feeling his own blush. 'I'm only doing what anyone else would do.'

'No, you do far more than anyone else. You keep me sane!'

Ron chuckled, dropping his hand. 'I dunno about that, I still reckon you're mental.'

'Not as mental as I would be if you weren't here,' Hermione replied, grabbing his hand and slowly pulling them across the room and down the attic stairs.

'Where's your stuff?' Ron asked, as they began to walk down the stairs.

'Everything I need is in here,' Hermione said, showing the little, beaded bag in her hand.

'Seriously, aren't you going to need clothes and stuff?'

Hermione chuckled, 'I've placed an Undetectable Extension Charm on it so that everything I need will fit in here. It took a while, but it was worth it!'

'Thank Merlin we have you,' Ron muttered, contemplating how difficult this hunt would be without her.

They gradually made their way back downstairs. Hermione stopped to look in each of the sparse rooms of her childhood, memorizing every detail as she did. Ron stood quietly at her side, understanding her need to say goodbye to her home. He would also have to do this in the very near future. Neither knew whether they would be coming back.

'Bye house,' Hermione whispered, gripping Ron's hand as they stood in the large hallway, having visited every room. She flipped a small switch on the wall and all of the lights went out simultaneously.

Darkness surrounded them.

'See you later,' Ron said, giving Hermione's hand a gentle squeeze. He pulled his wand out of his pocket and thought of his orange room. Within seconds they had moved through space, landing with a soft thump on his threadbare carpet and back into the light.

Hermione let out a heart-wrenching sob and collapsed into him. He toppled and they landed on his bed with a creak from the bedsprings.

'It's going to be okay,' Ron said, carefully rubbing Hermione's back as the tears fell freely down her face. 'You'll get to go back one day. When it's all over and you're safe, I'll make sure of it.'

'RONALD WEASLEY!'

Ron and Hermione both jumped at the sound of his mum's voice. Ron scrambled to move away from Hermione, only to be stopped by her pulling him even closer in fear.

Banging erupted from outside his room and within seconds his bedroom door flew open. His mum stood in the doorway with Bill and Ginny coming up the stairs after her.

'Where on Earth have you been?' she demanded, waving his scribbled note in the air. 'I come to check you've finished tidying your room, only to find you gone and a note saying you'll be back later! Do you have any idea how worried we have been?'

'Mum I –'

'– These are dangerous times. You can't just leave without telling anyone. What if you had been caught by a Death Eater? What if you had been attacked? No one would have known!'

'But Mum –'

'– You haven't even bothered to tidy your room and you know Harry will be here in a few days. What could possibly be more important than Harry and your safety?'

'Hermione!'

'What?' Molly Weasley stopped in her tracks to survey the scene in front of her. Hermione had wrapped herself as close to Ron as she possibly could. Tears still streamed down her puffy cheeks and Ron could tell that they both looked a mess.

'Hermione needed me,' Ron whispered, glancing at his big brother and little sister as he did so. Both had a strange expression on their faces.

'Hermione needed you?'

'Yes,' both Ron and Hermione said softly.

'Oh Hermione, why didn't you let someone from the order know? Arthur or Bill could have come to help you –'

'I needed Ron,' Hermione replied honestly.

Ron watched in shock as his mum crossed the room and yanked Hermione out of his grasp, giving her a tight hug of her own. 'Oh Darling, come here!'

Bill raised his eyebrows at Ron. 'You gave us a scare, Little Bro.'

'Sorry,' Ron muttered, standing up to join his siblings. 'I was only making sure Hermione was okay. I knew she'd struggle saying goodbye to her mum and dad.'

'It's not forever,' Bill replied, staring at Hermione's tearstained face. 'I'm sure she'll see them at Christmas.'

'I wouldn't count on it,' Ron mumbled sadly. 'Besides, I wasn't going to sit here when she needed me. You wouldn't sit back if one of us needed you.'

'But you're my family,' Bill reasoned.

'Exactly,' Ron replied, 'families look after each other.'

Ginny smiled warmly at Ron, as Bill gave him a quizzical look.

'Merlin you're growing up fast,' he muttered, rubbing his eyes. 'Next you're gonna tell me you're moving out and getting married.'

Ron felt his ears glow as Ginny laughed.

'Come on, Mum's made some hot chocolate. Let's save Hermione and go and get some!' Ginny said, moving to link arms with Hermione and quickly cutting off the conversation she had been having with his mum.

'Yes, do go. I daresay some sugar will do you good. You look like you haven't slept in a month, Hermione!'

They left Ron's room and made their way down the rickety staircase, into the kitchen. His mum poured them all a drink, before giving Ron a quick squeeze and excusing herself.

'I really do need my bed, I'm sorry dears!' she said as she glanced at the Weasley clock. 'No more wandering off, okay?'

'I promise, Mum,' Ron replied, feeling awful for putting her through unnecessary worry. 'Good night!'

'Night!'

The room fell silent.

Ron glanced around the table, noting Ginny's happy expression, Bill's curious looks and Hermione's determination to avoid everyone's gaze.

'I really am sorry that I made you all worry,' Ron said as he fiddled with his cup of hot chocolate.

'Don't worry about it,' Ginny replied as she took a long sip of her drink. 'We only noticed ten minutes ago and you're back now. Mum didn't even owl Dad!'

'You were back before she had even written the note,' Bill said, as he continued to stare at Hermione.

'Besides, I knew you'd gone to Hermione,' Ginny said warmly.

Hermione gave Ginny a feeble smile before catching Bill's eye and looking away.

'You still need to be careful though,' Bill said quietly. 'It's not clever sneaking off to your girl's house whilst the country is being terrorised by Death Eaters.'

'I wasn't sneaking off,' Ron snapped, giving his eldest brother a glare. 'I was just helping Hermione with the last of her things.'

'All I'm saying is, it's not wise to go off by yourself, regardless of who it's for.'

'Bill!' Ginny exclaimed, shocked.

'If Hermione needs my help, she gets it!' Ron said, trying to keep his temper under control as he marvelled at his brother's complete lack of understanding.

'At what cost?' Bill replied sharply. 'What if you had been hurt?'

'Why don't we have this chat when it's Fleur you're trying to help?' Ron replied angrily. 'I'm guessing you wouldn't feel the same.'

'That's completely different! Fleur is my fiancée!' Bill retorted. 'She's going to be my wife and I love her. It's completely different.'

Hermione blushed deeply as Ginny coughed and gave Ron a beaming smile.

'It's not completely different,' Ron said, carefully avoiding his sister and best friend. 'I would do anything to help Hermione. Besides, I wasn't in any kind of danger!'

Bill shook his head and turned to Hermione. 'I'm sorry, but you must understand why it's ridiculous to go traipsing around the country!'

'Of course,' Hermione replied delicately, 'but Ron was just helping me collect my things so that I could come to the Burrow. We weren't doing anything dangerous and my house has loads of protection charms around it.'

'Protection charms can be broken,' Bill argued as he stood up and put his cup in the sink.

'Enough!' Ron said, feeling his temper snap. Hermione had been through enough today, without having to hear this. 'Hermione doesn't need to hear your thoughts on protection. Her parents' house is perfectly safe. We are perfectly safe. I've said I'm sorry, so drop it.'

Bill stared at his youngest brother without saying a word.

'Ron's right,' Ginny said, getting up and placing the three remaining cups in the sink. 'They are both fine and there is no need to harp on about it. Come on, Hermione, let's go to bed.'

Hermione took Ginny's offered hand, and gave Ron a small smile as she left the little kitchen. Ron felt an urge to pull her back, but resisted. She needed sleep and he wasn't about to stop her. Ron would be able to spend all day tomorrow talking to her. He watched the two girls leave and felt himself calm down.

'I didn't mean to upset you,' Bill said carefully, 'I just don't want you risking your life over something stupid.'

'Hermione's not stupid,' Ron replied evenly, 'and wanting to help her isn't stupid either.'

'I suppose not,' Bill agreed, before sighing and moving to sit back down. 'I'm just worried about you. You're caught up in all this and I know you'll do anything to protect your best friends.'

Ron nodded; of course he would try to protect Hermione and Harry.

'Just don't get yourself killed. I know you're planning something and I'm guessing it's going to be something dangerous,' Bill muttered, giving Ron a pat on the arm. 'Just don't get yourself killed.'

Ron swallowed. Could he promise to not get himself killed? He didn't want to die, but who knew what would happen while hunting Horcruxes?

'And if you ever get stuck or find yourself in trouble,' Bill continued, 'you can always come to me. I've bought a place for after Fleur and I are married. It's called Shell Cottage.'

He pulled a picture from his pocket and handed it to Ron. It clearly showed a beautiful house made entirely of shells. Ron had never seen anything like it.

'It's perfect,' Ron said, gazing at the scarred face of his once handsome brother. 'Has anyone else seen it?'

Bill shook his head, 'It's my wedding present to Fleur. I haven't told anyone, because I want it to be a big surprise.'

'Then why have you shown me?'

'I'm not sure,' Bill replied honestly. 'I just have a feeling you're not going to be around after the wedding.'

Ron glanced down at the picture in his hands, taking in every single detail of his brother's house.

'If you ever need my help, come to Shell Cottage,' Bill said softly, as Ron passed the picture back to him.

'Thank you,' Ron said, feeling slightly emotional. 'You've always looked out for me.'

Bill shrugged, 'You're my baby brother.'

Ron smiled with a great sense of pride. He really did have a wonderful family.

'You should go up and get some sleep,' Bill said, as he ruffled Ron's hair. 'Mum will need your help with all the wedding preparations tomorrow.'

'But the wedding isn't until next week!'

'Mum and Fleur want to get a head start, and there's no way I'm going to disagree. They would probably kill me.'

Ron laughed and stood up.

'You think it's funny now,' Bill said, standing to follow Ron upstairs. 'Wait until it's your wedding. Even the sweetest, mild-mannered woman turns into a monster!'

'I'll just have to make sure I find someone who doesn't care about dresses, cakes and flowers,' Ron replied, as they made their way upstairs.

'All women care about dresses, cakes and flowers on their wedding day,' Bill whispered, as they walked past Ginny's bedroom door. 'Even the ones that you'd think wouldn't.'

The brothers both glanced at the door before moving on. Ron couldn't help but wonder whether Hermione would be an exception to Bill's rule. She didn't appear to care about that sort of shit, but Bill was rarely wrong about anything.

'Night Bro,' Bill said as he reached his bedroom. 'Don't forget what I said about the help.'

'I won't,' Ron replied quietly. 'Night!'

He continued his journey through the house, trying to be as quiet as possible. Everyone had retired early except his dad, who wouldn't be home from work until about midnight. Ron thought the house felt strange without its usual noise and activity, but understood everyone's need for a few moments of peace.

Ron reached his attic bedroom and closed the door gently, shutting his eyes and leaning against it. He let out a sigh and tried to clear his head of the day's events.

'Are you okay?'

He jumped at the sound of Hermione's voice and quickly opened his eyes. She was sitting on his bed in her pyjamas, looking incredibly small.

'Sorry,' she muttered, 'I'll go if you want.'

'No, you can stay,' Ron said, as he moved to sit next to her on the bed. 'I just wasn't expecting anyone to be up here.'

'I couldn't sleep,' Hermione said simply, pulling her legs up and cuddling herself.

'Well, you've had a rough day,' Ron commented, as he took his jumper off.

Hermione blushed but didn't take her eyes away from him. 'Can I stay here?'

'Do you think that's wise?' he asked, taking his shoes off.

'Well, I'll just be sleeping,' she whispered, 'and Harry stays in here all the time.'

'Harry's not a girl,' Ron said, smirking at her before taking his own pyjamas out of his old chest of drawers. 'Should I go and get changed in the bathroom?'

'Oh no, I'll just turn around,' Hermione muttered, spinning around on the bed and covering her face with her hands.

Ron chuckled, quickly taking his clothes off and shoving his pyjamas on. 'No peeking!'

'I won't,' she mumbled, embarrassed. 'Just tell me when you're done.'

'Done!'

'Really?' Hermione asked sceptically.

Ron moved to sit behind her and gently pulled her hands away from her face. 'Really.'

Hermione tentatively turned around to face him, looking flushed. 'That was quick.'

Ron shrugged, pulling the bedding away. 'Are you sure you wanna stay?'

'Yes, please.'

He glanced at her tired eyes and red face. Clearly she needed a good night's sleep and felt that being here would allow her that. 'Ladies first,' he said, nodding to his tiny bed.

Hermione smiled shyly at him before moving to get under the covers. 'Thank you.'

They fidgeted until they found a comfortable position. Both settled with facing the wall and Ron couldn't help but place his arm over Hermione's warm waist.

'You must be exhausted,' he mumbled into her soft curls.

'I feel like I've been awake since we left Hogwarts,' Hermione sighed, wiggling so that her back rested against his chest. 'But it's done now and I can't turn back. They're in Australia and I'm here.'

'It's good to have you here,' Ron muttered, feeling warmth spread through his body. Just laying here with her was sending him into overdrive.

'It's where I'm supposed to be,' she whispered, moving against him.

Ron couldn't argue with that. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, stopping himself from grinding against her. The last thing she needed was him doing something stupid. She pushed against him again, causing him to hiss at the sensation.

'You really shouldn't do that,' he breathed, feeling dizzy.

'I'm sorry, it just felt nice,' Hermione said quietly, moving away from him.

'It does feel nice, but that's why we shouldn't do it,' Ron explained, taking another shaky breath. He could very easily lose control with her in his bed. The temptation to touch her had become almost uncontrollable since the night of Dumbledore's funeral. Being separated had certainly helped solve that issue, but they were together now and would be every day for the foreseeable future. They definitely needed to sort out some ground rules.

'I think we need to try and not do anything that feels too nice,' he said carefully, watching her outline in the darkness. 'I reckon we'll find hunting Horcruxes far easier if we don't do things like this.'

Hermione slowly turned to face him, 'Is that what you want?'

'I'm not sure,' Ron replied, brushing her cheek with his large hand. 'But I know that this is going to drive me insane. We can't do anything except friend stuff.'

'But what if we –'

'– We have to focus our attention on Harry and the Horcruxes. I won't be able to do that if I'm doing this.'

Hermione watched him carefully, processing what he had said. She nodded and lightly touched his arm. 'You're an amazing friend.'

'Not sure about that,' Ron muttered, mirroring her actions by touching her arm.

'You've helped me deal with my parents, you've put your friendships before anything else and you've decided to dedicate yourself to Horcruxes. I highly doubt many people could do that, Ron.'

He blushed and affectionately nudged her. 'I'm just doing what needs to be done.'

Hermione smiled and carefully pulled him into a hug. 'You stood up for me in front of your big brother too.'

'He was just chatting shit,' Ron replied, resting his head against hers. 'Ignore what he said, he was just worried.'

'Worried because he loves you,' she noted as she snuggled into him.

'No need to take it out on you,' he sighed, allowing the feel of her so close to take over his senses again. He could fight it as much as he wanted, but that wouldn't change the way he felt about her. She was like a drug to him and he'd never be able to control that.

'He's going to find it difficult when we leave with Harry.'

'I think on some level he already knows that we're leaving,' Ron said, running his hands through her unruly curls. 'He showed me his new house and told me to visit if I'm ever in trouble.'

'He did?'

'Yeah, he's bought a place called Shell Cottage for Fleur. No one else knows though, so don't say anything.'

'That's an incredible wedding present,' Hermione whispered, running her hand up his side and causing a fire of goose bumps.

'It's beautiful,' Ron breathed, closing his eyes in pleasure.

'A beautiful house for a beautiful bride!'

'Bill says she's gone mad with dresses, flowers and cakes,' Ron mumbled, keeping his eyes closed and remembering his earlier conversation. 'Do all girls go crazy at weddings?'

Hermione laughed against him. 'I think so. It's the only time they get to be princesses!'

'What if they're already a princess?' Ron opened his eyes and began to curl her hair around his hand.

'They get to be an even bigger princess!' Hermione smiled, 'It's just something really special for girls.'

'Do you reckon you'll go mad over dresses, flowers and cakes then?'

'Most likely. But that's not going to be for a very long time. I don't even have a boyfriend,' she said with a light blush.

'That's not out of choice though,' Ron muttered, twirling her hair sadly. 'There just isn't a possibility of that at the moment.'

'True, but there might be one day.'

'I'm sure you'll make a great princess,' he said, tugging lightly on her hair.

'Thanks, Darling,' Hermione chuckled as she pushed his hands away.

Ron grinned at her use of his earlier endearment. She really was amazing. 'Come on, you need to get some sleep before wedding duties tomorrow,' he said, hugging her tightly.

'Already?' Hermione yawned, 'It's not till next week!'

'It's that bloody princess thing,' Ron laughed.

Hermione shook her head smiling. 'See you in the morning,' she said happily, 'and thank you for everything today.'

'Anytime,' he replied truthfully.

'My best friend,' she whispered, kissing his hand lovingly before placing it against hers.

Ron smiled at the gesture and linked his fingers through hers. They were best friends and he would do anything to help her, but he couldn't help but hope that she would one day be his princess as well.