A/N: This is the fifth installment of this story - please review, follow and favorite, it would be much appreciated, thank you!

Warning: This story is rated M FOR LATER CHAPTERS

This chapter is rated K+ (But with hints of adult themes)

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters associated with it, all credit to J.K Rowling

Chapter 5: Protection

"Hermione," A soft whisper awoke her from her snooze, rough lips pressed slightly against her earlobe, a nose nuzzling against her cheek. She felt his hands stroke the bare skin of her waist, travelling up her belly, before following the same trial down again and back to her waist. Her heart began to race as Ron's fingertips traced circles on her skin, the feeling burning heat inside of her, the temperature in the room growing hotter and hotter. She opened her eyes fully, gazing up to meet his eyes, watching them sparkle mischievously as he studied her face. Her breath caught in her throat. His hair was tousled, the ginger locks messy and scruffy, his freckles more prominent than ever from the light she saw him from. He looked positively adorable, yet so manly and attractive, the vision combining with his broad shoulders, his arm muscles cradling her close. It once again made Hermione feel lucky to be where she was, to have this man close to her, to have a special bond with him that no one else could have. "Are you feeling alright?" He whispered as he cupped her face in his hands, using his thumbs to stroke her cheeks, admiring the little freckles on the tops of her cheekbones. "Yeah, I'm fine, just tired," She murmured, smiling contently as she began to sit up, bringing Ron up with her, taking his hands in hers. They sat side by side against the headboard, shoulders touching as they both glanced out of the window, watching the morning sunrise, the light spilling into the room, coating their bodies with the pallet of colors it displayed.

Hermione looked over at Ron, his eyes too were focusing out of the window, watching the trees sway from the gentle breeze, leaves fluttering against the windowpane. Each leaf a different shade of green or brown, their patterns displaying diagonal and crooked lines, some ripped and some in perfect condition. Seeing Ron become so interested in the smallest of details made her smile widely, that was her job, to zoom in on pointless details of life, but now he was doing the same, joining her in her slightly strange addiction. She lent her head on his shoulder, snuggling her cheek against him, closing her eyes as she did so. "I love you," She murmured, beginning stroke her hand up and down his muscular arm, feeling him relax against her. "I love you too," He whispered, leaning forward to place a gentle kiss on her head, snuggling his face into her soft curls. Her vanilla shampoo assaulted his senses, filling his nose, the smell traveling to his brain, stopping his ability to think properly. He admired the small halo beginning to form on the top of her head, a beautiful mix of her curls adding to her already angelic look.

His thoughts tuned back to the night they admitted their feelings for each other, still not believing that she was really his, his to hold, to love, his to make happy and bubbly. He swore to himself the he would protect her, cherish her for as long as they lived.

"What do you want to do today honey?" He whispered, pulling back to look at her face, drinking in her features, feeling the sudden urge to kiss her. Her eyes glowed as she looked up at him, smiling as his fingers brushed her cheek, stroking along the line of freckles. "Hmm, it's the last day of study week," She watched him expectantly, but merely received a blank look. Realizing this meant nothing to him, she giggled, reaching up to nip quickly at his earlobe before explaining further. "It means it's our last day off before classes start again, which means I'm going to be busy after today," Whispering softly as his eyes widened with understanding, his body shuffling closer to hers, reaching out to hold her. He grabbed her waist again, the feeling of her soft skin against his rough fingers sending sparks through his veins, his eyes darkening as he turned to meet hers.

Chuckling at his change in expression, Hermione then extracted herself from his grasp before grabbing her clothes as yanking them on, glancing back at Ron, smirking as she caught him eyeing up her arse. She then reached for the large pile of parchment, snatching one from the top of the pile and grabbed a quill before situating herself on her chair before scribbling away. She had been hit with the sudden reminder to write to her parents, she had promised a couple of days ago to send a letter, but had been too distracted with her boyfriend to do so, the very thought of her parents made her tear up, however. Oh how she missed them, her little family, being far apart from each other once again. Meanwhile, Ron had felt his mouth fall open, his eyes glazed with lust, hoping he could get a quick shag out of his girlfriend before they left to meet Ginny and Harry, he too being hit with sudden reminders of their plans for today. His hands became clammy as he eyed Hermione's bare thighs swinging from her chair, her tiny shorts only covering the bare minimum. How dare she tease him like that, not giving him what she knew he wanted. He growled under his breath before throwing away the covers and strutting quickly over to where she was still scribbling away, his completely nude body shivered slightly as the cool breeze circulating the room hit him immediately. As he made his way over, Hermione suddenly jumped from her chair, grabbing her parchment before walking purposefully towards the chest of draws beside her bed, rummaging through each of the draws in search of something Ron could not see.

"Whatcha doing," He slurred out, his eyes never leaving her arse as she bent over to reach for the bottom draw, his mouth beginning to water as he took in the sight of her toned thighs, her shorts tightening around her waist. She didn't reply but merely waved her hand in his direction, hoping he would take that as a reasonable answer. Growling in frustration, his erection harder than it had ever been, he ran his hand through his hair before strolling determining towards her, making a beeline for her arse. As he closed in on her, however, he noticed her body begin to shake, her shoulders sagged and her head dropped, her breath hitching in silent sobs. Ron's randiness immediately disappeared. His heart sunk as her pitiful sobs grew in volume, he closed the gap between them immediately, before grabbing waist and lifting her over his shoulder in a fireman's lift. He carried over to the bed, plopping her down on her back, extracting the parchment and envelope from her hand before holding her close, whispering sweet nothings in her ear as she continued to cry into his chest.

"What happened?" He whispered, reaching down and smoothing her hair out of her face, before pressing a small kiss to her button nose. She sniffed loudly before wiping her tears away with her palms before gazing up at him.

"I miss my mum," She gasped out, hating herself for sounding like a little girl, but her sudden wave of homesickness hit her like a train at full speed, she desperately wanted her mum to hold her. She missed her parents, she missed their home, her childhood bedroom. She didn't why she was feeling so depressed so suddenly, but it was happening, and right now, Ron Weasley was doing his best to keep the love of his life together, holding her close as if she was about to break into a million pieces. He wanted to soothe her, keep her safe from whatever was hurting her, damning anyone who had made her feel so down, but at the same time acknowledging her close relationship with her parents. He respected them highly, getting on well her mother, his father becoming accustomed to the fact that his little girl had grown up so quickly, especially now that she was of age, ready to find someone to love her. "I know you miss them sweetheart," He whispered into her ear sweetly, "They miss you too, but you'll see them soon enough," He stopped, pausing to look over her head, noticing the parchment and envelope beside her, he turned back to face her again, "Were you going to write to them?" He questioned, stroking a finger along the slight eye bags forming under he eyes, causing her to giggle adorably at the sensation.

"Yeah, I wanted to...tell them about you," She murmured, shyly looking away from him, a pink blush spreading across his cheeks. Ron grinned triumphantly, happy that she was confident enough to let her parents know that they were finally together. "I'm glad you're not embarrassed to tell them," He said quietly, wrapping an arm around her waist, but she immediately jolted back from him, her eyes wide with surprise.

"Why on EARTH would I be embarrassed of you?" She whispered haughtily, looking almost offended that he would even think about saying such things. Her eyes shone with confusion, searching face for a sign that he was joking.

Ron shrugged, he in himself felt confident, but he still had the nagging insecurities from when he was a boy. It wasn't as bad as it used to be, by any stretch of the imagination, but the memories of battling sadness, jealousy and anger still bubbled beneath the surface, almost ready to burst into his current reality. His head hung low, the sight of which broke Hermione's heart, it had been so long since she had seen him that shy, the lack of confidence was almost frightening to see. She reached her hand out, brushing it through his hair, his head still bowed, determinedly avoiding her eyes. He took a deep breath before raising his head to meet her eyes. Hermione gasped when she saw that he was crying. Her self control broke as she launched herself into his arms, wrapping her entire body around his, forcing him to sit back on the bed, with Hermione straddling him, holding his face to her neck.

"Who's said something," She all but growled as she placed her forehead to his, their eyes burning into each others. She would hex and kill anyone who had made her man feel insecure, told him he wasn't good enough, she would seek revenge. Though she paused her recital of possible spells when he shook his head slowly, smiling her slightly before he encircled her waist, placing his hands on her hips. "Nobody said anything," He began, stroking her hips with his thumb, "I've just always felt insecure, in every element of life, whether that's physical appearance, being in everyone else's shadows or just being financially unstable," He let out a breath he had been keeping in, dropping his head to rest on her collarbone. He heard her sniff, her hands traveling up to his shoulders, gently stroking his skin, calming him slightly. Her hands continued their journey until they rested on his cheeks, forcing him to look up at her.

"I'm sorry you feel that way," Hermione croaked, "But you have to know that I love you, I love everything about you, you honestly have nothing to worry about," She broke off, feeling choked up as she noticed the vulnerability in his eyes as he watched her. "I get that you still feel that way Ron, but please let me help you, let me love you, let me tell you the truth about how amazing you are. You're the most attractive man I've ever laid my eyes upon and you have to know that money means nothing to me," She continues, desperately trying to keep her breathing steady. Her heart grew slightly as she spotted his trademark smile, urging her to continue. "I know you think that you are second best, second best to Harry, to your brothers, but to me, you're my chosen one, my hero," She finished by seductively nibbling on the shell of his ear, hoping her message hadn't sounded too cheesy, but was enough to make him understand. Ron chuckled huskily, his hands moving up her body until they were resting on her ribs, just below her breasts.

"You really mean that?" He whispered in a voice so meek and vulnerable, Hermione almost didn't recognize it was him. She was determined from that moment on to prove to him everyday that she only wanted him and no one else. "Yes, I mean that," She said confidently, holding his gaze, "I will always mean it Ron, you have to trust me, the same way I trust you,". That was all he needed, he lurched forward and captured her lips with his own, stroking her lips with his tongue, begging for her to open her mouth. Hermione complied and opened her mouth, their tongues dancing, battling for dominance. As they broke apart, their breath hot and heavy, their hands began to wander again. Ron focused his attention on her thighs, moving his hands down to the backs of her legs, squeezing the skin there. Their eyes snapped back to each other once again, before simultaneously leaning their foreheads together, cuddling close, protected by their wall of trust they had built around them.

"Ginny!" Hermione called out, running to catch up with her best friend, spotting her wild ginger hair in the crowd of students, bustling in different directions in the pact corridor. The new term had officially started after a busy, yet somewhat relaxing week, Hermione's final year at Hogwarts was about to begin and she was beside herself. Her excitement had increased throughout the morning, trying and failing to laugh along with Ron as he teased her, though enjoying seeing her so happy made it worth it.

Hermione sprinted through the crowd, ignoring the shouts of complaints as she knocked into people in her desperation to reach her friend. The appreciation of the familiar settings was beginning to wear off as she began to become frustrated with the numerous groups of students blocking her way. Her excitement had dampened slightly as her stress levels began to rise, but eventually she felt Ginny grab her arm and drag against the corridor wall, avoiding crashing into a group of first year boys. Laughing to each other, they continued their journey down to their first lesson, transfiguration with Professor McGonagall. Hermione was exciting to get back into education, she had felt slightly empty without the constant buzz of the classroom environment, the joy of discovering something new.

"Do you know who's in out class?" Hermione muttered to Ginny, realizing for the first time that she wouldn't know many people in her classes, as near enough everyone would be from Ginny's year. "Don't worry about it, I don't know many people either to be honest," Ginny quickly replied, noticing the look distress on Hermione's face as they finally approached the classroom, joining the back of the queue. Luckily for Hermione, there didn't seem to be that many people in their class, only a small number of girls and a couple of boys loitering too close to the door, and soon enough, one of them received a door to the face as it swung open dramatically. A roar of laughter spread down the corridor as the boy got up from the floor, clutching his nose, but laughed along with his friends as they began to cram into the large classroom.

The class eventually settled down, Hermione and Ginny sat at the table towards the back of the classroom, giving Hermione a great view of the Quidditch pitch from the large window. Its large wooden panes had been updated since the last time they had been sat in there, the room in itself seemed to have increased in size, making room for several more tables, in the expectancy of more students returning for their exam year. She turned her attention to the events happening outside, her eyes lingered on the large oak tree, taking up half of the view, its mighty trunk standing proud as its branches reached up to the sky, the ends cut of from her vision of sight. The pebbled path leading from the castle to the Quidditch pitch was soon filled with students, many of them wearing their Quidditch uniforms, dragging their brooms along as they hurried away. She watched as the flags waved high above them, displaying the houses' colors, gleaming against the sunlight, reflecting green and blue into the classroom and against her face. As she turned back to face the front of the classroom, she quickly snapped her head back to the window when she thought she had spotted a certain red head. Her eyes brightened as she saw Ron and Harry making their way down the path behind the other students, standing tall above them, looking handsome and so...manly. She noticed Ron had a short sleeved shirt on, exposing his gorgeously muscular arms as he gripped a broom in his hand, a large rucksack in the other. She lifted her hands up to her chin, allowing herself to rest her chin on them, making sure she wouldn't fall in the process, god his was distracting.

"Ehem," A stern voice, extremely close to her desk rang out, making Hermione immediately turn her eyes to her front, meeting the grey one of McGonagall's, her eyebrow raised, almost looking amused by the situation. Hermione felt her cheeks flush red in embarrassment as she soon realized the entire class was staring at her, their expressions one of humor and amusement, though her embarrassment was short lived. She looked away in disgust as one of the 7th year Gryffindors winked at her, then proceeded to undress her with his eyes. She shifted her body so she was somewhat shielded behind Ginny, feeling incredibly unconformable as she felt the boys gaze stay on her for a few more seconds before turning and whispering to his friend next to him.

"Miss Granger," McGonagall snapped, interrupting Hermione's bout of uncomfortable, "Please do pay attention, this is not like you to behave in such a way, I assume it will not happen again, you are Head Girl after all, you need to set a good example to the rest of these students," And with that, McGonagall turned sharply and made her way to the front of the room before turning to face the students.

"Welcome all, I hope that you are all well..."McGonagall began, before launching into her first class of the day. Hermione, on the other hand, was too distracted to pay attention, her thoughts were already shifting back to Ron, remembering his muscles rippling under the beating sun. Her eyes memorizing his gorgeous features, towering over the other boys around him, his presence striking. She felt herself get hotter under the collar, thinking about the nights she spent underneath him, completely naked, making her feel things she had never felt before, never thought she was capable of feeling before. She loved how easily he made her excited, how her took care of her when they made love. His protectiveness of her made her heart swell, she loved how he was understanding of her need for independence whilst wanting to be her strong knight, protecting her from the nastiness of the world.

After what felt like years, Hermione felt a sharp elbow in her ribs. She turned immediately Ginny, shooting her glare but then softened when she read the concerned facial expression on her face. She smiled back, silently telling Ginny that she was okay, but Ginny's face turned pale as she glanced to something in front of them. Feeling confused, Hermione faced forward, her face draining as McGonagall towered over them before sitting down on a spare stool in front of them.

"Miss Granger," She began, before turning towards Ginny, "Miss Weasley, would you mind making your way to your next class, I need to talk to Miss Granger for a moment,". With one last pitying look, Ginny left the room, hurrying down the corridor to her next lesson, sending her silent prayers to Hermione.

Hermione flushed as she finally realized that she had been staring out the window for the entire length of the class, feeling deeply ashamed as she gazed back up at her Professor, fully anticipating the harsh consequences heading her way.

"Hermione," McGonagall said softly, taking Hermione by surprise at the use of her first name, "Is there something wrong, I'm aware you weren't doing so well the last time we spoke, I was just wondering if there's anything you want to tell me," She finished with a slight smile on her face, making Hermione relax.

"I-I don't know how to explain it, Professor," She began, unsure as to how she could possible explain to her teacher the randiness she was feeling towards her boyfriend, "Ever since Ron came back...he's all I've been able to think about, I'm so sorry Professor, I promise it won't happen again," She rushed out, looking away from McGonagall's sharp gaze. She sounded pathetic, she was supposed to be one of Hogwart's top students, and all she could do was think about dragging her boyfriend to her room to shag him silly all night.

"No worries, Miss Granger," McGonagall interrupted her thoughts, "Just as long you understand that I will not be so lenient next time, please gather notes in time for next week's class, but I trust you'll have no problem finding the time, you are dismissed. And with that, Hermione smiled at her teacher before grabbing her bag and bolted out of the door, heading down the corridor to her next lesson, still berating herself for being so easily distracted.

"You okay beautiful?" A voice called from the opposite end of the corridor. Hermione spun around to see three boys from her class, including the guy who had been making eyes at her all class. She started to panic as they started to slowly head towards her, devious grins spreading across their faces. "Stop," Hermione said loudly, suddenly feeling a surge of confidence, standing tall, no longer panicked by the boys heading towards her. They ignored her, but slowed their movements as their eyes locked on something just behind her head. She suddenly felt a firm muscular body press against her back, a smile began to form on her face as she looked down, knowing full well who that body belonged to.

"Keep walking lads," Ron said in a strong yet intimidating voice, moving his arms to hold her hips at both sides, his fingers curling into her waist slightly. The boys merely laughed and continued to approached them, but Ron was not to be intimidated by a bunch of pathetic gits trying to hit on his woman. So he allowed them to get closer, his only movements were to pull Hermione back, pushing her slightly around is body, eventually shifting her behind him, creating a barrier between her and the boys approaching. The pure arrogance of the guy who catcalled Hermione was enough to make Ron's blood boil, resisting the urge to smack him in the face, flattening him to the ground in a single punch. "What's wrong Ginger?" His two friends sneering pathetically in the background, "Scared that I'll snatch up your precious prize, she's quite the looker isn't she, would love a bit of you honey," He said creepily, the last part of his statement directed at Hermione, eyeing up her up as he dared to approach closer to Ron.

Ron's self-control snapped.

He curled up his fist, and before he knew it, it had connected with the boy's face.

The boy shrieked in pain, the pain double due to his earlier incident with the door. He clutched his face with his hands as his two friends began to pull him away, all the while glaring at Ron, before they turned the corner and headed out of sight. Hermione's mouth was left agape as she clung tightly onto Ron's arm, feeling his entire body heave in anger. "Let's go darling," She whispered softly, reaching up to stroke the back of his head with her hand, making his head to turn towards her, shame filling his eyes. She gave him an encouraging smile before taking his hand and leading him back to her bedroom, completely forgetting her lessons for the rest of the day. Right now, her priority was getting Ron back into their safe space, calming him down and making him feel better.

As the two turned the corner, they didn't notice McGonagall watching the whole scene from the classroom door, shaking her head, but with a hint of a smile, deciding that she hadn't seen anything.

A/N: NEXT CHAPTER COMING SOON - Please review, follow and favorite, thanks!