Oh Lord I wrote an R/Hr. I never thought I'd see the day. Oh well, they do seem to be an obvious pairing so I figured why not? I hope you guys like it, but if you're an avid R/Hr shipper, please be gentle if you have any flames because this is my first R/Hr fic. I'm trying really hard to get Ron into character because usually I don't focus on him even though he is quite an interesting character in the HP universe. Just to let you know beforehand, this fic isn't finished yet, I just thought I'd post the first part and see how it turned out. If I like the reviews I see, I'll post more. See ya and Happy Reading!




Ah, blessed night. A sweet, dreamless sleep well deserved after an incredibly hectic week. This was Hermione Granger's first thought as the sense of awareness came on that Saturday morning.

She rolled over in her four-poster bed thanking whatever benevolent being that reigned over the mere mortals of the earth for the opportunity to sleep late. Normally a foreign concept to the smartest student in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, today it was the only option she would consider.

Hermione snuggled down further into the warm blankets and settled down for at least another two hours of sleep.

"Wakey wakey," said an all to familiar voice in her ear.

She cried out in surprise and bolted upright in the bed. She went a little too far and found herself lying in a heap on the floor.

'He is so dead' Hermione thought as she picked herself up and glared at the smirking face of Ron Weasely.

"Morning, sunshine. Sleep well?" He hopped onto her bed, seemingly oblivious to his friend's annoyance.

"I was sleeping just fine thank you very much. Now if you don't mind, I'd like to get back to it." She pulled him off the bed and started pushing him toward the door of the girls' dorms.

Ron laughed and sidestepped out of her way, almost sending her sprawling once again onto the floor. She managed to keep her footing and glared at him.

"Nice pjs," he said, the smirk still on his face.

She looked down quickly and realized that while Ron was fully dressed, she was wearing a flimsy white cotton nightgown. Hermione grabbed her green terry cloth robe from the end of her bed and put it on, tying the belt securely. "Honestly, Ron," she chided him.

"What? I was just paying you a compliment." If only she could knock that irritating smirk off his face...but the way his blue eyes were shining brightly and the rays of sunlight coming through the window made his hair look like fire rendered her incapable of anything but staring.

'Oh no, you're losing precious sleeping time because of this prat! Don't just stand there gawking, make him leave you alone!' She shook herself out of it and grabbed his hand. Her intention had been to drag him toward the door, but the warmth and electricity that suddenly shot through her when she touched him made her stop short.

This feeling...what could it be? It was...incredible and...secure. What was this feeling? It was like she was completely safe. Hermione felt her cheeks flush when she realized she was just standing there, holding Ron's hand. She dropped it quickly, barely registering the fact that his thumb had been rubbing the back of her hand gently.

After a few more seconds of uncomfortable silence between the two, Ron finally spoke. "I...um...was wondering if you might want to go to Hogsmeade...with me." He looked down at the floor and shuffled his left foot nervously, his face a bright red.

'Why is he so uneasy? Could he have felt that too?' she thought curiously to herself. Then she realized what he had asked her and hastily answered him with a slight blush followed by a shy "Ok."

Ron's face brightened and he smiled, making her feel warm inside. "Great! Get dressed, we're leaving in ten minutes." That said, he walked quickly out of the room.

Going to Hogsmeade? With Ron? The flush returned to her cheeks at the thought of it. 'Wait a second...this is Ron you're talking about, Mione. You know, the boy you're always arguing with? Yeah, that one! You're just going to Hogsmeade with him to hang out. No big deal. You've done it hundreds of times before. Now get a grip, girl!' Shaking her head to clear her muddled thoughts, Hermione walked to her trunk to get ready.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"So, she said yes right?" Harry Potter asked his best friend who was at the moment pacing back and forth in front of the fire in the Gryffindor common room.

"Yeah, she did." Ron answered briefly, still pacing.

Harry followed the movement of his friend with his emerald green eyes for a few more seconds before speaking again. "You're really that nervous?"

No answer from Ron. The redhead was lost in thought.

"Ron?"

Still no answer.

"Ok, I just wanted to let you know that I'm leaving Hogwarts and marrying Voldemort." Harry said calmly.

Ron stopped quickly and faced Harry. "What?!" Shortly followed by "Don't say the name!"

"Geez, Ron, look at you. You're acting like Professor Quirrell after he had too much caffeine."

"Hardy har har. I can't help it, Harry. I need everything to go right today. It's important." The anxious Weasely sat down on the sofa and ran his hands through his hair.

"Yeah, I know it is, but you won't get anywhere if you keep acting like this. Your face looks like it's going nuclear and you wore out the carpet in one straight line from all that pacing you did." Harry sat down next to him on the sofa and turned to face him. "Trust me, just be yourself and everything will be fine."

"What if she doesn't feel the same way, Harry? What if I've done all this for nothing?" Ron tried to stand so he could resume his pacing, but a strong hand on his shoulder kept him on the sofa.

"I don't think the carpet can take much more, Ron. Look, you can't go living your life worrying about 'what ifs' ok? You'll never get anywhere if you do that. Take a chance. That's all you can do or else you'll never know if Hermione feels the same for you. You have to be brave and take matters into your own hands. That's how I got together with Ginny. I took a chance and look how it turned out. We've been dating for months." (A/N: Yeah, I know...I wrote H/G. I'm still reeling from the shock.)

"But, Harry, how do you know it'll work out the same with me and Hermione?" Ron asked worriedly, his eyes staring into the fire.

"Call it a hunch," was the sarcastic reply.

Before Ron could say anything in return, they both heard a polite "ahem" coming from behind them.

The two boys jerked around quickly to see Ron's twin brothers, Fred and George, standing behind them, huge grins on their identical faces.

"Hello, ickle Ronnekins, I'm afraid we couldn't help overhearing your conversation. We believe it's time to give you our patented 'birds and bees' talk." Fred said as he jumped over the back of the couch and landed next to Ron.

"Our little brother all grown up. Makes me want to start bawling like a babe. Wouldn't you agree, Fred?" George asked as he mimicked his brother, jumping over the couch and landing next to Harry.

"Indeed, George. But now is not the time for that. Now is the time we introduce our little brother into the wonderful world of...girls." Fred replied, keeping Ron on the couch with an arm around his shoulders.

"Women can be very fickle at times, Ronnekins, so listen up. There's a way to deal with them and we're going to show you..." George was interrupted by yet another voice coming from behind them.

"Oh we're fickle are we? When I get through with you, you'll see just how 'fickle' women are, George Weasely."

All four boys turned around in their seats to face a very menacing looking Angelina Johnson and Alicia Spinnet, both of whom were standing tall with hands on their hips sending looks that could surely kill to the two rather flushed Weasely twins.

The twins shared a look, then turned back to the two girls glaring at them. Fred spoke first, mustering up all the charm possible. "Well hello, ladies. How are you today?" Before waiting for a reply the twins were up and running through the portrait hole with Angelina and Alicia close behind.

Harry and Ron watched them go then, after a moment, burst into laughter.

"Those two think they know everything." Harry said, wiping a stray tear from his eye.

"Try telling them that they don't." Ron replied, clutching his stomach as he leaned against the back of the sofa.

"No thanks, I'll pass. I saw what that Ton Tongue Toffee did to Dudley."

"Oh yeah, I forgot all about that. It was a riot wasn't it."

Harry smirked at the memory. "I know one thing's for sure, I'll never forget the look on his face when his tongue touched the floor."

"That's definitely something to tell your grandchildren about one day."

Harry looked appalled at the thought. "Me? A grandfather? Now that's a scary thought. Can I at least get out of Hogwarts before we talk about grandchildren?"

"Ok, I'll meet you in twenty years. Then we can talk about it."

"Make it thirty and you've got yourself a deal, Ronnekins."

"Harry?"

"Yes, Ron?"

"If you want to live to see your graduation, don't ever call me that again."

"Ok, Ron."

~*~*~*~*~*~

Hermione checked herself over in the mirror for the tenth time, ignoring its comments. "For Heaven's sake, dearie, you look fine."

"Well, you can't blame me for being a tad nervous now can you?" She'd been pouring over her wardrobe trying to find something to wear, all the while not knowing why she was making such a big deal out of going to Hogsmeade with Ron. Finally she'd decided on dark green robes and even put on a little make-up.

"Well, here goes." She fluffed her hair again, then took a deep breath and resolutely headed for the door to the girls' dormitory.

~*~*~*~*~*~