Author's Note: Thank you for choosing to read this! I appreciate all criticisms, both good and bad and all feedback is welcome. I plan that this will be an ongoing project and I'll try to get chapters up as soon as possible, so please be patient with me! This is my first fanfic, so I'm not quite sure exactly where I want to go with this yet, but please, bear with me. The rating is for later chapters with involves violence and light sexuality. Any questions? Feel free to ask.



Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of it's affiliates.



Goodbye, So long, Adieu


Chapter 1: Waiting for love?



"Blimey. Just go up to her, say, 'Hey Hermione, how was your summer? .. Oh, really? That's great!" a certain red-haired wizard muttered to himself as he stood at the King's Cross with a cart full of luggage to his left. Ronald Weasley looked to the clock- it was only 10:25 in the morning. They wouldn't be arriving for at least fifteen minutes! Why had he insisted that he come so early? His younger sister, Ginny, refused to when her brother had said he wanted to go there early.



"It's still the summer! How can you think about going back to school?" she had asked him earlier that morning. If only she knew that his eagerness came from the anticipation of greeting a good friend before heading back to Hogwarts.



And Ginny probably would have if it wasn't for her own concerns regarding a quite famous Harry Potter ( a crush that Ron scoffed at every time he saw her sigh in adoration whenever he mentioned Harry's name ). But somehow, Ron had managed to keep his "feelings" safely locked inside and away form his family, which was a rather difficult task to do, especially when you're a Weasley.



His owl, Pig as Ron like to call him, fluttered its wings madly in its cage and made quite the ruckus while its owner paced back and forth on the pavement, hands shaking and quite nervous, snapping back into the present day.



"I hope you get all this out now, because I don't want to making a mess of things when she gets here, got it?" Ron scolded the hyperactive owl who had been that way since Ron had first received him. But why was Ron making such a fuss about things?



He thought he had repressed his lingering feelings for Hermione- ones that were "more than friends" and kept them a secret from everyone including his best friend Harry until he had received a letter from her a week earlier.



Dear Ron,



How are you? You haven't written me in so long, I hope nothing has happened to you or the family. Harry told me that you haven't been writing to him either, but you sent a birthday gift. At least we know you're alive.



It was true Ron hadn't been writing, but it wasn't because he didn't care- more that he had nothing to say. What was he supposed to say? "Dear Hermione, Can't wait to see you again. Mum's been asking about you and if you're going to come to the Burrow this year. Oh and by the way, I love you"? No, that wasn't going to happen.



We've been in Ireland for about a week now. Isn't it great that Sirius sent us here?



'Just great,' Ron groaned, wanting to rip Harry's hair out at the moment he read that the two were alone together.



I wish you could have come though. You never replied, so we assumed you couldn't go. I mean.. Harry's great and all, but it would be much more better if you were here..



Ron's heart had leaped when he read that she wanted him to be there. He wanted to be there, but was on vacation with his family when the invite came and was out of luck. How he had wanted to spend a week with Hermione. Oh, and Harry too, of course.



Well, I guess I better finish this up. I'll see you at Platform 9¾? I'm going to be there early so I can avoid the rush. Don't know about Harry. He'll probably want to stay with his godfather for a while longer. Can you meet me there? I don't want to stand there alone and look like a fool.



Love,



Hermione



P.S. Can you believe it?! Already our sixth year! I wonder who the new Defense against the Dark Arts is going to be.



So he was there waiting for her like she had asked. Like a lovesick fool, he was ready and willing to obey her every command. Of course, when she did arrive, he wouldn't give in to her; he must be strong and... manly. That's what girls like, isn't it?



He did wonder who the new teacher was while he was waiting though. Last year, the most ordinary teacher yet had to leave halfway through the school year from a pregnancy. She was Hermione's favorite so far, being a woman and all. She would constantly remind Harry and Ron that it was important for impressionable girls on the school to have a good role model to look up to, and that role model was Professor Coote. The boys however were glad to see her go. Unlike the other female teachers, Professor Coote was extremely unfair to the male population of the school and treated much more harsh than any of the girls. "Good riddance," Ron thought to himself.



Ron was excited about the new year just about as much as he was nervous. He was sixteen now, growing into his body. He was still tall and lean, but with broader shoulders, slightly muscular arms and a less boy-ish, more handsome face. If he had changed this much over the summer, he could only imagine how different Hermione and Harry would be.



He checked the clock. 10:35. A few students here and there had started to show up and get their things ready for the trip. Where was she? Ron thought to himself. She was supposed to be here early. He leaned against his cart and ran a hand through his mop of red hair when he heard her.



"Ron! Ron!" Hermione shouted as she ran towards him with her things. He stood and faced the direction the face came from and saw his friend.



Only she wasn't the same bushy-haired, buck-toothed 11 year he had first met those years ago. Her locks of brown tresses were in sleek and defined waves, her face was a light shade of tan and speckled with becoming freckles and she had.. developed into a young woman. One that was no there the year before. And before she could catch him drooling, Ron stood up straight and smiled.



"Hey Hermione, how was your summer?" he recited, having practiced those words all morning. She exhaled, dropping her stuff by his and looked up at him for a moment, not answering his question. Without warning, she flung her arms around him in a hug and laughed before releasing him.



"Ronald Weasley if you ever go and entire summer without contacting me or Harry at least once a week, I swear I'll turn you into a toad!" she exclaimed, folding her arms across her chest, waiting for some sort of apology. Ron didn't move an inch.



He, needless to say, was still in shock from outward display of friendship.