A couple minutes later, Ron was settled into a hospital bed and Madam Pomfrey was removing his robes (No, not like that! Get your mind out of the gutter!) and closing the curtain around his bed to allow him to get changed into some spare robes while she fixed his old ones. While he was getting changed, she handed Hermione some tubs of creams and tubes to apply to Ron's cuts and wounds before heading to the back room.

Hermione waited until Ron told her it was okay before she pulled back the curtain. Ron looked at the numerous medicines in her arms with disdain.

"Bloody hell 'Mione! I don't need all of that! I'm not dying, for goodness sakes!"

Hermione shook her head, smiling as she unscrewed the lid of a tub of cream to be applied to his back, where Parvati's nails had left some rather ugly scratches.

"I'm not the nurse, Ron. I'm just doing what Madam Pomfrey told me to do. Now stay still while I apply this."

Ron sighed and closed his mouth. Hermione pulled down on the bottom of his shirt to apply the medicine, noticing how Ron visibly tensed. She applied the minty smelling cream carefully, rubbing it in. Ron smiled a couple of seconds after it was applied, the pain going away.

After the cream did its work, Hermione quickly applied the rest of the medicine. After 10 minutes, Ron looked visibly better and his wounds had healed somewhat. Hermione sat on the bed towards his feet, blushing as she tried to figure out how to ask the question. She shifted her weight from foot to foot before finally asking the question, although it came out rather shakily.

"Um..So Ron.. How's your.. You know.. Where Parvati elbowed you? I mean, does it still hurt?"

She looked into Ron's crystal blue eyes, her face as red as his flame colored hair.

Ron looked confused for a second before recognition set in.

"Oh! Um, yeah.. It... It doesn't hurt anymore. Initial shock, you know?"

Hermione smiled and nodded. She looked around rather awkwardly, wondering why she was so scared to talk to Ron. It was Ron, for goodness sake! Her best friend!

She looked at Ron, and smiled weakly. He stared at her intently before asking a question he wanted to ask her for a while.

"When are you going to do it, 'Mione? You can't wait forever, for the pain to go away. It's not going to go away for a long time… and you know secrets don't last long at Hogwarts, especially now that all the Gryffindors know. Heck, it will probably be all around the school, courtesy of Fred and George!"

Hermione's mouth opened and closed a couple of times before she stuttered out a response.

"Wha-What are you talking about Ron?"

"Come on 'Mione, you know what I mean. When are you going to break up with Krum? I'm trying to patient Hermione, I really am, but it kills me whenever I see him hug you, kiss you. Hell, it even makes me want to beat his skinny ass whenever I even see him look at you with that adoration in his ruddy little eyes."

Hermione's heart immediately melted as she looked at the adorable expression on Ron's face; the open honesty and love in his eyes.

"But Ron..What about his mom?"

"Herm, if you wait for the pain to go away, you will be waiting for his whole entire life. The pain is never going to go away. It may fade, but it will not go away. If you break it off with him and send him back to Bulgaria before he finds out about us, then you will be sparing him more pain. Please 'Mione, do it for me?"

Hermione looked into his eyes, torn.

"I don't know R-"

She was cut off as Ron's lips met her own. Her eyes fluttered closed as the kiss deepened. This was the best kiss they had ever had with each other and the platonic love they felt for each other was reflected in it. Ron broke away suddenly, looking into Hermione's chocolate eyes.

"Please?"

Hermione nodded and then pushed him back onto the bed and kissed him again. They would have gone on like this for a couple more minutes, but just then Madame Pomfrey interrupted them, bringing Ron's robes, which were as good as new.

"There you go, Ronald! You can leave as soon as you change!"

Hermione and Ron waited until she was gone before kissing once more. Hermione broke apart quickly though, making Ron groan in frustration.

"Herm…."

"Not now, Ron. You get changed, okay? I'm going to go break it off with Viktor right now."

Ron immediately brightened up.

"Then we can go out on our first real date?"

Hermione smiled with happiness, imagining a romantic date, just the two of them.

"I would love that, Ron. Now hurry up and get dressed, I have some breaking up to do!"

She ran out the door in search of Viktor…..