***DISCLAIMER*** I do not own Harry Potter or anything affiliated with the series; JK Rowling and Warner Bros. do. I am not attempting to make a profit, only spark my imagination in an attempt to kindle my creative spirit. : - )

A/N I'm going to respond to a few reviews here! Bear with me.

Tears from the Moon ~ I don't think I will ever stop saying "thank you" to you because you never cease to make me feel good! I'd have to say the same about your stories; they are awesome! And if you ever want to read more poetry, I've got some up my sleeve. Enjoy the chapter!

Ron-Is-Mine ~ Thanks! I strive to make all my stories realistic with a bit of fluff to add spice. Too much fluff ruins the plot, in my opinion. And lots of people (not just guys!) get involved in things they love so much that they ignore everybody else. Well, this chapter is from Ron's perspective so you'll see what he's thinking.

Kang ~ Well, I was mad at the male race. : - P Whatever, dude, you know what the personal experience is. Don't try to pretend you don't.

ShadowRomantic ~ Thanks! It was easy for me, actually, because I used to have the same insecurities so I know how it feels. They still come back sometimes too!

Thank you also to: Ron Weasly, Hermione - Hogwarts, and sidda

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Chase After Me

Chapter 2: Secrets of the Heart

By AmericanAngel

* * * * * * * * * * * *

The first rays of sun were beginning to stream through the window as Ron blearily opened his eyes. The room was unnaturally bright due to the reflected light off of the snow below. Ron yawned and stretched before looking at his wristwatch on the nightstand next to his bed, which read 6:45.

"Blimey, that's early!" Ron muttered to himself and rolled back on his side, drawing the curtains of his bed closed. However, as much as he tried, he could not fall back into slumber. Grumbling, he rolled over and placed his bare feet on the cold, stone floor. Shivering, as he was only wearing his underwear, he tiptoed quickly to his wardrobe and pulled on pants, a shirt, and a sweater, already becoming too short for his arms, as he had grown another three inches since the previous Christmas. He magically cleaned his teeth, combed his hair, and gathered his school things together in his bag before heading down to the common room to wait for breakfast.

He hummed a soft tune to himself but quieted his voice when he saw Hermione in one of the chairs by the ever-burning fire. Her back was to the staircase and she was completely focused on what she was doing, so she did not notice the red-haired teenage boy carefully walk up behind her and place his hands gently on her shoulders, causing her to involuntarily jump.

"Ronald Weasley! Don't sneak up on me like that!" she exclaimed, cheeks turning quite pink.

Ron laughed and sat on a chair next to her, "Good morning yourself, Ms. Granger. And what are you doing up this early?"

She shook her head, "Studying, Ron, studying. But what are you doing up? You never awaken until just before breakfast if you can help it."

He shrugged, "The sun woke me up and I couldn't get back to sleep. Anyway, I'm sure you'll do fine on that Potions test. You're such a smart witch, Hermione. You'll do a great job!"

She chuckled, "We'll see. Do you think you've studied enough?"

Ron raised his eyebrows, "Do I ever?"

She laughed, "No, I suppose not. Well, I'll quiz you a bit. Does that sound good?"

He nodded, "That would be wonderful, Hermione dearest."

Rolling her eyes yet again, Hermione proceeded to quiz Ron on various potions and ways of making them. Harry came downstairs at 7:30, just in time to leave for breakfast, and saw the pair sitting together on the couch as Ron had moved over to see the notes more clearly, or so he said.

"Good morning, mates," Harry said as he sat in the chair Ron had been sitting in.

Ron and Hermione looked up from the notes and Ron spoke, "Oh, hi Harry. Good morning to you."

Hermione smiled, "Good morning, Harry. Did you sleep well?"

Harry nodded, "Quite well, thanks. No dreams, so that's good. My Occlumency skills are getting much better."

Hermione beamed at him, "Harry, that's wonderful! Good job!"

Harry smiled, but then Ron broke in, "Say, I'm starving. Why don't we go down to breakfast?"

Harry and Hermione agreed and the three walked over to the portrait hole. Ron held the door for Hermione and Harry and then went through himself, choosing to walk to Hermione's right with Harry on her left.

* * *

Potions was the first class of the morning, and it was a double potions session. The potions exam lasted the entire period and the sixth years all managed to finish their potions in time for the end of the class. Professor Snape collected a sample from each, sneered at Harry when he saw that his potion was a shade lighter than it should have been, and was about to comment on Ron's as well when he saw that it looked perfect.

"Weasley, how much did Ms. Granger help you on your exam?" Snape slowly and deliberately asked the young man.

Ron kept a confident face, "She didn't help me, professor. She's been standing on the opposite side of the room the entire time. I studied."

Snape raised an eyebrow and his eerie smile resembled a sneer once again, "Studied, Weasley? Well, that's a first. If I didn't know any better I would think that you had been cheating, perhaps?"

Ron shook his head, "No, professor, no cheating. I studied."

Snape looked deadly, "We shall see, Weasley. There is a spell I can use to see if you cheated on this exam." Before Ron protested, Snape waved his wand and muttered a few words. A white light shone above the potion for a few seconds before turning a pure red color.

If possible, Snape looked even more deadly, "It appears, Weasley, that you did not cheat on this exam. The light turns the color of the house you represent if you did not cheat and the color of the house's opposite if you did. So, for today, you are safe. And, as much as I want to do so, I will not deduct house points. There is no probable cause."

With a flutter of his robes, Snape retreated to the back of the dungeon with Ron's sample and placed it among the other flasks already sitting on the table. Ron breathed a sigh of relief and turned out of the classroom to join Hermione and Harry.

Hermione looked at him with concern, "Ron, what was that about? Did you cheat? Did you make us lose house points?"

Ron shook his head adamantly, "No, Hermione. My potion was perfect and Snape was suspicious so he performed some kind of spell to see if I cheated. I didn't; it only made him angrier, but he had no probable cause so he didn't deduct any points."

Harry and Hermione were stunned; Ron had studied that hard? His exam had been perfect? Snape hadn't deducted points? What was the world coming to?

Harry stuttered, "Wow, Ron, it's good to see you are living up to your prefect badge."

Ron grinned, "Quidditch and school work, that's what I've been doing. Anyway, mates, let's go to lunch. I'm starving."

Smiling at Ron's ever-so-familiar saying, Harry and Hermione joined him in walking down towards the Great Hall.

* * *

Ron went back to his dorm after lunch practically bursting with joy. He had finally managed to show that git of a professor that he could be trustworthy and do work on his own! And he knew he had done the potion perfectly - Snape would have to see that he could be studious if he wanted to.

Ron had decided the summer after fifth year what he wanted to do - he wanted to become an Auror. Hoping that his O.W.L.S. would be sufficient enough for him to continue in the right classes, Ron began studying when he would normally have been playing Quidditch out in the garden. His mother had insisted that her children would not be spending too much time outside over the summer, just enough to keep them sane. She did not want them falling prey to Death Eater activity, which she knew would increase after the Ministry's acknowledgement of the return of Voldemort.

He had grown much in other ways as well, starting with his acceptance of Percy after a talk with his father. He realized that he was no longer a child, but becoming more like an adult and knew he had to change some of his behaviors. Slowly, he began working on parts of himself that he decided needed change - helping his mother with household activities, not picking on his younger sister as much, and thinking before he spoke. Right alongside of his new mannerisms were his new studying habits, but he was also transforming himself into a more likable person.

Ron became friendlier in his speech and actions. He began to crack jokes when he decided they were needed, he sent owls off to Harry and Hermione often, and he even started to acquire a sense of chivalry. His efforts were not going unnoticed; indeed, Hermione kept her eye on him more than ever, yet he could not seem to take the hint.

Ron found his Transfiguration books and homework and set off to the classroom to join his fellow classmates.

* * *

"Very good, Mr. Weasley. Ten points for Gryffindor," Professor McGonagall said as she gave Ron a knowing smile after he transfigured a chair into a sofa. Hermione beamed at him and he gave her a wide smile in return.

*You know, she's pretty cute when she smiles* he thought to himself, but the thought was banished from his mind with Harry's congratulations.

"Good job, mate!" he exclaimed as he slapped Ron on the back, "It took me ten times to get it, but you got it in about three! When have you been doing all this studying, anyway?"

Ron shrugged, "I guess Hermione's advice finally got to me," and gave her a wink before returning to his desk to copy down the homework from the board. Hermione felt a warm, fuzzy tingling inside her body.

*That's so sweet, he's actually listening to me!* she thought to herself, gazing dreamily off into space.

"Ms. Granger?" Professor McGonagall asked carefully, seeing the girl's dazed expression.

"What? Oh! Professor! Right!" Hermione said the spell to transfigure the chair and got it after five attempts. Professor McGonagall awarded another five points to Gryffindor and the class was over.

Ron walked just between Hermione and Harry on the way to the Great Hall as she talked about her plans for her transfiguration essay and things that they needed to study over Christmas break, but he wasn't really paying attention.

*Her voice is so beautiful, even when she's babbling* he thought to himself, *Wow, her eyes and her hair are beautiful too. In fact, everything about her is beautiful*

He couldn't figure out why he had never noticed her before, or why he had been so rude to her in the past. In fact, all the way to the common room, all he did was stare at her while they walked. She did not notice, at least he didn't think she did. The boys went up to their rooms to put their school bags on their beds and get ready for Quidditch practice yet again.

* * *

"C'mon, Ron! Catch the stupid Quaffle!" Harry's voice sounded from the other end of the Quidditch field. Ron was having a particularly bad practice, in contrast to his previous practices of the season, and Harry was becoming more frustrated every minute. Ron, red faced, attempted the catch and managed to save the soccer-sized ball from going through the large hoop.

"Awesome job, Ron!" Ginny called and Ron grinned. He was getting it back. However, the next ten shots, all by Tina Bell, made it right by him.

Frustrated, he called to Harry, "Just a minute, mate! I'm going to take a water break!"

Harry nodded and called the rest of the team to the ground to take a break as well. Curious, Harry followed Ron into the locker room and cornered him on one of the benches holding his head in his hands.

"Hey, mate, can I ask what's on your mind?" he asked Ron as he sat next to him, worry replacing the anger he had felt moments before.

Ron looked up, red hair mopped up from his running his sweaty hands through it, "Oh, nothing much. Just worried about all our homework I guess."

Harry gave him a skeptical look, "Ron, you've been worried about our homework all semester. What is going on?"

Ron sighed, "I think I like a girl."

Harry grinned, "Really? That's great! I was wondering when you would come to your senses. It's kind of strange, isn't it?"

Ron shrugged, "Yeah, I'm not even sure if I really like her or not, I just think I might."

His best friend gave him a thoughtful look, "Well, do you think about her a lot? Do you do stuff for her? Do you admire her? How long have you known her?"

Ron thought about this and then smiled, "Yeah, I think about her all the time and how I could make her happy. I can't concentrate, mate. I've known her for a while, about six years."

Harry was going crazy, "Well, who is she?!??"

Ron smiled, "Hermione."

Harry gave him a look, "Hermione? Like, our best friend Hermione?"

Ron nodded, "Yeah, Hermione. I can't believe I didn't notice her before. She's so smart and beautiful and caring. I don't know, mate, something about her just makes me feel . . . happy. Complete, sort of."

Harry pondered this for a moment, "You know, I think of her as a sister, and you as a brother. I never thought I'd like her like that, and I don't but I do admire her in those ways. I'm glad you came to your senses, though. I mean, it's been kind of obvious these past few months. Years, really." He gave Ron a wicked grin.

Ron gulped, "You don't think she knows, do you? I mean, how obvious was I?"

Harry shrugged, "I don't know, mate. She hasn't said anything to me. You've just been really nice to her lately and whenever she mentions Krum you go into hysterics. It's quite entertaining, really."

Ron blushed, "I guess I really do like her. Wow, this is kind of fun."

Harry laughed, "Well, do you think you can come back outside and practice? Just pretend she's sitting in the stands and you are catching Quaffles just for her."

Ron nodded, "Sure, mate. Let's roll."

* * *

Hermione lay on her bed that night finishing the first draft of her Transfiguration essay, due the following Wednesday. She was going back to check for errors when Ginny Weasley popped her head in the room.

"Hi Hermione! Can I come in?" she asked brightly.

Hermione smiled and nodded, "Sure, Ginny. I'm just finishing up this essay for Professor McGonagall. Come sit on the bed."

Ginny grinned and walked over in her flannel pajama pants and spaghetti strap t-shirt, sitting Indian style on the bed as Hermione placed her essay carefully on the table next to it.

She then turned to face the ginger-haired fifth year, "How are you, Ginny?"

Ginny smiled, "Great, but I'm having some problems. I was wondering if I could talk to you about them."

Hermione grinned, "Of course! You can always talk to me, you know that."

Ginny nodded awkwardly, "I know, but these are issues concerning Ron and Dean. I wasn't sure if you would be comfortable discussing them with me."

Hermione shrugged, "Well, they are my friends, yes, but if something is going on between the three of you I won't feel awkward talking to you about it. You're my friend too, and a wonderful one at that."

Ginny blushed at these words, "Thank you, Hermione. You're a great friend too. Okay, well, I guess I'm not sure whether I like Dean or not anymore."

Hermione was confused, "What? You aren't sure? But you two are so cute together and you get along fine!"

Ginny nodded, "I know, and I like him as a person, but I just don't feel like I can date him, you know? Plus Ron is giving me a hard time and . . ."

Hermione cut her off, "Virginia Weasley! Don't break up with Dean Thomas just because your brother does not approve of him!"

Ginny gave a little laugh, "That's not what I mean, Hermione! It's only part of the reason. I just don't feel very comfortable around Dean, that's all.

Hermione nodded, "Now that is a good reason. Why aren't you comfortable?"

Ginny stared a spot on the ceiling for a moment, and then continued, "I guess I just sort of picked him out of the crowd. There wasn't really anything distinguishing about him, I just wanted to date someone. He's a wonderful bloke, but we don't have anything really special."

Hermione agreed, "Yes, I've kind of noticed that you don't react to him the same way you reacted to Michael, but I didn't want to say anything. I wanted to let you realize it on your own. Another thing you should think about, Gin, is that if you don't really like the guy on the outset of the relationship, then chances are you won't grow to like him as it progresses. I mean, it can happen, but it just makes break-ups harder when it doesn't."

Ginny sighed, "But what do I do? Do I just go up to him and say that I don't want to go out with him anymore?"

Hermione nodded, "Yeah, but not in that way. Explain that while you think he's a great person and you wouldn't mind remaining friends, that's all he is, a friend. You don't feel any differently for him than you do for, say, Seamus as an example."

Ginny thought about this for a moment, and then said, "Yes, I suppose that could work. I'll try it."

Hermione grinned, "Good. Anything else you want to talk about?"

Ginny looked into her eyes, "Yes. Tell me how much you like my brother and when it started."

Hermione's jaw dropped in shock, "Ginny!!! I do NOT like your brother that way, no! I don't, he's my best friend. I can't like him that way."

Ginny grinned wickedly, "Then why are your grades falling and why can you not take your eyes off him when you think he isn't looking?"

Hermione opened her mouth to say something, but found she couldn't

Ginny smiled, "See, I told you that you like him. How long?"

Hermione grunted, "Since fourth year."

Ginny's eyes widened in surprise, "FOURTH YEAR?!? But you were dating Viktor Krum in fourth year!"

Hermione shook her head, "No, I wasn't, I just made everyone think I was. Viktor and I were just friends, that's all. I really wanted to go to the Yule Ball with Ron, but he never asked. He's just too boyish, I suppose. He doesn't realize that I'm a girl, and he doesn't think of me as more than a friend. I doubt it would work."

Ginny sighed, "Hermione, that's rubbish and you know it."

Hermione's head snapped up, "Rubbish?!? It's the truth!"

Ginny protested, "No it's not! I think you two would be great together, you are really good friends!"

"But this sort of thing would just ruin our friendship," Hermione responded.

Ginny disagreed, "No, if anything, it would strengthen it. Try it. Just go up to him and tell him how you feel."

Hermione shook her head adamantly, "No way! NO WAY!!! I believe in guys-ask-girls and there is NO WAY I'm going to tell him that I like him unless he asks me, and YOU, Ms. Weasley, are NOT going to tell him that I like him! End of story."

Ginny whined, "But you two would be so cute."

"Not a word, Virginia. Not a word to your brother."

Ginny thought about this, then replied, "Alright, Hermione. I promise. I won't say anything to Ron unless you say it's alright."

Hermione studied her friend's face for a moment, "You promise?"

Ginny nodded, "Yes! I promise. I won't say anything to him."

Hermione finally accepted this, "Alright, thank you. I really don't want him to know; I doubt he likes me back."

Ginny rolled her eyes, "And WHY NOT?! What is there not to like?"

Hermione stared at Ginny, "I'm an insufferable know-it-all!"

"Oh, Hermione, he was eleven years old when he said that!"

"Look, Gin, just don't say anything. He'll say something when he's ready, and if he's never ready then I suppose I'll just have to find someone else. I know there is someone out there for me, I just have to wait for him."

Ginny nodded, "I told you I wouldn't say anything to Ron, no worries. It's a bit late; I think I'll go to bed and get a good night's rest before facing Dean tomorrow. Good night, Hermione. Sweet dreams."

"Good night, Ginny. Same to you."

* * *

Ginny closed the door to the sixth year girl's dormitory and walked down the hall, shivering, and down the stairs to her own dormitory. Once there she prepared herself for bed and got under the covers, drawing the red curtains shut to block out the light of the candles. As she was about to fall into slumber, she thought of something.

*Hermione said I couldn't talk to Ron, but she said nothing about not talking to Harry . . .*

With this thought, young Virginia Weasley smiled to herself and drifted off to sleep, anticipating the following morning.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Send me some reviews!!! I think I fit almost my whole philosophy on guy/girl relationships into this chapter, hahaha!!! I hope you enjoyed it; I'm having a great time writing it! Have a wonderful week and I'll be back soon with chapter 3.

~AmericanAngel