Authors Note: This part is pretty short and uneventful, but it's kind of sweet & there's another part coming soon!

Telling It Like It Is

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A loud shriek echoed through the library. Ron and Hermione immediately broke apart. Ron spun around to see Madam Pince striding down the aisle towards them.

"Oh, oh, oh." Hermione murmured. Madam Pince rounded on the two of them.

"How dare you... in my library... the outrage..." She seemed unable to complete a sentence. "I have had ENOUGH of disrespectful students!" She bellowed. Before Ron could dodge out of her reach she grabbed him by his ear and began dragging him out of the library. Hermione quickly gathered her things, and juggling an assortment of quills and parchment hurried after them. Madam Pince spiralled round tables as she dragged Ron towards the door, ignoring his yelps of pain and the other students who were watching with great interest. She pushed the door open and forced Ron out.

"Detention!" Her eyes flew to Hermione, who quickly side stepped past her to join Ron in the corridor. "For the both of you!" She slammed the door shut leaving Ron rubbing his sore ear, a pained expression on his face. Hermione sighed loudly, sounding disappointed.

"How's your ear?" She asked giving him a sympathetic look.

"I think she yanked it off." He replied. "Still," his expression gave way to a small smile, "it was worth it." Hermione felt her cheeks glow bright red and couldn't stop the smile from spreading across her face. She shoved her things into her bag and fell into step beside Ron.

"I don't think I'll ever be able to set foot in the library again." Hermione said, sadly. "I know I'll never be able to look Madam Pince in the eye. And we both have detention. Oh, is my face red?" She asked, raising a hand to feel her cheeks. Ron laughed softly.

"You're cute when you're embarrassed." He told her.

"Oh stop it Ron." Hermione replied, hitting him playfully. He caught her hand and squeezed it affectionately. Hermione raised her eyebrows. "If I had known it'd turn you into such a sweet, sensitive gentleman I would have kissed you a long time ago." She declared.

"Baloney." Ron replied.

"What?" Hermione asked, with a laugh. Ron pointed to the portrait of the fat lady, which had just swung open. "Oh, of course, the password." Hermione marvelled at the fact he hadn't taken his eyes off her the entire way up from the library and had still managed to guide them in the right direction.

"After you." Ron grinned. Hermione led the way into the common room. One or two people looked up when they entered and a few exchanged knowing smiles, but neither Ron nor Hermione noticed.

"I'm going to take my bag upstairs." Hermione said indicating up the girl's staircase.

"Okay." Ron nodded. He stood at the bottom of the stairs with his hands in his pockets watching her until she disappeared into her dormitory. He grinned to himself and sauntered up the boy's staircase to his own dormitory. All four of the other boys in his year, including Harry, were there. They stopped talking when he walked in.

"What are you grinning about?" Dean asked, chucking a screwed up piece of rubbish at him. Ron laughed and ducked out of the way.

"I know!" Announced Seamus.

"You know, what?" Ron shot back, the smile disappearing from his face.

"I know why you're so happy." Seamus replied, a smirk appearing on his face. Ron eyed him suspiciously.

"You don't know." He concluded.

"I do." Seamus insisted. "Are you going to tell the others or should I?" Ron blinked looking stunned. "Alright then. Herm..."

"Wait!" Ron suddenly interrupted him. "I'll tell them." The Hogwarts rumour mill never failed to amaze him. He sat down on his bed and the others quickly gathered around him. He paused eyeing each of them in turn. He wasn't expecting to have to tell everyone about his new found relationship this quickly, but at the same time he was bursting to share it with someone. "I kissed Hermione." Harry's eyes widened and his jaw dropped open. Seamus snorted.

"She kissed you, you mean." Ron shot him an angry glare.

"Yeah, then I kissed her, so what? " He demanded.

"I also heard you fainted." Seamus laughed. Ron went bright red.

"Seamus?" Dean spoke up.

"What?" Seamus replied.

"Shut up!" Both Dean and Harry replied in unison. Seamus looked a little put out.

"Just telling it like it is." He said returning to his own four-poster.

"So are you and Hermione a couple now?" Neville asked. He had an odd expression of mixed curiosity and disappointment on his face.

"I don't know." Ron replied, honestly. "I guess so." He glanced at Harry. "What'd you reckon?" Harry shrugged.

"I didn't even know you liked Hermione." Dean and Neville moved off to let the two friends talk.

"Neither did I."

"Did you really faint?" Harry asked, cringing.

"I passed out." Ron defended himself. "You would too if you got a shock like that!"

"But it was a good shock, right?"

"Of course it was a good shock. Hermione's great! She's smart and kind and pretty, she has these gorgeous eyes that just glow and... "

"Ron?" Harry interrupted. Ron was suddenly brought back to reality. Harry smiled. "I get the picture."

"Oh, okay." Ron paused thoughtfully for a second. "You know what the best part is?" He asked quietly so the others couldn't hear.

"What's that?" Harry asked.

"She likes me." Ron replied, breaking out into another grin. "Hermione likes ME!" Harry beamed happily at his friend.

"Don't sound so surprised." He laughed.

"Yup," Ron said, lying back with his hands behind his head, "you can keep your fame and fortune Harry, cause I got the girl." Harry laughed and tossed a pillow at Ron's head. He was genuinely happy for his friends, but couldn't help wondering whether this would mean they would fight more or less.