Chapter 3: MOVING IN

The four of them wolfed down breakfast and shot upstairs to pack.

"Tonks said the car will be ready in half an hour," Hermione said poking her head into Ron's room, "so you better hurry up."

"Yeah sure thing," Ron said digging into the pile of fresh laundry.

Harry sat on the bed while Ron sorted out his things and suddenly noticed the dull flush on Ron's cheeks. Harry frowned. This had been happening since the last term of their sixth year and Harry could draw only one conclusion from it.

Harry looked at his best friend and decided to test out his theory. Ron had

already opened his trunk and was pushing in his clothes, a slight smile on his face.

"Hermione huh?" Harry asked casually, but his gaze never left Ron's face.

 "Mmm... hmmm," muttered Ron, still oblivious to the fact that Harry was watching him closely.

"You like her don't you?"

"Mmmm... hmmm...," said Ron absently, caught unawares, "she's so great..." a horrified look came on to his face as he slowly lifted his face to see Harry's split into a wide grin.

"Harry... I ..."

Seeing his friends obvious discomfort Harry burst out laughing.

"Fell for it didn't you?"

Ron's ears were burning now as he looked on the floor and mumbled something that involved telling Harry to keep his mouth shut and killing him in a single sentence.

"I won't tell," said Harry still grinning, "so don't worry about that."

"So," Ron asked carefully, "you don't mind?"

Harry looked at him nonplussed, "Why should I?"

Again Ron looked at the floor, "Nothing it's just..."

Something clicked in Harry's mind.

"You thought I liked Hermione?" Harry asked increduously. He couldn't believe his own best friend could ever make that mistake.

"Not really," answered Ron hastily, "I wasn't sure, that's all."

Harry looked at the red head in amusement, "Ron, Hermione's my best friend but that's it," seeing the dubious expression he added, "really Ron."

Ron grinned and swatted at him.

"Are you going to tell her?"

Ron looked a bit uncomfortable, "Not now, how do you do it anyway?"

"You could write to Seamus," joked Harry. Semus was the onlyone in their year who had openly admitted having a girlfriend – Lavender.

"Yeah Harry," said Ron sarcastically, "that's real good advice," he sat down on the bed with a thump with Pig twittering around his head. "What if she says no?"

"Huh?" asked Harry.

"What if she doesn't like me?"

That thought hadn't crossed Harry's mind. "I don't know," said Harry running a hand through his messy hair.

"Maybe I should write to Seamus," said Ron gloomily.

Ron seemed to be taking a big weight off his chest by being able to talk to someone about this.

"You should take a chance and tell her,' suggested Harry.

"Now don't you start like Ginny."

"Ginny knows?"

"Rather bright that one, been after me to admit it for nearly two years now."

They sat in silence for a few minutes broken suddenly when Hermione poked her head through the door, "Have you finished?" she enquired and then wrinkled her nose at the mess on the floor, "Honestly you two – Ron are you alright?"

Harry glanced at Ron to see his ears flaming red and a dull flush rising up his neck.

"Yeah... I'm fine," he managed to choke out.

"Are you sure?" asked Hermione stepping inside, looking concerned. She held up a hand to his forehead, "is it the heat?"

Ron moved away from her hand, "No I'm..."

"Ron stop being a prat and let me check," said Hermione in an exasperated voice, "If you've caught something..."

"Probably the heat...," Ron said hastily.

"Ron you were with Moody yesterday who had a cold. You might have..."

"Hermione!"

Harry felt that he would burst from the laughter he was trying to hold back.

"I'm going downstairs," he said as he walked towards the door, leaving Ron to be fussed over by Hermione.

He came face to face with Ginny on the landing. She was carrying Crookshanks.

"So you knew about Ron and Hermione," he said, it was more of a statement than a question. It took her a moment to understand what he was talking about. She grinned.

"So found out have you," she said as she put Crookshanks down, "but that git won't admit it."

"Well," said Harry following her, "he did."

"Really," she said looking mildly surprised, "the twins won't let him hear the end of it if they ever found out. They already teasing him without knowing it's true."

"Ready you lot?!"

Harry helped Ginny drag her trunk down to where Ron and Hermione were waiting.

"I think I'll drive you over to the Dursleys," pleaded Mr. Weasley, "It's not that far..."

"No Arthur," said Mrs. Weasley firmly, "you have to go to the Ministry, Amos is waiting remember?"

"Oh yes, yes," said Mr. Weasley looking a little dejected. He loved anything to do with muggles.

"Goodbye," said Harry as he shut the door of the car. As the engine started Harry wondered hpw the Dursleys were going to handle this.