Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters used in this story. I just borrowed them and manipulated them to act in my fluffy little plot.

A/N: All right, my author notes are getting a little bit stale lol. I'm going interstate for a few days this week so this will be the last update for a little while. I'm not leaving you, don't worry lol. Hope it satisfies.

Enjoy!

Once again, we must all thank DarkFlower2113 for her editing. =) Thankyou!

Chapter 5 -- Things You Never Knew

"Defrosted yet?" Dean asked as Ron entered the dormitory that night.

"Yes thank you very much." Ron replied, flexing his newly restored fingers.

"Good to hear." Seamus called from his four-poster.

"Where's Harry nicked off too?" Ron asked, upon not finding his friend on his four-poster.

"Shower." Dean said, pointing vaguely to the door leading off from their room.

At that moment Harry emerged with a towel around his waist and another in his hand, drying his hair rapidly. He grinned when he saw Ron.

"You survived then mate?" he asked walking to his bed.

"Yeah, no thanks to you." Ron said, not minding much at all that he had been subjected to Hermione's company. Even if she had reminded him fiercely of his own mother for a few minutes.

"Sorry. Had to take a shower you know how it is."

"Remind me not to save you next time she goes on a rant." Ron said, pulling back the hanging of his own four-poster and lying down on it, on top of the covers.

"Sorry." Harry said, not sounding sorry at all.

"You bloody well are not." Ron said laughing as he shut his curtains and bid goodnight to his fellow dorm mates.

***

"I do believe I'm frozen to the bone." Hermione announced suddenly as she Ron and Harry walked the streets of Hogsmeade.

"Want to go into Rosemerta's?" Harry asked her and she nodded, her pink nose protruding slightly from her scarf.

"Oh that's much better." Hermione said as they entered and found themselves a table in the crowded pub.

No sooner had they made themselves comfortable than Rosemerta herself joined them.

"Butterbeers all round?" she asked, smiling kindly at the three of them as they removed their cloaks.

"Yes please Rosie." Harry said, winking at her and laughing.

It was an ongoing thing with the two of them. A few months back, Rosemerta had had the time to sit down and tell the three of them some stories about when Harry's father's had been at Hogwarts. One thing in particular had interested Harry. It was that his father had always called Rosemerta 'Rosie.' She had given Harry permission to do this and he had been doing it ever since. He liked to be able to do the things his father had done when he was alive and found great amusement in calling Rosemerta 'Rosie.'

Hermione rubbed her hands together in quick succession trying to warm them up. She blew on them, sat on them and tried various other things before she noticed the amused look on Ron's face.

"What?" she asked, tucking them under her Weasley jumper that Mrs. Weasley had so graciously given her for Christmas.

"Is that working?" he asked looking at her with his head cocked to the side.

"No." she admitted, pulling them out again. Ron rolled his eyes and spoke again.

"May I?" he asked gesturing to her hands.

"May you wha—Oh my goodness. Your hands are so warm how do you keep them so toasty?" she asked as Ron held her hands in his, warming them instantly.

"Warming charm." He said laughing slightly. Hermione rolled her eyes and clapped one hand to her forehead.

Oh god Ron, what are you doing? Anyone would think that you fancied her back, the way you're holding her hands in board daylight! Stop it, right now.

"Of course. Why didn't I think of that? You know sometimes I forget that I'm a witch and can do things like that." She said, not moving her hands from Ron's to retrieve her wand.

One of us needs to let go…any second now…when the time is right. Or you know, I'm not really bothered by it.

"Here you go darlings." Three Butterbeers were placed on the table and Madam Rosemerta smiled at Harry as he thanked her.

"Cheers Rosie." He said as he took a welcome sip from his bottle. "Always hits the spot, don't you think?" he said to Ron and Hermione who had let go of each other's hands and now had them wrapped around their own bottle.

"Sure does." Ron muttered quietly as he stared into his Butterbeer.

"Yes, it is lovely." Hermione said just as quietly.

Harry just rolled his eyes at their behaviour. Behaviour that had been apparent for some time. Behaviour that he knew would be kept a secret for a while yet. No matter what he thought.

He scanned the pub, looking for anyone else that they knew. He saw Dean and Seamus laughing about something or another and as his eyes swept around he saw various other people that he knew from his classes at school and finally he spotted someone that he wouldn't mind lending his hands too.

"Hey Ginny, over here!" he called out across the room and despite all the surrounding noise, the red head heard him and looked around before spotting him and she smiled and walked over.

"Hiya guys. What have you been up too?" she chirped, her nose just as rosy as Hermione's had been minutes before.

"Not much of anything yet. Just walking around for a bit. " Harry said, taking a sip of his drink and savouring the taste of it. "Who're you here with?" he asked her, not seeing anyone else close by.

"Oh I came down here with Neville but we went our separate ways once we got here. He had to meet someone anyway I think. I'm just wandering around, window shopping."

"You're on your own? Why didn't you come looking for us?" Hermione asked, seeming to have regained her awareness of other people at last.

"I don't mind walking around by myself. I quite enjoy it really." Ginny said smiling.

"You've always been a loner haven't you Ginny?" Ron teased his little sister and she frowned at him. "Ever since you could talk." He added with a smile. Ginny poked her tongue out at him.

"That wasn't by choice you know. You lot just used to leave me. That's why I was on my own and I got used to it. Not because I wanted too, but because I had too." Ginny said, looking on the verge of tears all of a sudden. Ron noticed because he reached out a hand to his sister.

"Gin…I didn't know that's how you felt. I'm bloody sorry." He said, looking intently at his sister.

She swiped at her eyes quickly and smiled.

"You were actually the best brother out of them all you know. I suppose it's because we're closest in age. Honestly though Ron, I really don't mind. The way I see it, I have a gift. Not everyone could live with six brothers and still turn out all right." Ginny said, smiling softly.

"Fancy taking a walk Gin?" Harry asked suddenly, shifting Ginny's gaze from Ron's face to his.

"Sure Harry." she said as they both stood up and left the pub

***

"I am such a rotten brother." Ron said once they had left in a swirl of snow.

"You are not. Don't ever say such a thing!" Hermione said, horrified.

"I was. I didn't know Ginny felt that way about living with us."

"Ron, you were ten and you were a boy. Both of which are reasons that make it impossible for you to have known."

"Don't use the whole 'Ron's a male' thing against me please." He said wearily.

"I'm sorry. Honestly though Ron, Ginny loves you and yes, she probably does feel a little hostile about the whole thing but that's natural. I can't begin to imagine what it would have been like for her to grow up in a household full of boys but I think she took it pretty well don't you? She's very lucky; she couldn't ask for better brothers. Even if she could, she wouldn't find any. She has the best family ever made. You're a part of that. Doesn't that make you feel special?" Hermione said, placing a hand on Ron's arm as she spoke.

Her hand. Is on. Your arm. Just ignore it; hopefully it'll go away. Act casual.

"Yes, but I'm not going to admit that to you." Ron said, grinning because he had admitted it.

Hermione smiled and removed her hand.

It went away!

"Do you think Harry likes her?" Ron asked after a few minutes of silence.

"Likes who?" Hermione asked, shocked.

"Ginny. And people think that I'm thick." he muttered laughing at Hermione's frown.

"Well to be honest, I don't know. Maybe. I mean, it's possible but neither of them has said anything to me about it. What about you?"

"No…I've just always wondered whether he felt anything for her. I mean we all know what she felt for him. 'His eyes are as green as a fresh pickled toad…'" Ron said chuckling.

"Shows how much you know." Hermione said haughtily.

"What?" Ron asked, surprised by her superior tone.

"Ginny didn't send that Valentine."

"What? Of course she did! Didn't she?" Ron spluttered, he had always thought that Ginny had sent that message to Harry.

"Nope." Hermione said, smiling smugly.

After a few seconds silence Ron rolled his eyes, annoyed.

"Well are you going to tell me who did?" he asked, looking at her incredulously.

"Do you want to know?" she said airily.

"Yes I ruddy want to know!" Ron said.

"Calm down there Hagrid." Hermione said laughing and taking a slow sip of her drink that seemed to be lasting an awful long time.

"I…you…tell me!" He spluttered.

"Stop getting so agitated and I will!" Hermione said, thoroughly enjoying herself.

Ron took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Why was he getting so annoyed? Probably because he'd teased Ginny mercilessly about that Valentine and was feeling guilty about it because now he knew it wasn't her. He just needed to know who it was so he could ask her why she'd never denied it.

"Calm now?" Hermione said once he had opened his eyes.

"Perfectly." He said, breathing regularly, proving that he was.

"That lovely Valentine was sent by Luna. Not Ginny."

"What?" Ron said, not in the least expecting that.

"Luna. Luna Lovegood. She sent it."

"Really?"

"Well it makes sense doesn't it? It was kind of loony." Hermione said laughing.

"So much sense. I can't believe I never thought of that." Ron said shaking his head.

"No-one did. Until Ginny confessed it to me. We thought for hours about who could have sent it and came to the conclusion of Luna."

"Well I'll be damned. Why didn't she deny it though?"

"She thought it was funny. She didn't want Harry to get a big head about it but she thought she'd just leave it be."

"I'm going to kill her. I bet she's been having a great laugh about me teasing her about it for nothing."

"Oh you can bet on it."

***

A/N: Well there we go. I should reply to people's comments but I'm just too lazy. Hmmm…maybe that would drum up reviews…let's see shall we?

JamieBell Ah, it's been so long since I bothered to reply to people's comments. How naughty of me. I agree with you, it will be Hermione Weasley one day. Well it'd better be anyway! That's all I can say.

Joots Glad you like this story. I had heaps of fun writing it and I hope that this chapter was as good as the last. =)

Vels I'm an excellent writer? Thanks, that means a lot to me! Though this story isn't doing as well as I'd like it too. I think my forte is in Harry/Ginny stories, not Ron/Hermione ones. My favourite ship is R/H but I just can't seem to write them just right… so annoying. Thanks again.

Bella Yeah bella, I know it's just frustrating when people are so blatant as 'Hurry up.' That's all. I'm grateful that my stories are enjoyed, I really am.

Nessie8 Hey hey! Meh St Patrick's day was ok. At school for it so it wasn't much of a big deal and I'm not Irish so it would be silly to celebrate it. What's going to happen? I don't really know myself, I can't remember lol. I'm going to have to re-read the story again.

I've just remembered that someone (I'm so ignorant I can't remember who! I'm sorry) commented that there would be a 'non date' to Hogsmeade. Well done! Shame I'm so predictable lol. Hope you keep reading!

Anyway, thanks again guys!

Nesserz.