A/N: I really hope there are still a few of you out there who are awaiting the second part of this story. Chapter eleven marks the end of the exposition and the beginning of the supposed "action" that I've been promising you. I also promise that Maggie will be in the next chapter (I know some of you like her quite a bit.) So, without further ado or excuse, I present to you the next chapter of Come Together.

P.S. The end of this chapter is a product of the coming lack-of-fluff. Something to tide you over till the conflict is resolved. Enjoy! :)



Disclaimer: Oh yeah, I haven't mentioned this in a while. Don't own, don't sue, I won't deserve it.



Chapter 11



~Ron~



The first thing I noticed the next morning, was how cold it was in my room. I had always been a hot natured person and therefore, I slept with no shirt on and always ended up kicking my covers off during the night. Normally my room was the hottest one in the whole house, but that morning it was simply freezing. I was reluctant to open my eyes because I was having a wonderful dream involving chess, chocolate frogs, and Hermione.

Hermione...

I pulled my cover up around me and thought back to the night before. I could still feel her lips on my cheek and I marveled at the way her hand fit so well into mine. I'd come a long way since that first night we'd stayed up together. I'd admitted lots of things to myself. Like the fact that I wanted to watch her do simple things more and more. Like the fact that she made me think...interesting thoughts about her and I. And the most frightening thought...that I was planning to tell her most of those things before Christmas holiday was over. It was scary that I'd let myself care so much for her but, it was even scarier that she could possibly feel the same for me. What would happen? Would we continue to be good friends too? Would we be deliriously happy? How would Harry take it? Could I hold her hand whenever I wanted? Would she let me kiss her in public sometimes? Could I really fall in LOVE with her? That was the only one of those questions that was even close to being answered...and I was overwhelmingly afraid of it. Had I let myself love her? So soon?

"You lazy wanker. I know you stayed up with Hermione last night, but it's almost noon and you've missed breakfast." Harry said. I opened my eyes to find that Harry was sitting in my window which was opened wide to the December cold. He looked over at me and smirked.

"I thought you were asleep." I said, sitting up and pulling the covers up to my chin.

"I'm a good actor. I couldn't believe she actually snuck in here last night to get you." Harry shook his head and grinned.

"I can't either. She nearly gave me heart attack. I was all drifted off into my own "Ron World" and then there she was...TAPPIN' me. But, I must say, it would have the best heart attack ever." I smiled.

"You are totally bonkers over her, aren't you?" Harry asked, crossing his arms.

I screwed up my face and hesitated before I answered. Was I? Had I let myself go mad over some...female? No. I'd let myself go mad for Hermione...and THAT was a whole different animal.

"Yeah. Yeah, I am. Weird, isn't it?" I asked, furrowing my brow.

Harry looked at me in disbelief, "Are you kidding, mate?"

"No, it's weird."

He snorted, "No, it's not. You two were practically made for each other."

My mouth dropped open in disbelief, "What gave you that idea?"

"Let's look at the evidence, shall we? First, there was Malfoy and the slugs, then there was the Yule-Ball-Brawl, and who can forget the 'good luck' peck in fifth year..."

"Okay, I get it, but..."I scratched my head, "were we REALLY that obvious?"

Harry took a deep breath, "PAINfully."

I laughed and apparently it was contagious because soon Harry was laughing too.

"You know what is so sad about this whole thing?" I asked.

"What?"

"Hermione and I aren't even together. We're still 'just friends'." I shook my head.

"You're kidding me! After last night you're not even together?"

"Well, that's complicated, we're not together but, we are NOT apart." I smirked.

"Really?" Harry raised an eyebrow.

"Really. But, I'd like to see what happens before I tell anybody and I don't want anything big to happen until we've figured out what's going on with those rocks and that bloody map." suddenly Harry looked tired at the change of subject.

"Well, I was talking to Ginny about it yesterday after dinner and she wants to check it out, but I don't know. With everything that has happened I don't want anyone else to get hurt." Harry brought his knees up to his chest.

He was thinking about Sirius. He would never quite get over the fact that Sirius was gone. He could accept it, but he would NEVER get over it.

"Harry, we're behind you, whatever you decide. You are the fearless leader after all." I grinned at him and he threw a pillow at me.

"You should get out of bed and go downstairs, your mum thinks your sick." he said, standing up.

"My mum always thinks there's something wrong with me. Maybe she's right." I frowned.

Harry laughed, "Just get dressed."

I stood up and waved him out of the room. After only a few minutes by myself my thoughts drifted back to Hermione. I was going to see her when I went downstairs...and I could suppress my smile.



*****



Later on that day Ginny came out back where Fred and I were degnoming for mum, "Ron?"

"Yeah Gin? What is it?" I stood up.

Ginny quickly walked over and started speaking in a hushed voice, "Harry wants to see us in your room."

"Is it about the map?" I whispered.

"I think so." she had a worried look on her face. I'd never seen Ginny look so serious about anything.

"Okay, give me a minute okay?" she shook her head and hurried back inside.

"Secrets, secrets little brother. What was that about?" Fred asked looking at me suspiciously.

"Nothing Fred, she's just worried about Harry. You know how she can be." I shrugged and tried to look unassuming.

Fred has always been perceptive, damn him.

"No, this is something else. I know her too, and she wouldn't tell you about Harry if Hermione was anywhere near." he said, as though he was telling me about his morning meal.

"So, what is it then, Fred? If your smart enough to know it's something else then I guess you're smart enough to figure out what it is."

My tone was dangerous. I don't know why I was so unnecessarily harsh with Fred. Maybe it was his constant medaling. Maybe I was just annoyed at him. Or maybe I just wanted him to stop trying to make everything happening to me a big joke. Nonetheless, Fred was not on my good side.

"Well, well, Ronnikins has a secret. Have it your way, the mystery is half the fun." he smirked at me and I wanted to knock that smug expression off his face.

But instead, I spun around and headed toward the burrow with little more than, "Sod off, Fred," left in my wake.

I ran up the stairs and entered the bathroom, quickly stripping, and scrubbing the sweat off of myself. I dressed again and hurried into my room where Ginny, Hermione, and Harry sat speaking softly and waiting for me.

"What's going on?" I asked, sitting down on my bed and leaning up against my headboard.

There seemed to be a baited silence as they looked at each other. Then, without a word, Harry reached out to the table between his cot and my bed, grabbed a the pillow that was lying on top of it, and pulled it away. I gasped at the sight in front of me.

The map lay on the table, crisp and clean, looking as if it had just been made. On top of the map, all the stone pieces...and they were glowing green.

"What's going on here?" I repeated, sticking a hand in my pocket.

"Well, I was getting something out of my trunk this morning and these things were all lit up." Harry shook his head sadly.

"Harry tried to find you, but found me instead. So, I came up here and looked everything over and that's when I noticed how the map had repaired itself.." Hermione crossed her arms.

"And that's when I walked in," Ginny straightened, "They told me what was going on and so I went up and got the map that Percy sent to me and compared it to this. Ron, it's exactly the same. It updated itself."

I rubbed my eyes and looked at up at them.

"So, what are we going to do?" I asked Harry.

He shrugged and took his glasses off to clean them.

"I think we should go down there and do a little exploring."

We all turned a looked at Ginny.

"What? How else are we going to find out what's down there?" she crossed her arms and tutted.

"I think Ginny's right. We can't do anything else." He scratched his head, "I can't believe this is happening again."

Ginny reached over and put her hand on his shoulder, he closed his eyes and took a deep a breath.

I looked at Hermione and frowned questioningly. She smiled slightly and shook her head up and down.

"Together?' I mouthed. Hermione's smiled turned into a grin and she shook her head harder. I rolled my eyes and smiled.

My sister and Harry, how....weird.

"When?" Hermione asked.

Harry looked over at me and then turned to Hermione, "Tomorrow evening."



*****



That night after mum and dad had gone up to bed and the twins had left to go out, the four of us were left alone, down in front of the over-decorated Christmas tree. We sat in relative silence, Harry and Ginny on the couch, trying to look inconspicuous while they held hands and Hermione lay in front of the fire with a book in front of her, but I could tell she wasn't reading. I sat in the arm chair near her and watched her stare out the window. I wished I could get up the nerve to slide up next to her on my stomach and ask her what she was thinking. I wished I could hold her hand. I wished I wasn't such a coward.

But instead I decided sneaking some cookies was a lot safer.

"Anybody want some of my mum's cookies?" I asked, standing up and heading toward the kitchen.

"I'll help you." Hermione said, jumping up and following me to the kitchen. Okay, maybe cookies weren't so safe after all.

We entered the kitchen and I went for the cookies while she rummaged through the refrigerator for the pumpkin juice. I turned to the table and set the cookies down.

"Ron?" Well, good bye Ron Weasley, sanity was nice while it lasted, but this woman is bound and determined to send you off the deep end.

"Yeah?" I tried to sound casual, but I have a feeling it was a failed effort.

She came over to my side of the table and set the glasses down, "I'm confused, and I'm scared."

"About tomorrow?"

"Yes, but not just about tomorrow." she turned toward me.

"Then what about?" I asked, my heart pounding against my ribs, "What's wrong Hermione?"

She took a deep breath and slowly let it out, "There's something I want to say, but I don't want to say it now. I don't want to say it before tomorrow night because saying it will only make tomorrow harder. I keep remembering back to the letter. 'The final quest' it said. That seems like so long ago. I've been wanting to say this...thing, ever since then. But I'm not going to say it, not tonight, not until this thing, whatever it is, is over and done with. Do you understand?" she put her head in her hands and rubbed her face, groaning.

"I think I might." I said.

She looked up at me and took a step closer, "But, I'll never forgive myself if I don't DO the thing I've been wanting to do. After everything we've been through for Harry and Hogwarts, I will not go on this so-called final quest without it."

I was breathing heavily and I think I started to get light headed.

"We might die and I will NOT die without knowing what it feels like..." she reached her hand up and grasped my neck. She raised herself to my level and her nose touched mine, tentatively she let her lips brush mine. Suddenly the world around me became amplified. All at once I was acutely aware of every place where we were touching, her hand on my neck, her breasts pressed softly against my chest, her knee grazed my leg, and her foot sat right up against my toes. She let her hand travel up into my hair as a few timid pecks turned into a steady kiss. She took my arm and moved it around her waist until it rested on her soft hip. At first, the kiss was sweet and full and so very Hermione, but then I felt the heat and suppressed passion come slowly from the bottom of my stomach up into my chest. She parted her mouth to grant me entry and as I slowly let my tongue play with hers, she let out a little gasp. I put my other arm around her waist and pulled her to me. The desperation of the coming quest and all of the pent-up tension between us was pouring out. It seemed to fill the windows and seep under the doors out into the night where it could dissipate. Right then, there was nothing in the world except Hermione, and the way it felt to put my arms around her and the pure adrenaline that was coursing through every part of my body as she kissed me, and kissed me.....and kissed me. This was happening, and it was real, and it was right, and it made me feel wicked. Electricity seemed to pulsate through us. I can't remember a time when I felt more important than in that moment, in my mother's kitchen, kissing Hermione. She whispered my name. Slowly, we broke away and just stood, holding onto each other for what didn't seem like long enough.

"Hermione, I-" she put her finger up to my mouth and quieted me.

"Don't. Not until after everything is over. Not a word. I just want to be here, with you, right now, not talking about anything."

She looked up at me and a tear rolled down her cheek. She buried her face in my chest and I tightened my arms around her. I closed my eyes. In that moment I realized just how scared she was. The girl who wasn't afraid of anything was frightened out of her wits. And that in itself was enough to leave me truly terrified.