Disclaimer: ALL JKR's you know the drill

a little H/G in this chapter...

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Chapter Two: Can Love Last?
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"GINNY, I OWE YOU FIVE GALLEONS!" Harry shouted to the boys dorms. Ron looked up and let go of Hermione.

"How long have you been watching- WHAT THE RUDDY HELL IS MY SISTER DOING UP THERE?!" Ron demanded.

"Erm, she was…borrowing a book?"

"I didn't see her pass us…how long has she been up there?!" he shouted his face now red with anger.

"Look, it's not what it looks like," Harry attempted.

"Not what it looks like? NOT WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE?! That's what you'll look like if you've done anything to my sister!" he gestured towards the melted coaster lying in the fire.

"Oh I see…I'm not allowed to have any sort of relationship but it's ok for you two to be snogging away while no one's looking?" he shouted back. Hermione blushed.

"Fine!" Ron snarled. "I won't pound you to a mince if you keep your mouth shut about us," he said pointing to himself and Hermione.

"Thanks mate," Harry said, grinning and going back to the boys' dorms.

"Sorry 'bout that…" he mumbled to Hermione. She merely sat on one of the sofas and gazed into the fire. "What? What's wrong?" he asked. She shook her head.

"Nothing," she mumbled. Ron sat down beside her and put his arm around her. He felt her body tense up underneath him and took his arm away. "No, no, it's ok…" she assured him. He put his arm around her again and she rested her head on his chest.

"So…what is the matter?"

"I told you…nothing."

"God, you're a rotten liar, Hermione. C'mon. Fess up."

"I'm just…confused," she sighed, "I mean, just this morning I was so angry at you and I could've thrown you out the top window of Gryffindor tower…but now…" she trailed off.

"Now?"

"Now, I just…I don't know. I want to forgive you and I want us to be…us, but I don't know how I can put aside our past like that. For years we were at each others' throats and couldn't stand each other, and all of a sudden it's like…none of that ever existed. How can you just let it all go?"

"I- because…because, well I suppose when you fancy someone, other things just don't seem to matter." Hermione looked up at him

"You- you fancy me?" she stammered.

"I reckon I do."

"I think I fancy you back," she said with a grin. He held her waist with his free arm and rested his head on hers. Hermione moved closer to him and buried her face in his shirt. He smelled like cinnamon mixed with some kind of aftershave. She inhaled deeply and sighed. She loved being in his arms…it gave her a sense of security and made her feel wanted. It was nice. She knew now that she really did love him. "Ron?" she mumbled into his shirt.

"Hm?" he replied.

"Do you love me?" Ron didn't answer. Did he love her? Or was it just "infatuation". Well, he liked her…he really liked her.

"Erm, love's a strong word…"

"You can say 'no'"

"But I don't want to say 'no'…I just don't want to say 'yes'"

"I see…" she said, trying to sound understanding. He didn't love her. That was fine; she could live with that…well, no. No, she couldn't.

"Hermione?" She was crying again.

"W-What?"

"Did you- I mean- Are you ok? Have I done something?" he said looking rather worried.

"No…"

"Then what's wrong?"

"There's nothing wrong…I just need time to think, that's all."

"Oh," he said, releasing her from his arms. She gave him a swift peck on the cheek and headed for her dorm room. Ron tangled his fingers in his gingery mop of hair and let out a sigh.

"Am I that bad at talking to girls?" he asked himself. He got up off the sofa and climbed the stairs to the boys' dorms. He opened the door to find Harry folding his school shirts and placing them on his bed. He gave Ron a wry smile.

"So, how'd it go?" he asked, winking.

"Not good," Ron replied. "She got all sad and said 'she needed to think' which basically means 'that was a one-off and I never want to talk to you again.'"

"Yeah. That's it." Harry said, rolling his eyes. "Maybe she really does need to think, ever consider that?"

"What's there to think about?" he demanded, flopping onto his bed.

"Well…maybe she wasn't quite ready for…what happened…" Ron didn't answer. He only stared at the canopy above his bed. "Or maybe you said something that she didn't want to hear?" Ron's heart sank as he remembered Hermione asking him if he loved her.

"Maybe…" he muttered.

"Oh Merlin, Ron, what the ruddy hell did you say to her now?"

"Nothing! You keep out of this!"

"Fine, fine…" He returned to folding his clothes.

"I'm hungry, let's go get Hermione and Gin- wait- where's my sister?!"

"Oh, right. She left." Harry mumbled, careful to avoid Ron's eyes.

"She did not! We would've seen her pass us in the common room! She-" Ron paused to think, "she's in here, isn't she? Isn't she?!"

"No idea where you're coming from, mate." Harry said casually. Ron ignored him and got up to search under the beds. "Good luck, she'd not under the-" THUMP. The noise was coming from the bathroom.

"Aha!" Ron strode across the room and opened the bathroom door to find his little sister staring him in the face.

"Ron! Fancy meeting you here," she said timidly.

"What the bloody hell have you two been up to- No, no don't tell me I don't think I want to know."

"You're right. You don't." she said.

"Oh God, just- just get out…"

"Why should I? I was here first!"

"It's a boys' dorm! And you're- well, you're a girl!"

"Ooh, congratulations. Took you four years to realize Hermione was one," she said, raising an eyebrow.

"Stuff it!" he spat.

"Bye, Harry. I'm not wanted here," she said coolly, walking past Ron and planting a kiss on Harry's lips.

"Oh get a room!" Ron scowled.

She broke away and cast an icy glare at Ron, "for your information, we had one! But you," she waggled a threatening finger at ron, "came barging in!"

"Just- oh, bugger off…"

"Will do," she snapped and marched out the door. Ron sat on his bed and buried his face in his hands. Keep your mind off relationships, Weasley. "Why'd you owe Ginny five galleons anyway?" he asked, changing the subject.

"Oh, that…we had a little running bet to see how long it would take for you and Herm- sorry- 'Mione to confess your feelings for each other and have a little snogfest. I said it would be at least seventh year before you two got together…"

"Well…we're not really 'together', so she hasn't won yet."

"Oh, Please! I saw what happened earlier in the common room."

"Yeah, there was more to that than what you saw."

"Like?"

"Nothing."

"Oh go talk to her, Ron!"

"I can't" he mumbled. Harry threw a shoe at the back of his head.

"What the- are you trying to kill me?!"

"No! I'm trying to get you to come to your bloody senses and TALK TO HER!"

"Fine, but if anything bad happens you'll be joining Malfoy in the hospital wing…there's more punches where that one came from."

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"Hermione?" came a muffled voice from behind the girls' dorm door. "Hermione, open up…"

"Ooh, who is it Hermione?!" Parvati giggled.

"Stuff it, will you?" she spat and walked over to the door. She opened it slightly and slipped out quickly before Parvati and Lavender caught sight of who was standing outside. She closed the door slowly and found herself pressed up against Ron's chest. "Oh, um- hi," she whispered.

"Hi. Erm, listen…I wanted to talk about earlier." He started. She had a "this-isn't-the-time-or-place" look on her face.

"There's nothing to talk about," she said quickly.

"Nothing?! There's plenty to talk about!"

"Ron, please, I really, really don't want to talk about this right now," she said desperately. She was unbelievably cute when she was angry; perhaps that's why he always provoked her. He loved the way her cheeks turned red and her face tensed up. He had to kiss her. He leaned forwards and pressed his lips to hers. He felt her gasp into his mouth but he didn't care. He loved the way she tasted and the way she felt in his arms. Then it hit him. He loved Hermione Granger.

"R-Ron!" she hissed, pulling away from him. "You cant just start snogging me every time we start-"

"I love you."

She stood, bewildered, staring into his stormy blue eyes, "You- you what?"

"I said I love you, Hermione. I'm sorry it's taken me six years to realize it, but I love you." For what seemed like the hundredth time that day, Hermione felt hot tears stinging her eyes once more. She blinked to let them flow down her cheeks and land on her jumper.

"I love you back," Hermione whispered. She felt his warm hands holding her face as he stared into her eyes. It was her turn to make a move. She lunged towards him and captured his lips with hers. She felt his tongue trace her bottom lip and opened her mouth to deepen the kiss. Her arms wrapped around his neck as his hands held her by the waist. They would have stayed like this forever if a door behind them hadn't opened.

"Ooh, isn't this sweet?" It was Lavender. "Granger and Weasley sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

"Get lost," Ron muttered at her and returned his gaze to Hermione. "Erm, shall we go down to dinner then?"

"Definitely," she said releasing him from her arms. Hand in hand, they walked down the stairs and across the common room. Hermione's head was spinning a bit but she concluded that her illness from that morning hadn't worn off. As they approached the Fat Lady's portrait, she felt very dizzy. She tripped over her own feet and went flying out the portrait hole.

"Hermione!" Ron called as he rushed out to help her up. "Are you ok? What happened?" he asked, his voice very shaky.

"I just sort of…tripped. I'm ok though…" she said calmly, getting to her feet.

"You sure?"

"Positive." Wondering what was wrong with her, Hermione took Ron's hand once more and they made their way down to the Great Hall for dinner.

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What's wrong with Hermione?? Chapter 3 coming soon!

Its nice to know that at least someone likes my story :D thats cool

--going camping today so i wont have chap 3 up until next week