A/N: Not as many reviews as I expected, but I will remain loyal to those who have. Here's another chappie. Enjoy! :D

Disclaimer: ok I'm not gunna do this evry chapter but this is the last time so u guys get the idae that i' m not JK! : 0 Well... now on with the story. : )

Ch 11 Understanding

Ron lied there contemplating the day's events. As much as he didn't want to admit it, Hermione was right; they were all right. But he still felt mad and very guilty and distraught over the fact that Hermione said she was "immune to his insults". Had their innumerous disputes been that severe? Did she mean all those things she said? If she did, that said a lot about his character in her perspective. A plethora of questions and emotions zipped and whirled through his mind like a washing machine to the point where he couldn't take it anymore. He got up and started pacing around the room.

"Aw Bloody Hell Ron! What's wrong with you? Because of your so-called Big Mouth everyone's mad at you. Hermione's got the worst opinion of you. Ginny, my little sister, how could I do that to her? I embarrassed her in front of Harry. And speaking of Harry, Err... I mentioned Cho and they had just recently broke it off. Oh don't forget Ron you pissed off your mother. Uh!!! Only you can botch everything up this badly." He said scolding himself and smacking his head. "I mean what happened today? Everything was going fine and now I'm hear and everyone's out there wanting to rip me to shreds." He sighed heavily and sat back down. "But the worst thing is I don't see how Hermione would ever return my love even if I did tell her." He said sadly. Feeling thoroughly exhausted, he lied back down thinking of her and drifted to sleep.

Meanwhile and before that.

Hermione arrived in Ginny's room to console a still sobbing Ginny. Ginny had taken off the clothes, laid them on the bed, and put on a pair of faded jeans and a white tee.

"Ginny. I brought you some tissues." Hermione said softly and walked over to her sitting on her bed.

"Thank You," she said in a muffled tone grabbing the tissues.

"Oh It's ok Ginny. You want to talk about it?" Hermione said patting her back. Ginny sat up and faced Hermione. Her eyes were puffy and irritated from crying. Tears flowed freely and her face remained contorted with anger.

"Yeah I hate Ron! I hate him with a passion!"

"I don't blame you for saying that, but you don't mean it. You're just angry with him right now."

"Anger is an understatement. Hermione he embarrassed right in front of everyone. I mean I don't go around telling his secrets and business. And he called me a little girl!"

"I know and what secrets?" Hermione asked curiously. Ginny ignored her.

"Why does he think he knows what's best for me?"

"Gin-"

"And you know what the worst thing is Hermione? He's right."

"Right about what?"

"That Harry will never go for me or any guy for that matter. I mean look at Cho. I don't look half as good as her. I'm just ugly and being stupid." She said crying more.

"No, no, no! Ginny, he's wrong and so are you."

"No he's right."

"No Ginny you don't know what you're talking about."

"Yes I do."

"Don't talk like that Ginny." Hermione said disappointedly.

"Why not it's the truth, and you might as well take the clothes back too. They won't do any good on me!"

"No!" Said Hermione, as she sat at the foot of Ginny's bed. "Now I want you to listen to me. You know what I see when I look at you, a beautiful, smart, young woman. You're not ugly and definitely not stupid. You're very fun to be around and any guy will have you."

"Not Harry. He'll never notice me. There are better... prettier... girls than me at school. I'm just a face in the crowd."

"So that's what this is about. And really we all are a face in the crowd.You know there are lots of other guys at school too. It doesn't have to be Harry. You can't be stuck on him forever."

"Oh Hermione I can't help it. I'm just drawn towards him. He's so hot. Haven't you felt like that about anyone?"

Hermione's mind flashed to that night her and Ron had shared their first kiss and how good it felt his mouth move on hers, and his arms wrapped around her. She couldn't help herself. She was just drawn to him like a magnet as well. Remembering that she was supposed to be mad at him and what she was initially talking about, quickly shook off the memory.

"Well...yes I have." She said turning slightly pink. "But that's not the point. What I was trying to tell you Ginny is that you are beautiful and don't kick yourself down because of what Ron said. Don't let him get to you ok. If I listened to every mean or rude thing Ron said to me in the past I would be crying all day and that's a waste of time. Plus Ron doesn't mean it and apologizes for it later. He tends to talk before he thinks about how something he says might affect the other person. And let me give you some advice." Hermione paused and Ginny stopped crying and looked at her attentively. "You can't beat yourself up over your looks. You've got to either use what you got and learn to live with it or change it. But I think you look fine."

"Well I'm not naive. I know what guys look for in girls. They look for..." She was searching for the words and then looked at Hermione up and down. "Well. You! I don't look anything like you. You're beautiful!" Hermione blushed very flattered by her words.

"Um Thank you Ginny, but It took me a long time and a certain incident to want to change. Before I was always picked on about my hair. You've heard Draco, Pansy, and the others. Well as time passed, I've learned to ignore them instead of moping about it. I thought nothing was wrong with my hair until I decided to change it. But you should change something for you not anyone else you know. Like I said before you are beautiful and have natural assets. I can teach you something to get you started. All this is actually just makeup, a straightening solution, and a new dress." She said modestly.

"Really you will." asked Ginny skeptically.

"Of course I will if you want me to, but remember it's not the most important thing."

"Ok." Ginny said with a smile.

"Is that a smile I see?" Hermione said smiling. Ginny blushed and smiled even wider.

"Now that's the Gin I know and saw this morning. It's a shame about these clothes and shoes," said Hermione getting up and hinting to Ginny by picking them up and folding them up again. "Where will they go? Maybe to the local thrift store or something you know unless..."

"Ok I get it of course I want them. I was just upset when I said that. But why did you buy me so many when you could have bought yourself more?" Hermione stopped what she was doing and came over to Ginny again.

"Because I don't need anymore clothes and I wanted to. You're really my only girlfriend, and you're like a sister to me. And I figured that you being the last born, the only girl, and you're mum not really into the fashions of today I would help. But mostly because I wanted to."

"You consider me a sister." She asked happily.

"Well yes! I don't have any siblings. And I've known you almost as long as Ron and you know me. You've been a real friend slash little sister to me." Hermione smiled.

"Really! I feel the same way."

"Really?"

"That's why I'm so happy you come over every summer." She said laughing and smiling. "You try living with a bunch of boys and an old-fashion Mum. Talk about to much testosterone, yelling, and Quidditch talk." They both laughed. "Thank you Hermione. I feel much better." She said giving her a hug.

"Oh you're welcome. What are sisters for? I'm just glad you're feeling better."

"Can you really give me some tips?"

"Well I'm not the best, but I learned a lot over my trip and we've got a whole week." She said smiling. Hermione went over to the clothes and started folding them up again and helping her put them away. Ginny looked her up and down.

"You've changed a lot Hermione." Hermione taken aback by the comment turned to her and laughed.

"Well I like to call it growing up you know."

"Yup and the guys will be all over you come school time."

"Well not the one I want." She said absently.

"What did you say?" Asked Ginny. Hermione realized she let something slip.

"Uh... Nothing." She said too quickly.

"I heard what you said. Who do you like?"

"Uh... forget that! I want to see you in the rest of these." Hermione said trying to avoid the subject.

"Put that down. We can do that later. Come on Herm you can tell me anything."

"Well... ok." Hermione said hesitantly.

"Good now come here. Now, who's the Mystery man. Does he go to our school? Do I know him?" Asked Ginny.

"Yes he goes to Hogworts and you know him very well. You'd be surprised when I say it." Ginny's mind was reeling with excitement due to the fact that she knew whose name Hermione was going to say.

"Ok that only narrows it down."

"Don't laugh."

"Why would I laugh. Now who is it?" Ginny was acting like an eager to tell girl who just heard a good piece of gossip.

"It's Ron." Hermione said softly.

"I knew it! It's about time too." Ginny said with a huge grin and bouncing up from the bed.

"What!?" Hermione exclaimed bemused.

"You two have been obvious for years!"

"We have? No this just came up."

"Hermione please you two are the most clueless people I've ever known!"

"Ginny really."

"OMG! All the glances, the jealousy, and the bickering! The bickering defined it more than anything. I'm just surprised it's taken you two so long." finished Ginny. Hermione was thunderstruck by this news and it showed very clearly on her face. It had dawned on her as her memory went back in time. She had no idea everyone knew this. She wondered if Harry knew. She wondered if Ron knew. Her eyes grew even wider. She was taken out of her thoughts by Ginny.

"Hermione. You ok?"

"I didn't even know or realize." She said as anxiety consumed her.

"It's ok Hermione." Ginny said trying to comfort her. "Well I want to know what triggered it."

"Ok Well it was last year when V- You Know Who...kidnapped me."

"And..."

"Well something happened between Ron and I when he saved me."

"Ron saved you?" asked Ginny surprised. She and the rest of the school had no idea of what happened that night. All they were told was that Voldermort had been apprehended and not to ask the trio anything about it if they didn't want to say.

"Yes. He had taken me to this room. I have never seen it nor knew of it. We were there and I was just so happy and grateful I was away from him..." She said the last word with contempt. "And safe with Ron.But something came over me and I... I..."

"What!?" said Ginny with excitement.

"I kissed him."

"Ahhh!" Ginny squealed ."You didn't." She said with disbelief. She never thought they did that. When Ron spoke of Hermione like that she thought he had just come to his senses.

"Yes I did."

"You made the first move."

"I know, but it was wonderful and reviving. I felt this new sensation all over me. It was great." She said in reverie. "Too great that I had to stop it." She said her dreamy state diminishing as fast as it came.

"Why Hermione?"

"Because. Ron and I are just supposed to be friends. Nothing more was supposed to happen."

"Why couldn't it?"

"Well for one thing I didn't know and I still don't know for sure how Ron felt for real.You know after the kiss. All he said was wow." She added looking at the what-did-I-just-tell-you- expression on Ginny's face. "I wasn't even sure how I felt. And you know I cherish friendships. If I led it on things could get complicated. Things were always complicated when it came to how I felt about Ron." She said distressed and got up and stood by the window.

"I understand, but it seems like you don't feel that way," said Ginny. Hermione turned around to answer.

"But I do, even after the kiss." She retorted then turning back to the window. "I think I do." She said uncertainly and lessening her tone. "All I know for sure is when I looked into his eyes it was different. When I looked at his ocean blue eyes they were warm, comforting, strong, safe... and loving. It was like I could feel him through his eyes. And he knew I was scared and hurt and was saying that everything will be ok. I just stood there basking at them. I don't know what it was but whatever it was I must've had it in my eyes too, because he looked at me the same way." Hermione went to sit down on the bed again. "I just can't describe it with words Gin. It was disembodying. The way I felt about him just changed...everything changed." She finished and her dreamy state returned. Hermione was quiet for a while. Ginny just looked at her in awe.

"Wow. All that in a kiss... in a stare." The way she described how she felt was very touching and deep. It made Ginny wish she had an experience like that, someone like that. Anyone who could make you feel like that was worth anything. After some moments of silence Hermione spoke.

"Ginny I think I..."

"Love him." Ginny finished for her.

"Yes." She said breathlessly yet muffled. Ginny looked at Hermione and saw her crying.

"Aw! Hermione what's wrong?" She said worried. Hermione was just crying still. When she didn't answer, Ginny stood up and put a comforting arm around her. "It's ok Hermione what's wrong?" She said handing her a tissue.

"Oh thank you." Hermione said dabbing her eyes. "It's just that. In all our years of being friends, me and Ron, I-I would've never imagine I'd be falling for him and not know it. I mean we could have had something. But now-" She cried more and made her way to the bed.

"Well Hermione you could still have something with him you know. Um-"

"How could I?" She retorted. "I mean with all the horrible things I just said to him. I bet he hates me now."

"Well he said horrible things about you too."

"But they were true Gin." She said raising her voice. "They were true. I don't like to admit I'm wrong especially with him and when I think I'm not." Hermione turned the other way and wept quietly. Then she spoke. "You know it's funny sometimes..." She said smiling a little. "That even when he's mad at me he still knows me so well." She said laughing a bit. "I'm not even mad at him anymore." She had stopped crying now and laughed a little more.

"Well I am." Said Ginny in a low and irritated tone. Hermione looked at her and laughed. Ginny was compelled to know why she was laughing.

"What?!" Hermione was still laughing making Ginny laugh. "What?!"

"Oh nothing, nothing, It's just what you said."

"Oh ok." Ginny said uncertainly and gave a small laugh.

After that still silence settled. Then Hermione laughed again.

"What is it?" Ginny curiously asked.

"Oh I was just thinking about that time at the ball. When we got into the common room after the Yule Ball. I told Ron that if he wanted to go with me that next time there was a ball ask me first instead of as a last resort. And I remember he made the funniest fish face, but I didn't laugh because I was still so cross with him." She finished managing a smile through the sniffs and tears. After some moments, Hermione stopped crying.

"So you really love him don't you?" Asked Ginny. Hermione looked at her as she made the realization that she never said it out loud.

"Ginny I love your brother, my best friend... I love Ron Weasley." She said smiling widely. "Oh I love him so much, and I'll tell you something that I don't want to admit."

"What?" Ginny asked intrigued.

"Well..." Hermione said reluctantly.

"He's part of the reason I changed."

"Hermione!"

"I know. I know. I sound like some big hypocrite telling you not to change for anyone. But it was just partly, the rest was all me and I still believe in what I said."

"Well It's fine. I just want to know why?"

"Because I've heard him talk of other girls, and I wanted him to notice me a little more." She said putting up her fingers to indicate how much.

"Just like I wanted Harry to notice me a little more. It's ok. It's natural when you like or love someone in your case."

"I guess you're right. When I was at home, I was very confused about this whole thing. I didn't know if my feelings were real, an attraction thing, or just a reaction to the kiss, so I kept fighting it. But you help me figure it out. Thanks so much Gin."

"You're Welcome. It's funny, you came up here to help me and I end up helping you too." They both laughed a little then it ceased.

"Well now that you know how you feel what are you going to do about it?" asked Ginny.

"Absolutely nothing."

"What?!" exclaimed Ginny in disbelief.

"I'm still not sure if Ron feels the same way."

"That's why you should talk to him... Today!"

"No, he's done nothing but argue with me. He's probably annoyed with me right now. Today's probably not good at all." Ginny rolled her eyes.

"Hermione that's just the way you two communicate. I bet if you told each other how you felt, face to face, it'd probably be in a row." Said Ginny laughing.

"Ginny!" Hermione said shocked yet amused.

"Well...It's the truth, but I was joking about the last part...sorta. But really Hermione you need to tell him.

"I don't think I'm ready. I'm not convinced."

"What are you afraid of?"

"I'm afraid he'll reject me." Hermione said nervously.

"Well the best way to find out is to tell him. But you don't have to do it today, but soon before he gets scooped up by another girl." Ginny doubletaked on what she just said, and Hermione raised a dubious eyebrow at her. "Well you know what I meant anyway."

"I hear you, but I wanna see how things play out this week, and please don't tell him."

"Well it's not my place to say, but I think you're making a mistake. You telling him might change his whole attitude this week."

"I'm just not ready ok." Hermione said getting up. "I'm tired of talking about boys. Let's talk about something else."

Just then Mrs. Weasley came in. The girls turned as soon as they saw her.

"You girls alright. I don't exactly know what was said, so I came to see if you were alright." She said sincerely. Ginny sighed and looked at Hermione then spoke.

"Yes mum we're fine now."

"Are you sure?" She said more sincerely and concerned.

"Uh yes Mrs. Weasley." Hermione assured.

"Ok! Well it's kind of late but lunch is ready."

"Ok mum we'll be down in a minute."

"Ok." She said smiling her habitual cheery smile and exited.

"I guess we should be leaving." Said Hermione approaching the door.

"I'm not finished with this Granger."

"Well I am." She went to open the door. Ginny popped up and slammed it.

"Why won't you?" Hermione shot her an irked look.

"Because Gin, I'm not convinced Ok. Now lets go before your mum thinks something is wrong."

"Why not? Evidence is evident." Ginny said with a smirk.

"Well not to me. I'm not just going to jump into an unsure thing. I never do," her voice growing louder.

"But you love him right?"

"Of course you know that."

"Then why-"

"I already told you why."

"But-"

"But nothing. Discussion over ok Gin." She said her tone final. She stared at Hermione's desperate face.

"Fine, fine I won't push this anymore ok."

"Thank you." She said with a lightened expression. Ginny smiled at her friend.

"Let's go."

"Ok." And they headed out the door. Ginny halted suddenly.

"What's wrong?" asked Hermione confused.

"I have to face Harry after what Ron said to him. Oh no! I'm not going to." She said shaking her head and going back into the room.

"Oh don't worry about it. Come on let's go." Hermione said putting a friendly arm around her and walking to the door again. Ginny ducked and headed back in the other direction. "I can't face him. He knows the truth I-I can't Hermione. It's too embarrassing." She said nervously putting her face into her hands and sitting on her bed. "No it's ok. Harry's understanding and a little more sensitive than Ron. I'm sure he won't bring it up."

"No it'll be too...too awkward. No I'll just stay up here with the clothes." She said fiddling with them. Hermione came over to her.

"Gin I understand."

"No you don't!" She yelled exasperatedly. "Do you know how it feels to like someone and know they don't feel the same way?" Ginny lowered her head. Hermione looked at her friend with compassion. "Well, I can understand Gin."

"Really?" She said in a sardonic tone. "You and Ron don't count."

"I wasn't talking about him- and why not?" Hermione asked. Ginny looked up at her with disbelief.

"I'm not even going to get into that again." She said monotonously and lowered her head again.

"Ginny I thought we were over this."

"You can't expect me to get over him in 10 or 20 minutes do you? Maybe in a year or so-"

"That's it, enough Ginny. You are going to go down there and forget about "the boy wonder" and stop feeling sorry for yourself." Ginny stared at her.

"I don't know if I can." Ginny said sadly. Hermione thought for a while then sat down right next Ginny on the bed.

"I can help you. Tomorrow, it's just going to be you and me all day. There'll be no boys at all tomorrow. Well, at least no Harry or Ron anyway. We will have so much fun that you won't even think of him." Ginny smiled a little.

"But what about today."

"Well you are going to have to endure today, but you will be fine I promise."

Ginny looked at her skeptically. Hermione smiled nudging her with her elbow. Ginny reluctantly gave in.

"Ok. Ok I'll go."

"Yes!" Hermione exclaimed and they walked out the door.

"I'm going to kill Ron for this." Said Ginny. Hermione laughed and they descended.

A/N: Well that's that! Hoped you liked it. Ok Will Ginny be able to face Harry? Will Hermione tell Ron how she feels now that she has realized it? Will Ron ever get it right and keep his mouth closed? Find out next chapter of From Break-up to Make-up and Never Again. PLZ R/R!!! :D