Disclaimer: My sister and I used to have this game called the yes and no game, where you switched the words yes and no, and anything positive with its opposite (like "I love cake" became "I hate cake"). Well, I am currently playing the yes and no game, so the disclaimer reads thus:

I own everything.

You get that?

Niteflite: Sorry, but that's not going to happen. Harry's too honorable to take the credit, and Hermione's smart enough to realize that Ron has been trying unsuccessfully this whole time. Besides, I am one if those "incredibly sappy RHr fans." The only way HHr is going to happen is if I bring back my parody on the love lives of Hogwarts.... (sooo not going to happen b/c that one really stunk...it's gone for a very good reason.) Anyways... I appreciate that you don't want to be responsible for a mauling... though I may have just made myself repsonsible for a mauling...err, well, you'll see (grins evilly). And thanks for the typo check!

Solo Flora: I know, it really is cruel, isn't it? Mwahahahahahaha! This one may or may not be shorter.... I don't really know

Ok, here's the deal.

I could bore you with the details of just how bad a day it was for Harry and Ron, between being late for Potions, forgetting their Herbology homework, and Ron getting glared at all through out the day by Hermione, and by Professor McGonagall in Transfiguration (she obviously knew Hermione didn't know that she was a prefect).

And then you could all murder me for dragging this out for another chapter without any form of a resolution in sight.

Or, I could skip said difficulties and go straight to that evening, after class when Hermione finally learns the truth....

Yes, I think that's what I'll do.

Ready...set...go!

After Transfiguration, Harry and Ron headed back to their dormitory. It had been an exhausting, not to mention horrible day. Ron was trying to look on the bright side, though; at least they didn't have Quidditch practice today- with his luck he'd probably end up getting pummeled with a bludger or something.

It was a mark of just how horrible a state Ron was in that he was actually glad there was no practice. (A/N for details...refer above points to extensive author's note in the beginning)

Ron really hoped that Hermione would listen to Harry when he explained the whole pin issue to her, because he didn't think he could take having to go and explain to McGonagall that he was incapable of informing Hermione himself. That was not a conversation he wanted to have.

Unfortunately, Ron wasn't 100 percent sure that Hermione would listen to Harry, either; she was a bit annoyed at him for being late to Potions and forgetting his Herbology homework. So in the end, all Ron could really do was hope for the best.

Once they arrived in their room, Ron threw his school stuff on his bed and immediately began rummaging around in his nightstand, looking for Hermione's pin. When he couldn't find it at first, he panicked. Then he realized that he had locked it in his trunk so he wouldn't loose it.

"Geeze Ron, calm down," Harry said. "Seriously, I'm getting dizzy just watching you."

"Sorry," Ron apologized, "I'm just...nervous I guess. I mean every other attempt to sort this mess out has failed miserably, so I'm just worried that this one will too."

"Don't worry so much Ron," Harry said, taking the prefect pin from his friend, "I'm sure once I explain everything to Hermione she'll understand and everything'll go back to normal."

"I hope so," Ron said, looking incredibly tired, "because I don't know how much more of this I can take."

"It's ok...I'll go give this to her right now, and she'll be talking to you again by dinner," Harry said cheerfully as he walked out of the room, leaving Ron alone to hope for the best.

Ron sat upstairs for nearly an hour before he decided that if he stayed up there another minute he would go mad. He decided that he would go see if Hermione was back yet; he was sure Harry would have taken her somewhere other than the common room to explain the whole...situation. If she wasn't, he decided he would get some of his schoolwork done; after all, it had been sorely neglected for the past few days.

Ron made his way to the common room, setting his school books down on a table. He absently shooed Crookshanks away after the cat made an attempt to dive-bomb his books. He was about to sit down and start his homework when the portrait hole opened up and Hermione burst through.

She looked rather red in the face, and her hair was unusually frizzy. This, in addition to the fact that she was somewhat out of breath gave her the appearance of one who has just run a rather long distance in a short amount of time. Harry was nowhere in sight, and Ron guessed that wherever he was, he had decided to walk at a more moderate pace back to the common room.

Before Ron knew what was happening, Hermione had thrown her arms around him and was hugging him a bit more tightly than was absolutely necessary... or comfortable for that matter.

"Oh Ron! I'm so sorry! All this time you've been trying to tell me what you'd done, and I kept yelling at you! Oh, I must have been horrible. I'm so sorry... I was just so mad, and then I didn't see the pin in the envelope and I just thought you were being a git when you were actually being decent!" Hermione rushed, still hugging him rather tightly. Not knowing quite what to do, Ron placed his arms lightly around her, feeling rather awkward.

"Err..." Ron began. He mentally smacked himself....what kind of response is that, anyway? Fortunately, Hermione didn't seem to notice. She just continued to hug him. Ron was rapidly becoming very aware that everybody in the room was staring at them. It wasn't until now that Ron appreciated just how many people actually lived in Gryffindor Tower.

Hermione seemed not to notice that Ron had yet to say anything (anything articulate, anyway), and looked up at him, eyes begging for forgiveness.

"It's ok," he said, looking down into her beautiful brown eyes, "if anything, I should be apologizing to you for getting you into this whole bloody mess." It was really one of the more brilliant things he had ever said to her, because in that moment, he sensed that everything was ok; some sort of critical test had been passed, and no trace of the animosity that had been there just a few hours ago remained.

"Oh Ron," Hermione said, "I- ..."

Whatever it was that Hermione had been about to say, nobody ever found out because Ron chose that moment to lean down and kiss her. It was a small, chaste kiss, more of a peck really, than anything else, and it was over before Hermione even had a chance to react.

"Sorry," Ron said, stepping back, "I didn't mean... err... ummm... I just kinda......" He didn't really know what to say, but the fact that she was just standing there, not moving, wasn't encouraging.

"You just kinda kissed me, that's what," she said, her tone unreadable. Also a bad sign. This was not good.

"Yes...I suppose I did...." Ron stammered, not knowing what else to say, and taking another step backwards. He could feel the stares boring into him from the people who were all intent on this exchange. Hermione still hadn't moved. She looked thoughtful for a moment, as if considering something carefully in her mind.

"Oh, what the hell," she said quietly, more to herself than anyone else. With that, she took two purposeful strides, closing the distance between them once more. Before Ron had a chance to move, she captured his face in her hands and planted a kiss firmly on his lips.

A cheer erupted from the people around them.

"Finally!" somebody pronounced, sounding a bit exasperated, and a bit louder than they had intended. Laughter broke out among the crowd, and the two stepped apart, looking mildly embarrassed. Hermione stood on her toes and whispered into Ron's ear.

"Would you like to move this somewhere where we don't have an audience?" she asked, a bit sheepishly. Ron just nodded. It was then that Ron caught sight of Crookshanks, looking rather pleases with himself, over by the pile of homework that he had left sitting on a table when Hermione had burst in. He looked a bit closer.

"Hermione, your bloody cat just... just... went... all over my homework!"

Several people rolled their eyes, while others groaned.

Ron was not the smartest of boys...

---

Fin.

Errr, would it be too much to ask for y'all not to murder me?

SO, what did you think? Yes, no, maybe so? My first multi-chapter fic! Finished!.... but never fear, I have plans...including an Epilogue to "Religion," and a H/G songfic to "Everything You Want" by Vertical Horizon... and maybe something to "Me and the Moon" by Something Corporate... we shall see... so stick around folks... there's plenty more where that came from... and you can trust me to be original and never follow the "formula"...mwahahahahahaha!

Oh, and review for a cookie! (::)