Disclaimer: I own this? You must be joking...

Author's Notes: Thank you to my beta reader - Kyra from Accio Firebolt! This was written on the spur of a moment, so it's sort of rushed. Oh well. It pleases me anyways. R/Hr.

Never Before

The wind blew harshly as they piled into the car. It crept in through the window cracks; even the heater didn't help. After loading everything into the trunk, Mr. Weasley turned the key in the engine and they were off to King's Cross.

There was much chatter among the car's occupants; even the bitter cold couldn't keep the talking to a low. Except for one person. She sat alone by the window, her eyes hooked on nothing in particular on the other side of it. Her old Gryffindor scarf was wrapped around her neck and chin, covering the shoulders of her cloak, and the few scars on her left shoulder. The earmuffs that were wrapped around her ears wouldn't contain her head of bushy brown hair. She didn't even bother trying.

Ginny sat at her side, talking animatedly with George about something that didn't hold Hermione's attention. She was not going to let anyone else see her pain.

As a solitary tear trickled down her cheek, she wiped it away with the back of her hand. But then more came. Silent tears flowed down her face as she thought of its cause. Her scarf caught the monsoon of sadness.

Dumbledore had contacted the Burrow a week ago to say that the war front was near. Three people were needed to help the cause and end the war. Harry had volunteered first, but Dumbledore said that his part was done with the war. Mr. Weasley, Fred, George were unable to go due to work. That left Bill, Charlie, and Ron. And that was what had caused the flood of tears. Ron was leaving.

As Fred opened the window to spit out his gum, a gust of January wind made its way through the car, causing many to shift to one side. Ginny was rammed into Hermione, noticing her tears.

She didn't even bother to ask what was upsetting her. Everyone knew, except for Ron of course, being the oblivious git that he is. Ginny pulled out a tissue and handed it to Hermione.

Hermione gave her a weak smile and nodded in appreciation. Ginny shifted back to her normal position, but continued to keep an eye on Hermione.

As the car screeched to a halt in the lot of the station, everyone piled back out of the car and unloaded the three trunks. Harry and Ron carried Ron's trunk, Bill and Fred to Bill's, and Charlie and George to Charlie's. The rest followed.

The group was quite a sight to see in King's Cross, all with red hair less two. Luckily there were no screeching owls or hissing cats this time.

The three departees held onto their tickets tightly, going against the wind. The tickets were not for a journey on the Hogwarts Express, as they were accustomed to, but to a place in Scotland where they'd be meeting a few of the fellow Order of the Phoenix members.

After loading their luggage onto the train, it was time for farewells. Mrs. Weasley broke down into tears as she almost crushed her three sons in the hugging process.

"Stay safe, now! Don't forget to bundle up before going outside! Take care…" the list went on. All three reassured her that they'd be fine.

"Don't do anything we wouldn't do!" George chimed in. Charlie smirked. There wasn't anything that the twins wouldn't do.

When Ginny's turn came, she pulled each of her older brothers into a hug and wished them the best. Mr. Weasley told them to be careful and come home safely. He embraced them as well.

"Take care, mate," Harry grinned at Ron. Ron pulled him into a hug, or more like a one-armed one. Harry had confidence in him. He shook hands with Bill and Charlie, and then stepped back with the rest of the Weasleys.

When Hermione's turn came, she gave Bill and Charlie farewell hugs with ease. But when it came time to say good bye to Ron, her stomach flipped. She was incapable of being in his presence without her nerves taking over.

"Bye, Ron," Hermione mumbled softly; barely looking up. This was hard. And nothing was hard for Hermione. Finally looking up, she saw his face. It was tense and expecting. He was expecting something else, but she didn't have the courage to go on. A tear formed in her eye and silently made its way down the side of her face.

Losing herself, she nearly flung her arms around Ron's neck and let the tears flow. He rested his head on hers, comforting her. He had no idea that this was going to happen. No idea.

"It's okay, Hermione. I'm coming back. Harry came back, didn't he?" His attempts to make her feel better helped, but the tears kept flowing. Not wanting to keep everyone else waiting, he was about to let go. But then something stopped him.

"I love you, Ron," Hermione whispered. She wiped away her tears and loosened her grip on him. She slowly turned around and walked back to the group. Ron was at a loss for words. He had no idea how to take that statement, whether it be in a caring and platonic way, or something more than that, he was unable to tell.

Hermione is one of my best friends, of course she's supposed to care about me. Then his conscience took over. But what if… His thoughts trailed off as Mrs. Weasley led the three of them towards the train. He looked back at the crowd. As his eyes slid over to Hermione, who was leaning on Harry's shoulder for support, it hurt him to see her like that.

"Hold on, mum," he turned back to Mrs. Weasley. Then he broke away from the group, heading back towards the rest of his family, who were getting ready to leave King's Cross. "I'll meet them on the train!" he yelled back to her. She nodded and Bill and Charlie followed her.

"Hermione!" Ron shouted to her back while everyone kept on walking. She glanced back over her shoulder at the sound of his voice. He motioned for her to come over to where he was standing. She broke away from the group.

"Sorry," Hermione said before he even had the chance to start. No tears flooded from her eyes this time.

"What?" Ron asked, confused.

"Sorry for what I said. I shouldn't have said that," she looked him in the face. "But I meant it."

Ron returned the look. Her eyes were full of forlorn. And once again, it hurt him to see her in pain or full of sadness. And then it hit him. He felt incredibly stupid.

And about to become even more incredibly stupid than he already was, he bent down and pressed his lips on hers. Never before had he done something so… he couldn't think of any way to put it.

Hermione draped her arms around his neck, though not clinging to it this time. She had never felt better in the past nineteen years of her life.

After it ended, Ron's ears turned Weasley red. "I'm sorry, Hermione. I have to go. I'm sorry," he repeated, truly sorry. He didn't want to go anymore, but he had to. Hermione gave him a weak smile, and then nodded, understanding. She gave him a quick hug.

"I love you too, Hermione," Ron returned the favor. He planted a kiss on her cheek, and then turned to leave reluctantly.

"Bye, Ron," she smiled weakly again. Then as she turned herself around to head towards the car, it jumped at her. Half the Weasleys had been witnesses, with Harry and Ginny leading the pack. She glared at them, then gave a laugh. It was bound to happen sooner or later.

Fin.

Author's Notes: This was a little plot bunny of mine, waiting to be written. I know it was a little rushed at the end, but sometimes it has to be.