Chapter Seven

A/N: If I owned Harry Potter, you'd know it. To all my lovely reviewers, you are the most awesome people on this planet! –Gives virtual hug- Enjoy this chapter, sorry it's kinda short, but remember, this is my first FanFic, so bear with me here.

"Thanks a lot, Harry!" Ron shouted. "She was finally about to tell me what was going on, and you bloody ruined it!" He whirled around and ran upstairs to the dormitory, where he grabbed a bag of floo powder. He ran back down to the common room, tossed some in the fire, and shouted, "The Burrow!"

Ron had never liked floo powder. It made him dizzy and sick, but it was fast and convenient. And right now, he needed to talk to the family experts on women: the twins, Fred and George. Fortunately, they were sitting at the kitchen table when Ron came spinning out of the fireplace.

"Hey Ronniekins!" the twins chorused, identical evil grins on their faces.

Ron gritted his teeth and ignored the comment. "I have to talk to you," Ron said. "It's about-"

"A certain brunette with brown eyes who you have been drooling over since first year?" Fred finished for him, still grinning like a maniac. "Took you bloody long enough to ask, Ron!"

Ron's ears turned a dangerous shade of red, matching if not surpassing the color of his hair. "Well, now that you mention it," he said, forcing himself to remain calm, "it is about her. I – I've liked her as...more than a friend since first year. And I finally told her, because Harry said she had feelings for me, which she apparently doesn't, because when I told her, I kissed her, and she ran away! Then when I'm talking to her about it, she starts to tell me something, and Harry – bloody git- barges in on us and she runs away again, and now I don't know what to do or what to think and since you two know everything there is to know about women, I thought I'd ask you." Ron was now red not only on his ears but everywhere else as well.

Fred leaned back and said, "Ron, you are such a prat! Bloody hell, Ron, she's liked you since your third year!"

Unable to speak, Ron spluttered in utter confusion.

George sighed, "Ron, do you remember what she told you happened last summer?"

"'Course I do-"

"Her parents just got a divorce, right? Well the way I see it, she's fighting with herself over her feelings. She really wants to be with you, but she's terrified at the same time-"

"Terrified of what?"

"Ron, shut up and let me finish. She's terrified of ending up like her parents. She doesn't want to get hurt."

Ron stood there processing what George had just told him. She was afraid...suddenly all the things that had happened made sense: why she had run away, why she was crying after he yelled at her, and the first day on platform 9 3/4...

"What do I do?" Ron asked.

Hermione was sobbing again. How could this be happening to her? She loved Ron so much, why couldn't she just tell him? Because you're afraid, a small voice said from the back of her mind. All you have to do is get over that fear. Hermione sat up and dried her tears. She couldn't face Ron looking like she did, with her eyes all puffy and red from crying. With a quick flick of her wand, she got rid of the puffiness and the color returned to normal. Taking a deep breath, she made her way back down to the common room. Ron was sitting in the chair she had sat in only an hour before.

"Ron..."

"Hermione, you don't have to say anything," Ron said. "I know."

"You know what?" Hermione felt her heart racing in her chest; it was beating so loudly she was sure someone would hear it any second.

"I know what you meant when you said you were afraid. And I want you to know, Hermione, I love you, and I would never, ever hurt you. Never." With that he walked over to her and pulled her against him in a very tight hug. Suddenly Hermione's courage came rushing back to her, and she leaned up and kissed him.

When they broke apart, she said, "I love you, Ron. I love you."

He smiled the adorable lopsided smile that made her heart melt and kissed her again, and for just a second, Hermione felt the world around her fade away, leaving only the complete perfection of the kiss.