Ron looked across over the hill towards the shrieking shack. It never looked all that scary in the winter, but Ron couldn't help but remember his trip there his third year. When Harry found Sirius and Ron had his leg bit by a rabid dog. Where his pet rat had turned into a human who had been working for Voldemort.

"Are you okay Ron?" Hermione asked him as he stared out towards the shrieking shack.

"Oh yeah," Ron said suddenly snapping back to reality. "I'm fine." He could feel her warmth under his arm. He had completely forgotten he had his arm around her, and although hadn't done it for any reason other than a friendly way of helping her warm up, now that she was warm he didn't want to take it away.

"You two make a cute couple," A friendly female voice said walking up beside them. Ron looked over and turned a deep shade of red when he saw Luna come walking up beside them. A copy of the latest issue of the quibbler rolled up in her cloak pocket.

"Ha," Hermione said simply as Ron took his arm away out of shear embarrassment. He then quickly decided it best to keep from such a topic; he had been trying to do so all day. He had kept from shouting anything to Draco when he called her his girl friend earlier because he didn't want to think about it too in depth. "What's in it this week?" Ron asked with a sound of his normal obnoxious tone.

"In the Quibbler?" Luna asked. Ron nodded and he caught a glimpse of a frown on Hermione's face and he wondered what it was for.

"Well, there was an article on the pixie twins…" she said. Ron heard Hermione's grumbles but to his surprise she didn't start exploding with remarks of how it wasn't true and couldn't be proven.

"The pixie twins?" Ron asked trying to keep a conversation going.

"Yeah, you know," Luna started. "The pixies who look exactly alike and live in dark spooking places together. They are the ones that move things on us when we aren't paying attention. They are the reason we can't find things where we put them."

"Oh," Ron said simply looking around the town. The snow was falling again and if it hadn't begun to grow dark Ron was sure it would have been a pretty site. He looked back towards the shrieking shack.

"You know, are there ever any true articles in that thing other than the Voldemort one last year?" Hermione asked, Ron could tell she was trying to be nice about it.

"They are all true," Luna said showing a sheer bit of frustration. Hermione was never willing to believe any of the stories written in that thing, none of them at all.

Ron took this as a moment to try and stop the conversation at all costs. "You done your Christmas shopping yet Luna?" Ron asked.

"Oh yes," Luna said with a newly lit smile on her face. "I have it all, bough a few more things today to tell you the truth." She held up a few small boxes before putting them back in her pocket.

Ron saw Hermione force a smile on her face, "I just have one person left to shop for, and I am afraid I still have no idea what to get him."

"Him?" Ron asked, his mind jumping to Krum. Why was it she still wrote to him?

"Yes, Him Ron." Hermione said flatly as if she was trying to bug him slightly.

"And who is him?" Ron asked not catching the disappearance of Luna.

"It doesn't matter…" Hermione said with a shrug. This simply just bugged Ron even more. "You aren't still talking to Krum, are you?"

"Why, why do you care?" Hermione asked. Ron had trouble catching any anger in her voice. Ron was suddenly afraid to answer her question. He could lie, or maybe not tell her the whole truth, but he didn't want to take that chance, but he also wasn't ready to tell her the truth.

"I just don't trust him," Ron said simply looking Hermione into the eyes.

"Don't trust him?" Hermione asked and then Ron saw a small smile spread across her face. "Are you jealous Ronald?"

Ron turned a light shade of pink. "If he hurts you, I'll kill him."

"We are just pen pals, Ron." Hermione said as she turned and began to walk away from the shrieking shack.

"But he sure wishes you were something more than that." Ron stated simply.

Hermione stopped and turned to look at Ron. Ron heard her sigh and then she said something he didn't expect her to say. "Yes, your right. He wants to be more. But I want to more than just friends with you…and you won't let that happen. So why must I let Krum and I be anything more than pen pals?"

Ron looked on at her solemn face as she waited for his response. His tongue caught in his throat. It was now, or never. "You mean that?" he asked weakly.

"Yes, I do…" Hermione said, still a small little expression of worry.

"Then, I have no choice…" Ron said simply and after a slow sigh. "Would you like to go out with me?" he asked her. He never got a yes or no answer. Just a tight hug and a simple kiss on the cheek told him all he needed to know.