Hermione slowly followed Ginny through the portrait hole. As she entered instead of the icy stares she'd been expecting for days she was met with smiles.

"Where have you been?" Neville nearly shouted, rushing over to her. "I was about to die! I couldn't remember if you say 'Visior tomo' or 'Visior tama' for that one darkening charm, and somehow I ended up turning Trevor purple. I've been wondering where you were for you for days!" He said, dragging her over to where a very plum colored Trevor sat on a table, looking rather subdued.
She looked around as Neville continued to explain his spell gone-awry, but didn't see Harry or Ron anywhere in the room. She saw other Gryffindor students though, that had stayed at school for the holidays. She smiled around the room shyly at first, and others, recognizing her as their head girl, smiled back.

She felt waves of relief come over her. For days now it had felt like there were thousands of snakes writhing around where her stomach had been each time she thought of facing everyone. She was so relieved that Ron had kept what had happened to himself…But at the same time it hurt her. She almost felt worse about what had happened, like she deserved to have everyone look down on her.

She shook herself mentally, she couldn't be so hard on herself. After all it was only one kiss…And she already had plenty of consequences to face. The thought of Draco alone still upset her terribly. She helped Neville put Trevor back to his old brownish green and then sat by the fire, sucking on sherbet lemons and talking with Ginny and a few other 6th years about their plans for summer holidays.

She had almost forgotten all of her worries when the portrait hole swung open and Harry, Ron, and Dean all walked in. She felt like all the air in the room had suddenly been sucked out, and again she had the squeezing feeling in her chest. She looked at them for a moment but then when she sensed Ron about to look her way, turned her gaze quickly back to Ginny and tried to smile, as though still deep in conversation.

She watched them walk all the way past in her peripheral vision and sit in a corner in a few armchairs around a table and fall into conversation. She took a deep breath after what felt like 5 minutes and tried to continue small talk with Ginny and the others. As the late evening progressed into early morning people slowly left the common room.

One by one students trickled out until Harry, Ron, Dean, Ginny, Lavender, and Hermione herself were left. Lavender and Ginny, still giggling about the attractive new Ravenclaw keeper, decided to retire, and Dean left soon after, claiming he had to have his beauty rest if he wanted to be fresh for a good New Year's party the next day.

Awkward silence filled the room as Hermione remained in her station by the fire and Ron and Harry sat in the corner. She heard furtive whispers, but couldn't make out what they were saying, as she stared determinedly into the dying flames. She heard someone climbing the stairs a few moments later, and then silence again fell over the common room once more.

After what felt like a year she slowly turned her head and looked back at the table. Ron was sitting there quite still and silent, looking down. He seemed to be trying to appear bored, but the expression around his brow and eyes was all too easy for Hermione to read. It was his pensive and concerned look. The look of deep thought he adopted when concocting an unbeatable strategy in chess or trying to work out a difficult star chart in Astronomy. Only now it seemed a much weightier issue on his mind.

Hermione lifted her hand from the arm of the chair which she had been gripping tightly, and realized it was shaking. She put it back down quickly, and swallowed hard. At last she stood up and turned to face Ron, her hand still clenched over the top of the chair. She stood there for a moment, looking at him, and he slowly looked up and stared at her in return. Her heart felt like it was being crushed in a fist, and she froze, unable to move, to speak, as he looked at her in distant a way that made her feel like a stranger. Ron studied her for a moment longer, and stood up as well, and walked stiffly over to the foot of the stairs leading to the boys' dormitory.

"WAIT!" Hermione managed to blurt as he put his foot up on the first step. And to Hermione's surprise he did. He stopped moving, but remained with his back to her. She gathered her wits as quickly as she could and began to speak, if only to keep him there a few moments longer.

"Ron…Ron. Ron, Christmas. I'm so sorry. It was all just a stupid mistake—a big stupid idiotic mistake. And I know it's probably hard for you to understand…I can't really understand it myself—but I do know it never should have happened, and I'm really sorry for hurting your feelings. You know I would never do anything to hurt you intentionally."

She was going to continue, but then he turned to face her and she felt herself tongue-tied. His eyes shone, and she couldn't tell if it was just the gleam of the firelight, or tears, but he looked at her with such hurt that she couldn't go on. How could she have any excuse? She'd hurt one of her best friends…Badly.

He didn't speak, but he didn't leave either. As he stood there Hermione knew she couldn't take it much longer. She loved him so much her heart felt like it was so full it was going to burst, and she couldn't keep it inside.

"Ron." She finally said, her chest swelling as she gathered every fiber of remaining courage she had. "I can't make any excuse for what I did, because I hurt you. And it breaks my heart to see you hurt, because…" And suddenly as she looked into his eyes she felt her lungs clench. Breath wouldn't come. "B-because." She stuttered. Her eyes swept down to the floor and she wrung her hands furiously.

She heard a sweep and a step and turned her gaze upward to see him starting up the stairs.

"Ron, I love you." Hermione called, the words tumbling out of her mouth before she could think or breathe or worry.

Again Ron stopped, this time, his back still turned.

"I love you Ron." Hermione repeated quietly. "And I know it's late for me to do all this…and I'm sorry it took so long…But Ron for the first time in these 7 years I really see you. I can see all that we've made it through, all we've shared. And I realized that I love you…Not like I love Harry or my family or anyone else, Ron. I—I'm in love with you."

Her eyes shone as she looked up at his motionless form. Then slowly, quietly, he turned.

"Hermione." He said, his eyes welling with tears. "Hermione. You don't know how long I've waited for you to say that…I…God…I love you so much." he choked, the tears he'd fought off so well up to this point tumbling down his cheeks.

"Ron." Hermione breathed, everything in the world melting but her and him and the distance between them. She didn't recall either of them walking toward one another, but then she felt the warmth of his face near hers, arms on her waist and her fingers in his hair. "Oh Ron." She murmured, her eyes overflowing and cascades sliding down her face and dripping off her chin.

They buried their words and tears in kisses as their lips met deliriously, feverishly, and their hands roved. The stirring that had hidden for so long deep in the pit of Hermione's stomach awoke and buzzed and tingled and filled her from head to foot. Blood roared in her ears and all she could taste and smell and feel and breathe was Ron, Ron, Ron. And it was all she wanted, and needed, forever.