A/N: Okay, since OOTP came out on Saturday, I assumed no one was really gonna be reading this anytime soon, so I just kinda waited to put this one up…so you've all had time to review lots and lots!!! (wink wink, nudge nudge) So I hope you all enjoy this one! Oh, and just to make sure everybody's on the same page, this concludes the last chapter's flashback. Okay? Yay! Hope you all like it!

Lauren

Disclaimer: the fact that I'm admitting you were all too busy reading J.K.'s work to read mine obviously tells you something…

Ooh, and btw, OOTP was soooo good!! Best one yet!!

Chapter Five

How Much Longer?

Hermione woke up with the sun shining in her eyes and her face plastered to the library table. She opened her eyes slowly and stretched out her arms, yawning. She looked at her watch and shrieked. Nine-thirty?!? Oh god! Oh Merlin, oh bloody hell… She slammed her books closed, shoved them into her bag, flung it over her shoulder, straightened out her skirt and flew out the door. She practically slid down the hallways, leaping over students and tables and Mrs. Norris. She leapt up the stairs and was about to turn the corner toward the common room when she felt herself slam into something tall and hard, throwing her (and her victim) ten feet backwards.

She felt herself tumble to the floor against a wall behind her with a soft thud. Her eyes were closed tightly, not sure of what had just happened, but afraid of whatever she would see in front of her. Taking a deep breath, she placed her hands on the floor and pushed herself up against the wall into a sitting position. Almost immediately, she could feel her head pounding from the impact. She rubbed her forehead gingerly and opened her eyes, noticing her bag a few feet away, but just as she crawled over to it, she heard somebody groaning. Looking over, she saw that somebody lying on the floor begin to stir. Oh, please be all right, please be all right… she thought, scrambling over to the poor person.

As soon as she looked at his face, however, her pace paled and she let out a strangled cry. There he was, the guy she was trying to get to forgive her, and she had left him sprawled out across the floor like the chalk drawing of a homicide victim. He ran his hand over his face and growled.

"Oh my god, Ron…are you all right? Oh god, I'm so sorry, I was trying to get to the common room, to get my Transfiguration books, because I just woke up practically ten minutes ago, and I was so late, but I guess I was in such a hurry that--"

"Hermione, did it completely escape your mind during all this that today is Saturday?" he asked slightly annoyed, rubbing his eyes and propping himself up onto his elbows.

She stared at him like a deer in headlights.

"Oh, I suppose that that er, slipped my mind…" she said, wondering when it was that she began losing her marbles. "Oh Ron, I'm so sorry, let me help you up," she said, getting to her feet and offering Ron her hand. It was then that she noticed another victim on the floor.

"Harry? What on earth are you doing down there?" she asked, dumbfounded.

"Oh, that's right…I was walking with Harry to breakfast…I guess the force of you knocked us both down," Ron said with an awkward grin. Harry rolled over onto his stomach with a moan.

"Oh, thanks a lot Ron, I'm glad you thought of me," he groaned. "And holy crickets, Hermione, slow down, you might actually kill somebody running like that," he said, clutching his side as he stood up.

Hermione smiled sheepishly, not quite sure what to say. She picked up her bag off the floor and looked around for a clue as to what to do next. Harry looked at Ron expectantly, thinking he was going to head off down the stairs, but Ron just stood there, still. (a/n: as in stood still, not he was still there) Hermione took this as her hint, and with a meek wave, she began walking back to the common room.

"Well, I'll see you--"

"Hermione, aren't you hungry?" Ron asked curiously. Hermione spun around.

"Hmm?" she asked, wanting to hear him say her name again.

"Well, I mean, it seems like you haven't eaten in ages, Mione, you're always in the library…"

There it was again! Hermione blushed. Well, actually, it's amazing how friendly the house elves in the kitchens can be when you promise to stop trying to free them…she thought, wondering how Ron would act if he knew.

"Why don't you come with us? I'm sure it'll be a pleasant scene change from the piles and piles of books, and it'll be nice for people to actually see you alive these days, conversing normally with real people…what do you say?" he asked, one of his famous lopsided smiles across his face.

A few minutes later, Hermione found herself in a very strange position: other Gryffindors, ones she had completely forgotten about, were talking to her, and she was sitting with her best friends, both of them, wait, all of them, something which hadn't happened since last year. She was feeling…wait, what was the word? Happy? Yeah, that was it. She felt happy. And it was great.

Harry was also happy. It wasn't everyday that your two best friends who fought, dated, broke up, and hated each other became friends again, on their own no less. Above all things, he was feeling proud. Hey, they figured it out on their own for once, and that was something to be proud of, right? Right.

Later that night, after dinner, Hermione took off for the library again; it was hard to break habits. But as soon as she started walking down the corridors, she felt like she was being watched. She turned around, but no one was there. Strange, she though, but continued on her way. Then, as she was going down the stairs, she thought she felt it again, but still, no one was there when she turned around. Okay then… she thought as she continued. Three more times she turned around, but alas, her curious eyes were met with the empty corridors behind her. Reaching her destination calmed her nerves a little though. But then, as she turned the door handle, she felt something tug at her arm, and all of a sudden she was up in the air.

"What the—Ron? What are you doing?" she asked, bewildered. She was quite relieved though that it hadn't been someone else watching her.

"Hermione, have I ever told you that you spend too much time in the library?" he asked, carrying her over his shoulder and taking her upstairs. She beat his back weakly with her fists, not really wanting him to let go, but putting up a fight all the same. It was a little undignified, a Head Girl being carried upside down all around the castle, but she let go of her worries and got swept away in Ron's arms.

He didn't put her down until he reached his final destination--namely, the cushiest couch in the common room—and hid her backpack so she wouldn't have any way of trying to do any homework.

"Mione, it's Saturday, you know that's what Sunday nights were made for! Just relax, all right? No homework, no Head Girl duties…just sitting and relaxing in the common room for you tonight. All right?"

She giggled and felt more than obligated to follow his suggestion.

Not like she had a choice.

Harry and Ginny were more than delighted at the prospect of being in the company of Ron and Hermione in the same room. It brought back a good feeling of completion in the group. The time the spent in the common room together that night was the best time any of them had had in a long time…Ginny, as well as the other Gryffindors, could only hope it wouldn't fall apart again.

A few hours later, Harry and Ginny were lying asleep on a couch in front of the fire, a book open across their laps. Ron was destroying Hermione in a ruthless game of chess, the fifth of the evening. Both had remained silent the entire time, Ron out of concentration and Hermione out of uncertainty of what to say. Occasionally, he would make a sound of victory, and she would groan miserably, but other than that, there was a strong lack of conversation. Until…

"So, Hermione, how does it feel to lose five times? In a row, no less," he asked with a sly grin. Hermione hit him on the shoulder.

"You know, I don't see why you subject me to this kind of torture, Ronald Weasley. You would think you'd be a little courteous and give me half a chance once in a while," she responded just as coyly.

"Oh, so you think you want a chance, eh? And what is it exactly that gives you the impression that you deserve another chance?" he asked, cursing himself as her realized what he just said. (he had meant to say 'a', not 'another'). He flinched slightly as Hermione's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Ooh, you know what Ron, I never would have even tried to make this work if I knew you were going to act like that," she growled fiercely, standing up and making to leave. "…I should have known you would rub it in like that, I--"

"Hermione, stop it right now. You know damn well that our friendship means the world to me, so don't think you're going to make me believe I'm being a bad guy, all right?" he said sharply. Hermione bit her tongue immediately. Oops…well, I feel a bit foolish…she thought as Ron looked crossly at the chessboard.

A moment of silence passed as Hermione looked away awkwardly, What to say, what to say…passing through her head. She sank back slowly into her chair, self-consciously folding her hands in her lap and scrunching up her toes with a little nervous sigh. Finally, she looked up at him. He was fiddling with the bishop, rolling it between his fingers and watching it interestedly. A small smile played across her lips as he pretended to be enthralled by the simple black chess piece in his hand. She slowly reached over and took it from him, causing Ron to look up at her.

"Ron, I'm sorry about what I said, I just…it's hard," she said, and somehow, he understood. They sat there quietly, Hermione now rolling the bishop in her hands as Ron watched out of the corner of his eye.

"Well, I think I'll be going to bed then…I'll see you in the morning?" Hermione asked, placing the chess piece back in its place and picking her sweater up from her chair as she stood up.

"Yeah, see you in the morning then. Goodnight," he answered, smiling up at her. Out of impulse, she leaned over and gently wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a hug, and he closed his eyes, taking in the startlingly familiar scent that floated around her…he knew that smell, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it… Pulling back, she playfully ran her hands through his hair and chuckled, looking down at the now quite disheveled results her hands had left behind.

"So we're friends again?" she asked sweetly, but still feeling a little nervous.

"Do you really have to ask, Mione?" he asked, opening his eyes and looking up at her. "Yes, we're friends again. Best friends," he smiled.

"Good. I missed you, you know," she said, and with that, she retreated to the staircase to her dorm. Before he could respond though, she had made her way up the stairs, walked through the door, and closed it behind her quietly. He watched the door for a few moments, half expecting her to walk back out, but soon realized that that was ridiculous. He turned back around and picked up the bishop, that familiar scent still eating away at his brain. How can I still feel that way? It didn't work the first time, so what the hell am I thinking? Ron nearly glared at the bishop in his hand, blaming it for all of his love problems, but thankfully realized soon enough that the chance of love couldn't possibly rest in a simple chess piece. Ron sat down in the comfiest chair by the fire and watched the flames flicker restlessly. The rest of the night, Ron sat in that chair, frustratingly trying to convince himself that whatever he and Hermione had had was over now, and that was that.

But a tiny voice inside him told him he wouldn't be able to leave it at that.

Okay guys, you know you love me, so please please please review! Thanks!!