Thank you to all who have reviewed: eckles, Rutu, and Lost Beauty I really appreciate it. Also...I was planning on this to be a one shot fanfic...but I got the idea (thank you Rutu) for what to happen after the first task. Please enjoy! Disclaimer: I WISH I owned Harry Potter, but the great, wonderful, almighty, amazingJ.K. Rowling does. All HP related things belong to her. Thank you and enjoy the fanfic.

Ron sat silently, his mouth half between a look of dumb-founded ness and a look of pure terror. Before he knew what he was doing…or saying for that matter, he was turning to Hermione and saying, "We're going down there now!"

Hermione just smiled. "I've been waiting for you to say that," she said and, grabbing his hand, pulled him out of the crowds of Hogwarts, Durmstrang and Beaubaxton students.

A few feet from the tent Ron had seen McGonagall pull him into, he pulled away from Hermione. "Maybe this wasn't such a good idea, 'Mione. Really…I don't think this is going to end well." It's odd, he thought. At first, when I saw Harry fighting that dragon…I thought what if he died? And he died knowing I hated him? Now, though, that he's safe…does it really matter?

"Ron…you promised me. You promised…no swore to me you'd talk with him! You swore it!" Hermione yelled at him, stamping her foot.

"Feelings and thoughts change, Hermione. You, of all people, should know that," Ron said quietly, avoiding eye contact with her.

He knew she was going to start crying at any moment now. He just knew it. She always did at a time like this. When faced with a horrible circumstance that you can't deal with, cry. It works! He was surprised, however, to hear no sobs and no "Ron…why are you doing this?"

"You're a real git, you know that?" was what she said instead.

Ron looked up at her in surprise. "What?"

Hermione's face burst into a smile and she laughed slightly. "You're a git and you know it, Weasley! I knew that from the first moment I met you that you were a git! I bet Harry knew that as well…but you know what?" Her face then became serious. "Both Harry and I had been willing to look past that and I know he appreciates more than anything that you were willing to look past the fact that Harry's famous and all and just treat him normally."

Damn, she's good at this, Ron thought. She always was good at bringing up the guilt in people.

"I have been trying for the past few months for you and Harry to realize that you're both only halves of a whole. Apart…you've got no use for that sense of humor and he's got no for being truly happy. Sure, I'm a friend, but you're his best friend, Ron. I'm just someone who really just bumped into you two because I was looking for a toad!" Hermione went on to say.

"No, you're not! You've been a friend to both me and Harry during this entire time!" Ron told her.

"That's just it: a friend. Harry can't have conversations with me about Quidditch or tell stories that I'll understand. Two pieces of bread, one with jelly and one with peanut butter, are no good alone. But when they're put together…it makes a pretty good sandwich," Hermione told him.

Ron stared at her for a moment or two. It was so much like her to try and put it on the contexts of food for him. She knew his greatest weakness was, in fact, food.

She knows me way too well, Ron thought. "Which side of the sandwich am I?" he asked a small smile across his face.

"The peanut side because you stick," Hermione said playfully.

"Hmm…that works," was all he had to say.

For Hermione, he knew when to show her that she's won. He'd just let her do as she pleased without any comments made. He let her grab his hand and pull her towards the tent where Harry was. The scratch marks on her face only showed half of what she was feeling inside when everything happened. She was near tears when Harry got hit by the dragon. Ron had done everything he could possible think of to try and tell her he'd be okay.

Ron's heart was beating a mile a minute. "You can't make me!" he hissed and tried to pull away.

"You-can-do-it!" Hermione said, pulling on his hand.

"I don't want to go!"

"You swore to it! You were going to do it just a few seconds ago!"

He was trying to pull one way, she was pulling him another. One way or another, he'd have to choose a side he wanted to be on. Without Harry…or with Harry.

"What is wrong with you, Ron!" Hermione yelled at him.

"I'm scared!"

Hermione froze. She let go of his hand and stared at him.

"What?"

"I'm scared, alright? I'm scared to see him! It's one thing saying something, but doing is something totally different!" Ron said his head bowed. He had never showed any sort of feelings of being scared around anyone. He had tried to block out that feeling since the ghoul in the attic incident. He felt weak.

Two hands grasped his and held them gently. He knew they were Hermione's for two facts: her hands, compared to his, were probably only a little bit bigger than half the size of his and, two, there was a scar on her hand from where one of the exploding chess pieces hit her hand in their first year.

"Why would you be scared to face Harry?" she asked him quietly.

"After everything I've said…everything I've done…I wasn't there by his side to help kick Malfoy's ass or to help him deal with all those rotten feelings that are felt towards him and…I just feel terrible about it," he whispered.

"Don't be. Think about Harry, though, Ron. All the bad feelings he's going to have towards you as you had for him. He's going to probably feel just as bad for not being by your side when Malfoy tried to kick your ass…but really he wouldn't need to help you…seeing as to the fact that he had a black eye for a week and a half after he made of Ginny in front of you," Hermione said, smiling slightly.

Ron couldn't help but smile as well. Hey, it was Malfoy's own fault for not watching his mouth in front of him. If anyone was going to talk crap about his sister, they were going to pay.

A soft pressure was felt against Ron's cheek and he felt his entire body go red. He watched Hermione break the kiss and smile up at him. He was in pure shock. She waved her hand in front of his face and laughed.

"I knew that would work, now come on," she said and grabbed his hand, pulling him towards the tent.

He suddenly knew what she had done: she had stunned him so it'd be easier to get him to move. He couldn't help but smile. How did she know that would work on him so easily?

God, Harry looked bad when he saw him. Now sooner had they seen each other, had they been pushed out so he could be told about the second task. When he came out, it seemed as though they had never been apart.

"The dragon was awesome looking…at least from a distance, I bet, though," Ron was saying when they past Malfoy.

"So, you and your boyfriend have gotten back together, have you, Weasley?" he sneered.

Ron heard Crabbe and Goyle smirk behind him and one of the best insults he had ever thought of came into his head

Very calm and coolly, Ron responded with, "I see your two boyfriends never left."

There was a moment's pause and then…SLAM! Ron landed face down in the grass, a stinging pain in the back of his head.

It was totally worth it, though, he thought as Harry helped him up.

"Say that again, Weasley. I dare you!" Malfoy yelled.

"It was totally worth it though, you have to admit," Ron muttered to Harry. He muffled his laugh. "I'll take that dare, Malfoy. Don't they smoother you terribly when they kiss you?" Ron asked him.

The Weasley twins, who hadn't been far back in the crowd, came up behind Malfoy and made kissy-kissy sounds. Malfoy whirled around and was about to hit them, when Fred placed one of his Headless hats on top of Malfoy. His head disappeared and George knocked him over.

"Oh my, the headless horseman seems to have lost his horse!" George said through fits of laughter as Malfoy got up and tried to pull the hat off.

"Now he's just headless. See…I put glue in the hat, so if he wants to get it off before the day ends, I suggest doing that soon before his air will run out pretty quickly if you ask me," Fred said.

Ron looked over at Hermione and saw her trying to keep a straight face as Crabbe tried to pull the invisible hat off of Malfoy's invisible head.

"I really shouldn't be laughing…but really…I'm very proud of Fred and George for this idea!" Hermione said. "Brilliant!"

"And we're very proud of Harry! Come on, Harry!" George pulled Harry up onto his shoulders and went, cheering, towards the doors, with other Gryffindor's right behind him cheering as well.

Harry turned around and looked at Ron and Hermione. "I better see you up there, Ron, or I'll go searching for you myself!" Harry called to him.

"What, miss your celebration up in Gryffindor tower? Never! I'll be up there soon!" Ron called to him.

He watched Harry disappear into the castle and then turned to Hermione. She smiled up at him and hugged him.

"I'm also very proud of you, Ron, for actually facing Harry. That was very brave of you," she whispered.

"I had you to help me," he muttered, blushing slightly.

Hermione broke away from him and took his head. "Come on…you deserve a butterbeer," she said and pulled him towards the castle.

FIN