Chapter 3: Revision

About three months after Ron and Hermione finally had got together, Hermione was already revising for NEWTs.

"Take a break Hermione, you'll kill yourself at this rate." Ron said one weekend in the common room. "The exams are months off anyway!"

"These are the last exams we will take at Hogwarts." she snapped at them in a stressed voice "We've got to leave a good impression, and your NEWTs results are what employers always look at."

"Ron's right Hermione, you really ought to take a break." Harry added, joining in on the debate.

"Tell you what Hermione, let's go down to the lake for a swim, the weathers nice, and it'll do you good."

"Ok Ron, but one condition, you two start revising next week, and I get to bring a book."

"Fine, so long as you go swimming as well."

"Ok."

Half an hour later Hermione was sitting under the tree by the lake in her swimming costume, watching Ron and Harry run out of the bushes in their swimming trunks (very pleasant), dive into the lake (again very pleasant), and squeal like Dennis Creevy, because it was freezing (not so pleasant just plain funny!). She laughed at them and turned back to the large Arithmacy book she had brought out, she was just beginning to think that she wouldn't lose out on any revision at all, and she might even be able to get a tan at the same time, when a shadow fell over her. Sighing Hermione memorised the page number, and closed her book.

"What are you after Ron? I'm in my swimming costume, what more do you want?"

"For you to get wet."

"But it's freezing in there!" Hermione replied, gesturing towards the lake.

"Tough, we can take it, so you can too!" Ron said scooping her up and carrying her to the waters edge.

"RONALD WEASLEY PUT ME DOWN THIS INSTANT!"

Ron paid no attention, he threw Hermione into the water, then jumped in himself.

"OH MY GOD! IT"S BLOODY FREEZING! RON, I"M GOING TO KILL YOU!"

Hermione elbowed Ron in the stomach, only to get splashed in the face by Harry.

At teatime Harry, Ron and Hermione were still laughing, until Hermione reminded them of their agreement to start revising next week.

The next month the trio were in the common room by the fire. Harry was curled up in an armchair reading "Advanced Defence against the Dark Arts", Hermione was sitting on the sofa well absorbed in "NEWT level Charms". She must have been well absorbed because she hadn't noticed Ron snoring gently on her knee, his face hidden by "An advanced guide to Transfiguration".

"Hermione, I really think that we ought to call it a day now,"

"Harry cant we have another half hour, you and Ron doesn't stand a chance of getting through all my notes otherwise."

"No, Hermione, I feel that I won't remember another thing without sleep, and Ron dropped off an hour ago."

"What?" Hermione picked up Ron's book "Harry, he only got up to page five."

"Well at least he got somewhere, even page five is a feat for Ron."

"It's the contents page."

"Well we'd better take him to bed - remember he did read all your sixth year Charms notes at lunchtime."

"Good point, I'm amazed he made it through them all. We'll know if he took them in when I test you two tomorrow."

Together Harry and Hermione put Ron to bed. After somehow carrying him up to the boys dormitory, Hermione tucked him up.

"Night Ron." she murmured giving him a kiss on the forehead.

The next weekend Ron managed to persuade Hermione to leave her revision notes to go to Hogsmeade with him.

It was a warm day and Hogsmeade was full of Hogwarts students. Ron and Hermione (Harry was in the Three Broomsticks with Neville and Luna) slipped through the crowds and soon arrived at the shrieking shack. As usual, the place was deserted, Ron and Hermione sat on the ground and reminisced of the days when they didn't have to juggle revision as well as classwork, homework and keeping Voldemort away from Harry. That was what was special about Ron and Hermione's relationship, they had been through so much together, they had both fought side by side against the dark side, they appreciated each others company, and their lives. As a result of this, they subconsciously understood each other, and they didn't need to talk to express their love for each other. Either that or they know that they know that any conversation between them ends in an argument.

Hermione lent her head against Ron's shoulder, and remembered all the things that Ron had done for her. In her first year, he and Harry rescued her from the mountain troll, in her second year, according to Harry, he wouldn't leave her bedside after she was attacked by the Basilisk. In her third year when they were learning the truth about Sirius Black, Ron was there for her, he wouldn't leave her, despite being injured. In her fourth year when she went to the Yule Ball with Victor Ron good as told her his feelings, simply by the way he was acting. When they both became prefects Ron was always ready to share the prefect duties with her, he said it was because Harry was being moody, but she knew better. Last summer Ron was prepared to take the cruciatus curse instead of Hermione. Hermione looked up at Ron. He was always there for her, he always fought, no matter what he was faced with he stood up to it, not just in Quiddich, but in life, Ron always carried on.

"Thing is," Harry said in the three broomsticks an hour later "The thing is you two have been expected to be together since Ron started complaining about you after that Charms class in our first year. You just took your time."

"The one where you could barely float a feather? You two thought that I was a nightmare!" Hermione laughed

"But he still liked you, it was blindingly obvious to everyone, apart from you too of course." Neville grinned

Ron and Hermione laughed along with Harry, Neville, and Luna. It was true, they really were that short sighted.

"Harry, you're forgetting the time in fourth year when everybody thought Hermione was your girlfriend."

"Ron, some people believe anything they read, and Rita didn't know us properly at the time, so she kept jumping to conclusions, it lost her, her job remember?"

"Oh yeah," Ron took a swig of butterbeer and continued "Harry why don't you get yourself a girlfriend?"

"Oh so you think its that easy to get a girlfriend Ronald Weasley?" Hermione snapped at him, despite going out, they still frequently argued. "May I remind you that I had to fake my own death to get you to ask me out!" Ron's ears glowed as Luna and Neville burst out laughing.

"Ron I haven't thought about a girlfriend, because even if she can look after herself," Ginny was laughing with her friends in the 6th year who were sitting in the corner by the bar. "She would be the first in line for death eaters and Voldemort, and I couldn't live with myself if I put someone in that much danger. So I have to make do with you two."

"Hence the reason we're always there for you, anyway Harry, we'd better get back up to the castle, before Hermione faints from lack of revision." Hermione laughed as she whacked Ron on the arm as Harry, Neville, and Luna burst out laughing.