Disclaimer : I own nothing that has anything to do with Harry Potter, thank you for your time - that is all.

A/N : Hey guys! Here it is! I hope yeah have fun with it! And there we are Bribbie! Just like I promised!

Enjoy guys! (We're almost done! Just one or two more dramatic plot twists and a few more clever Mione lines and we're finished! )

OH MY LORDIE! I just realized how bloody long this chapter was! You'd better all enjoy! lol It took me a long while to write! Hehe! It was F-U-N though! (What does that spell? Grabs pompoms and jumps up FUN!) Yay! lol Enjoy!

Four Way Connection

The Burrow - Part Two

Still A Friend

Ron's PoV

I look up at the clock for the millionth time in the past one minute. It is almost time for me to meet Lavender in the - I shudder - broom closet. I still can't figure out what she's up to but I've been thinking it all over for the past hour. It's really simple, actually. If Lavender is going to get me past Ginny; my insane baby sister, then I'm pretty much prepared to do almost anything. I already know what I'm going to say to Hermione once I finally get to talk to her ... alone. Everything is going to go perfectly. One long, sweet apology and then a few quick ones thrown in here and there afterward and poof everything will be fine. I hope.

I look at the clock again. Three minutes to go, just three minutes. I start to get a little nervous, after all, I'm trusting Lavender here. That's a scary thought; she's been known to mess up a few too many times for comfort.

I figure I'll slip into the broom closet a bit early, that way nobody will see us walk in together and think I've completely gone off my rocker. That's the last thing I need; Hermione to think I'm now into Lavender. I shiver at the thought.

I get up slowly from the sofa and look around. At the moment no one is around. Where have they all gone to? I wonder vaguely as I walk quickly over to the closet across the room. I reach out at turn the knob and practically jump in. I don't want anyone to notice me ... especially that Adam guy who I haven't seen in a while.

The closet is dark and I fumble around for a moment as my eyes adjust to the dark. Just then I notice someone sitting on an upturned bucket in front of me. 'You're late,' she whispers.

I jump a foot in the air, 'Merlin, Lavender! You scare the heck outta me!' I say angrily. 'And I'm not late, I'm three minutes early.'

'You're late. I told you to be here on time. Sheesh, Ron. Does Mione mean anything to you? You're even late when it comes to her! I wouldn't want to date you if I were her-'

'Thank god you're not,' I cut in.

She ignores me and continues her little rant, 'I mean, you'll probably be late for your first date, your anniversary, the night you'll propose, and most likely your wedding day as well. Poor Harry! If he's your Best Man he'll have a ton of work to do just making sure you get there on time. What would Mione think if you came late to your own wedding? She'd think you'd abandon her at the alter and die of mortification! Poor thing!' Lavender says all of this in an dramatic but serious tone, including many hand gesturing and eye widening.

'Lavender, do you ever stop talking? Half the time I don't even understand you. I've learnt to tune you out real well though,' I say sweetly.

'Ron! If you're not going to be nice - I'm not going to help! Now I think the question is: do you want to get Mione back or not? Hmm?' Lavender says primly as she gets up from her bucket. 'Now listen. I'm going to bring you to her room -'

'What about Ginny? Won't she get mad?' I interrupt again.

She shoots me a nasty look and continues, 'Ginny's a little trapped at the moment, she won't be too big of a problem now, don't worry.'

'You've locked her in a room ... haven't you Lavender.' I state rather dually.

'Yes, but we'll send Harry in soon. She won't be bored,' she says brightly.

'Oh, I see. You mean to tell me you've locked my sister in a room and are planning on sending her boyfriend in there, too? Lav ... just one thing I'd like to point out. Rooms have beds ... beds and boyfriends don't really seem to be like a good pairing, don't you think?' I point out, rubbing my forehead as I try to stay calm.

'Please! You always think the worst of everything! Just focus on your problems-'

Again, I interrupt, 'Oh, but being an Uncle would be my problem.'

'You need to get Mione to stop hating you! So shut up and let me explain everything.' Lavender says bossily. 'I'll take you up to her room and then lock you two in. You can take all night if you need to, she might take some convincing. I'll be outside, taking care of Adam,' she grins.

'If I didn't hate him I'd feel sorry for him. Keep him away from my sister, I don't want him anywhere near her ... or I'll kill him. Plain and simple.' I tell her bluntly. 'Now are we going to go to Mione, or not?'

'Yeah yeah, follow me.' She moves past me to the door and opens it briskly, peeking her head outside.

'What are you doing?' I ask, one eyebrow raised, even though she can't see me with her head stuck out the door way like that.

'Checking for people.'

'Lav, it's like ... two in the morning, what kind of people would be out in the lobby at this time? ... Watching us?' I point out.

'All clear! Let's go.'

'You're crazy,' I say as I follow her out.

'Yeah? And you're always late. I told you to meet me in one hour and you take your sweet time. I could have died of boredom in that closet and you would have come in twenty minutes late to find my dead body sitting on a stool-'

'Bucket.' I cut in as she continues her mumbling rant.

'Then what would you have done? Nothing probably. Gone to get some dinner. The next day some poor, unsuspecting Cauldron worker would walk in to get some tea towels and they would have screamed their head off when they saw me ... my eyes still open!'

I shake my head as I follow her up the stairs and then down to mid hallway, 'Is this it?'

'Yes, now shh! Ginny's right over their,' she whispers and points across the hall to the door opposite us.

'Now, see. Why would you go and put her across the hall for?' I ask as she reaches into her bag for the key.

'Well we have to be able to keep an eye on both of you and this just makes it easier, now shut up and hold this,' she hands me her bag and I take it, holding it a small way away from me.

'Who is 'we'?' I ask her, raising an eyebrow again, which she still can't see since she has her back to me, trying to get the key in the keyhole.

'Huh? What?' She fakes, 'I didn't say we. Now be quiet and get in their,' she grabs her bag from me and pushes me in.

The room in actually pretty big, I notice as I look around. The blinds are all pulled down, which doesn't make much sense since it's the middle of the night and no sun can get in even if it wanted to. I look over to the bed which sits directly in front of the door on the opposite wall. Hermione is sitting there with the comforter bunched up around her.

'Gin?' She mumbles quietly.

I shut my eyes tight and I can feel my entire well thought out apologies and reasoning fly out my ear and soak into the carpet. I freeze.

'Gin? Could you bring me some more tissues?' No answer. 'Where'd you go before?

I shake my head and take a step toward her bed, 'Er ... actually, Mione, it's me.'

She shoots up from her bed, giving me the perfect view of her puffy, red eyes and matching red nose. She wipes her eyes viciously and her expression changes to ice. 'What are you doing here?'

'L-Look, Mione.' I stumble. 'I know I'm the last person you want to see tonight but would you at least just let me explain?' I plead.

'Just get out. Get out.' She hisses and falls back into bed, pulling the sheets up over her again.

'Come on, just let me ... try to explain. Mione?' I take another step toward the bed, still nervous. 'There's a lot you don't understand about, well you know.

'Go away. Where's Ginny? She said she wouldn't let you up here. What happened to her?' Hermione's muffled voice comes from under the comforters.

'Ginny's in the other room with Harry. She's busy. Would you please let me explain?' I ask her.

'Why did she let you up here?' Hermione says, although mostly to herself.

'She doesn't know I'm here,' I answer anyway.

She rolls over under the blankets and sighs shortly.

'Mione? Would you let me explain?' I ask her in a voice reserved for speaking to a young child. She's acting strangely. I had expected her to shout and yell at me, to try and hit me with a hex, something. I didn't expect her to be ... sad. Angry yes, but to sad. That's when it hits me; she's sad!

I look down at my shoes. I can't believe I made her like this, I'm the one who did this to her. - I hadn't meant to, though.

'Hermione? You don't have to look at me and you don't have to forgive me,' I walk over to her side of the bed and kneel down beside her. I watch the lump of comforter on the bed, she doesn't move. 'But I'm going to talk and if you want, you can listen. Okay?'

No reply. My palms start to get sweaty so I rub them on my pants before taking a big gulp of air. I've never been so nervous in all my life.

After a few more breaths of air I begin, 'First of all, Mione, I just want to say sorry. I know it probably doesn't mean much to you but I truly want you to know how sorry I am. And it's not one of those quick, no thought sorry. It's a real 'I'm sorry I hurt someone who means the world to me' kind of sorry. It's one of those sorrys that you know you don't need to swallow your pride to say because you know that in the end that's what it all comes down to, an apology. And pride isn't even on your mind.'

Merlin, this is hard. I don't know what I'm saying. I just kind of let my mouth do all of the talking while I just sit and watch.

'But, I know my stupid sorry isn't good enough for you, Mione. You need an 'I'm sorry' that comes with chocolate and gifts and flowers and a dozen red roses carried into the great hall by twelve different owls. Heck ... you deserve two dozen roses. A dozen is for average people. Not someone like you, no you need two dozen. Or maybe three or four ... sorry I'm rambling.'

I'm rambling and babbling and I'm making a complete idiot of myself in front of a girl who means the world to me. And my hands are sweating and my throat is dry and tight and my eyes are stinging and my head is hurting and my stomach is in knots and my heart is beating faster than possible. And I'm rambling.

'But, Mione, I know that my stupid apology isn't good enough for, not after everything I've done. Which is why I want to explain myself. You deserve to know everything.' I take a deep breath and wipe my hands again.

'I never liked Luna. I think that's one of the most important things I want you to know. I never liked her. Well I mean, I like her ... she's really nice once you get to know her but I don't like her in that way. And all of those kisses and all of that hand holding, none of it made a difference to me because it didn't make me feel the way I do around you, Hermione. Luna is nothing compared to you. You're my best friend and I love you to death. You're always there for me and even through the longest nights of charms essays, due the next day, and O.W.L preparation nights. Long study sessions, none of which I wanted to partake in from an academic point of view, only so I could get to spend some time with you once Prefect duties were over and everyone was sound asleep in their beds and the Common Room was completely empty and everything around us was nice a quiet. Those were the times in our fifth year, the times I'll never forget. Even when I'm old and everything has died down, those are the moments I'll think of. When I'm alone or scared, when I'm sad or angry, I'll sit there and think about the time we were up until nearly morning working that stupid potions essay which he wanted to be three feet long. And I spent the whole night complaining about it and you spent the whole night telling me to 'right this down' and 'take notes on this, here' which I would do. And I'll think about how, that night, you were there next to me until it finally got done even though you had spent the entire day previous, repeating 'Ron, if you don't start it now I wont be staying up late with you to finish it.' Do you remember that night, Mione? I do, and I'm never going to forget it. You have to admit; even though we were doing my stupid potions homework ... it was still loads of fun.' I smile as I remember that night.

She still doesn't move from her spot on the bed so, wiping my hands clean again I continue, 'Anyway,' I laugh nervously, 'Like I was saying, Luna really didn't mean anything to me. If I had known that things were going to turn out like this I never would have ...' I trail off.

This was getting hard, I was running out of things to say and every time I opened my mouth something stupid came out.

'Mione, I know I can't make you forgive me ... for what I did. But would you at least yell at me or something? I've been talking to myself for the last few minutes.' I laugh nervously.

No answer.

'Listen, I don't know what you want me to say, Mione. And I think every time I open my mouth I make a mess of things even more. So I'll leave if that's what you want, I'll go get Ginny too ... if that's what you want.' I end lamely.

Silence, until 'Ron?'

I perk up a bit and lean over, closer to her. She rolls over under the blanket and slowly pulls it away from her face. She's been crying and inwardly I wince. Why do I always end up making her cry?

'You're right ... I can't forgive you.' Ouch.

'Mione, just listen okay?' She doesn't answer but she doesn't move away either so I continue, 'I didn't mean to hurt you, I'm stupid, I know. I should have realized it would hurt you, but you know how thick I can be. I would do anything for you. You know that. I would stick up for you if Malfoy called you a you-know-what. I would hex anyone who hurt you into next Tuesday. I would barf slugs up for a week for you.' I grin, 'I would jump in front of a Death Eater to protect you, Mione. And whether or not you forgive me ... that will never change. I'd do anything to make you stop hurting.' I reach up and before I can stop myself I brush a curl out of her eyes.

The smallest trace of a smile plays across her lips. After a moment of thought she pushes herself up and wraps her arms around me, 'Ron? I can't forgive you. You've done a lot of stupid things in your life but none of them have ever hurt me this much. But I'll be dammed if I let some girl get in the way of our friendship.' I put my arms around her, too. 'Just understand, I haven't forgiven you ...'

I smile, 'I think I can live with that for now. I'll work on the forgiveness later.'

She laughs quietly and hugs me tighter, 'Ron ... I'd never want to lose a friend like you.'

My eyes widen, though she can't see because she's still hugging me.

Friend ... I'm still a friend.