A/N: Let's just be merry and not think about the months it took! Let's just have you say "Hey, Laura! You got out chapter 8!" And I can say, "Yep, finally! Did ya like it?!" And you can say...

Well, I'll leave that up to you. I'm sorry. Incredibly sorry, and I can't say it any better. Your reviews meant so much, and I can assure that though some of you thought this...Kristi and I have no intentions of ditching this story! I promise!

Disclaimer: Check chapter 1.

***Ron's POV***

I stared helplessly from Ginny to Hermione. Hermione looked flushed, and guilty as she looked at her friend.

Ginny stood in petrified horror and betrayal. "What's happened to you?"

For a moment I had thought she'd been talking to me and I was about to tell her that Harry and I had switched bodies, but then it occurred to me she was still staring at Hermione.

"Ginny..."

"No, really. I want to know, Hermione. Because you don't...You don't do things like this to me." She avoided my eyes at all costs. Because well, she thought I was Harry. And she couldn't stand the thought of looking into the eyes of the person that dumped her so horribly. Not when she was talking about how much it was killing her.

"Ginny I...I thought that...I thought..." she trailed hopelessly. It hurt me just as much to see Hermione in pain as it did Ginny. As sick as I was that Hermione was chasing after Harry now, I would always rather be the one fielding the blow than Hermione, no matter what she did.

"What did you think, Hermione?" She drew in a long breath and exhaled tiredly. I had never heard her sound so devoid of emotion.

Hermione was silent. She had no idea what she had been thinking. No idea why she was betraying her friend like this, and it occurred to me that this was not much unlike my situation with Harry. "I can't change this now."

"Of course not. Oh, I wouldn't want you to Hermione," Ginny said flatly. "You should just be happy." Her gaze then fell on me. "Are you happy, Harry?"

Hermione looked at me, panicked. I couldn't let her down again. Not anymore. I couldn't let her think again that the only one that cared about her, that she cared about now, wasn't happy with her. I couldn't get the image of her crying out of my head. "Yes," I said lowly. "I'm happy."

Ginny's cheeks reddened and her eyes glossed over. Her breath came out in shortened gasps. "Good. Everyone...everyone should be..." she choked slightly on the last word. "Happy."

Ginny turned then and walked swiftly away, not stopping until we were out of her sight. She never liked people seeing her cry. Even when she was a kid. Which at that moment I realized, she wasn't anymore.

Hermione had her mouth half open. "I would have liked it better if she yelled. She was so calm...she's usually so...hot-tempered."

"It's what she does."

I whirled around as the door to my room crept open and there stood Harry, as me. Playing the part so horribly. "What?" I spat out. Now he knows my sister better than me?

He shrugged. "She always does that. Not like I've seen it too often, but when she's really upset she puts this whole 'it's better this way' act," he said numbly. "That's how you know it's killing her most."

I was about to say thank you, but I know my sister a little better than he, and he could leave now, but Hermione was already making a move.

She looked like she was soaking in what Harry was saying, but she still pretended to not notice his existence. Because, as usual, she thought he was me. "I'm going to try to calm her down," Hermione said to me.

"Fine," I muttered, still upset about her sudden want for Harry. With me inside his body.

She nodded and walked away.

I then turned to Harry.

***Harry's POV***

"So you're an expert on my sister now, huh?"

I wanted to say, 'I've always been an expert, Ron' but instead just shook my head; "I'm not in the mood for this."

"You think I am?"

I licked my lips. They were chapped and sore, like every limb in my body. I felt like I had been in a train wreck. Hell, my life seemed to just continue being an emotional train wreck. "Well you were in the mood for something." I put emphasis on 'in the mood' so he would know I wasn't talking about fighting, but rather the way he was lavishing Hermione on her bed.

"You think that's so great, don't you Harry? That Hermione wants you now too? God knows why, I've barely had the time to figure out what Ginny sees in you, but you just think I'm having a great old time? Snogging my girlfriend, right? Except she thinks it's you, Harry." Out of the hundreds of thousands of fights we had had before in the past few days, I don't think I had ever seen Ron look so mad. And sad, too. "Think of how it would be if Ginny ran through here and started pawing at you."

The image flashed through my head and I bit back a smirk. "Well, I would just be scared then." I paused. "Seeing as though she has a thing for her brother."

And in that moment, I could have sworn I saw the corners of Ron's mouth twinge up, like he was about to burst out laughing. And it was like nothing had ever changed. He would double over and we would both laugh until we cried, clutching our stomachs, rolling on the floor. He would say 'Bloody sick, mate' and we would be best friends again.

But in an instant it was gone. His eyes darkened. "That's sick."

I shook my head, not wanting to be standing here anymore. I walked slowly back into his room, kicking the door closed behind me.

I couldn't look at him anymore: My former best friend.

***Ron's POV***

I lumbered sullenly down the stairs after the conversation with Harry. I stared at my feet the whole trudge to his room not stopping until I saw a shadow of feet, looming near my own. I glanced up with mild interest.

There was a figure guarding Harry's room.

"Kiss me."

Lucky for me, that figure was Hermione.  Unlucky for me, she was requesting to kiss a person that I would never be. Not mentally. "Hermione I--"

"Do it."

Her eyes shone with uncanny determination, and confusion washed all over me. What about Ginny? What about – What about the fact that I was Harry?

"Hermione I really just need to tell you something but I can't, and if you could just--" It really didn't matter that Hermione cut me off with her lips and fiery embrace because I didn't actually have a point and was pretty sure I was just stalling for time.

One hand got lost in her hair while my other was resting on her neck, playing with the tag on the back of her shirt, as I always did.

God, she was incredible.  Sexy and amazing and beautiful. We stumbled over each other, never losing contact before I was suddenly on top of her in Harry's bed.  

That was the only thing that made me stop.  If Hermione and I were going to... do it, I bloody hell was not going to have it be done on Harry's bed.  And definitely not with his body. 

"Hermione we can't," I breathed out, my fingers toying with the first button on her blouse while my other hand was inching up under it running over her flat stomach, seemingly contradicting my own statement.

"Are you worried about Ron?"

Yes, I was worried about Ron. I was worried about his sanity because not only was he contemplating making love to Hermione with another guy's body but he was also thinking in third person. "No, it's not him...He..." I paused open-mouthed as though letting the words come out when they were ready. "...deserves it. It's just, Hermione you, I mean..." I suddenly realized that I had, without realizing it unclasped all of the buttons on her shirt. I stared at the small lace obstruction in front me. Ron, no.

Oh but it was a new one. Black.  Hermione never wears black...

Hermione grinned slyly, raising her eyebrows. "You were saying."

"Right I was...I, had...uh...I--I," I had to pull myself together, was what I had to do. I had to... Tear. Eyes. Away. God it was impossible. My hand was still massaging her stomach, and with a mind of it's own it was heading upwards.

Black said something, didn't it? What was it? I want you.  That's what it was saying to me, at least. Black lace. Definitely I want you.

Maybe if I just...unclasped it...for a second. "NO!" I jerked my hand away using as much will power as I could muster to blindly button her armor back up.

Peeking my eyes open I realized I missed a button and the left side of her shirt was higher than the other.  Well, as long as it was doing it's right old job, blocking her luscious body from my view then I was happy.

Hermione, however, was not. She hurriedly fixed the buttons and stalked out of the room without a word.

Yes, the love of my life forced herself upon me ready to do things I had spent the last few months lusting for. And I couldn't.  Because the love of my life wasn't ready to do those things with me, Ronald Weasley.  She was ready to do it with my best friend.

I took a few minutes to breathe, before managing to raise myself out of Harry's bed. I didn't know how much more I could take.  I walked out in the hall just in time to see Hermione and Ginny fly into Ginny's room and the door slam.

"What the..." Oh this was just great.  Like I hadn't gotten enough slaps. Was this my punishment? Was Hermione going to tell Ginny that I -- who she thought was Harry -- was AGAIN snogging her? With my luck, by now they surely had worked out their differences, bonded the friendship, and joined feminine forces against me.

I quickly dodged downstairs before the rage and flying objects could take place.

I looked around, but a feeling settled in my stomach telling me that from the past days proceedings it had become pretty obvious:

There was nowhere to hide. 

***Harry's POV***

For the past few minutes I had just stood in the foyer not knowing what to do with myself.  I contemplated the front door.  I could...leave.  Get out.  Go somewhere.  It would be nice, in fact. To have no one notice my stupid scar.  But where would I go?  And would it even make my situation better?  I doubted it as I had learned to doubt many things in the past days experience.

I heard a light humming, and turned around to meet a new, turned-around, bright-eyed Ginny bounding down the stairs.

"What's got you so happy?" I snarled, as she halted in front of me. And wasn't it just moments ago she looked like her world was falling apart?

Ginny giggled. "Not even you can damper my mood, Ronald." She tousled my hair.

My mouth opened as I watched her skip away. Ginny hadn't said it sarcastically. She hadn't said my name disbelievingly.  She said it happily. Was it the recent events that suddenly changed her mind? Had she decided that it really was Harry that was snogging Hermione? Was that why she was so torn before? But why is she so okay now?

But I got what I supposedly wanted. She thought I was Ron.

So why was the bad feeling in the pit of my stomach tightening? I should have just let her go.  I couldn't.  "What? You win a contest or something?"

"Or something," she yelled from the kitchen.

I followed her. "Ginny..."

"Okay, Ronnie I'll tell you!" she burst out. She hopped a little bit, before finally spilling her news. "I, " she singsonged dramatically, "have a date this afternoon!"

She has a date this afternoon. In that moment my world fell apart, and in an instant, an idea came to my head that quickly pieced it back together. "You -- You...With, uh, Harry?" I said hopefully.

She laughed as though this were some terribly funny joke, and then waved it away with her hand. "Ew, no."

EW?!? Since when was I 'ew'?! Since she caught "me" snogging Hermione, I guessed.

"With Colin."

"COLIN!?"

"Yup."

"But...he's...I mean...he's..."

"He's cute," Ginny giggled. "I always had a bit of a thing for him.  Even when I was with Harry, I guess." She laughed. "Turns out he likes me too!"

"I'll bet he does," I growled. Even when she was with Harry.

"Oh, Ron, really! It's not like it's Draco Malfoy!"

My eyes flashed. "Ginny, just, leave me alone, okay? Don't talk to me."

"But--"

"I'm not in the mood. You go out with...Colin. You - You have him take...pictures."

She sighed. "Whatever. Well, I'm meeting him at the park at three so I better get ready."

"Ginny it's noon."

"Is it?" she said distantly, holding her hair up in different buns to her reflection in the broken toaster sitting on the counter. Most likely one of her dad's muggle collections.

I caught my reflection in the toaster too.  I was but feet behind her.  I don't think Ron had ever looked worse.

I quickly averted my eyes when Ginny looked my way. She sighed; throwing her hands out and letting her hair tumble all around her shoulders. She bounded out of the room and up the stairs.

I backed up a few more feet, seeing a face, not my own, start to become distorted in the dirty toaster mirror.  I slammed against the wall, losing last sight of Ron's features as I slid silently down to the floor.