Author's Note: Hello everyone! Finally. I am sooo completely sorry for such a long wait. With me going to my father's and to Las Vegas, that was a long enough wait. But, oh no, there was a catch, when I got home, our computer had practically died. So, it hardly works. The internet, anyway. I am surprised I could even get this up. But, I'm happy I finally can. I hope it was worth the long wait, though. I'll warn you, there might be some of the cheese factor in some of this chapter... forgive me for that. Heh. I could have easily divided this into two or three chapters, but, I just couldn't. I thought it was essential to have such a large conclusion. Sooo... enjoy!
I am sure you all read the sixth book, too. I loved it, but the ending shocked me, wouldn't you say? Made me sad that such a fellow such as him died... but, nevertheless, he is still in my story!
By the way, thank you everyone for all the support and help that you have given me through for this first part of my project. Also, I will start posting the sequal as soon as I can. So... unfortunatly, that might take another two to three weeks. If I'm lucky, it'll be sooner. But, we are in the process of regaining our computer to full health. I will also be posting another Harry Potter fan fiction as well, it's called Earning the Dark Mark, and it's all about our favorite beatutiful blonde Slytherin, Draco Malfoy! I've already started on it, and it's turning out quite nice. I hope you'll read this one, too.But, until then. Thanks for reading!
And finally, I present you with the last chapter of Girl, Let Me Love You.
The week came and went. Ron and Harry went to go see Hermione just about every day. By the end of the week, Madam Pomfrey had brewed the remedy. She wasn't sure if there were any side effects from the Love Potion's intoxication. She said they'd find out when Hermione woke up again, which wasn't quite the reassuring speech they had hoped for. Draco Malfoy, on the other hand, had been reported of the use of the Love Potion. Since this was a serious crime, they had to give him a trial. They hadn't placed any charges, but they had been threatening to expel him until his father swooped into the room. Malfoy returned to school for exams, he seemed quite shaken. Word was that even though the Ministry and school didn't punish him or hold charges, his father had come down on him hard. Probably for ruining the Malfoy name or something. Ron was curious to what Lucius Malfoy had actually done to his son, but no one knew for sure.
"All I know, is that I don't feel one bit sorry for the stupid bloke," Ron stated when they were discussing the topic. They had just gotten done with their last exam, Defense Against the Dark Arts. Harry had been good about listening to Ron complain and all that stuff for the past few days. But he couldn't take it anymore.
"Though I don't feel sorry for him either... we haven't changed the damn subject for four bloody days. Just go and hit him, for cripes sake," Harry said irritably.
"I would, if I could ever find him. He's been hiding around ever since he came back from his trial," Ron pointed out.
"He's right over there," Harry said, gazing over to a nearby bench. Ron looked to where Harry was gesturing to. Sure enough, Malfoy was sitting on a bench in the nearby opening courtyard, reading a book. "Awww... doesn't he look so innocent?" Harry put on a fake, sweet voice. Ron shoved him.
"Knock it off." He walked over and stood in front of Malfoy. Harry followed curiously. Malfoy seemed to not have noticed that they were approaching him until Ron was standing directly in front of him. He raised his eyes slowly from the book that was positioned in his lap. His eyes stopped, meeting Ron's. The color slightly flooded from his face, even though his skin was already so pale. Looking down at him, Ron realized just how dead Malfoy looked. His eyes seemed somewhat sunken, large dark circles under them. His skin was so white he almost looked like a ghost. Not to mention how tired he looked. A sudden current of pity rushed through Ron, making him shudder. He quickly pushed those feelings away, realizing that this was Draco Malfoy he was thinking about. The piece of scum that had used Hermione, gotten her poisoned off an illegal potion. Ron hoped that he was hurting. Hoped that his father was being hard on him.
They held each others gaze for a few minutes. Malfoy appeared to have just given up, he was letting himself be cornered. That's why he just sat there, waiting. Ron, however, just didn't know what to do. He knew what he wanted to do... but...
"I didn't know it would do that," Malfoy said quietly. Ron almost stumbled back in amazement. Was he trying to apologize? Another emotion quickly gripped him. But this was no pity.
"Oh, sure. How the hell do you expect me to believe that. You've hated us since the first time we spoke to you. Making those snide little comments, insulting us, taunting us... thought you were really witty didn't you? A real laugh, I'd say. If it weren't for you and you're bull shit, Hermione would still be well," Ron spat out, seething.
"She's getting better, isn't she? Hermione, I mean..." Malfoy let out quietly again, he shifted in his spot ever so slightly. "I've been up to see her... Madam Pomfrey wasn't happy... but she let me in nevertheless... she said that Hermione would be along any day now... right?" Ron clenched his teeth.
"How dare you go see her? After what you did..." His fists were automatically balling up at his sides.
"Of course I went to see her. It was an accident, all of it. I never meant-,"
"An accident!" Ron bellowed. "How do you call what you did an accident? You're the one that ordered the potion illegally, you're the one that slipped it to Hermione, you're the one that overdosed her, you're the one that... that... took... took her away from me..." He let out the last part in a whisper, hardly even heard by Harry. He glared back into Malfoy's eyes fiercely. "Why did you do it." It wasn't a question at all. It was demanding. Malfoy merely gazed back up at Ron weakly for several minutes. Ron and Harry didn't know if he'd even reply.
Malfoy sighed, "It was the way you two acted."
"Excuse me? What does how any of us act have anything to do with-,"
"No. You and Hermione," He cut Ron off. He looked into the distance rather coldly. "Don't think I didn't notice. It made me somewhat sick, watching you two. It was so obvious how both of you felt for one another. Everyone could see it, yes, including me. But you two were so oblivious to it all... it made me sick. Then... then I realized just why it made me so sick. It wasn't because I just hated you two... or that a full blood was falling for some worthless Mudblood-," Ron looked like he was going to punch Malfoy right there, but, for some reason Harry held him back, hanging onto Malfoy's every word, "- it was because... it's the one thing I didn't have. Sure, being a Pureblood with rich and powerful parents can pay off... but only to a certain extent. It wasn't going to bring me anyone I could care for... and vice versa. I wanted that. And what made me even angrier... was the fact that two of the people I couldn't stand... were getting what I wanted. So, I figured... if I could take that away from them... and get it for myself... then I could be fine for one of the first times in my life.
"At first, it went so smoothly. Slip some into her pumpkin juice in the morning... get results by the afternoon. I have to admit... having someone that just wants to stroll around the lake with you, hand in hand, it's quite nice. Everything was going fine with Hermione... until... until she started to come back to her senses. Every potion runs out... right? Well... that's what was happening. So, naturally, not wanting to lose her, I gave her more. It never occurred to me that she could have an overdose. Then... then she started acting funny after awhile. Had times when she objected to being around me. Or times when she just forgot what was going on around her. And then... then... this just happened." He finally finished, slowly closing his book and looking down at the cover. Ron was gaping at him. But Harry started to crack up.
"You were jealous of Ron and Hermione!" He exclaimed, letting out small snorts. "Cripes, they practically fight every day. Didn't know anyone would want that." Ron rounded on him.
"Shut up, Harry!" His ears were going red. Malfoy stayed silent.
"I'm glad you find this so amusing. Why do I even waste my time talking to morons like you? Hermione was a much better source of company," He spoke. "I don't understand why she hangs out with people like you two." Obviously, being rid of his confession, got Malfoy back into his regular mood toward the two. "Hmm, Weasley... you've noticed, I'm sure... that when you are angry or embarrassed, you rather resemble a cherry. Ha, the look on your face when Hermione and I snogged in the entrance hall that one day. Most amusing." Though it wasn't the worst comment he'd ever made, it still gave Ron a reason to want to hit him. And for once, he did. Swinging around, Ron's fist collided with Malfoy's nose, making blood splatter out of a nostril.
Ron and Harry roared with laughter, leaving a bloody and cursing Malfoy behind. They walked out of the courtyard, still laughing.
"That felt great. You've no idea how long I've been waiting to do that," Ron said happily. After awhile they settled down.
"Do you want to go see how Hermione is today?" Harry suggested.
"Do you think she'll be up yet?"
"It's worth a shot, isn't it?"
"I suppose so." Ron and Harry climbed up to the Hospital Wing, opening the doors.
"No, no, no, no, no!" Someone screeched across the room. Suddenly, Madam Pomfrey was shoving them back out again, shaking her head.
"What's the deal?" Ron asked, rather irritated.
"No visitors today. Hermione's just gotten up-,"
"She's up?" Harry asked eagerly.
"Brilliant!" Ron exclaimed.
"Yes, yes, brilliant, wonderful, hah-rah!" She babbled sarcastically. "The poor dear is rather confused. I don't think she needs anyone to come in and mix her up any worse. So if you'll kindly go back to your common room-,"
"If she's up, she'll want to see us!" Ron argued.
"You'll be able to see her in a few-,"
"Why do we need to wait, she should be-,"
"Go back to your common room! You'll see her at the feast!" Madam Pomfrey barked, interrupting Harry. She slammed the Hospital Wing doors in their faces and they heard her thunder off on the other side.
"What a bi-,"
"Let's just go back to the common room," Harry said hastily, knowing what Ron was going to say. They didn't need detention on the last week of school if she heard him.
"But-,"
"Look, we can go back and you can tell everyone about how you screwed up Malfoy's nose. Everyone's wanted a shot at him lately," Harry said, guiding Ron in the direction of the Gryffindor common room. Ron's mood suddenly changed.
"Yeah, I reckon everyone'll be pretty happy about that, eh?" He continued talking about the encounter the whole way to the common room. Harry just looked grudgingly at the ceiling the whole time. Why do I have to get him started on these things all the time? He thought to himself, trying to block out the sound of Ron's bragging voice. At least he wasn't sulking around anymore.
They walked into the common room to be met by the celebrating Gryffindors. The last week of school always seemed like one big party, since no one had to worry about classes and exams within that time. Harry and Ron sat down where Seamus, Parvati, Ginny, Dean, and Neville were. Parvati and Seamus were all over each other, not trying to be discreet at all. Ginny was playing a game of Wizard Chess with Neville. Ginny was winning, which wasn't too surprising. Dean was simply lounging on a chair, switching his stare to the different pairs every few minutes.
"That's another one!" Ginny said proudly as one of her bishops checkmated Neville's king.
"Oooh... okay..." Neville said with a frown and reached into his school bag. He took out a chocolate frog and handed it over to Ginny. She took it and placed it on top of a small pile she had by her side.
"Thanks," She replied. She gathered all of the chocolate frogs and shoved them into her bag. "I think that's enough for tonight. But you are getting better, Neville. You almost beat me that time."
"You think?" Neville's eyes lit up to the comment. She nodded, making him beam. Ginny turned around to face Harry and Ron.
"So, what's the report today?" She asked. Parvati and Seamus unglued themselves to listen in, too. Ron grinned at her words.
"She's up, finally," He replied. Ginny's eyes lit up.
"Have you gone to see her, then? Can she come back yet?" She asked eagerly.
"Well, we went to see her, but Madam Pomfrey wouldn't let us in... she told us we'd see her at the feast..."
"Oh," She let out, leaning back into her chair.
"Ron's got something else he'd like to share... don't you, Ron?" Harry said, nudging Ron in the side. He grinned again. Ron told the group about what happened between Malfoy and him, only leaving out some of the more personal things. Everybody laughed and either thanked or congratulated him. All except Neville. He looked at Ron with big, fearful eyes.
"But... but... what if Malfoy tells a teacher... what if he tells Snape? You could get into serious trouble! And if he tells Snape... Snape never misses a chance to punish Harry, too. I don't think that was very smart..." He told them. Ron shrugged.
"Who cares? Tons of people fight in the halls practically every day. We can't get expelled for throwing one little punch. And besides, I don't think Malfoy is in much of a mood to squeal on us anyway." He pointed out cooly.
"I guess..." Neville replied. Everyone was silent for a moment.
"Hey!" Harry cut through the silence. "What's there to worry about? It's the end of the year, end of homework, end of those bloody tests! Let's enjoy these last few days before summer."
"That was surprisingly joyful, which is odd coming from you," Ginny commented.
"Oh, shut up," Harry shot at her in a playful manner. Ron shoved Harry's head.
"You guys make me queasy, let's go out to the grounds or something," He grumbled.
"How do we make you queasy, Ronald?" Harry demanded. Ginny, Neville, Dean, Ron, and Harry stood up. Parvati and Seamus were once again glued together, not noticing that the rest of them were leaving.
"Speaking of summer, you've got to come over to my place, pronto," Ron said, dodging Harry's previous question.
"My thoughts exactly," Harry responded. "I mean, you don't expect me to stay at the Dursley's all summer, do you?" The lot of them climbed out of the portrait and marched down to the grounds.
"Let's go! C'mon, we'll be late!" Ron pestered Harry.
"Wait, I'm not finished packing!" Harry snapped back. "I know you want to see her, but, jeez..." He finished stuffing the rest of his things into his trunk. He stood up and straightened his robes.
"Can we go now?"
"Yes!" The two rushed out of the dormitories and out into the nearly deserted common room.
"I told you-,"
"Ron, shut up and let's just go!" The few people that were still in the common room seemed to be in a hurry too, gathering all of their scattered things at the last minute. Ron tripped over Harry on the way out of the portrait hole, making Harry whack Ron. They had a little smacking war the whole way down to the Great Hall, making most of the portraits stare at them. By the time they got down to the Great Hall, they were out of breath and had numerous amounts of red marks all over them. They stood up straight and hurried into the Great Hall. The hall was decorated in gold and scarlet, as the Gryffindors had won the House Cup again this year. Hardly anyone glanced at them as the scurried it, to their great relief. They collapsed by Dean and Seamus, who were discussing summer plans.
"Ah, we made it," Ron said, smiling broadly. Harry could see someone moving to his side and sitting down by Ron out of the corner of his eye. He leaned over to see who it was and his mouth suddenly hung open. Ron must have seen his expression, because he looked to see who had sat down by him, too. He let out an odd squeak-like sound and sat frozen for a second. But he quickly threw his arms around a beaming Hermione.
"Hermione..." He breathed. Harry could see them both go red, and Ron abruptly let her go. "Sorry..." He muttered, clearly embarrassed. He sat there silently, beat red, not looking at her. Harry cleared his throat.
"Hermione... how are you feeling?" He asked, reaching over and patting her friendly on the hand.
"I'm pretty good. Madam Pomfrey cleared me right up... she says I should be just fine," She answered him, smiling softly. "Too bad I couldn't take the exams on time, though. I had been cramming since at least February."
"Is that all you can think about? Exams?" Ron exclaimed. "Unbelievable!"
"Sorry, sorry. You're right. I should just be happy to be alive," She said, smiling at him.
"Hermione-,"
"Attention please, attention!" Dumbledore's voice rumbled through the hall, making everyone fall silent. "Forgive me, as there are a few things that must be said before we indulge a fabulous feast. Yes... first off: As you can tell by the decorations, Gryffindor has won the House Cup once again. But, let us hear the point standings. In fourth place, Slytherin, with five hundred four points! In third place, Hufflepuff, with five hundred fifty-one points! In second place, Ravenclaw, with six hundred seventeen points! And in first place, Gryffindor, with six hundred forty-eight points! Good job Gryffindors, yes, good job indeed." Cheers invaded the hall, coming from the Gryffindor table. "Yes, cheers, cheers. Ah, yes... speaking of Gryffindor. I am pleased to welcome Hermione Granger back to full health. She had fallen for quite some time, but we all welcome you back with warm arms." He smiled directly at Hermione as he said this. "Well, I am sure you are all ready to club me for food, so I shall delay you no longer. Another well spent year, I say. You all deserve a feast. So, here you are!" As soon as he stopped speaking, all kinds of food appeared on the tables, filling the Great Hall with wonderful smells.
The three immediately began to fill their plates. "He really didn't have to announce me back like that," Hermione said after swallowing her first bite.
"Of courf heff didfth," Ron said with a full mouth.
"Yeah, because, I mean, he's Dumbledore," Harry added, taking a bite of ham and potatoes.
"Yeah, I guess so," Hermione said. She smiled and then dug into her own food. As the feast went on, the more Ron caught himself staring at Hermione. He could hardly talk to her, because when he did, his mind just started buzzing and the memory of her kissing him kept coming back, making his ears go red and turn away. He wondered if she even remembered. And if she did, was that what he wanted? He kept shaking it away, not wanting to think about it. He was just going to enjoy the time with her, as a friend.
"Ron... Ron," Harry kept repeating, waving his hand in front of Ron's face.
"Wha?"
"You have ice cream all over your face," Harry looked at him with a raised eyebrow, throwing a napkin at him. Dessert must have appeared when he'd been lost in thought, because there was a bowl of chocolate chip mint ice cream in front of him. And he must have been missing his mouth, because he felt the cold chill of melting ice cream dribbling down his chin.
"Ack!" He let out, wiping the ice cream off his face. Hermione laughed and Harry just smirked.
"Nice." Ron just sneered at him and threw the napkin back at him. Before Ron could take an actual bite of his ice cream, all of the desserts vanished.
"Oh man!" Ron groaned, throwing the spoon back onto the table. Everyone looked back up to the teachers' table. Dumbledore was standing again, gazing around the room.
"Well, that concludes another feast and another phenomenal year. Now, have an even better summer and come back with nothing in those heads so we can be sure to fill them up again! Off you go, one more night's rest and then you are home bound. See you next year!" He waved them off and sat back down. The hall grew noisy again as all the students got up and headed off to their common rooms lazily.
Ron, Harry, and Hermione got back up to the common room first, taking the best chairs by the fire. "Ah, it feels so good to be a threesome again instead of a twosome," Harry said dramatically. "Hermione, you are a sight for soar eyes. Ron gave me no good lovin' whatsoever." Hermione snorted, but Ron smacked Harry on the arm, adding to his bruises from before.
"You make everything sound sick," Ron said with disgust.
"What if that's what I mean? Hmm? What would you say then?"
"I'd say, 'Shut up and cut it out.' That's what I'd say."
"Maybe I don't want to, Ronald."
"Maybe I want you to!"
"Want me to what?" He gave Ron a devilish smile, as if trying to seduce him.
"You two sound like an old married couple," Hermione laughed.
"That is our dream, you know," Harry replied.
"No it's not!" Ron cried. Hermione and Harry laughed. Ron sat there, ears flaming. He was obviously the only one taking it seriously.
"Alright, sorry, Ronald.. I mean Ron. We'll stop," Harry said, suddenly serious.
"Thank you," Ron mumbled.
When most of the Gryffindors came back to the common room, they just headed up to their dormitories. So, the room was emptied pretty easily, mainly only leaving the three left. After a few hours, Harry yawned.
"I think I'm ready for some sleep. Ron, you coming?" He asked, getting up and stretching.
"Nah, I don't think a few more hours of being awake could hurt. Not tired yet," Ron responded. Harry shrugged and dragged himself up to their dormitory. Minutes went by, Ron and Hermione didn't exchange a single word. They just stared at the fire.
"I could really go for some butter beer right now," Hermione said.
"Huh?" Ron switched his gaze to where she had been sitting, but she was no longer sitting.
"So, are you with me?"
"Are you suggesting that we-?"
"Yeah, go to the kitchens and get some butter beer, why not?"
"We are talking about the same Hermione that made spew, right? The same Hermione that tries to enforce every school ruleever made, right?"
"Yes... and it's S.P.E.W., not spew, and you know that," She corrected him. He felt somewhat relieved that she had corrected him, otherwise he would have thought all that overdose had messed up her brain. "So, do you want some or not? I will go alone if you don't want to come..."
"What's with the sudden personality change?" Ron asked cautiously.
"There is no change... I just feel like doing something different for the last night we're in Hogwarts for this year. Plus, I've been locked up in the Hospital Wing for ages, I need to stretch. Besides, what are you complaining for, you always pressure me to break rules." He had to admit, she had some good points.
"Yeah, I'll come with you," Ron said, finally.
"Great, let's go, then," She replied happily, grabbing Ron's wrist and pulling him up. They crept out of the portrait hole, surprised that they didn't wake up the Fat Lady. They both knew the way by heart, so it was no problem to find their way. Only problem was Filch and Mrs. Norris. Though, that wasn't much of a problem either, since the teachers were having an end of the year party in the teachers lounge, and Filch was there. So, only Mrs. Norris was prowling around.
They did bump into Mrs. Norris, but Ron had yanked them into an empty classroom that had been near by. Once she was out of sight, they slipped back into the corridor and were on their way. The security on the kitchens hadn't changed at all, they just tickled the pear, it transformed into a door, and they went inside. The kitchens never failed to smell good and make your mouth water. But this time, not as many elves were working. All they really had to make was breakfast, then their only customers would be teachers after tomorrow morning. A lot of the elves were probably cleaning.
A bobbing head came toward them. Ron was ready to be greeted by Dobby, but realized it wasn't him. Instead, a small elf that Ron had never talk to came wobbling up. The elf bowed low.
"Hello sir and miss!" It squeaked. "Is there something you would like?"
"Actually, if two butter beers wouldn't be any trouble..." Hermione started.
"Oh, not at all. Let me fetch them!" It said happily in it's high-pitched voice.
"Do you reckon we should sit down or something?" Ron asked. He just noticed how much he towered over all of the elves. It felt awkward.
"Yes, let's." They walked over to one of the long tables and took a seat on the bench. There was more silence between them.
"I'm sorry," Hermione said in a hushed voice. Ron looked at her from the corner of his eye, she had pulled up her legs and was hugging her knees.
"For what?"
"I knew what was going on..."
"What do you mean?"
"I knew..." She took a deep breath, then continued, "what he was doing. I knew what he had given me."
"Then... why didn't you tell me?"
"I just couldn't. You don't understand, that stuff messes you up so bad. It was hard to actually control myself, since I was around him so much." Ron watched her as she spoke and stared at her for a few minutes afterwards. He was thinking, hard.
"Once... when you were on the Love Potion... you told me... that if you didn't do something, you'd lose control. I didn't know what you had meant... but I guess now I do. Your mind was still objecting the potion... but your body only listened to the potion. So you got confused... and... even if your body gave into your mind for awhile... you didn't completely know what you were doing, even if you were helping yourself. If that makes much sense."
"What did I do?" She asked quickly. So she didn't remember. Ron's stomach dropped. He gulped.
"You... you kissed me..." He let out with difficulty. She opened her mouth, but a squeaking noise stopped her from saying anything. They both looked down. The elf had returned with their butter beer. "Thanks," Ron said hoarsely, snatching a bottle from the elf. Hermione took a bottle for herself after a moments hesitation. The elf bowed out of sight. Ron occupied himself by chugging down his butter beer, but he was so freaked out that the taste didn't even register. It was like nothingness was sliding down his throat. Hermione, however, was taking small sips gingerly.
By the time Hermione had had her fill, Ron had managed to suck his bottle completely dry. There wasn't even any more air in it for him to inhale. Hermione checked her wristwatch.
"I think we should go now. It's almost two ten." She placed her bottle on the table and stood up. Ron put his bottle down shakily and got to his feet, too. They exited the kitchens and made their way slowly down the hall. They passed the teachers lounge just in case, and from the loud noises coming from inside, they could tell that the party was still going on. Teachers are lucky... they can have parties all they want without getting in trouble for it... or getting told to go to bed... Ron thought as they snuck by.
The whole time they had been walking, Hermione had been about two feet ahead of Ron. But as they approached the Transfiguration corridor, she fell back, walking in sync with Ron. "I meant it, you know," She said softly. She did remember... Ron stopped, so did Hermione. She faced him and looked up at him. Ron folded her into a hug. She hugged him back. And they didn't say a word, because nothing needed to be said.
"Get up, mate. The train leaves in an hour, c'mon!" Someone jabbed Ron in the side.
"Mmmfhh..." Ron groaned, throwing his pillow blindly. He opened his eyes and saw Harry leaning over him. "Go away..." He mumbled, attempting to swat Harry away.
"So, a few more hours of being awake couldn't hurt, eh?" Harry pushed Ron off his bed, making him drop like a rock to the floor. He pushed himself up slowly and threw another pillow at Harry. Harry caught the pillow and threw it back at Ron.
"Fine! I'm getting up," Ron called out grudgingly.
"Good, pack up, you are delaying my breakfast." Ron stood up and changed clothes. He began to pack his trunk sloppily, just wanting to go eat with the rest of the Gryffindors before they left. Hermione crossed his mind and he shoved his things into his trunk faster. Last night, he didn't know how long they had stood their in that corridor. He didn't know when they finally got back and he fell asleep. But he didn't care. Because he knew one thing: everything between him and Hermione was fine again.
He smiled as he slammed his trunk lid down. Harry had been watching him, an eyebrow raised. "What are you so happy about?"
"It's the last day at Hogwarts, mate, what do you think?" Ron lied, smiling even broader.
"Oh, you lie," Harry said accusingly. "What is it really? Something happen between you and Hermione last night?" Ron didn't reply, he just kept smiling and walked toward the dormitory door. "Something did happen! I knew it." Harry said, prodding him in the back. "So, what happened?" Harry bugged Ron about it all the way down to the Great Hall, but Ron didn't even open his mouth to speak. Not until they neared the Gryffindor table, anyway.
"I'll give you ten chocolate frogs if you shut it," He said.
"Deal," Harry replied. "I'll just asked Hermione what happened." With that, he scurried off to find her. It took a second for Ron to realize what Harry just did and sped off after him. Ron spotted Hermione before Harry did and pounced onto the seat next to her. Harry cursed and sat down by Ron. Hermione gave the two a puzzled look and continued to read her copy of the Daily Profit.
After all the students ate, they took the thestral-draw carriages back down to the Hogsmeade train station. As usual, ever since Ron and Hermione became prefects, Harry had to find a place to sit in the train with Ginny, Neville, and Luna. He waved Ron and Hermione off as they headed for the prefect carriage.
"I hate hall duty," Ron groaned. "Can you do my part?"
"No," Hermione said shortly as they sat down with the rest of the prefects. "Besides, we go in pairs, remember? I don't want to do it alone. That's twice as much work."
"And you're complaining?" Ron raised his eyebrow. She didn't reply, which made Ron smirk.
Since Ron and Hermione had one of the first shifts, they were able to get back to Harry's carriage quickly, spending the rest of the journey there. Ron, Harry, Hermione, and Neville mainly talked the whole time. Ginny kept silent, gazing out the window. Luna, like normal, was reading the latest issue of her father's magazine, The Quibbler. For half of the trip, Harry kept poking Ron for his ten chocolate frogs, making Ron have Neville switch spots with him.
"Looks like we're nearly there," Hermione pointed out finally.
"Thank heavens!" Ron exclaimed over Harry's over dramatic groan for chocolate frogs. "Besides, Harry, why didn't you just buy your own when the lunch trolley lady came by?"
"Because that's not how a deal works, my friend," Harry replied simply.
"You can have some of mine. I won loads off of Neville when we were playing chess," Ginny said out of the blue, tossing her bag full of chocolate at Harry.
"No, that's okay, I was just giving Ron a hard time about nothing-,"
"No, really. You can have some. I don't need all of it." She stretched and reached for her Muggle clothes. Harry shrugged, took a few, and gave Ginny's bag back to her. He broke off bits and passed them around to everyone.
"Truthfully, I'm not too hungry, so you guys can have it," He said while he did this. "I just get the cards."
"We need to change, fast, because I can just barely see the station," Hermione informed them, peering out the window. They all changed hastily, bumping into each other. Just as soon as they had finished, the train came to a halt at platform nine and three quarters. Ron could see all the waiting families standing outside, easily spotting his own. He pushed his way out into the train corridor, letting everyone else in his compartment out. It wasn't easy to move the way you wanted to in a stream of hundreds of kids in a tiny hall. He finally jumped out, hauling his trunk after him.
"Ronald!" He heard someone calling, he turned around to see Fred and George waving at him. He didn't know they'd be here, too. Hermione, Harry, and Ginny followed Ron's lead as he made his way over to the twins.
"I didn't see you guys here," Ron said.
"Yes, a fine way to greet your own flesh and blood," George replied.
"Rude little whelk, aren't you?" Fred added.
"I'm not a whelk," Ron said, getting irritated already.
"Whelk boy," The twins said in unison.
"I like that,"
"Yes, very fitting,"
"Shut up," Ron said, trying to swat them away.
"Ah! Harry, Ginny... and... is that?"
"Hermione! Dearest Hermione!" Fred exclaimed, the two buzzing around the three. Ron was left forgotten.
"Harry, old chap, fancy having a summer job?" George asked.
"Yes, the business is getting very popular, all thanks to you, of course," Fred said.
"And we might need some extra assistance, if you're interested."
"That should be a good excuse to get you away from the Muggles quicker, then you can stay with Ronnikins, too."
"Well, I'm already coming to the Burrow for the summer... I guess a little time for a job wouldn't hurt..." Harry replied, thinking about it.
"Oh! Harry, Ron, Ginny, Hermione!" Mrs. Weasley bustled over, grabbing each of them into a hug.
"Mum! We were just discussing business!" Fred and George groaned.
"It can wait!" She barked. "So, you two are coming to stay with us this summer, aren't you?" She returned her attention to Harry and Hermione.
"Of course," Hermione replied.
"Yeah, as soon as possible," Harry said.
"Oh, good! We'll send you each an owl with the set arrangements, alright?" They nodded. She smiled and turned back toward Fred and George. Ron's dad must have been working, because he wasn't anywhere in sight. "Anyway..." Ron could hear his mother start, "I know you are doing well in your business, but-,"
"You don't encourage it," Fred cut her off.
"And you don't want us discussing it," George added. They sounded bored, like they had gone through this about a million times.
"It's not that I don't encourage it, but, don't be pulling Harry into it!"
"He's really the one that pulled us into it, mum."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing," They said together
"Hey, why didn't you offer me a summer job? As I'm your brother," Ron cut in.
"Because we don't need a whelk boy handling our merchandise," George said sternly. Ron glared at them and then looked around for Harry and Hermione. But they seemed to have disappeared. I hope they didn't leave... Ron thought with a frown. He peered around a bit more and spotted them walking out from behind a stone column nearby. He inched closer, narrowing his eyes a bit.
"Thanks a ton, Harry," He heard Hermione say. Then she kissed his cheek lightly. Ron could see Harry turn slightly red. Ron's mouth dropped and he stood there, frozen. The two headed back toward the direction that Ron was in and stopped in front of him. Harry must have decoded Ron's look, because his expression became strained and he stepped away from Hermione, toward Ron.
"Get your mind out of the gutter," Harry muttered as he passed Ron's shoulder. He sounded mad. This made Ron angry, too. Why should Harry be mad? He didn't just see me get kissed by some girl he fancied. Self-centered jerk... Ron thought. Hermione must have seen him flame up, because she reached up and placed her hand on his cheek.
"It was nothing," She said, as if she understood what he was thinking. Then she went up on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek. "And you can decide what that was..." She whispered in his ear as she pulled away. She looked up at him for a moment, then dug into her jean pocket, taking out a folded up piece of parchment. She handed it to Ron and walked back to the group. Ron stood still, gazing down at the folded parchment. He slowly unfolded it and inside revealed a very familiar scrawl. It was his writing. And as he examined the parchment, he realized it was his poem. And at the bottom, written in purple ink, delicate letters had been carefully printed. They said: You may.