Disclaimer: Trust me, if I were JK, the Pope would have sent an assassin already. (And yes, the time maker, Ron is "gay 2 me." :D)

Ron walked back to the pond with what he hoped was a cool, easy pace. He didn't want anyone to notice anything suspicious about his absence. Fortunately, Mrs. Weasley had started serving the food, and everyone was more interested in the sandwiches and lemonade.

"Ronald, dear, hurry and grab a plate," Mrs. Weasley said distractedly as she tried to stop the oversized watermelon from rolling off the table. Ron braced himself, but no one else said anything. He grabbed a plate and quickly piled it with food.

"Ron!" Harry waved from his spot under the willow tree. "Come sit with me and Hermione. We saved you a space."

Ron felt his face burn. If they only knew what he had been doing moments before… Well, no matter now. He carried his plate over to his two friends and sat down between them. His heart raced when he bumped knees with Harry, and he breathlessly murmured, "Sorry."

Harry opened his mouth to speak, but Hermione began talking at her rat-a-tat pace before he could start. "Ron, where were you? You missed all the fun of diving. Fred and George are really good, I mean they're almost as good as the Olympic team—Oh! You don't know the Olympics, do you? Here, let me explain. See, there are these teams from countries all around the world, and the best athletes compete in all these different events—"

Ron nodded and let his mind and eyes wander. What had Harry been about to say? He noticed the other boy picked a bit sullenly at his food, but he didn't eat a bite.

"Harry," Ron said suddenly, "mate, you've got to eat something."

Perhaps this wasn't the best thing to say, Ron realized later. Harry immediately bristled. "Why?" he demanded. "I'm getting bloody tired of being told what to do, Ron. I mean, all summer I've had people telling me to do this, do that, stay safe, be careful…"

Hermione (bless her soul, Ron thought fondly) stepped in and saved the day. "I'm sure he's only worried what Mrs. Weasley will say if you don't eat her cooking. She worked for days to prepare this feast, and if you don't eat it, her feelings will be hurt."

Ron nodded in agreement. "You know how Mum gets. She still gets insulted if I don't eat at least three helpings of dessert."

Harry seemed satisfied with this explanation. He shrugged half-heartedly and speared a piece of ham on his fork. Ron pretended not to notice, but Harry ate much more after that.

Later, as the sun began to set and the stars began to shine, Ron felt a nagging feeling in his stomach. Ginny wasn't helping; she kept 'accidentally' bumping into him and whispering "Tell her!" in his ear as she helped him up. Finally, when the moon began to swim on the pond's surface, Ron decided it was time.

The entire Weasley family was laying sated by the pond's edge. Even Harry sat with them, explaining the workings of a vacuum cleaner to Mr. Weasley. Ron smiled sadly. If Harry had to use Muggle appliances as a distraction, he was really depressed. He sighed. There would be time to comfort Harry later. Now was the time to come clean to Hermione.

Fortunately, she was still sitting secluded under the willow tree. She had a journal of some sort in her lap, and she closed it hastily when Ron approached.

"Hey, Hermione," Ron said. He stood for a moment and then awkwardly sat down next to her. He never was good at this sort of thing.

"Hi, Ron," she replied. She smiled, but it was a brief, fake smile that lasted for barely a second. "You're welcome to sit with me, but I don't know how much company I'll be. I mean, I've just been so… Well, clearly if you're over here, you have something to tell me, don't you? So why am I still talking? Here, I'll be quiet and let you go."

It took Ron a few moments to realize she had stopped talking. Merlin, could Hermione go on! He cleared his throat and squeezed his eyes shut. Maybe it's like diving, he thought. Maybe if you just close your eyes and jump in headfirst, you'll end up doing it right. "I… Hermione, I'm gay." He squeezed his eyes even harder and waited for a response.

When he heard nothing, he opened his right eye. She was still sitting there, looking at him evenly. "Well, Ron, I don't know what you'd like me to say," she said helplessly. "I mean… I'm sure you had a talk with Ginny, and she told you that I found the book. I'm not against homosexuality, Ron; don't think that. It was just a bit of a shock, that's all. I mean, I always thought… I thought you fancied m—…girls," she finished. She hugged her knees to her chest and gazed out at the pond.

Ron fiddled with a piece of grass for a few moments. The Weasleys' chatter drifted over towards their tree, and Ron heard Harry say, "Oh, yes, they have this long hose attached—"

Ron dropped his piece of grass. Focus, Ron, he told himself. The last thing he needed to think of was Harry with a long hose. "Hermione, I… Well, I don't… I think I fancy girls, too," he said. "It's just that… I'm so confused!" he confessed. He heard Hermione make a sound, but he kept his gaze on the ground. "That book, it told me that you can't fancy blokes and girls the same, but I think I do."

To his surprise, Hermione let out a slight laugh. "Oh, Ron, honestly." She rolled her eyes. "Ernie Bertson—oh, you know, the author of the book—is known in the wizarding community for being a big prat, Ron. He shoves his opinions down his readers' throats with no qualms whatsoever. His book is completely biased. Didn't you quadruple-check your sources?" Hermione sighed and leaned closer to him. "Ron, you're bi. Bisexual. It's perfectly common. Of course," she added thoughtfully, "some people are convinced it's just a ploy that teenagers use to get laid. Oh, but it's perfect nonsense," she hurriedly assured when she saw Ron's worried look. "There are plenty of documented cases of older, bisexual people throughout the entire world, wizarding and Muggle alike."

Ron sighed. He felt like another huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders. "Thank god," he said. He stretched and smiled. "One thing, though. How do I go about the whole dating thing? I mean… well, there's someone right now but… there's someone else, too." And one of them is you, he wanted to add.

Hermione's shoulders seemed to droop a little. "Gee, I don't know, Ron," she added in her falsely cheery tone again. "I don't think the wizarding world allows double partnerships. I guess you'll just have to figure out which one you like more."

A silence lingered in the warm summer air. Ron tried to open his mouth and tell her the rest, but his brain refused to acknowledge the command. Instead, he sat with Hermione under the willow tree and merely thought. Well, I jumped, Ron told himself. Now let's see what happens when I hit the water.