Author's Note:

Thank you to everyone that reviewed! It really means a lot to me! Yay! 10 Reviews!

Special Thanks to:

Shinegami's Little Sis – It was very important to me that this felt real and the airplane tied it in.

Peace7 – I hoped it would be "good"

AnimeAlexis- Thanks for the motivation 

LivvyWriter- I wanted to work in a dentist joke, too, but I couldn't think of a "good" one

SummerxKiss2- I'm updating!

Ginny PoshSpice – I'm working on it! Lol.

Iluvbeingme23 – I'll tell whoever I want whatever I want. Lol. Don't worry. I'll finish this one. I think I can, I think I can…

Lil'bookwormGirl – I'm glad that you love it! Is this fast enough?

Surfgirl15 – I AM UPDATING VERY SOON (ish)!

Emma-Lynn – This is set at the very beginning of HBP. It will get much sweeter.

On with the Story:

Learning to Fly

By: Cydni Smith

Chapter Two:

"Corned Beef"

"Ron! Time for lunch," Mrs. Weasley called from the kitchen.

At the idea of food, Ron almost felt compelled to do a back flip. He bolted happily down the stairs, through the living room, and past the clock. He slowed a second to take another look at it. All nine hands were still pointed to 'mortal peril' and Ron couldn't help but feel as if they would not point 'home' anytime soon. He stood facing it for another second before remembering that there was food to be eaten and rushed off.

Once he entered the kitchen, the smell of corned beef filled his nostrils. He gagged a little and looked to his mother for an explanation.

"Look, Ronikins. I made your favorite, corned beef," Mrs. Weasley said, oblivious to her son's look of disgust.

"Thanks, Mum," Ron said, choking back his gag reflex. He looked at the food as if it were a pile of baby acromantulas, except with more disgust than fear.

"You lot tuck in. I'll be out in the garden. Those gnomes are getting out of control again. Fred and George will be coming down some time this week to help me, but I don't want them to over-take the garden before then…" she rambled on a bit more about the garden and gnomes as she made her way outside.

"Since when do you like corned beef? As long as I have known you it has been the only edible thing that you don't eat," Hermione joked. Ron couldn't help, but notice how pleasant her smile was. He didn't know why, but he would have eaten the beef to see her smile like that again.

"I don't like it. I just don't have the heart to tell her that I hate it."

"You should tell her. She wouldn't want to spend her time making something that you really don't like. Here. I'll magic you up something to eat." With that she waved her wand, muttered an incantation, and Ron's sandwich was transfigured into Yorkshire pudding.

"Yeah. I guess you're right, as usual. Thanks." His eyes widened at the sight of his real favorite food. He wondered how she knew.

They sat at the table in silence for a while, just eating and enjoying the company. They played a little staring game. It wasn't how it usually was, staring; it was looking into the other. Ron looked away first, his ears reddening. They both felt for a second as though they had lost something.

"So, err, what do you want to do?" Ron asked, his eyes not quite meeting Hermione.

"I don't know. What do you want to do?"

"Want to play Quidditch?"

"I don't know how to fly," Hermione admitted sheepishly.

"I could teach you," Ron blurted, "That is, if you wanted to?" He looked at her hopefully, his head angled down, his blue eyes looking at her, and his lower lip jutted slightly forward.

Hermione could not resist the puppy-dog eyes. "I would like that very much. Thank you." She smiled again. Ron could not have been more elated.

From the other side of the wall a gong sounded and the clicking of clockwork distracted half of the duo. "What was that?" Hermione asked nervously.

"It was just the clock. I bet Ginny will be home soon," he said calmly, managing not to spray his friend with food. Sure enough, the hand on the clock with Ginny's picture was facing Traveling. The gong sounded again, the hand moved back to Mortal Peril and a rather rumpled Genevera Weasley tumbled out of the fireplace.

Ginny walked into the kitchen and sat at the end of the table. She let out a deep sigh and put her head flat to the wood.

"Hi, Ginny," Hermione said happily.

"What?" Ginny hollered in surprise, quickly bringing her head up and looking from her brother to Hermione. She collected herself. "Oh, Hermione. I didn't know you were coming. I'm sorry. I didn't see either of you. Wow. Today has just not been a good day. No offense or anything. It's not that I'm upset that you are here or anything, but-," She said quickly, though sounding thoroughly exhausted.

"- None taken."

"Are you staying with me?" Ginny asked bluntly.

"Yes, that's what your mother told me. I haven't unpacked, though, if you want me to stay somewhere else," Hermione answered, slightly flustered.

"No. No. It's fine if you stay with me. I just wanted to know. Since you haven't unpacked, we could go do that now. If you want to."

"Yeah. Okay. I'm done eating anyways," she said, dabbing the corners of her mouth with the napkin and then standing up. "Ron, how about after dinner?"

"Yeah. That would be fine."

The girls headed giggling out of the kitchen, up one flight of stairs, and down to the end of the hallway. Ron was left alone to eat the remainder of his Yorkshire pudding.

-- - --

"What are you doing with my brother after dinner?" Ginny asked coyly pushing her door open to reveal a very neat room. A cot had been set up next to the bed and Hermione's trunk was situated in the middle of it.

"He's teaching me to fly. So where were you today?" Hermione asked as she pulled some of her clothes out of her big yellow trunk, which was now resting on Ginny's bed, and hanging them in her closet. She was a little pink and wanted the conversation to change course before it deepened to red.

Ginny noticed the diversion, but needed to talk about her day too much to push it. "I was with Dean. I like him a lot, but sometimes he can be so- just so pig headed. Like today, he wanted to snog and I wanted to talk a little and then snog. He just wouldn't listen to me. He didn't push it, but got sulky. It was just so juvenile. I wish he was more like –"

"- Harry?"

"That wasn't what I was going to say, but yeah. I do. I keep trying to talk to him or just be around him, but I can't. I just get so flustered trying to impress him that I can't do anything, but the stupid things," Ginny said starting almost dejectedly and working her way into a frustrated anger.

"He doesn't need to be impressed. He's impressive enough by himself. Just calm down and be yourself around him. He'll come around. I know he will. Besides, until then you have Dean and he is a great guy," Hermione said happily.

"You are absolutely right."

"You are welcome."

The girls sat around gossiping about all of their friends and telling stories until –

"- Girls. Dinner!"

End Chapter Two.

---- Please review! It is the only thing that keeps me going! Well besides caffeine.

Let me know what you think. Flame me even. I don't know how you could. I stayed in character. I think. If you have any ideas let me know and I'll think about putting them in.

--- Cydni