Ok so this is chapter 3, this has taken me ages to write! It was really difficult.

Chapter 3: Snape's Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson

Over the next few weeks the workload Ron had to deal with increased dramatically now the teachers had stopped telling them what they had to do for the NEWTs and had started them doing it. Ron had to work incredibly hard to scrape an A (acceptable). This may have been because he had restarted Quidditch training. Last year Ron had become Gryffindor's Keeper in the wizard game of Quidditch, he had helped them win the cup and now he was training hard hoping to do the same this year.

Ron had never had to juggle Quidditch and homework before last year and he had forgotten how hard it was. Every evening he and Harry came back from Quidditch training warn out. They would then have to sit down in the common room and do the homework they had been set that day. This usually took several hours. By the time he had finished all that Ron was so warn out he would just go to bed.

On one of these very tiring nights Ron found himself to be the only one left in the common room when he finally finished his potions homework. He stretched and looked around the room. Paper was littered about the place (probably the order forms Ron had given out for Fred and George's new inventions) and the fire was burning low. Ron yawned and started to put his things away.

"Would you like me to check that for you?"

Ron nearly jumped out of his skin. Hermione sat down next to him and started to read through his homework.

"Jeez Hermione, you scared me to death!"

"Oh, I'm really sorry Ron I didn't mean to, I only wanted to help and I thought you might like some company, I am really really sorry Ron but I….."

"It's ok Hermione, just breathe." Ron put his hands on her shoulders and looked straight at her. She clamed down and looked straight back. They sat there for a while just staring into each other's eyes. Hermione blushed and looked away.

"Um… so yeah, I will check this for you." Ron took his hands away from her shoulders and she re-started checking his homework.

Ron sat there watching her. She really was beautiful. He hair was catching the light of the fire and made her look amazing. She continued checking his homework. She bit her lip in thought. She looked really cute when she did that. Ron smiled, he liked this, him and her alone together. He wondered if he would have the guts to tell her how he felt.

"All done!" Hermione put the piece of homework down. She turned to Ron. She looked at him as though deep in thought. Ron raised an eyebrow at her and frowned.

"What?"

"Hmm, oh nothing." Hermione blushed and looked down.

"Why were you looking at me like that?" Ron asked trying to look at Hermione.

"Like what? I-I wasn't looking at you."

Ron grinned "yes you were, you looked at me as though you were thinking about something"

"W-w-was I? I hadn't noticed." Hermione mumbled. She had her hands in her lap and she was trying to hide her face under her hair by bowing her head. Ron put his hands on hers. She peered up at him through her hair and gave a smile. Ron leant forwards so his nose was touching the hair hiding her face.

"Why are you hiding from me Mione?" he whispered. Hermione's gaze met his. She started playing with his hands, which were resting on hers.

"Because, I…." Hermione stopped and took her hands away, a noise from the dormitories had distracted her. Both she and Ron looked at the door to the staircase. Ron got up and went to the door. He climbed the stairs and heard Hermione follow. The noise seemed to have come form his dorm. He pushed open the door and saw Neville, Dean and Seamus crowding around Harry's bed. When Ron got closer he saw Harry lying on the floor next to his bed, eyes wide open drenched in sweat.

"Harry what happened?"

Harry sat bolt upright. "Its Voldemort, Ron, he's just sent two of his best Death Eaters on a very important mission."

**********

Ron kept glancing over at Harry during breakfast. He wondered if what he had seen he saw by accident and it had really happened, whether it was a nightmare or if He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named wanted him to see it. Harry hadn't said anything about it since last night so they weren't talking about it .Ron looked over at the teacher's table.

"Where are Lupin and Midnight?" he strained his neck to get a better look.

"There was a full moon last night." Said Hermione simply, "he must be recovering from it."

"Oh, so who do you reckon will be teaching us today?"

"I don't know Ron, you will have to just wait and see. Don't you think that waiting to find out something, the anticipation makes the thing a lot more special." She glanced at him and smiled, then he could have sworn she winked at him. Was she referring to last night?

"What the hell, Hermione? It's a teacher teaching a lesson how can that be special?" Harry looked at her puzzled. "Do you think some fit teacher like Lockhart is going to be teaching us or are you just losing the plot?"

"Lupin's not that bad looking….." Hermione muttered. Ron and Harry both looked at her.

"Oh look at the time we had better get to our lesson!" Hermione walked briskly out of the hall.

"What's with Hermione today?" Harry asked Ron.

"I a… I don't know"

Harry was quiet the whole day and so was Hermione. Ron found it very hard to make conversation. They both seamed to be avoiding his eye. He supposed Harry was doing that so he didn't have to talk about the dream he had and Hermione must be doing it because she embarrassed herself a bit at breakfast.

Just before Defence Against the Dark Arts he managed to say to her, "so who do you recon will be teaching us then? Will it be really special now I've had to wait all day to find out or would it be even more special if I found out even later on, like tonight say?" Hermione blushed and followed the rest of the class into the classroom.

Ron sat down in his usual seat and at the front of the class he saw Professor Snape standing there with his arms folded. Snape would be taking the lesson today, why does he have to come and annoy us more than is necessary? thought Ron. Snape stood at the front of the class and waited for everyone to settle down, once they had done so he glared at them all. He paced up and down the class just looking at everyone. It was really creepy. He went to the front of the class (again, is he trying to walk round the room as many times as he can?  wondered Ron) and started to say something about the work they had been set, when he was interrupted by the door opening. The whole class turned round to see who it was.

"Yes? Who is it? Who is disrupting this lesson?" Snape snapped at the person he supposed was at the door. But when he looked towards the door he saw no person. "Irksome students, they think its funny to go around opening doors and disturbing lessons…." Snape swept across the classroom towards the door and found Midnight closing it with her back leg. He started back. She stood there and looked at him with her unblinking gaze. The whole class sat and watched with bated breath. Ron hoped that Midnight would pounce and knock Snape to the ground and maybe even maul him. He knew how Snape hated the marauders and he thought that maybe Midnight would show some hatred back, as Lupin would not.

Snape crouched down so he was at Midnights level. He looked intently into her eyes. Snape leant forward and wrapped his arms around Midnights neck, he hugged her! Ron gasped sure Midnight would retaliate to this, but instead of roaring and ripping his arms off she licked him on the cheek! Ron was amazed. He was even more amazed when Snape wiped the drool off his face he smiled! Ron had never seen Snape smile before and here he was smiling because he had been licked by a panther. The whole class seamed to be in a state of shock.

"So as I was saying Professor Lupin has left you some work to do so I will write it up on the board and you can get on with it." Snape then sat behind the desk and started stroking Midnight, who was lying on top of the desk.

Ron started doing the work and scribbled a note to Harry what's with Snape being nice? Harry read Ron's untidy scrawl and shrugged. During the rest off the lesson Ron could hear Snape talking to Midnight but he couldn't quite make out what he was saying.

When the bell rang, signalling the end of the lesson Snape said "Potter I would like to speak with you for a moment please, the rest of you may leave."

Ron and Hermione lingered outside the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom waiting for Harry to finish talking to Snape.

"What do you think Snape wants Harry for?" Hermione asked.

"Not sure, we'll have to ask him when he gets out." Ron paused. "Mione, what were you going to say las-"

Harry stormed out the room knocking Hermione over so her bag fell off her shoulders and all her books fell out. Ron caught her.

"Sorry Hermione, didn't see you there." Harry apologised.

"What did Snape want Harry?"

"He told me that Dumbledore thinks I should start Occlumency again because of that nightmare I had last night. So now on top of everything else I have to go to Snape's office two times a week, starting tonight, to let him look into my memories."

"Well I'm sure Dumbledore wouldn't make you do this if he didn't think you nee-"

"Shhhhhhhh" Harry interrupted Hermione and put his ear against the door. "Listen, Snape's talking to someone."

Ron put his ear against the door. Snape was talking to someone all right, maybe it was Midnight again, but wait he heard a voice reply, it sounded like a female voice. Ron caught some of their conversation.

"I can't believe how much you have changed, you are even more beautiful than ever and a lot more skilled in magic I see."

"Oh Severus stop it! You know I've been working hard at my magic, especially my potion making, you know I need to be a good potion maker for this job."

"Yes, I was told to help you out if you needed any resources whilst you were here."

"Thank you Severus that will be very helpful."

Ron thought they must have hugged just then because there was a rustle of clothing and a pause in the conversation. He looked at Harry and Hermione who were both looking as confused as he was. They heard footsteps coming to the door and hurriedly started picking up Hermione's books, which were scattered all over the floor.

The door opened and Snape walked out. "What do you three think you are doing? Students are not supposed to linger in the corridor after lessons."

"But sir Hermione dropped her books and we were-"

"I don't want to hear it Weasley. Ten points from Gryffindor. Now get going before I deduct any more." With that Snape stalked off down the corridor.

Ron, Harry and Hermione started walking towards Gryffindor tower wondering whom it was Snape had been talking to. As they were walking Midnight passed them.

Harry whispered. "You know she was the only other thing in there apart from Snape. Where did that woman come from?"

"Dunno maybe she apparated or something." Ron suggested.

"How many time Ron? You cannot apparate or disapparate in side the Hogwarts grounds! Why don't you read 'Hogwarts a History?' "

"Because there is no point, you can tell us everything that is in there as you know it inside out!" Ron grinned at Hermione.

"Maybe they were just talking but she wasn't really there, in the room, like how Sirius…….how, how he used floo powder to talk with us last year…" Harry stopped talking and looked at the floor. Ron thought he might have been trying to stop tears from rolling down his cheeks. The conversation stopped and the three of them walked in silence back to Gryffindor Tower.

**********

Ron yawned. It was late. Harry had come back from doing Occlumency with Snape about half an hour ago. He had told Ron he was warn out and had gone straight to bed, Ron was the last person in the common room again. Crookshanks jumped on his lap and Ron stroked him absentmindedly. Ron's mind travelled back to last night, what was Hermione going to say to him? He wished he knew. He was so engrossed in his thoughts he didn't hear the door creek shut, or the footsteps coming towards him. He only noticed Hermione when she sat next to him and put her hand on his leg. Ron was jerked out of his thoughts.

"Oh, hiya Hermione, I didn't see you there."

"Hi Ron I was- I was just looking for Crookshanks, oh and here he is." Hermione smiled weakly.

"Yeah, well here's Crookshanks." The conversation stopped and there was an awkward silence. Crookshanks jumped off Ron's knee. He started drumming his fingers on the table, Hermione put her hand on the hand he was using to drum his fingers. He stopped and looked up into her eyes.

"Mione I-"

"Shhhh." Hermione put her finger on Ron's lips. "I need to say what I wanted to say yesterday, Ron I-I, oh this is hard, Ron I really like you. I know we've been friends for ages and this could ruin that friendship but I just can't hide it any more, I really really like you Ron." She sighed. "There I've said it, that's a relief."

"Wow, Mione I never realised you felt that way." He took both of her hands and kissed one. "I really like you Mione." He smiled at her.

Hermione threw her arms around his neck. Ron was shocked, but put his arms around her hoping it was the right thing to do. "Ron I'm so glad. I was so afraid I was going to make a fool of myself. Why did you never say anything is you felt the same way I do?" she settled her self on his knee.

"Because I thought you liked Viktor Krum."

"Viktor?"

"Yeah, because you were still sending him letters and I thought you might have gone to see him over the holidays."

"Ron, Viktor and I are just friends and I defiantly haven't seen him over the holidays! I think one of the reasons I agreed to go to the Yule Ball with him was to get you to notice me, and it worked didn't it?" Ron thought back. Yes it did make him notice her, he saw her in a different light. From all the time before that she had just been their friend but then he realised that she was a girl who was maturing into a very lovely young woman. Since then he never saw her in the same light.

"Yes, it did, and I'm very glad it did. Hey I just thought I don't know when you decided you liked me. I've never seen any sign of you liking me before this."

"I'm not sure I think I realised that I really cared for you when Sirius dragged you into the Whomping Willow and I didn't know what he was going to do to you. But then in the 4th year when it came round to the ball, for some reason I hoped you would ask me, but you didn't even realise I was there to be asked. I got so mad that I accepted Viktor's invitation in the hope that you would notice me, and here we are back to where the conversation started."

"Yeah……." Ron looked into Hermione's eyes. She looked really beautiful. He stroked her face with his hand. She closed her eyes and smiled. She hooked her arms around the back of his neck.

"Ron.." she sighed. She lent towards him, so close he could feel her soft breath on his face. Ron could hardly believe this was happening, he had dreamed about this moment for so long. Hermione's nose was now touching his. She ran the tip of her nose along his. Her touch made Ron's body tingle. Ron leant forward and his lips met Hermione's. The kiss was soft. It made Ron want to explode with happiness. When they broke away Hermione giggled and rested her head on his shoulder. Ron sat there and basked in the bliss he was feeling at that moment, Hermione sitting there wrapped around him was how he always wanted it to be.

---Awwwwwwwwwww! Ron and Hermione! yey! The scenes between them were defiantly the hardest bit to write so far, phew!---