Hermione and Ginny had spent the day sitting in the apex of the library's north tower. No one in there right mind came up here, well occasionally you could find Neville or Hanna Abbot up here, their heads stuck in advanced Herbology books, but as only they seamed to take a avid interest in the subject, and even Hermione found all she needed in her standard books, the chances of the two girls being disturbed wavered .

The subject of how best to accidentally dispose of Lavender Brown had been high on the list of subjects. So far, apart from her untimely demise from the second highest point of the school had been joined by the possibility of setting Buckbeak on to her, transfiguring her in to a cauldron cake and letting one of Malfoy's cronies eat her and Hermione's favourite force feeding her love potion and making her fall in love with the giant squid.

Not only would it be fun to watch but also Hermione had vague recollection of Lavender telling her that she couldn't swim.

But right now Ginny had gotten to the point where if she didn't find out what was going on from Hermione she was going to storm back up to the hospital wing and slap Ron until he woke up and told her. Hermione could tell Ginny was looking at her with that look of utter determination in her eyes.

"Anyway since we appear to be avoiding the topic," said Ginny grinning slightly as she clamped her eyes on to Hermione. "You were telling me about what happened with you and my little big brother."

Hermione found a passing interest in the healing powers of fanged plants and took the book from the shelf. She flicked the pages absentmindedly thinking as she did so.

"I told you Ginny he kissed me."

"Has he done it more than once?" Ginny asked pulling the book away from Hermione. She grabbed for her safety net pulling it back towards herself.

"I knew it…he kissed you again didn't he?"

Hermione silently nodded her head, but she couldn't help thinking of the last time that Ron had kissed her, the harsh exchange of words the way he told her that what he had said that night in the corridor he had meant every word.

"He kissed me the night before his birthday, we were having an argument," Hermione looked up at Ginny. "I had locked myself away behind my books and he had come looking for me, he had said he was going to get rid of Lavender but that morning he had been all over her…"

"Is that why you walked out of Charms?" Ginny asked putting her hand on top of Hermione's.

"I told him I hated him Ginny, I didn't mean it … he followed me. He knew I didn't mean it, then I said it was best if we avoided each other and he kissed me again but I pushed him away… Ginny I told him to drop dead and the next time I see him he's in a hospital bed." Hermione felt the tears rolling down her face.

Ginny got up and crossed the table taking Hermione in to a hug.

"You didn't poison him it was a coincidence Hermione." Ginny said calmly.

"You don't know that, there are all sorts of magic that we still don't understand…."

"And now you're talking crazy talk… whatever happened to Ron was nothing to do with you, and I very much doubt that he's going to hold it against you."

Hermione fell silent and Ginny pulled out of the hug.

"Look at it this way, both of you have spent the best part of the last six years fighting with each other, but you know what you both are always there for the other one if something bad happens, believe it or not Ron is an impeccable judge of character. He knows things he just doesn't let others know that he knows."

"Are you speaking from experience?"

"Let's just say my crush on Harry hasn't exactly gone unnoticed by my brother."

Hermione smiled, it was the first genuine smile she had managed since yesterday morning. Getting all of this off her chest seamed to have lifted some of the guilt that she had been feeling.

"Well someone should tell Harry about it because he's been doing the little lost puppy act over you ever since we got back to Hogwarts." Hermione registered the shock on Ginny's face.

"You hadn't noticed?" she asked quietly.

"Noticed what?" said Ginny, to her credit only the tips of her ears had gone red.

"You haven't noticed the way Harry has been avoiding you and Dean when you're together? The way he's been finding excuses to talk to you. The way he watches you when you're flying… I could go on …"

Ginny was looking open mouthed at her.

"You could have said something!"

"I thought that you would have at least noticed, even Ron noticed, although he thinks you're over Harry …or at least he did last time we talked about the two of you."

Ginny looked down at her hands.

"No I still like Harry, but you know that." Ginny looked up at Hermione.

Hermione nodded.

"And now I know what it was like for you watching Harry and Cho, I don't know how you did it."

"In all fairness I didn't have to watch them snogging every day."

"That's true."

"Listen do you want to go back to the hospital wing, Mum and Dad will be there by now so that means the Lavender won't be, family take priority." said Ginny getting to her feet.

"I'm not family."

"Well maybe not yet…" said Ginny quietly, heading for the wooden stairs.

Hermione put the book back on the shelf she smiled contently to herself.

Mrs Weasley hugged Hermione tightly as they entered the hospital wing.

"Family only." grunted a voice from the office.

"Its ok Poppy Hermione is family." said Mrs Weasley ushering the two girls in to the room.

Ron still lay motionless in the bed. Mr Weasley sat beside him turning the pages of the Daily Prophet.

"Anyone we know dead?" asked Ginny sinking in to the vacant seat next to her father.

"Not today thankfully." he answered pushing his glasses further up his nose slightly.

"That's good to hear." said Hermione quietly sitting down next to Mrs Weasley.

"Well they say no news is good news, but that could just mean that you-know-who is being extra careful, which could mean he's up to something." said Mr Weasley folding the paper and placing it on Ron's bedside cabinet.

"Well then lets just hope that whatever it is ends up putting some more Death Eaters inside Azkaban." said Hermione. On the bed, Ron stirred slightly.

Ginny caught Hermione's eye and winked.

"What's he been like?" Ginny asked her mother.

"No change, who was the girl here when we came in? We expected to see the two of you but Poppy said you had both left…"

"The girl was Lavender Brown, Ron's girlfriend," Hermione registered the quick glance at her from both Weasley seniors when Ginny said this. "She's a king size pain in the backside so me and Hermione left."

Mr Weasley suppressed a laugh, which made Hermione think that he secretly agreed with his daughter's statement.

"She did seam rather-"

"Annoying?" offered Ginny when her mother searched for the right word.

"I think what your mother is trying to say is she didn't think Ron would like that sort of girl." said Mr Weasley looking at Hermione as he spoke. Hermione made a point of examining the pattern on the tiles on the floor.

"What the airhead type? He doesn't as a rule." Ginny poked her brother in the side he winced but didn't wake up. "But he was getting desperate, you know Ron."

"So how long have they been courting? And why did no one think to inform me?" asked Mrs Weasley looking at her youngest son.

"Since before Christmas." said Hermione. Mrs Weasley looked around at Hermione the look of comprehension creeping across her face.

"So that's why you declined our offer of Christmas at the Burrow? I had wondered." Said Mr Weasley looking at Hermione, something like pity crossed his face.

"We weren't speaking at the time, we had a fight…but I think were friends again now."

Ginny laughed and Hermione shot her an evil look.

"Good." said Mrs Weasley turning her attention back to her son. "You're the sort of friend that he shouldn't lose."

There was something in the way that she said it; it was as if she was giving Hermione her blessing. Right then Hermione wasn't sure what made her happier, the blessing of Ron's parents or the fact that they apparently hated Lavender as much as she and Ginny did.

The Weasley's and Hermione ate dinner in the great hall as Harry sat at Ron's side. Lavender had seen it as her excuse to go visit again, as she had pointed out loudly to everyone still in the hall when the Weasley's and Hermione had entered, that she was Ron's girlfriend and entitled to see him, and since Harry wasn't family she would go with him.

Mr Weasley looked at Hermione and Ginny for an answer.

"That was for my benefit, don't worry about it." said Hermione quietly.

"I'm telling you we could make it look like an accident." Ginny whispered under her breath.

Hermione stabbed her fork violently in to the potato on her plate.

If only.

After getting the Invisibility cloak back from Ginny, she said goodnight to the Weasley's at the front door.

"Where you going?" asked Harry as the three of them headed back to the common room.

"Prefect duties." said Hermione winking at Ginny. Harry was standing ridiculously close to Ginny, how had she not figured it out?

"I don't know if I like you walking around the castle on your own." said Harry anxiously.

"I'm fine Harry stop worrying. Anyway I'm sure you and Ginny have plenty of things to talk about." she grinned as she spoke, a look of intrigue crossed Harry's face.

"Goodnight!" she said disappearing along the second floor corridor.

Again, she ran in to Draco Malfoy, again, he was leaving the girls toilets.

He looked paler than the last time she had seen him. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw her.

"I didn't realise you were as obsessed with Myrtle as this." said Hermione walking up to him.

"What has it got to do with you Mudblood?" he said scathingly but his heart didn't appear to be in it at all.

"Nothing and I don't fancy getting soaked through tonight, so I'm not even going to ask what you were up to."

"Like I would tell you." he looked down at her. The bags under his eyes were almost black now. He was not the dramatically handsome as he had been. She was strongly reminded of Sirius in the last days at Grimmauld place that Christmas, maybe it was just the family connection after all they were cousins.

"If you're desperate enough I think you would do anything, what's wrong your cronies deserted you? Did they find a bigger bully to boss them about?"

"Nothing to do with you Granger." he sneered. "And where are you off to anyway? To see your weasel boyfriend?"

Hermione raised her eyebrows.

"Yeah actually I am." she said watching him as he sneered.

"I didn't think you had it in you…doesn't he already have a girlfriend?"

"Since when did the love lives of Gryffindor students interest you?"

"It doesn't…" he watched as she began to walk away.

"Then why ask?"

"It's good to know these things…and Granger…"Hermione stopped in her tracks and turned around. "Next time do us all a favour and push him over the banister and not just on to it, the world could do with one less muggle loving blood traitor."

Hermione tried not to rise to the bait but it proved too difficult.

"What you been doing spying on us?"

"Prefect duties Granger that's all." he sneered again before disappearing around the corner and towards the grand stairs.

Hermione's walk up to the hospital wing was a slow one, she was thinking about the fact that now two people in the castle knew about her and Ron.

No one would believe Malfoy; he had been spreading malicious rumours about Ron and Hermione for so long that no one took anything he said for the truth anymore.

She pulled the cloak on before crossing the courtyard; she did it just in time, Lavender almost bumped in to her as she stepped out in to the moonlight courtyard. Hermione held her breath until the other girl was out of sight.

She walked quietly across the courtyard and followed the same routine that she had done the night before.

Ron lay in his bed, his eyes were still closed, his face impassive.

She sat down in the large chair and cast the silencing spell upon the curtains.

"Ron?" she asked quietly, he stirred in his sleep.

"Ron, it's me Hermione, come on pull the other one I know your awake, you have been all day, your just faking it."

He didn't respond.

Hermione pulled the cloak off and folded it neatly putting it on the chair next to her.

She got to her feet and leant over Ron, she kissed him gently on the lips.

"You're no sleeping beauty, so stop playing like you are." she said quietly.

He opened his eyes and looked at her.

"You knew?"

"Yes I knew you didn't twitch half as much as you normally do when you're asleep." Hermione went to sit back down but Ron grabbed her gently.

"I don't blame you." he said quietly.

"Yeah I know." she sighed pulling his grip from her. "You taste like essence of rue."

"Damn site nicer than that bezoar."

"I bet."

Hermione looked at him; he rolled on to his side so he could watch her.

"Why did you leave this morning when Lavender showed up?"

Hermione looked at him.

"Because I had to, I would have killed her." Ron reached out and put a hand on hers.

"Listen Hermione thanks for stopping here last night." he said squeezing her hand.

"You were awake?"

"Ironically you were asleep." he said smiling.

"Sorry."

He shook his head.

"No I'm sorry. You're right Hermione I have been an insensitive git."

Hermione let go of his hand.

"I've been thinking, maybe were not meant to be together, at least not just yet."

Ron looked at her he nodded.

"I was hopping that you would disagree, talk me out of it."

He pulled himself up on to his elbow.

"Hermione I've waited for you before, I can do it again. And for your information it's very easy to mistake a grim for a sheep…."

"Yeah but you aren't stupid enough to take it that seriously." said Hermione as Ron placed his hand over hers again.

"After what happened I'm taking no chances." he looked at the pile of presents next to his bed.

"Happy birthday. Sorry I didn't get you a present." she said sadly.

"Hermione you're here with me that's all I care about, plus you can always get me something later."

He smiled at her.

"Oh I can, can I?"

"Yeah. 'Cause you love me right?" he smiled sheepishly. "Lavender told me what you said to her, I have to say it was hard to pretend to be asleep whilst she told me that."

"We'll it's true." Hermione said handing him his pile of presents.

She watched him unwrap his gifts in silence.

Occasionally he would look at her over the top of some wrapping paper; they would smile and then go back to what they were doing.

"Ron, tell me if it's none of my business, but why are you pretending to be asleep?"

"Don't want them asking questions."

"What about?"

"One, why I was stupid enough to eat something that had love potion in it, two why I would ever take a drink from Slughorn, and three why I would call out for you in my sleep…" he stopped what he was doing and looked at her.

"I was wondering about that…"

"I'll tell you about it some day." there was something wicked in the way he grinned at her.

"Why not tell me now?"

"Because it could lead us somewhere that were not supposed to be going….not yet anyway."

He went red, and as Hermione buried her face in her hands, she felt the heat rising in her cheeks.

Hermione chanced a look between her fingers. Ron was looking at her grinning.

"Now Hermione what could you possibly think I meant?"

Hermione gave a nervous giggle.

"Mind in the gutter." he shook his head.

"You do realise that Lavender blames me for you being here."

"Did you have to bring her up?" Ron asked his face contorted.

"Sorry but she does."

Ron shrugged, "Let her, as soon as I can figure out the easiest way to get rid of her the better." he looked at Hermione.

"It's ok I understand you don't want to hurt her feelings." Hermione said quietly.

She knew that Ron was thinking of the bigger picture.

"Malfoy knows." Hermione said quietly.

"He does what now?" said Ron the wand in his hand turned in to a live rat and scurried of the bed.

"He saw us, the day before your birthday, he saw us." Hermione looked at Ron.

He was pulling the face he pulled when he was trying to figure out his next move in chess.

"We may just be able to use this to our advantage." he said the corner of his mouth twisting in to a smile.

thanks for the reviews.

i have one more chapter to go then i will start my new story, thanks to everyone who's suported me with this one, it's apreciated.

xxx paula-louXXX