Ms. Pomfry walked over to Ron shaking her head desperately. She murmured things such as, "Kids these days," or, "Don't give a care about their health!"

Hermione sat, crunched in the seat beside Ron's bed.

"Two broken ribs!" said Ms. Pomfry leaning over Ron to bandage him up. Hermione could see him mouthing, "I'm fine!" over Ms. Pomfry's body. She gave Ron a weak smile and looked down at her hands. She found her thumbs very interesting at that moment.

"Do not move. I'll be back with your potion," said Ms. Pomfry wiggling her finger at Ron furiously. She walked away, still shaking her head.

"Thank the lord she's gone!" shouted Ron, but only loud enough for Hermione to hear.

"Ron, you should listen to her. You broke two ribs. You shouldn't have done that!" Said Hermione shaking her head, the events of the hour before still running through her head.

"What a load of rubbish. It doesn't even hurt," said Ron in a comforting tone. At this, Hermione poked Ron in his side and he shrieked in pain.

"Ya, Sure sounds like it hurts," said Hermione sitting down again. She started playing with her thumbs once more.

"Ok, they hurt a little," said Ron rubbing his side, "but it's not tragic."

Hermione leaned down and looked at Ron. She waved to Ron to tell him to lean in. Ron looked around the room to see if anyone was there but him, he leaned down slowly.

"What," Ron whispered.

"I just need to tell you a secret," said Hermione slowly.

"Okay," Ron said with a get-on-with-it tone.

"You," she looked around the room slowly, "are a horrible, horrible liar," Hermione burst out laughing. Ron just leaned back on the back of his bed with the little half smile Hermione loved. Hermione found herself staring at Ron.

"What?" asked Ron.

"What?" Hermione asked, snapping out of her gaze.

"You were staring," he said.

"No I wasn't," just when Ron was about to object, Ms. Pomfry came back to the bed with a big tub of liquid and three pieces of parchment.

"Now, you will drink this potion twice everyday. Once when you wake up, and once before you go to bed. This is a pass to swim in the lake…."

"What?" asked Ron startled by this statement, "I'm not going in that lake!" He crossed his hands around his chest, but as a strong pain lurched up his side he let his arms down with a shallow gasp. At the sight of this, Hermione pouted. Ron knew he messed up once again. His cover was blown, and Hermione knew that he was hurting horribly.

"You have to be in the lake twice a week, for an hour. It reduces the wait on your ribs, it will make the ribs heal correctly," she said matter-of-factly.

"I'm still not going in that lake," he said with the most serious face Hermione had ever seen.

"Well, I've written you and Mr. Potter a pass, so that Ronald won't be alone in the lake," said Ms. Pomfry, redirecting her gaze to Hermione. "You will go tomorrow and Friday. You three, keep these papers with you. They will start whistling when it is time for you to go," said Ms. Pomfry handing Hermione the three passes. She walked away in a bustle.

"Me, in the lake! HA! I don't think so," Ron said loudly. "She can take those passes and shove them up her---"

"Ron!" screamed Hermione. "This is for your health," said Hermione standing up. "I expect to see you at the lake tomorrow," said Hermione walking away.

Ron suddenly had an image of Hermione in a bathing suit. "What the…" said Ron, pushing the thought out of his head. Even though he tried his hardest not to, he now had the most impatience about going to that lake.

Ron, Hermione, and Harry sat in class, waiting for the passes to whistle. Harry looked at Ron, daring himself to laugh. Ron sat at his seat wiggling and jerking around in his seat. Every ten seconds or so, he would slowly turn his head to look at Hermione, but jerk it back to the front of the room within a second.

"Can you try, just a little, to hide the fact that you have a crush on Hermione?" Harry said mockingly.

"Get real, Harry. I do not have a crush on Hermione!" Ron whispered in a threatening way.

"Okay, Ron. Then what's up with all the jerking around to look at Hermione?" asked Harry with a mock dumbfounded look on his face.

"Well, just to let you know, I am nervous. That's all. I'm nervous to see one of my best friends in a bloody bathing suit!" He said leaning in closer to Harry to make sure no one could here.

"I'm nervous to!" Said Harry excitedly. Seeing look questionable look on Ron's face, Harry felt as if he had to explain. "Ms. Pomfrey felt we needed someone to, kind of, watch on us. Some one that would make sure we didn't get out of control. She thought that she'd make Ginny come with us to the lake to make sure we didn't do anything to '6th years'-ish. Maybe she figured, there being a fifth year around, we wouldn't want to do anything bad. Not that we would do anything bad in the first place!" said Harry with a scandalized look on his face. "But, I'm still excited!"

"Eww," said Ron disgusted. He just cringed at the thought of Harry and his sister. He was happy they were not together yet, but he knew that sooner or later they would get together. It was unavoidable.

At this, Ron felt a sudden vibration in his pocket. A loud, screeching whistle went soaring around the room. Ron and Harry had no idea the "whistling" would be this loud! Ron ran up to the professor and showed her the screaming passes and she let them go at once. It was more of a way to get the screaming pieces of paper out of her room.

Ron, Hermione, and Harry met Ginny at the bathrooms that said "Witches" and "Wizards" on top. At the moment they arrived, Ginny walked up to Harry and spoke:

"Thanks, Harry. You know, for convincing Ms. Pomfry into letting me go to the pond with you three," she said glancing at all three.

"No problem at all," said Harry, smiling sheepishly to a red faced Ron.

"So you to can get ready in there, and we'll get ready in here. Basic procedure. We'll meet you at the big Oak in front of the lake," said Hermione finally.

"Ya, see you," said Ron, turning very red in the face.

A/N: Get ready for a bunch of R/H – H/G moments in the next chapter!