What Should've Been

Chapter 2: Finally

Previously on What Should've Been: Ron and Ginny come to stay with the Potters. Harry "notices" Ginny. Ron asks Harry for advice on how to tell Mione about his feelings for her. Mione shows up.

Harry and Ron made their way back downstairs and into the sitting room. Mione was hugging Ginny and Aiden, her trunk on the floor beside her.

"I love your hair," she was saying. "It is amazing. Although- Ron! Harry!" She rushed over and pulled them into a group hug. Ron blushed but Hermione didn't notice.

"How are you?" she asked Harry in the same voice Ron had used earlier.

"I'm good. And you?"

"Great. And you, Ron?"

"Er…I'm…erm…good," he stammered.

Harry caught Ron's eye and gave him a look that clearly said, "It's now or never, mate." Ron nodded faintly then turned to Hermione.

"Er…could I…er talk to you?" he asked nervously.

"Sure."

"Well, we'll leave you to it. Let's go Aiden, Ginny," said Harry. He was eager to give his two best friends a little push in the right direction. The three walked into the kitchen and closed the door behind themselves.

"Should we give them some privacy?" asked Harry.

"No," said Aiden sharply.

"Of course not," said Ginny, pulling a three pairs of Extendable Ears from the pocket of her denim mini skirt and rolling them under the door. "If they wanted privacy, they should have made the room Imperturb- ahhhh!"

Just then a loud voice rang out from the Ears; it sounded terribly like Hermione.

"Ginny Weasley, if you don't put those away right now, I will not be responsible for what I might do to you!"

Ginny rolled her eyes at the door, turned around and said, "So much for that plan."

Harry, Ginny, and Aiden went and sat at the breakfast table. After about five minutes of silence, Aiden said, "Screw this. I want to hear what's going on."

She got up from her seat, walked over to the door, fell to the floor, and put her head as close to the crack as possible. "Perfect view."

Ginny imitated Aiden and said, "Awesome."

They both turned to look at Harry, expecting him to join them.

"I'm Ron's best mate. He'll tell me what happened," he said.

The girls turned their heads back to the door.

Hermione and Ron stood in silence for a few minute before she said, "One moment." She walked over to the door to the kitchen, picked a flesh- colored string up of the floor, and yelled into it, "Ginny Weasley, if you don't put those away right now, I will not be responsible for what I might do to you!"

She dropped the Extendable Ears and walked back to where Ron was staring at his feet. They stood in silence for another few minutes

"So how was your summer?" Ron asked, staring at his feet.

"It was okay but I was really worried about Harry. He seems fine though, don't you think?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah, he seems a lot better than I expected. But it can't be good for him to keep all of his emotions suppressed. He'll burst sooner or later. And we all know that isn't pretty." It seemed like Ron was gaining confidence but it was probably only because they were on a friendly speaking level.

"No, it isn't," she replied. A very awkward silence ensued and Ron thought furiously about what to do or say next. He finally settled on following Harry's advice. He sat down on the couch and gestured to the cushion beside his. Hermione sat down, looking worried, anxious, and hopeful all at the same time. Ron noticed this but it only made him more nervous.

Without thinking about what he was saying, he blurted out, "I really like you, Hermione. I mean really like-like-almost-love-you like you. I hope you feel the same way but if you don't I'll understand," he added, staring at his hands in his lap.

"I…I'm…" she stammered.

"You don't have to say anything. I get it. I'll just go then," Ron said, feeling hopeless. He stood up and turned away but before he could take more than one step Hermione grabbed his hand and pulled him down to the couch.

"No…wait…I…like you…a lot."

Ron turned his face away and stares out the window. "You don't have to lie."

"I'm not. I really like you. Like-like-almost-love-you like you," she smiled then leaned forward and kissed Ron on his cheek.

Slowly, he turned his face back toward her, his fingers pressing gently on the spot her lips had touched.

"Really?" he asked, his hope returning to him.

"Of course," she said hugging him.

He awkwardly wrapped his arm around her, grinning wildly. When they broke apart, Ron laced his fingers through hers and sat back on the couch.

"So," he said smirking. "how long have you liked me?"

"Way to ruin a moment."

"I didn't mean to. Just tell me."

"Since you saved me from the troll. You?"

"Well, I knew when you were Petrified by the basilisk but I think I liked you long before then."

"Why didn't you ask me to the Yule Ball?"

"I was too afraid. Krum made me jealous as hell," he said darkly. "Did you really like him?"

"As a friend, yes. But nothing more."

"How do you know?"

"As cheesy as it sounds, I could tell by the kiss-"

"Kiss!"

"Yes, Ronald. But I couldn't feel anything. It was empty. That's how I know."

"Right," he said, though he sounded skeptical.

"Come on, the others are waiting," Hermione said standing up.

Half an hour later, Hermione was sitting with Ginny and Aiden in the kitchen; the boys were upstairs.

"I still can't believe you spied on us. Wait. Scratch that. I can believe you spied on us," Hermione said but she didn't sound too angry.

"It was so sweet. I don't think Ron has said so many words about his feelings, like, ever," said Ginny.

"Well I'm glad he did, said Hermione.

"It took him long enough," added Aiden.

"Well all that matters is that we're together now."

"Are you together? Did he ask you to be his girlfriend?" asked Aiden.

"Well not really-"

"Then you aren't really together. I mean how do you know if he wants to be with you if he didn't ask?" said Ginny.

"You don't realize how hard it was for him to tell me he liked me. I didn't want to make him go through the whole process of asking me out. Besides, where would we go?"

"Hello? Do you think we live in the middle of nowhere? The village has plenty of things to do," Aiden pointed out.

"Oh, well. Just drop it. I'm not worried about it so you shouldn't be either. I'm going to find Harry and Ron," Hermione said getting up from her seat and cleaning her mug out with her wand.

"So what's going on with you and my brother?" Aiden asked as Hermione left.

"What's going on with you and my brother?" replied Ginny.

"Nothing," said Aiden sounding very disgusted.

"You've answered your own question."

"You used to be, like, in love him. What happened?"

"After six years of obsessing over someone who won't return that love, I got bored," she said staring into her mug.

"Oh."

"Besides, now I have Dean. Best boyfriend I could ask for."

"Right. He seems kind of clingy to me."

"He isn't. Well kind of but he's not too bad."

"If you say so."

Ron had just finished telling Harry about his experience with Hermione when she walked into the bedroom and sat down on the bed bedside him.

"Hey," Ron said.

"Hey," said Hermione, taking the initiative again and kissing him on the cheek.

"So, Harry, you sure you're okay with all of this?" asked Ron.

"Yeah. But I'd rather not walk in on you two snogging or anything," he said dismissively. Ron's eyes widened at the thought of snogging Hermione.

"Don't worry about it," said Hermione. "Have you finished all your homework?"

"Hermione, we still have two weeks until we go back to school which means you still have two weeks before you can start hassling us over our homework," said Ron.

"You have done it, haven't you?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Of course!"

"Good."

At that moment, Ginny and Aiden walked into the room.

"Hey, Mum, Dad, and Remus are waiting downstairs for dinner. Come on," said Aiden.

They all left the room and walked downstairs where they had an enjoyable dinner and spoke of the upcoming year at Hogwarts.