The Characters and situations of Harry Potter depicted in this story are the legal property of J.K. Rowling, Bloomsbury, and AOL Time Warner, and have been used without permission. No copyright violation is intended. No profit is being made off this site. It is for entertainment purposes only.

Chapter 19

Ron's eyes were closed as he let the blazing hot water wash over him. The loo was filled with steam, the scent of soap, and the sound of water cascading down the walls of the shower. When Ron had first woken up this morning, he had been smiling from the memory of a wonderful dream … but after the haze of sleep had risen, he had realized that the memory he was cherishing was not from a dream.

Last night had been completely and remarkably real. Hermione's lips … hands … hair … body … desire … It was all real. Somehow he had managed to share his first kiss with the most amazing being on the planet. Well, his first kiss along with his second, third, fourth, and so on. The fog of disbelief had not fully cleared until the hot water had hit him this morning, but once it had, Ron was able to recall every last glorious detail of his and Hermione's rendezvous. Her smell, her touch, her taste… Each kiss and every emotion…from unsaturated desire…to untainted love…

Ron reached for the knob and turned off the flow of the water. Now for the hard part. Get dressed, go downstairs, and put on a convincing show for Harry and his Mum…no telling glances or touches could pass between him and Hermione. At least his brothers and dad had left for work. Sighing heavily, he grabbed a towel from the back of the door when …

Knock. Knock. Knock.

"Ron?"

Ron froze and quickly tied the towel around his waist. Stepping out of the shower he shuffled to the door. "Hermione?" He whispered.

"Yes. Can you let me in?" Hermione asked somewhat urgently.

What? Ron hastily snatched up his clean pair of boxers and jeans from the sink-top and began swapping his meager towel for something more appropriate. Was something wrong? She sounded worried. His hair still dripping wet, Ron quickly zipped his denims before opening the door a tiny crack. Cool air from the hallway drifted into his steamy space, creating chills over his body.

Before he had time to open the door enough to even see Hermione, she had pushed the door open, hurried inside, and shut the door quietly behind her. She looked up at him anxiously, dressed adorably in striped flannel pajamas and bright red, gold, and orange phoenix-bird house shoes. Her hair began curling up around her face from the lingering cloud of steam.

"What's wrong?" He asked worriedly, taking a step toward her, but she no longer looked anxious. Ron felt himself go scarlet as he watched Hermione slowly take in his half-naked, still damp body. She was just staring at him with her mouth partly open.

"Blimey, Hermione." He said, feeling a bit embarrassed and grabbing his t-shirt from a peg on the wall to hold modestly over his chest. Her eyes quickly darted up to his face as her cheeks began turning rouge.

"S-sorry." She said, sounding breathless. Ron couldn't contain a smile, but Hermione now looked worried again.

"Oh, Ron!" She began anxiously, "My wand! I…I…I left it in the lean-to last night, and I didn't realize it until I woke up this morning…and so I ran outside to check just now…and…and…oh, Ron…it's gone!"

Ron let out an uneasy laugh before reaching into his jeans pocket and retrieving a small piece of parchment. "Actually," he said as he handed a confused looking Hermione the note, "Your wand, our toboggans, and this note were all on my bedside table when I awoke this morning."

Hermione seized the paper and read aloud:

Our Dearest Ronaldo,

Help us with this riddle:

Roses are Red, Violets are Blue, We found some treasures in the old lean-to.

Daisies are Gold, Lilies are White, Were these treasures left from a snog…or a fight?

Your Beloved Brothers,

Fred & George

Ron watched as Hermione stepped back to lean against the door, closing her eyes. He couldn't tell if that were a look of relief or humiliation…he was betting on a mixture of both. He felt the same. Relief from the fact that when his brothers had found the 'treasures' before grabbing their remaining fireworks and heading to work, they had not made a detour to divulge anything to Harry or his mum. Yet, he felt preemptive humiliation at the thought of what Fred and George might do with this newfound knowledge.

"Are you alright?" Ron asked Hermione with a smile. She opened her eyes, but remained leaning against the door.

"I don't know. Do you think they'll tell anyone?"

"No. Fred and George will have much more fun torturing us with the fact that we're not telling anyone." Ron smiled down at her, although his insides were squirming. He had been trying to decide exactly how much he should tell Hermione about his true feelings for her. He and Hermione weren't telling anyone else that they'd kissed, but what should he tell her…

In an attempt to clear his mind for a bit, he glanced back down at her vibrant house shoes and then asked while laughing, "Where did you get those?"

"What?" She asked, glancing down and then smiling faintly, "Oh…they're Tonks.' They were the first shoes I saw before I dashed outside to check for my wand."

"Ah. So…what did you tell Tonks and Ginny last night when you got in?"

"Well, Tonks was asleep, but I told Ginny the truth, like you said. She was near ecstatic. What did you tell Harry?"

"Just that we were 'seeking' outside for awhile, but then gave up. I don't think he suspects anything."

"Did he tell you what he did last night?" She asked with a mischievous grin that made Ron want to pull her to him and kiss her.

"If you mean, did he tell me that he kissed Ginny, then yes." He said returning her mischievous grin and raising his eyebrows.

Hermione bit her lower lip and nodded her head enthusiastically. Okay, Ron thought, how can she expect to bite her lip like that without consequence? Taking another step toward her, he placed one hand on the door above her head. He hadn't really realized that he was still hiding his chest with his t-shirt until Hermione took the bit of cover from him and tossed it on the sink. Her eyes then swept over him and lingered timidly on the tops of his jeans.

That did it! Both of his arms were around her waist in a second as he bent down to take her mouth in his. Her hands immediately found the back of his neck and she began fingering the ends of his wet locks, causing water droplets to fall down his back.

"BREAKFAST!"

Mrs. Weasley's bellow rudely interrupted their steamy tryst, but Hermione's heart was already pounding in her chest from their brief kiss. Kiss…the morning had barely begun and it had already happened again! Hermione had been afraid that she would find last night to be a magnificent dream or else Ron would have decided that it was all just a bad idea. Bad idea…was it just a bad idea? Ron had been so reassuring last night as he'd told her that they would simply not reveal this secret to anyone until they knew what was happening. But, Hermione did know what was happening…at least for her. She had fallen in love with her best friend, and she had been given a 'bubble' of hope.

This 'bubble,' which was fairly large in size, was now residing in her heart, growing a smidgeon with each sultry glance, touch, and kiss from Ron. But just like the silver bubble from the Wizard's Mistletoe, Hermione knew that this 'bubble' of hope could burst. If it did, would their friendship come crashing down around them?

Tracing her hands from the nape of Ron's neck down to his chest, Hermione reluctantly pushed herself away from his hold. Ron groaned in frustration and stepped away from her.

"You know," Ron began; he suddenly sounded a bit nervous, "I told Harry that I thought it was great that he and Ginny were getting along. Um…could you remind me again why we aren't telling anyone?" He finished with a timid smile.

Hermione's heart did some sort of pirouette as she looked into Ron's blue gaze. "Telling anyone…what? That we've kissed…or are you saying…"

"Hermione, look," Ron began, nervously playing with his hands and fingers, "Last night when I said I'd been dieing to kiss you…for a long time…I meant years."

Hermione swallowed hard as her 'bubble' swelled, threatening to burst from her chest in the form of a nervous fit of laughter.

"What's that smile for?" Ron asked with a suspicious smile of his own. Was she smiling? Hermione cleared her throat.

"I, um…it's been years for me too." She said softly.

Ron twisted his mouth as he attempted to hide what Hermione was sure would have turned into a broad, toothy grin. "Well," he continued, resuming his hand twisting, "the thing is, I'd like to walk down the corridors of Hogwarts holding your hand, you know? Or at lunch or between classes…maybe…well…maybe steal one of these…"

Hermione held her breath as Ron lowered his face to hers and kissed her gently at the corner of her mouth. As he leaned back to judge her response with an attractively stern look, she let out a long breath. "Ron, it's just…Harry. We've both been there on either side of him for six years…and now that he's lost Sirius, I…I just don't want him to feel like he's losing us too."

Hermione could tell that Ron agreed with her from the sad look that passed over his face coupled with the serious nod he gave her. She was about to remind him that they should get down to breakfast when…

Knock. Knock. Knock.

The door had vibrated against Hermione's back as someone knocked upon it, causing her to gasp and grab Ron's arm.

"W-who is it?" Ron asked as he looked down fearfully at Hermione.

"Good gravy, Ron. Is Hermione in there with you?" Hermione let out a sigh of relief as Ginny's urgent voice whispered against the door.

Ron's face relaxed before he rolled his eyes and stepped around Hermione to open the door a crack. "Yes, but we're only talking, Ginny…and now we're through."

"Talking? Yeah…okay. Try putting on a shirt and then telling me that you two are just talking." Ginny said sarcastically from behind the door. "Or more importantly…both of you get down to the kitchen so I can stop saying things like, 'oh, you know Ron and his showers.' Or, 'that Hermione sure does sleep in.' Because Ron, everyone knows that you take four minute showers and Hermione's often up before the sun!" She finished urgently before Hermione heard her stomp off down the hall to head back down the stairs.

Ron closed the door softly before turning around to offer her a weak smile. "Well, I guess we better get down there, huh?" He said sadly. Hermione knew that he was thinking the same thing as she. When would they have another rendezvous? What would it be like to hide their feelings in public?

With a sigh, Hermione stepped forward and, without really thinking about what she was doing, she took her index finger, reached up, and traced it gently down the length of Ron's long, freckled nose. The smile he gave her then made his eyes squint slightly, and Hermione would have probably become teary-eyed if it weren't for the knowledge that she had to hurry and get down to the kitchen. Placing her hands on his ribcage and standing on her tiptoes, she locked her lips over his. His hands cupped her face then and he deepened the kiss just briefly, sending a rush of warmth throughher body,before stepping back from her with a somewhat pained look. He opened the door for her and with one last glance into his strong face, Hermione stepped out into the chilly hall.

By the time Ron had finished drying and dressing properly everyone was already sitting around the kitchen table enjoying his mum's cooking. Harry and Ginny were sitting across from each other; Hermione, who had exchanged her pj's and house shoes for jeans and a sweater, was sitting beside Ginny, and Tonks and his mum were on either ends of the table. Ron took his seat beside Harry and was quickly served a steaming bowl of porridge and a cool glass of orange juice.

"Mum," Ginny began, "When can we take Hermione and Harry up to Diagon Alley to see Fred and George's shop?"

"Oh, that's right!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed, "You two haven't-…"

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

Ron, Harry, and Tonks were on their feet immediately, wands ready. Mrs. Weasley's spoon clattered noisily. "What in Merlin's name?" She breathed, standing up to hurry to the window; the curtains were drawn. Ginny and Hermione had now stood up as well, wands in hand.

"Mrs. Weasley!" Harry shouted sternly; she stopped in her tracks. "Get away from that window!" Ron's mum looked at Harry almost fearfully but backed away from the window and crossed to stand with Ginny, putting an arm around her daughter.

Suddenly the back door burst open and Ron, Harry, and Tonks raised their wands to point at…

"Dad?" Ron asked, slowly lowering his wand. Arthur swept into the room and crossed quickly to Molly. Lupin had entered as well, but had crossed over to Tonks and was whispering something urgently.

"Oh, Molly…thank the stars!" Arthur whispered as he hugged his wife quickly before letting go and grabbing a large duffel bag off of a peg by the door. He began frantically stuffing it with an odd collection of and scarves, shoes, an entire laundry basket full of clothes…

"Arthur, what-…" Molly began shakily, but Harry interrupted.

"There were two more Apparaters…where are they?" He asked hurriedly. Oh yeah, Ron thought, there had been two more sounds.

Now rummaging through drawers, Arthur responded absently, "Mad-Eye and Kingsley are checking the perimeter…Ron, Harry…Ginny, Hermione…you four go upstairs with Tonks and pack your trunks…quickly."

"What's happened?" Harry asked quietly. There was something odd in his eyes that Ron had never seen before. There was almost an emerald … glow … to his already green eyes. Arthur just shook his head, mumbling to himself as he took the Weasley family clock off the wall and thrust it into the bag.

"Dad…wha-…" Ginny began, but Molly shouted.

"Listen to your father! All of you GO!"

Harry looked quite unsatisfied, but the four teenagers and Tonks hurriedly ascended the stairs. What in the world was going on? Tonks went into Ginny's room with the girls while Ron and Harry continued up the stairs to his room. He and Harry didn't speak at first as they quickly began throwing all of their strewn belongings unceremoniously into their trunks.

Ron kneeled down and began grabbing clothes out from under his bed. "Harry, what do you think-…"

"I don't know." Harry replied shortly. "It's him though. I know it is."

Yeah, Ron thought…me too. Was Voldemort coming for Harry? Had he found out that he was staying at the Burrow? Someone must be coming… Why else would they have to leave? Ron's heart was hammering wildly in his chest as he threw the last of his things into his trunk and slammed the lid closed.

Ron looked up at the two empty owl cages on the window seal. "Harry…Pig and -…" He began fretfully.

"Grab your cage; they'll find us." Harry said hastily; he carefully placed the box of Sirius' belongings into his trunk before snapping it shut, grabbing Hedwig's cage with one hand, and his trunk with the other. They then immediately left for the stairs. When they reached Ginny's room they waited for her and Hermione to finish and they then let them descend the stairs ahead of them.

Lupin, Mad-Eye, Arthur, and Molly were all standing by the fireplace in the kitchen. Arthur waved for Tonks to go first.

"So, where to, Arthur?" She asked calmly, stepping into the green flames with a handful of floo powder and a large purple bag over her shoulder.

"Harry's." Arthur replied simply. Ron, Hermione, and Ginny all looked at Harry with curious expressions. What? Were they going to the Dursley's? Oh great. Tonks nodded sharply.

Throwing the powder at her feet she yelled, "Number 12 Grimmauld Place!" Ron snapped his head to Harry and shot him a questioning look as Arthur ushered Molly in next. Harry was merely gazing into the fire with a blank stare.

So…Ron thought, there's one thing that was in that package of Sirius' belongings…the deed to Grimmauld Place. That hadn't even crossed Ron's mind. Next, Arthur ushered in Hermione and Ginny, and then it was Ron's turn. Well…Harry and Ron argued for a second, each trying to get the other to go first, until Mad-Eye yelled and cursed at them to hurry up and choose. So, Ron stepped into the flames and shouted for…Harry's place.

Hermione was seated at one of the many chairs at the large kitchen table in 12 Grimmauld Place. Her knee was bobbing up and down uncontrollably and she was surely going to cause herself to bleed if she didn't stop chewing on the inside of her cheek. Tonks had gone to check all of the rooms of the house, Molly was pacing the kitchen nervously, and Ginny was seated beside Hermione holding her hand.

Ginny looked awfully pale, but neither of them had spoken of any possible reasons for them suddenly being ushered to the Order's Headquarters by two Aurors, Lupin, and Arthur. All Hermione could think about was that stupid Boggart telling her those awful things about Harry and Ron. She couldn't get it out of her head. She wished they would hurry up!

Suddenly Ron appeared in the fireplace. What had taken him so long? He looked around briefly before his eyes landed on hers, his brow furrowed as he dragged his trunk and owl cage to rest with the other luggage. Then he swept over to the seat beside her and sat down. Hermione looked at him. What's going on? She asked him with her eyes. He shook his head slowly.

Harry appeared next, deposited his luggage with the others, and then began pacing the room opposite Mrs. Weasley. They were going to make her sick if they didn't stop. Lupin, Mr. Weasley, Kingsley, and Mad-Eye quickly followed.

Everyone took a seat around the table, including Tonks, who had finished searching the house. Kreacher had come in behind her looking at them all suspiciously before exiting the room muttering something.

They sat in silence for a mere two seconds before Mr. Weasley finally decided to explain the sudden abandonment of the Burrow.

"I have some troubling news..." He began gravely. Everyone seemed to sit up a bit straighter in their seats. With a sigh, Mr. Weasley turned to look right at Hermione. Her heart began beating fiercely until her head felt fuzzy. "…there's been an attack…at the Granger's."

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I want to thank everyone so much for the reviews! They're great! Please continue to send in your thoughts. I rather like this chapter, and I hope everyone else has as well. Chapter 20 is now in the making!