A/N: Hey guys! I just wanted to thank you so much for all the amazing reviews- I REALLY appreciate them. I don't know how many of you have noticed, but all the reviews that you leave for a chapter, I copy/paste them to the following chapter, then answer them. It just my way of letting you all know how thankful I am for the reviews you leave. Most of you were probably aware that I did this already, but in case you weren't, I wanted to let you know. :D

The native mist of the Scottish Highlands lay like a wooly coverlet over the mountains that encompassed Hogwarts. The sun had yet to penetrate the mass of clouds. There was, though, hope for a brighter day: the occasional shafts of bright rays through the thick gray blanket promised a brilliant Highland morning. The inhabitants of Gryffindor tower were still sleeping soundly in their four-poster beds. Few even stirred as they slept. They lay nestled upon the soft mattresses, wrapped in soft, scarlet quilts that draped snugly over their resting bodies. The Gryffindor tower was, after all, considered to be the coziest of all the living quarters at the school. Regardless of the high comfort level of the tower, there was one student who did not sleep soundly in the least. That student was, of course, Ron Weasley.

Since the onslaught of discovery that had taken place the night before, Ron's thoughts had been a whirlwind. As he vainly sought rest, his mind refused to grant him a peaceful night's sleep. Ron was even now, at the breaking hour of dawn, at their mercy. He tossed and turned in violent, solicitous fits. His pajamas were becoming sticky with sweat, as were his bed sheets.

Ron, at this point in the morning was not fully awake, nor was he fully asleep. He had achieved that state where he was blissfully unaware of his actions. Yet the sound sleep in which dreams come was somewhere just beyond his grasp, given the restless state of his overworked mind. He continued to roll about in his bed, turning and thrashing as he lurched about every square inch of his bed. With all this fitful movement, his left arm had managed to become entangled in a portion of the bed curtain. He gave one final jerk that would prove to be the undoing of his tenuous hold on sleep. With a violent tug, his left arm pulled the ponderous material of his bed hangings onto his damp form.

"WHAT THE BLOODY HELL?" he roared; now fully surrendering to wakefulness. He sat bolt upright in his bed and pushed all the hangings off himself and onto the floor. He threw his feet over the side of the bed and looked around the room. Through the windows, he could still detect the pale shimmer of moonlight. He could tell, despite the moon's unwillingness to recede, that dawn was at hand. For outside the window, he could see that the wooly clouds were turning gray, and sunlight was boldly spearing through at increasingly frequent intervals.

As Ron's breathing became steady again, he wiped the sweat off his brow. His thoughts then ventured to a place that was completely new territory for him, especially as a first waking thought. Usually, when Ron awoke, in anticipation of a new day, he thought of food and how fast he could get it into his mouth. However, this morning was entirely different, for his thoughts were not on food at all. He found himself dwelling on a new, sweeter kind of sustenance – the girl he had thought of as simply a friend until the late hours of last night. The realization that Hermione meant so much more to him left him feeling rather shaken. The feelings may have been foreign, but he found he actually enjoyed the warmth that spread through his body as he studied her face with his mind's eye. At least she was a calming thought amidst the storm that had disrupted his entire night. Realizing that another attempt to sleep was futile, he dropped to his feet on the cold floor, and walked down to the common room.

When he entered the common room, he immediately noticed a small form sitting in a chair before the banked fire. The person must be a girl; she was too slight to be one of his classmates, yet too tall to be one of the younger boys. She was turned so that he could see more of her back than her face. The girl had a book spread open on her lap, with a soft glow of light emitting from the tip of the wand in her hand. It was very early in the morning, 4:30 or 5:00 at the latest. Ron was amazed that there was someone else in the Tower who would willingly leave the soft comforts her bed had to offer, to sit in front on the cold fire. Not wanting to scare this girl out of her wits, Ron began to softly clear his throat, in an effort to alert her of his presence.

He hadn't finished drawing his breath to do so when she spoke.

"It's very early, Ron. Is something the matter?" the girl said without turning her head to look at him.

Ron felt a stab of recognition the instant he heard her voice. It was somewhat shocking, considering his every thought since he'd opened his eyes had been focused on the very person who'd just spoken his name.

"Hermione?" he whispered.

She now turned her body fully around to face him, looking him squarely in the eye.

It seemed to take him a moment to form words as he looked into her eyes for the first time since finding his buried feelings concerning her.

"How did you know it was me?" he asked, amazed.

She gave a light laugh and said, "Honestly, Ron. I would recognize the rhythm of your strides any day of the week- err, I mean... I heard you swear loudly upstairs, so I reasoned that you were either having a horrible dream, or you were awake. I assumed the latter when I heard you making your way down the stairs …"

"Oh," he said softly. In agony, he remembered all too well that swearing was what had gotten him into this bosh in the first place. "I'm sorry you had to hear that," he added sincerely.

Hermione tucked the loose strands of hair that had fallen into her eyes behind her ears and looked intently at Ron for a moment. Then she looked away, and avoiding his gaze, asked quietly, "Sorry for swearing upstairs, or sorry for swearing last night?" She could feel those blasted tears once again filling her eyes, but she adamantly refused to let them fall; she WOULD NOT let Ron see her cry.

Ron shuffled his feet a little and looked down at the floor. Hermione was reminded of a five-year-old child searching for words to confess his misbehavior to his mother. It was obvious that Ron was overcome by remorse, as well as anxiety about how to say something he needed to say.

He was silent for a moment before he answered: "For both."

Hermione and Ron looked at each other for a moment in strained silence, before Ron walked over and sat in the chair opposite the one that Hermione was occupying. As he sat there and looked at the only person that he had ever cared for in such a way, a huge weight settled in the pit of his stomach. He kept recalling the conversation he'd had with Harry the night before. He needed to apologize to her … really apologize if he wanted to mend their friendship. What was becoming increasingly more urgent to him was the knowledge that, unless he mended their previous relationship, he may never experience the growth of a new one. He had begun to realize last night that he may be interested in something deeper with Hermione. As he sat here, drinking in the sight of her, he was growing more convinced by the moment that he was more than interested … his heart's happiness may depend on it.

Hermione tensed as Ron seemed to hesitate. Ron continued to look at her, although she was avoiding his gaze at all cost. Ron's angst escalated and out of habit, he ran his fingers through his already disheveled hair.

Hermione saw the action out of the corner of her eye. She relaxed a little when she realized this habit was one that he exhibited when he was very nervous. Possibly because his occasional shyness was very endearing to her, she thought, MY WORD, I love it when he does that. She smiled at her thoughts without realizing it.

Ron quirked an eyebrow at Hermione's quaint behavior. "What are you smiling about?" he asked gingerly.

Her face fell abruptly and she said, "Oh…err nothing. Nothing really."

Ron decided then that he would test the waters. Unsure of Hermione's state of mind concerning him, he would first make small talk, then, if all seemed well with her, he'd press on to a more productive conversation.

"So … err, what brings you down here this early in the morning?"

"I should be asking you the same thing," she responded curtly.

Ron mentally scoffed at Hermione. So this is how their conversation was going to go. She was clearly not going to let Ron have domination over their conversation. If this is what Hermione demanded, then he would give it to her, gladly. The flow of the conversation did not matter, just as long as there was one. If truth be told, her self-assured nature, which made her reach for he upper hand in their conversations, was something that only increased his growing affection for her.

"Well I, err…, I was having some sort of fit in my sleep. Next thing I knew, I woke up to find all the bed hangings in the middle of my bed, right on top of me. I hadn't been resting, really, but I knew it would be pointless to try to go back to sleep after such a rude awakening."

Hermione gave him a faint smile and said, "So was that what all the swearing was about?"

"Err…yeah. Like I said, I'm sorry that you had to hear that. I'm sorry that you've ever had to hear me swear. I know that you don't fancy it a bit and I'll…try my absolute hardest never to do it in front of you again." Ron knew a commitment to eradicate swearing completely from his vocabulary was like Hermione making the commitment to never study again- it wouldn't happen. He knew though, that the attempt to not swear in front of Hermione would be an action that he could achieve.

Hermione linked her fingers together and stretched her hands away from her, palms outward and said, "Well Ron, I'll accept your apology for the outburst upstairs …"

"But not for last night," he finished gruffly and stood up. Although he was disappointed, he was fully prepared to leave her alone just to avoid another disagreement.

Hermione's face contorted with anger as she spat, "I can't understand why you would call me that! What did I ever do to you to deserve it? You want to know why I'm down here! After CRYING all my pathetic tears out to Ginny last night-

Brilliant, Ron thought, now Ginny knows.

"I couldn't sleep … so help me I tried, but it just wouldn't come. I haven't slept all night long. I've been down here for five hours! When you said what you did that last night, my spirit broke, as well as my heart! Do you have any idea how badly you hurt me! WELL, DO YOU!" Overcome by her anger and wounded heart, Hermione had propelled herself out of the chair, standing mere inches away from Ron.

Hermione was lost in emotion. Her undoing was thanks in part to her lack of sleep, coupled with her shattered heart. She now found face to face with the cause of her heartache, and she snapped. No matter how intensely she fought to hold back the tears, she was doomed to lose the battle once again. The rivers began pouring down her cheeks, burning over the already sensitive trails left by the salty tears from the previous night.

"WELL, DO YOU! DAMMIT, RON, ANSWER ME!" she wailed. With that, she harshly pounded both of her tiny fists into Ron's firm chest and held them there, not repeating the attack. Ron was knocked off balance by the initial blow of her actions, but he quickly steadied himself. Hermione locked her eyes with his, and then looked down to the ground. Gradually, her rage gave way to despondence and in her weak state, she crumbled. Hermione lowered her head and rested her right cheek on his chest, and without complete knowledge of her action, kept it there.

Ron, bewildered by Hermione's actions, both the swearing and the physical contact that they were sharing, stood stiffly as she relaxed into his bigger frame. Then, as he felt the tiny shivers that were being emitted from Hermione's fragile body, he found himself relaxing, his body becoming warm and welcoming. Hermione's outburst and physical nearness left him unsure what he should say. Then, very slowly, he raised one of his hands to her trembling back, intending to give her a friendly pat, but to his amazement, found that he was much more comfortable lightly caressing her instead. Then, whether he consciously made the move, or it was purely instinct - he wasn't sure which - he lifted his other hand to her back. Ron wrapped Hermione in a hug meant to comfort, and not only out of friendship. He found that he hoped she would feel the difference in his touch. Not wanting to loose this glorious moment that he was sharing with her, but still feeling the pressing need to apologize to her in a proper way, he decided that it was he who needed to break the silence.

"Err…Hermione?" he whispered ruefully.

She reluctantly pulled away and looked at him. She was no longer crying, but nevertheless, her eyes were still swollen and puffy.

"I'm sorry," she said in a tone of tranquility, "I don't know what came over me."

"It's alright," he said softly. Then he took one of his fingers and gently brushed it across her soft face, wiping away one of her lingering tears. His touch was so tender that it sent shivers down her spine and made her knees go weak.

"Can we talk about last night?" he asked sincerely.

For a split second, he was sure that she was going to say no. That she never wanted to speak to him again and run upstairs, never giving him the chance to reconcile with her, but then she answered, "Yes, I think that we should do that." Ron's heart nearly leapt out of his chest, and he released a deep breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

They both sat back down again, this time on a couch further away from the fire, facing each other. For Ron, this was now or never. "Hermione … I … I'm beginning to think it'll be one of the hardest things that I will ever do, trying to forgive myself for my vicious attack on you last night, but I really want … no, I NEED your forgiveness for it, so I can attempt to forgive myself. The moment that word left my mouth, I could have hexed myself into oblivion."

"But you meant it Ron," Hermione interjected, "I could tell by the look on your face that you did."

Ron felt like his heart was breaking, because there was truth in her words. It pained him that she knew him well enough to understand and feel the shock of his fleeting rage last night. Ron was totally unaware that a single large tear was sliding down his cheek.

"Yes," he said hoarsely, "I did, for about a second. Then, just as quickly, I would have given anything under the stars to take away the pain that I had caused you. My temper finally got the better of me, and turned around and slapped me in the face…literally." With this, Ron raised his hand to the cheek that Hermione had slapped.

"I'm sorry for that Ron. I must have hurt you."

"No," Ron said quickly, "don't you dare be sorry for that. Honestly, I deserved it and now I only regret that you didn't hit me harder. You did absolutely nothing to deserve the way I spoke to you."

Hermione smiled vaguely, "Well Ron...I don't think I could have hit you any harder."

"Well then, that makes me feel better really."

Ron paused for a moment, took a deep breath and continued, "Hermione, you are my best friend. You have been there for me in a way that no one ever has before and I need your friendship … more than anything. If I can't have you in my life, sharing things with you and talking to you with sheer comfort I really don't know what I'd do. I don't know if you are able to now, but in time, can you find it in your heart to forgive me?" Ron held his breath, scared out of his mind what answer she would give.

"I already have," she said with a smile." She paused for a moment before adding, "I think I should also ask your forgiveness for-

"No," Ron interrupted. He reached out and pulled Hermione toward him, back into his arms and cradled her soft body against his chest. To his complete astonishment, she wrapped her arms around his waist, and laid her head in the crook of his neck, where he felt like it fitted perfectly. Their bodies melted together and locked together as one. "It's over, it's forgotten," he whispered into her ear. For some reason the hold that they possessed over one another felt right and they both knew it.

They remained in this embrace. Neither one of them wanted to end this first intimate contact they'd ever shared with each other. It gave each of them such a sense of peace and being right where they belonged. Sometime, minutes later, the sleep that had been denied to them both that night began to overtake the two. The overwhelming peace had finally allowed them both to release the tension in their minds. They both knew in their hearts, without spoken words what had taken place that morning. This relationship that they had with each other, the friendship they'd shared for so many years, as well as this amazing, new closeness that felt like coming home, was going to stand any test. Ron and Hermione could quarrel and talk about those quarrels to Harry and Ginny until they were blue in the face, but none of it would make a bit of difference. In the end, it was just Ron and Hermione and the undeniable bond that linked them now as surely as silken bonds.

Ron leaned back into the corner of the soft couch, taking Hermione's form gently with him, still cradled protectively against his chest. Ron and Hermione unknowingly drifted off. The tempestuous night finally lost out to the calmness that the two had been denied for so long. They no longer found their minds resisting rest, when they finally fell asleep in each others warm arms. Unrealized to them, Gryffindor tower would awake in less than an hour, causing the tired bodies of its inhabitants to wonder down to the common room to discover for themselves, what the morning chat by the cold fire had given birth to…

A/N: Hello everyone! By reading the end of this chapter, you may think that the story might be over…but it's not! Hermione and Ron are just made up…but they have so much more progress yet to make:D So, I hope you all liked this chapter and I hope that you are all awaiting chapter nine! Thanks again for all the wonderful reviews and I hope that you keep on giving them. Please remember that I love feedback. Whether it be constructive criticism, compliments on the story, or any thing that you would like to see happen (who knows, I just might use your idea, with your permission, of course!). I do know how I want this story to go and how I want it to end, but if you can think of anything that you would like to see happen, please feel free to let me know! (I LOVE writing this story, but I also want you all to be pleased too.)

OH! Also, I know that the location of the Hogwarts castle is unknown, but I have read in more that one informational Harry Potter book, that it may be in the Scottish Highlands. I needed a location for it in this chapter, so I used Scotland!

TO ALLTHE AMAZING REVIEWS SINCE MY LAST POST:

Celi
2005-05-11
ch 7, signed

Both last chapters was really great! O, why didn't Ginny tell Hermione about Draco...I wanted to know what had happend...big smile

Response: Thank you so much! In answer to your question, would you tell Hermione about Draco? I know I wouldn't! Don't worry though, in the next few chapter, there are plenty of hints. By chapter eleven (I think), you'll know. Thank you so much for reviewing:)

Ronandchicken
2005-05-10
ch 7, signed

In reference to my comment on chapter 6... yeah. That was sort of what I meant. It was, admitted, really funny (I liked the whole comparing Ron to a seven year old). I just... eh. Random things bother me more than they should. That's just my problem.

HA! kerfuffle! That's my FAVORITE word of all time.

For that I loved this chapter.

Picky self coming back (I hope I'm not going to far or sounding too mean... I don't to "flame this story in any way"; I love your story!):

Well, I only have two guy friends, and they would be the only ones that could put me at ease at a time like that, and well . . . she said, trailing off.

Missing quotation mark ah! And more grammar typos. But I won't bother. I know from experience that typos that are correct words are almost impossible to catch, so I'll stop being a hypocrite. Sorry I'm a prat. :-...

Still, I really love this chapter. I think, in contrast to Ron and Harry, Hermione and Ginny were REALLY in character. Woo hoo! I loved that!

Response: Oh don't worry about the random things...I get that from my best friend in regards to this story too! I have NO problem with criticism, as long as you are nice about it, which you most defiantly are! I so apologize for the typos! Yes, you are right, sometimes they are really hard to catch. I will admit, when I re-read this chapter a few days ago to post, it was late at night. Not such a great idea on my part! I am so glad that you liked this chapter and thank you so much for the review:)

Miss Court-A-Doo
2005-05-10
ch 7, signed

Tee hee... Ginny and her big "secret" haha...

I do hope Ron and Mione make up soon! This is quite sad, though I love it anyways. More soon!

Response: LOL! I know! Ginny defiantly has a secret! Thank you so much for the review:)

Lilly-Eleanor
2005-05-10
ch 7, signed

I liked this chapter and it's good to hear the row from Hermiones point of view but I think that she shouldn't ignor Ron for the next days.

What is the matter with Ginny and Malfoy? Please tell us soon and update a.s.a.p.! (can't wait to read the next chapter!)

Response: YAY! I'm glad that you liked it! I figured we all needed to know what was going on inside Hermione's head as well. Being a girl, this chapter was a lot more easier for me to write than the previous two. OH, and, don't worry, Hermione only listens to Hermione...she may not take Ginny's advice! Ginny and Malfoy? Hmmm...all will be revealed in future chapters. Thanks so much got the review:)

warrior of tortall
2005-05-10
ch 7, signed

please please please update! poor hermione. Ginny really isn't great at excuses! please continue!

Response: I am updating right now! Ginny was just lucky that Hermione was in the state that she was in. In any other circumstances, Hermione would have caught on. Thanks for the review:)

iluvthoe.c
2005-05-10
ch 5, signed

oh my word just read all of your stroy and i LOVED it so much! please please please update soon cos its just so good!

love
Rachel
x

Response: Wow! Really? Thank you so much! I have a big smile on my face right now:)