I don't own the Harry Potter or anything, I just own the plot

AN: Here it is, hope everyone likes it and thanks to my wonderful beta

Chapter 3: Telling Ron

It was early morning and almost everyone was sleeping. Well, not quite everyone. Harry was already up and in the kitchen. He couldn't sleep a second more and had decided to get up in the hopes that he could ready his mind for what he and Hermione needed to do. They were going to tell Ron that they were together, and Harry was still a little afraid of his best mate's reaction. He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice Hermione watching him. She giggled just a bit, and he looked up at her.

He grinned. He couldn't help but feel ecstatically happy ever time he saw her. There she was, looking down at him – his angel. His angel who had kept him from staying in darkness for the rest of the war – maybe even his life – all in one night.

"I didn't expect to see you in here this early," Hermione said, sitting next to him at the table.

"I couldn't sleep anymore, so I came down. What about you?" He kissed her cheek as a morning greeting.

"I'm a morning person. I'm always up early," she said with a smile.

"Are we going to stick with the plan?" Harry asked, taking her hand in his.

"Yeah, and the sooner, the better," Hermione said. She brushed her fingers over his cheek softly.

"I'll tell you what would be the better," Harry began. "Breakfast." Just at that moment his stomach growled, adding emphasis to his words.

Hermione laughed and together they began a long and hard fight with the cooking utensils. They'd managed to make a few pieces of toast that weren't too burnt and even a few scrambled eggs by the time Ron came into the kitchen around 10:30 or so. His red hair was a complete mess, and he looked as if he was still asleep. Hermione giggled at the sight, and Harry tried not to laugh.

Ron glared at them and yawned. "I was supposed to be sleeping, but I smelled breakfast."

Hermione giggled again. "I figured that food would be the only thing to get you up before noon."

"Well, mate, lets eat then. Maybe you will wake up a little." Harry said, passing Ron a plate. He hoped that he would soon wake up enough for them to talk to him.

Together they start eating their breakfast, and Ron admitted that they had done a decent job with the food. "At least the kitchen isn't on fire." They talked for a while, enjoying the feeling of being together and having fun. It was something they didn't get to do very often, and something they hardly ever felt like doing, with Voldemort's hand extended over them all. Hermione watched contentedly as the two boys – men, now, she realized – debated over Quidditch teams. It made her feel as if they were just teenagers back at Hogwarts with nothing more to worry about than exams and whether or not Cho Chang would say hi to Harry in the hallway.

After they finished eating and cleaning the dishes, they made their way to the living room. They felt that now was a good time to tell Ron. They both took a seat, and Ron became slightly worried. His friends seemed suddenly very serious.

"What's going on? If something is wrong, then I need to know." Ron looked back and forth between Harry and Hermione.

Harry glanced at Hermione, who nodded. Harry took a deep breath, then said, "We have something to tell you, mate. You know that we went to my parents' house last night, don't you?"

Ron nodded silently. Hermione continued, "Something happened there. But don't worry because it wasn't anything bad."

"Can you two just get to the point?" Ron was becoming agitated.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Be patient, Ronald. It's not that difficult, you know. Go on, Harry."

"Well, you see, Ron," Harry began slowly, "Er, what happened last night was that…well, uh, I realized that I have, uh, feelings for Hermione. I – I think that I have for a very long time, but I was too blind or too stupid to see them before now."

"And I finally got the courage to tell him about my feelings for him last night, too," Hermione explained. "So we're sort of…together…as of last night. We wanted to tell you before you found out some other way."

Harry and Hermione watched Ron carefully, expecting an outburst of some sort. To their great surprise, he didn't seem angry in the least. In fact, he was smiling.

"It's about bloody time, you two nitwits," he said, and laughed at their expressions. "I thought I was going to have to hit you over the head with a broomstick or something and knock some sense into you. You two are the most stubborn people on this planet. There have been a hundred hints, and you just overlooked all of them."

Harry and Hermione were open mouthed. They stared at him as if he'd sprouted another head.

"So…you aren't mad at us?" Harry asked, baffled.

"Of course I'm not mad at you, idiot." Ron rolled his eyes exaggeratedly. "I knew that sooner or later you two would get together. I had actually thought you might come to your senses before this."

"But I thought…I mean, didn't you…well, didn't you fancy Hermione?" Harry asked feebly.

Ron blushed and glanced at Hermione, who coloured slightly. "Thank you for bringing up embarrassing memories, Harry," he said.

"Yes, so kind of you," Hermione added sarcastically.

"Pff, sorry." Harry crossed his arms.

"S'okay," Ron said. "Yes, I did fancy Hermione, but I realized awhile ago that there really was nothing between us. It never really would have worked. It was heartbreaking to me, but I moved on. The two of you are much better suited for each other, after all."

In a flurry of happy tears, Hermione leapt up and threw her arms around Ron's neck. "Thank you, Ron," she whispered.

Ron looked a bit uncomfortable. He patted her hair awkwardly. "Erm, yes, you're welcome, Hermione." He let out a small sigh of relief when she let go of him. Then he turned to Harry, suddenly serious. "Take good care of her, Harry. That's a special girl you've got there, and you better not mess this up."

Harry smiled and slipped an arm around Hermione's waist. "Don't worry, I won't."

"Good," said Ron. "Because there's a whole mess of people that will chase after you with fork and torch if you do."

Hermione punched his shoulder. "Ronald," she said with a blush.

Ron just laughed and left the couple to themselves so he could take a shower and get ready for the day. It was so good to know that Ron was happy for them. They had so expected him to be angry or jealous. They felt sorry that they'd underestimated him.

The two of them loved having the opportunity to just sit and relax together, but they knew that there was research to be done. It was time to get serious again.

They headed to the small room they'd turned into their Library and continued with their research. Soon enough they were joined by Ron, and the three together started working. In a way, all the happiness was forgotten while they concentrated on their work. It wasn't an easy thing to do. They knew that they would have to use all their time and energy to find the answers they needed.