The red headed man silently trekked the halls of Hogwarts. He didn't mind the stares he received from the student population. He was the sidekick to the Man-Who-Saved-Us-All. Not that Ron particularly liked that euphemism, but he was adjusted to the celebrity that it procured. Now to mention, he didn't particularly like that either, but hey, what was he to do. His hair made him stand out in a crowd. He knew that Hermione would be between her last class and dinner.

He approached the door. He couldn't quite explain it, but he knew something wrong. He knocked.

A disheveled and very irate Hermione peered between the door and the facing.

"After everything, you don't ask who it is anymore?" he asked jokingly.

"Shove off," she replied with a grunt.

"That bad, eh? Feel like talking?"

She turned back to the desk trying to ignore what he was referring to. She cursed the tears began welling up in the corner of her eyes. She shuddered with a sob. It wasn't until she felt two large warm hands on her shoulders that she finally allowed the wall of pain to engulf her.

Hermione felt as though she had gotten herself into this whole relationship for naught. She insisted that her fanatical school girl crush got the best of her. She knew in her heart that this was all a very large, very stupid mistake. And she told Ron so.

"But 'Mione, I don't think he meant for it to happen."

"RONALD! He spanked me! In front of everyone at the party! Like I was his child rather than his girlfriend! How can you defend him?"

Ron looked at her. She looked defeated, like she had been working on a project for more than half her life and it just exploded in front of her eyes. He guessed that that is what she somewhat felt like. She had been trying desperately to make this relationship with Snape work, but he always did or said something that made her feel inadequate. Ron hated him for that.

"I am NOT defending him, Hermione. I'm just saying that…Is there any reason you could have given him for treating you that way?" When he saw the raw indignation written across her face, he quickly amended, "I mean to say, did you get angry or get your wand in a knot over something stupid? You have a tendency to do that. I know you better than anyone, Hermione."

She sat down with a huff and conjured the last class's quizzes to mark. She thought it best not to say anything to him. She would only end up saying something that would make him feel bad and make her feel worse. They were silent for a moment, Ron having taken a seat across from her.

A low mumble broke the silence.

"What was that?"

She cleared her throat and said it again. "I said that I got snotty with him. He was talking to Remus and I tried to join the conversation. He called me a know-it-all for wanting to have some kind of conversation with the two of them!"

"Did you have anything in common with what they were talking about?"

"Well, no, not really."

He looked pointedly at her.

"That's just it, Ron! I'm too young to have anything in common with him! I try to learn about his life and his past and he just won't let me in. How am I to be a part of his life he won't let me?"

Ron sighed, stood, and walked over to her. He knelt down on the floor beside her and handed her a handkerchief to dry her stream of tears. "I didn't like the idea of the two of you. Honestly, I didn't." She rolled her eyes at this not so new news. "But that doesn't mean that I know you were happy. You wanted him. I accepted it because I was your friend. I told you I loved you once. And somehow that just made you become closer to him. Bugger the thought, really. But I still love you. And I want you happy again, Hermione. I really do. And if that means that I have to swallow my opinions of him, then so be it."

He took her hand in his. "Hermione, is he really what you want, now that you know how he is? How he could be? Do you really want to be ridiculed and berated everyday by him?"

"Now you're trying to turn me against him? Honestly, Ron, do make up your mind."

"If you don't care about how he treats you, and I can clearly see you do, then choose him and I'll accept it. But should you have any doubts whatsoever in that intelligent brain of yours, then walk away from him."

Hermione looked up at her friend and saw that kind sweet face she first saw years ago. Not the face of a boy that had to mature overnight in order to help his best friend kill the biggest evil in all of the known wizarding world, but the face of her friend that stood beside her everyday of her life. She knew he loved her. It was written all over his face.

She reached over and hugged him, pouring all of her gratitude into the embrace. "Thank you, Ron. I know you're trying to help. I really appreciate that. I think that Severus and I just need to sit down and discuss things. It will be hard, but we have to if we both want this to work."

She pulled back slightly to smile at him. She had no intention of looking directly into his eyes, but she had. And then it was too late. His arms pulled her back to him and he found her lips with his. It took a moment for Hermione to realize what he was doing. And then all the anger she had pinned up for Severus broke loose on Ron. She shoved him away.

Seething and hardly able to think clearly, she glared at him. Barely a whisper escaped her now pursed, yet slightly bruised, lips. "How dare you get my guard down and take advantage of me?"

"'Mione…"

"GET OUT!"

Ron got up and headed for the door. He turned around to look at her with pleading eyes, repeating his words. "Should you have any doubts, Hermione, any at all, walk away and come to me."

He shut the door softly behind him and returned home.

Hermione sat on the couch for a moment longer trying desperately to figure out why Ron had did something so unthinkable. The question that seemed to waylay all other thoughts, was: Why had she kissed him back?

Author notes: 'You have hate mail!'... LOL! Yes, the paradoxial plot of the rabid rabbit has now been unleashed. Should Hermione follow her own advice and try to work it out with Severus, or should she round on him and find the love she needs with Ron? Tune in next chapter as the triangle begins to unfold...MMUUUAHH!...um..remind me not to let the plot bunny write the author notes anymore.

Adendum to author notes.. I know I said that I would get to the behavior changes, but I promise that will happen next chapter. And if anyone is good at art, I would love to see a pic of an evil bunny laughing maniacally typing on a computer, with agirl in glasses with long brown hair rolling her eyes while sitting beside him.. that would be me and the bunny.