A/N: Ok, so I'd really really like to thank two people: lurv2boogie and Sugarquill824. You guys seriously give THE best reviews! So specific to what you liked (and occasionally what you didn't). Thanks so much you guys! And thanks to the many many others who keep me going. You people let me know that things will be ok. People still want to read what I'm writing! So, I'm done being sentimental…on with Ron's plight at the Grangers'!

Harry had a bit of a lie-in the next morning, and when he woke up, the sun was high in the sky beaming into the small guestroom where he and Ron were sleeping. Sitting up and putting his glasses on, Harry glanced over at Ron. Ron was lying on his back with his eyes closed, but Harry could tell that Ron was not asleep. He thought he knew why.

"Ron, you know that you will have to go downstairs eventually, right?" Harry asked, suppressing a grin.

"What do you mean? I'm dead asleep," came the reply.

Harry threw a pillow unceremoniously at Ron. This produced the result Harry was hoping for. Ron sat bolt upright, looking indignant.

"Come on, Harry! I don't want to tell him!"

Harry laughed, "Gonna have to eventually, mate. You know Hermione's not gonna be happy if you don't."

"I know, but I'll just wait a day. I'll tell him tomorrow, and maybe he'll like me enough that he won't kill me when he finds out. So, come on, Harry, don't say anything. Please."

Harry sighed, "You know I won't."

Ron smiled, "Thanks."

The two dressed and prepared to go downstairs. They could hear Hermione talking pleasantly to her parents, and Harry had a sudden thought.

"Ron, what do you suppose Hermione's told her parents about what we're planning? I don't want to give anything away if she hasn't said anything to them."

"I know what she's told them."

"Oh, what, then?" Harry hid his surprise. He was not used to Hermione confiding things in Ron and not sharing them with him as well. But that, he supposed, is what happened when people began dating. Not that it bothered him…it just made him realize that the dynamic had shifted slightly. This could actually be a positive thing. Ron and Hermione were united. They could help him now instead of being at odds. He smiled slightly. True, the two would always fight, but now there would not be the major fights that separated them for weeks at a time. This would be better.

"Harry, did you hear me?"

"No, what?"

"I said that Hermione had told me that she only told her parents that we had some work outside of school to attend to. She told them it was part of the requirement to finish school at Hogwarts. She was really upset at having to lie to her parents. That's why she told me."

"Oh, well, of course she told you. You're her boyfriend. If she can't tell you when she feels horrible, who can she tell?"

"Right, I just wanted you to know that she would have told you too. I think she was ashamed."

"No big deal," Harry said, and he meant it. Hermione should be telling Ron these things, "Listen, I'm starving. Let's go downstairs. Oh come on, Ron! It's me he's going to freeze out! Let's go!"

Sure enough, despite the fact that Ron took the seat next to Hermione and Harry took one on the other side of Mrs. Granger, not to mention that Harry was sure Ron was holding Hermione's hand under the table, Mr. Granger virtually ignored Harry. Mrs. Granger appeared amused as Mr. Granger went on and on about how much he had liked Mr. and Mrs. Weasley when they had met at the train station and at Diagon Alley years ago, but did not spare a glance for Harry. Harry would have been annoyed, but, instead, he entertained himself with the thought that Ron would have a very hard time once he decided to tell Mr. Granger the truth.

Mr. Granger excused himself after eating lunch, saying that he had a bit of work to get done, since he had taken the day off at the office. When he left, Mrs. Granger smiled and said,

"So, Harry. You've been a bit…well, ignored as of yet, haven't you? I'm sorry about that."

"That's all right, Mrs. Granger, I don't mind."

Across the table, Ron was looking guilty, and Hermione was looking apologetic.

The four of them sat pleasantly around the table for a good three hours or so, explaining such intricacies of Defense Against the Dark Arts, Charms, Transfiguration, recalling the basics of Divination, and listing some creatures they'd learned about it Care of Magical Creatures. Mrs. Granger seemed wildly entertained, and Harry marveled that, although he and Ron had not woken until noon, it was already four o'clock! Mrs. Granger seemed to realize it as well, and jumped up saying,

"Oh, I should start dinner! I'm preparing a meal for more than two tonight! This is so unusual! Run along upstairs, you three, dinner should be ready in about an hour."

Harry moved up the stairs, dodging Ron's shoes, which Ron had left haphazardly at the landing last night and had forgotten to move. Harry wasn't sure if they were headed into the den or one of the bedrooms. He had assumed that Mr. Granger would have been working in the den, but the door was open, and the light was off. It was dark inside the den, except for the patch of light coming in from the hallway that created a doorway-shape amid the dark shadows. He turned to wait at the top of the stairs to ask Hermione. She was marching up the stairs followed by Ron. Harry thought that Ron was probably in for it. He had not told Mr. Granger, and Hermione did not look happy. Ron looked sulky as well, slumping up the stairs. Hermione tripped at the top of the stairs over Ron's shoes. Ron instantly put out his arms to catch her, should she fall backward, but she recovered her footing and, waiting until Ron reached the landing as well, shook his shoes in his face.

"Ron Weasley! You can't even manage to put your shoes away! Honestly, you are impossible!" Hermione said angrily.

"Can we move into the den to do this?" Ron said.

They started into the den, but Ron and Hermione got no farther than that patch of light framed from the doorway before Hermione rounded on Ron again. Harry remained in the hallways. Best not to interfere, and walking through the two would most definitely be considered interference.

"My God, Ron! You're obviously too ashamed to tell my father that we're dating!"

"Oh, come off it, Hermione. You know that's not true!"

"Sure it's not! What am I supposed to think when you continue to let him think I'm dating Harry? Is that what you want? Would you rather I date Harry? I don't think Ginny would be too pleased!"

"Umm, guys, fight as much as you want, really, just…can you leave me out of it?" Harry questioned, but as he had imagined would be the case, he was ignored.

"Yes, Hermione. That's exactly what I want," Ron said sarcastically, "I want you to leave me and date my sister's boyfriend and my best friend. That's obviously what your dad already thinks, so why not?"

"Oh, you are ridiculous!"

"I'm ridiculous? You're the one standing there bringing Harry into an argument he really doesn't want to be a part of."

"I don't hear him objecting!"

"Then get your ears checked! He's just asked to be left out of this!"

"Oh, really! Did you say that, Harry?" Hermione rounded on him.

Harry sighed, resigned, "Yeah, I did. You know you love each other, so just, keep me out of it."

Hermione turned back to Ron, still incensed, "Right, well, that doesn't change the fact that you carelessly left your shoes lying about!"

"Get out of it, Hermione! They're shoes!"

Harry thought Ron was quite right that Hermione was being a bit ridiculous about the shoes, but Hermione pressed on. She clearly had no other tack to take.

"Ron did it even occur to you that if I had not gotten my balance back, I could have fallen down the stairs and broken my neck?"

"Hermione, you cannot be serious!" Ron seemed even angrier now, as if he could not fathom how Hermione could be yelling at him about shoes. Harry was right with him, and he wondered if this is how Hermione would be to live with. She had never acted like this in all the summers he'd spent with her at the Burrow, and she and Ron seemed to have co-habitated fairly well at Grimmauld Place. Ron continued, yelling now.

"Hermione, you had to know, you had to trust that if you had fallen, I would have caught you! I'll always catch you, Hermione!" he said all of this very angrily, and Harry, who had been watching the row like the tennis matches that Uncle Vernon sometimes watched and mocked—perhaps because the players were all thin and fit. He had now turned to see Hermione's response, but she seemed to have deflated. Her face was no longer filled with anger, but with a small smile and tears.

"What're you crying for?" Ron asked, still angry and flabbergasted.

Hermione rushed at him, threw herself into his arms and kissed him. Ron did what any man would do when faced with this situation. He put his arms around her and kissed her back, though he was still visibly confused. When the kiss had gone on long enough to make Harry truly uncomfortable, he cleared his throat. Hermione pulled back and said,

"That was sweet, Ron. I know you're just nervous, but try to tell Dad sometime before we leave, ok? Now, I have a letter to send, so I'll be right back. You two go in there."

She bounced off to her room leaving Ron to stand in the doorway with a very puzzled expression.

"Is that fight over?" Ron wondered aloud.

"You dodged a bullet, there, son," came a voice from within the dark den. Ron's face went pale and Harry smothered a laugh as Mr. Granger flipped the light on next to the couch where he had clearly been napping after having read through the important looking documents on the floor next to the sofa.

"H-Hi, Mr. Granger," Harry said, moving past Ron into the den to sit in the chair. He was trying really hard not to laugh. It was taking a toll on him.

Ron looked like he was about to pass out as Mr. Granger looked at him with an unreadable expression. Harry thought it was tough luck that Ron had not only been caught in his lie, but he had also been caught snogging Hermione in front of her father.

"It's like that with you two, then?" Mr. Granger said, but did not seem to require an answer as he continued, "Listen, it doesn't matter if you live in the Muggle world or the Wizarding world. It doesn't matter where you come from or where you're going. If you've seen the world, you've seen this, and-"

But Ron seemed to get his voice back and he cut across Mr. Granger, as if attempting to stop the telling off he was about to receive, "Mr. Granger, please…you don't understand. It's not like…me and Hermione, I mean we…"

"Ron," said Mr. Granger said firmly, "listen to me."

Ron gulped.

"Love looks the same in any world. And I can see it between you and my daughter. I don't know how pleased I am that my daughter's in love already. She's only eighteen. But, all in all, I'm glad it's you, Ron. You're a good lad."

Ron relaxed visibly, color coming back to his face.

"But, avoid kissing her like that in my house," he said with authority.

"She-I mean, Hermione-I wasn't planning…"

"Calm down, Ron, I know that wasn't you. I'll be having a talk with her and all. And Harry, I owe you an apology. I saw love between you and Hermione, just not the kind of love I wanted for her, you see? So, I was going to try as hard as I could to drive you two apart. But you have a girlfriend, I hear?'

Harry smiled, "Yeah, Ron's sister."

Mr. Granger laughed, "Fun for you, is that, Ron?"

Ron shrugged, "Better Harry than anyone else."

"Too true, too true. But you've all known each other for, what is it now, seven years? I guess, after knowing each other that long, you know where you stand."

"Yes, sir," Harry said, glad that he was no longer being ignored, "I love Hermione very much, like the sister I never had. And obviously, Ginny is Ron's sister. Ron is on love with Hermione, so we all watch out for each other."

The men talked for a time. Before long, Hermione moved into the doorway. She watched as Harry and Mr. Granger laughed over the complexities of Muggle videogames—Ron seemed very intrigued, "You mean, they can control what's going on inside a box with a little thing made of plastric?"—and walked into the room.

"So, told him, have you?" Hermione asked.

"Oh, no. Didn't have to. He saw the fight we had a while back. You remember how that fight got resolved right?" Ron said with a smile. He knew very well that he was in the clear on that kiss, but Hermione paled.

"Oh," she said very quietly, "Umm," she added hurriedly, "Mom said to tell you lot that dinner's ready."

"We'll be talking later, young lady," Mr. Granger said, winking at Harry and Ron where Hermione couldn't see him.

Hermione nodded as her father walked from the room. Ron moved toward her with a question in his eyes.

"So, are we ok, then?" Ron asked.

"Oh, yes, of course. I was just angry that you hadn't told Dad yet. Though I guess that's not a problem right now."

She walked down the stairs, followed by Ron and Harry. They could tell she was very concerned. The trio walked into the brightly lit kitchen. Harry looked at the table and saw that it was set for six.

"Who else is eating with us?" Harry asked.

"Oh, about that, umm," Hermione said nervously. Just then, there was a knock on the back door, leading right into the kitchen. Before he could see who was there, Hermione was answering it, blocking whoever was there from view. As she opened the door, a familiar flowery scent moved into the kitchen.

A/N: Haha! I know that you all know who's at the door…Tune in to the next installment to find out what Harry's gonna do about it! Ok, please, please, please review!