A/N: Hello guys! Here is another chapter where we can see the start of something. They will not like each other still, but the seed has been planted.

J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter, not me.

Chapter 03

Ron left the room hurriedly, not wanting to spend more time in there. He knew that Greengrass had done nothing to their group, but she still was a Slytherin. He had a nagging feeling in him that he had done something wrong to this girl, but he brushed it off. He needed to get this detention done as quickly as possible and carry on with his normal school year.

As he went to the common room he noticed how lonely the school was just before curfew, only the usual first year that was lost. He was a prefect now so he had to do his duties and usher them to their common room. He had forgotten that he had rounds that night with Hermione, maybe he would have the opportunity to talk to her then.

He got to the common room and just plopped down in the first seat he found. He had the beginnings of a headache and just wanted to sleep, but his prefect duties did not let him. He stayed there for a couple minutes not feeling the weight that just had sat down next to him.

"How was detention mate?" Harry asked, making Ron jump a little in his seat.

"Horrible mate I have to do a lot of sorting thorough ingredients. And that's not the worst part! I have to do it with Daphne Greengrass, a Slytherin Harry!" Ron said in a groan.

"Was she mean to you?" Harry asked making Ron turn to look at him. Harry had his hands in his pockets as he sat down, strange, but Ron did not comment.

"Not really. I did not even talk to her. But still Harry, she is a snake and she can't be trusted" Ron said as if it was logical.

"Well, I don't really recall her doing something bad to any of us Ron. She doesn't hang out with Malfoy so maybe she's not that bad." Harry said looking towards the door, starting to wonder about Daphne and her friends.

"Still, I just want to get this detention over with. I don't want to see her again mate, I don't trust anyone from that house." Ron groaned and stood up as Hermione came down, signaling the start of their rounds.

"What are you talking about?" Hermione said, worried about Ron's look. He looked annoyed and tired, but they still had rounds to do.

"Nothing" Ron said and stretched, trying to wake himself up before the rounds.

"Detention Hermione. We both had it and were just comparing our times" Harry said, saving Ron from having to explain.

"What did you have to do?" Hermione asked while she crossed her arms, clearly disappointed in the boys getting detention on the first day.

"Just some lines" Harry said and tucked his hands on his pockets as he stood up.

"Sorting potions ingredients" Ron said as he rolled his eyes and shook his head a little more to try to get rid of the headache.

"That's not that bad" Hermione said with a smirk and looked at Ron with a smile.

"Ready for rounds?" She asked and twirled her hair.

Ron nodded and thought this was out of character from Hermione, she was not a flirty girl. They waved Harry goodbye, as he sat down to rest a little more, and walked through the portrait of the Fat Lady towards the corridor. Ron thought Harry was lucky he got to sleep early, wanting nothing more than to do that too.

Hermione and Ron were making progress in their round. They had caught some people after curfew, most of them first-years that were lost, so they got only a warning. Other students were older and were snogging in broom closets, which they got detention with their Head of House.

Hermione would admit that she wanted nothing more than to do that with Ron. She had talked with Ginny over the summer and how she fancied Ron, and that Ron seemed to like her too. Ginny said that her brother was stupidly oblivious, so she had to make the first move. She needed to be flirty and a little more obvious for Ron. And that is what she was doing, all the while thinking that she was horrible at it.

Ron of course had noticed this and there was no better opportunity to talk to Hermione than now. He wanted to give it a try and see if he could be invested in the relationship, or if he had just platonic feelings towards her.

"'Mione?" Ron said, suddenly nervous and his hands clammy. He had never done this before.

"Yes Ron?" Hermione asked, hopeful that he had finally caught up to her ministrations. She was tired to pretend to be as flirty as her roommate Lavender.

"Would you like to go to Hogsmede together next time we visit?" Ron asked in a rush, not believing the words that came out of his mouth.

"I would love to Ronald!" Hermione said and went to hug him around his midriff. He was so much taller than her.

Ron hugged her as well but not with that much enthusiasm, he was still unsure on how he and Hermione fit together. Ron and Hermione bickered a lot, but he thought that maybe that was because they liked each other. There was also the thing that Hermione was academically inclined, whilst Ron was not. Ron was beginning to put more of an effort due to the fact that he wanted to become an auror alongside Harry. Hermione and he could sometimes be like oil and water, repelling always, but for some reason it worked sometimes. He was going to test this out next Hogsmede visit.

They continued their rounds until they came back around to the common room. They entered and went together towards the dividing stairwells. Hermione seemed to pause before going upstairs towards her part of the tower and faced Ron with a blush in her face.

"Goodnight Ron" Hermione said quietly getting closer to Ron.

"Night 'Mione" Ron said simply, nervous about Hermione's change of demeanor.

Hermione suddenly rushed towards him and gave him a chaste kiss on the cheek and smiled at him. He smiled back and waved her goodbye, the blush in his face now real. Maybe this would be better than he expected.

The next day passed as normal, only with the fact that Hermione seemed happy and chatty with his little sister. Hermione did not really have that many female friends, but she seemed to be happily talking with Ginny. They kept looking at him throughout breakfast, making him nervous and red in the face. Of course, Harry and Neville noticed this and were pestering Ron with smirks and snide comments. He did not mind because they were his friends, but he was a little annoyed with Hermione. He wondered if that would come to pass.

Ron sat with Hermione for the next classes, an unspoken agreement that they were seemingly together now. Hermione kept touching his arm or his hand throughout the day and Ron just smiled through it, liking the way that Hermione felt close to him. He was starting to like having her attention and hoped that he did not have a fight with her before Hogsmede.

"I have detention 'Mione I have to go" Ron said later in the day after they were in the common room, Hermione reading and him finishing a Charms essay.

Hermione smiled at him and waved him goodbye, going back to her book. Ron rolled his eyes at the typical Hermione state of things and went along towards the Potions room. He then remembered he had detention with a Slytherin and his demeanor hardening.

He entered the room and found that Greengrass was there waiting for him with her arms crossed, looking mad at him. He frowned and held a defensive stance in case she decided to do something to him.

"We have to talk Weasley" Daphne said to Ron, and became aware of the stance that he was in.

"We have nothing to talk about Greengrass. I just want this detention to be done as soon as possible, surely you would not want to spend more time with me than I with you", Ron said and started to head towards the shelf where he left yesterday.

"No Weasley, not until you apologize to me for acting like a Neanderthal yesterday and had no manners. Surely your mother taught you some, seeing as your brothers have treated me with nothing but respect in the past!" Daphne said and crossed her arms, harrumphing.

"What are you talking about? My brothers?" Ron asked and stepped forward, now curious as to when his brothers had interacted with her.

"They have not done any pranks to me or my friends because we do not hang out with Malfoy, sometimes even helping me when I seem to struggle with a Potions essay in the library" Daphne informed him matter-of-factly.

"They have helped Slytherins?" Ron said aloud, not really thinking about what he said, and looked down embarrassed at having said it aloud.

"They have helped a fellow student Weasley. They do not care that I am a Slytherin. Do house rivalries really matter that much to you that when you see someone struggling you would not help them?" Daphne said, her voice stern and kept walking towards him.

"I am terrible at Potions and Snape hates me, I am just a normal student that wants to do well! I have no intentions to harm anyone, I have no claims against Potter or any other house, I want this war to be over so we can get on with our lives, I want to just live in peace Weasley!" Daphne finished and slumped in her chair, making Ron realize that maybe Daphne was not as bad as he thought. Daphne then went ahead and started to sort through ingredients.

Ron then proceeded to do the same, at the same time thinking about what she had just said. He thought about how his brothers—who hated Malfoy publicly—helped a Slytherin. The more he thought about it, Daphne was quiet and had never noticed her before. He then felt embarrassed on the way he had acted; his mother would have been furious. He had been taught to treat all women with respect, and to be courteous. His brothers apparently forgot about house rivalries, so he got inspired by that.

Ron left the ingredients he was sorting on his desk and approached Daphne. Daphne noticed his movement and looked at him, her blond hair in a ponytail behind her. Her features were guarded and she had a neutral face.

"I am sorry for my earlier behavior Greengrass" Ron said as he extended a hand towards her. He had an apologetic tone of voice, ashamed of how he had acted.

"Apology accepted" Daphne said with a small smile, grabbing Ron's hand. She was shocked at the small pulse of magic that went through her when they touched. Ron apparently felt it too and took his hand back as if on fire.

"We should probably work together on this right? We could finish faster or on time" Ron suggested, going back towards where he was working.

"I was going to suggest the same thing" Daphne said and went over to him, leaving her stuff to sort later together.

"Ron, call me Ron please" Ron said and went to sort the bat wings in size and color.

"Daphne" Daphne smiled and they worked together side by side.

Then the silence drew them in again, uncomfortable not really knowing what to talk about. Ron thought of many subjects but did not know where to start.

"You also hate Malfoy?" Ron asked suddenly, surprising even himself.

"More than anyone in the world" Daphne said, chuckling as she suddenly turned towards him.

"Doubt it. I think he has a personal mission against us. I personally think that he likes Harry and he can't admit it!" Ron said.

Daphne laughed loudly at that, so much that she snorted. That made her stop and blush, covering her mouth. Ron on the other hand thought that it was actually cute how a girl like Daphne could snort. He knew about the pure-blooded traditions and the way that daughters were raised, so he was surprised at that.

"That's horrible Ron. But it would explain so much! I know it is not true since I practically hear from Pansy the things they do. The thought of it makes me sick!" Daphne said still chuckling, working on some frog legs she started to sort.

"I did not have to know that, I will have that scar forever. Thank you!" Ron said indignantly, but with a smile on his face.

"But when you guys beat us at Quidditch that is when he loses it, he forces all of us to sit in the room and hear him complain to his daddy dearest" Daphne rolled her eyes exasperated.

"Why do most people listen to him? If he is a big git, why do people follow him?" Ron asked, finally getting the insight from a snake.

"Most of the people in Slytherin have parents that work in the Ministry. His father can threaten them with losing their job, else they are good to his child. My father works independently so we stay away from politics" Daphne said and helped Ron with some of the bat wings he was sorting through.

"What does he do?" Ron asked Daphne, curious to see what her family was like.

"He is a banker in the wizarding and muggle world. He invests in many companies and makes them more profitable or something like that, I never understood. I don't want to do that when I grow up, so I didn't pay that much attention" Daphne explained to Ron whilst looking at their eyes.

Ron nodded and kept working, not knowing what to think about that. Her family was not working in the Ministry, therefore not following Malfoy's orders. But it still did not mean they were not connected to Voldemort. He had to tread lightly to see any signs of that.

"Chudley Cannons?" Daphne asked suddenly, surprising Ron.

"You're a fan Greengrass?" Ron asked, surprised at the topic of conversation.

"Not in my life, but the Harpies are my team" Daphne chuckled at his crestfallen look, knowing he was a fan, he publicly had admitted this fact.

"I am surprised a lady such as yourself follows the sport" Ron said in a mock-chivalrous manner.

"You'd be surprised at what things I like that are not lady-like" Daphne said and blushed at the implication. She went to work immediately on her last pile for the day.

Ron was astounded by that answer and said no more. Daphne was an interesting girl for a Slytherin, maybe this would not be that bad.

"I am done for the day Ron. See you tomorrow" Daphne said as she put the last glass on the shelf, leaving shortly after.

"See you tomorrow Daphne" Ron said as he placed the glass he worked on alongside the others.

He silently left and was left to wonder about the progress he had made as a person today. He talked amicably with a Slytherin and made her laugh. He had talked to her even though he despised their house and everything they stood for, but he guessed there were some exceptions. With that he remembered Peter Pettigrew and how a Gryffindor became the worst traitor of them all, how a war started because of him. He would try and be like his brothers and look at the other houses as students, not as rivals.

Ron arrived to the common room to find Harry and Hermione talking. Hermione had a space in the couch he assumed was reserved for him. He had a girlfriend now. Girlfriend? That did not sit well with Ron, still not sure about why he felt like that.

"Hello" Hermione said as Ron sat down and she put a hand on his leg, stroking it a little to comfort Ron from his detention. She gave him a kiss on the cheek and he gave her a smile.

"Hey guys. What are you talking about?" Ron said and sat comfortably on the couch, enjoying Hermione's comforting hand.

He started to feel good at having Hermione like this and thought that maybe they could make it work somehow.

"Harry's detention and how those lines he wrote, he wrote them with a blood quill" Hermione said, her tone harsh with Harry and pointing at his hand.

"What? Mate why don't you tell someone? Anyone?" Ron asked suddenly sitting up to see where the quill had done its work.

"I can't. Umbridge said that since she worked at the Ministry, it's her word against mine. I can't tell a teacher since they would have no power over the Toad" Harry said, exhausted from having to explain and defend himself.

"Mate you don't have to do this…" Ron started but got interrupted.

"It's alright Ron, I will do it just to appease her and try to be more level-headed" Harry said and smiled at his friends.

Ron snorted, "I would love to see that!"

Harry kicked him lightly in the leg with a smirk, making Hermione laugh. Harry had been angsty since he got to Grimmauld Place and had just started to be the old Harry again.

The three friends stayed talking until the late hours and went upstairs to their respective beds, thinking on how lucky they were to be happy in such times.

A/N: Another one fresh from the oven! Thank you for reading! Please Review!