A/N: What's this? Another chapter posted so quickly? Well, not quite quickly, but you get the point. One more chapter to go, until CoS is over. Then, it's off to the PoA (FINALLY!). Thanks to JeanAndBilius, notsing and arabellagrace for the feedback! This chapter will most certainly give you a taste of.. *drum roll* ROMIONE! Let's get this chapter started!

Disclaimer: Guess what? I don't own Harry Potter or any of these characters in this story. Well, except for the temporally O.C in the mini dream sequence. Anything but that, J.K. Rowling owns it, not me!

Chapter 8 ~ Friend to Friend

Ron snuck out of his dormitory while wearing Harry's invisibility cloak around him as he had a pile of notes in his satchel written for Hermione. He carefully opened the door to the hospital wing and saw that Hermione was still awake. Her eyes were slowly turning back to her chocolate color eyes, but she still looked like a cat. Despite being a cat, Hermione still read and read, until she became sleepy.

Ron took off the cloak and made Hermione gasped a little by his sudden appearance. "Hey.." Ron greeted her with a smile. She smiled back. Ron took out the notes and set it aside her table. "I copied down notes for you.." Ron said with a lopsided grin. "Really? Thank you.." She said as she beamed up to Ron. "Hehe, it was nothing. I just didn't want you to be far behind on your assignments. I mean, it's impossible for you to have missing assignments and not get good marks on them."

"Ron? What are you doing here?" Ron turned around to see Madam Pomfrey. "Sorry, I was just delivering Hermione notes and homework for her.." Ron pointed at the pile of homework and notes both in a separate pile.

"Well, it'll be best for you to go back to bed. Miss Granger needs to have her rest, so the potion can do its magic.." She instructed Ron. "Please, Madam Pomfrey, can Ron stay here for a few minutes?" She begged the nurse. "Fine, you two have 5 minutes.." She turned away from the both of them and went back to her office.

"You really miss me, don't you?" Ron teased her. "No, I just needed some company.." Hermione blushed. The tip of Ron's ears turned pink. Whenever Ron smelled her, he wanted to chase her around. It's probably his instinct because she was a cat and he was well - a dog?

He turned his attention to the closed and curtained window to see it raining outside. Ron was enjoying a soothing sound when rain droplets fall on a surface from the skies.

Then, lightning struck. Hermione jumped from the sudden strike of lightning and accidentally grabbed the slender fingers of Ron.

"S-sorry.." She quickly apologized to him. "It's- it's alright.." He accepted her apology. After that, they were left in silence. The sounds raindrops that fell on a surface filled the now dim lighted room.

"G'night Hermione, I'll see you tomorrow.." Ron waved her goodbye.

"Night Ron.." She said softly and waved him a goodbye as well.

"Bloody hell!" Ron exclaimed when the trio entered into the Great Hall for dinner. The Great Hall was decorated with decorations that were shades of pink and red. "Welcome, all to the Valentines party!" Professor Lockhart exclaimed proudly, as the trio sat together. They saw Ginny who was there about to puke. "Harry, I think I'm about to puke.." Ron said clearly disgusted and overwhelmed with all the colors in the room. "Same.." Harry agreed.

"What's got the both of your tongues in a knot?" Hermione questioned them, who was clearly enjoying the party. "The bloody decorations and how shi-" "Language, Ronald!" Hermione retorted to him. Before Ron could respond back, they heard a girl with black hair saying,"Happy Valentine's day, Harry.." Harry turned around to see a Gryffindor, by the name of Romilda Vane, giving a card to Harry. Actually, there was a mini line to give Harry a Valentine.

Hermione looked over to see Ginny's eyebrows furrowed. It seemed that she was jealous. Hermione chuckled at the look on her face, and she resumed back to look at Ron. He looked, gloomy? His crystal blue eyes turned dull, as he ate his chicken wings. He caught her looking at him, and his eyes turned back to it's crystal blue

"Ron?" She said softly in a whisper hoping, that Ron didn't hear her, but he did. His eyes softened up, as his muscles became less tense. He looked away from her chocolate brown eyes and resumed back to eating his chicken wing. Hermione stood up to sit next to Ron.

"Hey.." Hermione greeted him. "Hi.." He responded. Ron tried to avoid looking at her, but he couldn't, because Hermione was looking at him with concern. "Ron, is everything alright?" She asked him. "Y-yea.." He lied and looked at Harry getting all the Valentine's. Hermione noticed where he was looking, and felt sympathy for him. She grabbed out a piece of parchment and wrote on it. After she wrote on it, she folded it and left the table so she could go and get some rest.

Ron saw her leaving and turned around to see a parchment paper folded up. He unfolded it and read it to himself.

Dear Ron,

Happy Valentine's Day!

~ From, Hermione

He smiled by his Valentine's and held it tightly in his hand so he wouldn't lose it.

Ron was having a terrible start to his birthday. He woke up feeling like crap and went to the hospital wing, while his muscles were aching. "M-Madam Pomfrey.." Ron said as if he was going to puke any minute. She rushed to her office and had him consume to green liquid. "Ugh, taste like corn beef," Ron said in disgust while wiping all the sweat from his forehead. When he arrived back to the Commons, he saw Hermione sitting on a couch near the fireplace. What he didn't see were the twins, who were having a mischievous grin on their face.

Hermione noticed him walking in and greeted him, "Happy Birthday, Ron!" Hermione closed her book and put it on the table and ran up to him. "Here, it's a slice of cake." She gave Ron a slice of cake and he immediately noticed that the frosting was orange. 'She remembered my favorite color.." Ron thought to himself, and he happily smiles.

"Ready. Fred?" "Ready George?" The two of them whispered. They got a mini confetti cannon they invented and they activated it.

Pop!

Realistic spiders came falling. Ron jumped at the sudden loud noise, and he accidently made the cake fall on his robes. Ron started to fume, as his ears turned to a dangerous scarlet. "YOU BASTARDS!" He yelled out in anger, and he went to tackle them. Feeling his claws starting to grow, he stopped running, and put his hands in his pockets, while still fuming.

"Bye, Ickle Ronniekins!" The twins left the Commons laughing their arses off. Hermione went up to him and wiped, as much of the frosting off of his robes. "Oh, bloody hell. I should've seen this coming.." Ron pouted.

"Sp-spiders!" Ron's voiced crack. "Calm down, Ron. They're fake, see?" Hermione took the fake realistic spider, and she ripped it up. He started to calm down a bit while taking breathers. After he became relaxed, he looked at the mess.

"Sorry about them being total arses. They ruined your present.." Ron apologized. "I think I should be getting a proper apology from the both of them." Hermione corrected him.

He sat down on the couch, as the both of them waited till class was about to start. "Hey, Hermione.." Ron said to her. "What is it?" She asked.

"Promise me you'll stay away from the basilisk."

"I promise.."