Ron's POV.

Definitely Something – THBP, end of Ch15

"I can't believe I won't see you for a month!"

Ron turned away from Lavender to hide his scowl. It was at least the fortieth time she'd pointed the fact out, and though he'd acted all disappointed the first few times, the whining was starting to get on his nerves.

"You will write to me, won't you Won-Won," Lavender was saying now, tugging on his arm. "Because you know I don't have an owl of my own."

Ron assured her on that count for about the fiftieth time and stood on tiptoe to see over the heads of the people crowded in front of them. They were standing in the queue to leave Platform 9 & 3¼, but it was at a standstill.

It didn't take long for Ron to spot the problem. One of the girls at the front of the line was on her hands and knees right in front of the barrier, and judging by the empty cage on her trunk was looking for her runaway cat.

Ron rolled his eyes at the stupidity of the girl; not checking the cage was secure before getting off of the train. He noticed he wasn't the only one annoyed – Hermione, who was a few people in front of he and Lavender, was also standing on tiptoe and shaking her head at the hold-up.

Ron scowled and rocked back onto his heels. He didn't care what Hermione thought about anything, not even something as insignificant as this.

"What's going on?" Harry had just stepped up behind Ron. Ron was glad to see him – he'd refused to sit with Ron the entire journey back, saying that he wasn't in the mood to sit in a compartment with just his thoughts to occupy him while Ron and Lavender tried to suck each other's tonsils out. Or something like that.

"A girl at the front lost her cat," Ron told him, but it didn't matter because the queue finally started moving again at that moment. The usual pushing started, and Lavender clung tighter than ever onto Ron's arm as they were all forced forward.

Ron, Harry and Lavender emerged through the barrier together, and immediately started looking around for their parents. Ron had been dreading this moment all the way back from Hogwarts – he was sure Lavender would want to meet his parents, or make him meet hers. He was surprised at how strongly he opposed the idea, but he really, really, really didn't want to go down that road. It would be like admitting that their relationship was serious, and Ron just didn't feel it.

He had no intention of calling it quits though.

Ron spotted his Mum after a few seconds, standing in her usual spot near the barrier. Bracing himself for the unavoidable inevitability of the meeting, Ron started towards her, Harry and Lavender in tow.

But Mrs Weasley wasn't looking in their direction. She was smiling and waving at someone to their right. Ron looked over, expecting to see that Ginny was over there, but it wasn't his sister who had caught his Mum's eye.

It was Hermione.

Hermione was standing a little way away from them, her trunk and Crookshanks' cage at her feet, and she was smiling and waving back at Mrs Weasley who, Ron realised suddenly, was making her way over to her.

"Hermione, dear, how are you?" Mrs Weasley said, pulling Hermione into a hug. Hermione's face was hidden as she hugged her back but Ron could hear her plainly.

"I'm fine Mrs Weasley, how are you?"

"Well, I can't complain. It's such a shame you're not coming to ours for Christmas – we would have loved to have you there."

"Well, thanks again for the invite, but I really have to spend this holiday with my parents. I haven't had a full holiday at home with them since summer after Second Year!"

"Of course, but it is so lovely to have you at The Burrow. Where are your parents?"

"Oh, I expect they got caught in traffic. They'll be here in a minute."

"Well, we'll wait with you for them."

"Oh, no, really Mrs Weasley there's no need…"

"Of course there is! No reason for you to be standing here by yourself. Why aren't Ron and Harry with you?"

Ron managed to bite back the groan in his throat but it was close. Thanks a lot, Mum, he thought bitterly.

Lavender tugged on his sleeve again, and when he looked at her Ron could see that she was very annoyed.

"I can see my parents over there, Ron," she said peevishly. "I'll see you after the holidays."

Ron bent his head to kiss her, remembered her parents were watching, and gave her peck on the cheek instead. "Er, yeah," he said. "Merry Christmas."

Lavender frowned slightly and turned away from him, her shoulders rigid with anger. Ron couldn't help but scowl at her reaction – it wasn't his fault that his Mum liked Hermione.

Speaking of which…

"Ron! Harry! There you are!"

Ron turned back to his Mum to see that she was still standing next to Hermione and Harry was starting to drag his trunk over to them. Realising he had no choice in the matter, Ron followed him.

"Hello, Harry dear, how are you?" Mrs Weasley pulled Harry into a tight hug as Ron approached. Hermione was looking straight over his shoulder to where Lavender was, and Ron glared at her. There was no need for her to gloat about her making Lavender annoyed with him.

Hermione ignored his glare and kept looking.

"Ron! What were you doing standing over there?" Ron looked back at his Mum, who was frowning at him. He rolled his eyes.

"Well Mum, I wasn't standing over Hermione and guarding her because I'm never speaking to her ever again, and I really couldn't care less about her anymore."

Ron couldn't imagine the punishment he'd get for saying that.

"Nothing Mum," he said. "I didn't see you. Nice to see you too, by the way."

Mrs Weasley rolled her eyes back at him but pulled him into a hug. Ron hugged her back, wondering how it was that her hugs got tighter every time she put her arms round him. Ron was sure that one day soon she would break one of his ribs.

Mrs Weasley stepped away, but kept her arm around his back. It had been five years since he'd been short enough for her to put her arm around his shoulders.

"So, have you three had a nice term?" Mrs Weasley asked. "Where's Ginny?"

Ron glanced at Hermione when Mrs Weasley asked her first question, and Hermione happened to look at him at the exact same moment. They narrowed their eyes at each other, both refusing to back down first. In the end, Ron rolled his eyes at her in what he hoped was a dismissive way and turned his head to look at Harry, who was answering Mrs Weasley's second question.

Ron frowned slightly. Harry always seemed to know where Ginny was these days. He must be getting the Big Brother Bug. Luckily Ron only had a mild case of it – Bill insisted that he was plagued with worry night and day.

Ron risked another glance at Hermione and saw that she was looking at Harry as well, but she was smirking slightly. Hermione didn't smirk often, and it usually meant that she knew something everyone else didn't.

Ron scowled again and looked back towards the barrier, where Hogwarts students were still magically appearing, busy Muggles not even glancing at them as they hurried past. What Hermione knew and didn't know was nothing to do with Ron anymore, nor did he want it to be. To hell with her.

"Oh, Hermione, there's your father now," Mrs Weasley said suddenly. She pointed over Harry's shoulder with her free hand. Ron looked – sure enough Mr Granger was waving to Hermione, pointing at the exit and looking hurried.

"They must be parked on a red line or something," Hermione said, grabbing one end of her trunk with her left hand. "Well, goodbye. Have a good holiday."

"Goodbye dear," Mrs Weasley said, quickly pulling Hermione into a one-armed hug.

The bad thing about such a hug, though, was that her other arm was still tight around Ron, and so when Hermione was pulled up against his mother's chest he found himself face to face with her, only centimetres apart.

Their eyes locked, but instead of glaring at each other as they'd been doing for the last few weeks, Ron and Hermione just stared at each other. Though they both looked away quickly and the hug was over in a couple of seconds, Ron knew something had just happened between them. His stomach felt tight all of a sudden and the hairs on the back of his neck were standing on end, but he couldn't put his finger on what emotion it was that he could feel coursing through his veins.

It was definitely something though, Ron thought, watching out of the corner of his eye as Hermione picked up Crookshanks' cage under one arm and started dragging her trunk away from them. Definitely something.

Damn.