Harry and Ginny frog-marched Ron and Hermione, still rumpled and blushing, into Harry's office. Ginny started. "Alright. We cannot hash through this right now, as we've got about half the city's occupants in my living room. But we will be talking later. You two will go back out into that party and pretend nothing is wrong. Do you hear me?"

Hermione and Ron sat, shame-faced and feeling like scolded children. It was surprising the resemblance Ginny and her mother shared. They nodded, stood, and left without a word.

Hermione was absolutely mortified. What had they been thinking? They were at a large party! Which included Lavender! They were lucky to have been caught by Harry and Ginny. It could have been anyone opening that door.

Ron and Hermione looked at each other, then found interest in any other thing in near sight. "Well…guess I'll talk to later."

"Yeah, see you," Hermione muttered before fleeing.

"Hermione, there you are!" Lavender and Seamus stood together before Hermione practically barged right through them. "I was wondering where you had gotten. Have you seen Ron? I'm ready to leave."

"N-no." Hermione couldn't think of anything to add.

"Are you ready to go as well?" Seamus looked at her expectantly. "It seems the party's dying down now."

"Alright." She needed to get out. She needed to breathe and calm down. She and Seamus Apparated back to her flat and he stood at the door expectantly. "Um. You can come in, if you like."

He smiled and she pushed the door open. After ten minutes of awkward conversation, she was startled by an owl pecking at her window.

Hermione-

I'VE "LOST MY ENGAGEMENT RING", SO YOU'D BETTER GET YOUR ARSE BACK HERE AND HELP ME FIND IT. RON'S COMING, TOO. YOU HAVE TEN MINUTES BEFORE I COME AND FIND YOU.

-Ginny.

Hermione looked up at Seamus. "Sorry, Seamus, I have to go. Seems that Ginny lost her engagement ring in all the fuss of the party, and she wants me to go help her look."

Seamus' smile seemed to wilt. "Do you want me to come along?"

"No, I think between the two of us, we should be alright."

"Well…do you want me to wait here, then?"

Hermione's conversation with Lavender about the Third Date Rule flashed through her head. "Um, it could take awhile. I'll owl you tomorrow?"

He sighed and stood. "Alright. Have a good night."

"Bye." She closed the door and leaned back against it. How could she have let herself almost make that mistake again? How could she have betrayed Lavender like that? She straightened her shoulders. She was not the one at fault here. Ron was the one who had pulled her away from the crowd and pushed her into the broom cupboard. He had kissed her, and he was the one who had initiated…all the other stuff. Could she really be blamed for not being able to resist him? Damn that man and his stupid Weasley charm. And sex appeal.

She Flooed back to Harry and Ginny's flat before she could let her mind wander much further.

Harry and Ginny were both standing with their arms crossed, and Ron was slumped on the sofa. Hermione grabbed the armchair furthest from him, hoping it wasn't too obvious.

"What did you two think you were doing? Ron, you're engaged. Hermione, Lavender is you best friend! How could you have let this happen?" Ginny sputtered.

"We just…weren't thinking." Ron replied sullenly.

"Ron, you can't even use that excuse. I've heard it before and I didn't even believe it then because you- "

"What do you mean, 'you've heard it before'?" Ginny cut Harry off in the middle of his sentence. Ron glared at Harry, who looked slightly apologetic, before turning to Ginny.

"The morning after Hermione's birthday party, Ron asked me to say that he had been out drinking with me."

Ginny's eyes narrowed. "Where was he really?"

"Oi! This is my life, and you two have no right to just barge in on my business!"

Hermione could see Harry's resolve set. "Really? Because I happen to remember 'barging in on your business' not an hour ago and you gave me the right when you nearly shagged Hermione in my flat!"

Hermione decided to defend herself. "Alright, alright, just stop. It was…an accident. It's never going to happen again."

"Oh my God, he was with you wasn't he?" Ginny pointed at Hermione, eyes wide.

Hermione paused. "Isn't that what we're talking about?"

"No, no, no. The night of your birthday. He asked Harry to cover for him. He was with you."

Hermione blushed, unable to lie. Looking at Ron, she found him in a similar state. The lack of response seemed to infuriate Harry.

"What in bloody hell do you think you're doing, Ron? Hermione is not some slag and she doesn't deserve to be molested in broom cupboards. You are getting married soon, and you had better sort out your priorities because I can practically guarantee that this is going to happen again. The sexual tension between you two…that has always been between you two is enough to make my head explode, and Lavender is an innocent bystander. You had better figure out what you want and then stick by it. Fast." He took a deep breath and seemed to calm down. "Ginny and I are going to bed. Feel free to stick around, but either way, you had better have a solution by the end of the night." He grabbed Ginny's hand, and they walked out of the room.

Hermione rubbed her eyes and looked at Ron. "Would you like to go back to mine to talk? I don't really want to stay here any longer."

Ron's eyes flashed. "Seamus won't be there?"

How could this man have such an effect on her? One minute he was making her forget her own name in a broom cupboard and the next he was making her want to punch him. "You know what? Nevermind. I'll see you around." She stepped into the fireplace and landed in her living room. Ron appeared right behind her.

"Alright, I'm sorry, but dammit, Hermione. I can't see you being with Seamus bloody Finnigan right in front of me, and I definitely can't hear Lavender speculate on the sex life between you two. I can't get you out of my head."

"You have a guilty conscience, Ron. You just... feel guilty."

"No, I don't." Ron ran a hand through his hair. "You keep saying this was a mistake, but I don't feel guilty. I don't regret it."

Hermione was shocked. "Wh-what?"

"The morning after – when we had lunch? – I was prepared to tell you that. But you completely beat me to the punch and made me promise never to say anything about it again. So I figured you didn't feel the same way, and I kept my mouth shut."

"I don't."

His mouth fell into a straight line. "You don't?"

"Of course I don't! How can you not feel guilty? We are hurting Lavender. It's practically killing me."

"Hermione, don't think about Lavender."

"But – "

"No. This isn't about her. It's about you and me. So tell me. What do you want? We can go back to pretending this never happened, if that's what you honestly want. But the way you responded in the broom cupboard makes me think otherwise. Tell me what you want."

Hermione stopped thinking about the consequences, and she stopped thinking about Lavender. For the first time since the situation started, she was going to make a clear-headed decision, because she wasn't drunk, she wasn't horny. Okay well she was still a little horny, but it was at the back of her mind.

She wanted Ron, because he made her happy. That is, when he wasn't making her very, very angry.

But…even that wasn't correct, was it? Could she honestly say that she didn't feel a small spark of contentment when they were having a blazing row, and his eyes shot fire, and his face turned the same color as his hair? She loved the challenge that Ron provided. He made her think while he was making her lose her tightly held control. Was she able to say that about anyone else? No. She wasn't.

"You. I want you."

He took a step toward her before stopping himself. She knew what he wanted. Besides that kiss from years ago in the heat of battle, he had initiated everything between them. He wanted her to make the effort. She walked right up to him, and stood on her tiptoes, before pressing her mouth to his.

She could accept ending up in hell as long as the path there continued to feel so good.

Author's Note: As I was writing the last scene, "Somewhere Only We Know" started playing on my iTunes, which I had bought after hearing it in the movie He's Just Not That Into You, at the point where Ginnifer Goodwin's character gets a happy ending. And since Goodwin plays Rachel, Hermione's equivalent, in the movie Something Borrowed, I took it as a good sign. McEs.