A/N: Hi everyone, I don't usually post any author notes but I feel it important that I let you all no how much I appreciate your reviews, positive and negative. I know I don't reply individually to each of you, that is laziness on my behalf and I apologies. So basically I would like to let you all know, that every time I get an email to tell me one of you has left a review, added me as a favorite author or listed this story to your story alerts I appreciate it very much and I want you all to know that. I hope you all keep reading.

Chapter 7

"W-What conversation Mum? asked Ron

"Don't play dumb with me, I may be happy that the two of you," she indicated between Ron and I, "have finally figured out your feelings for each other but that does not mean that I will overlook inappropriate behavior."

"Mum w…" Ron tried but was fiercely interrupted.

"Now, I have spoken to Arthur and we do not believe that it is appropriate for our children to be living with their boyfriend or girlfriend."

"But…"

"Wher…"

Both Ginny and Ron began to protest before their mother gave them both looks that caused them to snap their mouths shut.

"However we realize that this is an unusual situation. Harry, Hermione, we recognize that you don't really have anywhere else to go, so you are welcome to stay here."

Ron and Ginny's looks of delight vanished when Mrs. Weasley continued her speech, "There will however be strict rules that I expect all four of you to abide by."

"Oh my god, Mum, please don't." said Ginny, she seemed to understand exactly where this conversation was leading.

Mrs. Weasley began speaking as if her only daughter had not said a word, "You are all hormonal teenagers and…"

"Mum, please stop right now," Ron pleaded, "Other than when dad cornered me in the shed one day, I have heard it from Pomprey in third year, so have these guys.

When Mrs. Weasley nodded Ron let out a sigh of relief.

"Ok, that's good, so I'll move right on to the rules." said an obviously also relieved Mrs. Weasley, "One, if you find yourself alone with your… boyfriend or girlfriend, then you best make sure that the door remains open at all times."

I looked up to see Ron looking at me, his mother had said the two words we had been avoiding, boyfriend and girlfriend. I know that is what we technically are and I have wanted that for… well… a long time, but it was still weird to hear it. I pulled my eyes away from Ron to find Mrs. Weasley looking around the room waiting for some kind of recognition. We all nodded our heads.

"Two, displays of affection are limited to hand holding and if you must kiss, keep your mouth closed." She had turned slightly red and I have the feeling that she is just as embarrassed as us.

"Mum, we're not 12," complained Ron.

"That's exactly why we are having this conversation Ron. You're a healthy 18 year old male and I think I know exactly what's running through your mind when it comes to Hermione."

Oh My God, I think I could die right here from embarrassment. I heard Ginny making gagging noises and then Ron tell her to shut up before Mrs. Weasley rounded on Harry and continued.

"Harry, you are also a healthy young man, can I assume that similar thoughts run through your mind in regards to my underage daughter?"

Harry was having difficulty stopping his mouth from silently opening and closing like fish, before Ginny spoke up. "Jesus Christ MUM! You can't go asking people questions like that."

"Harry don't speak," Ron started, "I cannot hear the answer to that question."

Despite the extreme awkwardness of this conversation that made me let out a little laugh.

"Okay, moving on," thank god, "the four of you each have your own bed, there is no need to share," Mrs. Weasley finished as she looked between Ron and I, "Do I make myself clear?"

All four of us muttered our agreements but couldn't make eye contact with anyone.

"Ok, well then, now that that is settled I'm going to get started on dinner." Thank god she is leaving, "Oh Hermione."

What now?

"Yes Mrs. Weasley?"

She stopped in the doorway, but didn't turn around to face me, "You should probably do something about the marks my sons mouth has left on your neck before you come down stairs."

PLEASE! Kill me now.

After dinner I volunteered to do the cleaning up, Mr. Weasley had taken a teary Mrs. Weasley up to bed and the rest of the Weasley family were aimlessly wandering around the house too lost in their own thoughts to actually do anything productive. Fred's death was obviously hitting everyone hard but it seemed that, the more time that past since that night, the more real it was becoming that Fred was never coming back. George had taken to isolating himself in his room and it was beginning to feel like Fred wasn't the only Weasley to be lost in the war, other than when he had come and joined everyone earlier today to hear what Harry had to tell everyone I hadn't seen him at all.

"You never use magic to do the washing up, I noticed that when we were away." My favorite voice came from the doorway, bringing me out of my thoughts.

"It's just a habit I guess."

"Do you mind if I ask why?"

"No, I don't mind, it's just something I prefer to do normally."

"Normally?"

"Well yeah, without magic."

"It's funny that you consider a world without magic normal, while I cant imagine a world without magic at all."

"Well, believe me its out there," I laughed, "It's really not that bad, some things may be a little slower," at his questioning look I corrected myself, "okay, a lot slower, but we have heaps of cool things that you don't have in the magical world."

"Like what?"

"Well, where do I start? There's loads, computers, phones, TV's, movie theaters, dishwashers," I said as I indicated towards the mountain of dishes that I was surrounded by, "iPod's, cars, and even simple things like pens. Come to think about it living in the magical world is kind of like living in the Stone Age."

"What do you me the Stone Age? And what the hell is a pen?"

I couldn't help but laugh, "a pen is… I guess it's kind of like a quill but the ink is built into it so you don't have to keep dipping it in an ink bottle."

"Not possible," Ron said as he shock his head, "and what's a dishwasher?"

I laughed even harder and it took me a few minutes to catch my breath so that I could answer, "It's a machine that you put all your dishes in and it washes them for you."

"I think I heard dad talking about one of these once. Hey, would you quit laughing at me, I'm trying to learn about your life here." Ron said, beginning to sound quite serious.

"Ron you know about my life."

"No, I don't," he now seemed to be a little distressed, "I know nothing about your life before I met you, I don't know what you do when you go home for holidays, I don't know who your friends are in the muggle world, I don't know what half the things are that you just mentioned and you obviously miss them all. I don't know what you might like to do in your free time other than read and I want to make you feel like this is your normal life but I don't know how.

When he finished he was breathing heavily and his beautiful blue eyes were glassy with unshed tears.

"Ron, I didn't know you felt that way, but let me make it clear, no body knows me better than you do."

"You can talk to Harry about the muggle world."

Something else is going on here.

"Ron what is really on your mind? Why are you so upset? I can talk to you about muggle things if you like."

When he didn't answer and instead looked to the floor I flicked my wand so the dishes would clean themselves, grabbed Ron's hand and took him outside. I dragged him along until we reached a tree that I remember sitting under with him, before we went to get Harry from the Dursley's.

"Ron, please tell me what's going on." I was basically begging. Something is definitely not right and I am determined to find out what it is.

I was expecting to have to do a fair amount of prying before he opened up so I was more than a little surprised to hear his voice almost straight away.

"I didn't even know my own brother." Though he spoke he didn't look up at me.

"What makes you say that?" I asked as I took his other hand.

"I was just sitting with Ginny, Harry, Charlie and Percy, they all new something about him that I didn't… even Harry."

"Ron, I'm sure you know something about him that the others don't."

"I don't think so, I never asked."

"You know, everything you said in the kitchen is making a lot more sense now." I said honestly.

"I'm a horrible brother, I never paid enough attention to him and I haven't paid enough attention to you. You know everything about me and my life but I've never asked about you about yours, just like I didn't ask Fred." He finally dragged his eyes from the ground and brought them to mine, the tears I had seen welling in the kitchen were now falling and he wasn't trying to hide them from me.

"Come here," I said as I went to sit against the tree pulling him down next to me, "do you remember sitting here with me after I… after I changed my parents memories?"

He nodded

"You sat here with me for hours that day, you told me to stop second guessing myself, that I was a good daughter for doing everything I could to protect them, you then let me cry on your shoulder. Now I'm going to do the exact same for you, I'm going to tell you right now that that you are not a rubbish brother, you are a great brother and I know that you'd do anything for every single one of your brothers or Ginny."

His tears were falling harder than ever and were no longer silent, I wrapped my arms around him and he let his head fall on my shoulder letting his heart breaking sobs finally come out. I tried not to let my own tears fall knowing that Ron needed me to be the strong one, but eventually they silently escaped. I'm not sure how long we had been sitting under that tree, on the damp grass, in the dark but eventually his sobs began to ease his hands that had been tightly fisted in the back of my shirt loosened.

"I'm Sorry," he said as he pulled back slightly but didn't remove his arms from around me.

"Don't be," I replied as I removed my hands from around his back to wipe the last of his tears from his cheeks, "I'm sure you feel a little better after, yeah?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"It's going to take time Ron, you've got to grieve."

He didn't answer but instead he lay down on the grass pulling me down beside him, wrapping his arms tightly around me as I lay my head on his chest. After a several minutes I broke the comfortable silence.

"Ron, are we going to get in trouble for being out here, just us?"

"I don't care," I looked up disapprovingly at him before he continued, "Hermione, as far as I'm concerned we are not breaking any of my parents stupid rules, there is no door to close out here."

"I just don't want to make them angry."

"Don't worry about it, I don't think they'll find us, Mum and Dad went up to their room ages ago."

I nodded and settled my head back down on his chest before I heard him mumble, "Thank you, Hermione, for before."

I didn't answer but hugged him tightly; it was such a relief to be able to hug him without an excuse such as a near death experience.

"Hermione?" Ron asked, after a few more minutes of silence.

"Yes?" I murmured back.

"Do you think that Fred is happy?"

I looked up to find him looking down at me. "Yeah, I think he is."

"I m-miss him," Ron said as a lone tear slipped down the side of his face.

"Ron I'm here for you… i-if you want to talk… or just you know, whatever… like now…you know that right?"

He nodded and I placed my head back down on his chest, the sound of his heart beating was incredibly comforting.

"You know that I'm here for you too? If you need to talk or…whatever," Ron said still whispering, "and I really do want to know more about your life… the life you have with your parents.

I snuggled into his side a little more as I nodded my head on him firm chest, I could feel the lump form in my throat and new he would hear it in my voice if I spoke. I felt his lips press the top of my head and in that moment I did what I thought impossible: I fell even more in love with him.