A/N: I know! I suck! I didn't get this one up before I had to leave. But hear it is! Please enjoy! Thank you again for all the favorites and reviews! Please keep 'um coming!

"Harry, dear, please take this to the table?" Molly Weasley said handing Harry a large platter of pealed and boiled potatoes.

Harry took the excuse to get out of the bustling Kitchen filled mostly with the Women of the families and their slave workers—er—children. Frankly, the squabbling of the hens was starting to give him a headache and his already frazzled nerves were not up to taking it. The whole night he was on pins, waiting to see if Hermione would show up for dinner. So far, it was six in the evening, dinner was in a little over half an hour, so there was nothing to worry about, right?

"Bloody hell, woman!" a familiar voice rang out from behind him halfway up the stairs to the formal dining room. "Are you trying to scald me with gravy?!" From behind him, something flew in and hit him in the back of the head causing some of his long red locks to fall into the gravy.

Frozen in his tracks, Harry fought off a laugh at the annoyed look on Ron's face. He missed his best mate so much lately, especially at times in his life like this. Butterflies were boiling in his stomach at the prospect of Hermione coming to dinner and not a soul knew. Ron had been with him through every one of his conquests—even a few that were more than a bad idea. Yet this one seemed more important than any of the others. It was less of a conquest and more of…well…love. All in all, Harry was on the cusp of one of the most important nights of his life and he had no one to share it with because the only person (other than Hermione) who he shared anything with was no longer speaking to him.

Harry's excitement slowly began to win out over his stubbornness.

In that instant Harry turned to face Ron nearly bumping into him as the redhead was busy trying to clean the gravy off of his hair as he walked. Both looked at one another with wide eyes, silent for a moment. Then, suddenly, Ron's face hardened and he made to bypass Harry without a word.

Well, I should have guessed that he wouldn't make this easy, Harry thought. Ron was asking Harry, without asking, not only to buck up the courage to talk to him, but also to swallow his pride. There were worse things. Harry grabbed Ron's arm as he made to pass. More Gravy slopped to the ground. "Hey, can I talk to you?"

Ron looked at him quizzically for a moment before nodding.

Harry pulled him into the first room on the left that doubled as his bedroom when they were staying at Grimwald. The wall paper was a god awful orange, green and yellow paisley that clashed badly with the ugly blue carpet. All in all it was a loud atmosphere that the surrounded the two. Setting down the potatoes on his bedside table he turned around and shoved his hands in his pockets. His green eyes were fixed on the floor, not bothering to look up as he heard Ron's weight sink into the creaky single bed along the wall. Awkward silence filled the air.

"So…?" Ron prompted after a few minutes.

Harry ran a hand through his messy hair that immediately got stuck in the gel he had tried to use to tame it that morning. He cursed in frustration and let it drop finally looking at Ron. "I just wanted to say that I was wrong and I'm sorry, okay?" he said.

Wide eyed, Ron looked at him in surprise. "That's it?" he grinned.

Harry mirrored him. "Yea, I guess."

"No big brotherly threats to my manhood? No more punching my lights out?"

"I assume that after knowing me for forever that you know what the threats are. And I think that hitting has already given you a taste of the fact that I can follow through with those threats if necessary." His tone was calm and playful.

"Mate, I didn't mean for this to happen—and I won't ever hurt her—I mean—I lo—well—you know—I just sort—I dunno—fell for her," he blabbered disjointedly. "You know?"

"I know. It's just I had to do something! She's—"

"—your baby sister?"

"Exactly! And you are my best mate. I knew in that instant that you have been ditching me to see her all year and that made me even more angry because I knew what I would be doing if I were ditching you to meet a bird. And the thought of—it just—" he flexed his muscles menacingly his face going red. "It is hard to think of her as old enough and I just—You know?"

Ron smiled, "I know. I would do the same if you had gone after Ginny."

Harry kept silent. He had never told Ron that he had had a brief tryst with his younger sister and never would. She obviously didn't want him to know and it hadn't worked out anyway. I guess Ron hasn't been in on all my conquests after all....Harry mused inwardly.

"So…are we good?" Harry asked tentatively.

"Good!" Ron smiled clapping Harry on the back. Picking up their prospective dinner things, both headed up the stairs. Ron was stilly trying to wipe the gravy from his hair with little success and lots of cursing. They were halfway to the dining area before Ron almost made Harry send the potatoes flying.

"So…no word from Hermione yet? You must be crawling out of your skin!"

"What?!

Smirking, he added, "Oh, come now, who do you think she was with when she wasn't with you? I do listen sometimes when she talks. You know Hermione. She can help but wear her heart on her sleeve."

"Do you think…." he let his sentence drop hopefully.

"I dunno, mate," Ron answered, looking the proper amount of skeptical and hopeful. It was good to have him back.

Harry sighed and pushed the door open with his back allowing Ron to enter first.

"Then again," Ron said setting down his charge on the table and turning to Harry, "maybe she is dumber than she looks." He pointed across the table.

Following his gaze, he saw Hermione sitting between Fred and George. His heart nearly stopped. Had she been that beautiful before? Her hair was tamed into beautiful golden brown ringlets that framed her face and trailed down her shoulders. A deep burgundy red dress hung in a low v-neck lace cutting across the dip hiding her cleavage just enough to be modest. From what Harry could see it appeared to be a long sleeved wrap dress—not too sexy, not to modest—safe, he decided. She knew Harry too well, having been his friend for years, to give away her intentions by her dress. He cooled a bit at the thought.

Ron nudged him and winked as he passed sitting next to Kate. When he reached her, Harry briefly noticed his sister give a happy squeal and hug her boyfriend. She shot Harry a happy watery grin and mouthed 'Thank you" that told him that Ron told her of his approval. Harry, however, was distracted and barely acknowledged her. His attention was so fixated elsewhere that he had to remind himself to breath when lightheadedness threatened him with a wave of dizziness.

Pushing forward Harry caught Hermione's eye and gave her one of his classic charming grins. She blushed predictably and excused herself from Fred and George. "Happy Christmas, Harry, she said as she drew near enough. Perhaps he had been wrong about the dress. She looked ravishing in her two inch black satin heels. She owns heels? he thought distractedly. "I just got in. I couldn't find you or Ron." It was a question even though she hadn't asked anything.

"Well, I—we—" he stammered. What is wrong with me? he scolded himself. "I was apologizing."

Her eyebrows arched in surprise. "Really?"

"Don't sound so surprised," he laughed.

"So everything between you two is—"

"—back to normal," Ron finished coming up behind her.

Grabbing both boys around the neck, she pulled them each into a bone crushing hug. "You two, honestly!" she scolded them both happily.

They each scratched the backs of their heads, returning the hug uncomfortably as they were mashed together. "Gee, 'Mione, gerroff!" Ron said playfully batting at her.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I just missed us. It is our last year together in school and who knows how much time we will have after."

"Bollocks!" Ron scoffed. "You can't be rid of us."

"Exactly," Harry confirmed his arm still lingering on her waste.

She noticed, and took a step back letting it drop. Both Harry and Ron noticed and silence fell between them broken only as Mrs. Weasley came through the door to their right levitating a huge turkey in front of her and letting it down into the center of the table. James and Lily came through behind her carrying what appeared to be several bottles of oak-matured mead both smiling happily.

Finally, Sirius burst through the door, carrying nothing. With a jovial clap to Harry's back he raised his arms to call everyone's attention. The room of thirty or so people fell quiet. "Welcome, all of you, to my humble abode," he said loudly and lavishly. "It seems that Professor Dumbledore and a few others cannot make it tonight, so if you are all ready, let us begin!"

A few of the Order members exchanged worried looks as everyone settled down. The trio, however, was eager to take their seats and break the awkwardness to sit down for a nice, if tense Christmas dinner.

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