Chapter 3
Interrogations and Pizza Dinners
"Before I continue my interrogation," Rose said, as I followed her back into the living room, "We should think about dinner first. Take-out obviously. Though I reckon it will be rather expensive if we have take-out everyday. Can you cook?"
"A bit," I said.
"Can your boyfriend?" Rose asked.
I thought about that, then shook my head. "His mother cooks everything at his house, so I doubt it."
"Must be quite the woman," Rose said, "You can't ask my mother to cook. Daddy is the chef in the family."
"I don't doubt that since he and Mum are from the some gene pool," I said.
"So, take-out for tonight," Rose said, "And then one of us needs to go to the grocery store. I reckon that should be you, since your boyfriend's going to be here for – what, a week?"
"A week, yeah," I said; for the first time I found myself really hoping Mr. Weasley allowed Ron to stay here for a whole week. Of course I could hear Mrs. Weasley's reaction if she found out. Something similar to the Howler he received in second year after he and Harry flew the car to Hogwarts.
"Well, good," Rose said, "Tomorrow, you and your boyfriend can go shopping. Sounds like a lovely date."
I blushed. A date. With Ron. Well, it wouldn't be the first time he and I went shopping together. I remembered those Hogsmeade weekends when he and I visited the village, before Harry was allowed to come with us. I ignored the small voice in the back of mind that asked me I could have called those "dates" too.
"So, what is on the menu, tonight?" Rose asked.
"Pizza," I said, distractedly; I was still thinking about going on dates with Ron, and my mind had turned into goop.
Naturally, it took me a moment to realize that Ron might not have ever had pizza. I winced at the thought.
"I've always wanted to know if English pies are better than those in France," Rose said, "Good choice."
"I'll order two," I said, as I walked over to the telephone, and picked up the phone-book beside it, "Ron tends to eat a lot."
"Really?" Rose asked; I could hear the disbelief oozing in her tone, "Could have fooled me. He is very... fit."
I glared at my cousin for a moment. Merlin, I wished she would stop complimenting my "boyfriend". There's a thin line between a compliment and down-right flirting, and she was toeing it! And she probably has some big toes too.
I momentarily ignored my cousin, and quickly found a number for a take-out restaurant and ordered two large with four kinds of meat, knowing that even if Ron hadn't had pizza before, he would probably love a good meat pizza.
"Pizza will arrive in half-an-hour or so," I said; I found myself hoping Ron would be back by then.
"Brilliant," Rose said, "Plenty of time for us to talk. I guess we should start with the obvious. I was rather shocked to hear you had a boyfriend. You haven't said a peep about him. I mean, here I was planning a nice outing where we might find a couple dates, and all this time you had a man of your own."
I shrugged. "I have plenty of time to see my boyfriend. I wanted to spend time with my cousin who I haven't seen in so many years. Besides, I wasn't expecting him to come over. His oldest brother is getting married next week, so I thought he might have been quite busy helping his family get ready for it."
"Then why is he spending a week with you?" Rose asked.
"He isn't the type to plan a wedding," I said.
"He doesn't like weddings?" Rose asked.
"I meant he is probably not going to choose to be a wedding planner as a profession," I said, rolling my eyes.
"Surely he intends to get married someday," Rose said, "He has to plan his own wedding at one point. Seems like a good way to learn."
Rose must have thought I'd see that as an innocent statement. In reality, I could see she wanted to know if I had plans to marry him one day.
"He has a big family," I said, deciding it was the most innocent answer, "Family means so much to him. So I'm sure he has plans to marry one day."
A smile crossed Rose's lips and I could see the questions in her mind. Questions regarding my future. Therefore I was surprised when the conversation didn't turn that way.
"You said his oldest brother is getting married," Rose said, "How many brothers does he have?"
"Five," I said, "All older than him, and a younger sister."
"Five brothers," Rose said, as a grin crossed her lips, "Any of them single?"
I rolled my eyes. "I am not hooking you up with my boyfriend's brothers, Rose."
"You're no fun," Rose said, pouting, "As handsome as your boyfriend is, the genes in his family must be magnifique!"
I tried my best not to glare at her. I suddenly realized I was right. She was playing a game. She was trying to make me jealous. She obviously knows how beautiful she is. She obviously thinks any boy would pick her over me. She's jealous of me! Ha!
"So how long have you and Ron been together?" Rose asked.
I froze momentarily. What was I supposed to say? What if I came up with one story, and Ron told a whole different tale. I suddenly realized I needed to sit down with Ron and create a back-story of our "relationship".
"Er... I think we should leave some of these questions until dinner when Ron is here," I said. "Wouldn't it be better to get both our sides of the story at once?"
Rose raised an eyebrow as she looked at me. She shrugged. "That sounds like a good idea."
I sighed, having thankfully made it past that obstacle. I glanced toward the entrance hall of the house, wondering what could possibly be taking Ron so long. Had his father disapproved of the idea. Did his mother overhear the conversation? I could see all possibilities of conversations with her, especially since she probably wanted everyone to pitch in with the wedding. I wondered if she would think my safety from Death Eaters was less important than the wedding of her eldest son and a girl she was only just now getting used to being a part of her family.
I very much hoped Ron wasn't getting himself into a heated argument. He tends to blurt things out during arguments without thinking first. It would just be like Ron to tell his family he is my boyfriend without thinking about it. I didn't want to think about having to fake a relationship in front of the Weasleys, especially since Mrs. Weasley, and the whole family, thought of me as another daughter.
I blushed at that thought.
"What are you thinking about over there, Hermione?" Rose asked.
"What?" I asked.
"You're blushing, cousin!" Rose said, grinning. She swooned. "Oh, to be in love."
I could feel the early signs of hyperventilation. I wasn't sure I wanted to think about being in love with Ron. Especially since I was faking a relationship with him!
Calm down, Hermione. Count backwards from one-hundred.
"How long have you known Ron?" Rose asked, as I reached eighty-five in my countdown.
I decided that it was an easy question that Ron wouldn't mess up if Rose asked him about. I could answer that one.
"We met on the train going to my school," I said; my cousin knew I was at a boarding school in Scotland, so it was safe to talk about that much.
"Was it love at first sight?" Rose asked.
"Rose!" I squeaked.
Rose giggled. "Oh, come now, mi cherie. Even if you have only recently started dating does not mean you haven't only fancied the boy for a short time. I'm sure he must have been just as handsome then as is he is now. Surely you must have seen that."
I thought about that. Okay, I did kind of think Ron was cute early on. However, it was definitely not love at first sight.
"I implied earlier that even my friends once thought I was a know-it-all," I said. "Ron was one of those. It didn't help that my studious personality took control the very first time I met him."
"I'm not surprised!" Rose said, giggling, "If you had fancied him even a little bit when you were eleven, well, most eleven-year old children tend to panic when it comes to things like that. Even girls. You must have been embarrassed and sinking into that studious personality was a defense mechanism."
I raised an eyebrow at my cousin. For the first time since we had reunited, I was beginning to realize we were from the same gene pool at one point. She may be a boy-obsessed, beautiful scarlet woman, but she can also be quite smart.
"That is very... psychological of you," I said.
"I don't need psychology to have thought about that," Rose said. "I, too, was young and experiencing innocent fancies like yourself. Defense mechanisms can be a pain in the backside. So... since he was one of those fools who teased you for being a know-it-all at one point, I take it you weren't friends from the start."
"No," I said, "He used to tease me a lot. Especially for being a know-it-all."
"Defense mechanism again," Rose said, "He was jealous of you. I'm sure he had his own fancy for you right from the start. He was just too young and naive to even be able to start to admit it to himself that he had feelings for you. Tends to happen with most boys."
I blushed. I've known for a while that there was a possibility Ron has fancied me. But I am also aware that there are many girls he knows that he could also fancy. I am just one fish in the sea. I've accepted that.
"How did you become friends then?" Rose asked. "If he teased you and annoyed you, something magnifique must have happened for you to suddenly want to be his friend."
I frowned. There was absolutely no way I could tell her we became friends because he and Harry saved me from a mountain troll. First of all she wouldn't believe me. Second she'd think I was mental.
Then I suddenly realized what I could say.
"He teased me one day," I said, "Actually it was Halloween of that year. Anyway, he teased me so badly, I wound up sitting in a girl's lavatory all day crying to myself, pitying myself. However, he wasn't the worst bully in the school. There were far worse. A bully started to tease me badly for crying, and Ron and our other friend heard them, and confronted them. Ron and Harry fought them off, and even though they got in trouble for it, I realized they had defended my honor. I decided that if they could do that, then obviously they weren't the prats I thought they were. I gave them a chance, and we became quick friends from there on in. Now... well... I'd die for either of them."
Rose's smile grew wider as my story continued. As I finished, she sighed rather amorously.
"Oh, to have a man defend a lady's honor," Rose said, "You are one lucky woman to have two boys who would do that for you. Your other friend, this boy, is he single?"
I narrowed my eyes. So now she wanted Harry Potter, huh? I considered it a good thing she didn't know exactly who he was, or I might find her more attracted to him. I thought of how to answer that. I recalled the conversation on the train after Dumbledore's funeral, and how Harry had admitted he had broken up with Ginny. I still don't know why he did that. I know he and Ginny love each other. A separation, especially when you consider the fact the both of them will be around each other quite a bit in the coming months, is not exactly a good thing for the future of their relationship.
Still, I considered Rose's question. I had a good feeling Harry and Ginny wouldn't stay apart for long.
"No," I said, "He's taken and very much in love."
Rose grunted. "It is a curse being so beautiful, you know. You can't find a good relationship. Men just want me for my beauty. I want to find someone I can fall in love with. I envy you and Ron, dear cousin."
I stared at my cousin, and hoped my jaw wasn't on the floor. Admittedly, I was in awe. For the first time, I realized that she might not be a scarlet woman at all. Originally when she told me she had many boyfriends over four years, I had assumed she was just moving from boy to boy and man to man, dumping them for others because they weren't good enough. I suddenly realized that wasn't true at all. She wanted to find love, and those who she dated were in love with her for the wrong reasons. It was lust, I realized, not love.
"I envy you and Ron, dear cousin."
Rose's confession echoed in my brain. I suddenly felt really bad for what Ron and I were doing. Especially when I sometimes wondered if there was a chance we could be more.
Rose seemed to be lost in her own thoughts of past relationships, that she must have momentarily forgotten her interrogation. I am not exactly a fan of sitting in companionable silence, especially not with a cousin I haven't seen in years, so I needed to find something to do.
I suddenly started to feel self-conscious. I was about to have a simple pizza dinner with my cousin and "fake" boyfriend, and I was wearing clothes I reserved for lounging around the house all day. No, this might not be considered a date, but I suddenly felt embarrassed that Ron had seen me in something so flimsy and ragged. Okay, I wasn't exactly wearing rags, but it felt like it.
I suddenly laughed at myself. I am not exactly a girl who is into fashion. Thank Merlin for that. I've roomed with Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil for six years, and I consider myself lucky I've not turned into a girly-girl because of it. Those two are the definition of girly.
Though I will admit, I wouldn't have looked as good as I did during the Yule Ball, if it hadn't been for their help. That was the only time I have ever sought out their help for my appearance. It makes me shiver to think I have Lavender Brown to thank for the way Ron stared at me from the sidelines as I danced with Viktor Krum.
On second thought, Ron had been looking at me that night, instead Lavender Brown. Hmm... score one for the average-looking know-it-all!
Hoping that Rose was too lost in thoughts about romance to notice my absence, I stood from my chair and made my way up to my bedroom. My self-conscious personality was coming out fighting, kicking and screaming as I looked at my room. I had been so lost in my studies over the past few days – mixed in with a bit of depression over the loss of my Headmaster – that I hadn't realized my room was in the early makings of a pig sty. My laundry basket was laying at the end of my bed, and to my horror, a pair of my knickers were on the very top of the pile.
Oh, Merlin, Ron had been in my room! Had he seen my knickers?
I was beginning to hyperventilate again. Breathe, Hermione. Ron hadn't been in the room very long, and he seemed to be quite shocked at the fact that you had called him your boyfriend. He probably didn't get a chance to look around.
Deciding I needed to do my laundry the following day, I adjusted the clothes in the basket so that my unmentionables were out of sight. I suddenly realized the chance of Ron being in my room more often than not over the next week was quite high. I looked around for anything too personal that I didn't want him to see. Luckily I am not the type of girl to have a diary – that whole incident with Ginny Weasley and the Chamber of Secrets kind of put me off of diaries for life.
Lets see... knickers out of sight in laundry bin, check! Drawer of unmentionables shut tightly, check, note to self: consider putting a charm on it to keep "fake" boyfriends out of such places. Feminine hygiene material safely stored out of sight in the bathroom... hmm, better let Ron know the towels and washcloths are in a cupboard above the toilet, and not under the sink. That might make for an awkward conversation.
Really, I mean, Merlin knows it was difficult trekking through the wonders of female puberty given the fact that your best friends are two blokes. Thank Merlin those two boys were oblivious during those times. Though I do remember Ron asking me why I was so tetchy during a certain time of the month during Third Year. Luckily I could blame it on his dislike for Crookshanks.
Speaking of the devil, the other beautiful ginger in my life walked into my bedroom and mewed gently for my attention. I stroked him once lengthwise as he purred. He hopped on my bed and watched me. I begin to wonder if he realizes what my current situation with Ron is. Crookshanks never has liked the boy. Hmm... that could get quite awkward. Or interesting. One of the two.
I walked over to my closet and started rummaging for a proper outfit to wear. What does one wear for a simple pizza dinner with your "fake" boyfriend? What would Lavender and Parvati say about that? Realizing I was contemplating getting opinions of fake boyfriends from the gossip girls of Gryffindor, I shook myself mentally and concentrated on a nice outfit.
As I finish changing into my outfit – jeans and a shirt that shows my rather non-existent curves off well – I hear the echoing chimes of the doorbell. Ron is back! I step into my shoes, grabbing my purse for good measure, and hurry down the stairs. I open the door, trying to calm my nerves, and to my chagrin see that the pizza delivery bloke has arrived. I politely greet him as he gives me the two pizza boxes, and take in the heavenly smells radiating from the boxes. I pay the man and tell him to keep the change as a tip. He smiles at me warmly, and I am thankful Rose did not decide to greet him instead – the bloke was fairly good looking, and knowing my cousin she'd probably flirt with him shamelessly.
I say goodbye and close the door behind me. I wonder why Ron hasn't arrived yet. Suddenly, I find myself shocked at these thoughts. I wonder whether it would be a good or bad thing if Ron wasn't allowed to stay at my house for a week. Other than the possible interrogation, I wouldn't have to worry too much about my "fake" relationship with my best friend. However, I also find myself wanting him back in my house right this minute. Fake relationship or not, I miss my best friend. If he returns, I am going to give him a good talking-to! He should not worry me like this, especially with the current events of danger lurking around.
I shake myself, deciding I shouldn't make myself sick with worry, and announce "Pizza!" in a rather singsong type of voice, as I walk into the kitchen slash dining room.
"Ah, magnifique!" Rose said, as she entered the kitchen; she does a double take as she looks at my appearance. "Look at you, dressing up for your man."
"Is it okay?" I ask, suddenly realizing I am nervous; which is odd considering Ron isn't really even my boyfriend.
"Cousin," Rose said, and I realize she has taken on a bit of a scolding tone, "you should not be afraid of looking beautiful for your man, even for a simple pizza dinner at home! By the way I still haven't forgotten about your make-over! Even more so, now that I know you have a beau!"
I blush and mumble about not wanting to have a make-over.
"Nonsense!" Rose said, "Now, where is your beau? He hasn't returned yet?"
Before I can answer, I hear the doorbell chime again. I smile and quickly set the pizza boxes down, before turning and racing back toward the front door. I open it and find Ron standing there, with a knapsack over his shoulder. I also realize he has changed his outfit as well. He is looking quite handsome in a buttoned-down shirt and khakis, and I wonder if they are hand-me downs from one of his brothers.
Before I can even open my mouth, he says "A book about our school."
It takes me a moment to realize he is answering my security question. I hadn't even thought about that! I back away from the door, and he walks in, and shuts the door behind him.
"Who was that bloke I just saw leaving in a car?" Ron asked, "Looked kind of tetchy and suspicious to me."
"That was the pizza delivery guy, Ron," I said, "He's okay, believe me."
I suddenly realize that I hadn't even given the pizza guy a second thought about if he could be a Death Eater in disguise or not. What would Mad-Eye say about that?
"Pizza?" Ron asked.
"Our dinner," I said, "You'll see. You'll love it. Er... I guess you should put your knapsack down."
Oh crap! I just realized something! Rose is taking the guest bedroom. I most certainly can't have him sleeping in my parents' room! Or my room, for that matter!
"Er... do you mind sleeping on the couch in the sitting room this week?" I asked, sheepishly.
"I've had worse," Ron shrugged, smiling.
I just about melt at the sight of his smile. I fight the urge to hug him, or kiss him on the cheeks or lips, and clear my throat. I lead him into the sitting room. I remembered an urgent conversation I needed to have with Ron, then realized I didn't have the time. Rose would certainly wonder why we haven't come into the kitchen by now...
I quickly place a Muffliato charm around the room. Ron notices as he sets his knapsack down and looks at me.
"I should warn you," I said, "Rose is going to interrogate us about our – err – relationship."
Ron raised an eyebrow. "All right."
"Ron, don't you see the problem?!" I asked, sighing in exasperation, "We don't exactly have a good back-story or history to our relationship!"
"We'll handle it, love," Ron said, "Just follow my lead."
I am so curious about what he is planning, that it takes me a moment to realize he called me "love".
"Well, try to keep it vague," I said, "I'll do my best to ward off too many questions. You're spending a week here, she doesn't need to do a full interrogation tonight. It should give us time to discuss a good story."
"Tonight then," Ron said, "After dinner... in your room?"
I shrug and nod. "We'll also discuss guidelines and rules regarding the boundaries of this relationship. For example: pet-names like "Mione" and "love"."
Ron grinned. "Have to keep a convincing story, Hermione. Considering you only let your father call you "Mione", how would Rose take it if you suddenly let me use it."
I stared at him, considering his words. I realize exactly what he meant. Given that the nickname is so personal to me, allowing someone beside my father to call me such would mean my feelings for that person are about as deep as the love I have for my father.
Huh. I didn't know Ron could think about something so deeply like that.
"I'll think about it," I muttered. "For now, no pet-names."
Ron snickered and I glared at him. I canceled the Muffliato charm, and led him into the kitchen. The two pizza boxes were open, and three paper plates and three glasses of water were set in front of three chairs. Rose was already dining on a piece of pizza as we arrived.
Rose smiled lightly as she looked at Ron. Ron politely greeted her in turn, as we sat beside each other at the table. Ron looked cautiously at the pizza. I fought back the urge to laugh. I hadn't seen him look so oddly at food since the Bouillabaisse during one of the feasts during our Fourth Year. I grabbed a slice of pizza and took a bite, hoping it would convince Ron it was okay. Thankfully, I was right. Ron took a slice and bit into it. Oh, the look on his face! I could tell pizza was going to be one of his new favorite things to eat... which was a long list.
"I hope water is suitable enough for tonight as a drink," Rose said, "Need more options though. Thankfully you've planned a shopping trip tomorrow."
"A shopping trip?" Ron asked, after swallowing a bite of his pizza slice.
"We can't live on take-out alone for a week, Ron," Rose said. "I convinced Hermione to take you along on a shopping date at the grocery store tomorrow."
Ron's eyes went wide at the word "date". I tried to hide my blush.
Ron cleared his throat. "Sounds... sounds brilliant."
"I'll even let you drive my car, Hermione," Rose said.
I almost choked on my bite of pizza, and took a large gulp of water. It wasn't that I didn't know how to drive. I do! I actually took my driving test during the Christmas holiday, during a day when the weather was nice, and passed – not with flying colors, but I did quite well. However, the thought of driving Rose's car...
"Are you sure?" I asked, "I mean – your convertible! I'd be frightened of even scraping it!"
Rose swept a dismissive hand in front of her. "You'll be fine, cousin. Besides, it will do you good to go on a drive in my car. Especially on a nice date you should enjoy."
"It is only a shopping trip," I mumbled.
"It is a test drive!" Rose said, "If you do well, you can take it out again. Surely you and Ron will want to have a nice date this week. Movie, dinner, the works?"
I looked at Ron, and could see his face was growing rather pink. The tips of his ears were bright red.
"Er... thank you, Rose," I said.
"Don't thank me," Rose said, smiling, "You two are a lovely couple. It is an honor to be a small part of it."
Ron cleared his throat. He was as nervous as I was. "Th-thanks Rose."
Rose only smiled once again. She waited until she was finished with her first slice of pizza before she decided to continue her interrogation.
"So, Ron," she said, "I was discussing with Hermione earlier some of the details of your relationship. However, she wanted to wait on some details until you returned."
Ron looked at me for a moment, then back at Rose. He sighed and nodded. "Well, I am here now."
I tried my best not to groan. I thought back to how he said he would take care of it, and I once again wondered what was on his mind.
"I guess my first question should be," Rose said, "When did the two of you get together?"
My wand felt heavy in my pocket. I seriously considered taking it out and Obliviate my cousin. I've never used a Memory Charm before, not even for practice. But I began to wonder if I could get lucky and do a good one my first try. Ron cleared his throat, snapping me back into reality. I looked at him, and wondered exactly what he was going to say.
"A few days after my birthday in March," Ron said.
I raised an eyebrow and looked at him curiously. Suddenly my mind went back to that first week of March. Ron had been poisoned on his birthday. Surely he wasn't going to tell Rose he had been poisoned?
"I turned seventeen on the first of March," Ron said, "At our school, that is a pretty big thing, you see. Seventeen is considered – well, it is an important milestone according to our Professors. We're given more... privileges. We can't even take some classes until we turn seventeen, so it is considered a big thing. So, you can probably tell that my seventeenth birthday was something for me to look forward to. A few friends of mine decided to throw a party. And they brought alcohol."
"How the bloody hell did you get away with that?" Rose asked.
"I told you," Ron said, "At seventeen we get... privileges."
I could tell that Ron was doing his best not to admit that seventeen was considered "of age" in the wizarding world. Still, I was quite lost in his story. It was rather impressive so far. I only wondered where he was taking this."
"So – I take it Hermione was at this party?" Rose asked.
"Are you bloody serious?" Ron said, laughing, "Know-it-all Hermione at a party where alcohol is a part of it!"
I reached over and smacked him on the back of the head for his know-it-all jab. Rose only snickered at us. Ron looked at me questioningly, and I decided it was time to at least get a say in this tale.
"Ron and I were both prefects," I said; prefect was also a Muggle term, so I considered it safe, "He's lucky I didn't know about that party that night. I would have stopped it then and there!"
"I'm rather lucky she didn't," Ron said, "What followed is what led to – well, Hermione becoming my girlfriend."
I raised an eyebrow. I wondered exactly how long he had been thinking of this story.
"I hate to admit it," Ron said, blushing, "But I don't take liquor very well. I got pretty pissed, and well, I got pretty sick afterward. I ended up in the hospital wing."
"Oh no!" Rose gasped, covering her mouth with her hands; Holy Merlin, she was believing this fiction! Will wonders ever cease?!
"Looking back, I wished I wasn't sick," Ron said, "I might have enjoyed what happened next a bit more. The following day, Hermione came to me in the hospital wing, and I was there laying in bed with a sick stomach. I was asleep."
I could see the scene in my head. He had been poisoned and unconscious. I had held his hand at one point, and that was when he – oh, Merlin, is he –?
"I remember I was dreaming," Ron said. "I remember dreaming about Hermione. I guess I said her name out loud."
I blushed pink remembering the moment he said, "Er-my-knee".
"Later, when I got out of the hospital wing, I discovered she had been holding my hand while I slept," Ron continued. "When we finally were able to talk to each other again – well – she wasn't exactly happy with me. We tend to argue a lot, you see. Well, this argument was different. She was so caring about me, I realized, worried about me being sick from drinking so much. I wanted to tell her how happy I was that she cared that I was okay. Only I didn't do it with words. I – er – kissed her."
Oh, good Merlin! The story sounded so real, he even convinced me! It didn't help that there was a bit of truth to it! Only... after he had gotten out of the hospital wing, he told me couldn't remember anything that happened during that time.
Son of a – was he lying to me?! My mind began to fill with scenarios. How in the bloody hell did he come up with that damn story?
I stared at him, mesmerized, wondering exactly what he was thinking. He looked back at me, and his lips twisted into one of the most lovely smiles I'd ever seen from him.
And then I did something extremely stupid.
I kissed him.
Not on the cheek. On the lips!
It took me all of a second to realize what I was doing. I backed away about a second after that. He looked absolutely shocked. He was speechless. He was staring at me, and there was something in his eyes that frightened me. I couldn't recognize it.
Then I did another extremely stupid thing.
I stood up and ran out of the kitchen.
When I first started this chapter, I did not plan this ending. At all. The kiss scene was completely different. In fact I had written it out. Fortunately, I still have that scene, and it will take place next chapter.
So this was an extremely important chapter when it comes to Rose, and her part in this story. I might have given a few hints, albeit confusing ones. Maybe some of my readers have figured it out?
So I wrote some notes for my story last night, as I looked ahead and planned the end of the story. I do not know how many chapters this will be, but let me tell you, the last three or four chapters of the story (minus the epilogue if there is one) are absolutely exciting and dramatic if my plans go right. I am excited.
Well, things are just getting heated up. The aftermath of the kiss is revealed next chapter. I will reveal one thing here: Ron never got a chance to respond to her kiss, Hermione only kissed him. That is very important in a part of the next chapter. Keep that in mind.
This chapter, length-wise is usually my average length of chapter. However, do not expect long chapters like these all the time. I've found that shorter chapters in this story are better.
Hope you liked this chapter! I'd love to get your opinion! If you have any ideas for a dating scenario, I'd love to hear them. Really, they have six days of "fake" relationship to get through. I have a few ideas, but I need more!
