A/N: Apologies in advance for a long note.

This chapter, just like the previous one gave me a bit of a tough time and I had to write and scrap two drafts before I was satisfied.

A specific dialogue in here came thanks to notsing's review for the previous chapter. Honestly I had not really thought of Sirius's mirror and while that is a fantastic idea I needed to stick to my solution for the story to proceed further and hence debunk it. Does add more logic to the narration so thanks a ton girl!

I am ever so thankful to all my readers who have appreciated this story and motivate me to give it the best shot I can.

A short mention here about two guest reviews, one saying that the reader hates this Ron and the other applauding me for the way he is.

Well I did want a rude, snappish Ron for this story and I do love him that way. Though I will not say that he is treating Hermione very well but as I have said before, I am enjoying enhancing their not so pleasant traits, Ron with his anger and insecurity issues, Hermione with her self-righteousness, high headedness. My previous story had a Ron who was mature to handle his anger and feelings and concentrate only on Hermione. Here it's a different situation, different story hence the difference in their characterization.

Thanks to each one of you for reading. Please don't forget to review! Thanks!

All characters,props and places mentioned here belong to JKR. No copyright infringement intended.

Chapter 10: The Solution

"Why do you think McGonagall wants to see us?" mused Harry as they navigated through the crowd of students walking into the Great Hall for lunch as they walked in the opposite direction towards their House Head's chambers.

"I don't know. But I am sure it's about the note." Sulked Ron as Harry looked up at him in confusion.

"What note?"

"The one Miss Know-it-all has sent McGonagall. She is not happy with just reading off the board during classes, now she wants to hear the lectures too. I swear if I am forced to take notes that will pacify Granger, I will pick up my trunk and leave."

Harry looked away, partly to avoid coming face to face with a group of giggling girls and partly to avoid openly chuckling at Ron's comment. For some reason, he found Ron's annoyance with Hermione Granger highly amusing. But of course Ron would not be very pleased to hear that.

They entered the assistant Headmistress's chambers with Ron grumbling under his breath and were surprised to find the Headmaster seated on a high back chair.

"Ah Mr. Weasley, Mr. Potter." Called the elderly witch and offered them a couple of chairs which they occupied after greeting the two teachers. Harry noticed that the Gryffindor Head was looking extremely conflicted as she took a seat next to Dumbledore.

"So Miss Granger has expressed the desire to be allowed to hear the lectures too?" asked the wizened old man and his colleague nodded slowly in affirmation.

"Miss Granger feels that she is losing out a major section of her education by missing out the instructions that the Professors are imparting verbally."

"Well I am sure Mr. Weasley can assist her by sharing his notes with her?" suggested the Headmaster and Harry noticed Ron's frown made an appearance again, but it was Professor McGonagall who replied.

"Well Albus, it seems Miss Granger is not very satisfied with Mr. Weasley's notes, she wants to hear the lecturers in first hand if possible." She added uncertainly. "I am not sure if that is actually possible though." She muttered to herself though it was loud enough for all to hear.

"Well I am not really surprised, am I? I shouldn't really expect her to be satisfied with anyone's notes actually, except for her own perhaps." Said the Headmaster slowly, his palms closed together as if in prayer and held under his chin.

"I am afraid I'll have to reject her request. We have charmed her blackboard to mirror on the ones in the classrooms and scheduled the timing with her timetable. But this..."

"Professor, Sirius gave me a two way mirror to communicate with him." Provided Harry haltingly, the memory of that piece of object still haunted him, if only he had checked it once before... He took a deep breath to swallow the pain. "May be we can use something like that?"

"No Harry, it will be much too odd for Ronald to pull out a mirror and place it on his desk each time and there is also a risk of someone noticing her reflection in it." replied Dumbledore.

"Do you think it is even possible Albus?"

"Getting her to hear the lectures? Well there might be a way Minerva." He replied and the rest of the occupants in the room watched him anxiously.

Getting up from his chair, Dumbledore began pacing the length of the room submerged in his thoughts while the rest three looked between each other, wondering what ingenious idea he would come up with this time.

"Professor, I don't really understand, she has the whole lot of books, is getting to attend the classes and even clarify her doubts and submit assignments. Why can't she be satisfied with that?" grumbled Ron finally.

"Well Mr. Weasley there are some students who consider education and learning to be of greatest importance and are not satisfied till they make the best possible effort to enhance their knowledge." She explained as if clarifying a Transfiguration doubt for the class.

"And as a student of Hogwarts it is her right to demand as much help in mastering her skills as she deems necessary. As teachers we are obligated to provide her the same. " added Dumbledore as he stopped pacing and joined them again.

"Minerva, I think it's time for us to procure another Pensive." He told his colleague. Harry and Ron looked at each other dumbstruck. Courtesy Harry's sessions and previous encounters with the article, both the boys knew what it was and how it was used.

"But Albus, you really can't mean it! Memories are too powerful objects to be played around with and that too by children!" she gasped.

"Harry and Ron have already dealt with things that are deemed dangerous for not just children but adult wizards as well, Minerva."

"I know, and it's really very brave of them and also very stupid. That doesn't mean you of all people, will encourage them to do that again and again!"

"Really Minerva, it's the simplest solution. Mr. Weasley will just have to ensure that he provides her with only the memories of his classes for each day. Miss Granger can look through them and take necessary notes and then Ronald will just have to retrieve the memory back from the pensive." He explained with a smile that twinkled in his piercing blue eyes.

"You both just have to ensure to keep your conversation and actions during classes restricted to class work. Do not discuss anything she is not supposed to know yet." He directed the boys as if the decision was already finalized.

"Albus, you seriously must think it over. Ronald has to be very specific in giving her just the memories of the classes and nothing else!"

"Well I am sure you will guide him on how to do that Minerva dear. You can take the pensive from my chambers and practice while I write to the Ministry for a new one." He replied with a smile.

"I'll suggest you two rush for lunch now. Mr Weasley I'll see you after class today." Professor McGonagall told the boys. It was evident on her features that she wasn't exactly convinced with the solution. Once the two had left, she closed the door and paced back to where Dumbledore was patiently waiting for her with a sparkle in his eyes.

"Albus, I want to know where you are going with this." She asked her colleague sternly. "First you give the responsibility of the girl to Ronald, putting them in such close quarters and now you are giving her a Pensive with his memories? You do realize she is still not on our side really, don't you? Do you realize what danger you are putting Ronald in and all of us too by giving her access to his memories after all that he knows about Potter? She is a brilliant witch and her parents' allegiance was with the Dark Lord!"

"A little trust Minerva is what I request from you." Replied the Headmaster patiently. "Trust in my decisions, I do what is best for all of us."

"Of course I trust you Albus! But..."

"Trust Ronald, he is much stronger a wizard under that shell of insecurity he carries. And he is the only one who can bring Miss Granger to our side."

Dumbledore noted that his colleague was eying him calculatingly.

"What do you mean by that?" she asked.

He took a deep sigh. "What decides our actions Minerva?" he asked.

"Many factors but mainly situations and our inherent nature that guides our conscience."

"True, very true. But there is one other factor. Bonds with others."

"Yes."

"Very often our actions are determined by events that have happened in the past, things that might not have been exactly in our control. These determine the situation we are in today. And then there is our conscience, the ability to identify the implications of our actions for ourselves and for others, the ability to differentiate between right and wrong and take a call to choose the right path with the future in mind. Above all, courage needed to do the right thing that stems from the bond we share for others. That is what differentiates Voldemort and Harry, one has a bond with only himself and the other is ready to walk towards a very difficult destiny if only to ensure the safety of the ones he love or revenge that ones he shares a bond with. So more than the situation, it is our bond with others that play a crucial role in what we become. Miss Granger has no bonds left, she needs a strong pull to bring her to our side and keep her here despite the extremely difficult choices she will have to make in the near future. "

McGonagall looked at Dumbledore in awe.

"Why did you choose Ronald and not Harry for this?" she asked softly.

"Because what Ronald can give her, Harry cannot." He replied cryptically and waving a small goodbye, left the room.

Much later that night, Ron came inside the vacant dormitory and closing the curtains shut, made his way towards her chambers.

She was nowhere around and her bedroom door was closed, so he pulled out the scrolls of her assignments and placed them on the table before turning away. He had no wish to see her, not today, not anytime soon. Although Harry has assured that she would not be privy to the thoughts his memory self would be having at a particular point and she would just get to see the happenings as an outsider, he still felt uneasy providing her access to his memories and no it wasn't what others feared. He had been told by McGonagall how the extracting of the memory worked. He would just have to focus on a particular time span and pull it out of his thoughts and place it in the pensive for her to see. They had practiced it a few times with the Professor constantly reminding him to keep all memories of his adventures with Harry locked up and concentrate just on mundane school stuff. He had got it right the third time, the previous two had been fiascos with McGonagall getting to hear some boy jokes they had shared during lunch that day and another one where he had used a particularly specific expletive as they walked out of Snape's defence class. But then it had been easy, maybe because he figured what parts of his memories he did not for his professor to see. But this was different. With Granger, it would be an everyday affair of sharing his day's happenings with her, giving a piece of his life for her to scrutinize and observe.

"I was waiting for you, you're late."

He turned around to find her standing at the door to her bedroom, wearing the same sleeping gown that she had been rescued in.

"Your assignments are on the table." He motioned and began to walk away.

"Wait!" she called and as she walked towards him, she picked up a quill from a small table and held it between her lips, her hands going up in her loose hair, bunching them up into an untidy knot and securing them in place with the quill. Ron watched mesmerised, the way those long locks moved behind her before she pulled them in a knot, her hands rising up that caused her breasts to become more prominent against those laces, the way the quill was held in between her pink kissable lips, the way she scrunched her nose as she pushed the quill inside the knot of hair, tendrils already coming loose and framing her face.

"Did you give my note to Professor McGonagall?" she asked and he looked away, the momentary softness disappearing behind the cold shades that came over his features.

"Yes."

"And?" she asked impatiently.

"You'll get the solution tomorrow. So try being a little patient and let me go. Thanks to you I've had a tiring day." He spat and walked away.

A/N: The next chapters will be longer I promise. This is more of a filler one.

I have been horribly unresponsive to my fantastic reviewers and I am so sorry for that!

gogoldel: Thank you for so many fantastic reviews. What can I say? It is such a pleasure sharing my stories with you all.

guest reviewer chap 8: I am so happy you are loving this Ron. I'm enjoying writing him this way to be honest.

guest reviewer 2 chap 8: Err... he is going to be like this for quite a while, he hates her you see?

mmanjari14: I updated just after your comment.

guest reviewer chapter 9: Thanks, yes much more angst in store and some other things as well.

Zalini: thanks for this and the previous fab reviews. I really wish I could post the whole thing together too, because I honestly love sharing this story as much as you guys love reading it. But that will delay the update horribly LOL! Thanks again

nirdoodle: Oh loads of angst for this one, rest assured. I love them bickering away. It's so much fun to write!

notsigh: I absolutely agree with you on this and also on a previous review where you said that both of them are equally responsible for delaying themselves from getting together. Ron is lazy but he is not a bad student. I feel many in the fandom simply overlook his strengths and overemphasize his weaknesses. He is often made to look like a hot headed fool and I so despise that .Thanks for the mirror point btw.

arnab1995: First of all thank you for favouriting this story and taking the time to review. I hope I'll be able to hold your interest in this piece till the end.