Author's Note: Hi everybody!
This chapter is dedicated to Liawai, who reviewed way back on chapter two and suggested a fight scene. Well, I'm sure you deserve a better fight scene than this Liawai, but this is what I could do. This takes place sometime in the summer after battle, when the issue of Hermione returning to school for her N.E.W.T.s comes up.
I have recieved a couple more excellent suggestions that I am actually really excited to do, but if any of you have any more suggestions I'd still love to hear 'em!
Niftygirl is super amazing and brilliant and awesome and every other complimentary adjective you can think of for reading through this. And lastly, I owe some well deserved thanks to The Mysterious E, MischiefManaged007, Harrypotterandpercyjacksonfan, LilyMay77, and smkffnut for their reviews. Also I want to thank everyone who added this to their favorites and/or alert lists. There is just too many of you to list you all out, but you are no less appreciated;)
Reviews are AWESOME!
Enjoy this pillowy softness, well mostly pillowy softness at least.

This certainly was not the way that Ron Weasley had envisioned bringing Hermione back to his flat. The rest of the night had gone perfectly. They had had supper with her parents, who had just returned from Australia. He had been polite, and not even overly nervous when he was introduced to her father as 'my boyfriend' instead of just 'my friend Ron'. Afterwards they had taken a long walk just the two of them, until he had suggested they return to his flat for the evening. Everything had been going so perfectly, but this was definitely not how the evening was supposed to end.

He slammed the door with more force than necessary as he entered into his tiny living room behind Hermione.

"Why in bloody Hell are you doing this?"

"I just don't understand!" Hermione screamed, turning round to face him. "Why is this the end of the world?"

"Because!" he roared back, unable to contain his anger. "You're just leaving me! You're just going to go and get all your bloody N.E.W.T.s and be the God damn Head Girl and go back to being top of everything while you leave me here to rot!"

"You know why I have to do that Ron! I have to finish-"

He cut her off, "No you don't! Kingsley's agreed to let us all off!"

"Dammit, Ron you know it's not the same thing!"

"Why isn't it?" he spat back at her. "Why isn't staying here and rebuilding the world with me good enough for you?" he was more angry than he had been since the night he had left her and Harry during the Horcrux hunt.

"THIS IS NOT ABOUT YOU!" her face was contorted with rage.

Furiously, he pushed all the books and papers off the nearby desk to the floor. They landed with thud that neither of them seemed to hear.

"Right, because I'm just the man in bloody love with you, I have nothing invested in your life choices at all!"

"Why are you making this all about you?"

"Because it is Hermione! Because I can't lose you. I can't, and you're just going to go off and do your school and forget all about me! When you come back I won't even matter." His anger had boiled off, and by the time he finished speaking, his voice sounded completely hollow.

Ron turned his back on her and stomped into his bedroom where he collapsed onto the bed. He put his face into his hands and simply sat there, willing himself not to lose his temper again. If he lost control of himself he would say something that he didn't mean. The last thing he wanted was to do some irreparable damage in their relationship before she left.

He did not pick his head up as he heard her quiet footsteps enter the room, but she did not wait for an invitation, instead she sat down beside him and placed a tentative hand on his knee.

"It won't be like that," she whispered quietly.

He was ashamed of the sudden tears that spilled from his eyes and he moved to brush them away but she caught his hand as it approached his face.

"I just can't lose you." Ron muttered quietly resting his head on her shoulder. Gently, she stroked his hair.

"I don't want to leave you either." She admitted, "But I just have to do this. It isn't me choosing school over you or anything."

"You'll forget about all about me." She gripped his hand tighter.

"I won't forget you, it would take more than a year at Hogwarts to make me forget you. I'm going to miss you so much. But I'll send you an owl every day, twice a day. And you can see me at Christmas, and Easter and Hogsmeade visits." He laughed as he realized how ridiculously similar this conversation was to one he had with his Mum the year he had gone to Hogwarts.

"Am I being ridiculous?" he asked, not moving his head from her shoulder.

"A bit," she said in a joking tone, but she was serious again in a moment. "I love you Ron. I love you so much."

"I love you too Hermione." He sat up, and gripped her hand back. She smiled up at him, and suddenly it didn't matter if she loved school and grades better than him. If being what she loved second best earned him a smile like that, than he supposed he could be second to school.

"Just think," she said, turning to face him. She took both his hands, and he too turned so that they were both facing each other, "We have forever. This year will seem like no time at all someday."

Maybe it was okay she loved being clever more; after all, if she didn't maybe she wouldn't be able to say something that brilliant.

He kissed her hard on the mouth, twisting his fingers in her hair. She sighed and leaned into him, maybe tonight hadn't gone so far off plan after all…