Author's Note: Wow! I have 31 reviews O.O Thank you guys! Every single one of you who have responded, especially those who have reviewed chapter three (you know who you are) thank you very much.

However... I got one review that said I needed to get on with the story =D I'm not one of those "this fanfic is just about kissing" writers. In fact, I really want to make this a believable Harry/Hermione story which means I want them to fall for each other during this actual fanfic. I know this emotional stuff about dating isn't always that much fun to read, but this is my fanfic and I'll write it the way I want to.

On another note, I did try and pick it up here. And the kissing will begin in about two chapters (think you can hang on that long?) Then this will actually be a snogging fanfic. I'm sorry the title has been misleading. I haven't meant to mislead anybody! I actually did not at first plan for this fanfic to be this long. It was going to be just a couple of chapters, mostly dealing with humor and kissing. Then it turned serious (mostly thanks to Ron... because I hate him being depressed).

Disclaimer: I do not own anything! I also am really sorry for all of my mistypes and errors that you've had to deal with... I don't have a beta and I'm not serious enough about this fanfic to go through and edit the chapters myself. I'm writing it for my own pleasure and have decided to share this awesomeness with you guys.

Please read and review ^_^ Thank you

Lesson Four: Asking Out and Turning Down

"I thought you wanted to go out with Ron!"

The red head in question was currently in detention with Professor McGonagall for using a rather suggestive pick up line on Lavender Brown. Lavender had giggled like a school girl – well, she was one so it was appropriate… but annoying – and turned a bright shade of pink. McGonagall had not found it amusing and sent Ron about writing lines. Probably something along the lines of "I will not be a regular teenage boy and think of sex every ten seconds every day."

Though apparently Hermione had read that the average amount of time between sexual thoughts in the average male was seven seconds. Sheesh, she could find anything in a library!

What had been odd was Hermione's lack of response to anything Ron did! It was almost scary. In fact, Hermione rarely reacted to anything anybody did anymore. It was like she was in a complete state of shock. She had also seemingly forgotten about the snogging lessons. Harry also hadn't had a chance to relay the events of that weekend with the disastrous dating lessons with Fred and George.

Though apparently Ron had gotten a thing or two out of them.

"Of course I do, Harry," said Hermione in the most neutral voice that had ever come from her mouth.

"But?" prompted Harry.

She blinked and looked up at him. "No but, Harry," Hermione said, and a little feeling crept into her voice. It was relieving. "I want to go out with Ron. When he's ready…"

"You don't think he is?" said Harry astounded.

"No I don't," sighed Hermione, going back to her essay for a few moments. Harry stared at her dumbfounded. Finally, the brunette gave a heavy sigh and pushed away her homework. "Any teenage boy can come up with silly pick up lines, Harry. It takes somebody who really wants to be with you to ask you out!"

"He wants to Hermione…" whispered Harry, looking away as tears started to stream down her face. "He didn't know how. You two are always fighting, he thinks that's the only thing he knows how to do with you."

"How very perceptive of him," sniffed Hermione.

Harry caught her gaze, frowning heavily. "All you ever do is criticize! It's not entirely Ron's fault if the best he can do is take Fred and George's advice to try and do something different," scoffed Harry.

"Fred and George?" said Hermione incredulously.

"Yes!" said Harry. And he quickly explained about the dating lessons.

"Oh my," gasped Hermione, hands up to her mouth. "I didn't realize… Harry, you asked Patil out!"

"I didn't like her though," Harry pointed out. "It's different."

"You managed to ask Cho out to the ball!" cried Hermione, looking almost miserable. "Please tell me you had some advice to give Ron."

Harry's mouth gaped open at the way Hermione was reacting. With an anguished sob, Hermione dropped her face into her hands. Yes, she had been expecting a lot out of Harry. He felt a little uncomfortable, like he had let her down. Let both of his friends down, actually. Why hadn't he brought up asking girls out in their last lesson?

"I'm sorry, Hermione," said Harry. "I… I hardly know how to speak to Cho, let alone ask her out. How could you expect me to help Ron out?"

"Alright, that's it!" snapped Hermione, looking up with completely tearless eyes. "Lesson three!"

"Four," said Harry. "I'm counting Fred and George's even if it is a failed one…"

The glare Hermione gave him was withering but he didn't flinch. At least, he attempted not to flinch. Harry might have and may not have noticed. But Hermione took a deep breath and huffed once.

"Very well, Lesson four! Asking a girl out."

At which point she promptly prattled on and on about girl's feelings and the different ways to ask them out. The more she went on the more Harry had a sinking feeling she had no clue what she was saying. It was a convoluted mess that was just going to keep going and going. What Hermione was really doing was ranting. Harry frowned, but every word he said contrary – or even in agreement to – anything she said just made Hermione keep going.

Almost nothing seemed capable of stopping the explosion that was Hermione's hurt feelings that he hadn't been capable of giving Ron Weasley advice on how to ask her out the right way. Was there really a right and a wrong way? Or was there just Hermione's way and some other girl's way? Harry felt, though, that it all had something to do with the person asking out. Hermione couldn't expect Ron to change who he was as a fundamental person to suit her.

But she wasn't shutting up long enough to hear him. So finally Harry grabbed her face and planted a wet one on her lips. It certainly stopped Hermione from jabbering away and Harry finally was able to force her into the actual point of their lessons. However she just sat there, completely unmoving while Harry pressed his lips against her face. They sat like that for about a minute before he finally pulled away.

"That bad, huh?" Harry said, frowning.

"I didn't say that," said Hermione, her voice back to that neutral tone she'd taken ever since Ron had used that pick up line on her.

"You didn't do anything," Harry pointed out.

"You surprised me," Hermione said, frowning.

"You're supposed to be teaching me how to kiss," Harry said, raising his eyebrows. "Or have you just been leading me on?"

"Of course not, Harry," said Hermione, rolling her eyes. "Listen… I just. I jumped to an idea I haven't been comfortable following through with just yet. Harry, your Ron's best friend… I don't want things to be awkward between you two when, if, Ron and I start dating."

"Or you don't want it to be awkward for you," said Harry, frowning. That made a certain amount of sense. Then he sighed. "And I just ruined the whole point for you to be doing this by kissing you, haven't I?"

"Not all," said Hermione with a shrug. "But can we get back to this weeks actual lesson?"

"Only if you listen to me first," said Harry. Hermione raised her eyebrows but sat back in her seat, allowing him to say what he wanted to. "It's all well and good to prattle on about your emotions and how a guy should be subtle but clear on his purpose. Not to mention, we're supposed to be completely in charge of dates-"

"I never said-"

"Hermione, please let me finish," said Harry, holding up a hand. "All of those things you said… Ron can't do! Not right now anyways. So either you hold off on dating him completely or you allow him to grow into it on his own terms!"

They sat there in silence for a while, Harry feeling a little breathless – either from his rant or the rather eventless kiss – and Hermione dumb struck. She was staring at Harry like he was a genius but a little bit mad as well. Well, maybe Harry was just that. Call him Harry Potter, the mad genius. At least in relationships… and only other people's. He still couldn't figure out Cho. One moment she was fumbling around with the spells in the DA meetings and the next she was tearing up at the very sight of him and rushing off to a bathroom.

"Alright, Professor Potter," laughed Hermione, pulling her essay toward and getting started on it. "Fine. I'll let Ron ask me out again and we'll see what happens."

"You're not even going to tell me you're going to say yes?" said Harry, flabbergasted. He wasn't sure he wanted to tell Ron to try again – not that he had actually tried – if he was just going to get shot down.

"I don't even know yet, Harry," Hermione told him with a shrug. "Just like you don't know if you're going to suggest to him to try and ask me out."

They left the empty classroom they had been using for studying after Hermione had finished her essay and looked over Harry's. They didn't really talk about much except the occasional flame on Umbridge or what to do at the next DA meeting. It was the things they were most comfortable discussing and it didn't involve Ron in any way, shape, or form.

That night Harry gave Ron a brief overview of Hermione's thoughts and feelings about a guy asking her out. He said he had gotten it from Ginny who had dealt with Hermione's rant, instead of Harry. It shouldn't be that big of deal. For some reason it actually brightened Ron's mood and he went to bed humming tunelessly under his breath.

Harry, on the other hand, was nervous. He wasn't sure if he was doing the right thing. Would Hermione turn Ron down? Would Harry have to deal with his two best mates going out? What if Ron didn't even take into consideration anything Harry had just told him?

And a small part of him – the part most frustrated with the lack of kissing in their kiss that afternoon – didn't want the two to go out at all. Didn't want Ron to be interested or for Hermione to be interested either.

That part of Harry he beat down with a Beaters bat until he could safely go to sleep. The next morning he found himself the only person still in the dormitory and with a sinking feeling in his stomach, Harry quickly got dressed and ran down into the common room. Everybody was there, seemingly doing their own thing. But their eyes kept glancing up from the direction Harry had just come from. He could feel their disappointment seep over him when they realized Harry wasn't whoever they were waiting for.

A few seconds later, however, Ron came down whistling and looking rather chipper. He gave Harry a nod as he came down the stairs two at a time and making his way over to where Hermione was sitting reading a book.

"Morning, Ron," Hermione said without looking up.

Ron hesitated, glancing over his shoulder. Dean and Seamus both grinned and urged him to go on silently. So Ron squared his shoulders and Harry had to right down the urge to groan. It was coming. A disappointment for somebody in this room. He could see Lavender watching the pair with evil in her eyes.

"Morning, Hermione," said Ron, still standing. Hermione seemed to take the hint – though she had probably seen this coming since yesterday – and slowly lowered her book. "Look, I don't really know how you feel, because I'm not you. But I know, at least pretty well, how I feel. And I really like you Hermione."

The Gryffindor Common Room had never been so utterly silent. It was so quiet the silence was deafening. Harry almost wanted to rip off his ears so they'd stop ringing with the utter noiselessness of the room. It distracted away from the deep breath Hermione took, and the ticking motors of thought that were completely indecipherable in her head.

"That's very sweet of you, Ron," said Hermione slowly. "And thank you for being honest. But I honestly don't know how I feel right now. Can we wait a couple of days?"

It was like they were reading some sort of script! Harry's mouth dropped. That wasn't a bloody yes or a no! What was Hermione playing at? Hadn't she been the one talking about feelings just yesterday? What, it only referred to female feelings? Ron had feelings too! In fact, Harry had feelings and they were rather confused at the moment.

"That's subtle for you don't like me," said Ron, his face dropping.

"I didn't say that!" said Hermione, looking a little flustered. She stared at Harry pleadingly over Ron's shoulder who was so forlorn he didn't even notice. Harry felt lucky. It almost looked as if Hermione was confused between whether she liked Harry or Ron instead of just pleading for Harry to deal with his friend.

"Give her some time, mate," said Harry, slinging an arm across Ron's shoulder and escorting him out of the common room. "You two are only fifteen. It's not like you're going to meet your soul mate right now!"

Ron groaned as they walked through the hallways but gave Luna Lovegood, who was skipping through the halls, a short wave.

"It's not like I'm in love with Hermione or anything," snorted Ron, though his face was still that love sick white that he'd had since Hermione had… told him to wait on an answer. "But I never will be if we don't start going out!"

"Who says you two have to fall in love at all?" Harry asked, trying to sound innocent. Trying to make this seem as if he was trying to make Ron feel better. As she sat down at the table for breakfast Cho waved across the Great hall and a smile spread across Harry's face.

Ron glanced between Harry and Cho and burst out laughing. Well, at least he was feeling better. Harry glared.

"Oh, come on, Harry!" choked Ron. "Like you don't wish Cho were 'the one.' But, look at it reasonably-" (when in the history of the universe did that phrase ever come out of Ron's mouth? Apparently today…) "-Hermione and I are strangely compatible. The only other person she gets along well with, or at least can stand well enough to continue to talk to for long period of times, is you. And you're head over heels in love with Cho."

"And Hermione likes you, not me," Harry pointed out.

"Maybe," said Ron, with a shrug. "She certainly seems to act like it."

"You're being very calm about this," said Harry, brow furrowed.

"Don't worry," said Ron, piling his plate with food and shoving it in his mouth. "I'll cry like a little baby tonight after everybody is asleep."

Harry frowned but he didn't very much doubt that. Now if only he could force Hermione to first, show Harry how to actually kiss – not that pathetic excuse for one yesterday afternoon – and then secondly, go out with Ron. Then Harry could ask Cho out and one way or another everybody would be happy. Harry needed to see a little bit of happiness in everybody's lives.

It didn't matter that they were fifteen. Voldemort might kill them one way or another.

Wow... that turned kind of dark there at the end. But this does take place during Order of the Phoenix when Harry is supposed to be angsty and emo. I've changed that a bit to suit my fanfic... But that doesn't mean the same issues don't apply.

I had planned for this chapter to be later in the fanfic. But the way things turned out last chapter (which I had never planned for, it just kind of wrote itself (Ron is doing a very good job of making me feel guilty) I decided I needed this to move forward a little. Which means the actual snogging got pushed further into the fanfic.

I hope you guys continue to read! I'll try to have chapter five up in a couple of day :D