"Where is Harry?"

Ron looked up from his Transfiguration homework to see Hermione staring at the portrait hole. Ron chuckled.

"He probably just got…held up."

"With what? What's so important…" she stopped and looked as if she suddenly understood something. "D'you think it's…Cho?"

Ron shot her a sarcastic look. "D'you think so?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Oh, shut it. Anyway, it could be something else. Fred and George have been cornering after meetings a lot, talking about using their Weasley Wizard Wheezes products on Umbridge."

Ron shook his head. "Trust me Hermione, it's definitely Cho. Honestly though, I don't think Harry and Cho are all too perfect for each other."

"Me neither," Hermione agreed. "They're just a bit too awkward around each other."

Hermione continued to write, but Ron was now distracted. He noticed the letter she was writing was much longer than her usual ones he gets from her. "Who are you writing to? That can't possibly be to your parents."

Hermione glared at him. "It's none of your business, Ron. I can write to anyone I want, I don't need your permission."

Ron glowered down at his parchment, his own ears glowing. Why did she have to be so secretive all the time?

There was silence for about ten minutes, before Ron looked up again. "So who do you think would be good for Harry?"

Hermione looked up. "What?"

"If Cho isn't a good choice, who would be good for Harry to date?"

Hermione looked down at her parchment and continued to write. "I don't know, Ron. I don't think Harry needs to focus on a girlfriend right now. There are too many other things for him to worry about at the moment."

Ron frowned. "I think he could use the extra support. I mean, I think Cho believes him, she must because she's in Dumbledore's Army."

Hermione shrugged and looked down again. Ron scowled. He didn't want to do his homework anymore, so his next interest was Hermione's attention.

Ron sighed and asked the question he had wanted to ask Hermione for a long time.

"What about me?"

Hermione's eyes flew off her parchment and onto him. "What d'you mean?"

"Who d'you think would want to date me?" Ron thought this was a stupid question, but he secretly wanted Hermione to say she would want to date him. He had liked her as more than a friend for ages, and he now wanted things to move faster.

Hermione, however, turned a deep scarlet. She looked down at her parchment once again. "Well…I don't know…I suppose a girl who…who knows you like I do. A girl who would stand by you no matter what, and help you when you need it. Probably a girl who loves to laugh, and loves your jokes, and is clever about knowing what sets you off. Ron, I think whoever gets chained to you in the end, is a very lucky girl. You can count on that."

Hermione looked up and met his eyes for the first time in an hour. They both blushed deeply, and Ron looked down at his parchment again. There was silence for the longest time, until Ron looked up and said, "Thanks, Hermione."

Hermione met his eyes again, and smiled. "Anytime. So what about me?"

Ron smirked. "Definitely not Viktor Krum."

"Then who?"

Ron stared into the fire that blazed next to him. "I guess someone who knows better than to complain in front of you, because that'll set you off. Someone who knows your favorite flower is a rose. Soemone who won't let anything happen to you, no matter what's happening around them. Someone who…who will sacrifice their own life in order to save yours."

Ron faced Hermione, who looked stunned and touched. "Because that's what you deserve, Hermione. You deserve to live. And not everyone deserves that."

Hermione was staring at him as if she had never seen anything like him before. Her mouth was half open, and her eyes had such a tender look in them, Ron feared she would kiss him right then and there.

She finally closed her mouth and looked back down at her parchment. Tears were brimming around her eyes. "Thank you, Ron. That means a lot to me."

Ron smirked. "Yeah, but d'you still think I'm a git?"

Hermione laughed. "Always."

"Are we still best friends?"

Hermione smiled. "Forever."