I did it! I finished the story! So here it is the final chapter... ENJOY!

DISCLAIMER: still not mine


"The... the album?" with raised eyebrows, Hermione looked at Ron.

"Uh, yes. It is probably yours." Ron stretched out his hand in which he was clutching the little brown book.

"No." she answered shortly, still wide-eyed.

"Oh, I thought, because..."

"No." she interrupted him.

"Ok." Was all Ron could say. The conversation seemed weird. Neither of them could speak in a whole sentence. While Hermione was still staring at her counterpart, Ron had lowered his gaze again. The two teenagers stood there for quite a while, until Ron broke the silence.

"Nice pictures."

Hermione startled a little. "Yes." Inwardly, she cursed herself. Could she not say more?

"Although, I think some of them aren't that good." he continued.

"What?" Which one? " Hermione couldn't believe, that Ron could dislike just one of those wonderful pictures. She walked through the room and was leaning now at the kitchen counter next to him. Ron had already opened the photo album. They were looking at the image from Christmas in fifth year.

"That's a very nice picture." Hermione said suspecting, what Ron was intending to say, but she couldn't see anything terrible in this picture.

"I hate this sweater. I look like...like ..." There were no words.

"You look good. What do you want?"

"You're the one to talk, you don't have to wear one of those 'things'."

"Ron, I've told you a thousand times, I think the sweaters of your mother are beautiful. They are... unique."

"And there is no better word to describe them?" With a smile on his lips Ron looked to his friend.

"I ... well, there are many ways to ..." Hermione stammered.

If possible, Ron's grin became even wider. "Leave it, Hermione. I already understood."

Hermione looked indignant, but then she laughed too.

"If you want to see something terrible, then look here." She reached across Ron's arm and turned back a few pages. "Here. Terrible."

Ron bit his lip. He knew well what Hermione meant, but he did unwittingly.

"Why, what's wrong with the picture?"

"Please? I look terrible. The hair, the grin. Just everything."

"I think you look... cute. I mean, apart from the hair. That was really bad that time."

"Hey." Hermione checked him with her elbow in his ribs. "It's one thing, that I say such thing, you don't have to confirm it."

"I'm just saying." Again, the redheaded boy got an elbow check. "No, honestly. I think you do not look that terrible."

"Thanks." Hermione's sarcastic response came immediately.

"Let me finish. I mean, actually you look the same today."

After Hermione looked totally shocked to him, he went on quickly.

"You do not look exactly the same, of course older and ... well, somehow different. Your hair, for example, it's not quite as wild ... And yet somehow still ... I mean, it's the way you look. And I think you look...good. " Pretty lame, at least in Ron's eyes, he had finished his short speech. Of course he thought of Hermione's looks not only as 'good'. She was beautiful, and - if possible - she became more beautiful each day.


Ron bit his lip. Actually, he didn't want to think about those things anymore. But after he had now found this photo album, his plan had failed. He couldn't believe what someone could feel in less than a few hours. In the afternoon, Ron had raved about his friend. After the totally unnecessary argument, he had tried to forget any feelings for her, but that was an almost impossible mission. And just when he at least felt more confident about his plan, not only because Hermione was mad at him again, he found this little brown book next to the fridge. He had never seen it before. After he had ignored it at first, he had took it and was more than surprised about what he had seen. When he had looked at the pictures, hope suddenly raised in him. The whole album just gave him the feeling. And after he was aware of this, only one thought rushed through his head, as in an infinite loop: 'You're such an idiot, Ron.' Once again he had done everything wrong. Once again he had made his life harder than necessary. But the hope and joy to the newly acquired knowledge held only for a moment. Actually, Ron was now back at the beginning. His feelings for Hermione were the same - it really was absurd to try to forget them in the first place - but his secret crush knew nothing about it, and Ron had not the slightest idea what he should do now. While thinking about his situation, Hermione had appeared in the kitchen and his thoughts were suddenly irrelevant.


For a while now Ron had been silent. He seemed lost in thought. So Hermione also thought about her situation. How this album had changed everything - again. Just a few minutes ago, she was determined to confess her feelings to Ron. But she had no idea how to do it or what to say. And again the little book seemed to make everything easier. If he has now also seen the pictures, then he'd noticed the same, she did some hours ago. So she wasn't in so much trouble explaining everything to him. Hermione felt relieved but nervous too. She would do it - now.


"Ron, I wanted to talk to you about something."

Her friend's head remained down.

"Ron?" Hermione tried again.

"We have grown together very well over the years, right?" Ron said suddenly, without having heard her. Still, it surprised Hermione, that he unconsciously aimed at the same direction as she had in mind.

"Uh, that's .." she began, but then Ron looked up and his eyes locked with hers. So she finished shortly: "right.". Something was in his eyes that made her forget everything. Again, both stood still, again the minutes went by. But this time they seemed to communicate more through their eyes. Ron's expression tried to say that he was sorry. If you wanted to put their thoughts into words, the conversation would probably went on like this:

'I'm such a fool.'

'No, you're not.'

'I always do everything wrong.'

'I also made some mistakes.'

'Then everything is alright?'

'If not better.'

'I would love to...'

'Do it ...'

'If I weren't such a coward, I would now ...'

'Do it ...'

'If I knew that...'

"DO IT!" Hermione looked shocked at the floor. Did she really say that out loud?

'Oh Merlin.' she thought before looking up again. Shyly she looked at Ron, who's ears were burning. She then had read him correctly. Hermione smiled timidly, and Ron had to grin. Slowly the two leaned into each other, their eyes always on the other. Ron felt like the redness was slowly crawling up his neck. He would kiss Hermione. His Hermione. In the short time, he had before their lips would touch, a flood of thoughts and images rushed through is head. Images of how they fight, laugh, argue, help each other, support each other, fight ... Suddenly he had the feeling to apologize. He had never apologized for all that he had said to her. Before that, he thought, he had no right to kiss her and probably enjoy something unbelievable - what it certainly would be -. Now just inches away from her face, Ron stopped in his tracks. But before he could think of a word, Hermione grabbed his t-shirt, closed the remaining gap and pressed her lips to his. The kiss ended as quickly as it began, but only briefly, because once they had looked happy into their eyes, they shared another one. This time, Hermione threw her arms around Ron's neck, while he, still the photo album in hand, hugged her close to himself. It was a long, loving, intimate kiss, which expressed everything the two had carried and felt for so long...

... and somewhere you could hear the click of a camera.


That's it, finally. I enjoyed writing it and I hope you were enjoying this little story as well. So thanks again for your support and your kind reviews. See you, Quen