Finally, I'm back with a new chapter for this story! Thanks to all of you who have reviewed, followed or added this to your favorites. Super special gratitude to my dear HeRonLove for the encouragement and kindness. If you weren't around I don't know if I would be so determined to try to finish my stories.

There is still a long way to go, but I feel I can complete two more chapters for each of my stories by September. Big goals! Anyway, please review and let me know what you all think. Happy reading :-)

Bliss and Stress

"Hey," Ron heard as he entered his dorm.

"Harry," he answered slightly startled but relieved it was just his friend.

"Were you with Anna this whole time?"

Ron turned red and answered, "No." Harry gave him a questioning look and he couldn't keep anymore secrets from him. Harry knew almost everything anyway. He cast a muffliato and said, "I was with Hermione." Harry didn't speak so Ron just continued, "She saw me with Anna and… we had a row."

"Is she okay?"

"She's fine. We talked and… well… reckon we're back together."

"But… you're engaged," Harry said with a furrowed brow.

"I know! Bloody Merlin I know!"

"Ron… I know you care about Hermione and you two were together last year and she still loves you. But can you really do this? What will Anna say?"

"Anna can't know about this! Harry, it's just... Merlin I tried. I tried so hard to stay away from her but I love her. Hermione drives me mad and I just had to… I explained and she asked me… and I couldn't say no."

Harry looked at him confused, "She asked me to be together until I had to make the engagement official and get married."

"And you agreed?" he asked clearly concerned about his friends' actions.

"How could I not? Would you be able to say no to Estella if she asked you?"

"I… Hermione told you?"

"Yeah, but only after I brought it up."

"You did?"

"Yeah, mate. The way you were looking at her tonight anyone could tell you want her. I may be dim sometimes but I'm not completely clueless."

"Reckon she knows? Or George?"

"I don't know mate. She seemed oblivious, but the twins never miss a thing. If you were still looking at her that way when George was around he probably noticed."

"Shite."

"Why didn't you tell me? Hermione told you why we didn't tell you. It was stupid really, but – "

"I get it. I wasn't being the best of friends and dad was dying and… I get it. It was probably for the best you kept things secret. About Ella… I guess I didn't tell you because… it took me a while to realize it myself. She's always been beautiful and brilliant, but also always your brother's. And I didn't think much about the time we spend together because it had to do with the YPS and fighting the Black Hand and then my dad and then the prophecy. I didn't realize that I fancied her and how special she was to me until it was too late. I love her, I really love her, but she's George's girlfriend."

"I'm sorry."

"Nothing you or I can do about it Ron, but what are you going to do about Hermione? Aren't there consequences for loving someone that is not your fiancé? Estella told me that Marietta Edgecombe had threated her and George because he had been engaged to her cousin. Will you and Hermione be okay?"

"I don't know… as long as everything between us stays a secret, we'll avoid Azkaban. But…"

"But what?"

"But I don't know how I'll manage to let her go to marry Anna… I… Harry we shagged."

"What?"

"You heard me."

"I… bloody hell Ron. You and… were you safe?"

"Harry! What the –"

"Ron you're my best mate and Hermione is like my sister. I… I'll support you, but a baby would only bring trouble."

"Shut up mate! We used the charm. We're not stupid."

"Alright, then… umm…" Harry seemed unable to articulate any words. Ron felt the same way so they stayed quiet for a while.

"I'll help you," Ron heard his friend say. He looked at him unsure what that meant. "I'll help you mate. I reckon if I had the chance to have a forbidden relationship with the girl I loved… I would do it. It's stupid but… if she loved me, I would risk it. So, if you and Hermione are in love you should get to be together even if it's temporary."

"The last thing I want is for her to get hurt."

"If Hermione asked you then you should respect that. She's strong and we know she's smarter than the two of us put together. She must know what she's doing. "

"You're right."

"Well… I guess if you need cover to go and meet or whatever, I'll try to help. Just don't expect me to spend time with the two of you while you snog."

Ron laughed. He was honestly relieved that at least one person he cared about approved. He changed and before falling sleep he remembered the events of the night and joy invaded his chest.

It was a regular Sunday and yet completely different. Estella was nowhere to be found, Ginny sat with Neville smiling weakly, and Draco sat at the Slytherin table talking with Pansy Parkinson. But Ron couldn't stop looking at her and she felt like she was ready to burst. There was such an intense hyperawareness between them that the air around them felt like it was crackling with sexual energy. Harry snickered and told them to get a room. Hermione looked shocked at his words. He simply smiled and said, "Hermione, I know. Just go." Luckily Anna Davey was not around when they stood and sprinted out of the great hall.

They got to the dungeons and the statue that would lead them to the hidden room. Ron said patefacio and when the door opened they hastened down the stairs. The room was still clean and the bed from the previous night remained in place. They kissed and embraced passionately with no need for words. They were aroused and ready to give into the other.

"I love you," he whispered as he pulled her sweater and shirt over her head.

"I love you," she responded as she pulled at his belt.

They undressed each other and casted a contraception charm in record time, yet they felt like it took ages. They laid on the bed and he tried to caress her slickness with his fingers, but she pulled him to her. "I need you," she moaned as she worked to line their pelvises. Ron wasted no time and entered her. They experienced a deliciously tight fit as his body was almost flat on hers with only his forearms supporting him and her legs parted barely enough to cradle him.

"Like that?" he panted as he began to pump his hips.

"Uh huh," Hermione whimpered as her head gave a nod of approval.

Their bodies moved in tandem slowly building an increasingly delicious friction. His cock popped in and out of her and the sound of their slippery skin bumping together was the most magnificent thing they had heard. He began to circle his hips without letting his cock fully exit her and hit a spot that made her elicit a sensual whimper. He repeated the motion over and over, relishing on the feeling of his cock sliding within her as her legs quivered and her moans increased in volume. At that moment, nothing else mattered. She was his and he was hers. There were no engagements to uphold, no families to betray, no prisons that could make them pay for their love.

"Hermione… Hermione… Hermione," he whispered, relishing in how wonderful her name was on his lips.

She whined her approval as his cock hit that spot inside her again and he concentrated on her reactions and the feeling of her nipples grazing his chest. His wildest dreams had not done her justice. She was more beautiful and tight and delicious than he had ever imagined. He wanted to make this perfect for her. To make love to her until she lost all sense and forgot about books and magic and contracts and everything in the world besides the feeling him rocking inside her.

"Tell me...what...to do."

"Love me," she answered.

"I do… I love you," he answered before kissing her deeply. He felt her tilting her pelvis up slightly. "Do you want… can I go harder?" he asked.

"Yes," she responded, with need in her voice.

He smiled and rose to his knees, pulling her legs so they were hugging his waist with her arse practically on the air. Then he began to thrust quickly, focusing all his energy on his hips.

Hermione bucked and screamed, "Right there! Yes! Right there!"

She moved her legs so that her feet were planted on the bed and he grabbed her hips, pulling her to him. Somehow, he managed to increase the power and speed of his motions and she bend her body up to meet his cock full force. Then it happened. Her face thrashed from side to side, her legs tensed and her hands fisted the sheets as her orgasm hit her. It was so good that for a moment she felt like she couldn't handle it. She was in heaven and all that mattered was Ron and the feeling of his cock inside her.

He couldn't take it anymore. He screamed her name as he felt her tighten and pulse around him and with a few more deep plunges he exploded into her. He was panting when he collapsed into her arms and she welcomed him joyfully. For a while, they just lay there, listening to each other's hard breathing and enjoying the feel of their skin. She then started to play with his hair and he caressed the side of her body with his right hand, making circles around her hips and waist.

"I love you," she murmured.

Ron looked up at her rosy face and lovely smile. "I love you too," he responded and then tenderly kissed her lips.

She was giddy and still tingly from pleasure and got them to flip over. She grabbed her wand and cleaned them, then quickly wiggled her way down his body.

"Hermione, what are you –"

"I… want go again," she said shyly and then gave sweet peck to his flaccid cock.

"Merlin!" he responded.

She giggled and started to kiss his cock again, getting it to jerk slightly. It only took a few of her fantastic licks and sucks from him to be fully erect and ready.

This time she climbed on him and guided his cock into her. She was glorious as she bounced up and down. He loved the sight of his cock disappearing inside her as her tits bounced following the motions of their shagging. Then she placed her hands on his chest and began to sway, getting her clit to rub against his pelvic bone with each swivel of her hips. In this position he felt insanely big inside her and she figured out just how to circle her hips so that his cock hit that wonderful spot inside her again and again. She was losing control quickly and let one of her hands move to caress her own breast. Ron wasn't having any of that. He sat up and moved her hand away replacing it with his own. Then he placed his free arm around her hip while his mouth got busy with her free tit. He suckled her nipple with ferocity as he harshly pulled her hips down to maintain the marvellous friction between their slick bodies. Hermione came undone when he moved the hand he hand on her chest to the area where they were joined and touched her clit. She was so gone she just stopped and screamed. He released her tit and pulled them back to laying on the bed. Then held her in place as he pumped his hips up and filled her with cum from beneath her. They fell asleep after that and resurfaced for lunch only after they had shagged a third time.

The week that followed was both blissful and full of stress all at once. They had escaped to the room behind the statue every day and explored each other's bodies and basked in their shared passion. However, Ron had to figure out a way to talk to Anna and try to avoid a relationship with her for as long as possible. He had written to George asking for help to have that conversation. His brother had apparently gone through the trouble of telling Bill about the issue and both of them wrote with advice on what to do. Hermione for her part had to deal with the relentless questions that came from Ginny and Estella. Those two were annoyingly perceptive and noticed the change in Ron and Hermione's interactions much too quickly. It didn't help that they constantly disappeared to make love and that Estella could read right through Harry's excuses for his missing best friends. So Hermione confessed and found two loyal allies. Ginny was thrilled about the change and Estella approved though she was more restrained.

"Be careful," she warned. "If you get caught it's Azkaban for the both you."

"I know that," Hermione countered.

Estella nodded but added, "There is also the after to think about."

"The after?" Ginny asked.

"The after it's over and Ron has to have a relationship and get married. She should have a plan for when that happens?"

Hermione stayed quiet, feeling uneasy. Estella looked at her apologetically and continued, "I'm sorry to bring it up, but you have to think about it."

She felt defensive and argued, "Did you, with George?"

"Yes. I…I had planned to go to Spain and France for the summer and be away when their engagement was announced. I thought of transferring to Beauxbatons for the year… reckon, my plan was to put distance. I didn't know how I would manage seeing them together at Hogwarts. Coward much?" she said with a cynical laugh.

"You're not a coward," Ginny assured. "You saved George twice. You were just… just…" she continued unsure exactly how to say what she meant.

"Doing the rational thing. Distance would make sense," Hemione said.

"Yes," Ginny added.

"I don't know how I will manage seeing them together." Hermione admitted.

"I didn't mean to put you down. It's just… I guess I like to try to plan ahead. But, it may not be that bad. You'll be out of Hogwarts before she's of age and they are forced together. You probably won't have to see them much."

"No, with the war, we'll probably have to work together so you're right. I should plan, I just… I don't know what I'm going to do."

Estella squeezed her hand, "I don't know, but it'll be okay. Just plan for it and try to protect your heart."

Ginny looked at the two with sadness and anger in her eyes. Then added her hand on top of Estella's and also said, "It'll be alright."

In the end, it was a good thing that the two witches knew and were on their side because Ron failed to get Anna to agree with him about their relationship. He tried to use Bill and George's advice and outlined the benefits of exploring and enjoying their freedom while they could. He had tried to get her to think it was her idea, but he was not at all able to manipulate anyone. And Anna had been thrilled by the kiss they had shared and wanted to explore her feelings.

So, Ginny and Estella joined forces in what they called, operation Weasley freedom and dragged Harry into it. Hermione did not hold much hope, but thank Merlin for their friends. First, Ginny made public how she and Neville had arranged to have fun before getting officially engaged and then went to Hogsmeade with Harry the next weekend. Nothing was really happening between them, but one date seemed to be enough for the school to assume that the youngest Weasley and Snape were shagging. Ginny also got some of her Hufflepuff classmates to spread a convenient rumour. Per the latest gossip, marriages of completely unexperienced couples were usually unhappy and the partners harboured deep resentment for the rest of their lives. In the meantime, Estella worked on befriending Anna and gave Ron advice on how to cool things with her in a way that didn't lead to confrontation. She got Anna to join the YPS and explained her reasons to Hermione. "I know it sounds awful to you, but it is only cunning and clever to have someone to watch her and find out what she's thinking. And we also need as many members as we can get. I've asked around and she seems capable enough with a wand. She'll be in my branch. She's young and naïve. I'll mentor and keep an eye on her."

It turned out they were right. After a couple of weeks of Ron only granting Anna a couple of unexciting pecks on the lips and hearing of the fantastic advantages to non-committal exploring, she gave in. Still she continued to show interest in Ron and mentioned they should meet every few weeks and see where things went even if they were open to other affections. He agreed. It was a small price to pay.

I re-wrote this chapter so many times, that in Ron's words I felt totally boggled. I almost introduced an actual interaction between Anna and Hermione as well as Anna and Estella and Ginny in this chapter, but I'm delaying all that until it feels right.

Next chapter: One kiss