Part II - August 1, 1995

Ron was practically bouncing on the balls of his feet in anticipation as he waited anxiously for Hermione to make her arrival. He felt like it had been ages since he had seen her, but it had only been a few weeks.

He was anxious to see her, to make sure she was okay and that nothing had happened to her. If something, or someone, had hurt her. . .No. It couldn't be starting so soon. After all, Harry had only just told them that You-Know-Who was back a few weeks ago. He couldn't be that powerful, or have that many supporters.

Not after what had happened after the First War.

Still, Ron felt a huge weight lifted off of his shoulders when he heard his mum call up from the first floor. "Ron! Hermione's here, come say hello!" He flew down the stairs and a huge smile graced his lips when he saw Hermione standing there with her trunk and wearing an identical grin on her face.

"Hermione," he said, unable to keep the smile from growing wider. He walked over to her and hugged her hesitantly, and when he felt Hermione wrap her arms around his waist in return, he felt another wave of relief that she hadn't just stood there. After all, they didn't normally hug—they were more often arguing—but it seemed like that was a new development in their friendship.

"Hi," she said when he let her go and leaned against the door casually. Hermione looked him up and down, and he seemed to have grown taller since she had last seen him, while she stayed her own small height. It was even harder to talk to him normally when she had to crane her neck to look at him. "How's your summer been so far here?"

Ron shrugged, but she could see the dejected look in his eyes and could see that his summer so far hadn't been very fun.

Neither had hers, and she was looking forward to catching up with her friend.

After a moment of slightly awkward silence, Ron took her trunk in his hand. "Come on, I'll show you where you'll be staying with Ginny."

Hermione followed Ron up the stairs to the second floor and to a door at the end of the hall. "My room's right down there," he said, pointing at a door a few doors before. "In case you're looking for me." He blushed a little after the words came out, and Hermione hid her smile behind biting her lip.

Before they could even reach for the door handle, Ginny had flung the door open and threw her arms around Hermione. Hermione, who had always gotten along with Ginny just fine, was nevertheless a little surprised by her sudden attack.

"Finally! You're here! I've been waiting for you to come so I have someone to talk to." Ginny cast a sour look at Ron. "And so this one will shut up about when you're getting here."

Ron immediately blushed even redder and swore at Ginny under his breath. Hermione didn't even reprimand for cursing, she just smiled softly at him and decided to take pity on him. "Well, that's good, because I've been counting down the days until I could get here, too. I've been bored at home all summer, it's a relief to be around people I can talk to normally."

Ron smiled brightly at Hermione, and she returned it just as enthusiastically.

Ginny looked between the two of them and scoffed a little too obnoxiously. "Oh, just shut up and snog already," she said before taking Hermione's wrist in her hand and pulling her into the room and shutting it in Ron's face.

"Oi!" Ron called out, surprised, but Ginny ignored it.

Hermione fell onto her bed and rolled onto her stomach, bending her knees up. She looked up to catch Ginny watching her suspiciously, and immediately felt self-conscious under her careful inspection. "Is there something on my face?" she asked a little sarcastically. She hoped Ginny wasn't going to ask anything about Ron, especially after her statement right before she had dragged her in the room.

"How's your summer been?" Ginny asked, ignoring Hermione's question.

Hermione sighed and shrugged, rolling onto her back. "Boring. I really was waiting to get here, despite the circumstances."

Ginny grinned at her and joined her on the bed, laying down next to her. "So you didn't say that just for Ron's benefit?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Shut up, Ginny," she muttered quietly, refusing to look her friend in the eye.

Ginny laughed and sat up on the bed. "Everyone sees you fancy him, you know," she said, hoping to get a reaction out of her. All Hermione did was stare at the ceiling. Knowing her, she was probably trying to keep herself from bursting out into a speech about how she didn't fancy Ron complete with examples and factual evidence.

"I don't fancy him," said Hermione expressionlessly, still not meeting Ginny's eye.

"You know you can tell me if you do," Ginny said, much quieter now, her tone very serious. Hermione did look up now and saw Ginny perched on the edge of the bed looking at Hermione with caring eyes. "I mean, we all consider you part of the family by now, anyway, so it wouldn't really make much of a difference."

Hermione kept quiet for a moment and for a few brief seconds, she considered telling Ginny. Telling her about how when she saw Ron now, ever since the Yule Ball, her stomach began to tighten in the most uncomfortable of ways but still she managed to find a pleasure in it. How she looked for little things to argue with him about so she would be distracted from the things she found most endearing about him. And, considering how much time she had been spending just looking at him, she had begun to notice a whole bunch of things. She wondered if he was noticing things about her, too.

But Hermione just kept her mouth shut and instead scoffed at Ginny. "Please, don't be ridiculous. Me and Ron? That's just. . .we hardly even get along as friends. Even if I did fancy him, it would just be five times worse."

Ginny bit her lip and went to her own bed. "Well, alright then. If you say so." For a moment, Hermione wondered if she had hurt Ginny's feelings by so blatantly refusing to talk to her about boy troubles, but she could see there was a small smirk playing on the edges of her lips.

Before she could ponder what it meant, there was a knock on their door, and when Ginny said it was okay to come in, Ron stepped inside almost shyly. He was probably still embarrassed from what Ginny had said before. "Mum wants you both downstairs in the kitchen." He turned to speak to Hermione. "She swears you look fifteen pounds thinner from the last time she saw you, even though she barely got a good look at you when you walked through the door."

Hermione laughed and followed Ron down to the kitchen with Ginny trailing behind her. Mrs. Weasley was in the kitchen as usual, cooking something that smelled delicious and cutting up slices of bread.

"Hermione, dear!" Mrs. Weasley enveloped Hermione in a hug and she felt warmer, suddenly. Being with the Weasleys just felt so natural by now. She thought of it as her second family now. "So good to see you. But you look practically starved! Come sit and eat now."

Ron sent her a knowing look that seemed to say "I told you so," and sat down next to her, though he didn't reach for a plate.

"You're not eating?" Hermione asked as she bit into a piece of warm bread.

Ron shook his head. "Ate already."

Hermione smiled to herself, liking the idea that Ron was sitting here with her even though he wasn't eating. He just wanted to sit next to her. She knew the feeling. She missed him a lot.

"So, Hermione," Mrs. Weasley said from the stove before Hermione got the opportunity to start a conversation with Ron. "OWLs are coming up this year. I expect you'll be working hard, and encouraging Ron and Harry to do the same?" She sent Ron a look that had him looking at the table to avoid it.

"Of course. I'm nervous, obviously, but I hope that I manage to do well. Or at least I hope I don't have a panic attack before the exams start."

Ron snorted. "Please. You, freak out over an exam? Hermione, you're the brightest student in our year, maybe in all of Hogwarts. Everyone will be surprised if you don't end up with perfect marks for everything."

Blushing slightly, Hermione distracted herself by tearing another chunk of bread off and eating it so she wouldn't have to speak. She was scared her words would stumble over each other if she attempted it.

. . .

Ron walked down to the kitchen of Grimmauld Place that night, exhausted but unable to sleep. He passed through the drawing room and found a small figure curled up on the dusty couch. Looking closer, he recognized Hermione's untidy brown hair. She had a book in her hand, but her arm had fallen off the couch in her sleep and was now curved towards the floor, her finger still marking her page.

Figuring she should at least have something to cover herself with, since she didn't have a blanket, he looked for one in the room. Unable to see properly through the dark, he accidentally hit his foot on the corner of the low table and swore loudly. Too loudly, apparently.

Hermione shot up immediately, dropping her book to the floor, but she didn't pay any attention to it. "What's happened?" she asked to no one in particular.

"Just me," Ron hissed, his foot throbbing in pain. He waited for it to fade away before he collapsed on the couch beside Hermione.

"What are you doing down here so late?"

"Well, I could ask you the same. But," he gestured to the book that had fallen, "it was obvious. I couldn't sleep, so I came to get something to eat. I saw you and. . .well, I tried to get you a blanket but I hit my foot. And woke you up. Sorry."

Even in the dark, Hermione could see Ron was red in the face and laughed a little. "That's sweet of you. Thanks," she said. "I couldn't sleep either, so I came down to read one of the more boring books I haven't been able to finish. I guess it worked out pretty well for a little."

"Sorry," he said automatically.

"You already said sorry," said Hermione.

They fell silent for a few moments before Ron spoke again. "What do you think Harry's up to?" he asked her.

For the first time in Hermione's life since she had known Harry Potter, she didn't want to worry about him even though she knew this would be the time he needed them most. For now, Hermione wanted to sit with Ron and just talk like they used to before this whole Voldemort situation had arisen once again. But the moment he said Harry's name, she came crashing down and realized she would have to speak about it soon enough anyway.

"I don't know. He's probably miserable," she said dejectedly. "Alone with those Muggles, worrying about Voldemort—sorry, You-Know-Who."

"I hope the Order lets him come here soon. He can't be doing very well on his own. And he needs support right now, from people who know what's going on. Not from those Muggles, as if they'd even want to help him if they knew what was going on."

Feeling a little overwhelmed by the sudden dreary turn the conversation had taken, Hermione stood up hastily and gathered her book in her arms. "I think I should get to bed. Your mother would have a heart attack if she found out I didn't sleep in my bed."

Ron stood as well, and Hermione had a sudden flashback of last year, after the Yule Ball, when she and Ron had stayed up late and resolved their fight about Victor Krum. Brushing the thought of Victor away, even though she had a letter to respond to from him, she made her way to the staircase and made to walk up when she saw Ron following her.

"Weren't you just about to take something to eat?" she asked.

Ron paused, one foot on the step. "Right. . . ." he said distractedly. He turned to face the direction of the kitchen. "I'll see you tomorrow, Hermione."

Hermione made it about five steps before she ran back down the stairs to catch Ron's sleeve when he was almost to the kitchen. When he turned around, she threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly around his middle, as she was too short to reach his neck properly. Ron, though shocked, immediately hugged her back. She felt tears welling up in her eyes as she remembered how worried she had been for both Ron and Harry while she had been away, but was determined not to cry.

Leaning back, Hermione tipped her head up to look at Ron. She had a feeling the bewildered expression on his face mirrored her own. And before she could stop herself or think it was a huge mistake to do, Hermione stretched up on her toes and kissed his cheek swiftly. She had only done it once before, right at the end of fourth year after she'd said goodbye to Harry, but this wasn't a goodbye from friends.

"Goodnight, Ron," she whispered and disappeared up the stairs before Ron could say anything to her.