Hello again! ? I have been asked several times if this fic has been abandoned, and the answer is NO! I may not update as frequently as I used to, but I promise writing and finishing this is on my TD list! Anyway, it has been a long while since I wrote the original PS, and as a result, my memory has lost the majority of small, insignificant details. I have been trying to keep everything exactly the same, but I've recently decided that I'm not going to care so much about the little stuff (and by this I mean, the main storyline/words will not change, but I'm not going to stress myself out and meticulously re-read every word of every chapter to figure out what color Ron's shoes were the first time I wrote it)

That being said, I appreciate you guys and I hope this chapter was worth the wait!

oOo

Ron adjusted his fringe, sweeping it to the left as he scrutinized his reflection. Attempting to strike a seductive pose, he couldn't help but burst into laughter at the absurdity of it all. Shaking his head, his hair resettled into its usual place. After wetting his hands in the sink, he smoothed the ginger locks so there were no flyaways and stepped back several feet in the small bathroom to get a better view of his body in the mirror. A part of him regretted putting his tux on a whole thirty minutes before he was due to pick Hermione up. 'Don't come here a minute before 4:00', she'd written via the pulley that morning, apparently concerned that he would distract her while she was getting ready. He had just decided that he approved of his look when a voice called for him downstairs.

"Ron!"

After a quick squirt of cologne, Ron clicked off the bathroom light and called back, "Coming!"

As he ran down the steps, his eldest brother Bill stood at the bottom, smiling up at him. "You look like a goddamn adult, Ronnie," he commented.

"Yeah, I reckon I'm taller than even you now," he said as he made it to his brother's side.

Bill snorted. "Even so, I'll always be older."

"And you'll probably be the first to die," Ron replied casually before giving Bill a quick hug. "Thanks again for coming."

Bill's eyes narrowed as he handed Ron the keys to his BMW. "You better treat her right," he warned. "She's really special."

Ron grinned. "Are you referring to Hermione or to the car?"

His brother shook his head. "I'm referring to the car, but you better treat Hermione right as well."

"Of course I will!" he scoffed. "Don't I always? Besides, Hermione can take care of herself…she can be right scary at times."

"We Weasley men always fall for the scary ones," Bill said with a chuckle. Ron said nothing in response but he could feel his cheeks heating at the words. "Your face is all blotchy," his brother continued, obviously very amused by his reaction, "Did I say something?"

"It's not what you said," Ron lied. "It's this damn tux, it's making me sweat bullets."

Bill hummed, but Ron could tell that his brother wasn't buying his cover story. "Anyway, if you wreck my car, you'll be spending the rest of your life paying for a new one."

"Yeah, yeah. I got it," he grumbled. "Can I go now?"

Bill shrugged. "Yeah, sure. Fleur should be here any second to pick me up." He looked around the empty living area. "Is anyone else home?"

"Everyone's out." Ron said as he slipped his shoes on. They were shiny and black and he hated how they squeezed the sides of his feet. "Thanks again for letting me use the car."

"No problem," Bill said, waving a dismissive hand as he headed towards the sofa and grabbed the TV remote. "Have fun. And no shagging in my car."

Ron chuckled but didn't respond to the remark. He walked outside and was about to head next door to Hermione's when he had the brilliant idea to move Bill's car so it was parked right in front of her house. He hadn't told her he would be borrowing it from his brother tonight, and that way it would be the first thing she saw when she stepped outside.

Hermione's parents weren't home so he let himself in the front door, not even bothering to knock. As he made his way upstairs, Hermione called out to let him know she was in the bathroom. When he made it to her, he stood in the open doorway, admiring how beautiful she was. Not that she wasn't always beautiful to him, but she had twisted her hair up into a loose, delicate bun in the back of her head and was wearing light makeup that accentuated her features. The dress she'd picked out at the store was prettier than he remembered, and even sexy as hell in its own way. Some stray curls had already wormed their way out of her bun, and Ron decided he loved those rebellious strands the best. Her lips were shiny but not colored, and it took every ounce of strength he had to not pull her to him and finally taste them.

"I knew I'd made the right choice in picking you for my prom date," he said approvingly. "You clean up real nice, Hermione."

Hermione frowned at him. "You picked me as your date for my looks?"

Ron shook his head. "No. Honestly, I would gladly take you as my date even if you were wearing your rattiest clothes and your hair looked like you had just stepped out of a tornado."

"That's what I thought you said," she replied, stepping past him into the hallway. Ron took a deep inhale as she passed, smelling the intoxicating scent of her shampoo, along with something else, hairspray or perfume, perhaps. She went straight downstairs without a word and he followed, smiling to himself. When they reached the front entryway, Hermione bent down to pull on her heels, but then stood up, her expression as if she'd forgotten something. Before Ron could ask her what it was, however, she was grabbing his arm and turning him around.

"Oh! Come on, I almost forgot!" she exclaimed.

Set up right in front of the sofa, was a fancy black camera on a tripod. With Hugh Granger being a big fan of photography, Ron had seen the camera many times before. Knowing that he would have to suffer through several pictures, Ron couldn't help but make a face at Hermione as she went to turn it on.

"Do we have to?" he asked.

"Yes," she said simply, her eyes on the camera as she turned it on and messed with the timer settings. "We do."

Letting out a loud sigh of defeat, Ron resigned himself to the reality that the picture-taking session was inevitable. Secretly, he didn't mind that much; teasing Hermione was simply too enjoyable for him to resist.

"Stand right there," she ordered, pointing to a spot where he was supposed to stand. Once he was in place, she hit the shutter button and ran towards him, pulling his arm around her. "Smile," she said, a smile already on her face as she stared at the eye of the camera. Ron obeyed, but at the very last second before the flash went off, he scrunched his face up, sure the effect would be more than a little unflattering.

Knowing he would be getting an earful, he held back his grin as Hermione made her way over to the camera to look at the picture. He was right and she let out a frustrated groan. "Ron!" she reprimanded, "We are going to do this right! And until we get at least one decent picture for my parents, we are not leaving."

He laughed. "Okay, okay. But you know I couldn't resist."

They took a few more pictures until Hermione was satisfied, and by then Ron was itching to go, excited for the night ahead. Slinging Hermione's overnight bag over his shoulder, they walked outside together. To his disappointment, Hermione didn't seem to notice the car at all, her eyes instead focused on the clouds overhead. Ron jangled the keys in front of her face to get her attention before gesturing to the car.

"Ron, is that yours?" she asked, obviously confused.

"Hermione. Do you think I could afford that? Of course it isn't mine!" he laughed. "It's Bill's car. He let me borrow it for the price that I have to clean it out real good every week for three months."

"So, we're traveling fancy tonight," she said as he took her arm and led her to the passenger side. He opened the door and helped her in before walking around and getting into the driver's seat.

"Yes," he said with a wink, "Fancy as fuck."

The drive was long, but the two of them talked almost nonstop the whole way. There was a lot of laughter and the conversation never got too serious. When they arrived in the right city, Ron parked the car to look at a map, trying to figure out how to get to where they needed to be. They were headed to the motel first to drop off their bags, and also so he could talk to Charlotte's uncle to make sure that they could get their room for a discount.

After finding the correct street, Ron went into the lobby to get the key, ecstatic to find that he only had to pay twenty dollars for the room. He drove around to the back of the building where their room was and grabbed both of their bags before they made their way inside to check it out.

The room was small and only contained one bed and a desk. Ron set the bags down on the desk and went to use the bathroom, leaving Hermione temporarily alone. When he exited, he was amused to find her bent down at the waist, her nose on the bed. When she noticed him, her body snapped up, her cheeks pink.

"Were you... smelling the bed?" he asked, holding back a laugh. Though he found it funny, the fact that he would be sharing that very bed with her that night made his heart pound and his palms sweat. Not that he expected anything sexual to happen between them, of course, but the thought still affected him just the same.

"I had to make sure that I wasn't going to be sleeping on dirty sheets!" she retorted, crossing her arms defensively over her chest.

He shook his head and chuckled before walking over and taking her hand. "Come on," he said, "let's go to this bloody thing."

Luckily, the venue was only about a four-minute drive from the motel and soon they were there. Ron couldn't help but grumble about having to dish out ten dollars for parking, but when Hermione offered to pay for it, he, of course, refused.

After helping her out of the car, they strolled arm and arm to the front of the building. Inside was large and gorgeous and Ron could feel the excitement radiating off of Hermione as she oohed and ahhed over all the fancy decorum. When he spotted Charlotte nearby, he pulled Hermione in the other girl's direction, eager to introduce the two.

"Hermione," Ron said, "This is Charlotte. Charlotte, Hermione."

Charlotte's eyes widened. "Oh, hi, Hermione! You're actually here! Ron's talked about his secret BFF for years, but I was starting to think that you weren't even real."

Ron stuck out his tongue as Hermione gave an uncomfortable laugh. "Told you!" he said. The smile on his face disappeared, however, when he spotted Lavender heading their way. "Bloody hell," he muttered. "I didn't know Lavender was going to be here." Ron was filled with mortification at the mere thought of Hermione and Lavender being in close proximity to each other. The last thing he wanted was for Lavender to have any opportunity to tell Hermione, in excruciating detail, about their one incredibly awkward (at least for him) encounter together.

Charlotte laughed. "Of course she'd be here, Ron, you know how close she and Parvati are!" Seeing the confused look on Hermione's face, Charlotte leaned in closer. "Lav is Ron's one-night stand that went wrong. Now she wants more of him… if you know what I mean." She giggled.

"Char," Ron said sternly, but before he could say anything else in response, Lavender appeared at his side, her face lighting up. After a moment, the blonde's eyes went to Hermione, and she gave her a calculating look that Ron didn't like.

"Hi you guys!" Lavender finally said, looking back and forth between him and Charlotte. "You both look great!" Then, before Ron knew what was happening, the blonde threw herself into his arms, hugging him tight. Stumbling back, Ron gave her a quick hug and a muttered hello, hoping this would persuade her to leave him alone. Hermione looked uncomfortable and Ron was about to apologize to her when a new voice called their names.

"Ron! Hermione!" Harry was walking hurriedly towards them, a big smile on his face.

To Ron's surprise, Hermione immediately started running, and he watched as she and Harry met in the middle. As they embraced tightly, he couldn't help but feel a sharp pang of jealousy at how happy Hermione seemed to be in Harry's arms. Pushing the negative feeling down, Ron walked over and hugged Harry as well, clapping his hand on the shorter boy's back. "So good to see you, mate!"

Breaking from the brief hug, Harry led them over to Dean and Seamus who also seemed happy to see the two of them. After a quick greeting, Ron swept Hermione away to introduce her to more of his friends that had just shown up. There was Dave, along with the twins Parvati and Padma, and Susan and Hannah. Even though he had a bit of history with Padma and Hannah, he didn't think they would say as much to Hermione. He hoped his faith in them was well-placed and that they would honor his desire for discretion.

The girls had snuck flasks of alcohol into their purses and were spiking their punch glasses with it. Charlotte handed him and Hermione a spiked drink, and to his surprise, Hermione immediately took a long sip. "You don't have to drink if you don't want to," he whispered in her ear so nobody else would be able to overhear, "You can say no."

"What are you, a walking ad against teenage drinking?" Hermione teased. Her behavior was so unusual that Ron couldn't help but worry. But then she gave him a small reassuring smile. "I won't go overboard, I promise." She leaned into him and he held her close, choosing not to argue with her about it.

When they were both about two glasses in, Ron led her to the dance floor. Neither of them were very good at dancing, but that didn't matter because they were having so much fun swinging each other around in a rhythm that didn't match the music. As they danced, Ron's smile didn't leave his face, Hermione's laugh infectious.

When a slow song came on, Ron pulled her to him and she laid her head on his chest. Even though he was having the time of his life, he could feel Lavender eyeing them angrily from the other side of the room. She had been doing so all night and he hoped Hermione hadn't noticed. Instead of addressing the issue, Ron made sure to keep his date's back towards the blonde girl as much as possible.

As they swayed together, Ron again remembered Hermione running to Harry. He figured Harry was a pretty handsome bloke, even if a bit small. Harry was also an unquestionably great guy, and although Ron didn't think Harry fancied Hermione, what if Hermione fancied Harry? The thought wasn't at all a pleasant one, and even though he knew it was ridiculous, Ron couldn't help but start silently stressing over the possibility.

"Hey, I have a question," he said to Hermione, immediately regretting his decision to do so.

"What's your question?" she responded, lifting her head.

Her expression was open as she stared up at him, and it took him a minute to formulate words. "You seemed really happy to see Harry."

"I was," Hermione said in a slow voice, obviously waiting for him to go on.

"I was just wondering if you, y'know, fancied him?" Ron asked, his gaze somewhere over her shoulder as he could no longer look her in the eyes.

"Why would you think that I fancied Harry?" she asked, confused.

Ron shrugged. "You hugged him really tight when you saw him, so it just made me wonder."

Hermione smiled. "No, I don't fancy Harry." She paused. "However, I do fancy Dean. Unfortunately though, he's taken."

Feeling relieved, Ron chuckled. "Sorry to break it to you, Hermione, but you don't exactly have the right equipment to get Dean's attention."

"Shame," she replied.

After a few more songs, they were both too tired to continue. Hermione's feet were hurting, so Ron urged her to sit with the other girls at a table in the corner while he went to catch up with Harry, Seamus, and Dean. As they talked sports, he glanced over at Hermione every few seconds to make sure she was alright, only to find her already smiling back at him.

Unfortunately, Lavender used his and Hermione's separation to her advantage, and wormed her way over to his side. Ron was talking game scores with Harry, and didn't even look in Lavender's direction, hoping she would finally get the hint and leave him alone. He glanced over at Hermione to see her now talking animatedly with the girls. Though she was facing away from him and he couldn't see her expression, he was glad that they all seemed to be getting along. As Harry launched into a tale about their school's most recent game, Ron became completely engrossed, hanging onto every word. Lost in the conversation, he was taken aback when he eventually glanced up to find Hermione missing, her absence registering only at that moment.

Politely dismissing himself from the conversation with Harry, Ron made his way over to the table. "Hey, where'd Hermione go?" he asked, all the girls turning their heads towards him when he did so.

"The bathroom, I think?" Charlotte offered. She smiled at him, her eyes a little glassy. "She's really sweet, Ron. I'm glad I finally got to meet her."

Ron smiled and nodded his thanks before turning around. Moving towards the bathrooms, he stopped in his tracks when he spotted Hermione mere feet from him, only she wasn't alone. A boy he didn't recognize was holding onto her upper arm, and even as she tried to back away, the boy's grip remained firm and he didn't let go of her.

"You better get your fucking hands off of her. Now," he snarled, ready to tear the fucker apart limb by limb if he had to.

When the boy looked up and saw Ron standing there, he let go of Hermione and stepped back. "Fine," he said in a dismissive tone, "I bet she's a slut, anyway."

The words acted as a spark igniting the fire within him, and Ron's reaction was immediate. Without a second thought, he propelled himself forward, throwing his entire body weight towards the prick in a desperate attempt to cause him pain. Distantly, he heard Hermione scream as he and the boy crashed into an empty table, causing it to collapse because of their combined weight. Ron then moved so he was straddling his opponent, his fists punching at whatever he could reach, which wasn't much as the coward had both of his arms covering most of his face and neck.

"Don't-you-dare-call-her-that," he said furiously in between punches, willing the boy to move his arms and fight back.

"Ron!" Hermione shrieked, and for the first time since the fight had started, Ron looked up. There were two hotel employees hurrying towards them, their faces angry as they talked into walkie talkies asking for backup. Jumping up, he grabbed Hermione's hand and pulled her with him as he started to run. The gathered crowd parted for them as they barreled their way out of the large double doors and down a hallway. The employees were now running as well, their angry shouts calling out and demanding that they stop running or they would call the cops.

Still dragging Hermione, Ron took an immediate left and opened the door to a small family bathroom, tugging her inside with him. Once in, he quickly locked the door and pressed his ear to the wood, listening to find out if he'd thrown them off or not. Hermione stood behind him, looking terrified. Ron, however, found the whole thing to be a blast and couldn't help but grin.

They stood in the bathroom for about five more minutes, Hermione calming down a bit as time went on. They didn't talk, Ron's ear still on the door, but he ran his thumb over Hermione's knuckles as they waited, hoping to reassure her. When he still heard nothing, he turned towards her.

"Are you ready to run?"

Her eyes went wide, but after a second, she nodded. Placing a finger over his lips in a gesture to remain silent, Ron opened the door a crack, peeking out to see nobody around. Hermione's hand still in his, they ran, Ron breaking out into a laugh as they did so.

They were almost to the large glass front doors when they passed by the front desk. The woman sitting behind the desk yelled at them, demanding they stop. Apparently she had been warned to watch out for them, but Ron kept moving, paying her no mind. Together, he and Hermione ran outside into pouring rain, Hermione yelling out a hasty apology to the angry woman right before the doors shut behind her.