Chapter 2: Love, the most fickle emotion.

Hermione's P.O.V.

As Ginny and I walked down to breakfast the next morning, the after battle shock was subsiding, we were finally feeling the pain of loosing so many. "I'll have to go get my parents back from Australia, soon." I said, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. "Yeah, Ickle Ronnikin won't like that, but he'll have to deal with it." Said Ginny, waving goodbye to the fat lady. "Ginny," I chided. "we're not even together yet, it's actually kind of awkward." I finished, rubbing the back of my sore neck.

"Oh, come on Hermione! As soon as Ron plucks up enough of his courage you're going to be!" she said, placing her hands on her hips. "I don't know if he's ever going to! Ugh, that would be awkward to go on like that forever." I said, rubbing my temples in frustration. "Who go on like what forever?" asked Ron, stepping out of the Gryffindoor common room. I let out a yelp in surprise, and blushed bright red. "I-I d-don't know what you're talking about." I said, quickly turning my head in embarrassment. As I started walking, I noticed Harry following Ron out of the portrait. "Come on Hermione, what were you talking about?" Ron said, catching up with Ginny and me, Harry not far behind him.

"I'm not telling you, Ron, and that's that." I said, in a tone that urged him not to breach the subject again. "Awww, come on Hermione!" Ron said, completely ignoring my tone. I shook my head and kept walking. "You really are thick, aren't you?" said Ginny, shaking her head in exasperation. "I bet Harry knows, and he wasn't even here when we were saying it." Harry nodded slightly, and smiled/grimaced at Ron. "Why am I considered thick because I can't figure out what you guys were talking about?" asked Ron, rather loudly, causing a people in front of them to jump.

"Figure it out for yourself Ron, I thought I made it quite clear." I said, shaking my head in exasperation. "I still don't know what you're talking about." Mumbled Ron, more to his shoes than anyone else. When they rejoined the rest of the Weasley clan, McGonagal had ascended the podium where Dumbledore had made his beginning of the year speeches.

"I would like to thank all of you for the great effort, and sacrifice in the war against Voldemort. I would also like to have a moment of silence in remembrance to those who died in this ordeal, for without them, we would not have made it through." McGonagal said, then paused for a few minutes. "I know that most of you are eager to go rebuild your homes, and start again, but I would like to ask you to please stay and help us rebuild our home." She then went into a detailed report of what needed to be done, and passed out sheets of paper to groups who wanted to help. Mrs. Weasley volunteered herself, Fleur, Ginny and I for a group, and Luna joined us. We were needed to help clean and rebuild the second floor girl's bathroom, which had been almost completely destroyed during a particularly nasty fight between Neville and a death eater.

When we reached the restroom, we saw how bad the damage really was. "Bollox! Neville really know how to trash a restroom!" said Ginny, surveying the damage. It was horrendous, all the stalls were broken, and porcelain was strewn everywhere. I started to repair the stalls first, because I didn't want anyone to be skewered by wood, than moved on to the toilets, because nobody wanted to be stepping on porcelain either. Meanwhile, everyone else was working diligently, Ginny was fixing mirrors, while Mrs. Weasley and Fleur were fixing the sinks. Luna, however, was fixing a spot in the wall that had been blasted severely, and turning it bright, sunny yellow.

"Umm, Luna?" I asked, pausing my repair of the stalls to inquire. "Why are you turning the walls yellow? That might not be the best color for a bathroom." I said, tilting my head to the side. "Oh, I suppose you're right. I'll try green, then." She said airily, then changing the walls to puke green. I grimaced, but went back to work. After a few more minutes, Ginny tried to strike up a conversation with me, just to get rid of the silence. "So, Hermione. Why didn't you just tell Ron what you meant when we were walking to the great hall, and have done with it?" she asked, looking back at me curiously.

I blushed furiously, and decided to dodge the subject while Mrs. Weasley was there. "Oh, he really should have remembered, so I didn't see any reason why I had to explain the whole concept of transfigurational law to him again, besides, he would have forgotten it straight away when he saw food." I said, giving Ginny a meaningful look. She rolled her eyes, but decided not to push it. Mrs. Weasley laughed. "Yes, Ronald does like food more than books. I always did have that problem with Charlie, George and Fred too." She suddenly realized what she had just said, and then looked down at her feet, and said, "I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me."

A tear then made its way down her cheek, and soon turned into sobs. "Don't worry Mrs. Weasley, it will be all right." I said, patting her shoulder. Ginny put an arm around her mother's shoulders and gave her a handkerchief. "Fred, why did he have to go? I loved him so much." She cried into Ginny's handkerchief. By that time, I had finished, and Fleur and Luna had too, so we all started comforting her. "Don't worry, at least he won't have trouble with wrackspurts anymore, he said they plagued him regularly." Said Luna, patting Mrs. Weasley's arm distractedly. At first, Mrs. Weasley looked alarmed at this comment, but then nodded her head, albeit nervously, and said, "Thank you Luna, thank you all, time will heal, though."

By that time, it was lunch, so we all made our way to the great hall to eat. We were soon joined by Mr. Weasley, Bill, Charlie, Percy and George, and then by Ron, Harry, Neville, Dean and Seamus, although Dean and Seamus quickly went off to find their families. Ron and Harry took a seat on either side of me, and started filling us in on their project. "We got the Transfiguration classroom, and it was really messed up!" Ron said, waving a sandwich around before taking a big bite out of it. "Yeah, there was a hole blown completely through the wall!" Harry said, shaking his head in awe.

Harry just happened to take the seat tight next to Ginny, so when he reached for the roast beef at the same time as Ginny, their hands touched. He didn't flinch away, either; he just kept on going for the roast beef. I put my hand in front of my mouth and stifled a laugh when he grinned at Ginny, and she looked stunned. I couldn't hold it anymore, so I laughed. Ron gave me a weird look, and I just said, "So funny, Ginny's face!" then continued laughing. Ginny blushed, and said, "Bugger off, Hermione." However, that had the opposite of the desired affect, I was now in a laughing fit. When I finally finished, I sighed. "It's nice to laugh again." I said, wistfully.

Ron nodded, and kept shoving his face. "Um, Ron, you might want to chew." I said, grimacing as two more sandwiches went into his mouth before he had completely swallowed the other. "Why?" he said, through a mouthful of sandwich. George grinned for the first time in a while, and said, "Because if you choke, the hospital wing's already full, and even though Hermione knows a more spells than Merlin himself, I don't think there's one for saving overeager gits who can't slow down enough to chew!" Everyone roared with laughter at the first joke George had made since…well, Fred…left.

Hagrid then burst into the great hall, and stopped to ask us a question. "Could four o' ya come help me find Buck…I mean, Whitherwings?" he asked, correcting himself from using Buckbeak's real name. "We'll come Hagrid." I said, gesturing to Harry, Ginny, Ron and myself. "Brilliant! Meet me at me hut aft'r lunch, then." He said, waving goodbye.

After lunch, Hagrid sent us into the forbidden forest with a whole bucket full of ferrets for Buckbeak. "Merlin, this is going to be one fat hippogriff!" Ron said, heaving the large bucket in the air. "Here, this will be easier." I said, lifting it with magic. Ron blushed, and said, "Yeah, just testing how heavy it was." Ginny snorted. I smiled, but didn't make a disparaging comment. "How about we split up? Hermione and Ron go that way, while Ginny and I go this way." Asked Harry, pointing in opposite directions. "Of course, here." I said, giving Ginny and Harry a few of the ferrets. "Bye!"

As they left, I turned to Ron, and said, "Come on then! We need to find Buckbeak before they do!" I then took his arm and pulled him along. I suddenly realized that this was the first time that we had been alone since we had snogged; Ron seemed to be realizing this too. "So, Hermione, what were you saying to Ginny when Harry and I interrupted you?" he asked, putting his hands in his pockets and trying to look casual, although I knew from his tense neck muscles that he was anything but. I decided to tell him the truth, since we might not get as good of a chance to confess our feelings as now. "I was just commenting on how awkward it would be if we never resolved what happened between us in front of the room of requirement." I said, blushing furiously.

"Right, about that," he started, but I interrupted him. "Which I will now resolve. Ron, I have loved you since third year, and that is why I kissed you. It tore me apart to see you leave, and I never want to see you do it again. If you don't like me the way I like you, then it's fine…I guess. No, it's not fine, because I love you, and if I don't get to have you, then I don't want anyone else, ever." I said, gaining confidence as I went on, until I really deserved the title of Gryffindoor. Ron grinned, and said, "I've loved you since fourth year, and probably earlier, though I didn't notice it. I'm sorry I left, and I'm sorry I ever set eyes on Lavender Brown." By then I was grinning like Fred and George about to see the result of a new product, and stepped forwards to close the distance between us.

Ron's P.O.V.

I couldn't believe it, this beautiful, talented, kind woman in front of me, loved me just like I loved her, even though I was a git. I gathered her up into my arms and snogged her. It was heaven, and I never wanted to leave. We must have been like that for a while, because Harry and Ginny interrupted us. "OI! Show a little reservation! It's like you're snogging my sister right in front of me. Come to think of it, if you two keep on like this, she'll be my sister officially in a very short amount of time." Said Ginny, grinning. Her hair was a little mussed up, and Harry's glasses were askew.

"Sod off, couldn't find a worse time to interrupt, could you?" I asked, very peeved. "Just think of it as revenge." Ginny said, her happy grin turning slightly evil. "We're supposed to be looking for BUCKBEAK, not snogging." Said Harry, crossing his arms and shaking his head in mock exasperation. "You're one to talk, from the looks of it, you two were doing the very same thing not too long ago." I said, nodding my head in the directing of their entwined hands. "True." Said Harry, blushing a little and glancing at Ginny, who was still smiling.

After setting off together again, and walking about for about an hour, we finally found Buckbeak. "There you are, you great brute! Come here, follow the tub of ferrets." I said, pointing at the bucket that Hermione was levitating. When we finally arrived back at Hagrid's, it was nearly dark outside, so we hurried towards the castle.

Hermione's P.O.V.

The next few days passed in a happy blur, and when it was finally time to go, everyone was a little sad. The next months would be hard, but I would have Ron, so I would be alright. "Hermione, you're next." Said Mrs. Weasley, motioning for me to take a pinch of floo powder. I threw the pinch of powder into McGonagal's fireplace, and stepped in to the fire. "The Burrow." I said, and was whisked back to the place that was my unofficial home.