46A/N: OK, I know it's been a long time! I am very sorry for the wait! I just haven't had any time to write it! I originally had it all finished before I even posted the first chapter, but I really didn't like what I wrote for this chapter! It was WAAAAAAAY to sappy to handle! (Well, for me at least! I am more of a comical person . . . ) Well, here ya go . . . the last chapter . . .
Ron walked as far away from Harry as he possibly could without being noticed. Hermione kept sneaking glances toward him that she must have though he did not notice. The only reason he did was because he was doing the same. Harry stood uncomfortably between them as they ambled down the dimming streets of Diagon Alley.
They had already bought their school supplies and gone to all of their favorite shops – Quality Quidditch Supplies mostly since there was an overruling of boys. They also went to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor and even his brothers' store Weasley Wizard Wheezes. The whole time Ron never said a word to Hermione; likewise for her. It was actually rather awkward.
"I guess we better be heading back to the Leaky Caldron to meet your mum," Harry said in a desperate need of breaking the silence. Ron just grunted a yes and they headed on. It was getting late . . .
At the house, they all settle in – with the addition of one more. His mum immediately went to the kitchen to make supper and his dad to the sofa with his Daily Prophet. Ron went straight to his room, threw himself down on his bed and thought. He tried to make his thought on nothing in particular, but they kept straying towards a certain brown haired girl who was just in the other room.
When his mother called them all down for supper, Ron sat in his normal chair between Harry and Charlie (who for some reason stayed with them the whole summer). As the boys all came and sat down, his mum all spooned some globby stuff on their plates. She then sat down and began eating.
"So how was Diagon Alley today?" Charlie asked, trying to make it seem like such an innocent question. Thank goodness Fred and George were not there to make it worse. Ron answered with a small "fine" and turned to talk to Harry.
When Ginny came down, she placed herself in her usual spot leaving only one more. A spot that was, incidentally enough, right across from his. A spot that would soon be the chair of a brown haired girl with brilliant eyes, a radiant smile, a glowing expression . . . he mentally hit himself over the head. He could not do this. He would not. Yeah . . . fat chance . . .
Then she came.
She hesitated before sitting down, looking from the grinning Bill to the Charlie trying with all his might not to burst out laughing. Ron just looked at the plate in front of him. Harry started to snicker; Bill as well. Soon even Charlie, after nearly giving himself a hernia from trying so hard not to, burst out laughing. Before Ron even knew it he started chuckling. Ginny joined in the merrymaking, and Hermione smiled, yet she seemed rather perplexed at the whole situation.
"What's so funny?" she said, gracefully taking her seat and placing the folded napkin that his mum had put next to everyone's plate in her lap. Ron tried to stop himself from laughing harder, but it only led to a snort; this of course made him even laugh harder.
"Nothin'," Harry said smiling. He seemed somewhat relieved. Probably because Ron was loosening up.
"Now don't go spitting all over the food!' Ron's mum said somewhat sternly. "Eat and go up to bed. You four," she added looking at Ron, Harry, Hermione, and Ginny, "have to wake early." Ron's smile broadened. Hogwarts tomorrow!
When they had finished their dinner, Harry and Ron started to his room. On the steps, Charlie caught up to them. He pulled Ron aside. "Are you just going to ignore her all year, or are you going to go talk to her already?!" He never let Ron answer though; he pushed himself past and headed to his own room. Ron was not exactly sure if he would have had an answer anyway. He stood there a moment thinking, but when he heard footsteps coming from the kitchen, he quickly shuffled into his room without looking back. He threw himself onto his bed and put his pillow over his head. He did not want to think. He would just think tomorrow.
Bah! So much for thinking tomorrow. Ron had not slept a wink since Harry had turned the light off. He had just layed there, staring up at the ceiling. He had plotted out in his mind how he would avoid Hermi . . . her all year. It consisted of skipping meal time and just sneaking to the kitchen to eat, heading straight to his bed at night, staying in the locker-room thirty minutes after the Quidditch game actually ended, sneaking around the corridors or borrowing the Marauder's Map from Harry (which Ron highly doubted would happen), and never leaving his room except for classes where (dare he even THINK it) he would sit in the very front.
Every time he would picture himself hiding behind a statue as . . . she . . . walked by, he always felt like jumping out in front of her, taking her hand, and kissing her. He had to just stop thinking was all! It couldn't be very hard . . . except every time he would try to clear his mind, he could only think of her. He sighed. His mouth was becoming dry every time too. He just needed some water.
Getting out of his bed, he slipped on his robe and made his way out of the room. The hallway was dark, and he could barely see the steps. He carefully walked down them, one foot at a time as to not wake anyone. The steps creaked under his not-so-careful-even-though-they-tried-to-be feet, and he flinched and paused at every one.
As he approached the bottom, his eyes had somewhat adjusted to the darkness and he saw someone sitting at the bottom of the steps. His stomach sank and his heart leapt. That someone, who was sitting so gently and calmly, happened to have curly, light amber-brown hair that fell to the middle of her back. She looked over her shoulder at him, her big brown eyes locking with his for an instant that made his stomach flip. Her eyes opened wide, her cheeks flushed and she swung her head back around, her soft curls bouncing as she did so. She seemed embarrassed.
Ron nearly choked, and it reminded him why he had come downstairs to begin with. He just stood there a moment, contemplating. This was the perfect time to talk to her. He tried to move his legs, but they would not budge. Mustering up his courage, he softly stepped down (thought it took a great deal of effort to do.) He took another step. Just a few more separated him from . . . her. He took them, but couldn't make himself stop next to her. Instead he decided to go to the kitchen and fix two glasses of water.
Taking a deep breath, he walked back to the stairs and passed one of the glasses to her. She looked up at him and smiled in thanks. He nearly tripped, but he covered it up by sitting next to her. It was a moment before he found the right thing to say.
"Couldn't sleep?" he said, looking at her. It just made his stomach leap so he just looked at the ground instead.
"Yeah," she replied, seeming to do exactly the same as him. He looked up at her again and could not help smiling.
"Me too," he said. He racked his brain for something else to say. "I keep thinking about Hogwarts." Well, it was true! He had just left some parts out . . . MANY parts.
Hermione's stare was fixed on a small whole in the wood floor. "I keep thinking about you," she said almost determinedly. Ron choked on the sip of water he had just taken. He really needed to stop doing that. After a short fit of coughing he cleared his throat and looked at her. She had just gone and said it! She looked up at him levelly. Ron grinned.
"Me too," he admitted. "Well, I wasn't thinking about myself of course. Me too as in I was thinking about you, too. Wait! Not to say that you were thinking about yourself but . . ." he trailed when he realized what he was doing . . . and saying! He desperately hoped his ears were not turning red.
Hermione started laughing. It was a soft laugh, and Ron had a difficult time trying to think about it being something other than angelic.
"That's good to know," she said ruffling up his hair and grinning. Ron did not bother to flatten it back. He was too busy looking at her. He laughed also, yet his was no match for hers.
For three hours the two of them sat there talking and laughing. They mostly spoke of the previous years at Hogwarts and how they would never be the same without it, this being their last year. Hermione even teared up when they spoke of those who had died to save them. Ron put his arm around her, somewhat awkwardly, as she whipped them away. She smiled and sniffled.
"Perhaps it's time we go to bed," Hermione said as she gazed out the window. The sun was rising, and they did have a long day ahead of them. Ron nodded in acquiescence, and held out his hand to help her up. She took it and smiled. Ron grinned also, probably for the 5,000 time that night. They slowly ambled up the stairs.
Ron walked Hermione to Ginny's room (even thought it was just across from his). She began to push open the door, but then hesitated, biting her bottom lip thoughtfully. She turned towards him, reached up on her tiptoes, and softly kissed his cheek. Ron felt his whole body floating up to the ceiling as his lips curled into a smile.
This whole scenario seems familiar, Ron thought as he watched Hermione turn. A feeling boiled inside of him; the same feeling he had had on the train. He considered for an instant, and an instant was all it took for him to make up his mind. He grabbed Hermione's hand, pulled her back and met her lips with a passionate kiss. Ron slipped his arms around her thin waist and shortly after, she had her arms wrapped around his neck.
Ron sleepily gazed out the window at the countryside rolling passed as the Hogwarts Express took them closer and closer to their final year. Hermione had her head on his shoulder and had been sleeping since the train had started. They had not gotten much sleep last night.
Ron grinned as he thought about it. He had not gotten any sleep at all if only about fifteen minutes after breakfast. He supposed he did not have to put his hiding plans into action. That thought made him chuckle.
"What?" Harry said, eyeing him strangely from the seat across from him. He had also been staring out the window. They had not talked much because Ginny and Neville (who were in the compartment too) were sleeping also.
"Nothing," Ron replied taking a quick look at Hermione before gazing out the window once more. He thought this was going to be a very good year.
A/N: IT'S FINISHED! FINALLY! I don't think I'll do a sequel, but you never know. I might get inspired. I have been thinking about this ending ever since I decided the earlier one I wrote was . . . well . . . WRONG! It's a relief to finally have it on paper! Do what you must: Review, Flame. I don't care! I kinda get sad when one of my stories end. I suppose that's why I held this one off for so long. Well, that's about it! Read my other stuff and everything I'm supposed to say! Well, Later Days!
annapooh
P.S. And yet I end with an inspirational (and somewhat appropriate) quote:
Pippin: I didn't think it would end this way."
Gandalf: "End? No, the journey doesn't end here. Death is just another path . . . One that we all must take. The grey rain-curtain of this world rolls back, and all change to silver glass . . . And then you see it."
Pippin: "What? Gandalf? . . . See what?"
Gandalf: "White shores . . . and beyond. The far green country . . . under a swift sunrise."
Pippin: "Well, that isn't so bad."
Gandalf: "No . . . No it isn't . . .