Fresh

She heard the slight creaking of the floorboards before his voice had hit her ear.

"Hey," he whispered, as he shook her gently. "Hermione, wake up."

She groaned in protest, curling deeper into her blankets. She was tired, they had recently aided their friend in saving the world, an achievement she believed deserved some sleep.

"C'mon," his voice came again, sterner than before, but still low enough not to wake his sister on the adjacent bed. "It's important."

"What is, Ron?" she sighed, opening her eyes sleepily. She was happy her face was covered by her comforter, shielding her emotions as his freckled face grinned down at her.

"I'll show you when you're dressed, you got 15 minutes before Mum wakes up."

He quickly exited the room, leaving Hermione to get changed. She sighed exasperatedly, she hated being left in the dark and when it came to Ron she really never knew what to expect.

Though it had been a few weeks after the final battle, Hermione still wasn't exactly sure what their relationship was. As she dressed, she wondered what kind of surprise Ron had in store for her. Considering how things had been going, she knew it would be silly to hope anything romantic from her best friend turned maybe-boyfriend.

One minute, he was sweet and caring, giving her the impression that their relationship was progressing. The next, they were bickering over something ridiculous, demoting themselves back to their status three years prior.

Leaving a note scrawled on a piece of parchment for Ginny, Hermione tip-toed down the stairs of the Burrow, meeting Ron as he waited outside, hands deep in his pockets.

"Smells fresh! That's how you know it's springtime!" he smiled, taking a deep breath of their air. "Been a while since I've been home this time of year, usually we're still at school. Kinda missed it."

"You didn't honestly drag me out here to tell me that, did you?"

"Of course not, c'mere," he motioned, taking her arm tugging her close. There was a loud crack, as they apparated, appearing in a familiar looking field. Looking around, Hermione realized they were outside of Hogsmead.

"Hogsmead?" she asked, looking up at Ron confused. "But why?"

"When the weather gets nicer, the whole town becomes one big outdoor bazaar," he explained, taking her hand and interlocking her fingers with his. "To celebrate the end of the war, they've been doing it everyday. It's pretty nice."

He lead her through the streets, watching all the witches and wizards flicked their wands to set up shop for the day. Some waved at the duo, remembering their faces from issues of The Daily Prophets, others watched baffled, wondering why a young couple was out so early in the morning.

They found an empty bench to sit, and Ron flopped down, stretching backwards as she sat beside him.

"Remember in our third year," he began, turning her slightly with a grin. "Before Harry got permission from Sirius, we would wander here together during our trips?"

"We did that after Harry joined us too," she persisted, but Ron shook his head.

"Nah, it was different when it was just the two of us."

They sat in silence, Hermione fiddling with the ends of her sleeves while Ron looked upwards, lost in his own train of thought.

"I liked those days," he said at last, and she turned to him in shock.

"You mean without Harry? Ron how-"

"Not that," he waved her concerns away, "Harry's my best mate, you know that. I mean, when it was just the two of us. Not worrying about saving the day, or uncovering some deep rooted conspiracy theory...just being, kids, y'know?"

"Oh," she said, face slightly flushed as he took her hand, still cut from the battle, and lightly pecked it.

Still blushing, she opened her mouth to say something, but quickly closed it when she noticed Ron staring absently at something behind her, her hand still in his. She looked over her shoulder to see the closed and boarded up Zonko's Joke shop. Resting on the window was a sign that read, "Coming Soon! Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes!" with the signature of both Fred and George.

"Ron, I-"

"I hope George doesn't give up on the shop," he interrupted, not really listening to what she was about to say. "Fred would roll in his grave if he did, literally."

"Figuratively," she corrected automatically. She bit her lip the second it was out of her mouth, aware of her tactlessness. He turned back to her, the far away look in his eyes softening into a smile.

"Right as always," he smiled, standing up and pulling her up by the hand. "C'mon, they seem to be opening. Wanna get some breakfast? I'm starving."

They made their way to the Hog's Head, both nodding friendlily at Aberforth who nodded back, grumbling over what food to give kids their age. He returned moments later, with food that looked surprisingly edible.

"Nice to see he's still as grumpy as ever," Ron said, between a mouthful of food.

"He's seemed to have tidied up the place...slightly," Hermione noted as the pub seemed a little less dingy and dirty than before. They could actually see through the windows, which provided some sunlight in the otherwise dark bar.

They reminisced on their old D.A. meetings, laughing and nodding over their stories. When they had finished eating, Ron beat Hermione to the bill, paying it in full as well as generally tipping Aberforth. The old wizard looked surprised at the sum, mumbling under his breath that he was surprised that Ron could tip so well.

"He did save our lives twice," Ron shrugged as they left, "least I could do was give him a nice tip."

The rest of the day they spent walking through the shops as well as the booths keepers had setup outside. They relived all their memories there, all their little augments and squabbles. They laughed at each of them, and how stupid they both (but mostly Ron) had been.

They were just leaving Honeydukes, when Hermione caught sight of Hogwarts in the distance. The castle was currently undergoing renovations from the battle, but the letter Professor McGonagall had sent to the students promised that the school would reopen for the September term.

"Are you...will you be going back?" she asked, pointing to the castle in the distance as Ron popped a Chocoball into his mouth, and chewed in thought. He sat on another bench as she followed suit, waiting for his response.

"I'm not sure," he answered finally, offering Hermione the box. "On one hand, Mum would be livid if I didn't finish school. Though, on the other, it's kind of hard to picture myself at a desk after all we've been through, y'know?"

She did, and nodded as she turned her Chocoball between her fingers. She wanted to finish school though, but the idea of going through Hogwarts without her two best friends made her feel uneasy. Especially now that one of the two was her boyfriend...kinda...

"It's gonna melt," Ron pointed out, breaking her from her thoughts to the soft Chocoball in her hand. "Gimme."

Plucking it from her hand, he opened his mouth at her, signally her to mimic. Blushing furiously, she turned away.

"For heaven's sake, Ron," she mumbled, still blushing. "That's hardly appropriate."

"Oh, c'mon. It's fine," he grinned, scooting closer so the Chocoball was right in front of her. "Say 'ahhh"!"

"RO-" her mouth was wide enough for him to stick the chocolate in her mouth, taking her by surprise. She chewed the chocolate slowly, beat red, and annoyed as he licked the chocolate residue from his fingers.

"You should lighten up a bit."

He laughed as she crossed her leg's, obviously irritated. Leaning over, he left a tiny peck on her cheek. While she didn't look back at him, her demeanor eased.

"If you do go back to Hogwarts, I'll go with you," he said, shoving his hands in his pockets and leaning back on the bench. "I mean, I couldn't possibility pass without you anyway."

"Oh, is that all?" she huffed, as he took hold of her hand.

"Obviously that's not all, don't be daft," he smiled as she turned to him, her cheeks still flushed. "I'd miss you like mad, Hermione."

He continued to hold her hand as she avoided his glance. She felt like they were in limbo for the last few weeks, not understanding where they were in their relationship. She was logical, organized, and being in the gray area between friendship and courtship frustrated her immensely.

Furrowing her brow, she quickly turned to tell Ron off, and demand that he labeled their status. She was met with is lips however, washing the anger from her mind and replacing it with a warm feeling only he could provide.

The kiss was tender and chaste, still hesitant, as if he was as unsure as she was. Somehow through her spinning mind, she managed to process that this was Ron, the boy with an emotional range of a teaspoon.

As he pulled away for air, he leaned his forehead against hers, the taste of Chocoballs still on her lips.

It was unfair of her to demand that he tell her exactly what this was, because it was obviously different. He had taken her to Hogsmead, spent the day with her reflecting on their friendship, laughing about their past, all to show her how different he wanted their future.

The pads of his thumbs ran across her knuckles tenderly, and she laughed at her own stubbornness. She smiled against his lips as she kissed him again, this time with enough passion to show him that she wanted to take the next step, with him, together.