Hermione, although considerably calmer, continued to shiver slightly in Ron's arms as he led her up three flights of stairs to the deserted seventh floor corridor. The terror Krum had afflicted upon her over the past hour had left its deep mark, but with Ron, her Ron holding her, and the entrance to Gryffindor Tower in sight at the end of the corridor, she relaxed drastically.

The portrait of the Fat Lady beamed at the pair as they approached.

"Enjoy your little romantic night-time stroll?" she asked, eyeing the cozy way Hermione's head lay on Ron's chest. "Aw, young love, eh? You two make such a cute couple…"

"Shut up," Ron snapped, feeling the blood rush to his slightly protruding ears. "We're not a couple, we're…best friends, that's all."

And suddenly, Hermione, raising her head slightly off him, found herself looking into empty space and asking herself, "Is that really all we are?"

"You're not fooling anyone but yourself, dear," the Fat Lady smiled, arching an eyebrow at Ron. "I hope you're aware of that."

And with an annoyingly superior smile on her chubby face, she swung forward to admit them without asking for a password. With a final grimace at the Fat Lady, Ron led Hermione through the portrait hole and up into the Gryffindor common room.

It was impossible for Hermione not to let her fears melt away as she gazed fondly around the welcoming circular lounge, which – unsurprisingly, considering the time - was completely deserted. The fluffy scarlet carpeting, the squashy crimson armchairs and the red and gold wallpaper glowing in the roaring firelight, all warmed her heart with a feeling of coming home…of security. She glanced up at Ron as he removed his arms from her shoulders, the Fat Lady's comment ringing in her ears. As she saw the common room fire dancing in his clear blue eyes, realization struck her plainly.

"What a night, eh?" Ron sighed, glancing at the common room grandfather clock, which, on cue, chimed two a.m.

Hermione nodded, unable to remove her gaze from his eyes.

"Anyway, it's late and you've been through a lot tonight," Ron said seriously. "Let's get you up to bed."

"No!" Hermione cried, overcome with sudden panic at the thought of being alone in her dark shadowy dormitory. "Please Ron, I can't go to bed, not yet. I can't face being by myself in a dark room, not after what happened in the library…please, can we just…stay down here for a bit?"

Ron stared at her with wide eyes, taken aback by her alarm. Then he recovered and said softly, "Of course we can. I'm sorry, I didn't think of that…you would be scared of being alone, wouldn't you?…yeah, of course I'll stay here with you…for as long as you like."

Hermione's expression of panic relaxed into a grateful smile. "Thanks, Ron. I won't forget this."

Ron smiled back and led her towards the couch directly in front of the fireplace. They seated themselves in silence, Hermione privately wishing Ron would hold her in his arms again. For a few moments, they gazed into the dancing flames, allowing their thoughts to run wild. Then Hermione turned to Ron.

"Ron, I just want to thank you for what you did for me this evening," she said softly, her eyes still on the fire, "you literally saved my life, you really did."

Ron smiled and gave a humble shrug. "It's all right. Anyone would do the same for their best friend."

Hermione looked at him, once again pondering whether "best friend" truly described their relationship.

"No they wouldn't," she said quietly. "Krum could have easily whipped around and killed you, and you know it. You risked your life to save me. Very few people have that in them. You're a true Gryffindor, Ron, and a true hero."

"It was only a little Levitation Charm," Ron muttered, his ears reddening.

"Yes, why did you use Wingardium Leviosa of all spells?" Hermione inquired, momentarily distracted.

Ron shrugged again, gazing into the fire, the flames dancing strangely in his cobalt eyes. "It's the spell you taught me, isn't it?" he said quietly, more like he was talking to himself than to her. "I think of you every time I use that spell…It's weird, it's like…I dunno…like, this evening, I was lying on my bed thinking about…well, about things, and suddenly this thought flashed across my mind, "I wonder where Hermione is right now". So I leaned over and borrowed the Marauder's Map from Harry's bedside table…I saw you cornered at the end of an aisle in the Restricted Section…Krum moving slowly towards you, like he was sneaking up on you….what would anyone else do? I jumped up and ran…blindly…to the library, praying I wasn't too late…plotting a million and one torture-curses to hit him with if he so much as touched you.…but when I finally got to the library, and I saw you, backed against the window, helpless and terrified…I just, I dunno…let instinct take over. I felt like we were back in the girl's bathrooms in our first year, with a big ugly brainless troll (which we were)…that Levitation Charm burst out spontaneously, back then and again, tonight. It's the effect of seeing you in danger I suppose…" he turned his gaze from the fire to look into her eyes, "…the effect of almost losing you."

Hermione's eyes sparkled warmly. She was very deeply touched.

"You'll never lose me, Ron," she said quietly, meaning it in more than one, very obvious way.

Ron gaped at her for a moment, his mouth very slightly open, the concentration in his eyes giving Hermione the idea he was almost trying to determine whether she was really there.

"Thank you," Hermione whispered again.

"Don't mention it," Ron muttered.

"Of course I'll mention it!" Hermione smiled. "I still can't get over what you did for me."

Ron looked back at fire. "Well, I know we fight a lot, and we get on each other's nerves at least once a day, and hey, we get ourselves into war-mode against each other over the tiniest things, but I do care about you…heck, I…care about you a lot."

"Enough to give your life to save mine?" Hermione commented, more to herself than to him.

"You're worth it," Ron said simply.

The furious conflict of emotions inside Hermione reached a breaking point. Every signpost on the twisty, confusing roads to her heart suddenly all swiveled and pointed simultaneously and definitely towards Ron, regardless of Harry, regardless of anything…

"Ron," she said quietly, quivering slightly with the anticipation of finalizing her conclusion by putting it into words.

Ron turned and looked at her, mild curiosity in his eyes.

"I love you," Hermione said, feeling the beauty and delights of the truth wash over her as she did so. Shivering slightly with her excitement at her revelation, she sat with her hands between her knees, smiling, awaiting his response.

Ron blinked and gave his head a rough shake. He thought he'd heard those words in that order coming from her, he was pretty sure, in fact he could almost swear she'd just said them, but… a reality check was desperately needed here…

"You…what?" he asked, rather calmly, he thought.

Hermione hesitated. Without an indicator telling her she was on the right track, she was unsure whether she had the stamina to repeat her declaration, but seeing the tiniest glint of hope in Ron's eyes gave her all the courage she needed.

"I love you, Ron," she repeated quietly.

Ok, verification of what was heard is complete, Ron thought, but what was actually said here? She'd definitely said it, but then, reality just overrules the logic…I'm not loveable material…how can she possibly love me? But maybe anyway, she actually…nonononono no, think of the circumstances, Ron, he told himself firmly.

"No you don't," Ron replied, shaking his head slightly.

"Sorry?" Hermione inquired, completely thrown by his reaction.

"You don't…don't love me," Ron explained. "You might think you do, but look, you've been through a very near-death experience tonight, and I…helped you out of it, so you're obviously very grateful and feeling vulnerable and I probably give you a sense of security now, which is what you want, so it's kind of natural to mistake these feelings for love, but believe me, Hermione, you…what's so funny?"

"Ron, where did you read that tripe?" Hermione asked, shaking with laughter, her soft thick hair falling across her face as she giggled.

"Witch Weekly's Letters Column," Ron muttered, his ears regaining their flush.

"Well, let me tell you something, Mr. Psychoanalysis," she chortled. "That theory has nothing to do with what I'm feeling. Because I've always loved you, Ron. Ever since you whipped out Charlie's old wand four Halloweens ago and thumped that troll over the head with his club…"

"There you go, you see," Ron blurted, "you're mistaking rescue for - "

"No I'm not," Hermione interrupted with a smile. "Don't you see? You've always been there for me. You were the only one who stood up to Malfoy the first time he called me a Mudblood. You've no idea how touched I was that morning, Ron. I watched you burping all those slugs and thinking 'he did that just for me…'. You've always been there right beside me whenever I needed you. Always. You've never let me down. You were the only one who saw that Bulgarian slimeball for what he was, the only one who tried warning me about him…you were right. There's no one I trust more, no one who makes me feel as special, no one I love more…than you, Ron Weasley. And I know that underneath all the bad temper and arguments we keep throwing at each other, well, like you said, there's deep affection…at least on my part…"

Ron just stared into her eyes, which were slightly screened by the long strands of thick soft hair that had drifted across her face as she'd laughed. Sincerity was glowing in them. She meant what she said. She literally…

"Hermione….if…" he began, trying to phrase what he was feeling in the limited vocabulary the English language provided him with. "…if you knew how…how many times I've heard you say those words in a dream……I'm…I'm just…how do know this isn't just another one?"

Hermione's soft delicate hand reached over and took his large clumsy one in its baby-smooth grip. Ron looked down at their hands as Hermione slowly and softly stroked his with a finger. He looked back into her face and said, "I love you, Hermione."

Hermione raised her eyebrows slightly in surprise. The smile that was slowly growing on her beautiful lips told Ron everything he needed to know. With his free hand, he brushed aside the stray hairs curtaining the left rim of her face.

"I love you so much," he had to add.

Hermione's face began to move towards his. Her eyelids slipped dreamily down. Here it comes, he thought, the moment I've been waiting for my whole life…love's first ki…

"What about Harry?" he heard himself blurt as Hermione's lips brushed his.

Hermione backed away only a fraction, enough to enable herself to talk, her rich-milk-chocolate eyes twinkling as they gazed lovingly into his clear denim-blue ones.

"I don't love him," she whispered. "I never did. I thought I did…who wouldn't want Harry Potter to be their boyfriend? It was my mistake…" she picked up Krum's photo of Harry and Ginny kissing and looked down at it with a smile. "I don't think Harry ever really loved me, come to think of it…I'm glad he finally found the person who fills his heart with joy…I'm glad Ginny did, too…and so did I," she added, raising her eyes back to Ron's.

Ron advanced his face the few centimetres forward and pressed his lips to Hermione's. For a moment, she seemed too surprised to retaliate, but then she wrapped her lips around Ron's, tightening the kiss, as she wound her arms around his neck. The disbelief and cries of "wake up, it'll all be gone by the morning," that filled Ron's head were swallowed up in the sheer bliss they were engulfed in. The photo of Harry and Ginny, the last reminder of the goings on that night and of Krum's assault, slipped out of Hermione's hand and fell down the side of the couch.

She's mine now, Ron thought impossibly, the pounding of his heart making breathing a very difficult, yet extremely insignificant task, she's mine and I'm hers…

The two new lovers, completely oblivious to that photo's living counterparts, who had entered the common room a short while later, sank into a beautiful dreamless sleep, their heart full of the joy only love can bring…