I don't own any HP—I wish I did, but it's all JK Rowling's.

The quiet seemed so out of place, like they were doing something wrong by just sitting in front of the common room fire. For the past week, Hogwarts had been anything but quiet while everyone dealt with the aftermath of the battle. The castle had been chaotic from the moment he battle ended, smoke trying to clear, repairs needing to be made, the grounds were in shambles, and there were no words for what was going on in the Great Hall, where everyone was trying to help the wounded as much as possible.

Now though, almost everyone had gone home, and Harry and Hermione were the only ones in the common room. All conversation had been exhausted over the past few days, the battle had been rehashed again and again, with thousands of questions asked about what would happen now, and now they didn't know what to say—the idea of talking about anything normal after they had lost so much seemed impossible. They felt restless with nothing to do, but it didn't feel right doing anything in particular, so they both sat in silence, staring into the fire.

Ron and Ginny were out walking the grounds with the rest of the Weasleys. They'd been doing that a lot lately, trying to deal with losing Fred and attempting to help George deal with losing his other half. Hermione was so lost in her thoughts, mostly centered around Ron out on the grounds, that she had almost forgotten Harry was sitting across from her and his voice made her jump when he spoke.

"Hermione..I'm going to go to bed. Are you going to wait up for them to come back?:

"Yeah..I am, I want to wait for Ron."

"Ok..will you tell Ginny I'm sorry I didn't wait up. I'm just so tired…tell her I'll see her in the morning?"

"I'll tell her…Good night Harry."

Before Harry walked up the stairs to the comfort of his 4 poster bed, he turned and looked at Hermione. She'd seemed unusually quiet tonight, almost to the point of distraction. "Hermione are you sure you're ok waiting up?"

She barely looked at him, but simply replied, "Yeah, I'll be fine. I want to see Ron."

"Ok..well..good night then." And Harry retreated up the spiral staircase to the boys' dormitory.

Hermione waited until she heard the boys' dormitory door close, then she uncurled herself from the ball she was in on the couch and stretched out, head buried in her pillow, staring at the fire. She was angry with herself, she felt selfish. She knew she should be thinking about Harry and everything he went through—he had told them about the forest and she could only imagine how he was feeling, she should be thinking about George and Mrs. Weasley, she should be thinking about anything but what she was thinking about—so inconsequential, so stupid to think of in the wake everything that had happened. It's true she was thinking about Ron, but not on the reason he was with his family, or what he was going through, what he'd lost.

She was thinking about that moment in the Room of Requirement—that one brief moment that had made her feel like everything was different. The past week had been so hectic that she and Ron hadn't really had any time together alone to even think about or talk about what had happened…and she felt like they needed to talk about it. She had acted so impulsively, she had run at him, and he didn't really have a choice but to reciprocate her kiss…but now 7 days later, it was still the only kiss they'd ever shared. Every night Ron had gotten back, it'd been late and he always went straight to bed…she understood he was so tired and distracted, and that just made her angrier at herself for worrying about this. Was he regretting what had happened? He hadn't attempted to instigate another kiss, since she had instigated their first…was he avoiding it? She didn't want to approach it again, for fear that he didn't want her to. She hated wanting it, but she wanted him to kiss her, so she didn't feel like such an impulsive fool. She roughly readjusted her pillow…so angry with herself for worrying about something this stupid. She was second-guessing herself, maybe she shouldn't have kissed him…maybe it had just been the heat of that one moment—the fear of what was about to happen—she didn't regret it…but…did he think it was a mistake?? The only way she felt she'd know was if he kissed her…

It'd become a nightly ritual for them. Dinner in the Great Hall…then filing out onto the battle worn grounds…just their family…not really talking much…his Mom mostly cried, and George never said anything, but they all knew they needed to be together. Ron felt guilty stealing glances every few seconds up to Gryffindor tower and the firelight flickering in the windows. All he really wanted to do was talk to Hermione…about everything…but every time he got back he was so tired, and he felt bad keeping her up, so he usually just went to bed…plus there'd been so many people around all week, that he could never really get her alone. He tried to shake himself out of his thoughts…he knew he should be thinking about George and his Mom and…Fred, but tonight he couldn't help letting his thoughts wander---wondering whether after so many nights of quick good nights if she'd just go to bed before he got back, sick of waiting up for him. As he looked up at the common room window the sound of basilisk fangs clattering on the floor echoed in his head. She had kissed him, he'd never expected it…she kissed him.

But now…now that was the only memory he had, one single moment. He didn't know what to think—he was nervous—had nothing else happened since then because she regretted acting so quickly? Had she done it just out of fear…afraid of what would happen? And now she didn't want to instigate it again, because she didn't want it to happen again? He wanted to kiss her…but there never seemed like an appropriate time with so many people running around and with everything going on it felt kind of weird. He felt guilty feeling happy after what had happened, so should he really flaunt kissing her when everyone is so miserable? Maybe now it'd been too long. She probably thought that he was avoiding her, with his quick good nights, but that wasn't it—at all. It just all seemed so out of place—being happy, well feeling happy with her and their first kiss amongst everything that had happened.

"Ron…"

It was Ginny—he pulled his mind back to where he was, "What Ginny?"

She hung back from the rest of the family a bit, "I'm so tired, do you want to head up? I think everyone else is staying a little longer."

Ron looked up at the windows of the tower, and quickly replied, "Yeah, let's go."

They both said good night to their families. Ron gave his Mom an extra long hug, she'd had a rough night tonight, and apologized for going to bed, but said they were both so tired. They left the grounds and headed up the entrance staircase to the quiet retreat of the Common Room. Ron was anxious, but yet happy that tonight, he might actually get to talk to Hermione…if she was still waiting up…

The portrait hole swung open, and Hermione sat up trying not to look too expectant. She was surprised to just see Ron and Ginny, usually it was all the Weasley kids coming back to the common room at night. "Where is everyone else?"

Ginny, looking around the common room, said, "They wanted to stay out a little longer, but I'm so tired, Ron walked me up early, plus…I had wanted to see Harry…"

"He went to bed, he wanted me to tell you he's sorry, but that he was tired and that he would see you in the morning at breakfast."

"Ok…well then I'm going to bed too. Good night."

"Good night, Ginny."

Ron gave his little sister a hug, something he'd been doing a lot more lately, told her good night and watched her walk up to the girls' dormitory.

Hermione felt bad not following Ginny upstairs. Ginny had moved down to her dormitory for the week, since no one else was really around, and she'd been having a lot of trouble sleeping so it helped having someone else in the room. Still, this was the first chance that she had to be alone with Ron, so she stayed on the couch. He sat down next to her on the couch and put his arm around her. He looked tired, distracted, but that's how they all looked lately so she didn't question it.

"How's your Mom?"

"Eh…worse tonight. She didn't say much, no one ever does…"

"What is there really to say? There doesn't seem like there's anything right to say."

"I know."

Ron sighed and leaned his head back on the couch. Hermione didn't want to say anything but she had to, this may be their only opportunity for awhile.

"I feel so stupid saying this…I don't feel like I should not right now, but it's been bothering me and it's all I've thought about tonight, and I haven't had a chance to talk to you all week, but I'm sorry…I'm sorry if I caught you off-guard the other day…I'm sorry…if it was bad timing."

"You're sorry? Like you wish you could take it back?"

"No!...no, I just…with how this week has been I've been worried you wished I hadn't kissed you."

"I worried that you thought I was avoiding you, but never that you thought I regretted it."

"You don't?"

"No…it's just this week, all I've wanted to do is talk to you, I've been worried that you regretted doing it, and I haven't wanted to bring it up because it hasn't seemed…right…being happy right now, but I am…well I'm not happy, but you know what I mean."

"I know…and I didn't want to bring it up because it seemed selfish and stupid and I've felt so guilty." She didn't want to start crying, but all the weight of the week was starting to crash down on her, and she couldn't hold back. "I don't regret it at all…and I've just wanted to see you this week, but I didn't want to take you away from your family, and I've wanted to make sure someone's with Harry, and then I started thinking about all of this, and if you were going straight to bed because you didn't want to talk to me, and I've been so confused."

The words came out in a rush, and Ron pulled her head onto his shoulder and just let her keep talking and crying, sometimes not even being able to understand what she was saying. Finally, he looked at her, and said, "Ya know, this entire week that has been the only thing to make me smile, and not because of what it was, but because thinking about Hermione Granger acting like that just makes me laugh. If you could've seen your face…"

She couldn't help laughing…the sound sounded odd, but yet right in the midst of the quiet common room. "I know…I was worried you thought I was too impulsive, or that I did it just because we didn't know what was going to happen when we left the room."

"I thought about that, but I'm not worried anymore." He smiled at her, and it made her laugh. Here they both were having been worried about the same thing all week, but neither wanting to say anything. Before she could say anything else, he moved towards her and for the first time he kissed her. It was soft and simple, without the intensity of their first kiss, but he wanted to kiss her, so she wouldn't think that it was only her instigating, but that he felt the same way.

"Well, now we're even," she laughed.

'Yeah, yeah, let's not try and keep count alright." He knew she was kidding, but he was serious and hoped she knew that.

She let out a sigh as though a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders and finally relaxed into his arms for the first time since before he had left them alone in the forest, abandoning them. Before she knew it a soft snoring was coming from him, and she gently woke him up telling him he should really go to bed, they both should. He walked with her to the bottom of the stairs leading to her dormitory, he hugged her and then for the first time, neither of them moved first, but they both moved in and they both would say that kiss was more powerful and intense than their first. They pulled apart and barely above a whisper, Hermione, looked him in the eyes and said, "I love you Ronald."

He smiled, in his head amazed that after almost 7 years Hermione Granger was telling him she loved him, and he "kissed her forehead and said "I love you too, Hermione. I'll see you at breakfast?"

"You can count on it. Good night Ron."

He smiled, "Good night." And he watched her go up the stairs. He turned to head up to his own dorm, finally smiling, finally realizing that after 7 years he finally had what he wanted and he couldn't wait for breakfast the next morning.