Time flies when one least wants it to; Hermione had learnt that particular lesson a long time ago. And so when the Hogwarts Express pulled into Platform 9 3/4 at King�s Cross, after the end of another year--a particularly harrowing one at that--she wasn�t surprised in the least that the journey seemed to have barely taken any time at all.

Ron seemed more than a little anxious to get off the train. He had been quiet and reserved during the last leg of the journey, sometime after Harry had fallen asleep and Hermione had tried to engage him in some kind of conversation. He bantered with her for a while, and she supposed on the surface everything seemed to be normal enough, but something seemed to be holding him back as well, as if he hadn�t been completely at ease with her.

As soon as the whistle sounded and the train had come to a halt, Ron jumped up off his seat to retrieve Pigwidgeon�s cage from the overhead bin. The tiny minute owl was in quite a state, pinballing against the bars and hooting up a storm, waking Harry from his long nap. Through gritted teeth, Ron hissed at him, �Shut up you stupid, feathery git!!� and as Hermione watched him, she couldn�t help but feel offended that he seemed so eager to go. It was a thoroughly irrational feeling, she knew that, but still, it bothered her.

She hadn�t even realized she had been staring at him for a while now, until Ron smiled at her and said, �Don�t worry, he can�t understand a thing I�m saying.�

�What?� she blinked back.

�I�m not hurting his feelings or anything...�

�Oh... Pig...�

He laughed. �Yes, Pig,� he said. �What did you think I was talking about?�

�I, er...�

She shook her head, hoping desperately for a change of subject--anything that didn�t make her feel like the complete idiot she did at that moment, or that would ease the heat radiating from her face. She was sure her cheeks were practically radioactive by now.

Ron just smiled and slid the compartment door open. �Come on,� he said, �before these gits wake up.�

He stepped over the still very unconscious bodies of Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle, then offered a hand to help her maneuver her way out as well. It was then that she noticed that Harry hadn�t followed them out.

�Aren�t you coming?� she said.

�Er... in a minute...�

Ron exchanged worried looks with Hermione, then asked carefully, �Everything all right, Harry?�

�Yeah, just fine.�

But Ron didn�t look convinced. He looked back at Hermione, who mouthed, maybe he needs to be alone for a bit... Ron seemed reluctant leave Harry by himself, but eventually stepped off the train with Hermione.

�We�ll be outside if you need us,� he said one last time, just before he stepped down the ramp.

Hermione, meanwhile, was busy struggling with her trunk, trying to get it off the train, though it was three times as heavy as all the other students� trunks (she had brought all of her favorite books this year, having learnt her lesson two years before when she had left her beloved Hogwarts, A History at home). Ron must have noticed her futile attempts, because he reached over in the next instant to lift one end off the ramp.

�Let me get that,� he said, signaling for her to duck out of the way. When she did, he slid the blasted thing down the ramp, then carefully inspected it afterwards for any signs of damage. �Everything okay,� he said, giving her a triumphant smile as he straightened up.

�Thank you.�

His face brightened to a brilliant shade of red, and she thought she heard him stammer out what sounded like, �You�re welcome.�

It was the first time they�d been alone, Hermione realized--really alone--since the night of the Yule Ball, when they�d struck that deal in the Common Room. She could tell Ron must have come to the same realization as well, because he seemed to be avoiding her eyes, or else the ant crawling down by his foot had just become infinitely more fascinating than it did moments ago when they�d disembarked.

Finally, he lifted his head, but still, he wasn�t looking at her; instead he craned his neck above the crowd, as if looking for something--anything--to spark a conversation.

�Looks like Mum and Dad aren�t here yet,� he said.

�Yes,� she said, �neither are my parents, it seems.�

Silence returned, even heavier and more blatant than before. To her surprise, Ron finally settled his gaze on her.

�So, er...�

�Yes?�

�Mum talked to Dumbledore. He said it would be all right for Harry to come stay with us later this summer, before term starts.�

�Oh, that�s good,� she said. She wished she could have thought of something more scintillating to say, but suddenly, her dictionary-size vocabulary seemed to be failing her at that particular moment.

�You�re welcome to come too, if you�d like...�

Hermione�s eyes fluttered back up to his.

�It would... be nice if you could,� he said.

She felt her heart leap out of her chest. Could it be? Was he actually saying that he wanted her to be there too?

�Ginny... Ginny would probably like having another girl around the house.�

�Oh,� she said, choking on the fist-size lump in her throat that seemed to have materialized out of nowhere, �yes, I imagine she would...�

�So... you�ll come, then? Unless... unless of course... you�ve got other plans this summer...�

She couldn�t help but smile, in spite of herself; she was wondering when this would come up in a conversation.

�Is that your way of asking me if I�m going to Bulgaria?�

At first he started to shrug, but then seemed to give up halfway through the action. �You don�t have to tell me if you don�t want to,� he said. �I mean, I know it�s... none of my business.�

There were moments when she could just throw her arms around Ron Weasley and tell him how absolutely amazing he was--and this was definitely one of those moments.

�I told him no, Ron.�

�W-What?�

�I told him no.�

She could tell he was trying hard not to appear too happy, and she appreciated the effort, but there was no mistaking that smile that was starting to form at the corners of his eyes, no matter how he may have wanted to hide it.

Then suddenly, the smile disappeared.

�Wait,� he said, �this isn�t because... because of anything I may have said, is it? Because I know I was being a prat, Hermione-�

She shook her head. �No, no, it�s not that, it�s... My parents never would have let me, Ron. And besides, I didn�t want him to... get the wrong idea...�

�The wrong idea?�

Hermione wondered if she had actually heard his voice crack just now, or whether she had only imagined it.

�Yes,� she said, "that we�re more than friends. Because... we�re not... He�s...� She sighed. �It just wouldn�t work.�

Ron seemed to be at a complete loss for words now, as was she. Then he broke the awkward silence by saying, �Oh, your parents are here...�

Hermione turned around and saw them waving at her. She waved back, then mouthed, give me a minute? She turned to face Ron once again.

�I wonder why Harry hasn�t come out yet,� she said. �I was hoping to say goodbye to you both.�

�Well,� he said, eyes twinkling in that devious manner she�d come to know so well, �I�ll be sure to pass along the message to him.�

Hermione didn�t know what possessed her--whether it had been that damn smile of his that he chose to flash at that moment, or the fact that her parents were waiting nearby, or the fact that their world was about to change forever in the coming months--but suddenly, it felt silly to hold back any longer. Without even thinking, she put her hands on his shoulders and pulled him towards her so she could kiss his cheek.

Except she misjudged her aim, and landed just at the corner of his mouth.

Oh God. Oh God, what had she just done?

The action seemed to have completely thrown him for a loop, and in truth, it had thrown her for a loop as well. Ron�s face had returned to that bright red shade it had been earlier; he seemed to be blushing all the way down to his toes.

�There you are!�

Mrs. Weasley�s voice startled both of them, as each made a little jump when she came up to them.

�I�m sorry we�re late, sweetheart,� she chirped, pulling Ron into her for a bone-crushing hug. Then she turned to Hermione and repeated the same action. �And how are you, my dear?� she said. �Everything all right?�

Hermione, still unable to make her vocal chords function properly, merely nodded.

�Oh, good,� Mrs. Weasley said. �That�s good... Where�s Harry?�

�Right here...�

Harry came down the ramp, with the twins following just behind. Hermione�s eyes were still fixed on Ron, though, trying to read his unreadable expression.

He must hate me, she thought. That�s it, I�ve ruined our friendship for good. He must think I�m a scarlet woman!!

Ron finally tore his eyes away from her, then clapped Harry soundly on the back.

�See ya, Harry!� he said brightly--a little too brightly. He was obviously trying to act as if everything were perfectly normal, and Hermione decided that if he was going to do that, then perhaps she should as well.

But of course, things weren�t normal. Not at all. How could they be? She had just kissed her best friend. Her best friend. All right, so it wasn�t a real kiss, and she hadn�t planned on doing it, but still... she had done it.

And now it couldn�t be undone.

There was only one way to rectify the situation.

�Bye, Harry,� she said, then she reached forward to kiss Harry lightly on the cheek, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, as if to prove to Ron--or to herself, really--that the kiss earlier had been nothing more than a simple gesture from one friend to the other. And with Harry, that�s exactly what it was.

But she was only fooling herself if she really wanted to believe that that�s all it had been with Ron as well.

She turned to him, but his face was even more cryptic than it had been before.

There was definitely relief on his face, that much was obvious, but there was something else as well, something else she couldn�t quite decipher...

She didn�t have time to ponder it further, however; her mother tapped her on the shoulder a few moments after.

�Ready, dear?� she said. �Your dad�s got a taxi waiting...�

Hermione nodded. �I�ve got to get going, then,� she said. �Bye, everyone!�

�Bye dear,� Mrs. Weasley said, giving her one last hug.

�Bye Hermione!� Ginny, Fred, and George said.

She was about to leave with her mother when she heard Ron call out to her as well.

�See you in a few weeks, then!�

Hermione turned around and saw him smiling again. That smile. Maybe things were going to be okay after all.

�See you in a few weeks...�

This was going to be an interesting summer indeed.