The Ultimate Gift

Hermione sighed sadly. Another year had passed. This departure would be the toughest yet--she could sense it. Sirius was gone, and understandingly Harry was depressed and had seemed lost among the company of his closest friends. Voldemort was out in the open now, so the Order would be even more busy and active. Even those outside the Order would have some work to do. This thought made Hermione smile proudly. She had been given an assignment from Dumbledore, and was greatly looking forward to it, even though breaking the rules that were set for her would be tempting to break.

She stared at the Daily Prophet without really reading it. Many important things had happened this year, things that were less consequential and less important in the eyes of the world or the Order. Reminiscing happily, it took a while for her to realize that Luna Lovegood was talking to her. Somehow, sometime, she had visited their compartment.

"Hey, Hermione? Hermione..." Luna's sing-song voice eventually penetrated through Hermione's musings.

"Hmm?" suddenly responded Hermione, pretending like she had heard her the whole time.

"What ever happened to you and that quirky Quidditch player?" Luna asked innocently, yet unbeknownst to her, that was the most destructive, not to mention random and unexpected, question she could have ever come up with. Naturally, Ron's angry and likely jealous head broke away from his victorious chess match to glare at Hermione expectantly. Ginny and Harry exchanged worrisome glances. Neville just sat there pampering his Mimbulus mimbletonia affectionately.

Unusually, Hermione smiled mischievously at this question, which made Ron's ears boil. Continuing to peruse her paper, stalling answering in order to put them on edge, she finally gave in figuring out that Ron's ears might just go up in flames if she waited any longer.

"Oh, nothing, nothing," she answered carelessly.

"You broke up with him?" Ginny demanded resentfully. Hermione had always told Ginny about anything concerning Krum, barely existent love life, or anything in general-Hermione was Ginny's ultimate confidante, and Ginny was Hermione's. Disappointed to be left out, Ginny pursued, "When?"

"Oh, months ago!" Hermione replied, trying to be even remotely interested in her paper, but was even more interested in the reactions of her comrades, especially a certain male redheaded one.

"Why?" interjected Harry expectantly, Ron was still in shock, whether he felt furious or delighted was undecipherable.

"I guess I, well..." Hermione hesitated, thoroughly enjoying her friends so intrigued or suspensed, and finished jovially and mysteriously, "I had a change of heart."

Dead silence.

Ron stared, mouth agape, eyes bulging.

Harry and Ginny again exchanged glances, halfway smiling excitedly, halfway amazed. Exchanging glances had become something of a hobby for them.

Luna ignored the jumble of emotions in the compartment, nodded, and said, "Thanks, I was just wondering," and exited unceremoniously.

Grinning slyly at her friends, Hermione said, "Close your mouth, Ron."

This demand made him find his voice again. "Who?"

But she just continued to smile, not giving any signs of surrendering her secret.

Ron never took his bewildered and slightly hopeful blue eyes of her for the remainder of the ride.

After the group reluctantly stepped off the train and gathered their belongings, they caught up with the Order, waiting merrily outside the platform, accompanied by triumphant-looking Weasley twins. Hermione searched the crowd nervously because there was no sign of them.

Fear flooded her. But guilt filled her regretful heart as instantaneously she was reminded about the miniscule amount of time that she had spent with them in the past five years. All the Christmas vacations she had promised to spend with them she had cancelled to be with her friends at Hogwarts, and more recently, the Order. What had happened to them? Had Voldemort gotten them, too? Her almost always vigilant, tactful, and quick mind immediately jumped to horrific and gruesome conclusions, like it always did when she became emotional and distressed.

As the cheerful Order greeted her and her comrades, Professor Lupin noticed the worry and shame that had absorbed her facial expressions, and rescued Hermione from her frightening ideas. "Don't worry, your parents are going to meet you there," he whispered unnoticeably as he helped her heave her luggage out of the way so no one would trip. Hermione replied with a very relieved smile as Mrs. Weasley pulled her into a loving and motherly hug.

She noticed the lively group head over to where Harry's only living relatives appeared, looking apprehensive and fearful. Not wanting to miss the fun, she hurried over to join them, standing proud on Harry's side.

"Good afternoon," said Mr. Weasley pleasantly to an uneasy Uncle Vernon, "You might remember me, my name's Arthur Weasley. We thought that we would have a few words with you about Harry," said Mr. Weasley, still smiling.

"Yeah," growled Moody, "About how he's treated at your place."

"I am not aware that it is any of your business what goes on in my house--" interjected Uncle Vernon.

"I expect what you're not aware of would fill several books, Dursley," Moody growled.

"Anyway, that's not the point," interjected Tonks, "The point is, if we find out that you have been horrible to Harry--"

"--and make no mistake, we'll hear about it," added Lupin in a pleasant tone.

"Yes," said Mr. Weasley, "even if you won't let Harry use the fellytone--"

"Telephone," whispered Hermione, trying to stifle a laugh.

"Yeah, if we get any hint that Potter's been mistreated in any way, you'll have us to answer to," said Moody.

"Are you threatening me, sir?" Uncle Vernon responded loudly.

"Yes, I am," said Moody.

"And do I look like the kind of man who can be intimidated?" barked Uncle Vernon.

"Well..." said Moody, pushing back his hat to reveal his magical eye, "Yes, I'd have to say that you do, Dursley."

"So, Potter...give us a shout if you need us. If we don't hear from you for three days in a row, we'll send someone along....'Bye then, Potter," said Moody.

"Take care, Harry," said Lupin quietly. "Keep in touch."

"Harry, we'll have you away from there as soon as we can," Mrs. Weasley whispered, hugging him again.

"We'll see you soon, mate," said Ron anxiously, as he reached over to shake Harry's hand.

"Really soon, Harry," said Hermione earnestly. "We promise."

The peaceful group watched as Harry led the Dursley's out of the train station, as a slight air of respect and wispy pity disappearing with them.

Hermione sighed willingly, and said sadly, "Alright, I guess I have to get going too," and reached for her suitcase and for the distant handle of Crookshanks's wicker carrier, but a helping hand was there first.

"Don't injure yourself again," Ron said exasperatedly as he took her awkwardly shaped luggage from her hands, and cast her one of his custom lopsided smiles, causing Hermione's previously nervous stomach to flip-flop into a different type of nervousness. That comforting smile always made her melt, something that she had never admitted, even to Ginny.

Ron looked around confusedly and since he was aware of the situation, he asked cautiously, "Where are your parents, Hermione?"

"Oh, they are, um, at some convention and are going to meet me at home," she lied anxiously. "Dentists," she added with a convincing shrug of the shoulders.

"Let's go find you one of those taxi things then," Ron announced helpfully as Hermione bid another lengthy good-bye to Lupin, Tonks, Mad-Eye, Mr. Weasley, Mrs. Weasley, Fred, George, and finally Ginny.

"C'mon, Hermione, I think they all have had enough of you," Ron huffed impatiently.

"Excuse me, Ron, I don't know if I will be seeing them much this summer, so I am going to take my time in saying good-bye," she responded defensively, but finished up just the same.

"About time," Ron teased, as the pair strolled slowly towards the opposite side of the platform, which was concealed from the Order and the Weasleys from the swarms of tourists and other objects.

"Why, are you anxious to get rid of me?" Hermione asked in mock concern, because she had been very watchful of Ron's behavior since her unexpected announcement on the Hogwarts Express, and concluded that he was quite, okay, very hopeful that who she currently fancied, was him. He turned to her and grinned comfortingly.

"So where are you really going this summer?" Ron inquired suspiciously, as a taxi pulled up to the side of the curb, where they were patiently waiting.

"Don't worry about it," Hermione advised, "It's not Bulgaria." Ron grimaced unknowingly, causing her to burst out laughing. Ron's insides squirmed nervously, because it seemed to him that she knew exactly what he was suspicious of, but he joined in laughing with her. As he cheered, he opened the awaiting taxi's door, unceremoniously tossed her bags in, softly placed Crookshanks and his carrier on the other side of the taxi, and held the door open for Hermione.

She smiled respectfully at his gentlemanly gesture, slid into her seat, shut the door, and unrolled the window as low as it would go.

"Her-Hermione?" Ron said timidly, as he knelt so he could be eye to eye with her.

"Yeah, Ron?"

She had been expecting, and half hoping, for him to ask her this question since her sudden remark on the train, and probably even before that. She had imagined this situation hundreds upon hundreds upon hundreds of times in her emotional and fanciful imagination and had dreamed up the perfect way so many times that she felt she had done this every day of her life. But, with the love and joy that was flooding out of her heart she forgot it all.

She stared expectantly at her best friend, who seemed to be struggling with something in his mind. He looked into her eyes, and she could see that his were full with apprehension, anxiety, curiosity, and most of all, that hope.

Hermione smiled and her eyes twinkled oddly as he spoke.

"Who is it? Since it's not Krum, or - "

She gently pressed her fingers against his lips to close them. Her heart was pounding uncontrollably, and Hermione could tell that Ron was growing more and more nervous the longer she was staring lovingly at him.

She closed her eyes, and kissed him, long and true.

As they reluctantly pulled apart, he smiled nervously and whispered breathlessly, "I guess that means that it is me, huh?"

Hermione chuckled happily, her heart flowing with relief and the courage that had forced her to finally admit her feelings.

"I guess so," she said, ruffling his vivid red hair, which she adored so much.

His nervous smile transformed into a broad, sincere, and joyous grin.

The taxi driver, who the pair had just remembered was there, rolled his sarcastic eyes and growled in an almost Mad-Eye Moody tone, "Can we go, now?"

"Yeah, get out of here," Ron replied sarcastically, but gently, still not able to break the stare that had resulted between him and his Hermione.

"Keep in touch, Ron," Hermione advised dreamily.

"Gladly."

They exchanged romantic and loving glances, and the impatient taxi driver took off down the street with Hermione hanging out the window, desperate to keep Ron in her sight as long as she could.