I Just Can't Help Myself

I Just Can't Help Myself...

*5th Year*

"He's the enemy!" Ron cried to Hermione as they entered Ron's room at the Burrow. He had invited Hermione and Harry to spend a few weeks with him. Harry wasn't there, he was playing Quidditch with Fred and George in the back yard.

"Are you still hung up on that?" Hermione asked him.

"He competed against Harry!"

"Nonsense, the Triwizard Tournament is to get to know people from other magical schools," Hermione said, rolling her eyes.

"Fine!" Ron cried.

"Fine!" Hermione cried, even louder. She got up and crossed the room, exited and banged the door loudly.

Ron closed his eyes and lied down on his bed. "She's so impossible!" he said to himself as he started hitting the pillow.

"Oh my gosh! You're brother is so impossible! How can you stand living with him?" Hermione said to Ginny.

"I don't have any choice...he's my brother. If I could, I would go up to Draco and ask if I could live with him. Actually, I really wouldn't mind living with him...imagine seeing him everyday in leather pants..." Ginny said to Hermione.

Hermione started to twitch violently and said, "Well, I'm going to go now. I'm going to go-uhhh-help your mum." Hermione said as she exited the room, twitching all the way down to the kitchen.

Harry had just walked through the door. He heard someone muttering in the corner, rocking back and forth, twitching very violently. "Hermione?" he asked.

"I didn't she liked Malfoy. I thought she liked you. I think she's starting to kill chickens again. Has she been writing in a diary? MALFOY IN LEATHER PANTS!!!!!!" she wailed as she started twitching even more violently.

Right then, Fred and George walked into the room and saw Hermione. They went up to her and asked, "By any chance, did you go into our room this morning? Sniff or eat anything lying around?"

"Fred! George! Have you been making those Weasley Wizard Wheezes again?" Mrs. Weasley said to them.

"Just a precaution..." Fred said to them.

"Slow down...what about Malfoy in leather pants?" Harry asked confused, very confused.

Hermione explained the whole ordeal with Ginny. She was so disturbed that she forgot how mad she was at Ron until he walked into the kitchen. "What are you cooking mum?" Ron asked.

Hermione coughed and it sounded suspiciously like 'Pig'

Harry laughed but he stopped when he saw Ron glaring at them. Ron rolled his eyes and went back upstairs.

~*~*~*~*~A Few Weeks Later~*~*~*~*~

The three of them were on the Hogwarts express. Ron and Hermione had made up and spent the remainder of the holidays in good spirits.

Mrs. Weasley gave her usual kisses and hugs. Ron, of course was embarrassed and hissed, "Mum! Don't kiss me in front of Hermione!"

"Only Hermione?" George asked, smiling mischievously.

Ron turned around as Hermione blushed. "If you would've let me finish then I would've said," he looked around and spotted Harry, "and Harry! And, not to mention, the whole Hogwarts population!"

Fred and George rolled their eyes and went off to find their friend, Lee Jordan.

Aboard the Hogwarts express, Harry had fallen asleep, and Hermione was reading a Muggle book.

As Ron studied Hermione, he saw her smile.

'You smile a lot

It makes me wonder what you're thinkin' of...

Cause baby you're always on my mind''

'She does have a nice smile...' Ron thought to himself as he stared at her. Then, he noticed that her eyes weren't moving.

Hermione fell asleep. She and Ron were walking by the lake, hand-in-hand. The sun was setting and a gentle breeze was coming through. Then, the stopped and Ron turned towards Hermione. He took her hands and kissed the back of her hands. "I love you, Mione," he whispered gently into her ear.

'And right now I want you with me

Here by my side

With me till the end of time...'

Then, a loud snore woke her up. 'Hell of a time to wake up,' she thought as she saw Ron and Harry, heads tilted back, mouths slightly open, asleep. Hermione rolled her eyes. Then she heard someone say, "Ginny?"

Ginny was sitting next to Hermione, reading her Standard Book of Spells Grade Four. They looked up to see Draco Malfoy. He extended his hand, and Ginny took it, giggling. Then, they went down to another compartment, Ginny giggling all the way.

Then, she looked around for her book and saw that she dropped it. She reached down and saw Ron's hands closing over the book. Their eyes met.

'I just can't help myself I'm falling in love with you

It doesn't matter what you say and do

Just give me a chance

And I know I'll make you understand why...

I just can't help myself I'm falling in love with you...'

They sat there, gazing for a moment when they were snapped back to reality when they heard Harry yawning and stretching. Harry realized that he chose a very bad moment to wake up so, he said, "I'm going to go see the lady with the..." he started moving his hands back and forth as if he was pushing a cart. "Yeah..."

Ron put his hand up, "I'll go with you."

When they exited the compartment, they looked down to the left and a few compartments away, they saw Ginny, holding hands with a blonde boy. "Who is that?" Ron asked through gritted teeth.

Harry instinctively held Ron back and said, "Probably just some Gryffindor..." Harry immediately knew it was Draco but continued, "Wearing green."

Ron turned around and turned the opposite direction and tried to find the witch with the cart.

Hermione was sitting with her head in her hands as a quite happy looking Ginny through the door.

"Do you like Hermione?" Harry asked Ron as they purchased Pumpkin Pasties, Cauldron Cakes, Chocolate Frogs and Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans.

"Where did that come from?" Ron asked. "No!" he lied.

'Don't always find I should tell the world

just how I'm feelin' it cause

I wanna be sure you feel the same...'

"Oh! You're brother..." Hermione trailed off as she was talking to Ginny.

"Let me guess...impossible?" Ginny finished for Hermione.

"No...adorable!" Hermione said, looking up. "His eyes...his hair! His freckles! Everything fits just perfectly! He's so perfect!" She looked over at Ginny who was pretending to gag herself. When she saw that Hermione was watching then she immediately stopped and looked innocent. "Should I tell him?"

'The more that I think about it

you need to know

There's no other way

No, No...'

"I knew it..." Ginny whispered.

"Excuse me?" Hermione questioned.

"I knew that you liked Ron...ever since you came into my room complaining about him. I knew it before you did," Ginny explained as Ron and Harry came back into the compartment.

"So...what'cha talkin' about?" Harry teased as he stuffed a handful of Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans into his mouth and quickly spit them out. "Ewww! That tasted like shit!"

"That was shit..." Ron answered seriously. "That is their newest flavor. Shit flavored. Good huh?"

Hermione stared at Ron, who was laughing at Harry. Then, she looked back at Ginny who nodded her head up and down and mouthed, "Yes, tell him."

~*~*~*~*~At the Feast~*~*~*~*~

"Let the feast, begin," Dumbledore said just the same way as he did every year. Hermione was talking to Lavender and Parvati. Across the table, Ron and Harry were talking to Seamus and Dean.

Ron absent-mindedly reached over and grabbed a chicken leg, Hermione, reached over absent-mindedly too. They reached for the same chicken leg, Ron's hand on top of Hermione's. They gazed into each other's eyes.

'I just can't help myself I'm falling in love with you...

It doesn't matter what you say or do

Just give me a chance

And I know I'll make you understand why...

I just can't help myself I'm falling in love with you...'

~*~*~*~*~The Next Day~*~*~*~*~

During Broomstick control, Ron was asked to demonstrate something for the class. He mounted his broom and took off. 'Got to impress Hermione.' He thought to himself over and over in his head. Then, he lost control of his broom and went crashing down in front of Hermione.

'You must have been sent...

You must have been sent from heaven above

You're everything that I've ever dreamed of...'

Ron opened his eyes to see Hermione standing over him. 'This is too good to be true...is she really real?'

'Too good to be true...

no no, I don't think so...

baby no'

~*~*~*~*~That Night~*~*~*~*~

Everyone was in the Common Room, catching up on what everyone did over the summer. Hermione, of course was studying and Harry and Ron were playing chess. Of course, Ron is winning.

Hermione was studying Arthimancy, even though she hasn't had the class yet. For some reason, she got frustrated she hollered and threw her book onto the floor in front of Ron's feet.

Hermione stood up and reached for the book, but Ron reached it first. Their eyes met.

'I just can't help myself I'm falling in love with you...

It doesn't matter what you say or what you do...

Just give me a chance

And I know I'll make you understand why...

I just can't help myself I'm falling in love with you...'

Hermione let go of the book as Ron threw it down and stood up. "I can't take it anymore!" he hollered even louder than Hermione had. Everyone in the Common Room had their attention on Ron and Hermione. But, Ron wasn't paying attention to any of them, he was looking at Hermione. "Every time I look into your eyes, every time I see you," Ron inhaled. "I want to say..." he trailed off and took her hands and kissed the back of them. "I love you Mione, I always have and always will. Till the day I die." He promised.

Hermione didn't say anything. Ron turned several shades of red, let go of Hermione's hands. "I-I'm sorry," he sputtered as he headed towards his dormitory.

Everyone in the Common Room was giving Hermione looks of death until she said, "I love you too, Ron."

Ron turned around, "Really?" he asked.

Hermione put her hands to her face and started to cry. The Common Room exploded with cheers. Above all of the racket, they heard Dean yelling, "Seamus!!! You owe me five sickles!!!"

They heard Fred and George yelling, "We told all of you but no one listens to us! No...that would be a sin!"

Everyone laughed but Ron and Hermione weren't paying attention to anyone. They were gazing into each other's eyes. "I'm sorry for all the times I've been mean." Ron whispered to Hermione so that no one else could hear. He would never live it down if Harry, Fred or George heard that.

Hermione smiled and a fresh wave of tears came spilling out of her eyes. "I'm sorry too. I've loved you since you saved me from the troll."

Ron smiled and leaned in for a kiss.

~*~*~*~*~A Few Years Later~*~*~*~*~

"I do..." Hermione smiled. 'Mrs. Hermione Granger-Weasley. Like it was always meant to be.' Hermione thought as Ron lifted her up and walked down the aisle.

They heard a fork on glass and everyone got quiet. Neville stood up, "Most of us were wondering in our fourth year how long it would take the two of you to realize what we already knew. I betted one of you would say something at graduation...I'm still paying off the debt to Harry." Neville blushed.

Harry grinned insanely as he stood up and yelled, 'I'm rich! I'm rich because of you two!"

Parvati put her hand on his shoulder and forced him to sit down. "Neville pays him five sickles a year...he's just drunk."

With that, Fred and George went up to Ron and hoisted him onto their shoulders.

"For he's a jolly good fellow! For he's a jolly good fellow! For he's a jolly good fellow! That nobody can deny!" Fred and George sang. They were way of tune.

Ron blushed and asked, "Why couldn't you two have saved this for the bachelor party?"

"Cause, my little brother," Fred said.

Then, George continued, "It wouldn't have been as much fun for us." He grinned.

"You're drunk," Ron said simply. "It's ten o'clock in the morning and you're already drunk. That has to be a record."

After Fred and George set him down (About four songs later) they began to eat. Ron put his hands on top of Hermione's and their eyes met. They were happy, not confused as they had been in the past, but truly happy.