Love Found At Summer's End

After Fred and George left Ron to his thoughts, he couldn´t help but think. "Wow..."

Ron didn´t know whether their input was for the better or for the worst. However, pondering it over for a while, he realized that their way of things was better than having no way of things, which he just so happened to have. "Hmm... play hard to get, huh?" The thought had never even crossed his mind. He had always thought that he was the one after Hermione, not Hermione after him... But it was worth a shot, after all.

After another five or so minutes thinking to himself, Ron heard Ginny´s door open, close and then the sound of two pairs of feet rushing down the stairs. Getting up, he slowly opened his door and poked his head out into the hallway. They were gone. Smiling mischievously, Ron sleuthed his way out into the hallway and creped into Ginny´s room. Shutting the door every so quietly, he locked it and turned to his sister´s rather cluttered room. It was really the smallest room in the house and Ginny had a LOT of stuff. Her bed was made, but her desk and dresser was a literal mess. Oh well, Ron knew he should for himself.

"Alright, Operation Find Love Letter is under way," Ron said aloud, grimacing at the thought. He knew what he was doing was wrong, but if his little sister was having some affair with some guy than he had a right to know about it, didn´t he? He shuddered again.

And off he went, searching threw Ginny´s dresser, her drawers, under her bed, on her nightstand, and all over on her desk. Goodness, she knew how to hide things!

"Aw, come on Ginny, you´re cruel," Ron whined, flopping down on her bed, exasperated. And then he felt it. Just as he reached up to put his arms under his head, he felt the ruffle of paper brush up against his hand. Shocked, he sat up abruptly and saw the corner of an envelope sticking out from under Ginny´s pillow. Ron smirked.

"Oh, Ginny, you should know your own brother better than that!" He shouted out triumphantly, pulling the envelope out. Oh yeah, he was good!

To: Ginny Weasley

From: Harry Potter

Ron gulped. Harry?! He ripped open the letter hastily and read feverishly what Harry had said that was so wonderful. And just why was he writing to his little sister, anyway?! The letter had such sloppy handwriting that it was hard to read. Harry must have been nervous.

Dear Ginny,

Hey, I´m sure you´re wondering just why I´m writing to you. Not that I wouldn´t like to write to you, I just never really have before. Anyways, I just need someone I can talk to. This summer has just been so horrible and I need to talk to someone who I don´t already know what the answers will be. Ron and Hermione are so predictable... I guess I would love to get to know you better. I know I haven´t really made an effort to before, and I´m sorry.

You seem like a really nice person from what I can see... Can I confide in you? You see, after last year... It just seems to me that everything is changing. How about with you? Anything new? Sorry for the look of this letter... Anyways, thank you for reading what I had to say. I would really love to hear from you.

Love,

Harry

Ron was awed. Just how many times had Harry wrote in the word "love"?! One time too many, Ron thought. So, Harry was writing to his sister, huh? This was... interesting in a yucky kind of way... He clucked his tongue, shook his head in disgust, stuffed the letter back in the envelope and then tossed it aside. Feeling rather nauseous and totally grossed out, Ron got up to leave. And then he heard it.

"Oh Ginny, you silly!"

"Well, its true, Hermione!"

"Oh, you´re hopeless."

The girls were coming back up the stairs. Eyes growing as wide as saucers, Ron rushed up and opened the door to see just how close they were.

Oh, were they close! They were but six footsteps away from Ginny´s room!

Bugger! He yelled to himself. He was in deep trouble if they caught him snooping around in Ginny´s room! He was trapped! Putting the door back into its frame gently, he ran frantically around the room, searching desperately to find a hiding spot. Under the bed? Out the window? In the closet?

In the closet seemed the best place. Flinging the door open harshly, Ron jumped into Ginny´s rather stuffed closet and shut the door as quietly as possible. Having to push, shove and heave Ginny´s stuff out of the way, he finally found a nice, somewhat comfortable place to sit. Stuffed animals, clothes and shoes suddenly surrounded him, practically suffocating him. The pile practically touched the ceiling! Damn, Ginny!

"Oh, Ginny, you really are one to talk!" Hermione laughed as the door opened and the girls made their entrance in the room.

"Well, at least I made a move," Ginny said, also laughing with Hermione, taking a seat on her squeaky bed.

"You did nothing of the sort, and you know it!"

"Yeah well, I got his attention, did I not?"

Ron rolled his eyes, they were talking about Harry again. It was sickening, really. No matter what he did, he also couldn´t get comfortable. He shifted and pushed things out of his way to make more room and even tried to spread his legs out that were starting to hurt from having to crouch down and put his whole weight on them. He just didn´t like this situation at all! He had gotten so far back into the closet that his whole body was completely hidden by Ginny´s endless stuff. He wondered if he would even be able to get out! It was amazing how much room she had in her closet. Ron just assumed that his dad must have put a spacious charm in for her, much like he had to the Ford Anglia in his second year so as to fit everybody and their things in the crammed car.

"Yeah... you got his attention," Hermione admitted, somewhat indignant.

"Hey... Hermione... I don´t remember leaving the letter out...did I?" a curious Ginny said. Ron could have sworn he cursed aloud. He had forgotten to put the letter back under the bed! How could he have been so stupid?!

"No, I remember you putting back under the pillow so that one of you brothers wouldn´t-..."

There was a gasp from Ginny and sudden silence. It made Ron´s hair stand on end. Oh boy, this wasn´t good...

"Ginny... you don´t think..."

"Hermione..."

Ron heard footsteps coming closer to the closet. This definitely wasn´t good! Pushing himself back as far as he could go, Ron made sure his whole body was hidden. Suddenly, Ron heard the door fly open and a faint light shown through Ginny´s pile of stuff. She really was a packrat.

"Hmm...Search around, Hermione, dad put a spell on my closet as to make it more roomy," Ginny said suspiciously.

"Yeah, and I can see why!" Hermione exclaimed, her voice practically dripping in sarcasm.

"Oh, just hush up and look."

Ron started to feel the panic rise up in the pit of his stomach again. They simply could NOT find him! As things started to be shuffled and moved, more light was exposed on him and he could have sworn that his red hair was sticking out somewhere.

"Oh Hermione, this is so embarressing! If I find any of my meddling brothers in here I swear I´m gonna kill `em!"

"Oh Ginny, I´m sure nobodies in here... I mean, come on, what kinda idiot would leave a hidden letter out of its place and then go for the closet?"

Ron felt a pang of resentment toward that comment and couldn´t help but scowl at what he thought was in her direction.

"Ron!" They both cried out in union, laughing heartily. It made him jump. At first he thought they had found him, but then he soon realized that they were both just answering Hermione´s not-so-nice comment in a not-so-nice way... They were making fun of him! Ron went red in more than one way. After the giggles calmed down, his mum called the girls to come down to see something.

"Alright mum!" Ginny hollered back. "Hey, Hermione, check under the bed just in case, would yah?"

"Okay... Nothing here, I´m afraid."

"Oh, okay then..." Ginny said in a defeated voice.

Yes! Now go away! Ron thought, wanting to be able to breath properly again.

"I just know you gotta be in there, Ron," Ginny breathed out before slamming the door shut. He waited until their footsteps died away completely before he let out a long, heavy sigh of relief.

"That was close!" he breathed, groping for the handle. However, he had pushed himself so far back he didn´t even know what side of the closet he was on, let alone where the door might be. Remembering where the light had come from, he pushed his way through, trying to follow it.

Finally, after about five minutes of searching, he found the door. Reminding himself to never tread in those waters again, Ron hurried out of the room as fast as possible and scurried to the safety and security of his own room.

~*~*~

"Ron! Its time for lunch!"

Normally, Ron would love the sound of that. Lunch... it was just an all around good word that brought only happiness into his life... However, today it made him feel sick. Lunch meant having to sit at the table and tolerate everybody there. Ginny knew he was in her room today, and facing her and Hermione didn´t sound like very much fun. At least Fred and George always took their lunch into their room so he wouldn´t have to put up with them.

"Okay, its turkey sandwiches and mixed fruit today!" Mrs. Weasley called out happily as Ron entered the kitchen. Ginny and Hermione were already there, whispering to each other, not seeming to notice Ron´s presence yet. Taking a seat cautiously at the other side of the table, Ginny was the first to look up at him. She eyed him with a deadly glare.

"Hello Ron," Hermione smiled, not seeming to hold the same grudge Ginny did.

"Yes, hello Ron," Ginny said icily, sit up stiffly in her chair.

"Hullo," was all he could choke out.

"Here you go," Mrs. Weasley said, passing out plates. "Eat up."

Ron picked up his fork and started on his chopped up apples. Why he was using a fork, he didn´t know. The pieces were large enough to eat with his hands but too small to be considered fork food. Nothing seemed to be working right for him today. He wouldn´t be surprised if he cut his sandwich up with his knife.

Ron tried not to let Ginny´s suspicious looks bother him. After all, she had nothing on him! She couldn´t prove anything! He decided to just play dumb and act like he knew nothing of the words "letter" and "closet."

When he finished his meal, he got up and put his plate in the sink. Just as went for the stairs his mother called after him.

"Why don´t you and Hermione and Ginny go outside or something... It really is a nice day out today."

Ginny and Hermione both turned on Ron expectantly. He just shrugged.

"Sure, whatever."

~*~*~

"No, lay the blanket over here, Ron!"

"I don´t want it there, Ginny! I want it in the shade!"

"I came out here to get some sun, Ron, put it out there!"

"No, Ginny! If you want sun you can go get your own blanket!"

Ginny was really starting to get on Ron´s last nerve. She was being extra disagreeable so as to get him back for his snooping around.

"Fine, be that way!" Ginny shouted at him, stomping her foot indignantly and sticking her tongue out. She really was quite childish.

"I will be, then."

All the while, Hermione just sat on a certain lawn bench the Weasley´s just put in not too long ago and watched the scene with her head tilted to one side. She really did look quite cute like that...

"You know Ron, you´re really-"

But what he was, he never found out, for just as Ginny had looked up at the sky, a certain snowy white owl in which he happened to know, flew right into Ginny´s window. Her eyes widened excitedly and she gasped. Ron narrowed his eyes.

"I-uh... I´ll see you guys later!" She called over her shoulder as she took off for her room.

"Well... she was excited, wasn´t she?" Hermione grinned over at Ron knowingly. He felt himself blush despite his being grossed out. "Why don´t you come sit over here with me?"

"Oh, uh, sure..." he felt his ears go red as he took a seat on the green bench, right next to his best friend.

"So... we haven´t really been able to talk, have we?" she said, giving a little sigh as she looked up at the clouds.

"No, I, uh, suppose not," he answered shyly, kicking the ground nervously.

"You know..." she replied, scooting a little closer to him. "I really did miss you over the summer."

"Yeah, uh, me too," he strained his voice to say. For some reason it was really getting hard to talk correctly.

"How is Harry?" she asked, looking down shyly, fiddling with the hem of her shirt. Ron felt a flash of resentment at the sudden change of subject. He still remembered the letter.

"Oh, uh... I suppose he´s fine... that´s what he tells me, anyway."

"Oh."

"Yeah...but, uh, I dunno, if I had an evil wizard hunting me down I don´t think I would be so fine," Ron said, trying to make conversation. Hermione looked up at this.

"Yeah, poor guy," she said, laughing a bit. And then they scooted closer again. "So... you´ve done a little... uh, working out, this summer, have you?" Her voice also seemed strained as she started to lightly finger his biceps. Ron swallowed hard.

"Uh, yeah... a little."

Hermione grinned.

"Uh huh."

For no reason that he could think of, Ron actually took a little scoot towards Hermione, filling in the last bit of space in between them. Ron could see her face flush, as did his.

She raised her face up to his and looked at him intently for a long time, as if trying to figure him out. He just looked back down at her, racking his brain for the next step. His mind, however, was completely fogged and of no use to him whatsoever. All he had left was his heart... his feelings...

Hermione´s mouth fell open slightly as her breath intakes increased. Ron´s eyes widened. They really were sitting pretty close, weren´t they? Next thing Ron knew, he lost complete control of everything and started to lean in and was shocked to see Hermione start to do the same.

"Hermione!"

Ron could have died right there. Pulling apart from each as fast as possible, the two friends sat at the two different ends of the bench. Both were practically panting for breath and completely flushed.

"Y-..yes, Ginny, I´m here," Hermione called out weakly as Ginny came running down the lawn looking beside herself in excitement. Ron wanted to hit something in a very hard manner; preferably Ginny.

"His... His reply! You... must see... his reply!" she was out of breath and exhausted when she had reached them. She yanked Hermione out of her seat and pulled her towards the house.

"Come!"

Hermione stopped and looked over at Ron, looking both disappointed and very frustrated. Ron reciprocated the feelings. Turning an angry face on his sister, he glared his best at her. Ginny, however, chose to ignore this.

"Oh...alright, Ginny," Hermione let out dully as Ginny practically dragged her inside. "I guess I´ll see you later, then," she called over her shoulder.

Ron got up from the bench and actually kicked it over in frustration. Letting out an exaggerated sigh, he harrumphed back inside. He could have sworn Hermione had come here to see him, not Ginny.