Forever x Always

Hermione arrived at Ginny's summer birthday party. Most of their friends had already arrived. Hermione stood at the Burrow, grasping Ginny's birthday present, and rang the doorbell, butterflies fluttering in her stomach. The butterflies weren't out of nervousness for the party, but for what she saw when the door opened.

Ronald Weasley stood on the other side of the doorway, jaw dropped, flabbergasted. He knew that Hermione and Ginny were good friends, but since Hermione was a Muggle, Ron had never expected to see her right on his doorstep.

As Hermione saw Ron open the door, her smile faded to a look of shock. Ginny promised her that Ron would be camping with his brothers and wouldn't be around for Ginny's party. Hermione was thankful for that because she had liked Ron from the first day they met, and she didn't want to be a nervous git at the party.

Ron felt the same way about Hermione, but he hid it well, at least to Hermione. They argued often, so it gave each other the impression that they weren't too fond of one another. Of course, everyone around them knew what they had for each other, if only they could realize it before it was too late.

Ron and Hermione stood there for a couple of moments, staring at each other. After a while, the stare turned into a sort of glare. Their trance didn't break until Ginny came barreling down the stairs.

"Ron, who is it?" she asked, taking the step two at a time. Ginny came to the front door and giggled when she saw Hermione at the front door. "Oh, that's why you were taking so long to answer the door," she giggled.

"Shut it, you stupid git!" roared Ron, his ears turning red.

"Ronald Weasley!" snapped Mrs. Weasley, who was just coming out of the kitchen to greet whoever was at the door. "Don't you ever call your sister that again! Oh...Why, hello dear. Come in...I'm sorry about the ruckus," she said, seeing Hermione.

"That's quite alright, Mrs. Weasley. I know what a pain young Ronald can be," explained Hermione. For sixteen years old, Hermione spoke like a grammar school graduate. Mrs. Weasley beamed and was impressed by this young lady.

Hermione walked through the door and handed Mrs. Weasley Ginny's gift. Mrs. Weasley set it on the living room table with the rest of Ginny's gifts. Ginny and Hermione went upstairs to Ginny's room, where the rest of their friends were waiting.

"Okay, she's here!" Ginny reported as she plopped onto her pink bean bag chair that was in the middle of her room, surrounded by everyone else.

As Hermione entered the room, the circle of girls, including Ginny, started to giggle.

"What?" Hermione frantically asked.

"Don't you know?" asked a girl named Laura, who Hermione knew by sight.

"Know what?" asked Hermione, feeling her cheeks turn red.

"That!" Ginny answered, pointing to her open door.

Hermione turned around and faced the door, and just her luck, Ron was standing there holding a shoe. The next thing Hermione felt was her catching something. She looked down into her hands and saw the same white Nike that Ron was just holding. Hermione looked back to the doorway and saw Ron bolt to his upstairs room.

"That?! Know that?!" hollered Hermione, pointing to the open door. "I know that is Ronald Weasley the boy that's hated me and the boy I've liked since the day we met! That, I know, is the one person who makes me hate myself so much!"

The girls busted out in laughter. Ginny was the first one to catch her breath and was able to talk. "Well, at least you finally admitted it," she said.

"Admitted what?" Hermione asked, and evil glint in her eyes.

"That you like Ronnie!" Ginny stifled in between a giggle.

Hermione's cheeks instantly turned red. "No I don't!" she insisted.

"Yes you do!" cheered Ginny as she happily clapped. "It's so obvious, for one, and you also said, 'I know that's Ronald Weasley, the boy that's hated me and the boy I've liked since the day we met.'"

"I did, didn't I?" said an astonished Hermione. She slowly began to sit down, but there was no chair beneath her, so Laura grabbed a beanbag chair and tossed it beneath Hermione to break her fall.

Some of the girls had to stifle their giggles as Hermione dropped herself onto the beanbag. Mrs. Weasley came into Ginny's room and saw Hermione sitting dazed in the doorway.

"Oh, dear, are you alright?" frantically asked Mrs. Weasley. She started fussing over Hermione as she suddenly snapped back into reality.

"What? Oh, yeah. I'm fine," replied the dazed Hermione.

"Are you sure? Okay, then, dear. Be careful, girls. I don't want any injuries that need to be repaired by magic. I still remember Fred and George's fifteenth birthday party. Actually, I believed they called it a birthday 'celebration.' Oh, poor little Luke. No, they weren't ever able to get his fingers on right, not even the doctors from St. Mungo's..." Mrs. Weasley trailed off, leaving the room.

"So, anyways," Ginny started, rolling her eyes, "tell us about the first time you met Ron."

"Now, Ginny, I don't believe that story is necessary to be told, and I don't want to get into that subject, nor do I want to think about Ron right now. In fact, if I saw him, I'd throw something at him," snapped Hermione as she went to make her left hand into a fist, but it wouldn't close. She looked down and saw she was still holding Ron's shoe.