"We'll make sure the boys behave, Mum," Ginny assured her.

"As if I'm not just as worried about you, Virginia." She shook her head. "Hermione? Make sure that everyone ends the day with all their limbs attached where they started, won't you?"

"Yes, Mrs. Weasley."

"That's just stunning," Ron muttered. "Teacher's pet not enough for you, Hermione?"

"You've got room to talk, Ron," she snapped. "I understand Professor Trelawney is bragging all about your prophecies of doom. You must be quite proud."

"Oh yes, and you can see all the sucking up I've done to her, right? Not like you with your arm so high in the air you've practically dislodged your shoulder." He smirked at her narrowed eyes, raising his voice in a mockery of hers. "Ooh! Ooh! Professor Lockhart! Professor Flitwick! Ooh! Ooh! Professor McGonagall! I know! I know!"

"Well, we all know you have to be imitating someone, Ron," Fred drawled, "as you never know anything."

He glared at his brother, snapping his mouth closed on his retort as his mother gave him the evil eye. "Are we going or not?"

"Yup," George handed around the floo powder. "Get in line." He looked at Harry with an impish grin. "And enunciate this time, would you?"

"That was three years ago!"

"So you want another spin 'round Knockturn Alley, do you?"

"Stuff it, George." Harry threw his powder in the fire and stuck out his tongue. "Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes."

George shook his head. "Bet he ends up at Flourish and Blotts or something."

Fred nudged him; whispering in his twin's ear, "Quit flirting."

"Fuck off."

"George Weasley! Did I just hear the words…"

Mrs. Weasley's voice faded as George followed Harry through the fireplace, stepping into the welcoming cool of the main room of their store. Ron was sulking by the wall, his arms crossed over his chest, and Harry was looking around. "It's great, George."

"This is nothing. Just the sales and show room. Wait'll you see the real inner workings." George ignored the hard nudge Fred gave him as he walked out of the fireplace. "Once everyone else gets here, we'll give you guys the grand tour."

"Aren't you open today?" Hermione asked as she entered the room.

"Yeah, we'll open a bit later. You guys are welcome to hang around and work for no pay if you'd like."

Luna lifted a glass dome off the counter and sniffed curiously at the yellow clumps beneath it. "Banana?"

"TriWizard Toffees," Fred informed her. "Bananas were Cedric's favorite. All the proceeds to go his family. And, before any of you ask, they don't do anything at all to you, except turn something you're wearing Hufflepuff colors for a half-hour."

"That's nice," Hermione joined Luna and started looking in the huge case. "What's this?"

Fred moved behind her, his hand resting lightly on her shoulder. "That, my dear Miss Granger, is the ever so famous Ton-Tongue Toffee, now in new assorted flavors." He grinned, his reflection in the glass mischievous. "We're thinking of sending a package to Harry's cousin, just for a treat."

"You're both horrible." She turned her head and smiled at him, blushing slightly.

He smiled impishly, his eyebrows waggling. "It's part of our charm." He leaned in and brushed his nose against hers. "Come on. There's lots more to see.

"The lab's through there," Fred pointed at a red door just down the hall from where they were standing. "There's an attached sitting room with a fireplace, which is nice because we can escape the stench if something goes horribly wrong."

"That would explain you smelling up the Burrow on occasion then, wouldn't it?" Ginny grinned. "Or is that just your natural manly aroma?"

He ignored her and pointed at a door closer to them. "That's the brainstorming room. We've got all sorts of things in there. Books, chairs, balls, Quidditch Bats…"

"Dirty magazines," George added.

Fred flushed and shook his head, his eyes never leaving Hermione. "Not to my knowledge."

"Riiiiight," George drawled. "Fred's as innocent as the driven snow. About a week after it's fallen."

"Go in there and play with Harry and Ron, would you?" Fred grinned maliciously as George blushed. "Make sure you give 'em some of the placebos as well."

"I'm not an amateur, Fred Weasley."

"No, you're a git."

"He's going to test stuff?" Ginny grinned. "On Harry and Ron?"

"Run along, little sister."

Her lips curled into a smile. "Thanks." She went about three steps then stopped. "Luna? Hermione?"

"I'll go."

Hermione glanced at the door the boys had gone through then back at Fred. "I think I'd like to see the brain storming room." Her eyes darkened slightly. "As long as there are no real brains in it."

"Well, you're safe from that, if you're going with Fred."

"Ha. Ha." Fred smirked back at Ginny. "Tell George I said to give you the green boiled sweet, won't you?"

"Not on your life."

He laughed as Ginny and Luna went through the door. "Shall we?" He led Hermione to the room he'd pointed out and stood back as she entered. She looked around. "What do you think?"

She looked bereft in the sea of mess, everything scattered very precisely around the room. "It's…lovely?"

"Finite Incantatum." The mess disappeared and Fred gestured to a loveseat in front of a large mirror. "Don't want anyone who might break in to be able to steal our secrets."

"Very clever."

"There's more."

"I'm not surprised." She sat down and looked up at him in anticipation.

"We're not sure what this lower room used to be used for, though we've got some ideas." Fred sat on the opposite end of the small sofa and waved his wand at the mirror. "Aspectus."

"What are you…" She stopped as their reflection disappeared and they could see and hear into the testing room. "Oh! I thought this was a Muggle thing."

"Muggles have this?"

"For security. So you can watch to see if people are stealing."

"We thought that might be what it was used for, but we're not too keen to ask. We're a little afraid we might get an answer we weren't prepared to hear." Fred chuckled. "Oh. Ron's about to try the green boiled sweet. I sense Ginny's hand at work there."

"What does it do?"

"Watch."

Ron popped the candy into his mouth and sucked on it. George stared down at the parchment in front of him, struggling not to laugh. "And how does it taste, Ron?"

Ron sucked a little harder then thought, finally opening his mouth to answer. Instead, a rich, honeyed baritone sang out his answer, followed by a few questions and, ultimately a string of epithets. Fred laughed out loud and George buried his head on the table, his whole body shaking. Ron clamped his mouth shut, his face burning.

"Oh, Ron's not pleased."

"He's here," Fred reminded her. "If he thinks he's going to just get a piece of candy with no side-effects, he's gone daft."

"Maybe he was hoping for something that might be a little more," she shrugged, "impressive."

"What do you mean?"

"Not that it wasn't a nice voice or anything, but maybe, since he's here with his new girlfriend," Fred was impressed at the lack of bitterness in her voice, concerned with the lack of any emotion, "he'd want something that would make her view him as more attractive."

"Like what?"

"What would make Ron more attractive?"

"Ron in particular." Fred shrugged. "Men in general."

"I don't know that I'm the best person to ask," she blushed. "I've not had the best luck when it comes to boys. Men."

"You dated an international Quidditch star," he reminded her. "What'd Viktor have that you liked?"

"I don't like the normal things, Fred." Her embarrassment and frustration sounded in her voice. "I don't like muscles or bragging or all those other things that other girls like. You should ask Lavender or Parvati or Angelina…"

He looked at her quizzically, confused about her sudden quiet until it dawned on him. He grinned wildly, struggling to control the impulse before he spoke. "We were just friends."

"But she's a girl."

"And you're not?"

She shook her head. "I don't want to talk about this."

"I'm not trying to put you on the spot, Hermione. I think you've got a brilliant idea, and I just wanted to pick your brain to see if it's a viable one. So, please, just pretend you're a silly, giggling, insipid little girl that most boys seem to think are the best thing on the planet and tell me, if you were looking for your dream date, what would you want?"

Hermione thought for a moment then turned a dazzling smile on him, batting her eyes until she looked dizzy. She scooted toward him and arched her back slightly, thrusting her chest out at him. He glanced down quickly then back up, reminding himself very sternly that he needed very much not to be looking at Hermione's breasts, even if they were scant inches from his chest. "How's this?"

"Depends on what you're trying to do exactly." Kill me? He thought. Give me a raging hard-on that I'll have to explain away before my little brother beheads me with a piece of my own licorice?

"Did I not giggle enough?"

"Oh. Right." He laughed weakly and shifted, dropping his hand casually into his lap. "No. Very nice. Nicely giggled."

"Well, I'd obviously want him to be smarter than me. And stronger. I guess most girls like it when boys can protect them."

"You don't?"

"I can take care of myself." She looked at the ground. "Though it's not been bad when R…someone has had to save me."

He nodded, his erection suddenly less pressing. "Okay, brawn and brains. What else?"

"He needs to be funny."

"I can do funny."

"But not," she scowled. "Don't take this the wrong way, okay, Fred?"

"That's not ominous."

"Girls…for the most part, we don't like humor like you boys like humor. We do, I mean, it's funny to us when you pull a gag on someone, don't get me wrong. But on a date, well, I don't think I'd like it if I kissed yo…" she swallowed and blushed, quickly looking back at the mirror. "Someone and when I pulled away my tongue was lolling on the floor like a dead snake."

"Right." He nodded, his erection back in full force. "Good call."

"But we want funny. Charming. Handsome. Maybe something for acne? I mean, I know they have all those things, but maybe a sweet that freshens your breath and clears up any acne that you could suck on right before you showed up at her doorstep?"

He nodded. "Right." He got off the sofa, glad she was still focused on the five in the other room and not on his slightly off-center walking. He grabbed a parchment and a quill, jotted down notes and then came back to her, charming the quill to keep writing. "Anything else you can think of?"

"Well, speaking of girls, why not aim some of your business at them?" She looked back at him, half-smiling as she realized he was a little bit closer, his arm along the back of the seat, fingers hanging down so that they almost touched her shoulder. "The same sort of thing. Breath sweets, perfume sweets - but make sure those aren't too overpowering. Beauty sweets."

"Beauty sweets?"

"Just like for the guys. Make us prettier, sexier, bigger," she gestured at her chest and his eyes dropped. Her robe was open and the shirt she was wearing seemed suddenly too small. He missed her smirk. "Dumber."

"Dumber?" He looked up, his face hot, his body hot. "What d'you mean?"

"Just that. Dumber." She got off the sofa and walked over to the mirror, her eyes on Ron and Harry as they poked a pile of what looked like cotton candy. "Boys don't want girls that are smarter. They don't want to be intimidated or shown up. They don't want to take her to a French restaurant and have her order in French when he can't even say escargot."

"You don't say the T on the end?" He looked scandalized. "No!"

Hermione laughed sadly. "Boys don't want to be told they're wrong. They don't want to be anything less than perfect."

"And girls do?"

"Doesn't matter what we want. Unless the boy gets what he wants. Take…" She shook her head. "Boys don't like smart girls. Make us something that makes us dumber."

"Boys who don't like smart girls aren't smart enough to deserve them." He moved up behind her and touched her shoulder lightly before stepping beside her. "Personally, I find smart women to amazingly sexy. They know things."

Hermione blushed. "Know things?"

"You've been hanging out with George too much. You're mind's somewhere down the red light district of Knockturn Alley."

She opened her mouth in protest. "Is not!"

"Well then, what kind of things did you think I meant?"

Hermione blushed and turned away from him. "Maybe you need a sweet that keeps boys from saying suggestive things."

"And a binding spell to keep them from doing suggestive things?" He turned sideways so he could watch her, uninterested in George's research in the next room, completely enthralled with the sight now in front of him. "I like smart girls."

Her quick glance at him was grateful, turned away in the heat of his own gaze. "That's because you're smart, Fred. And you know it. It's when boys doubt their own brains that they get all defensive."

"Is Ron your sole basis of research?"

"Ron's not intimidated by smart girls." Hermione pointed into the next room where Luna was making a face, her cheeks covered in pale purple dots. "He's dating a Ravenclaw."

"Oh, that's not right." Fred jotted something down, knowing without looking that George was doing the same.

"So it can't be intelligence that puts him off." She forced herself to watch as Ron touched Luna's cheeks, rubbing lightly at the spots. "It must just be me. So that must be your answer, right?"

Fred tucked the parchment away and looked at her, his expression making it clear that, whatever her argument, he knew she was wrong. "What's that?"

"Whatever you make, just make sure the end result is anything that's not me."

"You remember what I said about guys who don't appreciate smart women?" As she nodded, he reached over and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, barely touching her. "The same goes for stupid prats who don't appreciate everything else you have to offer."

"Like Ron?"

He nodded and stepped closer to her, his eyes searching her face, his desire and intent to kiss her clear in his eyes. Instead he bypassed her lips, brushing his against her forehead. "Very much like Ron."

Fred leaned against the counter and smiled, watching Hermione as she surveyed their laboratory. "What do you think? Would Snape be proud?"

"Of a Gryffindor?" She grinned at him, her hair falling down around her face. "Somehow I doubt it."

"A Gryffindor, a Weasley and a joke shop. What's not to be proud of, right?" He grinned though it was more of a smirk. "Although it's got me out of his hair, so he's got to be marginally more pleased than Mum."

"Is she giving you a hard time about school still?"

He shrugged one shoulder. "No more so than usual. No more so than she did when we were in school. Only then it was about grades and playing less Quidditch and paying more attention and stop tormenting all the other students with our constant gags."

"And now it's about real life?"

"Yeah." He glanced around the shop, obviously proud. "But our orders are outstanding and we've barely even opened. Not just from Hogwarts students, either. People off the street. Of course, it doesn't hurt that being a Weasley means there's ever so slim of a chance that Harry might be here."

"You're not using him, are you? In your advertising?"

"What? You don't think we should make a little money off the Boy Who Lived?" He laughed as her disapproving glare. "No. We're not using Harry. Or Ron. Or you."

"Me and Ron?"

"You're just as famous. You're the girl who broke Harry Potter's heart, don't you know. Falling for his competition in the TriWizard Tournament and then, once he'd won the Goblet of Fire and you back from Krum, leaving him for his best friend."

"And now his best friend's brother?" She asked shyly.

Fred chuckled softly. "I want it noted for the record that you said that, not me."

Hermione smiled at him, running her fingers along the edge of the counter. Fred shifted his stance, putting his hand on the smooth surface, watching as her fingers moved closer. "The shop's really nice, Fred."

"I'm glad you're awed and impressed by it."

She lifted a finger to brush the sleeve of his robe. "You've got some really great ideas."

"You do too. I'd like to steal a few of them."

"They're all yours."

"I'd like to pick your brain a little more as well, if I could. Get a little feminine perspective."

"I'd be happy to help." She touched his wrist and he turned his hand over, exposing his palm. Her fingers feathered tentatively over the pale skin, her own fair cheeks flushed. "Anything to assure the continued affluence of the Weasley brood."

"Oh yes, we're dripping in riches thanks to our Ton-Tongue Toffees." His fingers clenched slightly, curling just enough to cause her to pull away. His smile was somewhat resigned and he glanced at the clock on the wall. "It's almost time for you guys to go home."

"You're not going home for dinner?"

"Not tonight."

"Oh." She nodded and glanced over toward the fireplace. Harry was sitting beside it, still looking slightly queasy after tasting a few too many of Fred and George's newest concoctions. Ginny was standing, leaning against the wall, struggling to control her smile as Harry hiccupped and a miniature monkey appeared in the air in front of him, hovering there before giving off a small "eeep!" and disappearing.

Hermione laughed, her breath catching as she felt Fred move behind her, his hand light as his fingers ran down her arm. "Will you go out with me on Friday, Hermione?"

She nodded, unable to turn around and look at him, uncertain of the churning anticipation in her stomach, the sickly sweet feeling that curled beneath it, making her whole body feel hot. "Yes."

"You're sure?"

She nodded again and managed to face him, her eyes wide. "Yes."

He nodded in return and rubbed her bottom lip with his thumb, separating it from the top one, leaving her looking breathless and imminently kissable. "I'll pick you up."

"Okay." She licked her lips unconsciously, her eyes hooked on Fred's. "That'd be nice." She turned back around to watch Harry who was still hiccupping, the small smoke animals parading around the room before fading, dissolving in the air slowly.

Fred closed his eyes, struggling to think of something off-putting. Like Dumbledore in a wet t-shirt contest, or Dolores Umbridge and Hagrid kissing. "Nice," he croaked, the images unable to block out the thought of a quick, pink tongue darting out over lips he suddenly had a strong desire to taste. "Yes."

"I think that one's a Vanquil," Luna's quiet voice carried over Harry's sudden barrage of hiccups, animals spilling out of his mouth at a somewhat alarming rate. She stepped forward, observing the smoky blob then nodding. "Yes. Father'd be quite pleased."

"I don't think smoke ones count though, do they?" Ron asked her, his voice pitched just loud enough for Hermione to hear, his eyes watching her surreptitiously as she simply stood in front of Fred. "Although it would give the picture some atmosphere."

"Oh, no. He'd want something more substantial. But I'm sure this is a good start." She dug into the small bag in her hand, the Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes logo moving over the slick surface like a pent-up snitch. "Maybe if I snuck up on one."

"How'd you do that?" Ron darted a quick glance at her then back at Hermione who seemed to have moved closer to his older brother. "Sneak up, I mean?"

She looked up at him as he turned to look at her again, his motion stopped as she nibbled on the end of a Transfiguration Tasty. Sharp, dark brown ears appeared from her blonde hair, her eyes turning almond shaped and glowing slightly. Downy fur dotted her skin and long, firm whiskers stretched out from her face. "You have to gain their trust, seem innocuous." She scratched her chin, the motion becoming a quick swipe, like a paw across fur. "Then when they least expect it, you pounce."

Ron stroked her cheek, his fingertips finding flesh beneath the sudden sprout of fur. "That's how you capture a Vanquil is it?"

"Among other things."

"Like what?" He could feel Hermione's gaze as it shifted toward them, hear her soft gasp as she realized Luna's head was very slowly transforming into a reasonable facsimile of a cat. "Besides a Vanquil?"

"A Mosslebeck Toad."

"Yeah?" Ron traced her eyebrow as the fur began to fade, the slight taste of the candy wearing off quickly. "What else?"

"I think a Snarfblat."

"What about," Ron kissed her softly, closing his eyes as Hermione's gaze followed him, clung to him like Luna's warm fingers, "a Ravenclaw?"

Luna gave a soft whimper that sounded much like the silky purr of a cat, her body curling sinuously against Ron's. Her hands seem to shake as she lifted them, pale skin threading through the brilliant shock of ginger hair. She seemed just about to relax completely into the kiss when Ron jerked away, succumbing to a wave of belches, short bursts of flames pulsing from his lips.

Luna tilted her head curiously, holding her hand into the flame when the first uncontrollable burst didn't burn her. "Oh, very nice."

"Nice?" Ron squeaked between burps. "I'm gonna kill you, Fred."

"On that note," George walked into the lab and grinned happily, "I think it's time for our visitors to head on home. Mum'll be worried that we've done something horrible to you if you're not back soon."

"I'm belching," Ron paused to emit another stream of fire, "flames and Harry's spitting out a menagerie of smoke and you've not done," another burp, "something horrible?"

George shrugged. "Nobody's got hurt." He glanced at Hermione then at Ron, raising an eyebrow. Ron followed his gaze to her soft eyes, a thin layer of hurt blurring the color as she deliberately refused to look at either Ron or Luna, then shot his eyes back to his brother. "Thanks for visiting. Come back soon."

"I hope you wake up hungry in the middle of the night and eat one of your own concoctions." Ron belched three times in rapid succession, the flames longer each time.

"It's terrible, isn't it, Ron? You can't even call the twins names," Ginny fought her giggle, "without insulting yourself." She gestured toward the fireplace. "Come on. Let's get home. Mum's making my favorite for dinner. Besides, I can't wait to hear what she says about the new entertainment act you and Harry have going on. Maybe we can convince her you're thinking about leaving school and taking it on the road."

"You're about as funny as them," Ron sneered.

"Thanks for the compliment, big brother." She threw her powder into the fire and flooed home, her laughter lingering behind her.

"Harry? You wanna trade? You have the family and I'll be the orphan for a while?"

"Ron?" Harry chuckled, somewhat surprised that the question didn't hurt then realizing, perhaps, why it didn't. "You've noticed that they pick on me too, right?"

"Damn."

"Language, Ronald!" Fred teased, ignoring Ron's rude gesture. Hermione started toward the fireplace as Ron and Luna went through, her progress halted as Fred caught her arm. Harry glanced back at her and she nodded, waving him on ahead. He disappeared and Hermione turned around. "I'll see you Friday? Around seven?"

She nodded. "Yeah."

"Okay." He let her go. She was almost at the fireplace when he spoke again. "Hermione?" She turned, her head tilted questioningly. "Goodnight."

She blushed and threw her powder, her voice slightly unsteady. He watched her go, very aware of his twin's gaze. "The new licorice is a hit. Though I think Hermione's right. We should market the smoke animals more toward the girls, change it to a different color, maybe pink, and put the fire in the red ones. Black…black should be something terribly nasty."

"I did see Ron kissing Luna again, didn't I? That makes it, what? Four times in two days?"

"Four?"

"He stole a few whenever he though Hermione was watching him."

"Ah."

"So our Ronniekins has either grown some balls or lost his head," George sighed as he leaned against the counter behind Fred.

"It's not balls," Fred assured him. "Four kisses, sure. But it's still the wrong girl, isn't it?"

"Is she the wrong girl?" George smiled as Fred whipped his head around to look at him. "As far as you're concerned, that is."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"You do, Fred. And you know you do." He let the statement linger in the air for a moment before speaking again. "You had fun today."

"Of course I did."

"Let me rephrase. You had fun with Hermione today."

"So?"

George's nonchalant tone did little to hide his amusement. "Just a comment, brother dear. Just a comment." He turned and headed out of the lab, grinning like a maniac. He pitched his voice slightly, giving it a husky purr. "See you Friday," then breathless, "Hermione."

Fred repeated the gesture Ron had used earlier. "Sod off, George."

"Ron?" Luna stuck her head in the door and waved to Harry, her eyes focused on Ron. "My dad's here. We're off to do some photography. Would you want to come?"

"Uh…" He glanced desperately at Harry. "Er, no thanks. We're about to play some wizard chess. Maybe, uh, later?"

"Okay. I'm going to take Ginny. She wants to see the Vanquil nest Dad's found."

"Right. You have fun. You coming back tonight?"

She nodded. "If that's all right?"

"Of course. Sure. We'll, uh, hang out tonight. After dinner. Maybe, uh, do something?"

"That'd be nice." She waved again and disappeared.

Harry smirked at Ron. "You're Mr. Eloquent, aren't you?"

"Sod off." Ron moved his rook. "Your move."

"Why don't you just tell her the truth? Or better yet, break up with her and tell Hermione the truth?"

"Luna's nice." Ron shrugged. "I'm having a fine time."

"And you're not just kissing her because it upsets Hermione?"

"It upsets her, does it?" Ron met Harry's gaze. "She didn't look too upset when she was practically kissing Fred before we left."

"You two are hopeless, you know that?" Harry sighed and moved. "Go."

"Checkmate." Ron captured Harry's king, the rough slicing sound of stone on stone filling the small attic room. "Another game?"

"Let me recover from my debilitating defeat first, huh?" Harry lay back on the floor and stared at the slanted ceiling. "So, what's it like?"

"What?"

"Kissing Luna."

"It's all right." Ron shrugged. "Never kissed anyone before her."

"I guess there's got to be a first, huh?" Harry turned over on his stomach and rested his chin on the back of his hands. "Was it wet?"

"Nah," Ron shook his head, leaning back against his bed. "Sort of dry and cool. Aloof almost. Like she didn't mind that I was doing it, but she wasn't particularly pleased either. Although today's was nicer. The last one."

"You do sort of like her, right?"

"Yeah. I mean, she's nice. And pretty in an odd sort of way. Not classic like Fleur was or anything. 'Course, she's not part veela either, so that's a bonus. Leastwise I know I'll keep my wits about me."

"Assuming you have wits?" Hermione smiled from the doorway, her gaze somewhat defensive. She held up a bowl of fluffy white. "I brought popcorn."

"What're you doing up here?" Ron moved his feet grudgingly as she made to step over them, scooting away from her as she sat on the edge of his bed, setting the bowl on the floor at her feet. "Figured you'd be studying or something."

"I was." She shrugged. "I just thought that the three of us haven't been able to hang out together at all."

"And you thought maybe Harry and I were bored and wanted to be harangued about studying or something while it's still summer?"

"Actually," her voice was cool, "I thought you might like some popcorn, Ron. Or maybe I was just hoping your legendary appetite would take over and you'd shove your mouth so full you couldn't talk so I could have a conversation with Harry without your nasty tongue entering into it." She stood up and stepped over his legs again. "Obviously I was wrong."

"Hermione." Harry rolled his eyes at Ron and got to his feet. "Don't go."

"You know, Ron, I thought maybe I could talk to you, both of you, about something and I thought maybe, since you're supposed to be my best friends in the entire world, you'd listen and offer me some advice, give me your thoughts and help me make an informed decision. Apparently I was wrong."

"About us helping you?"

She shook her head, sniffing back the tears that sparkled in the corners of her eyes. "About you being my best friends."

Harry groaned as she turned and ran down the stairs. "Ron, you stupid git."

"She just sets me off, Harry," he thumped his head back against the mattress.

"Maybe, just maybe because you fancy her?" Harry took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "You're a world class prat lately around her, Ron. Why can't you just admit that you like her and get on with it? It's what this whole thing is about, right? What Fred's doing, what you're doing? You don't want him to be right so you're mucking around with Luna? Do you want Hermione to like Fred? Because you snogging Luna in front of her isn't going to make her like you much."

"I suppose I should go talk to her, huh?" Ron sighed and put his hands on the mattress, shoving himself up off the floor.

"If by talk you mean apologize, yeah."

Ron waved in comment as he headed out the door and down the stairs, stopping on the next landing and turning toward Ginny's bedroom. The door was shut and he lifted his hand to knock, stopping at the sound of his mother's voice. "Did Ron say something to you, Hermione?"

"No, Mrs. Weasley, it's got nothing to do with Ron."

"Fred and George today? At the shop? Did they try something on you, dear?"

"Honestly, Mrs. Weasley, it's got nothing to do with anyone in your family. I just think that I should spend some time with my parents, is all. I promise."

"But dear, we told them we wanted you here. Not that they wouldn't want you back, of course, but didn't you say they'd made plans? Something about visiting friends in America?"

"Oh, no." He could hear the slight pause in her voice, the hesitancy in her tone. "That's during Christmas. They're home now."

"Maybe I should just call them up. Have Arthur do it on the fellytone at work."

"You can if you'd like, Mrs. Weasley, but really it's not necessary to bother them. I can owl them tonight and then they'll be expecting me tomorrow."

"I don't…and you'd go there for the rest of the summer?"

"It's only a few weeks."

"Hermione?" Ron tapped on the door with the back of his knuckles. "You in there?" She opened the door slowly and Ron was careful to force his eyes to his mother, widening them in surprise. "Oh, hello, Mum." He looked back at Hermione, smiling slightly. "Harry and I are about to…study. Thought you'd like to come up and help us."

"You're about to what?"

"Study. Upstairs. In my room. Come on." He took her hand, trying not to notice the tingling sensation. "We can't study without you."

"You've gone mental, Ron."

He stopped out of the sight of his mother and faced her. "You're not leaving on my account. You're not leaving period. I'm a git. You've known that since you met me. Don't expect it to change now."

"I don't want to stay here if you're going to attack me in every conversation we have, Ron."

"Every other one?"

She smiled slightly. "I suppose it's a start."