"Sorry dear, but Harry and I want a word with you."

"What?! Is everything alright," I squeaked. I was really worried. What had happened that made Ron look at me like that? There was a need in his eyes. I obviously needed to come quickly but I didn't want to break Mrs Weasley's rule about sneaking out. I didn't want to get into any trouble with her. I loved her as much as I loved my own mother. In fact, she was basically my second mother.

I followed Ron outside and saw him waiting with Harry. Harry looked very grave. It made me worried. The last time I had seen Harry looking like that was right after the Battle of Hogwarts when we were at the funeral.

"Hermione." Harry lifted his head to face me and we locked eyes. "Ron and I — well we —"

"Let me say it, Harry," Ron cut in. "We are thinking about not going back to Hogwarts — again." Ron looked down at his feet in shame. Harry looked like he wasn't sure what he should be doing. I was sure I hadn't heard them correctly.

"Not going back to Hogwarts?" I screamed.

"Shhhhh, Mrs Weasley might hear." Harry looked extremely worried at the mere thought of Mrs Weasley, 1: finding us outside and 2: finding out they were leaving Hogwarts again.

"Is that really a bad thing?" I demanded. "If Mrs Weasley finds out that you two--" I glared them down with my most Hermione like glare,"don't go back to Hogwarts. And Ginny, Harry. Ginny," I demanded with a pleasing look in my eyes. "She is so excited to graduate with you. How could you possibly do such a thing? I am so disappointed in the both of you." I actually couldn't believe it. I was standing out in the front yard of the burrow, panting with sweat and tears dripping down my face. I didn't even notice that I had been crying. I just didn't understand why they wouldn't want to go back to Hogwarts.

When I looked up, I saw Ron and Harry facing each other and discussing something very quietly so that I couldn't hear. They looked at me and Ron stared me in the eye for a good thirty seconds before saying with much caution,"Harry and I have made a decision."

"Oh yeah," I responded, " and what might that decision be, may I dare to ask?"

Harry cut in before Ron could speak again, "We have decided that we will return to Hogwarts." I cheered silently. "But we might not stay the whole year. And no, Hermione it's not for our education, it's for you and Ginny. If you must know, Ron and I were offered a position in auror training."

"But that's wonderful Harry." I was so pleased with my best friend and boyfriend.

"They asked me if you wanted to be in it too."

I cringed at the thought. I didn't feel like being an auror. That wasn't my type of thing. I wanted to do something useful like The Society for the Protection of Elvish Welfare, also known as S.P.E.W. or as Ron preferred to call it "spew."

"But," Harry continued, "I turned down the offer because I assumed you wouldn't want to do it." He turned his head downwards and shook it in shame. " I shouldn't have made a decision like that for you without your permission. I'm very sorry."

"That's quite alright." I was secretly relieved that this was a situation I wasn't going to have to deal with. I decided that I wasn't going to come right out and show them that.

"Well then. Night." Harry waved to us and walked back into the burrow.

I was about to turn around and say something to Ron involving goodnight, but before I could even really think, I was scooped off my feet and twirled around in the air. I started to protest but it was too late. Ron then placed me gently on the ground.

"What do you think your —" but my words were swallowed by his mouth. He had planted his mouth right on top of mine and was kissing me like he had at the Battle of Hogwarts. I could feel his hands running through my hair and once they found a spot they seemed to like, they stayed there and wrapped the hair up into a tight twirl. My hand found Ron's neck and I was fooling around with his hair. I was lifted about an inch off the ground as he kissed me harder. Then the kiss ended and we stepped away from each other slowly. We were both breathing very fast.

"Wow, Hermione — that was — something."

I wasn't sure what to say. My face was surely beat red by now and I could feel the temperature of my face rising quickly. At least no one saw us.

"Ronald Bilius Weasley!" There came a shout from inside the burrow. All of the lights in the kitchen turned on. "What do you think you are doing outside in the middle of the night? I was scared half to death when I heard footsteps coming up the stairs and I saw no one there. I thought someone was coming to murder us in our sleep."

By now, Mrs Weasley had managed to make her way out the door and was standing framed in the doorway, a scary and impressive sight to behold.

"Oh and Hermione dear," I recoiled in fear, not sure what to expect, "you run along now upstairs to bed so you get a good night's sleep before returning to Hogwarts."

"Ok, Mrs Weasley," I said quickly to avoid any further argument.

As I was walking away, I caught Ron's eye as he mouthed meet me. I nodded and carried on into the house, listening.

"How could you think it was a good idea to sneak away like that? Do you like to worry me half to death; find it funny do you? Well there is going to be some change around here. Running out of my house in the middle of the night to go snog your girlfriend? Is that really a tolerable behavior to show around Ginny?" I had heard enough so I went up the stairs and cast a dissolutionment charm on myself so that when Mrs Weasley stormed up the stairs back to her room, I wouldn't be spotted. I removed it once I heard her door close with a satisfying click.

"Sorry about her." Ron looked at me with a sad look in his eyes. "She's a bit loony. Honestly, like Harry doesn't snog Ginny every chance he gets. The nerve of that woman. Goodnight Hermione." He gave me a quick peck on the lips and then started up the stairs.

"Night, Ron," I replied, following him. When we went our separate ways into our own rooms, we gave a small wave. As I was shutting the door behind me, Ginny jumped up behind me and flung her arms around my neck.

"What happened down there," she asked. " haven't heard a commotion like that from mum since the Mundungus Fletcher incident." I laughed at the memories that it brought back.

"Your mum caught me and Ron snogging right outside the burrow."

"Merlin's beard. Mum shouldn't get so worked up about a thing like that. I mean, we are all over age and have boyfriends and girlfriends. Even Percy has one now. And me and Harry have slept together a couple of times." Ginny's voice seemed to falter at the end of her speech and her face got extremely red. "Well, at least we are going back to Hogwarts. It's easier there, no mum screaming down our throats with her hawk like eyesight spotting everything." We laughed for about a minute and then Ginny let out a huge yawn.

"Well, Night Hermione."

"Night Ginny," I replied. Hogwarts will be better. That was the last thought that played in my head as I fell fast asleep.