Ron walked along next to Hermione without speaking. She was raving about house elves again, and he didn't want to fire her up even more. How she began raving in the first place, he couldn't say, but he only knew that she was raving. Again. But he'd just said that, hadn't he?

He gave a furious sigh, angry with himself. Why did he have to have fallen in love with Hermione? What made her The One for him?

That's simple, he thought. She's beautiful, smart, sensitive, adorable, funny especially when she's not trying to be, clever, fun to provoke, fabulous...

The list went on and on.

"Ron!" Hermione interrupted his thoughts, her brow furrowed. He noticed that there was a tiny spot of sun block on her forehead as she slathered in onto her shoulders as they walked. "Are you listening?"

"Er, sorry," Ron managed, staring at the spot. "I thought you were talking to... Ginny," He finished lamely.

"Ginny and Harry are talking about the Order, and I think it's very rude for you to ignore me when I am so plainly speaking to-"

Hermione stopped. Ron had just reached out and swiped the bit of sun block from her forehead. Her face was burning, and he could feel the tips of his ears burn.

She drew a collected breath and grinned at him forcefully. "Did I miss a spot?"

He nodded.

"Hermione, are we almost there?" Ginny banged into the conversation with a whine to her voice.

Ron gave her an irritated look. "Do you see a pool anywhere?"

"No."

"Then, no, dear sister, we aren't almost there." Ron felt as though somehow Ginny had ended a moment between Hermione and him.

Ginny stuck her tongue out at her big brother and resumed her conversation with Harry.

About five minutes later, they entered the pool and Ron looked around in surprise. There were tall chairs around the perimeter of the pool, with people sitting in them boredly, twirling whistles on their fingers as they gazed longingly at the swimmers.

"Are those please-men?" Ron asked.

Harry and Hermione chuckled. "Police, Ron, not please," said Hermione. "And no, they're not. They're lifeguards."

"What do they do?" Ginny asked curiously, twirling her fiery hair around her finger, a sharp contrast against her blue swimming suit.

"They're supposed to save the drowning," Harry piped up. "They don't do much but sit in the sun, really."

"Weird," Ginny replied, "I've only been to a pool in our world and they set charms on the water. If somebody starts to drown the pool spits them out onto the deck."

Hermione grinned. "That doesn't sound very nice."

Ginny shrugged nonconcernedly. "Better than dying. Here, I'll do your back, Hermione."

Ron watched Hermione flip her hair forward and lean over so Ginny could rub in the lotion. Harry nudged him and he was knocked out of his trance.

"Last one in is a dead chimaera!" Harry shouted, and made a beeline for the water. He leapt in, creating a tremendous splash that leapt over the side of the pool and splashed the girls. Ginny shrieked.

"You'll pay for that one, Potter!" She bellowed, hurriedly finished Hermione's sun block. Then she threw her towel from around her waist hurriedly and splashed into the pool, soaking Harry. Immediately the two struck up a violent splash fight, shouting and laughing. The lifeguard threw a bored look at them but said nothing.

"Crazy, the pair of them," Ron said, grinning. He was keen to join the splash fight, but Hermione didn't seem to be. She unwrapped the towel from around her waist and dipped her foot into the pool, testing the temperature. She grinned and carefully made her way down the steps. She looked cold.

Ron stood on the side, half wanting to get in and half wanting to just stand there and watch, mesmerized. He noted that Hermione was rubbing goose bumps on her arms, watching Ginny twirl and somersault in the water. Harry swam beneath the surface, and Ron watched as his best friend swam silently behind Hermione, coming closer and closer.

"Look out!" Ginny shrieked, and Hermione turned. Harry shot out of the water, waving his arms to send tidal waves at his friend. Hermione shouted bloody murder and shoved him away. He shoved back, and then dunked her underwater.

Ron leapt into the pool. This was getting out of hand. Harry and Ginny would team up against Hermione, and she needed backup.

But Hermione wasn't angry, as Ron expected her to be. When Harry lifted her back out of the water she laughed, water running off her hair and eyelashes. Then she proceeded to whirl to her right and shove Ginny under. Ginny came up sputtering indginantly, and Ron gave her a second to catch her breath before lifting his siser clean out of the water and throwing her at Harry, who almost caught her.

Hermione was laughing and Ginny was squealing in protest. The splash fight went on for a while longer, until the four teenagers climbed slowly out of the water.

They sat on the side of the pool, grinning.

"This is how it's supposed to be, isn't it?" Hermione asked happily. "The four of us, having fun. I am so sick of everything." Ron knew that by 'everything' she meant the fear and grief that had consumed the foursome's summer up to this point.

"Yeah," Ginny said quietly, leaning back on her hands, pointing her freckled toes in the water.

"Thanks," said Harry softly, glancing at Hermione. Tears welled in Hermione's eyes, much to Ron's surprise, and she reached across Ginny to pull Harry into a hug. He clung to her tightly for a second, and then released her, staring determinedly away from Ron's gaze.

Hermione sniffed, looking away with a pained look on her face. "Harry..."

"What?" Harry looked up sharply, a surprised look on his face.

"I'm sorry about Sirius. I really am. He was like a father to you, I know. I'm just so sorry."

Harry shrugged, and then spoke in a horrible hearty voice that told Ron his best friend was near tears. "It's... okay, I guess. As okay as it'll ever be." Ron blew out his cheeks. Harry didn't think he was so easily read, but Ron could always tell what he was thinking. And he couldn't let him think it anymore.

"Harry, it wasn't your fault."

That evening, Harry and Ron were upstairs enjoying a game of chess and the girls were sitting in the living room, making rings out of beads and wire. It was something Ginny had learned from her mum, and she was showing Hermione.

"There!" exclaimed Hermione, wrapping the ring around her finger, testing the length. "Perfect!"

"That's gorgeous!" Ginny said admiringly. "Gryffindor colors to boot."

Hermione grinned as she finished off the ring and slipped it over her finger. Ginny was finishing hers as well, and Hermione was trying to think of something else they could do.

"Would you like to watch a movie?"

Ginny looked up, an eager look on her face. "Oh, yes! I love the way muggles make films. They're like moving paintings, only mroe enjoyable to watch." A sudden pounding of feet and shouting from above them told them that Harry had just defeated, for the first time, Ron at chess. "Should we call them down?"

But the words had no sooner escaped her lips when Harry and Ron came pounding into the room, Harry looking elated. "I won, Ginny! Hermione! I beat Ron Weasley at chess."

Ginny laughed. "Good for you. We were just about to watch a film, would you care to join us?"

"What film is it?" Harry asked, still grinning widely.

Hermione knelt and rumaged through a cabinet beneath the telly, looking for a certain one. "Here. A Walk to Remember." Then she cocked her head thoughtfully at the boys. "It's a bit of a chick flick, really. But you can watch if youd like to. But don't say I didn't warn you when you cry."

"What?" Ron's voice sounded tense even to himself. He didn't feel like watching a movie that made him cry, but maybe if Hermione cried she might sit by him and cry into his shoulder...

Embarrassed, he shook the thought from his mind.

"Sure, we'll watch it," said Harry. "If we don't like it we'll go upstairs."

"Sounds like a plan," said Ginny happily. "Hermione, would you like me to help you with the popcorn?"

Hermione was pressing buttons on the DVD player and nodded without looking up. "Sure, thanks, Ginny. It's in the cabinet above the dishwasher."

Ginny nodded and was gone.

Hermione finally had the telly situated, and she climbed onto the couch to sit between Ron and Harry. Harry scooted over to allow Ginny some room when she entered with the popcorn.

Ron stared in disbelief at the screen. This was a weird movie. So far, it was about a really "in" boy named Landon, who had creeps for friends and was a bloody creep himself. They were so hard on Jamie, a girl in their grade, which was senior in high school. Hermione explained that that equaled above seventh year at Hogwarts.

Ginny was glaring at the dark-haired boy on the screen. "I don't like Landon much," she said finally.

"Me either," said Harry. "They're so awful to Jamie."

Ginny gave a small gasp. "He just kissed her!"

Harry and Ron, who were busy eating the popcorn, looked up at the screen. "What?" Ron said sharply.

Ginny gave a sigh. "How wonderful."

Ron stared at the screen, confused. It showed a red curtain, and the profile of two people. Landon and Jamie.

"Wow!" said Harry. "I didn't really see that coming."

"You didn't?" Hermione exclaimted. "How could you not?"

"Hermione, you've seen this movie before," Ron said.

"I know, I've seen it a million times, but I found this part to be thoroughly predictable."

"Shut up!" Ginny said. "I want to watch the movie."

"Landon, I'm sick."

"Sick? I'll take you home. You'll be better tomorrow-"

"What? No, wait, no, LANDON! I'm sick. I... I have lukemia."

Landon laughed. He looked around nervously, as though trying to dare to believe it to be true. "No. You... you can't. You're 18, you're perfect."

"WHAT?" Ginny gasped, staring at the telly in shock.

"What's lukemia?" said Ron softly.

"Cancer of the blood," whispered Hermione. She gestured at the screen.

"I was getting along with everything fine, I accepted it, and then you happened." Jamie had tears in her eyes.

They watched the scene play out, and then Ginny gave a small sniffle. "I don't need a reason to be angry with God," she repeated after Jamie.

"So are you scared?" Landon asked, when he found Jamie standing over him, watching him fix the car.

"To death."

They stood and looked at each other for a very long time.

Finally, Jamie spoke. "I'm scared of not being with you."

Landon pulled her into a bone-breaking hug. "Oh, baby, that'll never happen."

Ginny was crying silently, tears spilling over her cheeks.

"Sheesh," said Ginny in a quavery voice. "I... d-didn't expect this."