SAY I LIKE THIS GIRL.

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Ron wondered why he'd never thought of it before. A brilliant, be it ever so cunning, scheme to get some much needed insight into the female psyche. Unfortunately this brilliant idea had come to him during the most unlikely of classes, Potions.

"Hermione." Ron whispered. "Psst, Hermione." He used his wand to poke his bushy haired friend in the back.

'Ron, what do you want?" Hermione hissed back.

"I have to talk to you." Ron persisted, to the back of Hermione's head.

"Now?" Hermione managed to whisper while keeping her lips tightly pursed.

"I suppose not right this second." Ron reasoned.

"Mr Weasley." Professor Snape spat. "I believe I said absolutely no talking! Detention." Ron felt his jaw tighten in anger as he slid back down into his chair. His plan was going to have to wait. But then his eyes fell on the simmering potion in front of him, perhaps not. He checked Snape was preoccupied and with one swift movement shoved the cauldron forward spilling all of its contents onto an unsuspecting Hermione. Hermione shrieked in surprise and immediately began swiping at her back. Ron leapt over the desk and grabbed her arms.

"Don't touch it!" He order holding her hands above her head. "Don't worry Professor, I'll take her to the hospital wing and get her cleaned up." He added pushing Hermione from the room. He briefly heard Snape's anger erupting before the door slammed shut. Safely outside he released Hermione and shoved his hands into his pockets. "You can put your arms down now."

"What about the..."

"Honestly Hermione! Were we even in the same class? We were brewing a whistling potion, remember? It only has effect if you ingest it."

"Then what was that big show about?" Hermione demanded.

"Pretty ingenious way of getting out of class, don't you think?" He grinned, but this only seemed to infuriate Hermione.

"Ronald Weasley! Are you telling me I'm standing here soaked in potion just so you can skive off lessons?"

"No, of course not. I did it so WE could skive off lessons." Ron replied. Hermione turned to storm back into the dungeons, but Ron grabbed her. "Kidding. I'm kidding." He put his hands back into his pockets and stared at the floor. "I just had to talk to you about something." Hermione's expression softened and they began walking in silence towards the hospital wind.

"What did you want to talk to me about?" Hermione asked gingerly.

"Oh you know, stuff." Ron replied vaguely. It would sound less planned if he didn't come right out and say it.

"What kind of stuff?" Hermione was trying to sound casual.

"The Canons were bumped up to eighth in the league over the weekend." Ron announced.

"Ron." Hermione kept her voice soft, though Ron heard a note of annoyance in it. "Did you really pull me out of potions to talk Quidditch?"

"Well, no." Ron confessed. "Hermione, you're a girl right?" Hermione sighed irritably and raised her eyebrows.

"That, I believe, has been established." Ron winced thinking back to before the Yule Ball.

"Yeah, well, anyway." He said quickly. "You know all that relationship and feelings stuff, right?" Ron waited with baited breath.

"I guess..." She began, but Ron cut her off.

"So if I have a question, about girls I mean, or about A girl, you'd probably know the answer, right?" Hermione frowned.

"I suppose, it depends..." Ron cut her off again.

"Because I was wondering, and don't laugh at me okay, but say I liked this girl, hypothetically speaking of course, but I didn't know if she liked me, what should I... er... how should I... umm... What do I do?" Hermione looked a little shocked. She cleared her throat.

"Is there... do you have someone particular in mind?"

"I said hypothetically." Ron pointed out.

"Well, I can't speak for someone else. Not all girls are exactly the same, Ron."

"Just say as an example. Say it was you. What would you want me to do?" Hermione may have been shocked before, but now she was utterly stunned.

"If it were me?" She squeaked.

"Yeah," Ron replied, oblivious to Hermione's sudden change in tone, "say it were you I was madly in love with. What would you want me to do?" Ron stopped walking and watched Hermione closely. Her mouth was open as if she were trying to say something, but the words were stuck in her throat.

"I... I... I... I..." She stuttered shaking her head. "I don't... uh... I don't know what I'd want you to do." She managed finally.

"Well, would you want me to tell you or just walk up to you in the corridor and kiss you?" Ron asked, continuing to be oblivious to Hermione's struggle, which she was quite visibly losing.

"The latter, I think." She said before she could stop herself. "No. Wait. That's ridiculous. Forget it." Hermione hated what he was doing to her and the worst part of all was he didn't even realise it. Right, then it was time to turn the tables. "Which would you prefer?" She asked bravely, ignoring the fact her entire body was tingling.

"I don't know, Hermione. That's why I'm asking you." Ron replied, with the air of someone explaining a perfectly simple task to an extremely stupid troll.

"No, I mean, if there was a girl that liked you would you rather she told you or just went ahead and kissed you?"

"Oh." Ron took a minute to process the idea of a girl actually liking him, then thought about the question. "I guess, I wouldn't mind if she..." He didn't get a chance to say anymore. Hermione, despite all common sense and her better judgement, had grabbed him by his school tie and pulled him into an incredible, intoxicating kiss.

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