Disclaimer: I am Jo Rowling. I own all that is Harry Potter – or at least that's what the voices in my head told me.

Summary: This is the story of a boy, a girl, and the Cleansweep Eleven that brought them together, even if it was only for a few hours. HgRw. Minor HBP Spoilers. Beware.

"Learning to Fly"

By: Cydni Smith

Chapter One: Arriving at the Burrow

The sun had only risen serenely over the Burrow an hour ago yet Ron Weasley had been pacing his attic bedroom for two. He didn't know why he was so anxious to see Hermione. It had only been a month; hadn't it? It had only been a month since the incident at the Ministry. He sighed and resigned himself to re-re-reading her letter.

Dear Ron,

Thank you for inviting me to stay. I am excited to see you and Harry. I will arrive by car sometime before noon on Wednesday. I can't wait to see you all.

With Love,

Hermione

She had signed it with love. Maybe that was why the muscles in Ron's stomach twitched when he thought about her coming to stay. The sensation had, on more than one occasion, caused him to drop whatever he was holding at the time or to trip when there was nothing for him to trip over

He had been blaming the fluttering on a combination of the trauma sustained during the Ministry incident and another growth spurt. He was now hovering just over the two-meter mark.

Ron soon found that there we only so many things one can think about while thinking about one person and, in a desperate attempt to do anything, pulled a tattered, well read copy of Quidditch Through the AgesHe skipped to Chapter Seven: Quidditch Teams of Britain and Ireland. He began to read:

"The Chudley Cannons' glory days may be considered by many to be over…" Ron hadn't finished the sentence before his lack of sleep during the prior night caught up with him and he was lulled into a very peaceful sleep.

An older blue BMW rolled its way along a dirt road. The driver was lost in conversation with his daughter when the suddenly felt as if he had forgotten an important appointment and that it was of utmost importance that they return to London.

"Dad, no. It is just one of the protections on the way to the Burrow. Keep going. It's okay the feeling should pass when we get there and we are getting close," Hermione Granger said her voice stern, but loving as she pressed her nose to the side window and looked out at scenery that was becoming more familiar by the moment.

"Are you sure we didn't forget a dentist appointment or something?" her father asked seriously, his glasses slipping farther down the crook of his nose and his hands becoming more sweaty and rather pale. The hands cut a striking resemblance to the off-white polo he was wearing.

"Dad, you are the dentist." Hermione tried desperately, but to no avail, to hold in the giggles that were threatening to escape her throat.

"Oh, right." His cheeks flushed at her laughter.

"Here we are." And here they were. The odd beauty of the Burrow was slowly revealing itself as the car rounded the final bend and pulled into the dusty front yard.

"Oh, Hermione!" Mrs. Weasley yelled lovingly as she ran toward the car, her hands firmly grasping the pockets of her apron. Hermione noticed that, though it was the middle of summer, Mrs. Weasley seemed paler and more tired than Hermione had seen her since Mr. Weasley had been in St. Mungo's.

"It's so good to see you, dear. Arthur is just around back. I'm sure he'll want to welcome you properly. It's nice to see you, too, Bob. How is the tooth business?" Mrs. Weasley said warmly as she embraced Hermione in a big bear hug.

"It's going well.

"Hello Bob. Hello Hermione!" Mr. Weasley said jovially as he walked toward them in his loopy gangly gate. His smile showed that he had been awaiting his Muggle friend's arrival for quite some time.

"Hermione, dear, you'll be staying with Ginny in her room and Ron is up in his if you want to say 'Hello'. Ginny should be back shortly before dinner," Mrs. Weasley said warmly.

"Oh, okay. Well I'll just go in. If that's alright?"

"Of course it's alright, dear. You are practically one of the family." Upon noticing Hermione lift her bags she added, "No need to get your bags. We'll just magic them up there for you."

"Thank you," Hermione beamed. She turned and headed for the house. As she walked away, she distinctly heard Mr. Weasley ask her father about how airplanes stay up.

She opened the main door into the kitchen and breathed in the smell of cookies, sawdust, and magic. It was her favorite smell in the world. She turned in the living room and headed up the stairs, which looked as if magic were the only thing holding them up and even that wasn't working so well.

She turned up another flight and spotted Ron's door, slightly ajar, at the end of the landing. It was unmistakably his because a Cannons poster had been hung on it. She pushed it the rest of the way open to find him spread eagle on his bed, a book by his head, and a small puddle of drool by his mouth. She couldn't help standing there and watching him sleep. The thought repeatedly crossed her mind that there was something endearing about the way his legs and arms hung off the bed and the manner in which his chest rose and fell rhythmically. She turned to leave, but heard him say her name.

"Hermione, no… Krum's a … I love…" he mumbled. She never found out what Viktor was or who he loved, because Crookshanks came running in a leaped up onto Ron's back. "Ahhhh… Bloody Hell! What was that?"

"Oh Ron. Don't be so dramatic. It was just Crookshanks," Hermione said giggling as she entered the room and sat on Ron's bed. The cat feeling the tension poised his tail in the air and trotted haughtily out of the room, his mission complete.

"Bloody cat," Ron murmured as he wiped the drool from the edges of his mouth.

"Oh, you're gonna get it!" Ron didn't have time to dodge as Hermione swung the pillow at his head.

Ron grabbed the pillow from her and flung it across the room. He then proceeded to tickle her sides. Hermione squealed and thrashed to get away from him. They laughed together until Hermione flipped him off the bed and they both crashed onto the floor, still entwined. They laid on the floor for some time regaining their breath, their eyes locked.

"Hermione, I'm leaving! Come down and say good bye to your old man." The teens could not pull themselves apart more quickly.

"Coming, Dad!" Hermione bounded out of the room and down the stairs to see her father off.

Ron could not help feeling put out that she had left him. He almost felt cold now that he couldn't feel her.

-- - --

That was chapter One. I have it planned out to be about 5 or 6 chapters in total. I hope you liked it. If you did. Please Review. It's the one thing that keeps me going. I know that I have never finished a story, so keep me motivated. It will get funnier and sweeter as it goes on and I almost promise that it will be perfect cannon!

Love you all,

Cydni