"I've got Polyjuice for that," he told her. "And I can contact Fleur using Fred and George's journals. She's expecting a message. Your arrival won't be a complete surprise." He hoped. "You can Apparate as me. I'll stay in for the night. No one will be the wiser if you leave the flat, and you know enough about me to pull it off, I should think."
He just hoped she respected his privacy while she was borrowing his likeness, and was fairly tempted to tell her as much. Instead, he blushed.
They'd already established that it was for the best, and he was about to point out as much when she asked him a question he hadn't been expecting. His mouth dropped for a moment, and he blinked at her, both in dismay and bemusement. She wasn't going to smack him if he admitted anything, was she? He'd never know if he didn't say anything at all.
"My, ah, feelings?" he stammered. "I didn't...that is, I suppose I did, but...well. You see, the thing is..." He looked down at their clasped hands and then back up at her, holding her gaze.
"I like you Penny. Still. More than as a friend, even. And this is quite inarticulate, and badly timed, and I'm probably sticking my foot in my mouth, admitting as much, but I've liked having you around. It's made me realize how much I miss you."
There. He'd said it. Now he could only brace himself for the worst.