A fic by Sallyna (Nina) and Sellsius (Michael)
Disclaimer: They are not our characters and you know it.
Sumary: If common rooms could speak, what stories would they tell us? This time: Sixth year. Hermione has to deal with her feelings for Ron (and vice versa). With a little push of their friends like Harry and Ginny, and even some not such friends as Parvati Patil.
Author´s Note (Nina): Michael, my dear, we´ve been through so much to write this and still it´s not finished yet. I hope we end it sometime. We certainly deserve this. Thank you for been so patient. Our baby is now out in the world. Let´s just hope they treat it well.
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Holidays at Hogwarts meant festivities, no matter how messy the world was outside. The wizard world still had to deal with the fact that Voldemort was back, but Dumbledore always accomplished on providing a secure environment to the ones at school. The Great Hall was brightly decorated with fairy lights by day and glittering stars by night. The giant trees from Christmas were still there and the ceiling had the most wonderful blue shades the students had ever seen since the sky outside had no trace of the dark marks some people had in their minds those days.
Common rooms had their own decorations that followed the colors of each house. Inside the Griffyndor common room there were little golden brooms, dark red Christmas balls, mistletoes over the doors and even some hats that Hermione had managed to put under a tree so the house elves would catch them as presents and be set free.
Hermione didn´t like to stay away from her parents for the holidays, but since the Dark Lord had returned, the Wesleys had told her all about the hazards of being a muggleborn with so many death eaters out of Azkaban that she agreed to stay at Hogwarts with Ron and Harry. Without classes and without so many students at Hogwarts she could stay more time at the library, reading the chapters of her next lessons.
Ron and Harry had been bugging her to enjoy her free time doing something more useful then studying. "But studying is useful!", Hermione answered back taking her eyes off the book. "And besides, what would I be doing with you two around the castle?"
Ron gave her such a look that she had to add. "Excluding quidditch or anything that would risk losing my prefects badge."
"You know, I´m a prefect as well." said an indignant Ron. "Mom promised me she would send me a howler a day if I did anything to that badge."
"And you´d deserve them!" Hermione said looking Ron dead in the eyes.
"Fine! Fine!" he said, giving up his side of the battle. "We'll do whatever you want to do that is NOT studying."
"Fine." She closed her book and got up leading them out of the library.
"Spew?!" yelled Ron moments later in the common room. "Spew is what you work on during your spare time?" Ron looked at the lines, needles and everything else Hermione had summoned from her room in disbelief.
"Yes," Hermione said "and you knew that already!". She gave them some line and two needles each.
"I thought you gave up on this craziness." retorted Ron. He was totally NOT in the mood of doing something he had been avoiding for the past three years.
Harry wasn´t the most feverous member of S.P.E.W either, but he knew that if he entered the conversation on this level, there would be chairs flying over his head very soon. "Better not. It´s too dangerous." he thought.
"You said whatever I wanted, that means: start knitting." She gave Harry and Ron both instructions for the spell she had written on how to make tiny hats. "By the way, it's S.P.E.W.!"
Ron sighed. "Hermione, I don't know why you made these anyway. You aren't their master, so you can't set them free."
She said nothing to this, but began knitting lines together with her wand. Ron shot a sideways glance at Harry, who returned it. Ron had always thought Hermione was pushy and strict. Above all, she was very stubborn.
He got up and mumbled, "I'll be right back, I have to go and..." And at that, he left the common room and the knitting heading for nowhere to be seen.
Hermione wasn´t fast enough to catch him before he left. Harry didn´t dare stop his working with the furious look Hermione had on her face.
"Grr. I can´t believe he just left. It´s so Ron." She went back to Harry with hands on her waist "Where is he?", she asked him.
Harry looked up and stopped knitting for one second "Oh, no. I have nothing to do with that. Don´t put me in the middle of your issues. You both have to deal with that by yourselves."
"Our issues? What do you mean by that?" Hermione was losing her temper very quickly. She knew what Harry was talking about, but as time passed she had less patience with Ron. Not that patience was the problem, but Ron had such an impact on her that she was feeling like she didn´t know how to behave in front of him anymore.
"You know exactly what I mean." said Harry dropping the tiny fabric on the couch. "Do you know how tiring is to watch you and Ron pretending there´s nothing going on between you two?"
Hermione hated when somebody else looked smarter then her, even if that 'somebody' was Harry. Something was tingling in her stomach, but she couldn´t even feel it with her rage of fury. "You would say it´s not true?" Hermione said ironically. "There´s absolutely nothing going on between me and Ron and there never will be. Do you think things are that easy? You just go Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo and things come true?"
With the words and a little wave from Hermione´s wand, sparks came out and Harry had to duck not to hit him. The sparkling blue light went out of the window and even thought Harry and Hermione couldn´t see it, one of Hagrid´s pumpkins turned into a carriage. She put her wand on the side table so she wouldn´t have any other accidents.
"Whatever you say." said Harry. "But when Ron shows up with another girl you´ll feel the pain."
Harry and Hermione didn´t realize they were not alone. Somebody else was in there almost hidden in a corner sitting at an armchair by the window trying to read a book. Behind "Charms and Beauty" there was Parvati Patil that couldn´t help but watching the entire scene.
When Hermione rushed through the portrait hole, Parvati decided she wanted to do something about it, not only for fun and care of her fellow Gryffindor, but also because she would have first hand gossip to spread.
"Hermione, wait!" Parvati was in a fast pace after her. She touched Hermione´s arm so she would stop and look at her.
"What?" Hermione said absent-mindedly, but she did stop. "Oh, it´s you Parvati. What is it?"
"I know it´s none of my business, but I was there in the common room while you had your little argument with Harry." Parvati was trying to look confident, but careful.
"Yes. And?" Hermione would rather not speak about it to others so she looked at Parvati the most 'none-of-your-business' way.
Parvati pretended to ignore her look. "And I was thinking if it was really true what you said about you and Ron never having anything to do with each other."
Hermione started walking again. Not too fast so Parvati would think she was escaping and not too slow so she would stay in Parvati´s power more than she wanted. She knew what kind of friend the other girl could be, but concerning Ron, nobody was ever welcome to discuss the topic.
"It´s true, of course! Why?" Hermione pretended she didn´t care.
"Oh it´s just that Padma had been telling me some of her appreciation towards Ron. I told her it was a lost cause because you were onto him and also because –"she was cut by Hermione.
"Your sister what?" Hermione jumped back and looked at Parvati like she had seen a basilisk. "Padma and Ron? NEVER! Has she learned nothing from the Yule Ball experience?"
"I know and I agree with you, but Padma has been developing some interest in boys that mistreat her. I´m sure you´ve heard about her make out session with Malfoy some weeks ago." she said like it was the most normal thing ever.
"Well, yeah, I´ve heard. But he told the entire school she stalked him." Like that was denying something.
"At the moment he didn´t complain, I´m sure. Padma is going mental with her hormones. I just hope Ron survives her ultimate plan." Parvati said in a sorry face like she could see Ron in front of her.
Hermione, on the opposite was quite shocked and scared. "She is what? What plan is this?"
"Well, she wouldn´t tell me, but she´s been saying some things about him like his firm body and sexy hair. The only thing that was stopping her till now was the fact that we thought you liked him. But since you so vehemently proved us wrong, she´ll probably go on with her plan."
Goosebumps were all over Hermione´s skin. Nobody would do such a thing to Ron. Not if she could prevent it.
"No, she will not!" Hermione said before leaving Parvati like a lightening bolt.
Harry, that was arranging things back inside, saw the two girls and rushed towards them. "Hermione! Your wand!"
He couldn´t catch her, but found Parvati still at the middle of the corridor. "What did you tell her?" he asked.
"Let´s just say you can thank me later, Potter." Parvati headed to the Great Hall to find her sister and tell her the news while Harry went back inside to see if Hedwig was back from Grimmauld with news from Lupin. "Women: we never shall understand you."
(it continues, I promise – please review)