In what seemed to be a great storm of emotion, Hermione Granger stomped loudly into the small flat belonging to Harry Potter, who started so greatly he fell off the couch on which he had been lying.
Hermione stood in front of him, arms crossed over her chest, and tears welling in her eyes. "I need to talk to you."
"What did Ron do now?" asked Harry wearily, standing up from the floor on which he had fallen.
Hermione looked as if she could have easily breathed fire. "Everything!" she spat, the tears now pouring down her face. She sat huffily down next to Harry on the couch, and he put his arm around her shoulders. "Tell me what happened."
This was all the invitation Hermione needed. "We've just been arguing so much more than usual lately!" she cried despairingly. "And today was just the breaking point. He shouted at me because I told him Viktor Krum had sent an owl saying he was in London and asking to go out to dinner – and Viktor said Ron was welcome to come – and I just started shouting back…and …and…" Hermione broke off and burst into sobs, at which point Harry took her into his arms, hugging her tightly.
"What happened next?" Harry asked softly, when her sobs had reduced.
"Well, he got jealous and yelled, 'I knew all you wanted were famous blokes!' Then I yelled back, 'At least I don't snog a girl I don't even like for three months!' I meant Lavender, but I'm not sure he thought I meant me or her. Anyway, then he just glared at me and left my flat.
"I really don't care. I'm so through with him! I'm so sick of worrying about going out with old friends because of the jealousy he's had since he was fifteen!"
Hermione finally stopped talking with a sigh of finality and exhaustion. Harry looked at her uncertainly, anxiously waiting for her to start up again. When only a small sniff escaped from her and nothing else, Harry decided he needed to tell Hermione the truth, which he wasn't sure she already knew or not.
"Hermione," Harry said, uncertain on how to word his phrasing, "You know Ron is jealous mostly only when you're around other blokes, right?"
Hermione shot him a "do I really look that stupid?" kind of look and Harry moved hastily on to his next tactic. "Alright, I'm just making sure! Well, then you must know, Ron only acts like that because he's completely and devotedly mad about you."
Hermione's head swiveled around in his direction; her facial expression no longer as harsh as before, but a bit softened. Then it hardened again and Hermione looked as if she could've strangled Harry just for saying those words to her. "It doesn't matter!" she snapped spitefully. "He doesn't love me enough to control his raging emotions, and he'll stop at nothing to make sure everyone around him knows he hates the person he's jealous of!"
Harry sighed, now entirely exhausted from his friends' arguments. "Alright, Hermione. Do what you please. Just keep me out of it."
"I won't talk to him," said Hermione determinedly, as if Harry hadn't spoken. "He'll have to come to me and beg before I forgive him."
Harry rolled his eyes and shook his head. He had learned, over the years, not to get involved within Ron and Hermione's constant wars, and this one seemed to be one he would be extra cautious to avoid.