Fifteen year old Hermione Granger checked her watch, annoyed. Where was Ron? He had said that he needed help studying for the O.W.L.'s that afternoon, and to meet him in the common room at three o'clock sharp. It was now four twelve.
"I could have gotten half the research for my History of Magic essay by now," she said angrily. Just as she was about to pack up her things and leave for the library, the portrait hole burst open, and Ron Weasley trotted in.
"Where have you BEEN?" Hermione burst out. She studied his face. His freckled cheeks were bright red, so Hermione figured he'd either been outside playing in the cool, crisp January weather or had been horribly embarrassed. Judging by the happy grin on his face, she decided he had been outside.
"Outside playing Quiddich with Harry, Fred, and George," Ron said, dropping down into an armchair, "Why?"
Hermione felt rage building up inside of her, "We were supposed to study for the O.W.L's at three o'clock! It's already four fifteen!"
"Oh, that was today?" Ron asked nonchalently, "Oh well. We can do it tomorrow."
"NO, WE CANNOT, RON WEASLEY!" Hermione boomed, "BECAUSE TOMORROW I'M GOING TO HAVE TO SPEND ALL DAY WORKING ON MY HISTORY OF MAGIC ESSAY THAT I COULD HAVE BEEN HALFWAY DONE WITH IF YOU HADN'T STOOD ME UP!"
"God, Hermione!" Ron said, his expression starting to turn angry, "It's not a big deal! It's just studying! Only you would get this mad about something like that."
"What?" Hermione seethed.
"It's true," Ron's tone was starting to become fierce, "All you care about is homework and studying! You should be a little more easygoing-one mark lower than a hundred percent won't kill you! Just...calm down!"
"Calm down?!" Hermione questioned, her voice dripping with fury, "For what? So I can get awful marks like you? Even if I did calm down, I wouldn't get the kind of marks you do, because I actually have a brain!"
"Oh, that is just like you!" Ron spat, "I don't care if my marks aren't perfect, Hermione! At least I'm not a know-it-all suck-up!"
"I am NOT a suck-up!" Hermione cried.
"Yes you are!" Ron said. His whole face was bright red, and his eyes were flashing in anger, "You're pathetic, all you care about are your grades!"
"All you care about is Quiddich," Hermione retorted, "Quiddich and going after girls who obviously aren't going to like you! Did you really expect that someone as gorgeous as Fleur would like YOU, of all people?"
As soon as the words flew out of Hermione's mouth, she knew that she shouldn't have said them. Ron was sending her a death glare, a glare of pure hatred.
"I HATE YOU!" he shouted, "I hate you, and I hate your stupid nagging, and I hate your stupid books, and I hate your stupid cat! As a matter of fact, why don't you just leave right now? Because I hate being near you all together!"
Hermione felt as if she'd been slapped across the face. She just stood, stunned, shocked that Ron would say such things to her. But as soon as the shock wore off, she felt another emotion. Sadness...hurt. Suddenly, she felt as though she were going to burst into tears.
With her hands over her face, she rushed out of the common room and down the stairs. She had to get out of the castle...she had to get away from Ron...
"Miss Granger, where are you going?" Professor McGonagall asked, looking puzzled as Hermione neared her.
But Hermione didn't stop, or even acknowledge the fact that she'd heard McGonagall. Instead, she just quickened her pace.
Soon, she was out of Hogwarts. She began to walk slower, but still didn't stop moving entirely. Finally, when she reached the lake where the giant squid lived, she sat down on the bank and struggled to blink back her tears.
Hurtful words that Ron had said to her flew through her head.
The first thing he'd said that had truly hurt her was still fresh in her mind. It had happened way back in their first year, and yet she could still hear his voice saying it.
"It's no wonder no one can stand her, she's a nightmare, honestly...."
"She must've noticed she's got no friends..."
"I HATE YOU!"
Hermione finally broke down and let her tears fall.
She didn't know why Ron affected her so much.
Actually, she did, but she found the explanation a little embarrassing. After many battles with herself, she had finally admitted that she liked Ron. Denying it was just too hard of work. It was strange, how she felt about him...when he was happy, it made her happy...when he was sad, it made her sad. It was as though she felt his emotions as her own.
And sometimes it felt as though he felt the same way about her.
"But he doesn't," Hermione whispered hoarsley.
He had proven that with all his harsh words and taunts. Hermione, the teacher's pet, Hermione, the walking dictionary. Why read Hogwarts: A History when he could just have Hermione recite it for him???
And after what he'd said...
"I HATE YOU!"
The words echoed through her head again, and it made her shudder. She wiped her eyes on the sleeve of her black robes, but they were soaked again within seconds.
"He hates me," Hermione sniffled. Just hearing it out loud made her burst into tears again, and finally she just wrapped her arms around her knees, bent her head, and cried. She had a right to-one of her best friends...and a little something more...had said that he hated her.
She knew that she wouldn't be sitting there, sobbing, if it had been Harry who she had had the fight with. Instead of feeling completely empty inside, she would come to the conclusion that they would make up sooner or later and go on with her life. But she and Harry hardly ever fought.
I should go inside, she told herself, Go inside and work on that essay.
But she couldn't bring herself to stand up. So she just sat there crying for what felt like hours. Cold, lonely hours, filled with Ron's cruel words swimming through her mind.
After what seemed an eternity of tears, she felt someone tap her on the shoulder.
It's probably Professor McGonagall, telling me to get inside, she throught with a sniffle, Or Harry, asking me what's wrong.
But when she spun around, it wasn't Professor McGonagall or Harry who she saw.
It was Ron.
He looked nervous, figeting slightly from where he stood. He took a deep breath, ran a hand through his red hair, then said, in a voice barely louder than a whisper, "You don't think I really hate you, do you?"
Hermione just wiped away a tear trickling down her cheek in response.
"Because I don't," Ron continued, his voice a bit shaky, "I feel awful about what I said, and...I'm sorry."
"You should be," Hermione said automatically, then wanted to kick herself. She had just started another fight for sure.
"I know," Ron said gently, to Hermione's surprise, "I don't hate your nagging, and I don't hate your books, and I...can tolerate your cat." Hermione gave him a weak smile, and he grinned back, "And I definitely don't hate you."
"I-I'm sorry for what I said, too," Hermione said, biting her lip, "You're not stupid."
"But I'll never be as smart as you are," Ron said, sounding a bit regretful, "It's really hard, you know. Having one best friend who's famous, and another one who's perfect and better than you at everything."
"I'm not better than you at everything," Hermione protested, "You're a lot better than me at some things."
"Oh, really?" Ron asked skeptically, "Like what?"
"Chess," Hermione said with a smile, "I've never beat you yet."
"That's true," Ron smiled back wryly, "So...you want to go play a game now?"
"Sure," Hermione said, grinning even wider.
Ron offered his hand, and she took it. He pulled her off the ground, but Hermione didn't let go.
And they walked, hand in hand, back towards Hogwarts.
Disclaimer: OK, the characters, Hogwarts, etc. belong to the world's most talented writer (aka J.K. Rowling), and the idea belongs to me.
A/N: Thanks to anyone who got this far! Please review, but no flames! I can't take critisism very well :) Thanks again for reading!
"I could have gotten half the research for my History of Magic essay by now," she said angrily. Just as she was about to pack up her things and leave for the library, the portrait hole burst open, and Ron Weasley trotted in.
"Where have you BEEN?" Hermione burst out. She studied his face. His freckled cheeks were bright red, so Hermione figured he'd either been outside playing in the cool, crisp January weather or had been horribly embarrassed. Judging by the happy grin on his face, she decided he had been outside.
"Outside playing Quiddich with Harry, Fred, and George," Ron said, dropping down into an armchair, "Why?"
Hermione felt rage building up inside of her, "We were supposed to study for the O.W.L's at three o'clock! It's already four fifteen!"
"Oh, that was today?" Ron asked nonchalently, "Oh well. We can do it tomorrow."
"NO, WE CANNOT, RON WEASLEY!" Hermione boomed, "BECAUSE TOMORROW I'M GOING TO HAVE TO SPEND ALL DAY WORKING ON MY HISTORY OF MAGIC ESSAY THAT I COULD HAVE BEEN HALFWAY DONE WITH IF YOU HADN'T STOOD ME UP!"
"God, Hermione!" Ron said, his expression starting to turn angry, "It's not a big deal! It's just studying! Only you would get this mad about something like that."
"What?" Hermione seethed.
"It's true," Ron's tone was starting to become fierce, "All you care about is homework and studying! You should be a little more easygoing-one mark lower than a hundred percent won't kill you! Just...calm down!"
"Calm down?!" Hermione questioned, her voice dripping with fury, "For what? So I can get awful marks like you? Even if I did calm down, I wouldn't get the kind of marks you do, because I actually have a brain!"
"Oh, that is just like you!" Ron spat, "I don't care if my marks aren't perfect, Hermione! At least I'm not a know-it-all suck-up!"
"I am NOT a suck-up!" Hermione cried.
"Yes you are!" Ron said. His whole face was bright red, and his eyes were flashing in anger, "You're pathetic, all you care about are your grades!"
"All you care about is Quiddich," Hermione retorted, "Quiddich and going after girls who obviously aren't going to like you! Did you really expect that someone as gorgeous as Fleur would like YOU, of all people?"
As soon as the words flew out of Hermione's mouth, she knew that she shouldn't have said them. Ron was sending her a death glare, a glare of pure hatred.
"I HATE YOU!" he shouted, "I hate you, and I hate your stupid nagging, and I hate your stupid books, and I hate your stupid cat! As a matter of fact, why don't you just leave right now? Because I hate being near you all together!"
Hermione felt as if she'd been slapped across the face. She just stood, stunned, shocked that Ron would say such things to her. But as soon as the shock wore off, she felt another emotion. Sadness...hurt. Suddenly, she felt as though she were going to burst into tears.
With her hands over her face, she rushed out of the common room and down the stairs. She had to get out of the castle...she had to get away from Ron...
"Miss Granger, where are you going?" Professor McGonagall asked, looking puzzled as Hermione neared her.
But Hermione didn't stop, or even acknowledge the fact that she'd heard McGonagall. Instead, she just quickened her pace.
Soon, she was out of Hogwarts. She began to walk slower, but still didn't stop moving entirely. Finally, when she reached the lake where the giant squid lived, she sat down on the bank and struggled to blink back her tears.
Hurtful words that Ron had said to her flew through her head.
The first thing he'd said that had truly hurt her was still fresh in her mind. It had happened way back in their first year, and yet she could still hear his voice saying it.
"It's no wonder no one can stand her, she's a nightmare, honestly...."
"She must've noticed she's got no friends..."
"I HATE YOU!"
Hermione finally broke down and let her tears fall.
She didn't know why Ron affected her so much.
Actually, she did, but she found the explanation a little embarrassing. After many battles with herself, she had finally admitted that she liked Ron. Denying it was just too hard of work. It was strange, how she felt about him...when he was happy, it made her happy...when he was sad, it made her sad. It was as though she felt his emotions as her own.
And sometimes it felt as though he felt the same way about her.
"But he doesn't," Hermione whispered hoarsley.
He had proven that with all his harsh words and taunts. Hermione, the teacher's pet, Hermione, the walking dictionary. Why read Hogwarts: A History when he could just have Hermione recite it for him???
And after what he'd said...
"I HATE YOU!"
The words echoed through her head again, and it made her shudder. She wiped her eyes on the sleeve of her black robes, but they were soaked again within seconds.
"He hates me," Hermione sniffled. Just hearing it out loud made her burst into tears again, and finally she just wrapped her arms around her knees, bent her head, and cried. She had a right to-one of her best friends...and a little something more...had said that he hated her.
She knew that she wouldn't be sitting there, sobbing, if it had been Harry who she had had the fight with. Instead of feeling completely empty inside, she would come to the conclusion that they would make up sooner or later and go on with her life. But she and Harry hardly ever fought.
I should go inside, she told herself, Go inside and work on that essay.
But she couldn't bring herself to stand up. So she just sat there crying for what felt like hours. Cold, lonely hours, filled with Ron's cruel words swimming through her mind.
After what seemed an eternity of tears, she felt someone tap her on the shoulder.
It's probably Professor McGonagall, telling me to get inside, she throught with a sniffle, Or Harry, asking me what's wrong.
But when she spun around, it wasn't Professor McGonagall or Harry who she saw.
It was Ron.
He looked nervous, figeting slightly from where he stood. He took a deep breath, ran a hand through his red hair, then said, in a voice barely louder than a whisper, "You don't think I really hate you, do you?"
Hermione just wiped away a tear trickling down her cheek in response.
"Because I don't," Ron continued, his voice a bit shaky, "I feel awful about what I said, and...I'm sorry."
"You should be," Hermione said automatically, then wanted to kick herself. She had just started another fight for sure.
"I know," Ron said gently, to Hermione's surprise, "I don't hate your nagging, and I don't hate your books, and I...can tolerate your cat." Hermione gave him a weak smile, and he grinned back, "And I definitely don't hate you."
"I-I'm sorry for what I said, too," Hermione said, biting her lip, "You're not stupid."
"But I'll never be as smart as you are," Ron said, sounding a bit regretful, "It's really hard, you know. Having one best friend who's famous, and another one who's perfect and better than you at everything."
"I'm not better than you at everything," Hermione protested, "You're a lot better than me at some things."
"Oh, really?" Ron asked skeptically, "Like what?"
"Chess," Hermione said with a smile, "I've never beat you yet."
"That's true," Ron smiled back wryly, "So...you want to go play a game now?"
"Sure," Hermione said, grinning even wider.
Ron offered his hand, and she took it. He pulled her off the ground, but Hermione didn't let go.
And they walked, hand in hand, back towards Hogwarts.
Disclaimer: OK, the characters, Hogwarts, etc. belong to the world's most talented writer (aka J.K. Rowling), and the idea belongs to me.
A/N: Thanks to anyone who got this far! Please review, but no flames! I can't take critisism very well :) Thanks again for reading!