House: Slytherin

Category: Themed

Prompt: Promises are the biggest lies in the world

Word Count: 2645

Hermione Granger thought back to the many golden moments she's had with her two best friends, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. She recalled the adventures and the near-death experiences that had brought them together in the first place. However, in that moment, she had only considered Harry as a true friend.

Sure, it's possible that she could've just been jealous. But, that wasn't the point. Ron never had the time to spare for his real friends now that he was with Lavender, who was as mad as a hatter in Hermione's eye. And besides, it's not like he even attempted to make time for them anyway. Hermione wasn't planning to put in her effort and time into him, if he wasn't even going to think of trying in return.

Lately, all he had been rambling about was about his idiotic "girlfriend". Honestly, Hermione hardly even considered Lavender a real girlfriend. She was literally only there for Ron when she wanted to snog him, anything outside of that was pretty much along the lines of miserable "flirting". It's not like Hermione considered herself a romance expert for these kinds of things, so it's not like she's a hundred correct on her observation. Now, if she had a boyfriend in the past, then she'd at least have some experience in this area of love, but seeing as she can't even get Ron to glue things together, then there's pretty much no hope.

` All Ron talked about was how Lavender was so supportive in his Quidditch, how she's an amazing person to snog, how much she loves him, and how much commitment she has to him. For instance, if Ron had told her to go to the Forbidden Forest and stay with some trolls for the night, she'd do it in a heartbeat. She was literally like a leech, sucking up all of his usual good qualities about his personality and turning them into something even more unbearable. That to Hermione did not seem like what a boy should think about when his girlfriend crosses his mind. He never once mentioned anything about her personality whatsoever. Nothing about her being thoughtful, compassionate, kind, or even dependable. Hermione didn't think highly of either of them because of that.

Hermione walked to her usual table in the Great Hall. Harry and surprisingly, Ron were sitting together. However, Hermione was feeling very meticulous at that moment.

"Morning," she said, her words aimed more at Harry. She glanced at Ron to see if he had any reaction. He didn't. What an idiot, Hermione thought. His head was clearly in the clouds; his hand was the only thing keeping his head up.

"Morning, Hermione," Harry said, the only one who was actually paying attention to her presence. "How'd you sleep last night?"

"Pretty well actually, despite Lavender's roaring laughs," she said honestly. It was true. Last night, Lavender wouldn't stop giggling. She had been holding a picture of Ron from the Daily Prophet and had been staring at it. Hermione didn't have the slightest idea of how it could be humorous. It was getting late, and she hadn't ceased her giggling. Although it was a challenge, Hermione miraculously fell asleep quickly.

She decided to test Ron. She wanted to see if he would actually snap out of his fantasies when she mentioned his own girlfriend's name.

"Oh, you should have been there, Harry. It was awful. For 2 hours, she kept giggling and giggling and giggling. It was a pain for everyone. She was holding a photo of you, Ron, and she was laughing. No one knew what on Earth had gotten into her. Honestly," Hermione said purposely. She had intended to sound like the most selfish person ever just to see if Ron would have been provoked. Obviously, a real boy who liked his girlfriend would have defended her. And that is not what Ron did.

Hermione waited a few seconds and stared at Ron. He seemed to be stuck in his own lame, little world. She glanced at Harry. He responded with a tilt of his head and a raise of his eyebrows. He was just as defeated as she was. Hermione was boiling because of Ron's lousy response, not that he even did bother to respond in the first place. She was having none of it.

"Just ignore me why don't you?" she exclaimed, fuming and almost shouting. "It's not like you care enough about me, let alone Harry. I wouldn't expect that from someone as oblivious as you. It's not like we all promised to be there for each other! It's not like we promised to never be apart! It's not like we promised that we'll never let anyone between us! It's not like we promised our loyalty to each other at all times!" She brought up all the promises the group had made, and made a point at how Ron broke all of them all because of a girl. "You're so far up inside the clouds that you can't even think straight. That must explain why you even like Lavender." She couldn't stop herself from snapping. She was at the end of her rope; her patience with Ron's insensitivity had worn thin. She had pushed the table into Ron, getting up from her seat. The table had produced a horrible screech, which got everyone's attention onto them.

Ron and Harry's eyes both widened. Harry seemed more surprised than anything else since that wasn't Hermione's usual behavior. Ron's reaction, however, was a different story. His eyes had turned into rounded circles of shock, his body had leaned back from the table, as if he was avoiding Hermione, and he gulped down multiple times in his throat. Hermione could see the real shock and fear in him.

She whipped her head around and walked down between the tables toward the doors. On her way to the entrance, she passed by Lavender. She slowed down her pace, the two girls almost circling each other. She threw a fierce and stern glare at Lavender. She returned it with a cocky eyebrow and a smirk. You think you've won Lavender, ha-ha, what a joke, Hermione thought to herself as she walked away from the opposing girl. You're kidding yourself. You're only making this worse for you in the end.

As she reached the entrance, she could hear that ear-piercing "wail" coming from their table.

"Oh, Ronnie! Did that horrible, mean witch do something to you? It's okay, Lavender's here for you. I won't let that girl come anywhere near you," Lavender boasted.

As she turned the corner, tears had started forming in her eyes. She had one thought running through her mind. Promises are the biggest lies in the world.

XXX

The next few days were full of complaint and intense competition. Lavender took it as a challenge to show just how much she can keep Ron to herself. She took every chance she got to prove to Hermione that she couldn't do the same. However, Hermione didn't care. If Lavender did that to feel better about her miserable life, then she can do what she wants. Hermione wouldn't let anything as petty as that drag her down in her studies and in her personal life.

Hermione felt truly grateful to Harry. He had remained with her for the entirety of the situation. He didn't complain, interrupt, or nag at her to quit her babbling. She knew she was quite a handful to handle when it came to it, and she was forever grateful that Harry endured it all. He didn't abandon her or tell her that she was being irrational. He just listened, and that alone was enough for Hermione. All she really needed was someone to lean on, and Harry gave her more than that. Ron wouldn't even think of glancing at them in the halls anymore.

It was one of those days again. Hermione was complaining in the hallway on their way to Potions class. Lavender had stopped her before she made her way to breakfast and warned her.

"Don't even think of stealing Won-Won away from me, Granger. He's mine and only mine. He loves me, not you," Lavender had told her, her face had grown red with irritation.

"Don't worry about me. I'm not thinking of even going near him at this rate. That pig, or Won-won as you call him, can stay with you for as long as he wants, I don't mind his absence. It's actually quite peaceful," Hermione had retorted. She wanted to make a point to Lavender that she didn't care what her attempts were. She tried so hard to make Hermione snap again, but all of those tries failed.

XXX

It was the afternoon of when Ron had stayed in the infirmary. He had accidentally gotten poisoned earlier with something he drank. Hermione had gone after her lessons to sit with him. She decided to do some of her homework when Lavender came sprinting in.

"Where is he?! Where is my Won-won?" she demanded eagerly. Hermione looked up from her book and narrowed her eyes at her.

How could you not see your own boyfriend in front of you, clearly laying on a hospital bed, are you that dense? Hermione thought.

"Well, clearly he's on the bed. You'd have noticed him earlier if you're arrogance hadn't gotten in the way," Hermione said casually.

Lavender let out a surprised gasp.

"I happen to be his girlfriend!" She snapped at Hermione, as if she needed to remark her "territory".

"What? You think I don't know that already? I'm not as much as a daft dimbo as you are, so you don't have to be slow with me," she retorted. "And as I recall, I was the first one here. I was the first one who decided to visit Ron. And here I am, still waiting for him to wake up. Where were you? Is he not your first priority?" Hermione raised her eyebrows, expecting an adequate response.

Lavender remained silent. Her mouth was wide open; however, no noise came out. She looked dumbfounded at what Hermione pointed out.

"... well, that still doesn't prove anything, Granger. I'm here now, so that doesn't count," she muttered, fumbling to make a qualified excuse.

All of a sudden, Ron had made a few noises. They weren't very clear and audible, but it was just enough to tell that he was saying "Hermione".

Lavender flicked her head up and didn't hesitate to fire at her. Her eyes watered, and they narrowed, as if she was inspecting Hermione for something.

"Well, don't just stand there. If you're gonna be there for your 'Won-won', you might as well sit," she said, adding extra emphasis on the ridiculous nickname. To Hermione's surprise, Lavender turned on her heels and ran off, looking rather over-dramatic.

XXX

Hermione was sitting with Harry in the Dining Hall. She was explaining a charm to him when Ron came into sight at the far entrance. Harry had seemed to zone out, since his eyes shifted to something other than Hermione. She turned around and saw him walking towards them. He had that sort of posture of when he made a mistake, especially with Hermione. She'd seen that one too many times. His hand was at his neck, rubbing it, sort of like how boys act to try to gather their thoughts to talk to a girl.

Hermione didn't spare a glance for Ron, so she continued to explain the subject to Harry. He didn't deserve her attention. If he wanted it, he'd have to ask for it. It wasn't just given away like a gift.

"Anyway, it's quite simple, Harry. All you have to do is make sure you have the proper posture and-" she said before being interrupted.

"So… how's everyone been?" Ron asked, his question met with a death-glare from Hermione. "Alright, I expect?"

"It's not like you'd care enough if I told you, anyway," Hermione muttered just loud enough for both boys to sleep. She gathered up her belongings, scooping them up in her arms and walked towards the entrance.

"What's up with her?" Ron asked. That was the last thing she heard from Ron before she turned the corner.

The next day had been like the others, except Ron actually talked to Harry. He made a point of not speaking to Hermione unless he was spoken to. That night, Harry had told her that Ron wanted to meet up with her in the Common Room. Normally, Hermione would have absolutely obliged, but something about this situation seemed to call her. She decided to listen to some of the nonsense Ron had to say.

When she finished her homework, Hermione skipped down the stairs. She found Ron sitting on the couch in front of the fire. Harry was sitting with him, too. She felt more at ease since Harry was there.

She sat herself down on a single couch, crossing her legs beneath her.

"What is this all about? I'd like to get to bed, if you don't mind. We have a potions test tomorrow," she said, wanting to speed things up.

"Hold your horses, Hermione," Ron said, which only made Hermione more impatient.

Ron took a deep breath. "I wanted to talk to you about something," he started.

Hermione laughed, but it was one of those laughs where she thought the other person was being stupid. "Yeah, uh, I think that's pretty obvious, Ron. Thanks for the clarification.

Ron ignored her comment and continued. "I wanted to know if you're avoiding me. You seem mad at me for some reason, and I have no clue as to what I did."

"Well, that's obvious. And yes, I am mad. I have been for weeks, but you haven't noticed, have you? Not since yesterday?"

"Well, no… I haven't."

"Do you have a clue as to why I'm mad?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, no. That's why I'm asking you," he replied, sounding more confused than before.

"Fine. You want to know why I'm mad? I'm mad because you're never there for us anymore. I'm mad because you've let a bloody girl get in the way of our friendship. You let her control your life. You chose her over your friends, when really, it should be the opposite. Friends come first, then your girlfriend. That's common knowledge. You shoved us aside and replaced us with that witch. It's like you're a belonging to her, an object," she said, her voice slowly growing louder. "I'm mad because you didn't keep your promises. You're a liar. Promises are the biggest lies in the world, aren't they? You led me to believe that was true." She stayed silent for a moment. Ron was speechless.

"I'm sorry, Hermione. I realize that I was stupid and an idiot. I don't know what came over me or what attracted me to that mad, insane girl. I really am sorry," he apologized. Hermione was surprised that he actually sounded genuine.

"What can I do to make it up for you?" he asked desperately.

"You can start by keeping your promises," she whispered silently.

"Okay, I can do that. I won't let anyone come between us again. I promise," he said, crossing his heart.

"Promises aren't meant to be broken, so if you do it again, it won't be this easy to get back to me," Hermione warned.

Ron chuckled. Harry held his hand out and stuck out his pinky.

"Come on, guys. We know the promises that bound us together. We know what makes us best friends. Promises aren't the biggest lies in the world because we know how to keep them now," Harry said.

Hermione smiled and held her hand out. Ron did the same. The trio did a pinky promise and crossed their hearts, laughing into a group hug afterwards.