A/N: Hey y'all! This was written for the Hogwarts Eastern Funfair, for the Ferris Wheel.
(Pairing) RonPadma
Word Count: 965
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Those rights go to JK Rowling.
Enjoy!
It was maddening. They were spinning around the dance floor several feet in front of her, and showed no signs of stopping anytime soon. Hermione watched with envy as Ron waltzed with Padma Patil, her turquoise robes fanning out behind her. Her dark hair shone prettily in the light, and she moved gracefully, though her partner stumbled through the steps.
Hermione hated everything about her.
Her eyes moved to Ron. His dress robes really did look atrocious, but Hermione thought he looked dashing nonetheless. At least he had cut off that horrible lace. Padma had hated it— she'd seen her wrinkle her nose when he first walked in! Hermione wouldn't have minded dancing with him, horrible robes or not.
But he looked happy dancing with Padma. His red hair was mussed and damp with sweat, and a pink flush adorned his freckled face as he grinned nervously at his date. His long limbs looked awkward next to Padma's lithe ones, but no one else seemed to notice.
Hermione felt tears sting her brown eyes. She wasn't pretty like Padma, but she was smart. Of course, Padma was a Ravenclaw, and was therefore very intelligent, but… well, she was a Gryffindor! Ron was always expressing so much House pride, surely it must count for something. She was brave, and had been friends with Harry and Ron since first year; tonight was the first night he had really interacted with Padma. Besides that, she and Ron had been through so much with Harry; did none of that matter to him?
Hermione closed her eyes as Padma put a dark hand against Ron's pale face. She knew what was coming. Sure enough, when Hermione dared to peek, the object of her affection and Padma Patil were lip-locked. In that moment, there was nothing she wouldn't give to be the pretty Ravenclaw. She wanted to be standing there, Ron's thin hands grasping her shoulders gingerly, an unsure but excited look in his eyes. She wanted to lean close enough to his dirt-smudged face to see every freckle. She wanted to be able to feel the anticipation in his fingers, and the warmth of his lips. All year she had wanted these things, and Padma stole them away in the blink of an eye.
Hermione was a good student. She was brave, independent, and kind. There were a million things she could do, but one thing was always just out of reach: earning Ron's affection.
She had been so stupid. When Ron hadn't asked her to the Yule Ball, she had told herself that it was because he was afraid. The boy was incredibly courageous, but he was a disaster when it came to social interaction. The only girl he'd asked was Fleur Delacour, and that was just because she was a quarter-Veela. So Hermione has been convinced that she'd had a chance. When Viktor Krum has asked her to the Ball, she had accepted. She had thought that Ron just needed a push; that when he saw her with another boy, his feelings for her would be awoken.
She had done exactly what those girls in the romance novels Hermione secretly made fun of other girls for reading would do.
She had forgotten that Harry was always so thoughtful. Of course he'd score a date for his best friend. But neither Harry nor Hermione had expected the two to fall in love. Well, some feelings had been awoken in Ron, but they definitely weren't for her.
She glanced over at the youngest champion. He was looking longingly over at where Cho Chang and Cedric Diggory were dancing happily. Hermione couldn't even be mad at him for accidentally setting Ron and Padma up, as he was in the same boat as herself. Cho was completely oblivious as Harry's eyes bore into her back as she grinned at Cedric. Harry was ignoring poor Parvati, and Hermione found herself wishing that the other Patil was getting the same treatment from her date.
Yes, Harry and Hermione were both pining after two completely unavailable people; she just hoped that she was being more subtle about it.
Her eyes roamed back to the happy couple. She flinched as Ron's arms wrapped around Padma's small body. She'd been wrong, thinking she could make Ron jealous.
Anger flared through her. Ron didn't care about personality. He'd complained about a girl's nose being off-center, for Merlin's sake. It didn't matter how close they'd become over the years— in Ron's eyes, Hermione was probably just that girl with the too-large front teeth.
She scowled as she thought of her idiot best friends. What was it about Ravenclaw girls, anyway? Maybe she and Ginny Weasley should have a long talk.
She thought about the frizzy brown hair that she had spent so long trying to tame. She had dressed up, feeling pretty for once in her life. Ron hadn't noticed.
Hermione sighed bitterly. Maybe one day, she'd find a boy who would take notice of her not for her looks, but for her personality. Lately, though, the male population had seemed rather blind to that particular human aspect.
Hermione felt a hand on her shoulder, breaking her out of her reverie. She turned to see Viktor Krum, looking very handsome, holding a hand out to her.
"Vould you like to dance?" he asked in heavily accented English.
Hermione blinked. This whole time, she had forgotten that someone had noticed her for herself. Krum had asked her to the Yule Ball, even though he could have had any girl in the castle with his Quidditch fame.
She still liked Ron. That wouldn't just disappear. But standing before her was someone who wanted to get to know her, and Ron seemed quite busy with Padma…
Hermione smiled. "I would love to."