Pen Name: Sailor Moon Rose
Title: The Corridor Closet
Spoilers: GoF
Rating: PG ( K+)
Summary: The Trio are in their sixth year at Hogwarts when Ron makes a move on Hermione, and she runs. Ron thinks she's with Harry, but she's not. Hermione's got a secret love, do you want to find out who?
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Author's Note: I'm diving head first into the HP fandom! It's just a one-shot, but I had the urge to write something Harry Potter related last night at 4 AM, so I spent an hour and jotted this down. Fixed it up all day, I rather like the results. Hope you do too. Constructive criticism is appreciated, but pure unadulterated praise is worshipped. Thanks to all my friends who said it was 'good.' So, enough with my nervous babble. Enjoy!
The smartest witch of their year, possibly this century.
The brains behind the Golden Trio.
Harry Potter's best friend.
The one they ran to for homework help, advice on girls.
None of that would help her if they found out her little secret.
Gryffindor would disown her.
Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw would shun her.
Slytherin would jeer in triumph.
And it was all his bloody fault. It was his fault for noticing her, for charming her; for letting her fall in love with him.
She was rambling, and she knew it. Placing the blame on him made her feel better about her situation.
Now her clandestine love affair was going to blow open. The Kneazle was about ready to claw its way out of the bloody bag. Oh, and what a horribly made bag it was.
"Hermione," a throaty whisper brought her back from her thoughts. She saw Ron's flushed face in front of her own. His eyes were shut and lips puckered. Her eyes widened at the realization of what was in the process of occurring. She ducked under his long arm and sped out of the empty classroom he had maneuvered her into under the false pretense of a private discussion.
Hermione wasn't far down the empty corridor when Ron caught up and blocked her only means of escape. Her embarrassment wouldn't allow her to look Ron straight in the eye, but her eyes kept traveling back to the beat-red face of their own accord, expecting the inevitable.
"Hermione… I-I really like you…" Ron trailed off, running a hand through his flaming red hair. "I thought you liked me too?" there was a hopeful note in his voice.
"Ron," she reached out for his arm, "I don't-"
His whole demeanor changed and he shook off her hand. "I knew it!" he exclaimed. "I knew it was you and Harry in the Charms corridor last week!"
Hermione's eyes grew wide and her mouth formed an 'oh.'
He started pacing back and forth, eerily reminding Hermione of a caged lion. He sporadically jerked his arms wildly in the air, attempting to pull out his hair in frustration every few minutes.
"Ron," Hermione said meekly.
"And he wouldn't tell me a thing! Said he was planning Quidditch strategy with Ginny! He lied to ME!" Ron threw out his hands out, emphasizing the 'me.'
"Ron," she said again, a bit more forcefully. He continued his pacing, muttering an odd litany of obscenities.
"Ron!" Hermione yelled.
"What!" he snapped back.
"It wasn't Harry," she murmured.
"What?" he asked as if he hadn't heard her properly.
She said it again loudly, and with a hint of reprimand in her voice, "It wasn't Harry."
Ron gaped, he took a minute to collect himself before asking, "Who was it then?" He crossed his arms in anticipation of her answer, tapping his foot impatiently; eerily reminding her of a stereotypical older brother.
"Ah," she felt the blood rush to her head, and bristled at the idea of Ron nosing through her secrets. "That is none of your business!" Hermione shoved past him in a huff and broke into a run once she had safely made it around a corner.
A few floors later found Hermione red-faced and inexplicably lost. Clutching the stitch in her side she let out a huff in exasperation, "Well, that goes to show that even five years at Hogwarts isn't enough to keep you from getting lost."
"You've got that right," a voice whispered in her ear.
Hermione spun around to come nose-to-nose with a pair of green eyes and a mess of silky black hair.
"Boo," the boy said mockingly and Hermione took a step back, "Well, nice to see you too." He cracked a grin and made to loosen the tie around his neck. Hermione watched his deft fingers work the knot. The reason for her excursion into the unfamiliar corridor resurfacing.
"Ron saw us…"
The boy smirked and replied, "Jealous, was he?"
Hermione's mouth formed a grim line, reminiscent of Professor McGonagall's own look of disapproval. "He thought you were Harry."
The boy's smirk grew, "Weasley must have thrown a fit."
Hermione suppressed a smile, "He wants to know who you are."
"Ah," the boy paused for a moment, "I suggest we curse him into the year after next. Won't have to deal with him until after graduation," he added airily.
She let out an incredulous snort.
"So, what's your plan, Miss. I-kill-all-the-fun-Granger?"
"Well," Hermione brought a finger to her lip in mock concentration, "We could stop snogging in supposedly deserted corridors. Or, I could say you slipped an illegal love potion in my pumpkin juice, or-"
He grabbed her hand and pulled her further down the corridor, and let out a dramatic sigh, "Back to the broom closets it is." He held open a door, gently pushing her inside as she squealed, "Blaise!"
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