Of Elastics and Essays
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Here it is - the companion piece to 'Of Braids and Beauties'. You don't have to read that to understand this, as that is set in Deathly Hallows, and this story is set in Order of the Phoenix. You also don't have to read this to understand that. They just go together, as companion pieces do.
It's a little random, and you may think slightly pointless, but I think it'd be nice to write about a quiet, uneventful evening between Ron and Hermione, or as uneventful as you can get when it comes to them.
"That foul, abominable, evil woman!" Hermione exclaimed, throwing her quill down on the table as Harry closed the portrait door behind him. Ron looked up at Hermione, ignoring his unfinished essay. "Those detentions, what she's doing to him… it's despicable." Hermione continued.
Ron nodded sadly, and then looked over at her essay. Her tiny handwriting filled up the whole page, and Ron knew it was finished, for she had written her name at the end in her elegant scrawl. Looking down at his, which only had two sentences written on it, a third unfinished, he blushed.
"Not that I want to miss a chance to make fun of Umbridge, but I really need to finish this essay." Ron said.
"Ron!" Hermione exclaimed, moving her chair so that she was sitting right next to him. That's not going to help me concentrate, Hermione, Ron thought. "You were supposed to have started the essay two days ago!"
"I know!" Ron exclaimed frustratingly, "I just didn't get around to doing it."
"Ron, it's due tomorrow, and you're expected to write three pages." She said. "I specifically organized it so that I would write a page every evening. I think that's what Professor Flitwick was expecting us to do too!" She put a finger to her chin, pretending to think hard. "You, I think, spent the two evenings playing chess with Harry and discussing Chocolate Frog cards with third years."
"One of them had Agrippa!" Ron exclaimed. "I've been trying to find her for years!"
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Well, what are you going to do now?" she asked.
"I'm trying to finish this essay, but I can't, because I have to listen to you lecture me, when I'm already feeling pretty bad!" he exploded.
Hermione stiffened, and looked rather hurt. "Sorry. I was going to try and help you, but if you don't want me to, then I won't bother!" She marched off over to the staircase leading to the girls dormitories.
Ron cursed under his breath and looked down at his essay once more. "Silencio," Ron muttered as he wrote, "will render the victim speechless… maybe I can cast it on myself, I could stop offending Hermione." Ron looked over at the staircase Hermione had walked to earlier. Stop thinking about her Ron! You have an essay to finish! Ron glanced down at his essay. "Now what?" he asked himself.
Ten minutes later, Ron had only managed to write two more sentences. He was just about to give up when Hermione appeared in front of him, carrying a book and an elastic hair tie.
"What are you doing here?" Ron asked. "I thought you couldn't stand the sight of me."
"I was hoping to read a book in my dormitory, but Parvati and Lavender walked in and started gossiping away. This always happens!" she exclaimed frustratingly. "I wish I could just cast Silencio on them!"
Ron chuckled in spite of himself. You're meant to be annoyed at her! His brain yelled at him. He didn't care. "It's a shame we haven't begun practising it practically yet then."
Hermione nodded sadly. "Until then, I'll have to read in the common room." She sat down in the chair she had been in earlier, and opened her book to a page.
Ron knew he was meant to be working on his essay, but he couldn't help but watch her instead. Her head was leaning over the text excitedly, as if the closer she got, the quicker she could find out what happens. One hand was resting on the table, inches away from Ron's. He swallowed nervously before seeing the hair tie once more on the other hand, which was keeping the book open to the page she desired.
"What's the elastic for?" Ron asked.
"I'm going to plait my hair soon." Hermione said, her eyes not leaving the page. Ron wished he could pay attention even half as well as she could. The only subject where he would ever really pay attention in was her.
"What for?" he asked, his essay completely forgotten as she looked up and into his eyes.
"I like to plait my hair when I go to sleep. In the morning it's much less bushier which means that when I wake up the next day my hair isn't a complete mess and I can fix it quickly instead of having to wrestle." she said.
Ron nodded, not knowing what else to say. Hermione returned to her book and he examined his essay once more. His mind was still preoccupied with what Hermione said though, and suddenly, he looked up at Hermione again.
"I don't think your hair is a complete mess." Ron blurted out, and then felt the tips of his ears turn pink. Hermione looked up from her book, her mouth slightly open. "It's…" Ron cleared his throat, "It's quite nice. I like it."
She appeared stunned for a moment, and Ron had a feeling it was because this was probably the first compliment he had given her straightforward. Most of the time his compliments were implied in some way or another, but this time, he had openly said he liked something about her to her face.
Hermione was slightly pink, and Ron knew his face was burning red. She gave him a small smile. "Thank you, Ron."
Ron managed to give a small smile back, then looked at his pathetic piece of writing once more. He heard a sigh, and looked up at Hermione again. She still had a small smile on her face. Before Ron could ask her what was so funny, she was moving her chair over towards him again. "Let me help."
Ron looked at her gratefully. "Thanks Hermione."
When Harry returned from his detention with Umbridge, Ron and Hermione were waiting. Hermione's hair was in a plait, and Ron's essay lay on the table, finished.
I've incorporated this into my schoolwork, and will be submitting this story. I hope I get a good mark on this, and if you think I shouldn't submit this, please tell me. If you love it, you can tell me that too. I'd just love to hear from you :)