As both Ron and I walks inside the common room through the portrait I started thinking back at how bad it had sounded when I asked Cho for the Yule Ball I realize that both of us still don't have a date for that night.
We are already sitting at our usual place by the fire when I notice Hermione behind her usual pile of school books and library books working at the essays for tomorrow. Somewhere in the background of my mind I can hear Ron complaining about not having a date and something about it being the end of the world for him. When he reminds me of the fact that I still don't have one I didn't react directly as I was occupied with my thoughts. I can understand Ron's anxiety about having to go alone but somehow along the line he has forgotten that he at least don't have to initiate the ball as the champion. Sometimes I wonder if he is being blunt and forgetful on purpose or if it's just how he is as a person.
As I look up again I noticed that Hermione and Ron are looking at me worried about something. I shake my head to reassure them that I'm fine. I decided to worry about the problem with getting a date tomorrow instead.
I turned to look at Hermione and noticed that even if she is looking at me for reassurance that I'm alright she is also looking at Ron with some mix of anticipation and sadness. My thoughts started to wander away, Why is she looking like that? Is she worried about him as well with not having a date maybe? Does she want to be asked maybe?
I realized again that I had not listened again to what someone was saying as I heard books slam down at the table and watched Hermione rushing towards the stairs of the girls dormitory seemingly upset. I looked at Ron in confusion and noticed that he had the same look as I and asked what it was she got mad about and he just shrugged his shoulders. He asked if we could maybe play some wizards chess or exploding snap but I declined saying I had to sleep early because I felt tired.
When I was up in the dormitory room and had threw myself down on the bed I started thinking about that look that Hermione had when she spoke before. Somehow it felt like I was missing a piece in a puzzle that I had to know about to understand everything.
It wasn't until a few days later when Hermione and I was working with our essays that I managed to learn why she had looked like that before. We both noticed some kind of commotion at the portrait and could see Ron being led inside looking like a white ghost while sputtering nonsense without rim or reason. Hermione was up on her feet in no seconds wondering what had happened when the twins started to explain Ron's shocked state as he had apparently asked Fleur Delacour to the ball, or more like shouted according to Lee. I could see both Ron and Hermione's face expressions at the retelling and it's Hermione's that shocks me the most. She somehow manages to change from worry to slight jealousy and then to some kind of muck glare, like she wanted to say "told you so". It was then I realized that Hermione might actually like Ron in more ways than a friend. Though I couldn't really see how that worked as they both bickered and argued a lot with each other while together.
After what seemed like seconds I noticed that Ron has somehow managed to find his voice again because I can hear him complain about the problem again with not having dates. Hermione was back behind her books again when I noticed that Ron looked like he as thinking of something. He suddenly found a solution to his thoughts apparently as he exclaimed with an outburst the simple fact that Hermione was a girl and that she could go to the ball with him. Seconds after Ron's outburst I could see Hermione snap like she had been hexed and she rose from her seat in an instant. She started screaming like a banshee about already having a date to Ron. She then gathered her books and disappeared from the common room.
Ron turned to look at me surprised and all he asked me was if I maybe knew who her possible date could be. Apparently he thought that no one in their right mind would ask her as a first choice and I felt sorry for Hermione. I really did wonder what it was that she saw in him as Ron is obvious to what it was that was wrong with Hermione.
I decided to ignore Ron and tried to focus on my essay again but after almost an hour of working I came to the conclusion that I couldn't focus on it and sighed loudly while I stretched and leaned back in my chair to look at Ron who had started a chess match with Seamus. While they were playing I thought back through all the years that we had been here at Hogwarts and tried to find a solution to when Hermione started to have her feelings for Ron but couldn't find any answers. I gave up on it and excused myself from the common room to sleep. All I wanted was to try and forget everything that happened around them all at the moment and I fell into a deep dreamless sleep.
AN: I've at last managed to "complete" the first part of this story. I've always felt that Harry knew about Hermione's and Ron's feelings from during the 4th year but never showed so I wanted to write this one from inside Harry's mind. I do have a second chapter started for when they are at the Yule Ball but I need help/inspiration to finnish it because I'm lost. So Read & Review please? Any comments are loved!