"Next time there's a ball, pluck up the courage and ask before someone else does and not as a last resort!" Hermione exclaimed.
It startled Ron, who thought that the argument had ended moments ago.
"Well – That just proved – completely missed the point!..." Ron stammered. "You were…you were fraternizing with the enemy!" He yelled back, flushing.
"Fraternizing with the enemy!" Hermione yelled in return, looking bewildered . "In fact Ronald, this is what the Yule Ball is for! It is for everyone of Hogwarts, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang to get along for once and forget about the on-going Triwizard Tournament! Viktor asked me to go with him exactly for this reason and I don't know why-"
"- you fancy him! You fancy Vicky don't you?" Ron blurted out and immediately regrets it.
Hermione hesitated, then she grew red.
"This is pointless," she said sternly, "by the way, it's Viktor, not Vicky." And with that, she turned to go upstairs to the dormitories, and nearly bumped into Harry, who was standing in the corner for the whole time.
"Oh there you are Harry," she said as she tried to force a smile and bidding Harry goodnight, she stormed up the stairs.
Ron was surprised to see Harry has well, in fact, he had forgotten that he was standing in the middle of the Gryffindor Common Room, everyone must have witnessed the scene they just had, but he couldn't care less.
Harry dared not to speak for he just got back on good terms with Ron. Not wanting to spoil it, and believing that he would want not to talk about it now, Harry merely gave Ron a slight pat on the shoulder and went upstairs.
Ron stood frozen by the fireplace, unable to move. "What just happened?" he asked himself, everything was a blur to him. Ron stood there, staring blankly into the air, until a couple of third years brought him back. They were giggling.
"Sod off! Will you?" Ron said, glaring at them.
They disappeared immediately.
"Brilliant," he thought as he looked at his reflection on the mirror over the mantelpiece. He looked ridiculous. The oversized coat looked horrible on his gangly body, his slacks are too short compared to his long legs, not to mention the lacey frills on his shirt.
" Damn it," Ron thought, how could he ever compete with Vicky? Moreover, how would Hermione ever pick him over Vicky, the amazing Quidditch player?
Reluctantly, he dragged himself back to the dormitories.
After bidding Harry goodnight, Hermione rushed back to the girl's dormitories. She pushed open the door, expecting to see an empty room for she desperate to be alone,only to see Lavender and Parvati giggling at the sight of her.
"What's going on Hermione?" giggled Parvati.
"Did you get mad because Ron Weasley forgot to kiss you goodnight?" cooed Lavender.
"Naughty Hermione! You went to the Yule Ball with Viktor Krum!"
"So what happened? Tell us!"
"Nothing," replied Hermione, trying to hold back angry tears as she closed the curtains around her bed.
Why was she feeling so angry? A million thoughts ran through her mind. Surely she had these types of arguments with Ron before. She had them a thousand times, for a matter of fact. But none had made her feel like this before.
She flumped on her bad face down, letting her pillow muffle her silent scream of frustration.
"You fancy him don't you?" Ron's words passed her once again. No she doesn't, doesn't fancy him at all.
She had been waiting for him. In fact, she was hoping that he would ask her. But then he went and ask Fleur Delacour! Fleur, that Fleur, that snobby part Veela Beauxbatons girl.
And then Viktor Krum personally asked her out to the ball. He was gentlemanlike, and very much respected her. It'll be very rude and silly of her to turn the offer down.
"Hermione, you're a girl right? I say you should come with either one of us. It's fine for a boy to go alone, but for a girl it's just sad." How dare he comes and say such things! Tactless, just tactless.
" Wait…" Hermione thought, "that's it! Ron's jealous! He's jealous of Viktor Krum! That must be it! Why else would he call his favourite Quidditch idol Vicky? Why else would he accuse her of fancying him? Why else would he be in such a bad temper after seeing her at the Yule Ball with Viktor?"
And with this thought, Hermione starts drifting off to sleep.
Ron wasn't focusing. Before he knew it, he had reached the dormitories. He didn't hear what Seamus and Dean were saying, but they seemed to be making some kind of "kissy faces". Ron didn't even bother to stop and scowl at them. Neville was so worn off by dancing, he was long fast asleep. Harry's curtains were drawn close. Approaching his own bed, Ron did the same.
The silence he experienced after drawing the curtains was soothing and it calmed him down a bit.
"What the bloody hell were you doing, Ron Weasley?" he asked himself. He was rude and tactless, not to mention unfair.
"She didn't do anything wrong," Ron thought. "Well, she went to the Yule Ball with Vicky."
He regretted not asking Hermione earlier. He shouldn't have put it off until it was too late. But he doubted himself. He could have asked Hermione, but would she have accepted the invitation? She could very easily be waiting for someone better, someone more worthy of her, to be precise. Someone like Cedric Diggory, Roger Davies, screw it, maybe even Harry. Harry's a Hogwarts champion, for Merlin's sake.
And after tonight Ron's positive that Hermione will not accept him. Not after when he acted childish and rude. Jealousy was an issue to him.
He was jealous. After being so confused about his anger towards knowing the fact that Vicky's going to the Yule Ball with Hermione, it finally occurred to him that he was, in fact, jealous. He feels even sorrier. Hermione definitely doesn't deserve his temper. Whatever he could do.
With an epiphany, Ron knew what he had to do, he knew how to make up to her.
Once again he pulled the curtains open, and walked across the room to the door.
"Hey Ron! Off to see Hermione Granger again?" sniggered Seamus.
Without glancing back, Ron shut the door, walked down the stairs and reached the bottom of the girl's dormitories.
He started walking up the stairs leading up when the stairs start to shake and turned into a slide. He lost his balance and fell on the ground with a "thud".
"Bloody hell! "Ron swore loudly and stood up, rubbing his sore shoulder. A first year girl came downstairs to investigate the source of the commotion.
"Oh, you," he addressed the girl, "would you please be very kind and go to the fourth year's dorm and ask Hermione Granger to come down?"
After a few minutes, a sleepy Hermione walked down stairs. At the sight she rolled her eyes.
"Merlin's beard Ron!" she sighed. "I thought I've made it clear that the argument is pointless? And now you've sent this poor girl to wake me up in the middle of the night – what's wrong with your shoulder?" she asked. Ron was still rubbing it.
"I fell down from the stairs – "
"I've told you before that – "
"I know, I wasn't exactly focusing."
"You never focus Ron,"sighed Hermione.
"I'm sorry," said Ron.
"What?..." whispered Hermione.
"I said I was sorry."
"Yes I heard you," said Hermione, she was surprised.
"I'm sorry I've been so reckless. I shouldn't have said those things to you, you didn't deserve it."
"You're a total arse Ronald Weasley," said Hermione, trying to conceal her smile.
" A total arse, yes I know. I guess I was just…. Just…"
"Jealous?" asked Hermione.
Ron nodded.
"It was really mean of you, you know, words hurt."
"I know now."
Then followed by a few seconds of awkward silence.
"Hermione?" Ron asked.
"Yes?"
"Next time there's a ball, will you go with me?"
Hermione's heart leaped. Ron could be such a clueless jerk sometimes but he could also pull out these tricks and make you not help but to soften up a bit.
" Y-uh….uh" Hermione stuttered, blushing.
" Cat got your tongue?" chuckled Ron.
" Yes, I mean yes I will, " replied Hermione.
" Well, that's great." said Ron ,relieved.
Hermione smiled. " Is your shoulder feeling any better now?" she asked, concerned.
Ron shrugs, rubbing his shoulder. " Here, let me do it" Hermione said and starts helping him to sooth his sore shoulder.
After a few minutes, she asks again, "Feeling better ?"
"Much better, thank you" Ron replied, turning his face away so she wouldn't see his face reddening.
" It's late." Hermione said.
" I shouldn't keep you up then," said Ron.
" Goodnight Ron," said Hermione.
Ron stepped forward awkwardly, bent down and gave Hermione a kiss on her cheek. " I'll see you in the morning." And he went back upstairs to his dorm.
Hermione stood transfixed, touching the spot on her cheek that his lips met. She wasn't so sure what had happened but she was glad that it did.
The next morning Harry went down and noticed that Ron and Hermione seemed to have forgotten the whole argument.
They were being quite friendly to each other, though oddly formal, and they seem quite restrained.
Harry heard Ron leaving the dorm the second time last night, and came back whispering, " I can't believe I did it" over and over again, he didn't sound upset, and he surely wasn't upset this morning. So was Hermione, she was constantly touching a spot on her cheek, and glancing at Ron every few seconds.
Harry was actually pleased about the Yule Ball now, for he knew his two best friends won't entirely stay as best friends for long now.