"You haven't studied at all for the Potions exam before Christmas!"
"Hermione," Ron bellowed in the Common Room. A few first years looked up in surprise and began whispering about Ron. "It's a week and a half away!"
"Well, I'm just trying to help, Ron. Who else is going to say this to you if your mum isn't at Hogwarts." Ron narrowed his eyes and put his hands on his hips. Hermione noticed his annoyance. She recognized the expression on his face. She was a master of 'the Look.' Hermione sighed and flopped onto the couch next to Ron. The two of them had been in front of the fire doing homework. Harry was in detention that evening with Filch. He had the unfortunate chance of being caught with Filibuster's Fireworks on the same day that the caretaker was in an easily irritated mood. "Look, all I'm saying is that N.E.W.T Potions isn't your strongest class. You've been struggling with it all year and if you want to become an Auror..." She was cut off by his rage.
"I'm not you, Hermione. I don't have your brains." Ron jumped up from his seat as if there had been hot coals under him. "I'm not the top of my class, but I get by just fine. So, just leave me alone." He turned on his heel and marched up the stairs to the boys' dormitories, purposely making an unnecessarily large amount of noise by pounding his feet on the stone steps.
Harry, Ron and Hermione were in their sixth year at Hogwarts. They were all taking N.E.W.T. Potions, which was an extremely difficult class mainly because it was taught by Professor Snape. They had, to everyone's surprise, made it into the N.E.W.T. level class, by receiving an O, for outstanding, which was the highest mark on the O.W.L.s Harry and Ron had no idea how they had managed that one. Hermione didn't know either.
For Ron to say that he was "getting by just fine" was not entirely accurate. He was, in fact, doing very poorly in the class. Hermione knew Ron as well as she knew herself because she could read him like Hogwarts, A History. She was aware of how important it was to Ron that he become an Auror. The only way to accomplish this would be to pass the N.E.W.T. examination in his seventh year. Last year, Professor McGonagall had informed Ron (and Harry, as they were both studying to follow the same career path) that Potions was an essential part to being accepted into Auror training. Hermione and Ron had known each other since their first year and had always been best friends. Perhaps even closer.
Hermione had feelings for Ron that she couldn't describe. It was entirely possible that these were only feelings of a deep loving friendship...she wasn't certain. She wasn't the type of girl to wear her heart out on her sleeve. Sure she would give him a peck on the cheek before parting for the summer...and sure perhaps she hugged him longer than she hugged her other best friend, Harry...sure she felt week in the knees we he called her 'Mione...
She took a deep, slow breath and let it out as fast as she could. She often did this to release a build up of stress, which is something Hermione was familiar with. Feeling angry with herself for being too hard on Ron, she sat down to finish her Transfiguration essay.
Upstairs, Ron was furious. Hermione always hounded him about his studying and homework, as if she was his mother or his nagging wife...but no, he didn't let that thought slip into his head. He refused to.
Ron had feelings for Hermione that he couldn't describe. It was entirely possible that these were only feelings of a deep loving friendship...he wasn't certain. He was definitely not the type of chap to wear his heart out on his sleeve. Sure he loved how she gave him a peck on the cheek before parting for the summer...sure, perhaps he was jealous if she hugged Harry for longer than she hugged Ron...sure he felt his pulse speed up tremendously when she smiled a particular way...
Ron shook his head hard to clear these thoughts from his mind. Even if he did have feelings for Hermione, which he didn't (he quickly told himself) there was nothing he could do about it. There was no way she would ever like him. He wasn't in her league. He took a deep settling breath and let it out fast. Ron always tried hard not to think about these it, but he knew nothing would ever happen between him and Hermione...not that he wanted anything to happen (his mind said again quickly).
"Hermione," Ron bellowed in the Common Room. A few first years looked up in surprise and began whispering about Ron. "It's a week and a half away!"
"Well, I'm just trying to help, Ron. Who else is going to say this to you if your mum isn't at Hogwarts." Ron narrowed his eyes and put his hands on his hips. Hermione noticed his annoyance. She recognized the expression on his face. She was a master of 'the Look.' Hermione sighed and flopped onto the couch next to Ron. The two of them had been in front of the fire doing homework. Harry was in detention that evening with Filch. He had the unfortunate chance of being caught with Filibuster's Fireworks on the same day that the caretaker was in an easily irritated mood. "Look, all I'm saying is that N.E.W.T Potions isn't your strongest class. You've been struggling with it all year and if you want to become an Auror..." She was cut off by his rage.
"I'm not you, Hermione. I don't have your brains." Ron jumped up from his seat as if there had been hot coals under him. "I'm not the top of my class, but I get by just fine. So, just leave me alone." He turned on his heel and marched up the stairs to the boys' dormitories, purposely making an unnecessarily large amount of noise by pounding his feet on the stone steps.
Harry, Ron and Hermione were in their sixth year at Hogwarts. They were all taking N.E.W.T. Potions, which was an extremely difficult class mainly because it was taught by Professor Snape. They had, to everyone's surprise, made it into the N.E.W.T. level class, by receiving an O, for outstanding, which was the highest mark on the O.W.L.s Harry and Ron had no idea how they had managed that one. Hermione didn't know either.
For Ron to say that he was "getting by just fine" was not entirely accurate. He was, in fact, doing very poorly in the class. Hermione knew Ron as well as she knew herself because she could read him like Hogwarts, A History. She was aware of how important it was to Ron that he become an Auror. The only way to accomplish this would be to pass the N.E.W.T. examination in his seventh year. Last year, Professor McGonagall had informed Ron (and Harry, as they were both studying to follow the same career path) that Potions was an essential part to being accepted into Auror training. Hermione and Ron had known each other since their first year and had always been best friends. Perhaps even closer.
Hermione had feelings for Ron that she couldn't describe. It was entirely possible that these were only feelings of a deep loving friendship...she wasn't certain. She wasn't the type of girl to wear her heart out on her sleeve. Sure she would give him a peck on the cheek before parting for the summer...and sure perhaps she hugged him longer than she hugged her other best friend, Harry...sure she felt week in the knees we he called her 'Mione...
She took a deep, slow breath and let it out as fast as she could. She often did this to release a build up of stress, which is something Hermione was familiar with. Feeling angry with herself for being too hard on Ron, she sat down to finish her Transfiguration essay.
Upstairs, Ron was furious. Hermione always hounded him about his studying and homework, as if she was his mother or his nagging wife...but no, he didn't let that thought slip into his head. He refused to.
Ron had feelings for Hermione that he couldn't describe. It was entirely possible that these were only feelings of a deep loving friendship...he wasn't certain. He was definitely not the type of chap to wear his heart out on his sleeve. Sure he loved how she gave him a peck on the cheek before parting for the summer...sure, perhaps he was jealous if she hugged Harry for longer than she hugged Ron...sure he felt his pulse speed up tremendously when she smiled a particular way...
Ron shook his head hard to clear these thoughts from his mind. Even if he did have feelings for Hermione, which he didn't (he quickly told himself) there was nothing he could do about it. There was no way she would ever like him. He wasn't in her league. He took a deep settling breath and let it out fast. Ron always tried hard not to think about these it, but he knew nothing would ever happen between him and Hermione...not that he wanted anything to happen (his mind said again quickly).