Chapter 1 – The Deal

"Got it bad huh?" The voice startled him. Jumping, Ron turned around and saw Lavender Brown sitting on a sofa by the fire. He tried to look annoyed but gulped as he knew instantly that she had seen through his mask. He had just been saying goodnight to Hermione and she had seen. He had just failed at the casual wave and then stared longingly at the space she'd left and the blonde sitting to the side of him had watched. He could see it in her eyes from across the room.

She knew. "Relax, I won't tell anyone." Mind reeling at her confirmation, his eyes darted around the room looking for any other witnesses as he tried to process this. "I have a proposition for you." Startled by her choice of words the red-head merely stared at her for a moment before his legs took over and he walked over wordlessly and sat opposite her. Looking bolder, she uncrossed her legs and went on in a business-like way. "We both want other people and I have a plan." He blinked, trying to keep up; a proposition? How long had she been thinking about this? How long had she known about his – somewhat badly hidden – feelings? She shook her head almost smirking a little, dismissive of his silent question. "It's obvious, if you know how to look." Frowning he was about to wonder aloud why she was looking in her particular way at him when she continued hurriedly. "Look, if you follow the plan you can get your girl and-" He was distracted from his suspicion of her motives by her pause.

"And you get to have…?" Blushing a little, she sighed, giving in to his playful eyes underneath a raised ginger eyebrow and murmured.

"Seamus." He couldn't help but mirror her loudly.

"Seamus?" She reddened more but stared straight into his eyes.

"Hermione?" Not intimidated, something about the way she spoke about their situation put him at ease, he looked offended on his secret love's behalf.

"Yeah!" Lips firmly pressed together he eyed her and she did the same for a moment before he eased back and bit and waved his hand, asking her to continue. "We…well, act like we're together to make them jealous." She didn't breathe whilst he considered this, his expression hard to read, the earlier certainty faded. He almost asked for her to repeat the proposition but tightened his lips as he thought about it. His voice was hoarse before he coughed and went on warily.

"If I do agree to this, which I, I dunno…How would it…work?" Letting out a relieved breath she licked her lips and explained quickly.

"Well, we'd act all couple-y and kiss and stuff when we're around them. You know, making them jealous." There was another silence in which he licked his lip whilst considering every possibility, the blonde bit her own lip, knowing this part to be the riskiest bit of her sketchy plan. She hadn't really thought of any other strategy than just explaining what she wanted, figuring that Ron wasn't one for dancing around things; although he danced around Hermione well enough. He surprised her by speaking suddenly and as though half-way through a thought.

"It's not that, it's just that I don't think it would work." Cocking her head, she forced herself to let him finish; she tried to breathe normally, to show no fear. "She wouldn't get jealous, I mean why would she? She doesn't…she-"

"Of course she does, of course she would! Look Ron I see the way she looks at you." For the first time he looked her straight in the eye and for a moment she was transfixed by his gaze, he seemed to see right into her very soul, to be searching her naked mind. Shaking her head almost violently she went on a little shakily. "And even if she doesn't like you as much as you like her, she'll still notice you, still see you differently… It's something. Something different." Averting his gaze to somewhere over the girl's shoulder he considered this. She had a point. Different had to better than how things were now. Nodding to himself he looked back at that sunny face.

"Can I think about it?" Although she wasn't pleased with that answer, she smiled and said softly.

"Yeah."

"Okay, well, I'll think about it then." There was a moment of tension when their eyes locked. Ron stood and she leapt up as he started to walk away.

"Okay then. But, before you go." She stepped towards him and kissed him on the cheek. For the first time in the exchange she saw a flicker of bemusement through his confusion. Shrugging, her cheeks reddening a little she replied. "For not laughing in my face." They both smiled and then went their separate ways, biting their lips in thought.

The next day, Ron watched Hermione more often than usual, in fact, he didn't stop watching her. At breakfast, on the way to lessons, during lessons, lunch, their break, lessons, more lessons and then 'doing homework' in the Common Room that evening. He compared her expression to how it was when thinking, listening to him or Harry talk, how she looked at himself and then how she looked at Harry and then other people, how she looked when she concentrated hard and when her mind was drifting. He already knew all of these expressions, but he was paying extra attention on her face when she interacted with other people and was deeply disappointed to not see any difference in the softness of her eyes or the line of her mouth when she looked at him as opposed to Harry or anyone else for that matter.

He heard Harry ask him what was wrong and realised that he hadn't written a word since sitting down, well, he hadn't written a single word the whole day so it didn't bother him much. He muttered something about feeling unwell and again didn't see any change in her face which was angled downwards to her page, even though she didn't look at them he knew she was listening in, it was her 'subtly observing others whilst half-concentrating on work' face and she'd been wearing it more often in the past few weeks. Ron supposed because Harry had had a spate of nightmares recently and things had been tense for a while. Chewing on his quill he narrowed his eyes on the page but none of the words became any clearer, his inner eye picturing Hermione return to full concentration. Wow, how had he become so obsessed in such little time? Well, he'd been Hermione Watching for a while, even before he knew he was. It had only been since the Yule Ball that his gaze had become longing, aching. It almost hurt to watch her and realise that she was detached from him, always so close and yet so far away. He remembered Lavender's words. Something different. Whatever it would be, it was something he desperately needed.

Sighing, he turned and found Lavender's gaze from across the room. He held it for a moment and then nodded, the understanding passing between them. It was on.