Hermione was beginning to hate Ron. It was her seventh year at Hogwarts and she was already sure she would never date another student again.
They had been dating for about six months now and so far it was hell. She could be wrong but she was beginning to think Ron thought she was a piece of meat and every moment was a waste if it wasn't spent trying to explore her. She couldn't get a second alone There was never a moment when he was happy with just talking, which was sorta creepy considering how long they'd been friends. When'd he become such an asshole? Was it impossible just to hang out? There was always either snogging or some form of ill fated seduction. Especially when Lavender was around. It was beginning to piss her off.
Lavender, who had long since given up on Ron, had dated a number of popular boys. All of them, including Blaise Zabini, where tons richer than Ron. Rumor had it that 3 of them had felt the inside of her knickers. With all that activity, she hadn't so much as looked Ron's way. It was beyond Hermione, why Ron seemed so concerned with Lavender's feelings. What was he thinking, as if she'd be jealous?
"-snogging all over the place. It's like watching my grandma take her teeth out. "
Hermione sighed coming back to sad reality.
"It's rude. No one wants to see that." Ron continued. This was the latest in his ill chosen mood swings. Currently he'd taken to criticizing Lavender and Mclaggen's public behavior.
"As I recall," Harry began sarcastically." you and Lavender were snogging all over the place last year. You seemed okay then."
"Yeah
that does seem right." added Hermione. "I do faintly remember
seeing some red hair in that bundle of lips and spit." Ron
turned on her, his already freckled skin red, his mouth gaping like a
fish out of water.
"Yeah but..."
"Yes..." said Harry in anticipation.
"Nothing." They walked silently to potions; Ron of course was fuming over these new accusations. She had some nerve snogging Mclaggen. He and Lavender had never snogged like that. He frowned. Wasn't he good enough? He played Quidditch too. Last month's game he actually managed to save 3 goals. His fire red brows furrowed in thought. Mclaggen had been slipping his hand up her leg back there. He'd never got that kind of action. Maybe a touch here and there with Mione but she never let him get past her clothes. Nothing like the stuff he'd heard about Lavender.
They walked into the classroom. Hermione was the first to sit down. She sat next to Neville followed closely by Ron, who never missed a chance to ask her for answers and loved eavesdropping on her and Neville's conversations. Harry sat on the end smiling silently, probably thanking Merlin that he still had the Prince's book. He'd almost lost it last year. It took him ages to find it in the room of Requirement.
"Hello
Neville. How's Luna. "Hermione said."I still have her
earrings"
She shuffled through her pockets. "Have you
seen her?" She knew he had. They had been dating for months
which had been the cause of a lot of chaos lately. Neville had become
quite popular in the last year. Being a part of the ministry scandal
had done wonders for his reputation. He was almost as popular as
Harry. Lots of girls (after being gracefully let down by Harry) had
set their sights on Neville. But he had chosen Luna who had been
almost completely naive to his interest and his fame.
"Yeah I saw her this morning. She's awfully nervous about those." He pointed to the radish earrings in her hand. "Says the nargles are getting restless." He began rolling his sleeve up over his toned forearms. Ron gave a snort, caught Hermione glaring at him and faked a sneeze. Hermione turned back to Neville. "Here. Give them to her when you see her I said 'thank you'."
She
turned back to Ron and was surprised to see him staring red-faced at
Mclaggen.
She followed his eyes and gasped. Lavender was standing
up at her desk and Mclaggen was looking up Lavender's skirt, while
pretending to pick up a fallen pencil. Hermione looked over at Harry
whose eyes were focused on the curve on the back of Lavender's
skirt. Unlike Ron, Harry looked quite docile and dreamy. His eyes
were glazed over a bit and he was clenching his quill tightly. 'I
must not tell lies' was white on his hand and Hermione now suspected
there was a bulge in his pants. At this thought Hermione snapped.
"Wake up, you two!" she fumed smacking the both of them in the head with her 'Hogwarts, A History' book.
"Miss Granger?"
Hermione looked up to see Professor Slughorn staring back at her curiously. She felt the whole class staring at her and her cheeks burned. Mclaggen had snapped out of it and was now picking up the fallen pencil and Lavender had sat down. Harry and Ron were looking at her with surprised looks on their faces, both clutching the back of their head.
"Sorry, Professor." she struggled for an excuse.
"Nargles, professor." interjected Neville, pointing at Ron's hair. "In their hair. She got rid of them." The entire class sniggered and Neville winked at her. "Quite dangerous," He added before sitting down. Hermione blushed, sliding into her chair. 'Why nargles?' she thought.
"Nargles? Hmm... I've never heard of them. I'll have to ask Professor Snape about those...Well anyway today we'll be looking at various antidotes" he continued.
Hermione listened carefully, intent on ignoring both Ron and Harry. Why Ron wouldn't just let Lavender go. Why was he so obsessed with them? If anything he should take some pointers from Mclaggen. Every time they kissed Hermione felt like he was eating her face. And his horrible adolescent groping was actually putting her out of the mood. But he didn't seem to notice, he just kept on as if she would suddenly decide to sleep with him. It felt like she was messing around with a sibling. She wasn't even sure why they were dating anymore. At first, it seemed like it all fit. They'd been friends for years. It was expected that the best friends of the golden boy would end up together, but Hermione wasn't sure about that anymore.
"-you'll have 30 min to brew the antidote."
"Mione" Ron started but stopped when Hermione turned completely towards Neville with no obvious intention of helping him. She worked quietly with Neville feeling constant stares from Ron, satisfied that he was suffering.
When class was dismissed Ron quickly grabbed his books and left Harry & Hermione still gathering their things. Hermione ignored Harry and walked into the hall.
"Ron's mad at you. And by the way I didn't do anything." he said skipping to keep up with her.
"I was trying to wake you two from the trance you seemed to be in." she spat angrily. Harry looked hurt.
"Trance? Hermi-" She cut him off. "Harry you were practically drooling."
"I really don't know what you're talking about." he pleaded looking overly innocent. He drove his fingers through his black hair leaving it standing at attention. "And besides Ron loves you, I'm sure he didn't mean anything by it."
"Ron doesn't love me. Ron loves the idea of having someone to snog." Harry looked at her sadly, his green eyes dull. "ALL the time." she added. "I can't get a moments peace. This isn't love."
For a second it looked like Harry was on the verge of smiling. She glanced again. It must have been a trick of the light. He looked rather solemn. "I don't know anymore, Harry," she sighed, quickening her pace. She peaked over. Harry had stopped walking. "You can't break up. Ron'll lose it," his face looked solemn but his voice was perky. Had she heard brightness in his voice? He wasn't being very convincing at the moment that was for sure.
She
walked over being sure to lower her voice.
They seemed to have
attracted attention. Students were starting to stare.
"That's not what I meant. I just feel like he's with me because he doesn't want to be alone."
Harry stared at her, his mouth open.
"You haven't noticed he's a bit clingy?" she asked. Harry was acting very weird. She was at a loss. Harry didn't' seem to be processing a thing she had said. He just stood there, staring "Have you been hiding under a rock for the past 6 months?" He just stared blankly. "Never mind" she huffed. Boys. And she sped off to Defense Against the Dark Arts while Harry tried to suppress the urge to cry for joy.
Snape burst out of his chambers like a bat out of hell and was knocked over by his favorite insufferable Know-it-all.
"Oh Merlin. I'm so sorry Professor Sna-." she began.
"And where are you headed in such a hurry, Granger?" Snape had picked himself up and was glaring coldly at Hermione. "Off to polish Godric's sword." He sneered, how's that for sexual innuendo. The little Gryffindor looked flustered and was staring at the floor. He smiled "No answer. What a surprise. For once the know it-"
"Actually Professor," She interrupted staring back at him now. "I was headed to your class." She raised an eyebrow. "I figured you'd know that."
The little Gryffindor had balls. Surely she didn't think he'd let this cheek go by unpunished. She turned to walk away, no doubt smirking.
"50 points." She stopped in her tracks. "And two weeks detention, I think." He walked past her. "I suppose, I'll see you in class, Miss Granger."
A feeling of euphoria washed over him as he left the little know it all mudblood standing there. Perhaps she'd cry. If she thought she could use that charm and that body to get out of this she was wrong. That only worked in his dreams."
This thought forced him to daydream about her again. Chocolaty brown eyes, long brown curls. Lately those curls had been making more and more trips into his dreams. Always wearing the same emerald green babydoll nightie. But never in the same place. Last night she had apparated right onto his lap and had begun to kiss his vigorously. It was so far his favorite dream. He loved it when she started it. But he could never finish the dream. Every time he went to take off those green knickers he'd wake up sweaty and hard.
