"I can't believe Dumbledore would throw another ball!" Hermione wailed pathetically to Ginny.
"Why shouldn't he?" she asked logically, not looking up from her revision.
Hermione whirled around to look at her, "You know what happened last time!"
"Yes, but he doesn't know that."
"I'm not talking about that," she said, thinking of the fight she had had with Ron after the last Yule Ball.
"Oh, you're not?" Ginny said dryly.
"No, I'm not! I'm talking about how another ball is just going to remind everyone of the Tri-Wizard Tournament, and everything that happened. I wouldn't be surprised if half the students don't even go!" Hermione was slightly hysterical now; she knew she was ranting, trying to cover up her true reason for being upset. More than a few of the younger students looked at her in alarm.
"Hermione, no one is going to be thinking about that. Just go and have a good time." Ginny leaned in and whispered, trying to calm her down.
"Yes, yes of course you're right," she said, calming down slightly, "just maybe I can get," she suddenly looked sideways at Ginny and continued, "a date," she said carefully, "because I'm a girl this time."
"What, you think you're a b-... ahhh," Ginny suddenly understood and smirked, "I don't know why you would want a date with him anyways," Hermione shot her a dirty look, "I mean, there are much better options..." she trailed off and glanced over to the messy head of black hair that was bent over some parchment, presumadley writing an essay.
It was Hermione's turn to smirk, "Yes, I do have a positive well of good choices, don't I?" Ginny turned to glare at her.
"You, wouldn't," she said dangerously.
"But you just said..." Hermione tried to feign innocence.
"I didn't mean him," Ginny growled.
Hermione tried to look upset, but couldn't help herself. They both smiled widely, and giving in, doubled over in loud laughter.
"What can they be laughing about?" Ron asked, glancing over at Hermione and Ginny, who were clutching their sides in their mirth.
"Not what, but who," Harry said, setting down his quill on his non-existent essay. "The Ball," he said with exasperation at Ron's confused look.
"Oh right." Ron picked up his quill and looked down at his short essay, running his fingers through his hair.
They worked for a few minutes, trying to ignore the sounds of the girls' dying laughter.
"Don't they have any homework?" Ron said loudly after a few minutes.
Harry didn't say anything, but looked closely at his friend.
"So, about the Ball..." Harry started.
"What about it?" Ron said as he snapped his head up.
"Do you, er, know who you want to take?"
"No!" Ron said defensively, reddening slightly.
"Just asking," Harry looked down at his essay.
They both lapsed into silence. The truth was that Ron did know who he wanted to take, but that didn't matter because she didn't want to be taken by him. But Ron would never say that to Harry.
"I, uhh, heard that Hermione," Ron's head had again snapped up to stare intently at Harry, "was asked by a guy in Ravenclaw."
Ron's eyes slid to Hermione, who was whispering to Ginny. "Oh yeah? And what did she say?"
Harry raised an eyebrow and smiled at Ron, "I don't know."
Ron glared at Harry. "Well, do you at least know who he is?"
"Why do you want to know?" Harry's face still held that annoying grin.
"Why do- Why do I want to know? Why?" he sputtered; "because, well because, I'm one of her best bloody friends!" he banged his quill on the parchment, spraying ink everywhere.
"Yeah? And what are you going to do about it?" Harry was leaning back in the chair with his arms crossed across his stomach.
"What am I going to do about it?" Ron said, looking confused, "I'm going to, well, I'm going to... Oh Merlin, Harry, did she really get asked by someone else?" Ron looked at Harry with a pained look.
Harry took pity on his friend, "Yes, but rumor has it," Harry smiled again, "that she said she was going with some one else.
Ron frowned at Harry. "Someone else?"
"Someone else." He repeated
Ron again looked over at Hermione, a calculating look on his face. "Some one else..." he muttered to himself as Hermione looked over at him and waved energetically in front of her face to cover a faint blush. Ron lifted his hand to wave back, but was stopped by Harry who was just barely controlling his laughter.
"Shut up, Potter. Who are you taking, then?" Ron said, smirking. Hermione and Ginny had finally stopped laughing and whispering. Ginny was walking towards the girl's staircase, while Hermione made her way over to them.
"Oh, I was thinking..." he followed Ginny's progress up the girls staircase, "of going solo."
"Oh really? No one has caught the famous Potter's fancy?"
"Who has caught the famous Potter's fancy?" Hermione said interestedly as she settled next to Ron on the couch.
"Well, evidently, no one," Ron said happily.
"Shut up," Harry said, blushing. He quickly recovered, "Yes, but someone has caught Hermione's fancy, isn't that right?"
"What are you talking about?" she said in alarm.
"Rumor suggests that when you turned down that Ravenclaw bloke, you said you were going with someone else. So, who's the lucky fellow?" Harry said with glee, obviously enjoying Ron's discomforture.
"Oh, no one," Hermione said, shooting Ron a furtive glance, "I just said that to make him feel better."
Ron looked fully relieved. "Good," he said under his breath.
"What did you say, Ron?" Hermione asked in a low, dangerous voice.
"I said that it was good that you weren't really going with someone."
"That's good, then, is it? I don't have the right to go with anyone?"
"No! That's not it at all, Hermione. You just shouldn't have gone with that guy from Ravenclaw."
"And why not? He was perfectly nice, smart, understanding."
"So why didn't you agree to go with him?"
"Why is it any of your business?"
"Why wouldn't it be any of my business!"
"I can't believe you!"
"I can't believe you!"
They both crossed their arms and looked away. Ron, unfortunately, looked in the direction of Harry, who had his fist in his mouth and his knees drawn up, as if trying to trap the laughter that threatened to escape. Ron just grunted and turned the other way.
What he saw almost made his heart break.
Hermione was looking the other way, but he could see the silent trail of tears that wound its way down her cheek.
"Hermione, what's wrong?" he asked softly.
"What's wrong? What's wrong?" her voice was too high, and it broke as she spoke. She blinked and closed her mouth in a tight, straight line.
She was silent for some time, but then, taking a deep breath as if summing up her thoughts, she said, "What's wrong, Ron, is your utter lack of understanding."
Ron frowned, what was that supposed to mean? he thought.
"Hermione... what?" he reached out a hand to touch her arm, but she snatched it away.
"Why do you care, Ron?" she began quietly, "Every year, every year, we argue about something suspiciously like this, and every year, we try to forget it, but I want to know, right now, why it is you care so much about this." she was looking him straight in his bewildered eye. "I'll- I'll never forgive you if you don't answer." she finished, sfter realizing he wasn't going to say anything.
Ron was torn. He wanted to tell her, he needed to. But what if she didn't like him back? What if he was too stupid for her? What if he couldn't give her what she needed?
What if she never forgave him?
"Hermione- I, well, the reason is..." he gulped and looked down at his hands, flexing them in his nervousness. When he looked back at her, he saw endless patience and felt courage seep into him.
Just then, Harry's voice invaded his mind, Why do you want to know? Why do you care? and his courage failed.
"I don't know, Hermione," Ron whispered.
She stared at him in disbelief. "Fine. Fine! Then, well, I'll see you later, Ron!" She shrieked and stomped up the stairs, angrily wiping the tears from her eyes.
Ron glanced at Harry, who shook his head, "You really messed this one up, mate."
"What should I do?" Ron asked desperately.
Harry smiled encouragingly, "Go get her."
Ron raised himself from the couch and nodded, then leapt around the squishy furniture towards the girls staircase.
"Hermione!" he called, but there was no answer.
"Hermione!" he called again, "please! I need to ask you something!"
A door opened, and his heart started to beat very fast. "Hermione?"
But Ginny came bounding down the stairs instead. "Sorry," she said as she passed him.
"Ginny would you please-" but Ron didn't need to finish his request, for Hermione's head had just popped out of a door.
"What is it Ron?" she said coldly, still wiping at her eyes.
"I wanted to ask you... if you wanted, I mean, if you didn't have any plans already, that is, well-" Ron wiped his sweaty hands on his pants and turned to look her in the eye, "Do you want to go to the ball with me?"
Hermione didn't look shocked. In fact she didn't show any emotion at all. She just withdrew her head and shut her door with a faint click.
Ron held his breath. What was she doing?
Just as he was about to make his way back over to Harry and sulk, another figure came bounding down the stairs. Ron whipped around, and there was Hermione, looking up at him with the largest grin he had ever seen her with.
"Yes, I would love to go to the ball with you!"
"You would?" he asked, amazed at his luck.
"Of course!" she said and squeezed him around the middle.
Ron pulled her in tight, but after a few seconds they heard snickers, and realized the whole common room was watching them, including Harry and Ginny, who were besides themselves with laughter.
Ron and Hermione took a hasty step back and blushed deeply. But neither could hide the stupid grins that were on their faces.
Someone on the other side of the room yelled out, "Finally!" and Ron couldn't have agreed more.