It's been done to death, but what's one more, aye? Ron and Hermione finally talk, after he was poisoned on his 17th birthday. Canon compliant, all talk no action. :-)
Regular disclaimers apply! I own nothing aside from a very old, fussy, car and a fairly decent computer. I certainly don't own anything related to Harry Potter in any way, shape or form and I'm definitely not J K Rowling (which is a shame, because she's very clever and has fabulous skin to boot!).
"You're being a bit of a hypocrite you know."
Hermione's head snapped up in shock at the words being directed toward her by a particularly passive, dreamy voice.
Luna.
This was just too much!
"I beg your pardon?" Hermione's eyebrows rose just about to her hairline.
"About Ron," Luna clarified, knowing Hermione was completely aware of what she was referring too, "you're being a bit of a hypocrite about Ron." Pulling out a chair, she sat herself directly in front of Hermione and continued on. "He can be quite insensitive sometimes and for some reason he seems to be dreadfully insecure, he really doesn't think much of himself, does he? Quite silly really."
"And this makes me a hypocrite how, exactly?" Hermione demanded archly, hardly believing that Luna of all people was broaching this subject with her.
"Well," Luna smiled vaguely, looking around the library, "he's a boy isn't he? It takes them longer to catch up."
"Oh, so that makes it alright then?" Hermione whispered harshly.
"Makes what alright?" Luna stared at Hermione with interest. "Was he your boyfriend? I know he wanted to be, because of the way he looks at you. He tried to tell you last year, but he's not very good with words is he?"
"What?" Hermione frowned. "Don't be ridiculous. We're just friends. Well, we were friends."
"So why are you so angry at him?" Luna blinked, a small smile curving her lips. "Are you going to be angry at Harry about Ginny?"
"I ... what? Harry and Ginny? What are you talking about?"
"Harry and Ginny," Luna repeated as if talking to a 5 year old. "When they start going out, are you going to stop being their friend too?"
"I don't have time for this!" Hermione huffed, stuffing her books in her bag haphazardly. "You don't know what you're talking about!"
"If you say so." Luna smiled again, still gazing out of the window.
Hermione was about three desks away when Luna spoke again. "He misses you, you know."
"No he doesn't. He's too busy trying to suck her face off."
"Not really." Luna turned back from the window and swivelled in her seat to face Hermione again. "He was only doing it at first because he was so angry about you kissing Viktor. He's really quite silly about that, I hope he grows out of it soon. She came along at the right moment, and well, he wasn't going to say no, was he? It's not like you wanted him."
Hermione sat back down with a thump. "What does Viktor have to do with this?" she asked weakly. "What on earth are you talking about? I asked him to Slughorn's party and then he – he wasn't talking to me anymore and snogging her." She frowned at Luna, waiting for her to speak. Luna just continued looking around the room. "What do you mean it's not like I wanted him?"
"Do you?" This was startlingly direct.
"I – no! Yes. Oh ..." suddenly Hermione let her head sink to the desk with a thump. "I don't know!"
"I think you do," Luna's tone was mild and sympathetic. "He can be quite difficult, can't he? I've noticed that. Especially after last year."
"Last year?"
"In the hospital wing, when he was trying to tell you how he felt about you," Luna was using that patient tone again. "I think that's when he gave up, after that ... because you kept on interrupting him."
Hermione found herself suddenly extremely aggravated. "You're making no sense what-so-ever, Luna."
"Oh? If you say so." Luna leaned forward, her head tilted to one side. "You've quite clever, Hermione, but sometimes I think that you close your eyes to anything that's not written in a book." She let her gaze wander back out of the window. "Thestrals. Well, it's been nice talking to you, Hermione."
Hermione's head ached as she watched Luna walk away.
Absolutely ridiculous! She doesn't know what she's talking about, and it really is none of her business anyway. Ron is the one who decided to throw away 6 years of friendship for that – that – bint, how does that make me a hypocrite? Who on earth does Luna think she is, anyway? Talking to me like that! It's not like she even makes any sense ... but what should I have expected? This is the girl who believes in nargles and Merlin knows what else. Well, I can't study now, that's another afternoon out the window.
She huffed impatiently and left the library.
Great, now I either go to the common room and have to watch Lav-Lav and Won-Won all over each other again or I can go outside. Ugh, I'm not going outside, I might bump into Luna again and no doubt she'll take it upon herself to give me another lecture – honestly! Where does she get off? I don't even know what the hell she's talking about half the time, it's all rubbish!
She made her way to the common room.
It's my common room too! I won't be pushed out of it by them!
She stalked across it, hardly noticing that everyone seemed to be giving her a wide berth. She caught a flash of red in the corner of her eye and glanced over before she could stop herself.
Of course! Wrapped all over each other again. Typical behaviour!
She noticed, though, that Ron looked a little strained and less than interested in whatever it was Lav-Lav was prattling on about.
Serves him right! He should have waited for me!
She stopped mid-stride, horrified at what she had just thought.
Don't be ridiculous!
She started walking again, conscious of his eyes following her. He looked ... what? Resigned? No. That's just stupid. He's perfectly happy with her! How could he not be? Look at her, Hermione! She's everything you're not. If that's the type of woman he goes for, well then he's not worth being friends with anyway!
Her lower lip wobbled a bit and she walked faster.
When did this damn room get so damn big? Damn it! Luna's just got you all confused and thinking like an idiot!
Finally she was at the stairs, just in time, as tears started to well in her eyes.
He most certainly wasn't being anything more than a good friend last year! It was perfect natural for him to be so relieved when you woke up after that curse! Any friend would do the same. Just because he was holding your hand ... that meant nothing! When he said he never wanted to lose you he meant as a friend! If he didn't, he would have been more specific about it! Anyway, what difference does it make? What has he ever done for you?!
She burst through the dorm door and flung herself on her bed, struggling to keep control until she at least had the curtains around her bed drawn.
He's never done anything out of the ordinary for you! If anything, you're the one who's done everything for him! He's an ungrateful pig! He should be falling at your feet at this very moment, worshiping you! But noooooo. He's down there with HER!
Peace at last.
He's never appreciated you! Never stuck his neck out for you AT ALL! All he thinks you're good for is homework – it's what you're entire friendship is based on! He's just so damn lazy! And what the hell is she talking about; he's not good with words? He's pretty damn inventive with them when he's yelling at bloody Malfoy!
Unbidden, a sudden image Malfoy swam in front of her. "Mudblood!"
Oh.
OK, so maybe he sometimes stuck his neck out for you. Sometimes. Well, he used too, anyway. Not now though ... he wouldn't stick up for you now, because he's too busy with her.
Hermione angrily wiped away the ridiculous tears that were suddenly rolling down her cheeks. Struggling to stay silent, she flopped down on her bed and stared up the curtain. A small spider was spinning a web in the corner.
Fine, so he went into the Forbidden Forrest in second year, even though he was absolutely terrified of the spiders. He did that because he was following Harry – that didn't have anything to do with YOU, in particular, he was just being a friend. Anyway, that was years ago ... things change.
Merlin. What have I done?
I KNOW Luna's wrong, though. He's never wanted me, not like that. She never did tell me what Victor has to do with any of it, anyway. Why would he care if I kissed him or not? That was years ago!
She chewed on her bottom lip thoughtfully.
He was being really irrational at the Yule Ball ... maybe he was jealous? Well, he should have asked me first. And it's not like kissing Victor was all that great anyway ... it was a bit disappointing actually. That's neither here nor there. I'm sure he wasn't jealous, that's just stupid, Luna doesn't know what on earth she's talking about.
I miss him. Maybe Luna's right, just a little. Not about him liking me, like that. That would never happen! Especially now that he has HER. He didn't look too happy tonight though. He hasn't looked too happy for a while ... but that's just silly, why would he bother staying with her, if he wasn't happy? Luna said ... what did she say? She said he's staying with her because ... he thinks I don't want him?
Surely not.
She stood suddenly. Crossed the room. Shut the door. Crept down the stairs and peered over the balcony into the common room. He was still there, with HER. She was still prattling on about something. He looked ... miserable.
She crept back into her dorm.
I'll talk to him tomorrow.
o0o
"Miss Granger!" It was professor McGonagall. "Can I speak to you for a moment, please? In my office."
Hermione nodded mutely, following in the professor's wake.
"Sit down, Miss Granger." Professor McGonagall motioned to a straight back chair by her desk and put her hand on Hermione's shoulder. "I think you should know, although I am aware that you haven't spoken to him in some months, that Ronald Weasley was poisoned earlier this morning."
"I - What?" Hermione was horrified. "Is he ... is he ... he not?" she couldn't finish the thought, let alone speak it.
"No, he's not dead," the older woman smiled grimly, "by lucky chance; Mr Potter had the presence of mind to get a bezoar into him. Ronald is, however, still not in a good way. I thought you should know."
"Thank you," Hermione blinked, standing quickly. "I'll just ... just ... go to the ... thank you."
He's going to be OK. He's going to be OK. He's going to be OK. He HAS TO BE OK.
According to Madam Pomfrey, he would recover. She'd seen him, ashen and still, and it was like her world was crumbling in on itself.
I don't care who you snog! Just be OK!
She didn't fool herself into thinking it meant anything when he had muttered what sounded like her name. He was probably dreaming about breaking his knee or something ridiculous like that.
Still, she couldn't sleep now. She was just so worried. It wasn't too late yet; and as prefect, she reasoned, she was entitled to walk the corridors later than other students. It would be natural that she'd want to check on her counterpart.
Just who do you think you're fooling?
He was still alarmingly pale and his breathing was laboured, but he'd lost the grey cast that had frightened her so much earlier that day. Sitting quietly, she just looked at him.
What happened to us? I could have lost you. You could have died ... you've got to get through this, Ron.
It seemed natural for her to pick up his hand. She studied it carefully.
Such long fingers.
She linked them through her own, wishing they didn't feel so lifeless. Tears started again, but she didn't bother brushing them away. No one was around to see them, so what did it matter? She wrapped her other hand and both of theirs and bought them up to her mouth, choking back a sob.
"You've got to get better" she whispered. "I miss you, Ron."
He mumbled.
"Ron?" she squeezed his hand and watched him carefully. "Ron!"
His eyes opened a fraction and frowned in confusion. "Hurts." It came out as a croak.
"I know," she said softly, reaching out with one hand and carefully stroking his hair from his forehead.
His eyes closed again and he winced. "Why?"
"Ssshh. You need to sleep," she murmured.
He shook his head. "Hurts," and then, with what seemed to be a supreme effort, he looked at her again through bleary, unfocused eyes. "What happened?"
"You were poisoned," she told him, still stroking his hair, "but you'll be OK. Harry saved you."
He nodded and seemed to be trying to smile. "Typical Harry."
She stifled a laugh at that. "Yeah. Typical Harry." She sat up straighter, reluctantly talking her fingers from his hair and settling his hand back onto the blankets.
"Don't ..." he frowned again and blinked several times.
"Don't what?" she tilted her head to one side, suddenly mindful of what Luna had said about her not letting him speak last year.
He lifted his hand hardly an inch from the blankets. "Nice." His eyes seemed to implore her.
"Oh." She took his hand again.
He smiled. "Miss you."
"I miss you too, Ron," she whispered, fresh tears running down her face.
"Friends?" he squeezed her fingers feebly. "Please?"
"Friends," she agreed, rubbing her thumb over his knuckles. "I'm sorry about ... well, everything."
"Me too," he took a deep breath, wincing as he did so, "don't cry."
"I can't help it," she admitted softly, "I thought I'd lost you."
"Not that easy ..." his eyes closed again.
"Good," she chuckled, "I don't know what I'd do without you."
"Less aggravation." One side of his mouth quirked up.
"I like aggravation," she told him, reaching out to touch his cheek gently. "Get some sleep. I have to go in a minute, but I'll come back in the morning, OK?"
He nodded, leaning into her touch.
She watched him a while longer. His breathing wasn't as laboured now and it soon turned into the deep, even breathing of sleep. Eventually she stood to leave and giving him one last look, she impulsively leaned down to brush her lips over his forehead. "Goodnight, Ron" she whispered into the darkness.
She crept into the hospital wing, again, just after 6.30am. Smiling down at his sleeping form, she took a seat right by his bed and just watched for a while. He looked much better – still pale, but his lips weren't white anymore, like they had been last night ... or blue, like they had been when she'd first seen him the day before.
Mind you, he's so pale ordinarily anyway, I wouldn't believe he could possibly get any whiter if I wasn't seeing it with my own eyes.
Not really even taking note of her actions, she brushed his hair from his forehead, just like the night before.
How do you see past that, Ron? You really need a haircut, or you're going to end up with hair like Bills before too long ... hmmm ... which would be really sexy, actually, now that I think about it. Oh, don't go there, Hermione! He's got a girlfriend and he doesn't think about you that way ... but ... maybe Luna's not as stupid as you'd like to think. Actually, that's completely unfair, you know she's not stupid, she's just got some unusual idea's ... but she's actually very smart, or she wouldn't have been sorted into Ravenclaw. Ah well. Maybe one day, for now just be happy that you're friends again.
"Hermione?"
She head snapped up and she found the subject of her internal monologue studying her.
Blue eyes, if I got close enough, I'll bet I could see every single little pattern in the iris.
"Good morning, Ron." She kept her voice soft, not wanting to alert Madam Pomfrey to her presence. "I didn't mean to wake you, sorry."
"S'OK," he half-grinned and motioned to her hand, which was still in his hair, "s'nice actually."
She blushed quite fiercely, but left her hand where it was, although she held it still. "How are you feeling? You sound a bit better than you did last night."
"I feel a bit rubbish, to be honest, but nothing like last night, its more that I'm ... I don't know ... really weak. I'm not even tired." He shrugged and then smiled suddenly, "I was hoping you'd come by ... I ... well, I wasn't sure if I was dreaming. Help me sit up, please?"
"Just lean forward a bit," she muttered, her hand supporting him between his shoulder blades as he grunted a bit with the exertion, "and I'll sort you out some more pillows ... accio pillows," she waved her wand toward the unoccupied bed next to them, caught the pillows and arranged them behind him. "Alright?" she smiled down at him.
"Yeah, that's good, thanks," he sunk back gratefully, slightly out of breath. "OK, so maybe I am a bit tired," he confessed with a weak chuckle.
"Oh! Should I go? It's still really early, and you should get some more sleep, if you can." She made to stand, but sat back down with a smile at his next words.
"No, don't go. Stay for a while and ... talk to me." He studied her so curiously, so intently, that she started to blush again. "I thought you hated me," he added in a soft tone.
"No. Not really. Well, maybe a bit," she rolled her eyes. "I just ... I'm sorry," her eyes filled with sudden tears, but she looked resolutely into his eyes, "I don't know ... it doesn't matter now, anyway. Does it?"
He took in her worried expression, wondering about it, and didn't say anything for a few seconds. "No, it doesn't matter," he made a good attempt at a weak smile, "totally worth getting poisoned, if we're ok now."
"That's terrible!" she scolded quietly. "You ... I would have, um," she sighed and lifted her hands in frustration, letting them drop back onto her lap with a thump. "I seem to be having problems with articulation today. I was going to talk to you yesterday anyway, but didn't get the opportunity because ... well ... Merlin, Ron!" she ran a suddenly shaking hand through her hair, "I don't think I've ever been so scared in my life!"
"What? Why?" he prodded, when it looked like she wasn't going to go on.
She just shook her head, lips pressed hard together, and looked very interested at the scene out the window.
"Hermione." it took a lot of effort, and he suppressed a cringe of pain as he did so, but he managed to reach out and take her hand. "Help me out here," he muttered, "I can hardly move," and then, in a low voice, "Hermione. Please. I'm sorry I've been such a git the last few months, I was just ... angry about something that, well, it really wasn't any of my business to start with. But ... you ... you've never been so scared about what? We've been in some pretty hairy places, Hermione. Death Eaters, remember? That bloody troll in first year ... the ruddy great serpent in second. Every year there's something out to get us, or to get Harry and we get dragged along ... what could be scarier than that?"
"You. You're scarier than any of that," she whispered. "I really thought that you were going to die, Ron ... and I wasn't going to get the chance to tell you, to apologise and be friends again ... all that other stuff, well, we were together, weren't we?" She looked at him, finally, trying to make him understand, but not wanting to give too much of herself away. "The day before yesterday, Luna was talking to me, well actually I think she was scolding me, but she does it in such a way that it ..." she laughed then, "I was so incensed that she had the gall, to be honest, to even offer an opinion in that airy-fairy way of hers. She had some good points though, and it got me thinking."
"Remind me to thank her," Ron squeezed her fingers.
"I'll be doing it myself," she admitted. "So yesterday," she went on, "I was going to find you and see if we could patch things up, but instead Professor McGonagall found me and told me what happened. It was like ... how do I explain it? All the things we'd done together, with Harry, and sometimes not with him, all flew into my head at once ... and I remembered how you'd always been there whenever I needed you," she wrinkled her nose and shot him a cheeky grin, "aggravating as hell, sometimes, I'll admit, but you've always been there ... and then suddenly there you are," she motioned with her free hand, "in this damn place, again, struggling to even live. That was scary."
"I didn't mean to," he suddenly looked very young, she noticed, young and vulnerable. "If I could take it all back, this year, I would, I swear!" She was surprised to hear his voice crack slightly, and just as surprise at the change of subject. "I thought we'd be alright, you know?" he couldn't look at her, "after a while at least."
"But why Lavender?" she asked suddenly, a little too loudly. "She's so ... so ... well; she's not exactly smart, is she?"
He gave her a strange look, which she really couldn't read at all. "Actually, she's not that thick, Hermione. Not everyone is going to be up to genius level with you," he sounded mildly reproachful and she had the grace to blush. "Also, she was just there, you know? I was angry, and hurt, about ... uh ... someo – something, and she just threw herself at me. It was nice to feel appreciated, fancied, you know? I'm not stupid, I know I'm not all that," he shrugged, "but she actually likes me for me. I don't have to be the best looking, or the smartest, or the bravest. I can just be me," he shot her a sudden lopsided grin, "and I'm sure you'll thump me for this, but the snogging was good too. I probably could have been a bit more discreet about it ... but, well, I didn't want to be. It was nice to be able to rub Ginny's face in it."
His words stung, badly, but she took them all with a brave face. Until the very last. "Ginny?" her mouth dropped open in confusion. "What's Ginny got to do with this?"
He grimaced. "We had a row, a few days before we won that game. She was snogging the hell out of Dean, right there in the corridor. His hands were all over my little sister, and hers were all over him. I might have over-reacted a bit," he shook his head, "or a lot, maybe. Well, you know Gin. She doesn't hold back either. I think at one point Harry was trying to hold us both back from hexing each other into next week. Naturally my sweet tempered little sister saw fit to remind me that everyone else had snogged before, and I was the only one who hadn't."
He took on a high pitched tone. "Been kissing Pigwidgeon, have you? Or have you got a picture of Auntie Muriel stashed under your pillow? Harry's snogged Cho Chang! And Hermione snogged Viktor Krum, it's only you who acts like it's something disgusting, Ron, and that's because you've got about as much experience as a twelve-year-old!" He returned his normal tone. "Well, you can imagine how well that went down."
"Yes, I can imagine." Hermione didn't join in with his sudden chuckles.
That explains a lot.
"Anyway," his became serious again, "Lavender is quite a nice girl, really ... although ..." he sounded suddenly tired, "I've been trying to drop hints about ending it for a while now, since just after Christmas. She just clings tighter."
"Why don't you just tell her?"
"I probably should," he looked slightly ashamed of himself, "but I don't really want to hurt her feelings, and I know she'd cry. I don't want to make her cry. I'm just hoping she'll get sick of me soon."
"How's that working out for you so far?" Hermione's lips twitched upward.
"Not so good," he chortled, "although, I vaguely remember brushing her off yesterday morning, and demanding that Harry take me to see Romilda Vane. I'm sure I'm going to be in trouble for that ... so I might get lucky."
They both noticed, then, the sounds of movement through the corridors and Madam Promfrey came bustling out of her office, holding a tray.
"Nice to see you up and about, Mr Weasley!" she said briskly, setting down a tray on his bed-side table. "You need to get some food into you and then we'll see how you're fairing!" she bustled away again, intent on drawing curtains and opening windows.
"I'd better go then," Hermione sighed, starting to stand and reaching for her bag.
"Will you came back later? Bring me my homework and all of that?" he asked hopefully, not letting go of her hand yet.
"Of course I will," she smiled down at him and tugged her hand playfully, "I'll be needing that back, if I'm to get to breakfast and classes."
"Oh, of course," he ran his thumb over her knuckles briefly and then let go, "I suppose you do."
She put his tray onto his lap and, quite bravely, she though, bent down to kiss his cheek. "I'll see you later."
"Yeah ..." he stared up at her, surprised and clearly pleased. "Have a good day."
"You too," she crossed the room, "eat up and get ready for all of the homework I'm going to pile on you!"
"Hermione!" She turned quickly, holding the door frame, at the sound of his voice.
"Yes, Ron?"
He lifted his hand in a half wave and smiled. "See you later."