"Please, do yourself a favour, and shut the hell up."
"Oh! I see... when you're in the wrong I should just shut up and forget about it, but when your stupid RAT goes missing."
"Jesus Hermione, have you not got over that yet? Besides, you're totally missing the point; I'm not in the wrong. He is."
Hermione closed her eyes and gritted her teeth; she was going to be the bigger person, and steer this argument back to rational conversation.
Ron was also holding back annoyance, standing with clenched fists and white knuckles. Hermione was so narrow-minded she had view only to see her own importance. Harry was a tosspot, end of.
"So you're finding Seamus an ample replacement for your best friend then?" Hermione snapped back, her voice laced with irony.
Ron paused, his anger ever so slightly subsiding. "Don't be an idiot; Seamus has got nothing to do with this. We're talking about Harry only letting me on the team out of pity. I'm awful! Every match I feel like I'm going to be sick."
"Pity?! Are you insane? You're good! You just need the chance, and the confidence. Answer the question Ronald, have you found a replacement for your best friend of four years?"
Ron looked at Hermione with distaste. "Well you seem to have found an ample replacement for me in 'Viktor Krum'!" He gave especial emphasis to the last two words, using a falsely sweet and simpering tone. "Still writing to him are we?" However, he stopped short at the look on Hermione's face.
"Replacement... for you?"
The next few seconds contained an awful silence, broken only by Ron trying to put his words back into his mouth.
"Look, I - ," he spluttered.
"You know. Friendship. What I mean."
Hermione, on the other hand, was shaking with rage.
"Don't act as though your jealousy proves you're a good friend, Ron."
"Jealousy?" replied Ron, relieved. "Purr-lease Hermione, who do you think you are? I only meant that your loyalties don't lie as close as you like to make out."
"LOYALTY!?" she almost screeched. "Who skipped lessons to come and see you when you were poisoned? Me! Skip lessons! "
Ron scoffed. "I was sick with worry, by your side, all the hours I could when you were petrified. Ask Harry!"
"Oh yeah? Well who bewitched the Quaffle in your team trials to help you get in the team?!"
Ron's mouth opened angrily to give reply, but after a second had been allowed for her words to sink in, his face fell. Finally, he replied to a thouroughly guilty-looking Hermione.
"Well now I know"
"Ron..."
"Thanks for the show of loyalty, mate."
"Ron, let me explain, it was only for one - "
"I'm going to bed now, need to get my rest for the match tomorrow."
"Ron!" She grabbed his arm furiously, but her face softened.
"Hermione let go!"
"No!" She tugged his arm hard, so he had to turn around to face her. They were very close now, and as he was about a foot taller than her, she had to look up at his face to speak to him. Both of them were breathing heavily after all the shouting; chests moving up and down against eachother.
A thick silence had descended over them both. There was no need to speak, only stare, wide-eyed into eachother's eyes. Subconsciously, Ron moved his hands to barely touch Hermione's waist. Strangely, he felt a prickle of fear.
Neither of them trusted themselves to move; both felt they would either run away or do something equally as stupid. Slowly, ever so painfully slowly, their lips moved to touch. With innocent stillness, their brows knitted, and Hermione gave an odd, yielding sigh. It was a kiss frozen in time, and for a handful of moments, they remained in their snapshot; savouring eachother's ragged breathing against theirs; savouring the step over that line that had never been crossed.
Suddenly, and without warning, Ron pulled away; Hermione cleared her throat awkwardly. Their eyes didn't meet again.
After a few moments, one of them said,
"Erm, goodnight then."
The other remained silent.