Disclaimer: I'm better than everyone! Mwahahahaha!!!!! Tell me I'm not. Go
on! Tell me this isn't ALL mine! I dare ya! Yeah, that's what I thought. .
. I am such a loser.
Hermione first noticed the changes around her when she arrived at the Burrow that Saturday afternoon. Harry wasn't there yet, he was only going to get there on Monday. Ron brought Hermione's stuff into Ginny's room, then they went into his room to feed Pig. The moment Hermione stepped in she gasped. Ron's room had changed! It was no longer that fiery orange, and there were no longer Quidditch posters all over the walls. Instead, the walls were white and bare.
"Ron, what happened?"
"Hm? Oh, my room. Yeah, I dunno. Got bored of it" Ron bent over Pig's cage, sticking some owl food inside.
"Bored? Of the Cannons? Ron, are you sick?" Hermione smiled, and Ron chuckled.
"No no, I still like'em and all, it just doesn't seem quite so important anymore. I think dinner's ready, shall we go down?" Ron headed for the door, then, seeing Hermione standing in the middle of his room, he said "Coming?"
Hermione nodded "In just a minute" Ron shrugged his shoulders and hurried downstairs. Hermione was slightly . . .well, sad. She wasn't sure why. So Ron had changed his room a bit, so what? It wasn't a big deal. Shaking her head, Hermione rushed downstairs and into the kitchen. She was greeted by 9 redheaded Weasley's sitting around the table. She quickly settled between Ron and Ginny, and everyone began eating and talking at once.
Hermione sat and ate in silence, observing the people around her. Now that she thought about it, a lot more than Ron's room had changed. Bill had cut his hair. Not much, mind you. He could still tie it up, but it was shorter than normal. Percy was actually complaining about work (now who'd've thought that would ever happen?), Ginny was a lot less shy these days, even the food they were eating seemed different somehow. A little more bland, as if Mrs Weasley hadn't worked as hard as she usually did.
*She seems tired* Hermione thought.
Dinner seemed to go by fast, and pretty soon everyone was in the living room, except Mr and Mrs Weasley who had went up to bed early.
"So, Hermione, how have you been?" Charlie asked, sitting next to Hermione on the couch. Hermione proceeded to tell Charlie all about what she had done so far that summer. Meanwhile, the twins were chatting idly in a corner, Ginny was reading and Ron and Bill were playing chess by the fire.
"Hey, Ron, when is Harry coming again? Monday?"
"Yep. Why?"
"Oh, well, I was just wondering," Bill paused "You know, you and Hermione will have the whole day together tomorrow."
"And your point is . . .?"
"I'm just saying it might be a good idea to, you know, talk or something."
"Bill, what are you going on about?"
"Ron, you stupid prat, tell her! Tell her while you have a chance to be alone, so you two can talk about it. And don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about, because you do." Ron opened his mouth to argue, but Hermione chose this moment to turn up.
"Hey. Sorry to bother you, I'm going up to bed now, and I just thought I'd say goodnight"
"Awfully early to go to bed, isn't it?"
"I'm going to read a bit. Much quieter upstairs"
"Alright. G'night!"
"Yeah, 'night Hermione"
Hermione smiled at the pair of them and went upstairs. Bill gave Ron a look. Ron sighed, nodded and stood up.
"S'pose I'll go to bed too, then. See you in the morning. Oh, and leave the pieces, I'll beat you tomorrow" Ron grinned, and Bill returned it with a knowing smile. Ron sighed again and followed Hermione upstairs. He poked his head into Ginny's room, but Hermione wasn't there. Confused, he continued up the stairs until he made it to his room, and found Hermione sitting on his bed, crying.
"Mione?" Hermione jerked her head up, and managed a weak smile.
"Your crying" Ron sat by her, and awkwardly put an arm around her. "Why?"
Hermione took a calming breath and spoke softly.
"Everything is changing Ron. I don't know why it upsets me so much. It's not a bad thing. I just - I need . . .Oh I don't know! The smallest things seem to set me off! Like your room. It's not like it's a different room, but it's not the same anymore. And your family, they're the same people they've always been, but they're different too and . . .and . . ." She broke down again. Ron wasn't sure what to do. Really though, what could he do? He couldn't stop change. Change happens. He looked down and, daringly, kissed to top of her bushy brown hair.
"Hermione, the way you feel, it's - it's understandable. Sometimes change can be a scary thing. And yeah, these things seem small, but I guess, maybe you feel like it can lead to bigger changes. But . . .but change can be a good thing too" Hermione looked up at him. Her eyes were still red and glossy, but there was a small but genuine smile on her lips.
"A good thing . . .how do you mean Ron?" Ron thought for a moment. This was harder than it would seem.
"Take first year, for example. We didn't exactly start off on the right foor, did we? But then, after the Halloween incident, our whole relationship changed, and . . .and that was a good thing, right?" Ron held his breath.
"Yeah Ron. It was." She looked in his eyes "Thank you."
Ron smiled "No problem, Mione. So, are you feeling any better?" She nodded. "Good. Oh, and I just want to let you know, no matter what, Harry and I will always be there for you. That's something that will never change, I promise."
Hermione took a deep breath, wiped her eyes, then got up. After exchanging good nights, she went off into Ginny's room. She found Ginny already lying there in bed, awake, but dozing. Hermione, suddenly overwhelmed with emotion, burst into tears once again. Ginny sat upright.
"Mione, what's wrong? What did my prat of a brother do to you?" Hermione shook her head, trying to tell Ginny that Ron had done nothing. Once she had calmed down, she told Ginny how Ron had found her crying, and she gave her the basics of their conversation.
"What he said though, about our relationship changing, do you think he meant . . .I mean, was he sort of referring to . . .to us, now?"
"Well of course! Hermione, are you so blind that you can't tell how my brother feels about you?"
"Well, I guess I assumed it, what with that whole Yule ball thing. But I didn't know it was anything serious. I thought it was some silly crush or something." Ginny shook her head.
"Hermione, for someone who's top of her class, you certainly can be slow. Look, Ron really cares about you. A lot. As more than a friend. Now, I can't tell you more than that, but really, is there anything else you need to know?" Ginny smiled at Hermione, and Hermione smiled back, shaking her head. That's another thing that had changed for the better. She and Ginny had become quite close over the years.
Hermione jumped off the bed and hurried toward the door.
"I'm going to talk to him again. I'll be back. Oh, and Gin," she stopped and turned to face the small redhead "thanks a lot." And with that, she was out the door and up the stairs.
"Ron?"
Ron heard Hermione call him from outside his door. He tossed aside the book he was reading (when your bored, you'll do anything!) and sat up.
"Yeah Mione? You alright?" The door creaked open, and Hermione stepped in.
"I'm fine. I just wanted to talk some more." She walked to the bed, and Ron moved over the give her room. "I thought about what you said. About how, in first year, our relationship changed for the better. I think you were right. I mean, if I keep fearing change, I'm never gonna let anything good happen. And I don't want that Ron." She looked at him "Like you said, some change is good. Like sometimes, when people get closer to each other, they start to . . .feel things for each other. It's not like you can help it. It just happens. You see the best in the person, even if at first, you couldn't." She stopped and waited with baited breath for an answer.
Slowly, Ron moved his head down and Hermione tilted hers, and they kissed. After a moment they pulled back, and Ron smiled crookedly. It was quiet for a minute, then Hermione, desperate to break the silence, whispered;
"So now what?"
"Well, I think that RIGHT now, we should just go to sleep, and then tomorrow we can go for a walk and maybe talk about, well, this. I know a place that's pretty private. I mean, if you want to . . ."
"Yeah, sounds great. See you in the morning then?"
"Yeah, see you in the morning. Goodnight, Hermione."
"Goodnight, Ron."
Hermione first noticed the changes around her when she arrived at the Burrow that Saturday afternoon. Harry wasn't there yet, he was only going to get there on Monday. Ron brought Hermione's stuff into Ginny's room, then they went into his room to feed Pig. The moment Hermione stepped in she gasped. Ron's room had changed! It was no longer that fiery orange, and there were no longer Quidditch posters all over the walls. Instead, the walls were white and bare.
"Ron, what happened?"
"Hm? Oh, my room. Yeah, I dunno. Got bored of it" Ron bent over Pig's cage, sticking some owl food inside.
"Bored? Of the Cannons? Ron, are you sick?" Hermione smiled, and Ron chuckled.
"No no, I still like'em and all, it just doesn't seem quite so important anymore. I think dinner's ready, shall we go down?" Ron headed for the door, then, seeing Hermione standing in the middle of his room, he said "Coming?"
Hermione nodded "In just a minute" Ron shrugged his shoulders and hurried downstairs. Hermione was slightly . . .well, sad. She wasn't sure why. So Ron had changed his room a bit, so what? It wasn't a big deal. Shaking her head, Hermione rushed downstairs and into the kitchen. She was greeted by 9 redheaded Weasley's sitting around the table. She quickly settled between Ron and Ginny, and everyone began eating and talking at once.
Hermione sat and ate in silence, observing the people around her. Now that she thought about it, a lot more than Ron's room had changed. Bill had cut his hair. Not much, mind you. He could still tie it up, but it was shorter than normal. Percy was actually complaining about work (now who'd've thought that would ever happen?), Ginny was a lot less shy these days, even the food they were eating seemed different somehow. A little more bland, as if Mrs Weasley hadn't worked as hard as she usually did.
*She seems tired* Hermione thought.
Dinner seemed to go by fast, and pretty soon everyone was in the living room, except Mr and Mrs Weasley who had went up to bed early.
"So, Hermione, how have you been?" Charlie asked, sitting next to Hermione on the couch. Hermione proceeded to tell Charlie all about what she had done so far that summer. Meanwhile, the twins were chatting idly in a corner, Ginny was reading and Ron and Bill were playing chess by the fire.
"Hey, Ron, when is Harry coming again? Monday?"
"Yep. Why?"
"Oh, well, I was just wondering," Bill paused "You know, you and Hermione will have the whole day together tomorrow."
"And your point is . . .?"
"I'm just saying it might be a good idea to, you know, talk or something."
"Bill, what are you going on about?"
"Ron, you stupid prat, tell her! Tell her while you have a chance to be alone, so you two can talk about it. And don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about, because you do." Ron opened his mouth to argue, but Hermione chose this moment to turn up.
"Hey. Sorry to bother you, I'm going up to bed now, and I just thought I'd say goodnight"
"Awfully early to go to bed, isn't it?"
"I'm going to read a bit. Much quieter upstairs"
"Alright. G'night!"
"Yeah, 'night Hermione"
Hermione smiled at the pair of them and went upstairs. Bill gave Ron a look. Ron sighed, nodded and stood up.
"S'pose I'll go to bed too, then. See you in the morning. Oh, and leave the pieces, I'll beat you tomorrow" Ron grinned, and Bill returned it with a knowing smile. Ron sighed again and followed Hermione upstairs. He poked his head into Ginny's room, but Hermione wasn't there. Confused, he continued up the stairs until he made it to his room, and found Hermione sitting on his bed, crying.
"Mione?" Hermione jerked her head up, and managed a weak smile.
"Your crying" Ron sat by her, and awkwardly put an arm around her. "Why?"
Hermione took a calming breath and spoke softly.
"Everything is changing Ron. I don't know why it upsets me so much. It's not a bad thing. I just - I need . . .Oh I don't know! The smallest things seem to set me off! Like your room. It's not like it's a different room, but it's not the same anymore. And your family, they're the same people they've always been, but they're different too and . . .and . . ." She broke down again. Ron wasn't sure what to do. Really though, what could he do? He couldn't stop change. Change happens. He looked down and, daringly, kissed to top of her bushy brown hair.
"Hermione, the way you feel, it's - it's understandable. Sometimes change can be a scary thing. And yeah, these things seem small, but I guess, maybe you feel like it can lead to bigger changes. But . . .but change can be a good thing too" Hermione looked up at him. Her eyes were still red and glossy, but there was a small but genuine smile on her lips.
"A good thing . . .how do you mean Ron?" Ron thought for a moment. This was harder than it would seem.
"Take first year, for example. We didn't exactly start off on the right foor, did we? But then, after the Halloween incident, our whole relationship changed, and . . .and that was a good thing, right?" Ron held his breath.
"Yeah Ron. It was." She looked in his eyes "Thank you."
Ron smiled "No problem, Mione. So, are you feeling any better?" She nodded. "Good. Oh, and I just want to let you know, no matter what, Harry and I will always be there for you. That's something that will never change, I promise."
Hermione took a deep breath, wiped her eyes, then got up. After exchanging good nights, she went off into Ginny's room. She found Ginny already lying there in bed, awake, but dozing. Hermione, suddenly overwhelmed with emotion, burst into tears once again. Ginny sat upright.
"Mione, what's wrong? What did my prat of a brother do to you?" Hermione shook her head, trying to tell Ginny that Ron had done nothing. Once she had calmed down, she told Ginny how Ron had found her crying, and she gave her the basics of their conversation.
"What he said though, about our relationship changing, do you think he meant . . .I mean, was he sort of referring to . . .to us, now?"
"Well of course! Hermione, are you so blind that you can't tell how my brother feels about you?"
"Well, I guess I assumed it, what with that whole Yule ball thing. But I didn't know it was anything serious. I thought it was some silly crush or something." Ginny shook her head.
"Hermione, for someone who's top of her class, you certainly can be slow. Look, Ron really cares about you. A lot. As more than a friend. Now, I can't tell you more than that, but really, is there anything else you need to know?" Ginny smiled at Hermione, and Hermione smiled back, shaking her head. That's another thing that had changed for the better. She and Ginny had become quite close over the years.
Hermione jumped off the bed and hurried toward the door.
"I'm going to talk to him again. I'll be back. Oh, and Gin," she stopped and turned to face the small redhead "thanks a lot." And with that, she was out the door and up the stairs.
"Ron?"
Ron heard Hermione call him from outside his door. He tossed aside the book he was reading (when your bored, you'll do anything!) and sat up.
"Yeah Mione? You alright?" The door creaked open, and Hermione stepped in.
"I'm fine. I just wanted to talk some more." She walked to the bed, and Ron moved over the give her room. "I thought about what you said. About how, in first year, our relationship changed for the better. I think you were right. I mean, if I keep fearing change, I'm never gonna let anything good happen. And I don't want that Ron." She looked at him "Like you said, some change is good. Like sometimes, when people get closer to each other, they start to . . .feel things for each other. It's not like you can help it. It just happens. You see the best in the person, even if at first, you couldn't." She stopped and waited with baited breath for an answer.
Slowly, Ron moved his head down and Hermione tilted hers, and they kissed. After a moment they pulled back, and Ron smiled crookedly. It was quiet for a minute, then Hermione, desperate to break the silence, whispered;
"So now what?"
"Well, I think that RIGHT now, we should just go to sleep, and then tomorrow we can go for a walk and maybe talk about, well, this. I know a place that's pretty private. I mean, if you want to . . ."
"Yeah, sounds great. See you in the morning then?"
"Yeah, see you in the morning. Goodnight, Hermione."
"Goodnight, Ron."