A Lavender coloured mistake...
This is how Ron ended up snogging Lavender during HBP and what happens at Christmas that convinced him not to give up on his relationship with Hermione.
Dialogue has been taken from Half Blood Prince for the use of entertainment.
The Unlucky Match
Ron was on top of the world, soaring so high that no one could touch him. He was on fire. He saved every goal. There wasn't anything he couldn't do in the sky. He was living his dream – soaring between the goalpost – looking manly, and strong. Not even Hermione, sitting in the crowd could stop him from saving goal after goal. He was a Quidditch legend. In times to come, ballads would be sung of his great skill.
In fact, they currently were singing a rousing chorus of Weasley is Our King. He was Merlin's gift to Quidditch. It didn't matter that Harry had given him a bit of extra luck. It didn't matter that he could feel Hermione watching him. It didn't matter that this was the best he'd felt since after that Quidditch practice. All that mattered was that he was saving goal after goal.
When it was over and everyone had left the changing room. Ron found that he didn't care how Harry had done it. No one was going to find out. And if Harry didn't mention it: neither would he. He turned around and saw Hermione. Twisting, what he knew to be his Quidditch scarf. Her hair looked windswept but she was warm in one of his old maroon Weasley jumpers. For a second, her unhappy but determined expression didn't matter. She was here. She was going to apologise and he was going to forgive her, and snog her senseless for making his Weasley jump look so sexy.
Then, she spoke and his mood went to hell.
"I want a word with you, Harry." She said wavering, and then took a deep steadying breath. "You shouldn't have done it. You heard Slughorn, its illegal."
"What are you going to do, turn us in?" demanded Ron, trying to read her. Merlin, he wanted to fight with her... It's what they needed... but their argument was cut short by Harry.
"What are you two talking about?" asked Harry, turning away, playing dumb and sounding like he was grinning.
"You know perfectly well what we're talking about!" said Hermione sharply, and Ron recognised that tone: sanctimonious know-it-all. "You spiked Ron's juice with lucky potion at breakfast! Felix Felicis!" There, she'd finally said it and Ron looked at Harry waiting for him to explain himself.
"No, I didn't," replied Harry, looking smug. Harry never looked smug.
"Yes you did, Harry," Hermione responded forcibly, "and that's why everything went right, there were Slytherin players missing and Ron saved everything!" Oh Merlin, Ron thought, hearing her say those words was worse than imagining her thinking them. Hermione didn't think he was very good.
"I didn't put it in!" Harry grinned. Then, he pulled out the tiny glass bottle: still full, still sealed. "I wanted Ron to think I'd done it, so I faked it when I knew you," he said addressing an indignant Hermione, "were looking." Then, Harry looked at Ron. "You saved everything because you felt lucky. You did it all yourself." Now Harry was grinning and Ron felt dazed.
"There really wasn't anything in my pumpkin juice?" Ron said, astounded. "But the weather's good... and Vaisey couldn't play... I honestly haven't been given lucky potion?" Relief quickly washed over Ron only to be replaced by blind, mindless fury. Hermione didn't think he was very good. Hermione had betrayed him. Hermione had lied to him about Krum. Well, turns out, he didn't need Hermione after all. Then all the anger he'd felt bubbling under the surface erupted. Merlin, he wanted to hurt her like she'd hurt him.
"You added Felix Felicis to Ron's juice this morning, that's why he saved everything!" Ron said mimicking Hermione's voice. "See!" He shouted viciously, "I can save goals without help, Hermione!"
"I never said you couldn't," Hermione countered desperately, and it was the lie that broke the hippogriffs back. He couldn't look at her anymore. He strolled past her and didn't acknowledge the next thing that came out of her mouth: because only that was true. "Ron, you thought you'd been given it too!"
Merlin-damn her! he thought as he stormed up to the castle away from her. Fighting his own instincts to run back and what..? For a year, all he'd done was mope after her. Thinking that they could be something... thinking that she thought he was good enough for her. Just being around her made him feel worthy, like a better person. But now he knew how she really felt. And he couldn't breathe. She said he was brilliant at Quidditch once but she was Hermione Granger for Merlin sake! What did she know about Quidditch?
Hermione had snogged Krum... Hermione thought that Harry was fanciable... Hermione was such a Merlin-damned girl sometimes. And Ron knew he was going to lash out if he didn't get the hell away from her. He'd promised himself he would never hurt her; but that's all he wanted to do. She'd taken his heart and stamped all over it.
Thinking about her and that pumpkin head always made his blood boil but since his sister had said that... It was the worst jealousy of his entire life, thinking about her with Krum made him almost homicidal. And this time it wouldn't just be a doll he tore to bits. Knowing that he wasn't good enough... made his chest hurt, his eyes sting and stopped him from breathing.
For a few weeks though, he thought that she thought he was worthy of her. Before that Quidditch practice, before he found out the truth she'd kissed him. She beckoned him closer with her finger and when he was near enough; she kissed his lips chastely. It was slow, soft and gave both of them shivers. He'd played like rubbish that Quidditch practice because he kept thinking about Hermione and how tomorrow, he'd ask her to be his girlfriend and they finally have to tell Harry.
But Hermione snogged Krum and then lied about it – for two years! Ron had been secretly snogging Hermione for years... But he was never her boyfriend! And why? He'd always thought it was because he hadn't asked her. When really it was it was because she already had Krum.
Merlin, he'd been a fool.
What made it worst: he was in love with her. It was her he'd smelled in the Amortentia. He'd smelt summer at the Burrow, and chocolate frogs and something purely-Hermione. This wasn't a crush. This wasn't a fling. What he felt for Hermione was honest to goodness love. Lay your life down for someone love. He'd been obsessed with her for far too long. She was in his every fantasy. She was what he desired. When he thought about the future it was something build with Hermione. Just thinking about her was intoxicating... What they shared felt closer than closest friendship and when they kissed. Merlin, it was like he was losing himself and finding himself at the same bloody time. When they were together like that he couldn't tell where he ended and she began.
Ron entered the main doors still angry at Hermione. He remembered when they were walking back from the Keeper trails and she'd said he was magnificent and he'd foolishly believed her. He'd re-described his goal saving desperately wanting her to say it again. To stroke is Merlin damned ego. Believed that look in her eyes that he thought could be the beginnings of... And the way she blushed... made him feel so manly. Like he'd taken Hermione's breathe away or something.
All he'd ever wanted, he realised, was her. Hermione's undivided attention. Hermione's delicate encouragement. And Merlin damn her... every bloody part of her! He wanted to be the man by her side.
Friendship wasn't enough for him. Not with Hermione.
His stomach soured: she'd lied to him about Krum... time and time again... Lied about going with him to the Yule Ball... lied after the second task of the Tri-wizard... lied about writing to him... maybe she'd gone to see him too. He felt like a burnt out empty shell.
Ron had put Hermione on a pedestal for years, from her twirling around in those periwinkle dress robes on their first visit to Hogsmeade... to their first kiss that had been so long ago. She was passionate and fiery and all consuming... in between all of Harry's drama (and there had been a lot of that). She was the smartest witch that Hogwarts had ever seen and still she never believed it. That was her secret vulnerability. She was always seeking approval and what had he done? Been lazy and acted the fool. Let her be in control. Not worked as hard as he could so she could sweep in and help him; because it made her feel good about herself.
He had himself so mediocre Slughorn had over looked him. Harry was the hero, Hermione was brilliant and even Ginny had caught his attention with her bat hex!
Bloody Krum would have made it into the Slug Club... Hermione probably only asked him to that party out of pity... and because she couldn't get her precious Krum here!
It was with a great deal of surprise that Ron found himself at the portrait hole.
The room exploded into cheers as he entered the Common Room. The Gryffindor Quidditch celebration was in full swing. Everyone was smiling and happy... Apart from him, the Quidditch star: he was peeved off. He was pathetically peeved off at Hermione for not believing in him. He was peeved off that she'd snogged a Pumpkin head like Victor Krum and not told him about it. How did he not see through her lies? How dare she?
And they'd been so close to something more... she'd kissed him in the library. They were going to that party... and she'd betrayed him... Maybe he wasn't the only one. Maybe Hermione had been snogging around – for some reason he'd always assumed that she would always be his. What really got him was that she didn't believe in him. He thought that she had. That they'd been reading from the same spellbook but he was wrong. So maybe he was wrong about everything else too.
Thoughts of Hermione slipped from his mind though as he hero worship started. The crowd wanted to hear him recount his saves. Someone gave him a butterbeer and he greedily drank. Gripping it a little bit too firmly. Everyone in this room was looking up to him; boys were giving him more respect now then when he'd become prefect and he could even see some girls giggling about him. And flirting – girls where flirting at him. He surveyed the room and noticed Lavender Brown on a table watching him.
Lavender Brown, who by anyone's standard was pretty and sexy: was watching him.
In that moment, he remembered the Mirror of Erised. He wasn't Head Boy but he was a bloody prefect. He wasn't Quidditch Captain but he was the star Quidditch Keeper... and even though Hermione didn't belief in him... Lavender Brown did. She'd flirted with him... and she was looking at him like Fleur looked at Bill or... how he looked at Hermione.
Lavender was looking at him in the way he'd sometimes imaged Hermione looked at him. Not like they were friends... but like they could one day be lovers. (Merlin, he wanted to be Hermione's lover.) But Hermione had snogged Krum and didn't believe in him. He wasn't her boyfriend. Over the last year, away from Harry that's exactly liked he'd behaved. Like some lovesick puppy that came at her beacon call. All they'd ever done was snog and argue. And as much fun as that was: it wasn't a relationship.
He wasn't her boyfriend (would never be). He'd been obsessing about Hermione for too long and she clearly didn't feel the same: well, Hermione could snog Draco ferret-face Malfoy for all Ron cared. Ron had options. Lavender was pretty. Lavender had made it clear that she didn't want to be his study buddy. He was a free agent for Merlin sake!
Suddenly, he felt himself smiling and walking over to Lavender (who was standing on a table to watch him). That, he took as an encouraging sign. As was the fact that Parvati wasn't around. So he was going to go over there and flirt with Lavender – he was going to enjoy himself with Lavender. And if Hermione saw them flirting... so much the better! If she didn't like it; she could do something about it.
"Hi," Ron said confidently. He had no idea what he was going to say next; but it didn't matter because she lunged at him. Attaching her mouth to his...
BLOODY HELL! He fleetingly thought, SOMEONE IS KISSING ME AND IT ISN'T HERMONE. Then, his instincts kicked in and he moved his mouth slowly against hers. Three years of secretly snogging Hermione had given Ron skills that he didn't realise he'd developed. He started to explore Lavender mouth.
Before Lavender, Ron had thought that all girls kissed the same... would feel the same against him. Loving and gentle and yet challenging and fervent... That's how Hermione always kissed him; like they were fighting, intense and all consuming. But it wasn't the case. Lavender was an enthusiastic snogger and her arms kept roving over his body like she was the giant squid.
Lavender's mouth was different from Hermione's. He crushed their bodies together and realised that Lavender didn't feel like Hermione. He snaked his arms around her and played with her hair. Lavender's hair was different from Hermione's. Their mouths and tongues began to do battle and Lavender moaned. Lavender's moans were different from Hermione's.
And when he kissed Hermione... the whole world slipped away. It was the same when they argued. But kissing Lavender was different from kissing Hermione. He figured that different could be good. In fact, he just started to enjoy himself when the crowd began to get more rowdy: there were woof whistles and cat calls. There was popcorn being thrown. Ron ignored it. Then, something hard hit the back of Ron's head: hard. He pulled himself away from... erm... not Hermione... from Lavender and looked at his sister. Who seemed appalled for some reason?
"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?" Ron shouted, annoyed.
"ME?" Ginny replied looking dismayed, her hands were on her hips and she reminded him of their mother. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING RON..."
"SNOGGING..." Ron said smugly. Then, his gazed shifted towards Lavender.
BLOODY HELL! He thought. He was snogging Lavender Brown in the bloody common room. He was a Prefect for Merlin's sake. Hermione was going to kill him. He was snogging someone that wasn't Hermione in the common room. BUGGER! Lavender was looking at him expectantly.
"Come on, let's get out of here!" he said grabbing her hand and they went off into the castle to find a deserted classroom. Half way to the first deserted classroom she pushed him roughly against the wall and some of his panic dissipated. Lavender Brown seemed to be enjoying herself and his own hormones were raging. Hermione had never kissed him in public like Lavender had. She would never slam him against a wall and... Attacking him with her mouth.
With all this... enjoyment... Ron left like his back was going to spasms... Lavender wasn't as tall as Hermione so she didn't fit the same. Lavender then stepped away with what could only be described as a 'come thither' look. Well two could play at that game. Ron brought Lavender close and snogged her then grabbed her hand and led her towards a classroom.
"Where are we going?" Lavender asked incredulously, looking sexily dishevelled.
"Well, you see Lavender," Ron panted, his senses clouded by happy hormones. "I'm a Prefect which means no snogging in the corridors..." He stepped forward to almost kiss her again but didn't. "Not even with girls as pretty as you!" They finally reached the door both laughing and Ron pulled her by the hand inside when Ron's world shattered.
"Oh," he said automatically, looking towards Harry his best mate who was talking to a bushy haired mess. She also looked dishevelled but in a different way. Her eyes were poufy and her cheeks were stained with tears. She looked... she looked... heartbroken. He wanted take her in his arms and apologies... but he knew he couldn't. And he shouldn't because she broke his heart first!
"Oops!" said Lavender, and she backed out of the room, giggling. The door closed behind her and there was nothing but a suffocating silence.
"Hi, Harry! Wondered where you'd got to!" Ron said trying to play it cool. Trying to be light and bold and not look at Hermione.
Even though, he could feel her staring at him. He wouldn't look or his revolve would crumble. He heard her sliding off the desk. She was surrounded by golden birds for some reason. Harry was staring at Hermione but Ron couldn't. He wouldn't because he knew he'd break.
"You shouldn't leave Lavender waiting outside," Hermione said quietly. The quiet was now worse than the shouted he'd been expecting. "She'll wonder where you've gone." Ron closed his eyes so he wouldn't see her leave. He slowly, let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding. This was it. Lavender had snogged him and she didn't want any explanation. Maybe she wasn't even angry... Harry was watching him now curiously.
"Oppugno!" came a shriek from the doorway. Arrows, lots of tiny, pecking arrows were attacking him. He yelped and shielded his face. Through his hands he finally looked at Hermione. She had this look of spiteful ferocity. And she was more terrifying and yet wildly beautiful than Ron had ever seen. All he could yell was:
"Gerremoffme!"
Those vicious birds of hers pecked and clawed him. And it hurt. Merlin it hurt: but not as much as the Hermione sounding sob from the corridor.
ERRR... So urm... this just kind of wrote itself when I should have been working. It's the sequel/prequel to A Lavender coloured peace... and obviously... after this there's Christmas Tradition Interrupted Again, then Sad FM and Seamus the series... Rebounding Relationships... etc
Next up: Ron's side of the A Very Frosty Christmas HBP chapter and how Fred got the information for Sad FM's dream charm. That's right Fred..!