Aftershock

By Lady Pyrefly

Author's Note: Yeah, I know. I should be working on some of my more -ahem- neglected stories, but this just popped into my head one day. Heh. Enjoi.

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They sprang apart, shocked. Ron even went so far as to take a few steps backwards. Hermione was somewhat offended.

"What in God's name--" Hermione started to say. Ron cut her off with a look.

"That, Hermione, was nothing. Nothing." The way Ron emphasized those two words, "that" and "nothing," hurt quite a bit.

Flustered, Hermione could only say, "Well I didn't expect it to be anything, Ron. I was just expressing my shock at your immature, although not entirely disagreeable, actions!" Ooh, big vocab there. And was that a compliment?

Ron growled, agitated. "Well, good then!" The fumed in silence at each other for a moment. The redheaded boy's thought process kicked in. "Wait…" he murmered slowly, "Did you just say you liked it?"

Hermione paled, caught. "I most certainly did not! I am quite appalled at your actions, Ronald!" Such denial!

He growled again, the stomped from the common room. Ron, sitting on his four-poster in the dormitory, went over what had happened in his mind. It wasn't exactly intentional. At least, not on the conscious level. He repeatedly slammed his fist into a pillow. That killed two birds with one stone, actually, softening the new school cushions and venting his confusion. The confusion that had been manifested as rage.

Meanwhile, Miss Hermione Granger fumed sat on a random couch in the common room. She went through her breathing exercises and picked up her Charms textbook with the intent of suppressing these dreadfully violent emotions with busywork.

Not five minutes later, Ron came down the stairs from the dorms and again pressed his lips to Hermione's. They promised themselves they wouldn't make such a fuss this time.