And now we switch to Ron's point of view.
It took hours just for the theory exam and after that, there was still the practical side of things. While the mass of students nervously awaited their brief time alone with one of the professors, Ron searched the queue for Hermione. Slowly, the line moved forward and he still hadn't caught even a glimpse of her bushy hair when it was his turn.
"Whew! Am I glad that's all over!" breathed Ron with obvious relief once he was through. "That was the longest exam I've ever sat through. What about that last spell, eh?" Harry nodded fervently. Neville, Seamus and Dean were already waiting for them at a clear corner of the corridor. As the boys made their way towards their dormitory room, they all agreed that, especially after the OWLs, the dance would make it a spectacular night. "Still haven't got a date, Neville?" teased Dean.
Neville turned his nose up at his friend and said, with more confidence than he's ever had in his voice, "I've got one. One of the best looking in our grade, actually." The other boys hooted.
"Too bad you missed out on the best looking, 'cause she's going with me," Ron smiled. They all hooted again and laughed.
"Hey," Dean said to Neville, "If she's so pretty, how come you managed to ask her so late?"
"I bet she was just waiting for him to ask!" Seamus teased, messing Neville's hair. Harry punched Neville playfully in the shoulder.
"No, it wasn't like that," Neville told them seriously, flattening his hair again. "She asked me." The other boys gasped deliciously, but he added quickly, "It's not like that at all. We're just going together as friends. Honestly, I don't know what the big deal is about." He didn't say anymore and walked ahead, while the other boys whispered and laughed.
Time flew quickly in the excitement of preparation and pushing for the mirror. Soon it was less than half an hour before the Great Hall would open to let them in. Dean and Seamus had already left some ten minutes ago to meet Lavender, and Dean's date, a Hufflepuff girl in Ginny's year. The three remaining boys descended the steps to the common room. Both Harry and Neville were quiet, but Ron was relaxed. "I still can't believe she asked you. I mean, I thought she might, but I never expected she would," he said to Harry of Ginny.* Harry just shrugged. They sat down and waited, occasionally picking at their clothes for loose threads or flecks of lint. After a few minutes, the girls finally arrived.
Ginny was radiant in sky blue that contrasted nicely with her hair, which fell in large curls that gently bounced just off her shoulder. Ron and Neville stared, both with mouths agape, while Harry stepped forward. He politely offered his arm and whispered something to her that made her blush. Ron felt a twinge of discomfort at seeing the little exchange, but had no time to dwell on it; Ginny had stepped aside, revealing Hermione behind her.
The boys had to agree to themselves that Ron was right. When the occasion called for it, Hermione became the most beautiful girl in their year. Her hair was pulled into a loose bun high on her head, with some well-placed tendrils spiraling around her face. She was wearing a backless ivory dress that shimmered just slightly, and an antique-looking necklace. But it was the way she held herself that completed the picture. She looked at them with a regal and cool confidence that could've fooled royalty.
Ron was stunned. Just when he thought she couldn't look more beautiful than she did at the Yule Ball, she defied him. He wasn't prepared for this. Suddenly, he was aware of how moist his palms had become. "You look beautiful too, Hermione," Harry said before shooting an intentional look at Ron.
Ron caught it, and the one from Ginny as well. He looked at Hermione who seemed to be waiting expectantly. "Erm... yeah," was all he could splutter. Hermione thanked Harry in a deliberate fashion, walked towards Ron while giving him a hard stare and went right past to take Neville's arm. If Ron wasn't speechless before, he was now. Neville shifted his eyes apologetically to Ron. There was an uncomfortable silence as Harry and Ginny exchanged confused looks, and Hermione led Neville to the portrait hole.
"Hermione!" Ron finally called.
She stopped and turned around to face him. Neville muttered something about waiting outside and quickly slipped out of the common room. "Yes, Ron," she answered impatiently.
"What... You're going with Neville?"
"I asked him," she told him simply.
Ron was dumbfounded. His chest heaved with confused sighs.
"Ron, I'm sure you don't need me to hyperventilate, so if you'll excuse me..." She turned on her heel and again made her way to the portrait hole, her cool manner somewhat betrayed by the rising color in her cheeks.
Harry and Ginny's eyes darted between the two. Ron was still standing there, a desperate look in his eyes. He was letting Hermione get away. "Ron," Harry hissed, jabbing his friend sharply in the shoulder. Ron at last moved. He caught Hermione by the arm just before she stepped out. "Why are you going with Neville?" he demanded, a little more forcefully than he had intended.
She pulled her arm out of his grip. "Why not? He's a friend."
"A friend?" Ron questioned, his anger escalating. "You'd rather go with a friend?"
"If you really must know, Ron," Hermione said hotly. "No. That wasn't my first choice."
"Why?" he asked scornfully. "First choice turn you down?" Ron thought he heard Harry or Ginny groan, like the little voice of reason in his head, begging him to back down and discuss the misunderstanding in a civilized manner, but he was too angry to think straight, and chose to ignore them.
"No," Hermione finally managed to whisper, her lips tight and her eyes starting to mist. "He never asked me." Then she made her escape through the portrait hole. Ron's face fell as he powerlessly watched her disappear behind the closing portrait. He felt like the biggest idiot in both the wizarding and Muggle worlds.
Harry made the first sound. "You never asked her?"
Then Ginny piped in, "Ron! You can't be that daft!" Ron slowly turned to face them. He opened him mouth to say something, but closed it again. There was nothing he could think of to say that would improve the disastrous start of the evening. It was a sombre silence as the three made their way to the Great Hall, Ron dragging his feet. They found an empty table at the Slytherin side of the hall and watched people dancing under the confetti glitter magically falling from the ceiling. After twenty minutes, Ron, feeling even more depressed to see his classmates having a ball, skulked out into the corridor despite Harry and Ginny's best encouraging efforts.
He sat on the steps, picking sullenly at the crest on his goblet. Distractedly, he tipped the empty goblet to his mouth as if he could divine more juice from it, and heard heavy footsteps approach him. It was Dean, apparently on his way to the boys' bathroom. He had a smile on his sweaty face and asked Ron in passing, "Hey, where's that date of yours?"
Ron muttered, "Shut up," not caring if Dean heard or not, but his friend wisely left him alone. It was nearly an hour later when Ron had mustered the courage to talk to Hermione and straighten things out. He hadn't found her only to lose her so quickly, and he knew the blame was entirely on him. With a deep, shuddering breath and firm determination on his face, he stood and straightened his robes. He was so desperate to win her back it made him scared in a way he'd never felt before. Suddenly, as he rounded a corner, someone ran into him. "Oi!"
It was Ginny. She seemed angry, and on the verge of tears. "Sorry, Ron."
"What's wrong?" Ron asked, pulling her arm as she tried to slip away.
"Nothing," she muttered. He opened his mouth to persuade her to share her concerns, but they both caught sight of Hermione hurrying past them. "You'd better go to her," Ginny told him, "Go on."
"You sure you'll be okay?"
"Yes," Ginny's answer was firm, but he could detect a quaver in her voice. Ron gave his sister another look for confirmation. She nodded and he left her, though reluctantly.
In a few long strides, he caught up with Hermione. "Hermione," Ron swallowed his breath. "I need to explain something." He looked at her desperately and apologetically, hoping to warm her earlier coldness towards him, but he didn't need to. She seemed more tired than angry.
"What is it, Ron?" she asked wearily. There was an element of pain and disappointment in her voice this time.
Ron sighed. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry I didn't ask you to the dance. It's just that..." He paused, trying to fight the stinging in his eyes. "After you kissed me last week..." He was suddenly nervous and shifted uncomfortably. "I just thought that we'd go together. I mean, I assumed we would. That's why I didn't ask you." He could feel his heart thumping against his ribs like the hollow bass they could hear from the hall. But there was really no need to be anxious, he soon found.
Hermione was smiling at him. She took a small step to close the gap between them and slid her arms around his neck in an embrace. Ron pressed his cheek against her hair and circled his arms around her, his hands resting on her exposed back. He felt her arch slightly to his touch at first, but she quickly learned to relax, and leaned into his palms, looking up at him. They smiled silently at each other.
All was forgotten. He knew it was the perfect time to kiss her; it was almost irresistible, but something was stopping him. Maybe it was because he didn't want to break their deep gaze, or because his heart had started quivering with internal nervousness. He realized he was thinking too much about it and wanted to kiss her in a spontaneous moment, a natural moment. So instead, he asked, "Are we okay now? Can I assume it's you and me from now on?"
She whispered a yes, and smiled up at him with that look, the one that made him struggle to contain his giddiness. There was no other way to describe it, but he would be damned if he told anyone that he ever felt 'giddy'. He led the way back to the hall, and though they didn't say anything during those few minutes, their eyes and secretive smiles spoke volumes. When the hall entrance came into view, Hermione said softly, "I'm sorry we weren't able to come together."
Ron shook his head with a smile. "It doesn't matter;" he told her honestly, "as long as we leave together." Then they crossed the threshold and joined the celebrations, hand in hand.
What did you think? Let me know; I live for reviews! The next related story is The Other Partner (id:7508765).