Hermione was furious. Why? A certain redhead who was, again, showing that he had the emotional range of a teaspoon.
She found herself in the library once more. She seemed to be there even more often than she was normally, and she found it quite irritating. It wasn't like her to be cheery one moment and then fuming the next because of another person. But, of course, it was Ronald Weasley she was referring to, and he made her upset quite a lot these days. Sitting down with a large sigh, she heaved her bulging bookbag onto the table and drew out her Ancient Runes translation. It was the last piece of homework she had left, but it was also the most difficult. They had progressed to obscure translations in Elder Futhark runes; fehu, naudiz, laguz… It was all so strange but it was something Hermione enjoyed greatly. But even though she was trying her hardest to focus on the spiky lettering, her mind kept drifting to a different subject.
Ron. Why was he being so infuriating lately? The real question was why was he infuriating her; he really hadn't been doing anything out of the ordinary. After all, he was a teenage boy. But it wasn't really the whole Lavender issue that was bugging her. Or was it? No, it couldn't be. It was just Ron's blatant display of public affection that angered her. Who honestly wants to see that? People eating each others' faces. Disgusting! She snorted, bending over the textbook and decoding several runes. It might have also been Lavender that was annoying her greatly; she wouldn't shut up! In the dormitory, it was always her and Parvati squealing over the latest issue of Witch Weekly, giggling horrendously and driving Hermione near mad. And then hearing Lavender speak of Ron in that strange manner… It was beyond irksome. Flying through the text and her translation sheet, she scribbled down the last few lines of her translation and then slammed her textbook shut.
She stood up, frustrated, to get a book from a nearby shelf to busy herself until supper. The Nature of Winged Horses. No, sounds like something Hagrid would love to read. Potions Galore! Hermione had lost her taste for liking Potions after Harry continued to use that dratted book, so she passed that shelf. Hogwarts: A History. She sighed. She had probably already read the majority of these books, so she took the book back to her table and began to read the already very familiar text, pushing her reading glasses farther up on the bridge of her nose. Hogwarts started long ago, founded by the four greatest wizards of the age. Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin… Suddenly there was a giggle. Oh, bugger. She looked up at the entrance to the library to see Ron standing there bug-eyed with a smiling Lavender hanging on his arm. Sickening, really.
"What are you doing here?" Ron blurted suddenly, gazing between Hermione and her bookbag. She rolled her eyes, setting her face in a fierce, hard glare.
"What does it look like I'm doing here? Studying and doing homework, like any other person does in the library. And I'm always here. You said it yourself loads of times." Hermione replied, glaring over her glasses. If it was anyone but Ron, that type of glare would make someone completely silent and send anyone scampering, but this was Ron Weasley. He just didn't get it, did he?
"Well, you should stop studying. You're always up here doing homework. You should take a break and go enjoy the fresh air." He started to say, and it infuriated her further.
"I don't want to go outside. The whole reason why I'm here is because you're a sodding prat! Do you not know how to control your hormones? Please!" She said, and with each word, her voice crescendo-ed into a loud, frustrated noise from the back of her throat, and she was almost ready to screech in his ear. Why was she so testy lately? Oh, don't bother with that now, he's just being a git.
"I—I—What?" He said, gaping at her. But with the speed of lightning, he caught onto her tone. "Control my hormones? Just because I have a girlfriend doesn't mean I can't control my hormones! And what about you? Been snogging Vicky at all? You're one to talk!" He shouted, huffing. Hermione was about to respond, but Madam Pince approached them with a hawk-like glint in her eye.
"WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING?! THIS IS A LIBRARY! GET OUT! OUT!" She roared, sending Hermione's bag flying into her, which nearly knocked the wind out of the bushy-haired girl. Running for the exit, she threw one last sharp glare at Ron, who was stumbling out the exit as well, Lavender still clutching his arm, her blonde hair streaming behind the couple.Seeing that he was visibly hurt, she was satisfied and turned back around, but not before she felt that her face was wet with tears.