Ron woke, immediately glancing at the clock next to him. It was a quarter to five in the morning. How was he to tell if it was Halloween again, or November 1st? He wanted to talk to Hermione, but she was probably still asleep. Yesterday he ran into her in the common room at five-thirty a.m. He sat up. He wasn't sure he could wait that long to know if she remembered. Ron started to dress hastily.
He supposed he could go to the base of the girls dormitory and start yelling for her. No, that would wake everyone up, and it would probably put her off. If only he could get into her dorm room. He paced in front of his bed, until he noticed his broom. Could he? Why not. It would certainly get him up the stairs since they didn't allow boys up there. He grabbed his broom and headed downstairs.
He flew up into the girls dormitory. Surprisingly, nothing stopped him. The stairs didn't even collapse. I guess that charm only worked if his foot touched it, he thought. Ron landed softly, and looked around. It smelled girly. Like flowers and stuff. Funny, he thought, the boys dorm always smelled like socks and faintly of chocolate.
He easily spied Hermione's bed. It was on the right side, and all the space around her bed was littered with books. He walked over to her bed, suddenly shy. She looked so beautiful in her sleep. He smiled to himself, and then tripped on a particularly large book that was half hidden under her bed. He went flying and landed on her bed. On top of her.
Her eyes shot open. He put his hand on top of her mouth to stop her from yelling out. When she looked calmer, he removed his hand and sat up slightly, pulling the curtains around her bed closed.
"Ron!" She whispered hotly. Her face was flaming. "What are you doing up here?"
Now that he was here, now that she was in front of him, well, under him, actually He was nervous. And very turned on. This was so intimate. She was in her nightgown. Under a very thin sheet.
"What is today?" He looked at her seriously.
"What? How did you get up here?" Hermione whispered, flustered.
"You know, I flew up." He grinned. "Simple really."
"That was pretty clever." She admitted. "But what are you doing up here?"
"What is today? The date." He repeated.
"Umm…sorry, rather hard to think." She paused, flushing. "I mean, err, yes, today is October-"
He signed deeply, and laid down beside her.
"No." He held up his hand to stop her. "Don't tell me. I don't want to know it's Halloween. I just want to live in ignorance for a few more minutes."
Hermione looked puzzled. She moved so they were side by side.
"What's the matter..?" She whispered.
"It's a very long story." He sighed again. "Bollocks! I suppose I have to go through it all over again."
"Language!" She said, almost absently.
He looked at her. They were laying side by side, both of their heads on her pillow.
"Couldn't it have waited until later? I don't even know what time it is." Hermione said softly. "I stayed up too late last night knitting socks-"
"It's almost five a.m. And no, it couldn't wait." He couldn't help himself. He reached over and ran his hand through her hair. She looked rather shocked, but pleased, he could see her shiver a little.
"Ron…" She whispered, searching his eyes in the muted light of her canopied bed.
He leaned in and started kissing her. He started slowly, as this was her first kiss (although it was really their fourth – but she didn't know that). But soon he could feel her hands coming around him, burying themselves in his hair. Vaguely, he pondered how she always went for his hair. She must like it, he thought with pleasure.
Hermione pulled away, leaning back against the pillows, her lips red and eyes hazy.
"Ron…did you come up here just to do that?" She whispered.
"No. Well, yes, it was definitely on my mind to do that. Nutters! But I do have to tell you about something important." He looked at her again. He couldn't help himself.
He leaned over her and started kissing her again.
"Hermione?" Distantly he heard someone ask. Ron didn't let the voice intrude. He was enjoying kissing Hermione too much. He could feel her breasts pressing against his chest. Her legs were sliding up against his. Her bare legs. Her arms were around him. He figured she could feel him pressing against her (the sheets were thin), but she didn't seem to mind. In fact, she was kissing him quite passionately and tugging at his hair.
"Oh, Hermione…" He heard himself moan as he ran his hand along her arms.
Suddenly the bed curtain was opened, and they turned their heads to see Lavender looking at them.
"Hermione! Ron Weasley!" Lavender screeched. Other heads started to peek up from their beds.
"Keep it down Lavender!" Ron said, sitting up. Hermione was pulling up the blanket to cover her nightgown, her face completely red from blushing. He must look similarly, he thought.
"Ron?" He heard Ginny's voice. Oh bollocks! That's just what he needed. She's going to tell mum.
He stood up, then fell backwards over more books onto the floor.
"Ron! What are you doing up here? Did you sleep up here last night?" He heard Ginny ask, shocked.
"But how did he get up here?" Lavender asked. "He's a boy!"
"Ron Weasley is in our dorm room!" He heard Pavarti ask. Oh just wizard. "I'm telling Professor McGonagall!"
"Oh stuff it, Pavarti." He heard Hermione mutter.
"I'm leaving! I'm leaving" He announced, grabbed his broom and mounted it painfully, flying down the spiral staircase to the common room. Unfortunately the common room was full of various Gryffindor males, drawn out by the commotion. They looked at him with interest.
"Ron?" Harry asked, surprised. "What were you doing up there?"
Lavender and Pavarti rushed passed them, out of the common room. Wizard! Who only knows where they were off to.
"What do you think he was doing, Harry?" Seamus laughed.
"Were you doing your homework with Granger, eh?" Dean sniggered.
"You were studying in the girls dorm?" Neville asked, confused, still half asleep.
Ron sighed and looked at Neville. His pajama bottoms didn't match his pajama tops.
"Neville, what would you do if you were stuck in one place and every day was exactly the same, and nothing that you did mattered?"
"That about sums it up for me." Neville said, a little flustered.
***
Hermione and him were called in McGonagall's office before breakfast. He didn't have a chance to even talk to Hermione and ask her what she was thinking. Or to apologize. He didn't even know if she was mad at him. And most importantly, he hadn't explained about the time loop.
"Hermione Granger." McGonagall began sternly, looking at Hermione. "I would have expected better of you. You are a prefect, and therefore your behavior should set an example for the younger students. To have them find you in bed with a…a…boy…well, that is just reprehensible. It has been advised to me that you should be expelled."
"Professor, No! I-" Ron started, standing.
"Ronald Weasley. You will get your turn. Sit down this instant." McGonagall said with a finality that he felt in his bones. Ron looked over at Hermione, who was sobbing silently. He sat down, not sure what to do.
"This behavior! Why, not even your brothers, who were quite the troublemakers, I can tell you, did anything this…scandalous! Your mother has been informed." Ron sank in his chair, thinking of all the howlers he would soon be getting. "This was a very, very serious offense. And will not be taken lightly indeed."
Professor McGonagall sat back at a seeming loss for words.
"What do you have to say for yourselves?" McGonagall asked sharply.
Ron sat up instantly. "It is all my fault. I flew up into the girl's dorm to see Hermione. She had nothing to do with it. She was not involved. It is entirely my fault. Please don't punish her. Please, expel me." Ron blabbered, looking between the sobbing Hermione who wouldn't look at him, and the stern McGonagall who's impassive face gave nothing away. "It is entirely my fault." He repeated.
"That may be true, but according to eyewitnesses," McGonagall cleared her throat, "She was an active participant." If possible, Hermione started crying more.
"Professor. I have something to confess." Ron looked down at his hands.
"Speak louder, Ronald." Professor McGonagall said.
"It all started about four days ago." He began, and explained the entire story about how this was the fourth Halloween that he'd been through. How Hermione had been helping him to figure it out (every day) and that he'd gone up into her room to see what day it was.
"But why didn't you just as Harry?" Hermione asked. She had stopped crying, but her face was all puffy and her eyes were red.
"I dunno." He peeked a glance at her face. "Well, I do. Because…well, you and I…" Ron started lamely.
"Oh…" Her cheeks flushed.
"Did Ms. Granger discover any answers for you?" McGonagall inquired.
"No, she didn't. Snape-" Ron said.
"Professor Snape." McGonagall corrected him.
"Yes. Um, Professor Snape kept interrupting our research. And things just kept coming up." Ron shot a glance at Hermione again. "Do you believe me? I mean, how could I make something like this up?"
McGonagall was just sitting there. He assumed she was thinking. I mean, it was a rather outlandish story if he thought about it.
"I can prove it!" He said, triumphantly. "I know what potion Sna-…err…Professor Snape is going to have us do in Potions, Patefacio Portavi Praeteritus and in your class we're going to work on Cinis cineris - I can do these without instruction if you want to test me." Ron took out his wand, looking for a rock in McGonagall's office. "I'll take Veritassim if you want. I'm telling you the truth!"
McGonagall looked a little taken aback by his answers and the vehemence by which he answered them. She reached into her desk, and drew out a medium-sized rock and placed it on the desk.
He looked at her, then at it. He pointed his wand at it and said confidently, "Cinis cineris! and it poofed into neat little pile of ashes on her desk. He looked triumphantly at McGonagall, as she sighed.
"Well, I need to confer with Professor Dumbledore…and he's away at the moment on business for the Ord-, well, never mind, and I need to speak with Professor Snape on this matter. This is very serious. A rip in the fabric of time? Here at Hogwarts? Preposterous!" McGonagall looked closely at Ron. "But…well, I believe you, Mr. Weasley. However, that does not diminish the fact that you are a prefect and you were caught in a girl's bed in the girl's dormitory. You will be informed of your punishment, and I can't say that expulsion isn't a possibility."
McGonagall looked over at Hermione. "Now you, Ms. Granger, you should have known better. Expulsion for you is not out of the question, either. Frankly, I'm disappointed in both of you."
"Now, we've all missed breakfast." She scrawled a lengthy note on a piece of parchment, then sealed it with some wax. Professor McGonagall stood. "Go to your first class. You're late for Potions. Give that note to Professor Snape." They stood up. Ron took the note from McGonagall.
"Go, now."
***
Outside of McGonagall's office, Ron pulled Hermione off to the side.
"Hermione. Do you really believe me?" He asked her earnestly.
"Yes, Ron. But- Expulsion!" Hermione started to cry again. He wanted to pull her into his arms, but he didn't.
"Hermione." He shook her a little by the shoulders to get her attention. "Don't worry. You're going to wake up tomorrow and this will have never happened!"
She broke off and started to walk away.
"Hermione!" Ron started after her.
"Hermione, don't worry. This isn't real." Ron pulled on her arm to get her to stop.
"Ron. It feels real to me. This is very serious! Expulsion! My parents!" Hermione started crying again, stopped herself, then took a deep breath. "I can't talk to you about this any more right now. Let's just go to class and hope that everyone doesn't know."
"Like that's bloody likely." Ron muttered to himself.
***
They walked into Potions dungeon and utter silence descended upon the class. Everyone looked up. Professor Snape stood at the front of the class with one eyebrow raised.
"Mr. Weasley and Ms. Granger. How good of you to show up. I suppose you…overslept?" Snape inquired.
Ron and Hermione started blushing furiously and the class erupted into titters. Apparently everyone knew. Hermione quickly sat down at her desk and started setting up her cauldron. Ron walked up to Professor Snape and handed him the note from McGonagall. Snape flicked it open and read it quickly, a smirk crossing his features.
Ron sat down next to Hermione, and started to write down the potion from memory. The directions had long been erased by Snape, and he knew that Harry forgot the liverweed and dragon scale on his notes. He didn't want Hermione to be more upset with him than she already was.
Ron looked up to see what Snape was doing, and he was eyeing him suspiciously. I wonder what old McGonagall put in that letter?, Ron thought. If only he knew some sort of freezing spell he could freeze everyone in place, then go up and read it without anyone being the wiser. Too bad he didn't know any useful spells like that. Oh, but he could turn a rock into ash. Just wizard.
He set the directions between himself and Hermione, who looked up at him in shock. That should banish more of her doubt.
Harry kept looking over at them. He wasn't speaking to them. Actually, most of the class was silent. He could hear Malfoy and his cronies cackling about something. But other than that they worked in silence.
At the end of class, Hermione and himself turned in their potions, which were both a beautiful lapis blue color. Snape glared balefully at them. Again, Neville's potion was a thick brown color and Harry's was greenish and smoking. They should really take better notes, he thought. Blimey! I'm starting to sound like Hermione.
***
During Transfiguration Ron sat listlessly in his chair, alternately turning his rock into ashes, and back into a rock. Harry still wasn't really speaking to them. Dean, Thomas and Seamus kept making innuendos under their breath. And the Ravenclaw students they shared the class with didn't really seem to know what to do. But they did stare at Ron and Hermione. Is this what Harry always feels like? Under a microscope? People talking about you behind your back, gossiping and judging you?
After class, he touched Harry on the arm. Holding him back after all the other students left. Hermione stayed, silent, just looking at them. Her eyes still looked red.
"Mate. I'm sorry…I can't make it to Quidditch practice." Ron said looking at Harry.
"Why? Have you been suspended for…" Harry let the sentence hang in the air.
"No, I don't know what my punishment is going to be. Maybe expulsion. But they-"
"Expulsion!" Harry exploded, looking from Ron to Hermione. "What?"
"They haven't decided yet. It's a long story. I'll tell you about it after practice. Well, after the feast, I guess. I dunno." Ron said, thinking.
"If they haven't suspended you from Quidditch-" Harry looked between them.
"I'm going to the bloody library. It's more important." Ron said, looking over at Hermione.
***
By looking at his watch, Ron knew the Halloween feast was going on. He just didn't want to go. His stomach growled painfully, but he hoped to go down to the kitchens later and nick some food.
He was sitting in the library, surrounded by all kinds of books. Most of the books he remembered Hermione reading during their last two attempts researching this problem. But there were also books with complicated hexes, curses, counter-curses and charms that he was curious about.
Currently he was so engrossed in reading What Every Good Auror Should Know, he didn't hear someone walking behind him until they were next to him. Ron glanced up. Hermione was standing there, holding a few books in her arms.
"Need any help?" She asked hesitantly, chewing on her lower lip.
"Yes. I could use help." Ron smiled at her.
"What are you reading?" She looked over his shoulder at the title. "That's not really going to help you with your problem." She snorted.
"But it's interesting!" Ron grinned.
"Are you feeling alright?" She grinned back at him. "Did Ronald Weasley just say a book was interesting? And you're studying instead of eating?"
"I'm as surprised as you are, Hermione." He said as she started going through the books he had already pulled.
"Wow, Ron, some of these choices are really quite spot on. Exactly what I would've chosen to start with." Hermione pulled out Halloween and It's History from the stack and started flipping through it.
Ron grinned. "You picked them out, actually. I just remembered the titles."
The door to the library opened; Ron and Hermione leaned in their seats to see who was entering. Harry entered, his book bag slung over one shoulder. Hermione waved him over.
"Hey guys." Harry said. "Hungry?"
"Starved." Ron said, looking eagerly as Harry started pulling pies and tarts out of this book bag.
Harry held the food away from Ron. "Now are you going to tell me what's going on, or what? Why are you reading," Harry looked down at the title of the book on the top of the pile, "A Wizard's Guide to Time Travel?"
"Are you bribing me?" Ron said laughing, "Or torturing me?"
"I know your weaknesses." Harry said, knowingly.
"Oh yeah?" Ron held his wand up, "Wingardium leviosa!" And one of the pies began to levitate out of Harry's hand into Ron's.
***
Very late that night, they walked up to the Gryffindor common room, which was, thankfully, empty. Ron plopped into one of the overstuffed chairs in front of the fire.
"I'm going to bed, guys. See you in the morning." Harry looked pointedly at Ron. "This time, wake me up to find out what day it is, right mate?"
Ron blushed, and looked at Hermione. She was standing by the entrance to the girls dormitory.
"I don't want to go to sleep." Ron said. "I'm going to wake up and have to do this all over again."
She walked over, closer him, and sat on the arm of the chair across from him.
"Although," He grinned lopsidedly, "At least none of this business today will have happened. We won't be facing expulsion."
"There is that to look forward to." Hermione smiled briefly, then looked at her hands. "Ron. You really need to continue researching this thoroughly everyday. This is very serious. If this happens again tomorrow. You should speak to Dumbledore. I know Professor McGonagall said he was doing something for the Order, but perhaps you should try contacting Lupin. Talk to your mum if you have to. Someone!"
Ron stood and went to stand in front of her. He put his arms around her. "Shhh. Don't worry about it. I'm going to solve this. I promise you. And one of these days, you're going to wake up, and remember this." He pulled back and kissed her softly on the lips.
