It's Not Like You're In Love With Me!

Chapter 4: New Feelings

Author's Note: The story was starting to drift to all romance. This chapter will bring back a little of the mystery.

A cloud. Or was it a cloud? It was hard to tell. Grey mists covered the place. As a breeze came through they parted. It was a dark and wet tunnel. And it was moving—no—she was running. As she ran the place became a haze in her vision. Her lungs squeezed, yet she dared not stop. She knew they were following. A voice she could not recognize said, "This way!" She followed as it led her into a separate tunnel. Suddenly she bumped into a dark figure. She looked up, and it gave her an evil smile.

Hermione gasped as she woke up. She gasped because she recognized that figure. For a second, she knew who it was. Then the image faded in her mind. In one minute, the answer was gone. Who was it? She started going over the list of students in her mind, yet none of them matched.

It was late, and soon she fell tired again. She lay back down on her pillow and closed her eyes. No sooner had she done this when she heard the door of the bedroom being opened.

Ron walked past the bed and went to get another book on quidditch. As he silently picked a book off the shelf, he looked back at Hermione. She looked so angelic sleeping. Hermione, why would anyone want to kill you?

He crept back towards the door and placed his hand on the doorknob, then stopped. He turned back around and looked at her sleeping form. He noticed some of the blanket exposing her shoulder. He went back over to her and gently pulled the blanket up to her chin. Sleep well, Hermione. She stirred, and Ron quickly left the bedroom, shutting the door quietly.

Hermione opened her eyes. She had been awake for all of it. She was puzzled why Ron had fled when she moved, but she paid it no mind. She touched the blanket where he had pulled it up, and that gesture drew all her thoughts away from the dream.
"So what was that dream about again?" Ginny asked, later when she visited Hermione.

"I told you, a tunnel. I was running, and I bumped into somebody. I looked at them…and then I woke up."

"You should take this to Trelawney. She'll probably predict that you're going to die by drowning in Jell-O or something."

Hermione laughed. "Yeah, it was probably nothing. Just a dream."

"Well, keep an eye out anyway. Just look at what Harry said last time he had these sorts of dreams."

"So how's classes?" Hermione asked. "Anything unusual happening in the world of Hogwarts that I don't know about?"

"Seamus broke up with Lavender yesterday, and then today at breakfast they were caught snogging in a broom closet."

"Anything that's not gossip?"

"Not unless you want to hear about that Slytherin girl who was caught looking up curses in the Restricted Section of the library. Or…there is news about the dance."

Hermione perked up. "Really? What news?"

"Well," Ginny began, thinking hard in order not to leave out any details. "I think the weird sisters are going to be playing again, but that's not certain. I heard there's going to be a fountain full of butterbeer though, and there's going to be a TON of slow dances. Too bad."

"What's 'too bad'?" Hermione asked.

"Well, I was kind of hoping that I'd get asked by…someone."

Hermione gave her an accusing look. "Who's this 'someone'?"

"Well…Harry."

"You still like Harry?"

"I've always liked Harry!" Ginny said. "I was hoping he'd ask me, but I guess not."

Hermione did not want to mention that Harry had already asked Luna, and she had said yes. "Well, I'm sure someone else will ask you."

"No, I don't think so. Oh well, I'll just drown my sorrows in drooping water balloons off the top of the great hall."

"Too bad I can't go." Hermione said, mournfully.

"Well, I'm sure Ron will stay to keep you company. Speaking of which, how are things with you and Ron?"

Hermione shrugged. "As usual."

"Are you sure?" He keeps talking about you, now that you're up here. He's always saying stuff like, 'Do you think she'll want porridge or sausages for breakfast?' It's getting real annoying. He even asked me what sort of things you like."

"D-did he really?"

"Yeah, he's becoming quite protective of you. It's kind of cute, in a way." Ginny looked at the clock. "Oh, damn! I'm going to be late for potions!" She said the word as if it was torture, which it consequently was. "Bye, Hermione!" And Ginny left.

Hermione rolled her eyes and took her diary from her trunk. She opened it to a new page and began to write:

March 22, 1998

Well, Dumbledore's narrowed the suspects down to a student at this school. I wonder who it is. It better not be Malfoy. But I doubt it. It just seems way to obvious if it is. But I don't know of anyone else who would want to kill me. And I still don't know the reason why. What have I done?

Since there hasn't been any attack since the one on the 20th, I have enough time to think on it, I guess. I heard that the dance has been rescheduled. I wish I could go! It's tomorrow. and I can't because everyone else in the school thinks I'm safe at home. I've never been fond of dances, but it does sound like something to break the monotony around here.

Ginny told me something interesting. She said that for some reason, Ron had become all protective of me. Well, I could have noticed that from what he did last night. I suppose it's because of what his mother expects him to do. But I can't help but think of another reason. I mean, now that I'm spending much more time with him than I usually do, I am seeing a different side of him. He doesn't seem to be much of a git anymore. In fact, he seems quite nice. He's

At that moment, she heard Ron come through the portrait hole. Hermione quickly shoved her diary into her trunk. Making a mental note to finish her entry later, she met him in the sitting room.

"Hi." He said.

"Hi." Was the reply.

"So, how's everything?"

"Fine," She walked over to the balcony. "Except…"

"What?"

"I need some fresh air." She walked onto it. "And this isn't enough."

"Well, why don't you go outside at night?" Ron asked.

"I can't, there's no guarantee that no one will see me."

"Why don't you borrow Harry's invisibility cloak?"

"I'm not going to go ask Harry to borrow it for such trivial matters. I guess I'll just stay locked up for the time being."

"Well," Ron said, drawing back into the room. "There is one way to let you go to the outdoors."

"Really? What's that?" She asked, her eyes still on the lake.

Ron came back out, carrying his broomstick. "This."

Hermione backed away. "Oh, no! You're not getting me on that thing!"

"Come on, Hermione, it won't kill you!"

"Oh yes it will! I'll fall off!"

"No, you won't." He mounted his broom.

"Ron, you know I'm afraid of heights!"

"All the more reason to try it, once you get on, you'll like it!"

"No I woooooonnnnttt!" She screamed as Ron pulled her on the broom and took off.

Hermione screamed as they ascended, keeping her eyes shut. Though Ron had one hand steadying her, and one hand around the broom, she did not feel safe. "I'M GONNA FALL OFF! I'M GONNA FALL OFF!"

"Shut up!" Ron said, "Do you want everyone to hear?"

Hermione kept silent, but she was screaming inside. She did not look, but she could feel the broom zooming around the towers of Hogwarts. She gave a small scream every time Ron moved the broom downward, and she shivered in fright. I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die…

The broom moved higher, up to the height of the tallest tower. And then Ron stopped the broom. "Look." He said.

"No!" She screamed, her eyes still shut. "I'll fall!"

"I've got you. Now open your eyes." Now she noticed the strong arm around her waist.

Hermione did not want to, but the truth in Ron's voice made her slowly open them. Her fist instinct was to scream at being so high, but then she noticed the beauty of it. She could see all of the grounds, and she saw how far the Forbidden Forest really stretched. She could see Hagrid's hut and the lake, and if she turned she saw Hogsmeade. The wide expanse of the landscape made her gasp. "It's beautiful."

Ron's eyes remained on her. "I know."

He steered them to a flat roof of the castle, and there they dismounted. Hermione kept looking at the landscape. "I didn't realize it could be fun."

"So you're not afraid of heights anymore?"

She turned to face him. "Looks like it."

"Then maybe we should do this more often." Ron gave her a sort of half grin, but there was something in his eyes that made Hermione's insides squirm. In one look, Ron had frightened her…and exited her.

"Please don't look at me like that." She begged.

"Why not?" He asked, still looking at her in that way.

"It makes me feel uncomfortable." She replied, walking back toward the broom.

"Sorry, Hermione." The look left his face. She was thankful.

"Let's go back to the room." She suggested, and soon they were on their way back. Once they landed on the balcony, Hermione ran into the bedroom and she took out her diary.

She finished her entry:

He's acting all protective of me, and then he decides to act arrogant! What was that look anyway? I'm beginning to wonder if Ronald Weasley has discovered I'm a girl.

While many things at this time puzzled her, the thing that made her the most confused was the excitement in her stomach when Ron looked at her that way.

Author's Note: Stole the lines from AotC. Anyway, this chapter is a prelude to the next! YOU DO NOT WANT TO MISS CHAPTER 5!