Chapter 9: The Boy Who Flirted

The weekend passed in a haze of lounging around in Hermione and Blaise's common room. Blaise was hardly there, as he was either hanging out with Draco or in pursuit of the witch of the week, so usually the trio and Ginny were hardly disturbed when they hung out there.

Once again, Ron was feeling extremely awkward. Harry had pulled a reluctant Hermione onto his lap as he was doing his homework. It was uncomfortable to Ron, not only because she was sitting there, but also because it seemed forced. As if Harry all of a sudden had something to prove so he did it much to Hermione not wanting to.

Hermione has sensed that too, which is why she was hesitant. That and she wasn't dumb to Ron's looks. She didn't want to make him feel uncomfortable. Why would he want to see his best friends snog all day?

Another thing that was making her EXTREMELY uncomfortable was the fact that Harry was rubbing her leg. Sure they snogged and got somewhat touchy feely, but Hermione never let it go farther than that. For some reason, the thought of having sex with Harry felt wrong. She simply wasn't interested. And as much as Harry would tell her he would wait, she could tell that it annoyed him. However, she really didn't care.

"Harry love, stop that." said Hermione, pushing his hand off of her leg.

Harry looked at her, slightly frustrated. "I'm only rubbing your leg, Herm. It was relaxing me."

"Yeah, well it was irritating me and I would appreciate it if you wouldn't."

"You're irritating me" mumbled Harry, low, but not low enough because both Hermione and Ron heard him.

Hermione got off of Harry's lap so quick, he almost fell backwards in his chair. "Well you are irritating me as well, so since I'm so irritating just because I don't want your hands all over me, why don't you leave?!"

Harry stood up shocked. He looked over at Ron and Ginny who both looked speechless. He glared at Hermione, picked up his bag, and walked over to the door as it opened. Blaise and Draco walked past him and looked at Harry huff and puff out of the door.

"What's got his knickers in a twist, Hermione?" asked Blaise both curious and amused.

"He will be fine. Nothing that I care to share." said Hermione, sitting down in the chair, arms crossed.

Draco smirked and rolled his eyes. He then gave Ginny a wink as the two boys walked into Blaise's room.

Ginny blushed and try to put her focus back on her work. Luckily Ron didn't see what Draco had done, but Hermione did and she made a mental note to ask Ginny about it later.

"I'm just gonna go and see if Harry wants to do some drills since he is angry. An angry Harry is a productive Harry." she said as she gave Hermione and her brother small hugs and walked out the door.


Ron looked at Hermione and seen that she was still upset. He couldn't help but feel somewhat satisfied that she had rejected Harry. Yes, Harry was his best friend, but he had been acting like a git for a while now. He needed to be put in his place.

"Do you want me to leave as well?" asked Ron.

Hermione looked at him, her face softened. "No. I don't want to be completely alone."

"You got your other boyfriend Zabini in here. And his boyfriend Malfoy." joked Ron.

Hermione laughed. "Yeah well I don't think me and Blaise would work out if Malfoy is already dating him."

Ron smiled at Hermione's joke. She never really considered herself to be funny, but Ron always thought her slight humor was hilarious.

"Well it would make for some crazy nights." laughed Ron.

"Eww Ron, you're gross" giggled Hermione.

"You would try to kiss Zabini, but then you would have to watch out for Malfoy's clammy hands grabbing at him, trying to get his attention." said Ron holding out his hands like they were claws.

"You keep your Malfoy hands away from me, Ronald Weasley!" yelled Hermione jumping up out of the chair as Ron approached her as if he was a monster.

Ron tried to give his best Draco smirk. "Get your muggle hands off my pureblood, Granger!" he said doing a very good rendition of Draco's voice. Ron had a gift of mimicking voices extremely well.

"NOOOOO! I LOVE HIM!" yelled Hermione laughing as she ran away from Ron.

Ron chased her around the room until he finally caught her. He and Hermione wrestled to the ground where Ron tickled her with his "abnormally thin and creepy Malfoy fingers".

The two stopped and caught their breath as they laughed and laughed. Blaise and Draco walked back out the room and looked strangely at the pair on the floor as they walked out of the door, making Ron and Hermione laugh even harder.

Ron finally stopped laughing and got off the floor. He then held his hand out his hand and pulled Hermione off the floor.

He pulled her a bit too hard because the next thing Hermione knew, she was into Ron's strong, warm, big, muscular arms.

The two of them looked at each other in an awkward silence. Then Ron smiled.

"Now Mione, I'm not going to be the other man in you and Zabini's relationship."

Hermione laughed and pushed Ron away from her. "Ron you are infuriating."

"I do try my best." he said smiling as the two of them walked back over to the table where their homework laid.


"Are you okay? For real?" asked Ron.

Hermione gave Ron a forced smile. "I am. I mean I think so. I feel bad though."

"Why?"

"I just feel like sometimes I'm being a bad girlfriend."

"What? Why would you feel like that?"

"I think that sometimes I disappoint Harry because...well..." said Hermione hesitantly.

"Come on Mione. I'm your best mate. You can tell me anything." said Ron putting his hand on Hermione's shoulder.

"Well, Harry has brought up a few times that he wants to take our relationship to the next level." said Hermione looking down at the floor blushing.

'Oh hell no. Hell no! Please don't!' thought Ron to himself.

"Oh. Well, do you want to?" asked Ron. In his head he was begging and pleading to Merlin that she would say no.

"I mean I...that is to say...I don't know. It's not like I don't feel ready, I just feel like I really don't want to do those things with him. I don't feel like he is the one."

Ron was torn between feeling sorry that his best mate's girlfriend didn't want to have sex with him, and feeling absolutely elated that his best mate's girlfriend didn't want to have sex with him.

"Harry is an understanding bloke. He may show frustration, but I'm sure he understands that you don't want to do that right now, and accepts it. He just has a bit of a git way of showing it. So don't worry, okay?" Ron said reassuring her. Even though the words hurt like hell coming out of his mouth.

"I guess you're right. Thanks Ron. You always know how to make me feel better. You're such a good friend" said Hermione.

"I'm your best friend. That's what I'm supposed to be here for." he said. Even though that word "friend" cut him deep like a knife.