Disclaimer- You know, I am not even going to say it. And after the shibbys in the last chapter, I have something new to say: Ni! Ni! Ni! Ni! Ni! Ni! I am the Knight… that says Ni!
Early A/N- I know I put these at the end of the chapter, but I just wanted to let you guys know this- I wasn't planning on posting this for a couple of days, but I felt generous, so here it is. Aw, heck, I just want more reviews! I have over sixty! SIXTY! Go me (nothing like a little shameless self promotion!)
Hermione's Hero
Chapter 10: Ron's Got A Girlfriend! Ron's Got A Girlfriend!
George happily walked through the corridors, heading for the Gryffindor Tower, where he was meeting with Fred and Lee. The pictures he had taken had come out great, and he was glad that he had such a wonderful blackmail tool.
He quickly reached his dorm, where Fred and Lee were sitting on their beds, talking about what George could need to see them about in private. "Glad you're both here," George said brightly as settled down on his own bed, reaching inside his robes.
"What's up, George?" Fred asked, raising himself from his prone position onto his elbows.
"Well, I have a little proposition for you guys," he said, grinning from ear to ear.
"What is it? A new prank?" Lee asked.
"Actually, it goes more along the lines of blackmail," George told them, examining his fingernails.
"What?" Fred asked, confused.
"Well, you remember the other day, when you guys were making fun of me and Hermione again?"
"Yeah," Lee said warily.
"Well, you remember what it looked like? That you guys were about to kiss?"
Fred and Lee looked at each other, horrified. "Yeah," Fred said, swallowing very audibly.
"Well, wouldn't that look pretty funny in a picture?" With that, George tossed a picture to each of them. Fred and Lee, once they had seen the image the photo contained, commenced to rip the pictures to shreds.
"Oh, come now, you think those are all I have? Hardly!"
"What do you want?" Lee asked solemnly.
"I want you guys to stop teasing me about Hermione. If you don't, a copy of that will be handed to every person in the school," George informed them. "Do we have a deal?"
Fred and Lee looked at each other fearfully for a second, and said, "Deal."
******
When classes were over on Friday, Ron was particularly nervous. His date with Alexandra was coming up, and he was looking forward to it very much. Ginny had been right, though. It was about time he started dating. Every single one of his brothers (aside from Percy, but Percy was weird!) had started dating before he had. Bill had gone on his first date in his third year, for Merlin's sake! Even Ginny had a boyfriend now, in her fourth year, although the idea still didn't thrill Ron, whether it was Harry or not.
Ron quickly put on a pair of trousers and a dark blue sweater. Hermione and Ginny had spent quite a while in the fifth year boys' dorm picking out his clothes, as they decided he needed help. He couldn't help but agree with them. Ginny, Harry, and Hermione had also set up the picnic outside by the lake.
Harry walked in the room, grinning at Ron as he surveyed his appearance in the mirror on the back of the door of his wardrobe. Ron tried to smooth his hair down, to no avail. "Ugh," he said quietly, tugging on his red locks.
"Are you okay?" Harry asked, an eyebrow raised.
"My hair is just so… blah!" Ron informed him, not choosing to elaborate on his statement.
Harry thought for a moment, and suddenly stood up from his prone position on his bed. "Hold on a sec," he said, holding up a finger. Ron nodded and went back to working with his hair.
Harry returned a few moments later with Ginny. "What's up?" she asked.
"Ron doesn't like his hair," Harry informed her. Ginny walked up to her brother and told him to turn around so she could determine what needed to be done.
"Okay," she said a moment later. "Harry, get me some hair gel and a towel, please." Harry quickly walked into the bathroom, returning with a clear tube and a towel a few moments later. "Sit down," Ginny told Ron, motioning to his bed.
He did as he was told, shooting a nervous glance at Harry as Ginny placed the soft towel over his shoulders. Harry simply shrugged, sitting on his own bed to watch his girlfriend at work.
"Alright, if you don't like what I do, I can fix it with a simple cleansing spell," Ginny said, squeezing a clear, gooey liquid out of the tube and rubbing it in between her hands. She set to work quickly, and Ron was a little worried. He never bothered with hair goo, and he really didn't see it working for him.
"Done!" Ginny told him a few minutes later, taking the towel from Ron's neck and wiping her hands free of the sticky substance. Ron quickly stood up from his bed and stared at the mirror in awe.
His normally 'blah' hair was spiked up slightly, making him look much more handsome than he usually did. His light blue eyes stood out more so than normal, and he couldn't believe the results.
"Wow," he said simply, raising a hand to touch his crimson hair.
"It's amazing what a little hair gel can do, isn't it?" Ginny asked, giving him a peck on the cheek. "Now, hurry up, or you'll be late."
"Good luck, mate," Harry said, grinning, "Everything's set up for you." Ron quickly started down the stairs, but thought better of leaving Harry and Ginny alone in the dorm room. He marched back, finding them in the middle of a kiss.
"Alright, we're having none of that," he said, glaring at them. Harry and Ginny laughed, remembering Hermione's comment from Wednesday night, and Ron's reaction to said comment.
"Okay, we're coming," Ginny said, taking Harry's hand. The three of them went to the common room, where Ron's breath caught in his throat. Alexandra was absolutely gorgeous. Her long, blonde hair was swept back with a clip, with a few strands hanging around her face to frame it. She was only wearing a bit of makeup, with her full lips painted a rosy pink. She was wearing a pale green blouse with a scooped neckline, a knee length black skirt, and a pair of platform sandals.
"Hi," she said, nervously smoothing her skirt.
"Hi," Ron replied. "You, um, you look really pretty," he told her.
"You look pretty good yourself," Alexandra told him with a cute smile.
"Um, are you ready to go?" Ron asked, swallowing.
"Oh, yeah," she said, smiling. On an impulse, Ron offered her his arm, and she took it, much to his surprise. He shot a last look back to Harry and Ginny for support, and they both smiled at him.
They walked silently through the halls and across the grounds, finally stopping in front of the picnic basket that had been set up. Harry, Hermione, and Ginny had lit the area with a few sparse candles that were unlit, seeing as it was not yet dark, and set a basket that they had obviously filled with food from the kitchens. The setting sun reflected on the water of the lake, and it was a very romantic setup.
"Oh, wow, this is terrific, Ron," Alexandra said as she sat down on the blanket.
"Well, I had a bit of help," Ron admitted, blushing slightly. He neglected to tell Alexandra that he had had nothing to do with it. They pulled out the dishes that had been set in the basket, along with several bottles of butterbeer.
As they ate, they talked, and realized that they got along quite well. "Okay, so which is your favorite Quidditch team?" Ron asked.
"Well," Alexandra said, "My favorite North American team is the Sweetwater All Stars, but in Europe, I like the Chudley Cannons."
Ron choked on his butterbeer. "You like the Cannons?"
"I love them," Alexandra said, "I mean, I know they haven't won the Cup in a really, really, really long time, but I still think they're great."
"The Chudley Cannons are my favorite team ever!" Ron told her enthusiastically.
"Really?" she asked.
"Yeah!" he replied, grinning. "My room at home is done in all orange."
"Did you see their last match?" Alexandra asked happily. "I mean, they went down by two hundred points, but that Porskoff Ploy was awesome!"
"Wasn't it?" Ron replied, amazed that he had found someone who was seemingly as big of a Cannons fan as he was.
They talked, mostly about Quidditch, until around 10:00, when they decided that they had better get back so they wouldn't be late for curfew. When they got back into the Gryffindor common room, Ron walked Alexandra to the girls' staircase, where they said goodnight.
"I had a really good time tonight, Ron," Alexandra said, smiling.
"Me too," Ron said, "Maybe you'd like to go out again next weekend?"
"I'd love to," she replied. In a move that not only shocked Ron, but also Alexandra herself, she leaned down and gently pressed her lips to his. "Night, Ron," she said as she started walking up the stairs.
Ron, looking very dazed and happy at the same time, collapsed into an armchair by the fire and pressed his fingers to his lips. Sure, he had kissed girls before, but that was different. He couldn't even put into words what he was feeling.
Seeing as he had been so wrapped up in his inner monologue, Ron hadn't noticed the presence of Harry, Hermione, Ginny, Fred, or George. They had all waited up for him.
"Look at that!" Fred crooned jovially. "Our ickle Ronniekins is growing up!" He wiped at his eyes sarcastically.
"It's such a special moment in his life!" George added, both he and Fred breaking down into fake tears. Ron was growing redder by the second.
"Just shut it, will you?" he asked, sinking down into his chair.
"Yeah, come on, that's not right to do that to Ron," Hermione said, not laughing at all.
"Hermione's right," Harry said soberly. "There is really only one thing to do right now."
Fred and George had stopped with their fake hysterics, and every one of them looked back and forth from one to another. On an unspoken count, all five teenagers broke into a chorus of, "Ron's got a girlfriend! Ron's got a girlfriend!"
Ron buried his face in his hands and moaned exasperatedly as they continued the loud strain of what was now their favorite song. A few moments later they stopped singing, instead opting to laugh about it.
"It's not funny," Ron said, his shoulders shaking with silent laughter. Even he had gotten a kick out of it.
When things had calmed down a bit, Hermione asked, "So how did it go?"
"Incredible," Ron said, grinning once again. "Alexandra is really smart, and nice, and guess who her favorite Quidditch team is? The Chudley Cannons! I mean, we just talked and talked, and we got along really well, and we're gonna go out again this weekend! Isn't that fantastic?" Ron said all of that really fast.
Ginny, who was sitting closest to Ron, rubbed her ear and said, "Yeah, that's great, Ron."
"Fab," said Fred, who was sitting on Ron's other side.
"Alright," Ron said, "I'm gonna go to bed. Night, all." With that he happily zipped up the stairs, quickly brushing his teeth and changing into his pajamas before he hopped into bed. Things were really looking up for Ron.
******
A few weeks later, Hermione hummed an unidentifiable song as she did her homework. She was really happy for Ron. He had been going out with Alexandra several times a week, and they had become an official couple the past Wednesday.
She was also glad Harry and Ginny's relationship was going well. They had their little squabbles every now and then, but they were, in actuality, perfect for each other.
But out of all the relationships around her, the one she was in was the best of all. She and George were immensely happy together, and very comfortable. Their plan to adjust all of their friends to them had worked like a charm, as they could now kiss, hold hands, or just act like a normal couple in front of them without anyone saying anything.
The feelings Hermione had for George had been growing over the past few weeks, and she hadn't been able to determine what they were for a while. When she had figured it out, she had been sitting in the common room, talking with Parvati, Lavender, Ginny, and Alexandra, but not paying any attention to what was being said. She had just been watching George as the Quidditch team had held a meeting, observing everything about him.
She overheard a few words of the conversation around her, and understood. "And so then Adrian takes her in his arms and looks really deep into her eyes and says, 'I love you.' It was so sweet!" said Parvati. Hermione knew from that moment that she was falling in love with George Weasley. She hadn't ever felt that way about anyone before, and it was still amazing to know.
"Hey, Mione," said Harry, sitting in the chair next to hers, interrupting her from her reverie.
"Hi," Hermione said, smiling at him. "What's up?"
"Oh, not a lot," he said, leaning back in his chair. "Whatcha working on?"
"Just that Potions essay Snape assigned," she told him, closing her book and rubbing her eyes.
"Alright," Harry said, "Tell me what you think about Ron and Alexandra."
"I am so happy for Ron," Hermione said, "I mean, I know he's been lonely and has felt left out without a girlfriend, and he's crazy about her."
"Yeah, it's great, isn't it? All three of us in happy relationships," he added with a smile.
"Speaking of happy relationships, how's it going with you and Ginny?"
"We're doing great," Harry said, "I mean, I love just spending time with her and hanging out."
"Yeah," Hermione said dreamily, staring off into the fire with a glazed look over her happy face.
"What about you and George?" Harry asked. "You two are pretty cozy."
"I know," she told him, "George is such a wonderful boyfriend. We can just talk for hours about absolutely nothing, and have the time of our lives sitting around the fire and not doing anything." She bit her lip for a moment and contemplated something, leaning in closer to Harry and lowering her voice. "Can I tell you something, Harry?"
"Sure, Mione, what is it?"
"Can I trust you to not tell a single soul about this? Not even Ginny?" she asked nervously.
"Yeah," he said, looking around to make sure nobody was listening in. "What is it?"
Noticing the serious look on his face, Hermione smiled and said, "It's not anything bad, I just don't want anyone knowing about it."
Harry let out a sigh of relief. "Good. I thought maybe you were in trouble or something. What is it?"
"Okay," Hermione said quietly, clearing her throat. "I, um, I'm falling in love with George."
"Really?" Harry asked excitedly. "That's great! I am so happy for you!" He gave her a big hug, grinning broadly. When she pulled back, a few tears had fallen from her eyes, but she was nearly laughing in joy.
"I have been wanting to tell someone so badly!" she said, leaning back in her chair and biting her lip.
"That is so wonderful, Mione," he said, getting caught up in her infectious happiness. "So you haven't told George yet, then?"
"Nope," she said, shaking her head. "I don't want to freak him out or anything. I mean, we've only been dating for a couple of months now."
"Yeah, I guess you're right," Harry said as he nodded his head.
"Oh!" Hermione said suddenly, checking her watch, "Speaking of George, I've got to go meet him! Bye Harry!"
"See you, Mione," he replied to the retreating form of Hermione. She quickly ducked out of the portrait hole, heading down towards the third-floor corridor, where George hod asked her to meet him. She looked around for a moment, not seeing George anywhere, until she felt a strong arm slip around her waist from behind. She quickly spun around to come face to face with the expected George.
"You nearly gave me a heart attack!" Hermione said, breathing a sigh of relief.
"Sorry," George said, grinning at her. "I guess I'll just have to make it up to you." Hermione was just about to ask how, when George found her lips with his own. Hermione kissed him back passionately, threading her fingers through his hair.
George pulled back after a moment or twenty and kissed a line along her jaw. He nipped at her earlobe gently before kissing her neck, licking against her pulse point.
"George…?" Hermione asked breathlessly, remembering where they were.
"Mmm?" he mumbled against her neck, the vibrations sending shivers through her whole body.
"Did you have a specific reason for wanting to meet here, or did you just want to make ou-" She was cut off as George kissed her lips again.
"There's a reason," he said, taking her hands. "Do you want to go to Hogsmeade with me?"
Hermione stared at him incredulously for a moment. "George, it's Sunday. We can't go to Hogsmeade! We'll get in trouble!"
"Oh, no we won't. I promise, if we get caught, I'll take the blame. Say that I forced you."
"Well that's no good, either. Then you'll be too busy with detention to spend any time with me," she told him jokingly.
"Come on," George said, giving her his puppy-dog eyes. "Pwease?"
"George…," Hermione said, her resolve wavering a bit.
"Pwease Hermie?" he asked, sniffling.
"Fine," she said exasperatedly, rolling her eyes, "But don't ever call me 'Hermie' again."
"Deal," George replied, grinning as he wrapped an arm around Hermione's waist. He led her a bit down the hall, to a statue of one-eyed, hump-backed witch. He pulled out his wand and tapped the hump, saying, "Dissendium!"
With that, the hump opened up, and George began to lower himself through. "Just wait till I call up to you, okay?" And with that, he dropped out of sight.
A moment later, Hermione heard him call to her. She quickly looked around to be sure nobody could see her, and once satisfied that nobody could, she also dropped herself into the hump. She slid down what felt like some sort of slide, only to fall into George's outstretched arms a few moments later. It was very dark, and she couldn't see more than a few feet away from her.
Quickly pulling out her wand, Hermione said a low, "Lumos," to illuminate the area. It turned out to be some sort of a tunnel. After a few moments, George still hadn't put her down. He was just staring intently into her eyes, a strange expression on his face.
"George?" she asked weakly a few moments later.
"Yeah?" he replied, not looking away from her.
"Are you going to put me down?" George blinked suddenly, realizing exactly what he was doing.
"Oh, uh, yeah, sorry bout that," he said, setting her down on her feet. "Uh, come on," he told her, taking her hand and beginning to walk.
As they went down the earthy tunnel, Hermione was busy trying to decipher the look that had been on George's face. It was one she had never seen before, from him or anyone. She had absolutely no idea what it had meant.
Hermione had hardly noticed that any time had passed as she had been so deeply involved in her thoughts. She didn't notice anything different about the pathway, either, until she tripped on a stair.
"Ow," she said, rubbing her forehead.
"Are you okay, Mione?" George asked concernedly, helping her up.
"I'm fine," Hermione said, "I just bruised my ego a little bit."
"Poor baby," George said, gently kissing her forehead where she had been rubbing it.
"Are we almost there?"
"Just up these stairs," he told her, taking her hand again. They walked quickly up the stone staircase, George putting his hand out in front of them after about 200 stairs. Suddenly, the sound of George's hand hitting wood could be heard. "We're here." George opened a trap door above them and peered out. There was nobody there, so he opened it all the way.
"Welcome, my dear, to Honeydukes' cellar." Together they walked up another set of stairs, sneaking out of a door into the shop. Luckily, there were several people keeping the shopkeeper busy, so they weren't noticed.
They poked around in the shop, eventually buying plenty of Ice Mice, Pepper Imps, Toothflossing Stringmints (Hermione's parents absolutely adored them), Fizzing Whizbees, and Jelly Slugs.
Once done at Honeydukes, they headed down to Zonko's, where George drooled over the gags and jokes. Although Hermione didn't buy anything, George stocked up on Dungbombs and Filibuster Fireworks, which he claimed he was running out of. Hermione figured otherwise, but didn't say anything.
It was starting to get late, so Hermione suggested that they head over to the Three Broomsticks for a butterbeer. "Good idea," George said as they began to walk towards the pub. They sat down at a table and gave their orders to a waitress, talking about random topics, starting one of their long, rambling conversations that Hermione loved so much.
They finished their butterbeers after about twenty minutes, deciding that they should head back before Honeydukes closed and they had to sneak back through the main gates, where they were more than likely to be caught by a teacher.
As they were walking down the tunnel, Hermione said, "Thank you very much for convincing me to go to Hogsmeade, George."
"No problem," he said, grinning. "Did you have fun?"
"I sure did," she told him. "We should do that again sometime."
"Wow, I must be a really bad influence on you," George said. "I mean, here you are, talking about breaking school rules, going back into Hogsmeade…"
"Ah," she said simply, waving him off.
"You know, I think I like you like this," he told her jokingly, kissing the back of her hand.
"Yeah, you know, the whole 'bad-girl' image," Hermione said sarcastically.
"You know that's not what I mean. You've just become more laid back, less tense," George said.
"I know," she said, "And I don't think you were a bad influence. I think you were a terrific influence."
******
(A/N- well that was sweet! I think Hogsmeade was written weirdly, and I'm sorry bout that. I know, not many snogs, either. But it was pretty long! If you can't tell, I bought Quidditch Through the Ages recently, and I did NOT make up the Sweetwater All Stars. They are supposedly from Texas (YAY!!!), and when it was written had just broken through to the International league.
Yes, I had been planning for Hermione to be falling in love with George, well, at least as soon as I figured out that he was falling for her. And I thought the whole 'Ron's got a girlfriend' thing was pretty funny! As you can see, I named the chapter after it (okay, that was because I couldn't think of anything better to use. I couldn't think of anything else at all, for that matter.).
If you are reading the Disclaimers, which I think have been pretty funny, that came from Monty Python and the Holy Grail, one of the greatest movies of all time (well, Monty Python movies, anyway!)
Well, anyway, thanks to my reviewers:
Angelgirl89uk- woo hoo! Thanks, I enjoyed writing every minute
Practical Princess- yeah, I'm all about the romance * grin *
DevilFireEyes- I know what you mean about the withdrawls (* ack, gasp *). So it wasn't really Ron tormenting, but he got teased real good! I don't think I'm gonna kill him off, though…
Veronica*James- I think I saw The Great Outdoors a long time ago, but I don't remember (I'm off to the video store!). I agree, humor is great!
angelsmelody13- oh yeah, power to the home-schooled! Thank you very much!
Maddy- did you like the revenge?
Michelle- sorry, I don't have a dance planned (dancing, but no dance!) Sorry…
Aphrodite- alright! Thank you! I love Hr/R, too, but I just have to ride on the SS Dungbombs and SPEW!
Camisole- I know what you mean about the lack of internet. The last time I went on vacation, I almost took my computer with me (and seeing as it's not a laptop, that would have been pretty difficult!) I thought Ron could use a girl, too, and there she is! And believe me, she IS NOT a Mary-Sue type! I am NOTHING like that!
Freak like me- aww, thanks!
Next time you hear from me (hopefully pretty soon), you will see: George gets a letter, lots of fluffy snogs, and Ginny gets a hickey!)