Chapter 10: A new guy?

Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Harry Potter.

A/N: I want to thank ObsessedRHShipper, for her wonderful work as my beta.

Hermione opened her eyes slowly in the morning and she immediately felt a painful headache. It had been too long since the last time she had experienced the after effects of a hangover.

She noticed that she was in her bed and that the door to her room was wide open. She went to the bathroom to find some painkillers and she looked at herself in the mirror. She was a mess. Her eyes were red, she was wet from sweat, and she smelled like someone had vomited on her.

"Thank God that I didn't fall asleep on the sofa, but next time I should remember to close the door of my room. Imagine if Ron saw me like that. I'm never going to drink again," she said to herself, rubbing her temples.

She took a quick shower to get rid of that smell and she made a mental note to take a real bath later that day. Walking to the kitchen to prepare some breakfast, she saw that Ron was sleeping on the sofa. That's odd, she thought.

She didn't want to wake him up, because he had told her how he always had trouble sleeping before a game. However, since he had a game today and she didn't know what time he was supposed to leave, she decide she had to wake him up.

Twenty minutes later, Ron came to the kitchen for breakfast. "Good morning, beautiful," he said kissing the top of her head.

Hermione felt better immediately. "Good morning to you, handsome," she said with a huge grin on her face. Because of the tension at yesterday's breakfast, she had missed this little interplay they normally shared every morning.

The day didn't start as awkwardly as yesterday, but for some reason nobody attempted to start a conversation. They both wanted to ask the other about last night, but neither knew how to ask the question. After almost ten minutes in silence, Hermione spoke.

"Why did you sleep on the sofa?" she asked him curiously.

Ron was debating whether he should tell her the truth or not, because he wouldn't want her to feel embarrassed about it. She must have felt awful for getting drunk, so I shouldn't mention the vomit incident, he thought. "I was watching a movie and I must have fallen asleep," he lied.

Hermione was dying to ask him about his date last night, but she didn't know if that was a good idea. She had a massive headache and if Ron told her that he had a great time with that girl, it would be too much for her to handle, but she had to know.

"So, how was your date?" she asked him trying to sound cool.

"It was good. We had a nice dinner, I took her home, and I came home," he answered. He didn't want to say more or leave any doubt about what he did with Lavender.

Hermione tried unsuccessfully to hide the look of satisfaction on her face that Ron hadn't slept with that girl. She had to bite her lip to hide her smile.

Ron was very nervous. He didn't want to talk about his date with Lavender anymore, because then he would start thinking again about how he couldn't do anything with Lavender, because all he could think about was Hermione.

But he wanted to ask her why she got drunk last night. He knew that something serious must have been going on. All he wanted was for her to tell him what it was, so he could help her.

"How about you?" she heard Ron asking her and she was confused.

"What about me?" she asked him.

"Hermione, when I came home last night, I found you collapsed on the sofa, totally pissed, with a bottle of whiskey next to you," he said and Hermione felt her cheeks going red with embarrassment.

She thought that she was sober enough to carry herself to her room, but apparently, she was a mess. God, he went out with a model, and then he came back and saw me like that? I'm so embarrassed, she thought.

Suddenly she realized that Ron must have carried her to her room. Her cheeks became redder. Then another realization hit her. Ron slept on the sofa, so he could be right next to her. That's why the door was open. He wanted to hear me. God, why must he be so sweet? How can I not fall in love with him, when he does things like that?

"Did you carry me to my room?" she asked whispering and Ron nodded.

"Did you sleep here, because of me? To make sure I was alright?" she asked again, but she already knew that answer.

"I wasn't going to sleep anyway," he said blushing and Hermione loved his shyness.

He always did sweet things like that for her and he never asked for anything in return. Hermione felt the urge to run into his arms, kiss him, and tell him how much she loved him, but she knew that she couldn't do it.

"Hermione, I know that you hate alcohol, so you must have had a good reason to drink. What is it?" he asked with an honest concern in his voice, looking straight into her eyes.

Hermione melted when she stared into his beautiful blue eyes. She knew that Ron's concern was real. He really did care about her and he deserved to know the truth, but how could she tell him that he was the reason for her misery?

She decided to reveal as much of the truth as she could. "It's a guy," she said and she noticed that Ron's face went from concerned to angry.

Ron didn't see that coming. A guy? I didn't know that Hermione was having feelings for some guy. She hadn't told me anything. Who is that guy? What pumpkin-headed git is trying to steal her from me?

Wait a minute. Steal? She's not mine to steal. She's not my girlfriend. She's just my best friend. She's just my beautiful best friend, with the sexiest freckled back in the world, the kindest brown eyes, the softest skin, and... What the hell is going on! Why am I having these thoughts?

He slowly took a few deep breaths trying to remove the confusion and anger that was growing inside him.

"Why you never mentioned him before? I thought we didn't keep secrets from each other, Hermione," he said in an angrier tone that he intended.

"We don't. That's why I'm telling you," she answered.

"Who is he?" he demanded to know, but all Hermione did was to keep staring at him.

Ron realized that she wasn't willing to tell him who this guy was, but to him it didn't make any difference even if he knew.

"Is he worth it? To drink that much for him, I mean," he asked Hermione, never taking his eyes off hers.

Hermione wondered how long her eyes were locked with his. She just couldn't order them to look anywhere else. "I think he is," she said softly.

Ron felt his stomach tighten. He didn't like her answer, but he realized that he was her best friend and he had to be supportive. If that bloke is the one who can make her happy, so be it. "Well, what's the deal with him?" he asked her.

Hermione kept staring at him. "I think I'm in love with him, but I'm afraid he doesn't feel the same way about me," she answered sadly, not taking her eyes off him.

Ron wanted to throw up. She was in love with this guy. He was hoping it might just be a physical attraction, but love? When did this happen? When did she have the time to fall in love with some unknown bloke?

He clenched his fists under the table and turned his gaze to the floor, trying to hide his emotions. He was mad at her, at the bloke who made her sad, but most of all at himself, because deep down he was happy that this guy turned her down. He couldn't live without her and slowly but surely, he started to understand why.

He looked at her and he saw that she was still looking at him, waiting for something. He thought she wanted comfort. "If he can't appreciate what a wonderful person you are and how bloody lucky he is that you love him, then he's an idiot and you shouldn't bother yourself with him anymore," he said walking to her and giving her a tight hug.

"I'll try," she whispered, burying her face in his chest.

It was a difficult win for Millwall, but a win nonetheless. Ron invited Harry and Ginny to join him and Hermione for dinner. He had promised Hermione that it would be just the two of them, but right now that didn't seem like a very good idea to Ron.

After breakfast and Hermione's revelation about the guy she was in love with, he was angry with her and that negatively affected his performance during the game.

Snape had called him after the match and warned him that this was the last time he would accept such a poor performance from him. He didn't want to, but deep down he blamed Hermione for that.

So now, Harry and Ron were in the living room talking about the game, and Ginny and Hermione were in the kitchen putting the take-away Indian food on plates.

"Hermione, we need to talk about you-know-what."

"No, we don't Ginny. I told you; I don't fancy Ron," she lied.

"Actually that wasn't what I wanted to talk about, but now that you mention it, I think we should talk about that too."

"No, we don't. There is nothing between Ron and me, alright?" Hermione snapped.

"Hermione, I know we are not as close as you and Ron are, but I believe we are friends too, right?"

"Of course, we are, Ginny," she answered.

"Then why don't you trust me? I'm not blind, Hermione. Today in the stands, you had your eyes glued to him the entire time. Even when the ball was on the other side of the field, you were still staring at Ron. Can you tell me why you did that if you don't fancy him?"

"I didn't stare at him all the time. Besides, you know that I'm not a football fan, so why watch the other players when the only reason I go to the game is to support Ron?" Hermione said, but she knew it was a lame excuse.

"Hermione, why do you-", Ginny didn't finish the question, because Hermione interrupted her.

"Drop it, Ginny! I have too much on my mind to bother with your delusions," she snapped.

"Alright, Hermione, I'll drop it …for now. But if you ever change your mind and you want a friend to talk to, I'll be there."

"Thank you, Ginny," she said, feeling relieved that Ginny stopped pestering her about Ron.

"Now, what I really wanted to talk to you about was what you and Ron are going to do about Weasley Week."

"I'll talk with Ron later about that. I promise we'll figure something out. Now let's just eat, alright?" she asked her smiling and Ginny nodded.

In the living room, Ron and Harry were having a conversation about the big derby between Manchester Utd-Arsenal, but Harry seemed more interested to Ron's date with Lavender.

"Hey, Ron, you forgot to tell me. What happened with your date last night? Did you have too much fun and that's why you weren't focused on the game today?"

"What are you talking about, Harry? We won, didn't we?" Ron snapped, but he knew Harry was right. He wasn't concentrating enough on his game, so he made some mistakes. Luckily, they didn't cost his team the win.

"Yes, but you seemed a little nervous during the game. You could have easily saved that goal!"

"My performance was good. End of story," Ron said, giving Harry a look that clearly said 'I don't want to talk about it' and trying to change the subject.

"It's interesting how you avoided talking about the date last night."

"What do you want to know, Harry? We had a nice dinner and then I took her home," Ron answered truthfully.

"So, you didn't… you know,"

"Okay, why is everybody asking me if I slept with Lavender? Is my sex life such an interesting topic of conversation?" he said angrily.

"Who else asked you?"

"Hermione last night, Seamus and Neville before the game, and now you," Ron said.

"Ron, I really don't want to talk about your sex life, but let's be honest. I know that it has been a long time since the last time you had sex, and from what you and the guys told me, that Lavender girl must be bloody gorgeous. Why didn't you shag her? I just don't get it."

Ron looked at Harry for a moment and then he changed the subject by asking Harry about little James.

Flashback

Ron was outside Lavender's door saying good night.

"I had a really nice time, Ron," Lavender said with a smile.

"No, you didn't. I'm sorry, Lavender, if I was a lousy date," Ron said apologetically.

"Ron, I'm telling you the truth. Yes, you were kinda off, but there were times tonight where you showed me what a great guy you are."

"Thanks," he said and he felt his ears getting red.

"Do you want to come upstairs for a drink?"

Ron couldn't believe what he was going to say, but he knew it was the right thing to do. "I would love that, Lavender, but I'm afraid I have to say no," he said, cursing himself mentally for turning down a wild night with a hot woman like Lavender.

Lavender's face fell. "Oh, I see."

"No, it's not that I don't want to. I just need to sort out the mess in my mind that is keeping me from enjoying my time with you," he said truthfully.

That seemed to work, because Lavender got her confidence back. "Ron, relax about this game. You said yourself that you love being a goalkeeper. Just enjoy it and leave the bad thoughts behind," she said and Ron nodded like an idiot.

She walked over to him and gave him a soft kiss on the lips. "Call me, Ron," she said, before entering her house.

End flashback

The dinner was the first time that day that Ron seemed to relax a bit around Hermione. Indian food always had this affect on him.

He and Harry preferred the Tandoori chicken, while the girls like the Butter chicken that wasn't too spicy. There were also samosas, unni appams, and naan on the table and Ron was having the time of his life. Lucky for him, nobody brought up the topic of his game again.

Soon after dinner was over, Harry and Ginny returned to their home. Ron went to wash the dishes while Hermione took a bath.

Ron always washed the dishes. It was his deal with Hermione. She cooked and he cleaned. Surprisingly, it was something that Ron loved to do. Maybe it was because it kept his hands busy, but it also certainly helped him relax and think more clearly.

He was trying to understand what was happening to him lately. First, he masturbated thinking about Hermione. Then he had a date with Lavender and all he could think about was Hermione. Now, he was mad at her and jealous of a guy that he hadn't even met.

Wait a minute! I'm not jealous! I'm just hurt that she kept it a secret from me. I'm her best friend and she was supposed to tell me this stuff. Yeah, that's why I'm angry with her, he thought not able to convince himself.

No matter what was going on with him, he had to find a solution. His relationship with Hermione was in an awkward stage and he was unable to understand how it got there. Now his job was suffering the consequences.

He didn't know how, but he knew that he needed to make some serious decisions and fast.

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