A/N: OH MY GOSH I AM SO SORRY!!!!!!!! (freaks out) I am so sorry that I haven't updated in forever- thank you to everyone who still stuck with me, reviewed, and told me to get my act together and update. I promise, my excuse was very good.

On that subject, I will be leaving the country (meaning the U.S.) for two weeks in a few days. I will be unable to update, but I will be working on the next chapter while I am overseas.

Thanks so much for nearly three hundred reviews!

Now, onward to the next chapter!

Impossibly Insufferable

Chapter Fourteen

Week Two, Day Six

Harry and Ginny woke up at around the same time on Day Six of the Bet. Ginny glanced at Harry and yawned, "Think they're up?" She gestured at the sheets hung up next to them.

Harry shook his head and answered, "I don't know, and I don't plan on checking."

Ginny winced. "I'm not going to think about what I might see if I did."

Harry laughed and glanced at the clock. "Ugh, it's ten already." He sighed and stood, setting up the camera in the kitchen as Ginny followed him.

A few minutes later, Angelina pushed the curtains to the side and ended the charms George had placed around the bed. Stretching, she sauntered over to the table and slumped into one of the chairs. "Morning," she yawned. Harry smiled suggestively.

"Long night, Ange?" he asked. Angelina glared.

"Shut up, Potter," she groaned. Ginny laughed as George dragged himself into the room.

"The love birds up yet?" he asked, yawned widely. Ginny shook her head.

"Not yet." She glanced around. "What are we doing to them today?"

Harry bit his lip. "Well, I was thinking we just leave them alone to let them deal with the aftermath of Hermione hearing Ron's confession."

Angelina shrugged. "I'm fine with it, I guess. Even though we don't have any proof that she actually heard."

George sighed and put his head in his hands. "It pains me to do nothing… I may have to meddle."

Harry blinked. George meddling in an already delicate situation would not be a good thing at all.

But before he could say anything, Ginny interrupted with a, "Look, they're up!"

))((

Hermione

I woke up late.

Well, I sort of woke up late. I'd been up on and off all night, thinking of Ron.

More specifically I had been thinking of yesterday, when Ron had asked me, "Were you listening to us?"

Oh, yes. I had been listening. And I now I had absolutely no idea what to do.

Sighing, I flipped onto my back and moaned, covering my face with my hands. "What do I do?" I whispered to myself.

"What do you do what?"

I squeaked as Ron pushed open my door fully and leaned against the door frame. I sat up and regarded him suspiciously. "Were you listening at my door, Ronald?"

Ron grinned. "Now Hermione," he said innocently, "why would you accuse me of a thing like that? I was just walking by your room and heard you talking to yourself."

I rolled my eyes and swung my legs around, hauling myself to my feet. "I was just wondering if I should get up and eat breakfast or not," I lied, pulling a sweatshirt on over my tee-shirt. Ron shrugged.

"I'll make you something, if you'd like," he said, heading out of my room. I followed him down to the kitchen, sitting down at the as he bustled around making muffins.

I regarded the back of Ron's head. His hair was that bright red-orange that he and his siblings shared in varying degrees, and it was sticking up in the back like Harry's. He was wearing this year's most recent Weasley sweater, which was, much to his disappointment, maroon again.

It made me remember one time a few years ago, when we had been going out. Ron had complained about his sweater making him look ridiculous, and I had said, "Oh Ron, don't be silly. I love those sweaters."

Ron had looked at me searchingly. "I can have my mother make you one, if you'd like," he had said. I had laughed and shaken my head, saying I wasn't a Weasley and didn't need a Weasley sweater.

Now, I noticed a tiny hole in over Ron's left shoulder blade as he poured the batter into the muffin tin and stuck it in the oven. He came and sat next to me, yawning.

"So, how are you this morning, Ms. Granger?" Ron asked. I smiled.

"Fine, thank you, Mr. Weasley," I answered, standing and pulling two glasses out from the cabinet. "How was your assignment from last night?"

"Long," Ron groaned. "Longest yet, actually."

"You finished it, right?" I asked, pouring milk. Ron made an affronted noise.

"Of course I finished! I want to be an Auror, you know. Not finishing my assignments is hardly the way to get there!"

I laughed and sat down again, passing him his glass. "I know, I know. But not doing your homework was hardly the way to graduate from Hogwarts, and I didn't see you doing that too often."

Ron snorted. "Psh, homework." He waved a hand dismissively. "One of life's more useless inventions."

I rolled my eyes. "Homework isn't useless."

"Of course it's not," Ron said in a placating manner. The oven beeped and Ron stood, pulling on oven mitts. "I am fully aware that homework isn't useless. It's pointless, that's all."

I shook my head as Ron set the muffin tin on a cooling rack. "You're incorrigible, did you know that?" I sighed. Ron smiled.

"Yes, I did," he answered, sitting back down. "You've told me before, in fact."

I shook my head and asked, "Are the muffins cool yet?"

Ron nodded. "Probably," he answered, standing. Ron popped the muffins out of the tin and put one on a plate for each of us.

"Thanks," I said, taking a bite. We ate in silence.

After a bit, Ron said conversationally, "So, the bet ends tomorrow."

I nodded. "They'll be coming back to the house soon… I wonder if they'll come tomorrow or the next morning?"

Ron shrugged. "I don't know. All I know is that they'd better be ready to take Trelawney out to dinner."

I laughed. "They'll have a good time with that."

"I almost feel bad for her," Ron said, wiping his mouth. "I mean, dinner with Ginny and Harry?"

"Oh, and George, of course," I added. Ron grinned.

"Poor Trelawney. That's more punishment for her than for them," he remarked, standing and getting another muffin. "Want another one?"

"Sure."

As we ate our next muffins, we fell into a companionable silence, but to me, the silence was filled with unsaid things.

All I could think of was Ron, and my thoughts were very confusing. How could they change from I was too good for him and he was too stupid for me, to I don't deserve someone like Ron and he could never love me back? We hadn't worked out, and, in the past, I had accepted that without question.

But what about now?

"-mione? Hermione?"

I jumped. "Oh, sorry!" I gasped. "I was sort of lost in my thoughts."

Ron grinned. "I could tell. I was asking if you wanted to do something."

I shrugged. "I don't know… actually, yes I do." I smiled. "We haven't played Wizard's Chess in a long time."

Ron smirked at me and said, "You mean you haven't lost to me at Wizard's Chess in a while."

"Hey, my skill's improved!" I protested. Ron regarded me with amusement.

"Enough to beat me?"

I frowned and muttered, "Maybe…"

Ron laughed and stood, picking up our plates and glasses and putting them in the sink to wash for later. "Fine then, we can play if you want."

I smiled and followed him to the sitting room. I purposefully sat with my back to the picture of Ron and I that still hung on the wall. Ron raised an eyebrow, but said nothing, sitting opposite me across the coffee table and pulling out from underneath it a worn chess board and a box of dozing figures.

The two of us set up our pieces, and the game began. Ron quickly gained the lead, but I decided that I would not lose to him this time. Stubbornly, I remained always a half-step ahead of him, just enough to prevent myself from being in checkmate.

I watched as Ron became increasingly frustrated and impressed. His stack of my beaten pieces was far larger than my pile of his pieces, but my king moved around the board, avoiding his strategically moved pieces by skill and, more often, by luck.

It was a metaphor for our relationship, I supposed, as Ron swore and lost his pawn to my one remaining bishop. The dancing around each other, avoiding each other, bashing each other.

"Hah!" Ron shouted. Startled, I looked up. He beamed. "Check!"

I glared at the board. Nowhere else to go. Sighing, I jerked my chin at my king, who, glaring at me in return, took off his crown and tossed it towards Ron's side of the board.

Ron smiled as I crossed my arms and huffed in irritation. "Sorry, Hermione," he said, sliding the pieces back into their box and folding the board up. I sighed.

"It's fine. It's not your fault that I can't play chess to save my life," I said, finally smiling. "Have I ever beaten you at chess?"

Ron grinned. "Yeah… maybe… a couple years ago… in first year… nope, never mind."

I mock frowned, hitting his shoulder. "Thanks for making me feel better," I said. Ron looked contrite.

"Sorry," he said, standing. "Let me make it up to you by making you lunch."

"Lunch?" I blinked and looked at the clock. Nearly one. "Oh, wow. That was a long chess game."

Ron nodded. "Yeah. In the old days, I could beat you in fifteen minutes, so you must have improved."

I shrugged, standing as well. "Harry gave me that Wizard's Chess set a couple years ago, and my dad fell in love. So we've been playing all the time."

Ron led the way into the kitchen and started pulling out lunch materials. "You ever beat him?"

"A lot," I answered. "He's not very good."

"Lucky for you," Ron said, putting butter in a pan on the stove and putting two slices of bread down. "Is grilled cheese okay?"

"Definitely fine." I sat down at the table.

There was silence, until Ron pulled something out of his pocket and tossed it on the table. I pulled the parchment towards me as Ron said, "It's my new assignment for today."

I nodded and looked over the directions. "Questions on potions that run on time cycles." I glanced up. "Hard?"

"Easy," he answered, sliding the two finished grilled cheeses onto the plate. "Most of the potions mature or lose power according to the waning and waxing of the moon, so a lot of the answers are applicable for more than one question."

Ron set two plates down on the table, and I handed him back his assignment. "That's good."

"It is," he agreed. We sat and ate in silence, and I had a feeling of déjà vu from that morning. I glanced over at Ron, smiling slightly as our eyes met.

Finally, Ron sighed and finished the last bite of his sandwich, picking up his plate and taking mine as well. "That's that," Ron said, putting them in the sink and starting to wash them. Suddenly, there was a tapping at the window.

Outside was an owl I had never seen before. Attached to his leg was a letter. I opened the window and the bird flew in, dropped the parchment on the kitchen table before settling back on the window sill.

Frowning, I opened the letter and gasped, feeling as if my heart had both sunk out of my feet and lodged itself in my throat. "What?" Ron asked, coming up behind me.

Hermione,

When I saw you a couple days ago in Diagon Alley, I was reminded of the crush I'd had on you back at Hogwarts. Back then, you seemed to like me too, but went with Ron instead.

I was wondering if you'd consider going out with me next weekend…?

Yours,

Seamus

I heard Ron inhale sharply as my grip tightened on the edge of the parchment. I turned to look at him, but Ron had already stepped back and turned his back on me.

"Ron?" I asked hesitantly.

"You should reply to Seamus and figure out where he wants to meet you," Ron answered flatly.

"Why would I do that?" I snapped. Ron turned.

"You're going to say yes, right? Typically, when you go on a date, you need to know where you're going."

I stared at him, mouth open. Finally, furious at his assumption, I hissed, "Do you really think I would say yes to Seamus? I plan on telling him no."

"Why?" Ron ground out. "I mean, you're clearly his friend. Why wouldn't you go out with him?"

"Because… because…" I hesitated. I didn't want to tell him, but as I struggled with myself, Ron turned away, and I saw, to my horror, that his blue eyes looked extremely close to overflowing. And that decided me.

"I'm going to say no to him because I like you!"

Ron froze, and I waited. Then I heard him say, "No you don't, Hermione. You've said it would never work. You've said you'd never like me again, and that you've moved on. Don't feel bad for me."

"What do you mean?" I asked, totally lost. Ron turned and looked at me, his face red and his eyes, luckily, dry.

"I know you heard me with Angelina yesterday. You know… that I like you. But there's no need for you to give up your happiness to make your pathetic best mate feel better, okay?" Ron shrugged. "Beside, you've said it yourself- that sort of thing has never really worked for us."

"That's such a lie, Ron!" I shouted. "What about now? What about today? We've spent nearly two weeks alone with only each other for company… we've even kissed, and we've been fine!"

Ron just turned away and began drying off the plates. I stared at him in horror. I had just confessed that I liked him, I knew he liked me, but he thought I was just pitying him.

And I lost my temper.

"You… You make me so mad!" I shouted. Ron whirled around, eyes wide. "You aren't thinking! You aren't listening to me! You're just... infuriating! And that's why…" I paused, panting, as Ron stared at me in shock. "That, Ronald Weasley, is exactly why I love you!"

Ron's mouth dropped, and I glared at him, my eyes filling with tears. "Don't believe me if that's what you want, Ronald, but I do. And I know you love me too. What are you going to do about it?"

And then I ran up to my room.

I didn't see Ron for the rest of the day, and fell asleep with tears in my eyes.

))((

Harry shook his headas Hermione slammed her bedroom door. "That letter… damn, George."

George smiled as Bludger preened himself, having escaped from the Burrow unnoticed by Ron or Hermione. "Don't worry… you'll see. It'll all work out."

"Hopefully in our advantage," sighed Angelina, watching on the camera as Ron locked himself in his room. She hit the off button.

Ginny looked nervous. "I hope that didn't just cause more problems between them." She glanced at her brother, who still had the quill he'd used to forge the letter tucked behind his ear. Idly, she wondered if she should be worried that he could assume a different handwriting at will.

George rolled his eyes. "I promise, Gin, they'll work it out."

The group didn't do much for the rest of the day, except speculate about what the last day would bring, and (if you were Angelina, Ginny, or Harry) worry.

A/N: Sorry for any mistakes!

Some of the lines were blatantly borrowed from a Daughtrey song called "What About Now". I don't own it.

Also, I apologize for any errors I made in the description of the chess game- I haven't played chess in a looong time.

Review!

))Riiko Shea((