AN: Hello, all. Just wanted to apologize, first of all, for some atrocious errors in my previous chapters and say that I'll revisit them as often as possible.
Next, just for information's sake, this is a flashback (possibly the last – we'll see how that goes) of October 31, 1993.
"Blimey I feel bad for him."
Hermione sighed. "So do I. He really needs something like this right now, even if it's much too risky."
"Aw, come on. There are plenty of people around. As if Black would pop up from behind a sweet shop and try to do him in."
"It wouldn't be the first time he's attacked someone on a public street, Ron."
"Yeah, reckon you're right. But still …."
An awed silence descended on them both as the first store came into view. Ron felt like all of his wildest fantasies were about to come true.
"I do believe that's Honeydukes … my parents would kill me if they knew I was about to go inside."
Ron glanced at her and smiled fondly. "Good thing they're not going to know."
He could tell that she was steeling herself to go in. This struck him as rather odd seeing as how this was the same witch that, only last year, had hunted down a basilisk and the year before had accompanied he and Harry to find the philospher's stone passed a three headed dog, giant chess set, some murderous weeds and deadly potions.
"All right. Let's do it."
Ron chuckled, but she shot him a look and he shut up.
Inside Honeydukes was a madhouse. Students of all ages were scrambling around leaving little room to take everything in. It didn't stop Ron from standing absolutely still for a moment longer, gaping around at the shelf upon shelf of magical candy.
"It's beautiful."
For once, Hermione nodded her agreement.
"I … I don't even know where to start."
Hermione's expression went at once from overwhelmed to businesslike as it always did when there was a mission to accomplish.
"Well we'll have to start with whatever we think Harry would like."
"All right. Erm … and that would be …."
They turned slowly on the spot, trying to make sense of the massive rainbow of sugar before them.
"Oh look, Ron, over there!"
"Over where?"
"Special effects sweets! Do you think –"
"Let's go!"
He pulled her along behind him to a corner of the shop that he knew to be legendary.
"I feel like I've waited a million years for this!" He grabbed a fistful of Droobles chewing gum.
"This here – if you pop any of this, bubbles will fill the room and you won't be able to get rid of it for days! The twins thought it was a riot before they discovered the full possibilities of Zonkos. Used to drive mum mad.
And this! This is a bon bon that explodes when it hits your stomach! I've never been allowed to try one – apparently it's a nasty ache you get. I reckon Harry'd like to try some, let's get a few. Oh, you have to see what these can do – pepper imps, you see, and they're not kidding about the pepper. It's mad, you breathe fire like a dragon! Ice mice … hm, I've never seen those but they seem like loads of fun. And of course the toad shaped peppermint creams – mum hated the bumblebee ones from awhile back. They would buzz around your stomach for hours and everyone on the same floor could hear it."
He paused, turning to gauge Hermione's reaction to all of this. She was beaming at him, with a strange look in her eyes that made him flush.
"Erm … think Harry'd want any of that?" he said lamely.
"Oh … er, right. You know I like the look of those toothflossing stringmints."
Ron shot her a look of outrage.
"Toothflossing stringmints! Candy that flosses for you? Honestly, woman, give the poor bloke a break."
She looked embarrassed and he regretted his words. An embarrassed Hermione was a dangerous Hermione.
"Well you mentioned everything else! And what's wrong with putting good use and health into a candy?"
He knew he was treading on treacherous ground, but he couldn't help but supply, "Well the point of a candy is to steer clear of use or health, isn't it?"
She huffed, but held up a sugar quill. "Fine. How about these?"
"Oh, brilliant! So he can sneak sweets into class."
Hermione looked appalled. "I didn't realise they were used for that!"
Although Ron couldn't understand why that hadn't crossed her mind, he didn't need to let her know that. "Oh, no, I was just kidding. No one uses them like that. I think he'll love them."
Pacified, she nodded and continued to sort through the rest of the bins.
When they left Honeydukes, satisfied with their assortment for both themselves and for Harry, the first thing Ron noticed was the chill.
"Where should we go next?" Hermione asked, teeth chattering. She was wearing only a thin jumper over her regular shirt.
"Why don't we head over to Zonko's for a bit?"
Still shivering, she nodded, and followed him down the street.
"Hermione?"
"Y-yes?"
"Take my jacket, will you?"
She looked startled. "What? No – Ron, I couldn't. You'd be freezing."
"No, I have a jumper underneath. And it's thicker than that little thing you have on – Molly Weasley original."
"Yes, but you hate maroon!"
"It's one of Percy's old ones. It's navy. I don't mind it."
She still looked hesitant.
"Listen, Hermione, if I get really cold I'll just ask for it back. All right?"
She finally accepted and, though she looked a bit drowned by it, Ron thought it had a nice effect.
"Thank you, Ron. That was chivalrous of you."
He wasn't totally certain what that meant, but he still pinkened with pleasure and smiled. "Of course. Couldn't have you turning into a humansicle."
Zonko's was incredible. Ron didn't buy anything there (he feared that Hermione would be disapproving if he tried) but could have perused it for the remainder of the day.
"Do you want to go see the Shrieking Shack?" Hermione asked when he'd gotten his fill of dung bombs and disappearing quills.
"Sure."
The air had dropped significantly in temperature when they ventured back out. If felt as though he wasn't wearing anything at all as the wind sliced right through Percy's jumper, but he was enjoying the sight of Hermione in his jacket too much to let her know how cold he was.
"They say it's the most haunted building in Britain," Hermione said when they could see it just a little in the distance.
"Yeah? Do you believe it?"
Hermione smiled. "Had you asked me two years ago, I would have scoffed in your face. But now I can't be sure."
Ron thought about this and frowned. "That's right. It's been just barely that long since you thought you were a muggle."
"You mean just over two years since I didn't even know muggles existed. We were just people."
"I dunno. I don't think Hermione Granger could ever have been convincing as 'just a person.'"
That strange quality was back in her expression. It made him feel warmer and nervous and uncomfortable but maybe in a good way.
"Thank you, Ron." She looked away. "Not to say that anyone in my class agreed with that."
"What do you mean? They had to know you were smarter than all of them."
She smiled sadly. "Being smart isn't the same as being liked. In fact, being smart sometimes ruins your chances of it."
Ron had never thought to consider what Hermione must have been like before coming to Hogwarts. Before she knew she was a witch.
"Well you must have had friends."
She didn't stop looking at her shoes. "Yeah – mum and dad."
Ron felt sick thinking about how he and Harry treated her when she'd first met them.
"Blimey. Well they all missed out. You're a good friend to have."
"You mean the freak? The one that made strange things happen wherever she went? The one that got perfect scores on every assignment but was so weird that no one bothered to ask for her help anyways?"
"Yeah. That girl – the one who turned out to be the brightest witch at the best school of magic in the world."
He meant every word, but he couldn't decide whether or not he regretted them when her eyes filled with tears.
"Let's go have a look at the Post Office," she said with a falsely cheery tone, changing the subject. He couldn't have been more grateful for the distraction as he followed her there.
By the time they were back outside, the weather was chilly enough that they were both shivering.
"Fancy a spot of butterbeer?"
"Yes, please. Where was the Three Broomsticks again?"
"I think I saw it over here."
The number of Hogwarts students in the little pub was at least double that of Honeydukes. Of course, it didn't serve in distracting from the several shady characters that huddled in corners as well. Or from the very curvy, very attractive bar maid he could see making her way around the room.
Ron gulped loudly.
"Erm … right, well I reckon we should find a table."
He searched for one near the front but the nearest one was further away from her than he'd like.
"Ron. Ron!"
He jumped a little, and spun around.
"Ron! What is wrong with you?"
"What do you mean? Nothing – what did you need?"
"I needed to point out the only free table in the place! Honestly, stop ogling her, she's probably twice your age."
He could feel his face heating rapidly. "What – I don't even … I mean, honestly … you…"
"Oh shut up." Her tone was terser than he was expecting. "Let's just go before it fills up."
As she worried, they arrived at the table just as several members of the Gryffindor Quidditch team did.
"Ohhh…" Katie Bell shot them a coy look that Ron didn't like one bit. The team backed away.
"We didn't realise this table was occupied." Angelina's eyebrows rose to her hairline.
"Oh, we don't mind, you can join us," Hermione supplied, obviously a bit puzzled by their actions.
"Oh no, we wouldn't want to intrude!" Alicia was on the verge of giggling – Ron knew because it was one of the scariest things he'd ever seen on a woman.
"You wouldn't be intruding, honestly." Hermione's brow was creased.
"Oh no, that's all right. We had no idea you two were … coming together…" Katie said, and the other two apparently couldn't handle it anymore because they dissolved in mirth and disappeared.
Ron and Hermione stared in silence after them for a long moment.
"Off their rockers," Ron said quietly.
"Perfectly mad."
"No idea what they were talking about…"
That horrid silence fell again.
"So … erm … butterbeers?"
Ron cleared his throat and nodded, turning back to the bar. His heart sank, knowing how big of a prat he would look if he tried to talk to the waitress.
"Oh I'll do it!" Hermione rolled her eyes and hopped off the stool. She made it to the counter and Ron frowned. Something was different about her today – he'd almost noticed it that morning, but it quickly faded from thought. Now, though, he was sure of it. She spun back around and he realised that, rather than her bushy mane, a long plait swung around with her.
Ron reckoned she looked a bit …
No, pretty couldn't be the right word.
Nice. Hermione looked nice. That was safe.
He found himself unable to look away as she walked back towards him with a coy smirk on her face. Merlin, when had she learned how to do that? He didn't like it. It was making his stomach feel strange – flipping oddly.
She slid back into her chair, butterbeers in hand.
"Get a nice view of Rosmerta?"
"What?"
Hermione sighed, exasperated. "The barmaid. That's her name. Or did you not realise she had one?"
"Of course she has a name! Honestly … I knew she had a name."
He sipped the warm drink sullenly.
"All right, all right. You knew. What is the matter with you today?"
"Nothing!"
"Fine. If you say so."
Ron refused to look at her again. It made him feel too out of sorts.
"So … I was thinking we could go look at Dervish and Banges after this? I've needed some new quills. And I was thinking about buying a new cauldron as well."
Ron could tell that she was changing the subject for his benefit. She always knew when to stop pushing. He appreciated it and had no problem playing along.
"Right, good thought. I've been wanting some new parchment myself."
"For all of the letter and essay writing you're so keen on?"
Ron laughed. "Yeah. That. Or to replace all the essays I muck up the first go around."
Hermione sighed. "Honestly, Ron. Next time you ruin an essay just tell me. A simple siphoning charm takes care of things like that in no time."
"I will. Blimey, sometimes it amazes me that we go to the same classes. But then, of course, you've got about twice as many."
Hermione's eyes flashed strangely. "What do you mean by that? Of course I don't. Don't be ridiculous."
He wasn't sure why she was suddenly so freaked out, but he knew when to stop pushing her buttons, too. Like she was prone to do, he decided to change the subject.
"It's been nice today."
She looked up at him. "It's been freezing!"
"No, I don't mean the weather. I mean the village – being here, shopping, looking around … it's been nice."
Hermione smiled and cocked her head to one side. "Yeah? I haven't minded it much either."
"Reckon it should be nice since we're best mates and all."
The words didn't seem significant to Ron, but by the way Hermione reacted it seemed as though he was singing her praises from the rooftops.
"Right. I suppose we are."