Chapter 4: Somebody else was sitting in the passenger's side
Summary: Hermione and Ron end up in a stalemate and Hermione finds herself agreeing to an unexpected date.
She doesn't expect to see anyone waiting for her when she walks out of her front door that morning. She had left the house earlier than usual so she could take the bus, but standing there in front of a blue Ford was Ron.
The breath in her lungs goes frighteningly cold. He's leaning on the driver's door, his hands shoved deep in his pockets, his school shirt untucked and his trousers creased.
The second they catch each other's eyes, she feels her heart crack, like little pieces that belong solely to him had shaken themselves loose.
"Do you need a lift to school?" Is all he says, and Hermione doesn't know if this is better than an apology or worse.
She contemplates having another go at him, teaching him a lesson, but then she remembers how she treated him before the summer and the way he looked at her last night and so she nods and gulps back the tears threatening to spill.
He doesn't smile at her nod but his eyes light up slightly.
She sits in the passenger seat, her entire body tense and uncomfortable. His car isn't like the Twins, it's older and smells like awful fruity perfume. She later realises this is Lavender's perfume and now every time she smells the fruity concoction bile rises in her throat.
"I told Lavender I would pick her up most mornings. Um, is it ok if you sit in the back?" His voice wavers, something Hermione's not used to hearing from Ron. He sounds like he does when he's talking in front of the class or when he has to speak to someone he hardly knows.
She shifts uncomfortably and wishes to be back in bed, surrounded by her fluffy pillows and the comforting smell of laundry detergent.
"Ok. I'll move when we get to hers."
She tries not to show how angry it makes her feel, to be shoved to the backseat, like his girlfriend of just a few weeks already takes precedence over his best friend of six years. But she knows how envious girls can get about her friendships with the boys, and she doesn't want a repeat of last year when Romilda Vane pulled her hair when Hermione got too close to Harry.
The drive in silence, an awkward silence that she's not used to with Ron. They used to drive in a peaceful, comforting silence, a silence she sometimes craved in the presence of others.
Ron had always understood when Hermione needed quiet, had always understood why she didn't need to always be surrounded by noise and energy. Over the years she had learnt that Ron was the one in his family that craved silence and so he understood her cues when she needed calm and space because he often needed it too. She loved how Ron was so in tune with her behaviours, with her mind, it made their friendship make that much more sense.
However, now, this stilted silence threatened her. She could see the cracks in the foundation they had built over the years start to ripple around her. She dug her fingernails into her bare thighs again, covering her hands with her skirt so Ron couldn't tell how tense she really was.
As soon as Ron pulled up outside of his girlfriend's house, Hermione unbuckled herself and opened the passenger door - all without sparing one glance at Ron. Once she was in the back, she busied herself with her seatbelt and shuffled her bag onto her lap.
A fight was raging in her head. All she really wanted to do was shout and scream but she had already done that last night and if she continued their fight that would mean answering more questions she didn't want to answer. So instead, she looked up and caught Ron's eyes in the rear-view mirror. With a tight smile from Hermione, Ron's eyes lit up considerably, his own small smile reflecting back at her. It wasn't his real smile. His real smile could leave her legless, could leave her skin prickled with goosebumps and her heart happily thumping in her rib cage. But he did smile, and then he turned that same smile to his new girlfriend that had strolled up to his window.
Hermione closed her eyes when they kissed.
She spent the rest of the week busying herself with homework and getting lost in books about long lost loves and magical universes.
Ron and Lavender were excruciatingly painful to watch. Lavender was sweet enough to Hermione but seemed to grow possessive when she was nearby. Hermione noticed the way Lavender's hand shot out to grab Ron's when she joined them at lunch and when Ron tried to make Hermione laugh, Lavender found it crucial to find some part of Ron's face to kiss. She tried to limit her time with the group, often spending as much time as she could in the library and then heading towards their table when it was only a few minutes left until the bell rang.
"Are you two still fighting?" Harry asked one afternoon in English Lit class.
"No, why?"
"You've hardly been around this week. I can tell you've been avoiding him"
"I've been busy studying. It is our last year." Hermione points out brashly.
Harry sighs and Hermione has to stop herself from getting up and leaving him to the maths question himself. But she knows Harry is only asking because he cares, she knows that he hates any sort of conflict between the two of them.
"I just feel uncomfortable when they sit at the table slobbering all over each other." Hermione offers.
Harry laughs.
"I agree. Who knew Ron would be so into PDA?"
"I think it's Lav Lav that's into PDA." Hermione mutters.
The conversation was put on pause by Professor Flitwick calling for attention. He announces the first major assignment for the term, a comparative critical study of two texts on a theme of their choice. After his explanation, he claps his small hands and declares the paper to be a partner assignment. Instantly students look towards their friends, nodding their heads in silent agreement to partner up. But before the class gets dismissed for the day, Professor Flitwick coughs and timidly explains that the partners have already been decided.
The entire class collectively groans.
Ron does not take English Lit, so Hermione has a sudden rush of gratefulness for avoiding that catastrophe. However, when Harry's been partnered with Dean Thomas, Hermione's nerves climb. Eventually her name is called out, alongside Cormac McLaggen. She tries not to show her apprehension about this development but Harry turns to his side and gives her a sympathetic grin.
Cormac McLaggen isn't terrible to be partnered with but he's not ideal. He's also on the football team with Harry and Ron, so Hermione's heard countless stories about his character, majority of them not great. She does know however, that he's been getting average marks in English Lit, so her hopes are a little higher than usual.
Cormac finds her after class. Harry and Hermione, sitting at their lunch table alone. Ginny with the girls in her year, Ron and Lavender - well Hermione doesn't want to know where they really are. Hermione grimaces as she watches Cormac approach their table, his cocky gait and tall frame making her squirm uncomfortably in her seat. He's quite good looking, Hermione thinks, he has nice blue eyes and fair hair. But then he spits something onto the grass by their table and Hermione thinks she might gag.
"Granger, looks like you got lucky."
"What?" Hermione nearly chokes on her apple.
"Partnered with me? We're going to be a killer team, us two!" He leans on the edge of the table and turns his head to look at Hermione properly. Hermione glances at Harry to find him busying himself on his phone.
"Right, sure."
"So shall I come to yours tonight? We can get started on picking our theme."
"Right, actually I would rather do it at school. We could use the library at lunch time."
"No can do, Granger. I take pride in taking my breaks, gotta refresh myself ya know?"
Hermione doesn't know.
"Right," She really doesn't want him coming to her house, so she says the only thing that comes to mind.
"We could meet at the diner?"
Cormac beams at this idea, and if Hermione hadn't chosen that time to see Ron walking towards them she probably would have noticed the sultry look in his eyes.
"I like the way you think, Granger. It's a date."
Again, Hermione's too busy watching Ron size Cormac up from meters away. His eyes glaring straight at the blonde bloke towering over Hermione.
"Ok sure, see you then." Hermione tries to dismiss him. Ron and Cormac don't see eye to eye and Hermione can't handle more drama in her life right now.
Cormac pulls himself off the table and flashes her a wink.
"See you tonight, Granger. Later, Potter."
Harry nods, still distracted by his phone. Meanwhile, Hermione watches as Cormac nods at Ron, Ron gritting his teeth.
"Tonight? What are you doing tonight?!" Ron demands, his hands pressing down on their table.
Hermione rolls her eyes.
"Hermione's got a date" Harry pulls his gaze from his phone and Hermione chokes on her apple - again.
"What?!" Hermione AND Ron exclaim.