"Ron, wake up, you lazy arse! Get dressed quickly, or you'll miss breakfast."
Ron groaned as he rolled to his opposite side, trying desperately to get back to the dream he'd been having. He and Hermione had been snogging in the library, and he could practically still feel her small, warm body pressed against his, her teeth nibbling on his lower lip, the feel of her tongue in his mouth. Resisting the urge to grab his wand and curse Seamus for waking him up, Ron rubbed his eyes and stretched out his long arms above his head as he let out a loud yawn. Remembering last night's events, his heart skipped a beat, and he grinned as he sat up and threw his legs to the side of the bed.
He would be going to Hogsmeade with Hermione tomorrow.
On a date.
Even if he hadn't exactly said the word 'date' when he'd asked her, he'd implied it, and Ron was pretty sure from the look that had been on Hermione's face that she'd understood his intentions. They'd been flirting back and forth lately, with Ron trying to show her he had feelings for her without coming on too strong.
Admittedly, it was a thin and fuzzy line to cross when you were friends with someone and were then trying to be something more than that. Ron wasn't sure what pace was acceptable, what words were okay or not okay to use, or even how to go about changing the amount of physical affection he showed her. The last one seemed to be going well though- at least he thought so. He'd embraced her several times already (something he'd never done before) and judging from the way Hermione's body melted against him whenever he did, Ron guessed it was a good thing.
As he pulled a pair of socks on his feet, he couldn't help but chuckle as he remembered the way Hermione had run her foot up his leg last night. Sure, she had only been trying to distract him from rowing with Harry, but even so, the memory caused delightful chills to roll down his spine. Any touch he received from Hermione was an amazing gift, and Ron vowed never to forget that.
He stood up, throwing on a clean, but still a bit small and wrinkled, uniform before running his fingers through his hair as he looked into a small mirror that was hanging on the wall.
"Trying to look good for someone, Weasley?" Seamus teased as he walked up behind Ron and shot him a wink through the mirror.
With a laugh, Ron stuck his tongue out at his roommate. "Trying? I don't have to try to look good, Finnegan. That shit comes naturally to me."
"Yeah, if they like fire crotch," Seamus replied before breaking out into loud, obnoxious laughter.
Ron turned and shoved the shorter boy, causing him to stumble back a few steps, still not ceasing his chortles.
"It's what's below that hair that counts!" Ron retorted as he turned back to the mirror. "And I have no problems there."
"I'd love to see you say that in front of Granger," Seamus said, still chuckling. "She'd slap you upside the head! Maybe I oughtta tell her how you talk when she's not around!"
Ron turned, feeling his face heat up. "You wouldn't! You wanker!"
"What happens in this room stays in this room," supplied Neville, who was watering his plants.
"Exactly! It's our number one rule," Ron clarified, shooting Neville a grateful look.
Seamus rolled his eyes. "It's a rule you made up when you started moaning Hermione's name in your sleep fourth year!"
Ron was about to grab an object to chuck at Seamus's head when Dean spoke up from across the room.
"Granger, huh? So, is it finally happening?"
Ron's eyes went to Neville, the other boy looking up to give him a subtle shake of his head, letting Ron know he wouldn't say anything.
"Maybe it is. Maybe it isn't." Ron shrugged. "Not like I would tell any of you dweebs." Ron saw a hint of a smile on Neville's face and chuckled to himself.
Dean turned to Harry, who was already dressed but sitting on his bed, seemingly not paying attention to the conversation that was happening. "Oi, Potter! Did Weasley finally pull his head out of his arse and ask Granger out?"
Harry lifted his head and blinked as if coming out of a fog. He looked at Dean like he'd just realized he wasn't alone in the room. "What?"
"Are Weasley and Granger a couple now?" Dean repeated, his eyebrows drawn as he studied Harry with curiosity.
Harry blinked again before turning to Ron with a confused expression. Ron said nothing, keeping his face blank.
"Uh," Harry said, turning back to Dean. "Not as far as I know."
Dean looked disappointed. "All in good time, I suppose."
Feeling giddy, Ron went to grab his wand from under his pillow and he caught Seamus staring at him with a now serious expression. "What?" he asked, wondering what had changed the other boy's mood so quickly.
Seamus walked towards him, this time not in a playful manner. "I know I joke around a lot, and if you and Hermione do get together, I'm happy for you, really. I just-" He paused. "Lavender is a really good friend of mine, and I hate to see her get hurt, you know?"
At the mention of his ex-girlfriend, a wave of guilt passed over Ron. For the first time, he wondered how she would take the news of him getting together with Hermione so soon after their breakup. Sure, Lavender had suspected that Ron harbored feelings for her curly-haired roommate, but wouldn't it be like rubbing it in her face if her premonitions were to come true?
"Fuck," he muttered. "I didn't even think of that."
Seamus nodded. "I'm not telling you not to go for it, but maybe don't be all over Granger in the Common Room, yeah?"
Ron snorted, finding the idea of Hermione all over him the way Lavender was when they'd been together laughable. "No chance of that, mate."
Seamus looked relieved. "Good. Maybe even give Lav a heads up beforehand? You know, so she's not caught off guard."
Wanting to do nothing less, Ron grimaced as he nodded. He was determined to be the kind of person Hermione deserved, and he couldn't very well start off their relationship without fully closing the one he'd had before it. Having a talk with Lavender to clear the air between them was the right thing to do, despite the fact that the thought of doing so made him feel ill. Lavender deserved an apology, and also the truth. Ron owed her at least that much.
"Yeah. I'll do that today," he agreed.
Get it over with, he thought to himself.
Seamus smiled before clapping him on the shoulder. "Great. Thanks, mate. Appreciate it."
oOo
Hermione,
I know I've written the words before, and personally, I am tired of repeating myself, but once again, your father and I must stress that we truly believe you should come home. We both feel as if we are losing you a little more every day, and are scared for your safety as well. We know you have kept a lot of stuff from us, but ever since we demanded Dumbledore send us copies of the Daily Prophet, we feel much more educated on the happenings in your world. I know that being a witch is a part of you, but it is not all there is. That world is dangerous, and especially with you being so close to Harry (not that your father and I have anything against Harry, because he seems like a lovely boy, and he, of course, is not responsible for what has happened to him) but unlike him, you have a chance to get away from the chaos. According to the papers, Voldemort has only gotten stronger, and I no longer believe you are safe while at school. Is being with your friends really worth risking your safety, Hermione? Because your father and I do not think so. I know you are old enough to make your own decisions, and we cannot force you, but please reconsider. As smart as you are, you could get into any school of your choice, and you would come home to us every night, the way it should be. You're our only child, our life, our entire world.
Love,
Mum and Dad
Hermione wiped the tears from her cheeks as she refolded her letter. Even though she was solid in her decision to stay at Hogwarts, it was still agony every time she had to write back to her parents and gently turn them down.
Hermione loved her parents, she really did. But this was her life. Her future. And though she knew they would probably never understand this, Hermione would have to keep trying to explain herself. The emotional toll was hard, though, because disappointing them was the last thing she wanted to do. All her life she'd tried to make them proud, and until recently, had been good at doing so.
She thought about leaving Harry at this point in time and knew without a doubt she never would. Since first year, she'd stood by his side, and that wasn't about to change now.
And Ron.
Just the thought of leaving Ron caused Hermione's stomach to drop, a feeling of emptiness to fill her chest. No way would she leave him, not when things were finally happening between them. She closed her eyes and thought about the way he'd held her yesterday, willing the memory to slow her heart rate.
It seemed to work, and once Hermione felt ready, she gathered her things and headed downstairs.
oOo
As Ron and Harry made their way downstairs to the Common Room together, Ron could feel Harry throwing sideways glances at him. He knew Harry was expecting him to tell him if something was happening between him and Hermione, but Ron didn't want to get too far ahead of himself, so he said nothing. He wanted there to be something concrete before they let Harry know anything, because, after all, Harry would be the one person outside the two of them most affected if he and Hermione were to get together.
As soon as they stepped off the last stair, Ron spotted Hermione standing in the Common Room waiting for them. Her eyes immediately met his, and her face broke out into a small, shy smile as he made his way towards her.
"Hey," he greeted once he was standing in front of her.
"Hey, yourself," she responded, still smiling.
Just when Ron was about to clap back with something flirty and clever, Hermione turned to Harry, her eyes widening. "Oh, Harry!" she exclaimed. "You look terrible! Did you even sleep at all last night?"
Ron turned his head, for the first time noticing Harry's appearance that morning. There were dark purple circles under his eyes, and his usually messy hair was even worse than usual. His clothes were rumpled, and a knot formed in Ron's stomach when he realized they were the same ones he'd been wearing last night. Ron felt awful that his happiness over the way things were going between him and Hermione had led him to not even notice that Harry was basically falling apart at the seams.
Hermione shot him a questioning look as if to wordlessly ask him what was going on, but Ron could only shrug in response, just as confused as she was. Sighing, Hermione took Harry by the arm and led him away towards the portrait hole, Ron falling into step beside them.
"Let's get you something to eat," she soothed. "Maybe you should skip classes today and get some extra rest."
Ron raised his eyebrows. If Hermione was suggesting Harry skip his classes, she was really concerned. Just before they made it to the portrait hole, Ron spied Lavender and Parvati to his left, both girls sitting on the sofa eying him as they whispered to each other.
"Hey," he said, stopping mid-stride. "I forgot something in my room. I'll meet you two down at breakfast, alright?"
Harry didn't respond, but Hermione gave him a small nod before turning her attention back to Harry. Once the two were safely out of sight, the portrait of the Fat Lady closed behind them, Ron turned around and headed to the two girls. As he drew closer, Parvati narrowed her eyes as if trying to figure out his intentions, while Lavender only stared at him, her body still. Stopping when he stood in front of them, Ron cleared his throat.
"Hey, Lavender," he greeted, his words coming out stiff. "I was wondering if I could talk to you at some point today?" His eyes darted to Parvati for half a second before moving back to the blonde. "In private, if that's okay?"
Parvati still looked skeptical, but Lavender's face broke out into a smile. "Sure! How about after lunch? We both have a bit of free time then."
Ron nodded, remembering that they had used that 'free time' every day after lunch to snog whenever they'd been together. "Sure." He gave her a tight-lipped smile. "I'll see you then."
Feeling as if he'd accomplished something, Ron turned around and exited the Common Room, his stomach growling.
oOo
Hermione bit her tongue as she watched Harry push his food around on his plate with his fork. She'd loaded it with all his favorite breakfast foods, but he'd hardly touched any of it. She looked at Ron on her left and met his eyes, but all he did was give her a sad smile and a shrug.
"Harry, what's wrong?" she asked, finally unable to take any more of his behavior. "Ron and I are here for you! Please tell us!"
Harry only sighed and shook his head, his eyes still on his plate. He was worse than he'd ever been before, and Hermione's own eyes filled with tears as she took a shaky inhale. She flinched when she felt something on her back until she realized it was only Ron's hand. Ron's touch, however little, brought Hermione comfort, and though she longed to lean further into him, she resisted the urge, knowing that Harry had to take priority.
"If there's anything we can do to help you, tell us! You have both Ron and I worried sick, and I, for one, am getting so anxious that I can't see straight!"
The words caused Harry to lift his head with a small amount of guilt lining his features. He looked so dejected, and the light behind his green eyes was dim and broken. The sight was suddenly too much, and Hermione let out a small sob before jumping to her feet and running from the Great Hall. Almost instantly, she heard loud footsteps chasing her and knew without a doubt that it was Ron.
Once out, she ran until she found an empty trophy room. Ron followed her mere seconds later and closed the door behind him.
Hermione was struggling to breathe, the image of Harry's expression haunting her. "He- he's not-" she choked out, her breathing far too fast, causing her to feel dizzy.
Ron looked terrified as he watched her, his hands held out in front of him as if that would help calm her down. "Hermione. It's okay. Harry's-"
She shook her head, cutting off his words. "It's not okay, Ron! You didn't see the look in his eyes! It's as if he's already dying! It's like he knows that's his fate, and he's accepted it!"
Ron's eyes widened as he shook his head. "Dumbledore won't let anything happen to Harry, he-"
"Oh, wouldn't he?" Hermione challenged. "Dumbledore left Harry to be raised by abusive Muggles! And Harry has almost died how many times so far here at Hogwarts?! Face it, Ron, Harry isn't safe with Dumbledore! Not alone. Not without us."
It took Ron only half a second to make his way over and engulf her in his arms. "Shhh," he soothed. Hermione's breathing slowed, but only by a bit, and she could feel Ron's distress at not knowing what to do. After she let out a small whimper, he grabbed her hand and placed it on his chest, right over his heart, and held it there. "Hermione, breathe," he demanded in a low voice. "Take it easy."
Hermione closed her eyes and focused on the sound of Ron's voice rather than the words he was saying, focused on the feeling of his heart beating under her hand. Without thinking, she reached for his free hand and placed it over her own pounding heart, pressing it into her. She opened her eyes to see that Ron's ears were red, but he didn't pull away, instead continuing to speak to her in a soft tone. After a moment, she finally felt herself relax, and she let out a sigh as she leaned into him, both of their hands dropping as they wrapped their arms around each other, their bodies trembling.
"I'm sorry, Ron," she whispered. "I didn't mean to scare you."
"S'ok," he replied, pulling her closer.
"I think I just had some sort of panic attack," Hermione explained. "That's never happened to me before."
"You scared the hell outta me," Ron admitted as he let out a sigh, his large hands now rubbing her arms.
Hermione moved further into him, not ready to leave his embrace just yet. "The look in Harry's eyes, Ron… it terrified me. He's just getting worse and worse, and I have no idea how to make it better."
"I know," he said.
Hermione appreciated the fact that Ron wasn't again telling her everything was going to be okay, because the truth was, neither of them knew that.
oOo
Several hours later, Hermione, Ron, and Harry were walking out of their DADA class and heading down to lunch. After her morning freak out, Hermione had paid extra attention during her classes, and the shift in subjects had her feeling loads better. She knew she couldn't stop trying to help Harry, but there was a time and place for it, and she vowed not to let herself get overwhelmed like that again.
"I'm going to swing by my room and grab my library books," she told the boys. "I figured I could drop them off at the library after lunch."
"I'll go with you," Ron offered.
Harry shrugged. "I'll meet you two down there." Without waiting for a response, he walked in the opposite direction, looking only mildly better than he had this morning.
"Are you feeling better?" Ron asked once they were alone and heading towards Gryffindor Tower.
"Much," Hermione told him. "I'm still worried, but I know we have to be strong for him- regardless of what happens."
"Right." He nodded.
The two continued in comfortable silence until they reached the mostly empty Common Room, where Ron sprawled his long body out on the sofa to wait for her.
Smiling at the sight, Hermione ran up the steps, hoping to be back in less than a minute. Bending down on the floor next to her bed, she opened her trunk to dig for the library books, finding them immediately. Before she stood up, however, she heard giggling from behind the door and she froze as it opened, the voices of Parvati and Lavender filling the room. Hermione couldn't see them from where she was, and knew they couldn't see her either, so she stayed quiet, hoping they would just leave so she didn't have to deal with them.
"Did you see him lying there like that?" came Lavender's voice. "I swear I had to refrain from jumping on top of him!"
"I'm glad you refrained," Parvati replied in a dry voice.
"I wonder what he wants to talk to me about after lunch?" Lavender went on, ignoring her friend's words.
Hermione could practically feel Parvati rolling her eyes. "Who cares? He treated you awful, Lav. You need to get over him. The sooner the better."
Again, it seemed as if Lavender hadn't even heard Parvati's words. "I think he's going to ask me to be his girlfriend again. Maybe he's been missing me as much as I've been missing him."
"Lavender, I hope you're joking!" Parvati exclaimed. "You can't get back together with Ron!"
"He might have changed!" Lavender defended. "Maybe losing me has made him realize everything he did wrong. I bet he knows better now."
Hermione bent lower, her ears trained on every word as Lavender went on. "I mean, I know for a fact that he misses at least one thing about me. Won Won was always quick to pull me into an empty classroom to get all handsy. I've missed that." She laughed. "I know Hermione isn't giving him any."
Hermione's fists clenched at her sides, both hurt and irritated by Lavender's words.
"Come on," Parvati said, sounding impatient. "Do what you need to do so we can go. I'm hungry."
"Anyway," Lavender continued. "I don't doubt that Ron will beg me to get back together with him, but I'll probably make him work for it."
"What if that's not what he wants at all?" Parvati asked. "What if you're getting your hopes up for nothing?"
"I have a good feeling," Lavender insisted. "I mean, did you see the way he was looking at me earlier?"
The door opened before closing with a click, the girl's voices growing fainter as they made their way down the stairs.
Hermione took a few deep breaths before grabbing her books and standing up, trying hard not to be bothered by what she'd just heard. What did Ron want to talk to Lavender about? As she slowly made her way back to the Common Room, her mind was whirling. What if what Lavender was guessing was true? Sure, as Ron's best friend for so many years, Hermione felt she had a pretty good read on what kind of person he was, but what if she'd been mistaken? He and Lavender had been intimate with each other, and although she did not know the extent of it, he had to be at the very least attracted to the pretty blonde. What if he did miss her?
She shook her head. No. Just last night, Ron had asked Hermione out on a date.
Her. Not Lavender.
Unless…
What if Hermione had just assumed that it was a date, but it actually wasn't? What if Ron was just messing with her? Flirting with her and getting her hopes up before he ran back to his ex-girlfriend?
Hermione immediately banished the thought. No, Ron wouldn't do that, she told herself. Ron would never treat her that way.
But then again, why would Ron go from someone as pretty as Lavender to someone as plain as Hermione? It didn't really make any sense. Taking another deep breath, Hermione decided she would find out.
One way or another.
oOo
When Hermione reappeared in the Common Room, taking a lot longer than Ron had expected, she looked different somehow- upset.
"Hey," he said as he stood up, causing her to meet his eyes. "You okay?"
She nodded, but said nothing to alert him why she looked as she did. "Let's head down to lunch," she said in a stiff voice, moving in front of rather than beside him, walking fast and not waiting for him.
Confused, Ron followed, giving her space to blow off steam from whatever was bothering her. They said nothing to each other, and when they made it to the Great Hall, Hermione sat next to Harry, while Ron squeezed in between Dean and Hermione.
He spied Lavender down the table staring at him, and he ate as fast as he could, wanting to get his talk with her over and done with. She kept on shooting smiles at him, making him even more nervous about what he was going to say to her.
"Ron?" Hermione asked, breaking him out of his thoughts as he drained the last of his pumpkin juice. "Want to take a walk with me after lunch? I have class, but if we hurried up and finished here, we could make it quick."
Ron opened his mouth, ready to accept, until he remembered he still had to talk to Lavender. "Oh, uh- can't," he said, feeling awful about having to tell her no.
Hermione looked hurt. "Why not?"
He paused, knowing now wasn't the right time to tell her he was planning to clear the air with his ex in order to freely move forward into a relationship with her. "I, uh- I promised Neville I'd help him in the library," he lied, feeling like a traitorous ass for doing so.
"Oh. Okay," she said in a small voice. "Maybe next time."
Ron had to force himself not to blurt out the truth right then and there, instead giving her a lopsided grin, hoping to placate her. He would tell her soon enough- would tell her everything after all was said and done. "Definitely." Making sure Hermione wasn't looking, he caught Lavender's eye before standing up to leave. "I'll catch you later," he said. "We can do our essays together in the library tonight."
Hermione nodded, no longer looking at him. "Yes. Best we get them done before the weekend."
"Great," he responded, already stepping away. "See you soon."
Ron spun around and walked out of the Great Hall as fast as he could. After exiting, he heard footsteps and turned to see Lavender hurrying towards him.
"Hey," she greeted as she caught up to him, stopping to smooth her already-perfect hair as she blinked through heavily coated eyelashes. "Should we go to our classroom?" she asked.
Ron froze, remembering all they had gotten up into in the abandoned classroom that Lavender had dubbed as 'theirs'. Despite thinking that it was the worst place they should go, Ron nodded, knowing that they would be able to have some privacy there. "Yeah. Let's go."
With every step they took together, Ron felt even more rotten. Lavender was beaming, the look of hope on her face causing him to feel a sense of dread. He had a strong suspicion that she was hoping for some sort of reconciliation between them, though Ron was planning on doing the opposite. Talking to her had been an awful fucking plan, and Ron decided he was going to punch Seamus for putting the stupid bloody idea in his head.
When they made it to the classroom, Lavender entered first. Ron followed and closed the door behind him.
"Lavender," he started, not wanting to waste any time. "I wanted to tell you that I-"
"You miss me, don't you?" Lavender asked, moving closer to him with a look on her face that she'd always had before they'd snogged.
Ron took a few steps back, his hands coming up to stop her from moving any closer. "No, Lav, this isn't what you think."
She stopped pursuing him, and her eyebrows furrowed. "It's not?"
He shook his head. "I was a horrible boyfriend. So horrible, that if my mum knew the way I'd treated you, she'd have slapped me into next year."
"But you've changed, right?" Lavender asked. "And you'll do better?"
"Yes," Ron agreed. "I have changed. Which is why I wanted to apologize to you. So that you could move on."
Her face fell. "You don't want to get back together?"
Again, Ron shook his head. "We were never meant to be together, Lav. We aren't right for each other. I think you know that as well as I do."
Lavender wiped the tears that were now streaming down her face. "I thought you wanted me back," she whined. "If we tried harder this time, I really think that we could make it work."
Ron sighed, running a hand down his face. "It would never work out between us."
"Is this because of Hermione?" she spit out, her face now contorted in anger.
"Yes. I have feelings for Hermione," Ron admitted. Lavender's jaw dropped. "But I didn't bring you here to talk about her. I wanted to let you know how sorry I was for how I treated you. Despite what I felt for Hermione, I should have never led you on, and I should have never dragged our relationship for as long as I did, because in the end I only hurt you more. I was a fucking coward, and I'm not afraid to admit that now."
"I'm losing you to her? After the way she treated you? Remember those birds?"
"We were both awful to each other," Ron insisted. "And we have moved past that. You aren't losing me to her, because to be honest, I've had feelings for Hermione way before I even got together with you."
Lavender wrapped her arms around herself. "You're-r-ridiculous," she hiccupped. "She's a- she's a bloody snob and you are too good for her."
"Hey!" Ron snapped. He didn't want to hurt the girl any more than he already had, but he would not allow her to bad-mouth Hermione. Not in front of him. "Don't call her a snob!"
Lavender really began to wail then, and Ron panicked. Feeling like an arse, he moved forward and hesitantly wrapped his arms around her. He'd held her against him many times, but just like now, she'd never felt right, not the way Hermione did. Regardless, he ran his hand up and down the crying girl's back, hoping to calm her down so he could leave.
oOo
After leaving the girls dormitory, Hermione walked to the Great Hall as fast as she could. Ron kept up with her but trailed a few feet behind as if knowing to give her her space. He had to be confused about her behavior, but he kept silent, something Hermione was grateful for.
Once in the Great Hall, she scooted next to Harry, her mind still on the conversation she'd heard between Lavender and Parvati.
Ron wanted to talk to Lavender. But why? As far as Hermione knew, the two hadn't spoken since their break-up. Not that it was any of her business, but the idea of Ron and Lavender talking and potentially getting back together was something Hermione knew she couldn't handle. Not on top of everything else.
She glanced at Ron to see him shoveling food into his mouth at a rapid pace, his eyes darting around as if nervous. Lavender had said she and Ron had plans to talk after lunch. If there was a time for Ron to let Hermione know of these plans, this was it.
"Ron?" she asked, watching as he drained the last of his pumpkin juice. "Want to take a walk with me after lunch? I have class, but if we hurried up and finished here, we could make it quick."
Ron's face lit up before falling. "Oh, uh- can't." he said, sounding apologetic.
Hermione's heart dropped. "Why not?"
"I, uh- I promised Neville I'd help him in the library."
Hermione knew right away that Ron was lying to her. "Oh. Okay," she said in a small voice as she fought back tears. "Maybe next time."
Ron smiled. "Definitely." His plate finished, he stood up to go. "I'll catch you later, though," he told her. "We can do our essays together in the library tonight."
She nodded. "Yes. Best we get them done before the weekend."
"Great," Ron replied, already stepping away. "See you soon."
Lavender was watching Ron with rapt attention as he walked towards the large doors to leave. Willing the other girl to stay put, Hermione felt sick as the blonde stood and hurriedly followed him out of the Great Hall.
Pushing her half-eaten plate away, she stood up as well.
"Could I borrow the Marauder's Map for a minute?" she asked, leaning down and whispering into Harry's ear.
Harry looked up at her with disinterest. "Uh, yeah sure. It's in my trunk."
"Thank you." Wasting no more time, Hermione ran out of the Great Hall towards Gryffindor Tower.
Panting, she made it up to the empty boys' dorm room in less than ten minutes and used her wand to summon the map from Harry's trunk.
"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," she breathed as she sat down on Harry's bed while pointing her wand at the map. She unfolded it, her eyes scanning every inch, determined to find out where Ron had gone.
"Please don't be with Lavender, please don't be with Lavender," she pleaded under her breath.
Hermione froze when she saw it.
Ron was currently in a classroom. An empty classroom. With Lavender Brown.
But that wasn't even the worst of it.
From the direction of their footprints, Hermione could tell that they were standing face to face. And not even a few feet away from each other, but standing so close together that the front parts of Lavender's feet were in between Ron's.
Hermione's eyes watered, the map becoming blurry through her tears.
She could easily see it in her mind, Ron's arms wrapped around Lavender, snogging her in a way that he'd never snogged Hermione.
Her heart breaking, Hermione tapped her wand on the parchment, unable to look anymore.
"Mischief managed."