Love Complications (Part 2)
By Firenze
A/N: This is the follow-up story to "Enchanted." I'd advise that you read that trilogy and the first part of this to fully understand everything. Anyway, in this, Hermione and Harry work to find Ron a girlfriend.
P.S. For all those people who don't want Ron to be all jealous and break up Harry and Hermione, I'm sorry. He's really in a bad mood in this part. Let me just say, for once in my fics, R/H fans should be satisfied for a while later on in this series. Anyway, don't want to spoil the outcome, or scare away H/H fans, because this works for everyone! Unless you're for D/H, C/H, H/G, or something else.
For once, I don't want my fics to be only extremely cheesy H/H fics all the time (though I mostly write those). But romance doesn't work out that way, and you've seen my drama fics, and…well, ouch. So jealousy, revenge, and arguing it is, because my fics need more problems, they can't be so perfect.
Disclaimer: Anything and everything you know is from the Harry Potter books obviously is, and belongs to J.K. Rowling. If you seriously thought I had made these characters up or I AM J.K. Rowling, I'm seriously scared of you. (As you probably are of me anyway, because I'm so weird, as seen in most of my reviews)
* * *
"The Set-Up and the Setback"
Ron scowled for the umpteenth time that Friday, and flumped back against his armchair. It had been a few weeks since he had smiled at all.
"What's wrong?" Seamus asked, he and Dean sitting in the seats next to him in the common room. "It's not like you have a girlfriend who just broke up with you."
He said nothing, but shot an icy glare towards Hermione, who was sitting in Harry's lap. They were whispering to each other and having a private conversation.
Dean followed Ron's furious stare and spotted them just as Harry kissed Hermione's nose and she giggled. Ron clenched his fists. "Oh, I get it. The problem is, he doesn't have a girlfriend, but he wants it to be someone who's already taken."
"What do you mean?" he asked innocently, looking at the two other Gryffindor boys.
"You've got a crush on Hermione," Seamus laughed.
"Are you crazy? I do not have a crush on Hermione," he said firmly and finally.
"I don't think we're the crazy ones," Seamus said, and he walked off again, Dean right behind him.
* * *
"I feel kind of bad," Hermione breathed, as Harry planted kisses on her cheek.
"About what?" he asked, stopping and suddenly sitting up straight.
"Ron," she replied. "Ever since we've gotten together, he's been looking rather—"
"Murderous?" someone finished behind them.
The couple turned around to see Ginny, smiling with amusement. "Oh, you two are so cute!" she squealed happily. "I'm just so sad Ron doesn't agree." She didn't mention that Ron was trying to break them up, but she was going to help them; she was on their side.
"Maybe he needs a girlfriend to keep his mind off us," Harry suggested.
"He has had a horrible lack of a love life, don't you think?" Ginny said thoughtfully. "He seriously does need a girlfriend. But who?"
"Ever since Padma admitted that she didn't like him after the Valentine's Ball and that she just wanted to be friends, he's been sort of down and out with his luck with girls. I say he needs a girlfriend too," Hermione agreed.
"Then it's final. Ron needs a girlfriend, and we're going to find him one and set the two of them up," Harry replied.
Hermione paused, thinking. "I think it should be a Gryffindor girl, preferably in our year. It'll never be me, and it can't be Parvati, because she'd remind him too much of Padma. That only leaves Lavender."
"But she just only broke up with Seamus," Ginny pointed out. "I don't think she'd be much in the mood to be dating already."
"Think again," Harry said, nodding his head towards the corner of the room, where Lavender was flirting with a sixth year boy none of them really knew.
"So then that's decided too," Hermione remarked, "but we just need to find a way to get Lavender to date Ron. I guess I could always ask her."
"So it's settled then," Harry said, crossing his arms. "Operation: Ron Gets a Girlfriend starts now."
* * *
Hermione looked up from her book. It was nighttime and she was in her dorm, lying down in her bed, reading. Finally, Parvati had left the room for a brief moment. "Lavender?" she asked tentatively.
"Yeah?" she asked, uninterested, filing her nails.
"I was wondering…would you ever consider going out with Ron?"
Lavender looked up in surprise. "Ron? As in Ron Weasley?"
Hermione nodded, crossing her fingers under her covers. Lavender was their only hope…
"Well, I suppose so," she said, resuming her nail filing. "He looks all right, and it'll get Seamus steamed…so, of course."
Hermione smiled. "Great! Just one little thing…he doesn't quite know about it yet."
* * *
"Wait a minute, let me get this straight. Hermione asked you to ask me out because she said I like you?" Ron asked, confused.
Lavender nodded. "That's the case – right?"
"Yeah. Just one tiny thing."
"And that is?" she asked curiously.
"I don't like you!" Ron cried. "I have no idea what Hermione's trying to pull, but I want it to stop right now."
She set her jaw determinedly, remembering Hermione and Harry's back-up plan. Guilt. "Aw, please, Ron? It's been so hard ever since Seamus—" She broke off sobbing, burying her face behind her painted nails.
"Look, Lavender, I'm really sorry! Okay, maybe we can go on a date or few, just stop crying!" he said, panicking.
"Oh, thank you!" she cried, throwing her arms around his neck. "Thank you so much!"
Harry grinned and shot a look at Hermione, who smiled back. "Operation: Get Ron a Girlfriend is a success," he said and kissed her.
"Finally, we have peace," she replied, beaming, as Harry leaned in to kiss her again.
"Maybe not. This may not be the library, but there's still no making out publicly at Hogwarts! You're setting a bad example for the younger students – and you two are both prefects!" a stern voice shouted.
"Sorry, Madam Pince," they mumbled and walked away.
"Geez, why is she always there every time we try to kiss?" Harry asked. "Maybe it isn't Ron we should be worrying about."
* * *
Ron checked his watch for the millionth time. How long is Lavender going to spend in that store?
Their date to Hogsmeade was a total failure, even though he had supposed it to be anyway. He had no idea why Harry and Hermione had set Lavender up with him, but it was extremely annoying. He suspected they wanted the chance to just be alone together – without him in the way. Well, Harry and Hermione are going to get a little surprise. I'm not going to sit around and watch them be a couple anymore.
Lavender finally emerged from the store, her arms full of bags. "Oh, Ron, do you think you could hold a few of these?" she asked sweetly, and then shoved all of the bags into his stomach. "Thanks, you're a doll."
He sighed impatiently and dropped all her bags on the ground. "Lavender, I'm sorry, but this really isn't working out."
"Ron, I know you can carry a few bags; don't be so lazy, you're supposed to be gentlemen-like," she snapped.
"It's not that. I mean, this relationship really isn't working out. We shouldn't be together. We just don't click, and we're definitely not the right types for each other. We should do ourselves a favor and break it off before we start fighting.
"You may have a point," she said thoughtfully. "I suppose we should." She sounded rather calm.
"I'm really sorry—" he said.
Lavender cut him off. "No, it's all right."
"I don't want you to be hurt, I know you just broke up with Seamus, and—"
"No, Ron, it's okay. Really," she insisted.
He fished in his pocket. "Look, I feel bad. I need something to give you to sort of compensate for it. Or maybe just so you can remember me." He pulled his hand out of his pocket and found three candy wrappers, a dung bomb, and a silver Sickle. "Well…" He looked around the area they were in, and spotted a beautiful pink flower. He plucked it out of the ground. "Here. I'm sorry."
"Thanks," she said sheepishly, eyeing it. "Well, see you later!"
"All right then. We've broken up," Ron said without any emotion. "I guess I'll be seeing you around." He turned to walk away.
"Oh, Ron! Could you help me with my bags?"
He sighed and turned around to have a whole bunch of shopping bags shoved into his stomach again.
Lavender pocketed the flower and giggled. "Thanks a bunch!" she said cheerfully, beaming.
Ron groaned.
* * *
Okay, that was a stupid part to end. Oh well, read the next one, coming soon to a spot in FF.Net near you! In the meanwhile, tell me what you think of this one (hint, hint: I really love good reviews!).