Love Complications (Part 3)
By Firenze
A/N: This is the follow-up series to "Enchanted." I suggest you read the aforementioned trilogy and the first two parts of this series so you know what's going on. In this, Ron is acting incredibly weird, and Hermione is really confused and worried. She also has some strange visions.
Disclaimer: Anything you have seen in the Harry Potter books obviously isn't mine (which is about everything). Everything is property of J.K. Rowling. If you seriously thought I had made up these characters and things or that I actually am J.K. Rowling, you should go check a psychologist and see if you're mentally stable.
* * *
"Strange Behavior"
Hermione pored through the thick volume and turned another page, deeply absorbed in it's contents. The library was quiet and tranquil, and it was the perfect place for studying. After all, it was only a matter of weeks before the big O.W.L.s. She just couldn't take her eyes off the page – or so it seemed.
She smiled to herself, realizing how much she fooled people in thinking she was so incredibly serious with her studies all the time. In reality, she was dreaming once again of Harry, as she usually did. But this time, she was trying to think of him as her boyfriend, not her best friend who had no feelings for her, like she used to. No matter how many times she reminded herself, she still couldn't imagine that they were actually going out.
"Hey, Hermione," someone said.
"Hello, Ron," she said, not even needing to look up to realize it was him. She could just tell, the way she could sense Harry from a mile away.
"You busy?" he asked, obviously trying to start some small talk.
"Yes, very," she lied easily.
"What are you doing?"
"Studying," she replied indifferently, even though it was also a lie.
"Where's Harry?" he tried again.
"Quidditch practice," Hermione answered shortly, trying to concentrate.
"Why aren't you watching him?" he questioned.
"I'm said I'm busy. Harry will understand."
"Want to do something later on? We could visit Hagrid," he suggested cheerfully.
She didn't even look up yet. "Sure. Later."
He desperately wanted to talk to her right now. What would make her listen to him? "Hermione, I'm gay."
She wasn't startled or shocked. She continued to read. "That's nice."
He sighed impatiently. "I'm in love with Draco Malfoy, and he proposed to me yesterday."
"That's great," she commented uninterestedly.
What else could he try? It was his last chance… "I broke up with Lavender."
"What?!" she shrieked, her attention finally gotten. She threw the book aside. "What? Why? Why?!"
"We weren't right for each other," he replied.
"What do you mean? You two are absolutely perfect!"
"Yeah? In whose opinion?" he asked menacingly. "I know you and Harry made her ask me out, but the question is, why?"
She sighed. "Because, Ron, you seemed so left out. We wanted to find you someone, and Lavender just fit." She had no idea how many times she had just lied to Ron in the past minute, but it seemed to get easier every time.
"I think Harry did it to make sure," Ron said suspiciously.
"To make sure of what?" Hermione asked, her full attention now on him.
"To make sure I was out of the way. So you wouldn't ever fall for me?"
"I would never fall for you!" she cried, not even caring how mean that sounded. She was horrified at the things Ron could think about Harry. "I'm in love with Harry!"
"Oh boy, that potion got you hard," Ron remarked.
"Now what are you talking about?" she asked furiously.
"Hermione, you've been under the influence of a love potion. Harry made it, and I found out. So that's why he convinced you to set Lavender up with me."
"That's a lie!" she cried out furiously. "I love Harry! I've been in love with him for the longest time ever. I even made a complete fool of myself with that whole Entrancement Enchantment mess. I wasn't even under the influence of it, Malfoy didn't even perform it, and I was faking the whole entire time, just for the chance to kiss Harry and show him how I really felt on the inside. You can't tell me Harry put a love potion on me! He would never do that, and you know it! What is your problem?"
Ron was shocked, but maybe it was for a different reason than the truth behind the Entrancement Enchantment fiasco. "Wow, that potion hit you worse than I expected. He put it on you ages ago, Hermione."
"Why would he go through the trouble?" she shrieked. "Even if I didn't like him, it would be bound to happen, because he's just about the most important person in my life, and the most incredible boy I know."
He sighed impatiently. "You just don't get it, do you? That potion's obviously eaten at your memory, too. Before he slipped it into your pumpkin juice one day at breakfast, you had been in love with me!"
Neither of them had expected what came next, but it happened in a flash. A millisecond after the words left his lips, Hermione's hand whipped up, and she slapped him across the face as hard as she could.
She was breathing so hard that her nostrils flared every time she exhaled. "I can't believe you'd say something like that! About Harry! And me! I have no idea what's gotten into you, Ron Weasley, but you better stop it, and I mean now!" She paused to take a few deep breaths, but they were slightly uneven. "The nerve you have! I don't know what you're trying to pull, but you'll never break Harry and I apart!"
With that, she turned on her heel and began to stomp away.
Ron ran in front of her and stopped her in her tracks. He forgave her for the slap as instantaneously as he had received it. "I'm sorry, Hermione," he said. "I have no idea what's gotten into me either. I'm really sorry. Friends?" he asked, extending his hand.
She hesitated, and then shook it. Ron grinned, and after a close examination, she realized that it was a true smile. But she failed to see the deceit and malice glittering in his brown eyes.
* * *
Hermione woke up groggily. Someone was slapping her cheeks. She blinked a few times and sat up.
Winky the house elf was leaning over her. "She's awake!" she squealed, and instantly a bunch of house elves circled around her. She saw that she was lying on the cold, tile floors in the Hogwarts kitchen.
Ron peered down at her. "Are you all right? What's wrong, the butterbeer is too strong for you now?" he joked.
"What happened?" she asked. Ron gave her a hand up, and the moment she touched his hand, she got a sudden, black and white vision of the past.
They were in the library. Ron looked very apologetic. "Look, to show how sorry I really am, what do you say we grab a few butterbeers from the kitchen? We can seal the deal of forgiveness on a drink."
Hermione nodded, and they walked through the corridors to the Hogwarts kitchen. When they got to the painting of a fruit bowl, Ron tickled the pear and they walked inside.
Dobby, Winky, and a bunch of other house elves instantly greeted them.
"Hey, can we have two butterbeers?" Ron asked Dobby.
Dobby was wearing possibly the oddest assortment of garments he had ever worn. He was wearing Ron's shrunken maroon sweater, a navy blue and purple striped tie around his neck, Vernon Dursley's mustard yellow sock, a bright orange sock with lime green spots, his tea cozy on his head, a plaid kilt, and a gauzy, pink scarf around his waist. "Yes," he said quickly, and made to scurry away, but Ron changed his mind.
"You know what?" I'll come with you."
The vision faded away. Hermione's head stung now. "Ouch," she muttered, rubbing her forehead.
"You remind me of Harry," Ron laughed. "Here, take your butterbeer, you never finished all of it." When he handed her the tankard, she got another vision.
Dobby filled up two tankards of butterbeer.
"You know what?" Ron said. "I'm feeling spontaneous. What does butterbeer and chocolate syrup sound like to you?"
"A bad combination, Dobby says, sir," said Dobby. "But if that's what Wheezy wants—" He zoomed away, and with a flash, returned with a bottle of syrup.
"Thanks. Oh, hey, what about cherries?"
Dobby raised an eyebrow, but instantly obeyed.
Ron threw aside the bottle of chocolate syrup, and instead, he pulled out a small vile from his pocket. He unscrewed the cap and poured its contents into a tankard.
Dobby came back. "Here is the cherries you wanted," he said.
"Thanks!" Ron smiled, and took them.
Hermione dropped her tankard. It fell on the floor with a loud, echoing clatter, and butterbeer splashed everywhere. No – it couldn't be true, it couldn't. Visions, premonitions, Divination; you couldn't see the past like that. It was all a figment of her imagination – or was it?
"Is something wrong with the butterbeers?" Winky asked in surprise, while two other house elves mopped up the spill.
But Hermione was staring at Ron with a look of shock, incredulity, and fear. "What did you put in my drink?" she demanded.
"Huh?" he asked in bafflement.
She repeated her question, this time with more force.
"Nothing!" he cried. "Hermione, I didn't do anything, I swear!"
She still eyed him suspiciously. "Ron, I have no idea what your problem is, or what you're trying to hide, but I'm not going to take it anymore." She turned around, and ran out of the kitchen before he could stop her.
* * *
Yep, that's it. In the next one, there's going more jealousy and suspicion and problems (just to show I'm not always some happy-go-lucky, cheesy romance writer [even if I might be], but God knows I'm no angst writer, so watch out). Look out for it soon (as in tomorrow). But for now, review this story!