Could it be...? Chapter Four: Since When do You...
Hermione glanced furtively over the top of her book. There were only
herself and Ron in the common room. Now she could see him about the
'important thing' he just HAD to tell her.
Across the room, Ron put down the letter to the Chudley Cannons that
he'd been writing. They were alone. Good. Now he could find out what
was so important.
But Ron and Hermione were not alone. For Parvati and Lavender were
hidden behind some armchairs in a corner. They'd just had to be there
to see their scheme work out. They were both grinning rapturously.
Ron got up. He walked over to Hermione and, holding up a hand to
silence her, said, "I'd just like to ask you something, Hermione. Since
when do you do your i's with hearts?"
Behind the armchairs, Lavender threw Parvati an awful look.
Hermione frowned at Ron. "Since never," she retorted. "And I'd like to
ask you something, Ron. Since when do you spell my name
H-E-R-M-O-I-I-N-E?"
Behind the armchairs, Parvati looked pointedly at Lavender, who
shrugged apologetically.
"I know how to spell your name," Ron answered. "Maybe- hang on a second,
what IS it you asked me down here for?"
"You asked me!"
"No I didn't."
"Yes you did. I've got the letter in my bag, I'll get it, hang on-"
Hermione started rummaging around in her bag. Parvati and Lavender
looked horrifiedly at each other. They did not want to find out how
this ended. The sneaked up the stairway into the girl's dormitories
without cracking the smallest lip-twitch, let alone giggling.
Ron looked over the letter skeptically. "I didn't write this," he said,
handing it back to Hermione.
Hermione's eyebrows shot up at the speed of light. "Who did then, I'd like
to know?"
"Don't ask me," Ron shot back. "YOU'RE s'posed to be the smart one. You
figure it out, then."
Her eyes travelled up and down the parchement. "Hmmm..." she said.
She knew that she'd seen this handwriting somewhere before. Hermione
put two and two together-
"Lavender wrote this," she said, looking him in the eyes and trying
not to laugh, because she had a hunch why Lavender had written this
letter. "C'mon," she said, gesturing for him to follow as she headed
towards the staircase to the girl's dorms. Ron hovered uncertainly at
the foot of the stairs. "What?" she said to him.
"You girls are always so protective of the girl's dormitories. Are you
sure I can come up there?"
Hermione sighed. "No," she answered. "But come anyway. I have a feeling
this is going to be good." Ron didn't need any more persuading.
Ron followed Hermione to a dorm with a sign saying, 'Fifth Year Girls'.
She marched through the door and ripped the covers off two beds. No
question about their inhabitants.
Parvati and Lavender looked up, aghast, at Hermione and Ron. Before
Hermione could open her mouth, Parvati blurted, "He's a boy!", meaning,
he's not allowed up here. Hermione was sorely tempted to roll her eyes
and say, "No duh," but she knew it would be wasted on their pea-sized
intellects.
"Yeah!" said Lavender pathetically.
Hermione ignored her and said, "We can deal with formalities later.
Now, why did you two send us those letters?"
Parvati said, "How d'you know it was us?" at the same second that
Lavender said, "What letters?" Not exactly the sharpest needles in the
haystack, those two. Eloise Midgen flinched in her sleep and everyone
froze for a second.
"Go on," hissed Hermione, trying to make her voice quiet and malicious
at the same time. "Spit it out!"
"Um-"
"Ah-"
"We'll tell," said Lavender accusingly. "If HE leaves." Parvati nodded
furiously.
Ron shrugged and stepped outside.
Lavender looked pleadingly at Parvati, who began to tell in a small
voice. She confessed to their reading her letter to her mum, to
interrogating Ron and to writing the notes. It took a little while
to wheedle ALL the details out of her, but Hermione managed it.
"Fine," said Hermione crisply. "I'll deal with YOU two tommorrow. I
have to, erm, see Ron." Both the ditzes retreated under their
bedclothes to sob into their pillows. They had never been so
humiliated in their lives.
Hermione stepped outside to where Ron stood, waiting. "Well?" he asked.
"Why'd they send us those dumb notes?"
It suddenly dawned on Hermione how very embarrassing this was going to
be. She blushed and didn't look Ron in the face. "They were, ah, um,
trying to- to fix us up."
"WHAT?" Ron started to laugh. "Why would they want to do that?"
"Beats me." Hermione had already decided not to tell Ron certain parts-
like how she'd referred to him as her 'boy friend' in her letter home
and that the dear old DitsyChicks had asked her what she thought Ron's
best feature was... and she'd TOLD them.
Ron grinned at her. "Well, I like US being just the way WE are.
Don't you agree, Hermione?" He made to give her a sort of punch on the
arm, but she dodged him and answered, "Yes. Yes I do."
"Well, see you then," he called, walking down the stairs.
"Bye."
The matchmaking scheme had failed, in Lavender and Parvati's opinions.
But as each was in their dorm...
"Him and me. Right," smiled Hermione, getting into bed.
"Me and her. Sure," smirked Ron, pulling the bedclothes up a bit.
But as they thought of each other that night, in reflection of the
evening's happenings, there was something in their eyes that had rarely
been seen there before, and certainly not when they thought of each
other. Could it be... love?
***
Well, that's it. The end. Really! That was a putrid ending, I'll say.
If you agree with me and want to tell me in reviews, please be kind. I
have a very fragile ego. Oh, yeah, and I always refer to Parvati and
Lavender as the DitsyChicks. If you do too, don't sue me. I just
thought of it one day and used 'cause I thought it was funny. I use it
to describe most really girly people- my older sister and her friends,
the 'cool group' at school, etc... Look out for more fics by moi.
Check ya!