Just Friends
a fanfic by She's a Star
Disclaimer: Everything you recognize belongs to J.K. Rowling.
The rain fell in huge, threatening drops. It shimmied down the thick glass window, the drops dancing and mingling with one another before disappearing from sight. Hermione Granger shivered, then turned the page in Hogwarts: A History. She felt sorry for her best friend, Harry Potter, who was currently suffering through Quiddich practice in the awful weather.
Instead of continuing to focus on the awful weather outside, Hermione turned her attention to the fireplace that lit and warmed up the common room with its cheery glow. The flames flickered, a cheerful shade of bright orange. Sitting in front of the fire were Ron, Fred, George, and Ginny Weasley. They were all chattering loudly. Hermione slipped a bookmark into her book and listened.
"In ten years, we're going to be some of the most successful men in the joke shop business," Fred declared, "Weasley's Wizard Wheezes will be in full swing."
"You two KNOW Mum won't want you to do that," Ginny protested, twirling a strand of bright red hair around her finger, "She wants you to go into the Ministry like Percy and Dad."
"I'm doing NOTHING that involves being that close to Percy," George said in mock disgust.
"Oh, you two," Ginny sighed, exasperated.
"We're opening a joke shop, and that's that!" George said firmly, "So, Ginny...where are you going to be in ten years?"
"Oh, I don't know," Ginny said shyly, her cheeks flushing red, "Married, I suppose."
"And could this marriage be to a certain black haired, green eyed friend of mine?" Ron asked slyly, obviously enjoying the pressure he was putting on his sister.
"Shut up," Ginny said, staring intently at her fingers.
"Oh, don't try to keep it secret, Ginny," Fred said, "We ALL know you like Harry...it's ridiculously obvious. Mrs. Ginny Potter-"
"Well what about you?" Ginny asked, attempting to change the subject, "You like Angelina!"
"So?" Fred asked, unaffected.
Ginny gave him an incredibly frustrated stare, then turned to Ron, "Well, Ron, we ALL know where you'll be in ten years."
George and Fred both smiled evilly.
"But of course," George said, grinning broadly, "After all, his life wouldn't be the same without a certain house-elf loving teacher's pet in it."
"Shut up!" Ron said crossly, the tips of his ears turning crimson.
Hermione quickly flipped open Hogwarts: A History and pretended to read. She felt the Weasleys' eyes on her.
"Oh, you KNOW you're going to end up with her, Ron," Ginny said in a know-it-all voice, "You two really like each other, it's so obvious."
"She doesn't like me," Ron said, sounding almost disappointed. Then, he seemed to realize what he'd said, and quickly added, "And I don't like her."
"She really likes you, Ron," Ginny said in a more kind voice, "You should-"
"She doesn't like me!" Ron repeated, this time with a little more force in his voice.
Hermione blushed, feeling for a second like he was lying.
No! she told herself, Ron's completely right! I don't like him!
"She likes Viktor Krum!" Ron continued.
That wasn't necessarily correct, but Hermione didn't want to jump into the conversation and tell them so, or else they'd know she'd been listening. She DID like Viktor, but only as a friend. Before he'd left at the end of the Triwizard Tournament, she'd told him that she only wanted to be friends, since they lived so far away from each other.
"Oh, honestly, you don't think she's actually serious about that?!" Ginny exclaimed. "She and Viktor would never work out-he's four years older than her, for Heaven's sake!" She paused. "And I just so happen to know that she doesn't like him like that."
"How do you know?" Ron asked curiously.
"Like I'm going to tell you," Ginny said sarcastically.
Ron looked like he was ready to prod further, but then he eyed his older brothers, whose eyes sported a mischievous sparkle. "Well, I don't care, anyway," he finally said.
Fred and George exchanged an amused look that clearly stated that they didn't believe him.
George deepened his voice considerably to proclaim: "And the winner of this year's Most Pathetic, Unbelievable Excuse Award goes to Mr. Ronald Weasley! Give him a hand, ladies and gents!"
Ginny and Fred burst into enthusiastic applause, and Hermione had to hold back a giggle as she watched Ron's ears turn bright red in a mixture of anger and embarrassment.
"Shut UP, all of you!" he ordered. "She's right THERE, for God's sake...you wouldn't want her to hear these things and actually think they were true or anything!"
"Oh, because they SO aren't," Fred said dryly.
"Exactly!" Ron cried. "Why don't you believe me?"
"C'mon, Ron, wake up!" George exclaimed. "You would puke up slugs, just for some random friend?"
"YES!" Ron said in exasperation. "Harry would have done the same!"
"Sure, sure," Fred said sarcastically. "I REALLY believe that."
"And Ron, you were talking about her this ENTIRE summer!" Ginny added. "'Oh, I wonder if Hermione is having fun with Vicky', 'I wonder if she's broken the world record for how many times Hogwarts: A History's been read', 'Why hasn't she owled me in three whole days? Probably too busy snogging with Vicky!' We were forced to listen to that ALL summer!"
Hermione glared at Ron-how dare she say those untrue things about her and Viktor? She hadn't even gone to visit him in Bulgaria, though she hadn't bothered to tell Ron about that. Her father would have had an absolute fit if she'd gone to stay with an eighteen year old boy over the summer.
"Those aren't exactly compliments," Ron said bitterly, putting Hermione's thoughts into words.
"Awww, but you're not exactly normal," George said with an overly-sweet grin. "That's just your highly twisted way of saying I love you."
Just then, Ron looked up to catch Hermione staring at them. Her eyes quickly darted back to her book, but Ron still clearly saw that she'd been watching.
"Oh, bloody fabulous, you lot," Ron hissed angrily. "She's been listening!"
"Well," Ginny said in a teasing tone. "If you're not going to tell her how you feel, we'll have to do it for you!"
"If you guys don't shut up about this right now, I'm leaving!" Ron snapped. "I mean it!"
"Yeah, that's a brilliant idea," Fred said mischievously. "Hermione looks awfully lonely over there all by herself, with just that book to keep her company."
"Why don't you go cuddle by the fire with her?" George suggested. "It would be SO romantic!"
Hermione's grasp tightened around Hogwarts: A History, and it took all her self restraint not to throw it right at George's head.
"That's it!" Ron declared, his eyes flashing in anger. "I've had it with you, all of you!" And he turned around and marched into the boys dormitory, muttering obscenities about annoying siblings.
The Weasleys all watched Ron disappear into the dormitory, and Hermione quickly looked back down at Hogwarts: A History before they could catch her watching. Sure enough, she felt their eyes on her.
"Say, Hermione," George said. "Were you listening back there?"
"A bit," Hermione admitted crisply. "And I'd like to say that you're all completely mad-Ron and I are just friends!"
"'Next time there's a ball, ask me before someone else does, and not as a last resort!'" Fred exclaimed in a ridiculously high, shrill tone.
"Translation: I want to go to the ball with you!" George said with a wink. "Go, Hermione."
"Shut up," Hermione felt her cheeks reddening, and she couldn't help but wish Ron was in here with her to help back her up. "I was merely saying that if he wants to go with me AS A FRIEND, then he should ask me next time before someone else like Viktor comes along."
"Say," George said, his attention turning to Fred and Ginny. "The Yule Ball is in a few weeks-who do you plan on going with?"
"Angelina," Fred said promptly. "And I KNOW that our little Ginny here is simply DYING to go with Harry-"
"Hush up," Ginny said, blushing.
"-so the true question is, will Ron come to his senses, swallow his pride, and ask Hermione to the ball?" Fred finished with flourish.
"Be quiet about that, will you?" Hermione asked, feeling irritated. "Ron and I are just friends, and the sooner you process that information, the better."
George nodded his head, looking entirely unconvinced. "Just friends?"
"Just friends," Hermione confirmed.
~*~
"Have fun at Quiddich practice?" Ron asked Harry as soon as he trampled into the boys' dormitory, soaking wet and sporting a look of extreme exhaustion.
"I swear," Harry proclaimed, dropping his Firebolt onto his bed. "Angelina is going to kill us-she's taking captain so seriously! I'm surprised that she even let Fred and George skip practices to catch up on homework." He ran a hand through his soaking wet black hair. "So, did they get much done?"
"No," Ron said bitterly. "Nothing at all-the only thing they did was make fun of me. They reckon I like Hermione." He gave a short laugh. "How crazy is that?"
"It's not THAT crazy," Harry said.
"What do you mean?" Ron asked quickly, feeling annoyed. Why was everyone convinced that he and Hermione were madly in love with one another???
"Well...you do sort of act like it," Harry said delicately, looking as though he was expecting to be punched at any reason after giving the statement.
"What do you mean, I act like it?" Ron asked, glaring at him. Now Harry was another supporter of he and Hermione's 'relationship'! It was completely mad!
"I dunno..." Harry said, sinking down onto his four poster. "You just were all jealous when she went to the ball with Krum last year, and-"
"I was NOT jealous of her and Krum," Ron interrupted. "I was mad because she was fraternizing with the enemy."
"Oh, okay," Harry said, sounding entirely unconvinced. "And anyway, you two just act...couple-like."
"What do you mean, couple-like?" Ron asked dangerously. All this talk about he and Hermione was REALLY starting to annoy him. He only liked her as a friend. Really. He was sure that Harry found her just as pretty and fun to be around and intelligent as he did. That was just who Hermione was.
"Just...the way you two bicker and things," Harry said simply. "You just...I don't know, sound like a married couple."
"A married couple??!! That's mad!" Ron declared wrathfully. "We're just FRIENDS! Just like you and I and you and her!"
"Whatever you say," Harry said with a shrug.
"Whatever you say??!!"
"Don't get mad or anything," Harry said quickly. "I just gave you my opinion. You asked."
"I did not ASK you anything!" Ron exclaimed.
"You asked 'how insane is that?' and I answered," Harry said simply. "Now I'm going down to the Great Hall for dinner, you coming?"
"I suppose," Ron said with a sigh.
Harry was lucky. If he wasn't his best friend, Ron wouldn't even be speaking to him.
~*~
What is WRONG with him? Hermione thought uneasily when she looked up from her mashed potatoes to find Ron staring at her. As soon as she looked up, he quickly looked away and busied himself by shoving as many slices of pork chop as he could into his mouth.
What Fred, George, and Ginny were saying couldn't be true, could it?
She sighed, then looked back down at her food. After a few seconds, she looked up again.
There was Ron, staring at her!
After a few more times of looking down and then looking back up to find Ron's eyes on her, Hermione finally got fed up.
"What is it?" she asked.
"Huh?" Ron said dumbly.
"What is it?" she repeated, annoyed. "Why do you keep looking at me? Do I have something on my face or something?"
"Oh...no," Ron said, his ears reddening. He quickly looked back down at his food.
"All right..." Hermione said, not bothering to keep the puzzled note out of her voice.
After a rather awkward and seemingly longer than usual dinner, the three of them headed back up to Gryffindor tower.
"So, do you guys want to have a game of wizard chess or something?" Harry suggested hopefully. Hermione thought that the uneasiness was bugging him almost as much as it was her.
"Sure," Hermione agreed.
"All right," Ron said. "Who should play first?"
"How about you, Hermione?" Harry asked. "I've got to finish up the Transfiguration essay really quickly-if I don't finish it by tomorrow, I'll have to hand it in after the Christmas holidays."
"Okay," Hermione said in what she hoped sounded like a nonchalant tone. "So, let's set up a game, shall we?" she suggested to Ron.
"All right," Ron agreed. "I'll go get my chessmen."
Hermione got hers as well, and within five minutes they had the board set up and were just starting the game. She was surprised when she easily took one of Ron's knights with a pawn-when they played, she usually got only his pawns, never any important pieces!
Ten minutes later, Hermione was almost speechless in shock when she took Ron's king.
"Checkmate!" she chirped. "It's the first time I've ever beaten you, Ron...what's going on?"
"Oh," Ron said, his voice sounding far away. "Sorry. My mind is just...somewhere else."
"That's for sure," Hermione muttered under her breath.
"Well...I'm going to go up to bed," Ron announced. "Good night, Hermione. See you in a bit, Harry."
"Good night," Hermione replied.
"I'm tired, too," Harry said with a yawn. "I'm completely exhausted after Quiddich practice, and I've just finished my essay. Good night, Hermione."
"'Night," Hermione said. She watched the two of them walk towards and then into the boys' dormitory, talking in hushed voices to each other the entire time.
What was going on? Why was Ron acting so strangely?
She remembered Fred's imitation of her earlier. Her own words flew through her head.
"Next time there's a ball, ask me before someone else does, and not as a last resort!"
Could Ron be actually taking her advice???
~*~
If I asked her to the ball, it wouldn't mean that I liked her or anything, Ron thought to himself as he shifted in bed for what seemed like the millionth time. For some reason, he just couldn't fall asleep that night.
I wonder what Hermione would think if I asked her. What if she gets mad? What if-
His thoughts were interrupted by the creaking of the dormitory door as it swung slowly open.
"Who's there?" Ron asked shakily. It couldn't be anything dangerous. Nothing to do with You-Know-Who. He couldn't get into Hogwarts....could he?
A throaty meow eased Ron's fears, and he turned and looked to see Crookshanks preparing to pounce onto his bed.
"No you don't, you," Ron said, not bothering to turn his tone harsh. It wasn't as though anyone was around to hear him, and Crookshanks wasn't so bad....
With some difficulty, he scooped him up off of the floor.
"What does Hermione feed you?" he muttered, standing up and walking out of the dormitory to put him back into the common room. He slipped through the already-open door and prepared to set Crookshanks down on the floor when he noticed that someone was sitting on the couch. A familiar, bushy haired someone.
"Hermione?" Ron said tentatively. At the sound of his voice, she jumped and when she turned around to see him, her hand was on her heart.
"Oh, Ron," she said with a relieved sigh. "You scared me..."
"Sorry," Ron said, walking over to her and setting Crookshanks in her lap. "Why are you up?"
"I just went to bed and realized I wasn't tired, so I came out here to do a bit of reading," she held up a book for Ron to see. In bold red letters, the cover proclaimed Powerful Witches Throughout Magical History.
"Fascinating," Ron said with a smile.
"It is!" Hermione insisted. "Honestly, Ron, The Adventures of Martin Miggs, The Mad Muggle isn't the only acceptable reading material."
"So I should read some feminism book?" Ron wrinkled his nose. "No thanks."
"It ISN'T just 'some feminism book', Ron," Hermione said in her matter-of-fact voice. "It's a very detailed, informative book chronicling the lives of some of magic's most important female figures-"
"Yada, yada, yada," Ron cut in. "Honestly, Hermione, your description is more informative than the summary on the back of the book."
"You think so?" Hermione said in a flattered tone.
"I do," Ron replied solemnly. After a few seconds of silence, they burst into laughter.
"Oh, thank you, Ron," Hermione said through giggles. "Your opinion means the world to me."
"YOU mean the world to me," Ron retorted jokingly, then felt like cursing himself. Where had that come from???
Hermione stopped laughing at once, and studied him intently.
"Er...sorry," Ron said, wishing his ears weren't as red as he was sure they were. "I was just joking."
"I know," Hermione said, yet she didn't stop looking at him.
"Hermione, why are you looking at me like that?" Ron asked.
"Oh," Hermione seemed to snap back to her senses. "I was just wondering....wondering...."
"Wondering...?"
"Why so many people seem to think we should be a couple," Hermione finished, her cheeks flushing a little. "I mean, we fight all the time, even as friends we don't get along very well. Our personalities clash horribly-"
"But opposites attract," Ron reminded her, then wondered why he had done so. It wasn't as though he wanted them to be anything more than friends...
"Yes, that's true," Hermione said thoughtfully. "Still, I don't see why people think we're supposed to be soulmates or something-we don't walk around proclaiming our undying love for each other, do we?"
"No," Ron said with a shrug. "Oh well...let them think what they want to think."
"Yes," Hermione said softly.
"We're just friends and all," Ron added firmly, feeling as though that needed to be said.
"Just friends," Hermione echoed quietly. They sat in silence for a moment, and then Hermione rose with Crookshanks in her arms. "I think I'll go to bed now, good night, Ron."
"Good night," Ron responded, then watched her walk into the girls dormitory, murmuring soothingly to Crookshanks.
For a split second, he found himself loathing the term "just friends" with a passion. Was that all they would ever be?
You have to stop thinking about this, he told himself, It'll drive you mad.
And with that thought in mind, he stood up and went back to bed.
THE END
A/N: Thanks for reading...I'm not sure if I should leave this here or continue it. Oh well...I may do a sequel or something. Thanks again for reading-now review, please!
a fanfic by She's a Star
Disclaimer: Everything you recognize belongs to J.K. Rowling.
The rain fell in huge, threatening drops. It shimmied down the thick glass window, the drops dancing and mingling with one another before disappearing from sight. Hermione Granger shivered, then turned the page in Hogwarts: A History. She felt sorry for her best friend, Harry Potter, who was currently suffering through Quiddich practice in the awful weather.
Instead of continuing to focus on the awful weather outside, Hermione turned her attention to the fireplace that lit and warmed up the common room with its cheery glow. The flames flickered, a cheerful shade of bright orange. Sitting in front of the fire were Ron, Fred, George, and Ginny Weasley. They were all chattering loudly. Hermione slipped a bookmark into her book and listened.
"In ten years, we're going to be some of the most successful men in the joke shop business," Fred declared, "Weasley's Wizard Wheezes will be in full swing."
"You two KNOW Mum won't want you to do that," Ginny protested, twirling a strand of bright red hair around her finger, "She wants you to go into the Ministry like Percy and Dad."
"I'm doing NOTHING that involves being that close to Percy," George said in mock disgust.
"Oh, you two," Ginny sighed, exasperated.
"We're opening a joke shop, and that's that!" George said firmly, "So, Ginny...where are you going to be in ten years?"
"Oh, I don't know," Ginny said shyly, her cheeks flushing red, "Married, I suppose."
"And could this marriage be to a certain black haired, green eyed friend of mine?" Ron asked slyly, obviously enjoying the pressure he was putting on his sister.
"Shut up," Ginny said, staring intently at her fingers.
"Oh, don't try to keep it secret, Ginny," Fred said, "We ALL know you like Harry...it's ridiculously obvious. Mrs. Ginny Potter-"
"Well what about you?" Ginny asked, attempting to change the subject, "You like Angelina!"
"So?" Fred asked, unaffected.
Ginny gave him an incredibly frustrated stare, then turned to Ron, "Well, Ron, we ALL know where you'll be in ten years."
George and Fred both smiled evilly.
"But of course," George said, grinning broadly, "After all, his life wouldn't be the same without a certain house-elf loving teacher's pet in it."
"Shut up!" Ron said crossly, the tips of his ears turning crimson.
Hermione quickly flipped open Hogwarts: A History and pretended to read. She felt the Weasleys' eyes on her.
"Oh, you KNOW you're going to end up with her, Ron," Ginny said in a know-it-all voice, "You two really like each other, it's so obvious."
"She doesn't like me," Ron said, sounding almost disappointed. Then, he seemed to realize what he'd said, and quickly added, "And I don't like her."
"She really likes you, Ron," Ginny said in a more kind voice, "You should-"
"She doesn't like me!" Ron repeated, this time with a little more force in his voice.
Hermione blushed, feeling for a second like he was lying.
No! she told herself, Ron's completely right! I don't like him!
"She likes Viktor Krum!" Ron continued.
That wasn't necessarily correct, but Hermione didn't want to jump into the conversation and tell them so, or else they'd know she'd been listening. She DID like Viktor, but only as a friend. Before he'd left at the end of the Triwizard Tournament, she'd told him that she only wanted to be friends, since they lived so far away from each other.
"Oh, honestly, you don't think she's actually serious about that?!" Ginny exclaimed. "She and Viktor would never work out-he's four years older than her, for Heaven's sake!" She paused. "And I just so happen to know that she doesn't like him like that."
"How do you know?" Ron asked curiously.
"Like I'm going to tell you," Ginny said sarcastically.
Ron looked like he was ready to prod further, but then he eyed his older brothers, whose eyes sported a mischievous sparkle. "Well, I don't care, anyway," he finally said.
Fred and George exchanged an amused look that clearly stated that they didn't believe him.
George deepened his voice considerably to proclaim: "And the winner of this year's Most Pathetic, Unbelievable Excuse Award goes to Mr. Ronald Weasley! Give him a hand, ladies and gents!"
Ginny and Fred burst into enthusiastic applause, and Hermione had to hold back a giggle as she watched Ron's ears turn bright red in a mixture of anger and embarrassment.
"Shut UP, all of you!" he ordered. "She's right THERE, for God's sake...you wouldn't want her to hear these things and actually think they were true or anything!"
"Oh, because they SO aren't," Fred said dryly.
"Exactly!" Ron cried. "Why don't you believe me?"
"C'mon, Ron, wake up!" George exclaimed. "You would puke up slugs, just for some random friend?"
"YES!" Ron said in exasperation. "Harry would have done the same!"
"Sure, sure," Fred said sarcastically. "I REALLY believe that."
"And Ron, you were talking about her this ENTIRE summer!" Ginny added. "'Oh, I wonder if Hermione is having fun with Vicky', 'I wonder if she's broken the world record for how many times Hogwarts: A History's been read', 'Why hasn't she owled me in three whole days? Probably too busy snogging with Vicky!' We were forced to listen to that ALL summer!"
Hermione glared at Ron-how dare she say those untrue things about her and Viktor? She hadn't even gone to visit him in Bulgaria, though she hadn't bothered to tell Ron about that. Her father would have had an absolute fit if she'd gone to stay with an eighteen year old boy over the summer.
"Those aren't exactly compliments," Ron said bitterly, putting Hermione's thoughts into words.
"Awww, but you're not exactly normal," George said with an overly-sweet grin. "That's just your highly twisted way of saying I love you."
Just then, Ron looked up to catch Hermione staring at them. Her eyes quickly darted back to her book, but Ron still clearly saw that she'd been watching.
"Oh, bloody fabulous, you lot," Ron hissed angrily. "She's been listening!"
"Well," Ginny said in a teasing tone. "If you're not going to tell her how you feel, we'll have to do it for you!"
"If you guys don't shut up about this right now, I'm leaving!" Ron snapped. "I mean it!"
"Yeah, that's a brilliant idea," Fred said mischievously. "Hermione looks awfully lonely over there all by herself, with just that book to keep her company."
"Why don't you go cuddle by the fire with her?" George suggested. "It would be SO romantic!"
Hermione's grasp tightened around Hogwarts: A History, and it took all her self restraint not to throw it right at George's head.
"That's it!" Ron declared, his eyes flashing in anger. "I've had it with you, all of you!" And he turned around and marched into the boys dormitory, muttering obscenities about annoying siblings.
The Weasleys all watched Ron disappear into the dormitory, and Hermione quickly looked back down at Hogwarts: A History before they could catch her watching. Sure enough, she felt their eyes on her.
"Say, Hermione," George said. "Were you listening back there?"
"A bit," Hermione admitted crisply. "And I'd like to say that you're all completely mad-Ron and I are just friends!"
"'Next time there's a ball, ask me before someone else does, and not as a last resort!'" Fred exclaimed in a ridiculously high, shrill tone.
"Translation: I want to go to the ball with you!" George said with a wink. "Go, Hermione."
"Shut up," Hermione felt her cheeks reddening, and she couldn't help but wish Ron was in here with her to help back her up. "I was merely saying that if he wants to go with me AS A FRIEND, then he should ask me next time before someone else like Viktor comes along."
"Say," George said, his attention turning to Fred and Ginny. "The Yule Ball is in a few weeks-who do you plan on going with?"
"Angelina," Fred said promptly. "And I KNOW that our little Ginny here is simply DYING to go with Harry-"
"Hush up," Ginny said, blushing.
"-so the true question is, will Ron come to his senses, swallow his pride, and ask Hermione to the ball?" Fred finished with flourish.
"Be quiet about that, will you?" Hermione asked, feeling irritated. "Ron and I are just friends, and the sooner you process that information, the better."
George nodded his head, looking entirely unconvinced. "Just friends?"
"Just friends," Hermione confirmed.
~*~
"Have fun at Quiddich practice?" Ron asked Harry as soon as he trampled into the boys' dormitory, soaking wet and sporting a look of extreme exhaustion.
"I swear," Harry proclaimed, dropping his Firebolt onto his bed. "Angelina is going to kill us-she's taking captain so seriously! I'm surprised that she even let Fred and George skip practices to catch up on homework." He ran a hand through his soaking wet black hair. "So, did they get much done?"
"No," Ron said bitterly. "Nothing at all-the only thing they did was make fun of me. They reckon I like Hermione." He gave a short laugh. "How crazy is that?"
"It's not THAT crazy," Harry said.
"What do you mean?" Ron asked quickly, feeling annoyed. Why was everyone convinced that he and Hermione were madly in love with one another???
"Well...you do sort of act like it," Harry said delicately, looking as though he was expecting to be punched at any reason after giving the statement.
"What do you mean, I act like it?" Ron asked, glaring at him. Now Harry was another supporter of he and Hermione's 'relationship'! It was completely mad!
"I dunno..." Harry said, sinking down onto his four poster. "You just were all jealous when she went to the ball with Krum last year, and-"
"I was NOT jealous of her and Krum," Ron interrupted. "I was mad because she was fraternizing with the enemy."
"Oh, okay," Harry said, sounding entirely unconvinced. "And anyway, you two just act...couple-like."
"What do you mean, couple-like?" Ron asked dangerously. All this talk about he and Hermione was REALLY starting to annoy him. He only liked her as a friend. Really. He was sure that Harry found her just as pretty and fun to be around and intelligent as he did. That was just who Hermione was.
"Just...the way you two bicker and things," Harry said simply. "You just...I don't know, sound like a married couple."
"A married couple??!! That's mad!" Ron declared wrathfully. "We're just FRIENDS! Just like you and I and you and her!"
"Whatever you say," Harry said with a shrug.
"Whatever you say??!!"
"Don't get mad or anything," Harry said quickly. "I just gave you my opinion. You asked."
"I did not ASK you anything!" Ron exclaimed.
"You asked 'how insane is that?' and I answered," Harry said simply. "Now I'm going down to the Great Hall for dinner, you coming?"
"I suppose," Ron said with a sigh.
Harry was lucky. If he wasn't his best friend, Ron wouldn't even be speaking to him.
~*~
What is WRONG with him? Hermione thought uneasily when she looked up from her mashed potatoes to find Ron staring at her. As soon as she looked up, he quickly looked away and busied himself by shoving as many slices of pork chop as he could into his mouth.
What Fred, George, and Ginny were saying couldn't be true, could it?
She sighed, then looked back down at her food. After a few seconds, she looked up again.
There was Ron, staring at her!
After a few more times of looking down and then looking back up to find Ron's eyes on her, Hermione finally got fed up.
"What is it?" she asked.
"Huh?" Ron said dumbly.
"What is it?" she repeated, annoyed. "Why do you keep looking at me? Do I have something on my face or something?"
"Oh...no," Ron said, his ears reddening. He quickly looked back down at his food.
"All right..." Hermione said, not bothering to keep the puzzled note out of her voice.
After a rather awkward and seemingly longer than usual dinner, the three of them headed back up to Gryffindor tower.
"So, do you guys want to have a game of wizard chess or something?" Harry suggested hopefully. Hermione thought that the uneasiness was bugging him almost as much as it was her.
"Sure," Hermione agreed.
"All right," Ron said. "Who should play first?"
"How about you, Hermione?" Harry asked. "I've got to finish up the Transfiguration essay really quickly-if I don't finish it by tomorrow, I'll have to hand it in after the Christmas holidays."
"Okay," Hermione said in what she hoped sounded like a nonchalant tone. "So, let's set up a game, shall we?" she suggested to Ron.
"All right," Ron agreed. "I'll go get my chessmen."
Hermione got hers as well, and within five minutes they had the board set up and were just starting the game. She was surprised when she easily took one of Ron's knights with a pawn-when they played, she usually got only his pawns, never any important pieces!
Ten minutes later, Hermione was almost speechless in shock when she took Ron's king.
"Checkmate!" she chirped. "It's the first time I've ever beaten you, Ron...what's going on?"
"Oh," Ron said, his voice sounding far away. "Sorry. My mind is just...somewhere else."
"That's for sure," Hermione muttered under her breath.
"Well...I'm going to go up to bed," Ron announced. "Good night, Hermione. See you in a bit, Harry."
"Good night," Hermione replied.
"I'm tired, too," Harry said with a yawn. "I'm completely exhausted after Quiddich practice, and I've just finished my essay. Good night, Hermione."
"'Night," Hermione said. She watched the two of them walk towards and then into the boys' dormitory, talking in hushed voices to each other the entire time.
What was going on? Why was Ron acting so strangely?
She remembered Fred's imitation of her earlier. Her own words flew through her head.
"Next time there's a ball, ask me before someone else does, and not as a last resort!"
Could Ron be actually taking her advice???
~*~
If I asked her to the ball, it wouldn't mean that I liked her or anything, Ron thought to himself as he shifted in bed for what seemed like the millionth time. For some reason, he just couldn't fall asleep that night.
I wonder what Hermione would think if I asked her. What if she gets mad? What if-
His thoughts were interrupted by the creaking of the dormitory door as it swung slowly open.
"Who's there?" Ron asked shakily. It couldn't be anything dangerous. Nothing to do with You-Know-Who. He couldn't get into Hogwarts....could he?
A throaty meow eased Ron's fears, and he turned and looked to see Crookshanks preparing to pounce onto his bed.
"No you don't, you," Ron said, not bothering to turn his tone harsh. It wasn't as though anyone was around to hear him, and Crookshanks wasn't so bad....
With some difficulty, he scooped him up off of the floor.
"What does Hermione feed you?" he muttered, standing up and walking out of the dormitory to put him back into the common room. He slipped through the already-open door and prepared to set Crookshanks down on the floor when he noticed that someone was sitting on the couch. A familiar, bushy haired someone.
"Hermione?" Ron said tentatively. At the sound of his voice, she jumped and when she turned around to see him, her hand was on her heart.
"Oh, Ron," she said with a relieved sigh. "You scared me..."
"Sorry," Ron said, walking over to her and setting Crookshanks in her lap. "Why are you up?"
"I just went to bed and realized I wasn't tired, so I came out here to do a bit of reading," she held up a book for Ron to see. In bold red letters, the cover proclaimed Powerful Witches Throughout Magical History.
"Fascinating," Ron said with a smile.
"It is!" Hermione insisted. "Honestly, Ron, The Adventures of Martin Miggs, The Mad Muggle isn't the only acceptable reading material."
"So I should read some feminism book?" Ron wrinkled his nose. "No thanks."
"It ISN'T just 'some feminism book', Ron," Hermione said in her matter-of-fact voice. "It's a very detailed, informative book chronicling the lives of some of magic's most important female figures-"
"Yada, yada, yada," Ron cut in. "Honestly, Hermione, your description is more informative than the summary on the back of the book."
"You think so?" Hermione said in a flattered tone.
"I do," Ron replied solemnly. After a few seconds of silence, they burst into laughter.
"Oh, thank you, Ron," Hermione said through giggles. "Your opinion means the world to me."
"YOU mean the world to me," Ron retorted jokingly, then felt like cursing himself. Where had that come from???
Hermione stopped laughing at once, and studied him intently.
"Er...sorry," Ron said, wishing his ears weren't as red as he was sure they were. "I was just joking."
"I know," Hermione said, yet she didn't stop looking at him.
"Hermione, why are you looking at me like that?" Ron asked.
"Oh," Hermione seemed to snap back to her senses. "I was just wondering....wondering...."
"Wondering...?"
"Why so many people seem to think we should be a couple," Hermione finished, her cheeks flushing a little. "I mean, we fight all the time, even as friends we don't get along very well. Our personalities clash horribly-"
"But opposites attract," Ron reminded her, then wondered why he had done so. It wasn't as though he wanted them to be anything more than friends...
"Yes, that's true," Hermione said thoughtfully. "Still, I don't see why people think we're supposed to be soulmates or something-we don't walk around proclaiming our undying love for each other, do we?"
"No," Ron said with a shrug. "Oh well...let them think what they want to think."
"Yes," Hermione said softly.
"We're just friends and all," Ron added firmly, feeling as though that needed to be said.
"Just friends," Hermione echoed quietly. They sat in silence for a moment, and then Hermione rose with Crookshanks in her arms. "I think I'll go to bed now, good night, Ron."
"Good night," Ron responded, then watched her walk into the girls dormitory, murmuring soothingly to Crookshanks.
For a split second, he found himself loathing the term "just friends" with a passion. Was that all they would ever be?
You have to stop thinking about this, he told himself, It'll drive you mad.
And with that thought in mind, he stood up and went back to bed.
THE END
A/N: Thanks for reading...I'm not sure if I should leave this here or continue it. Oh well...I may do a sequel or something. Thanks again for reading-now review, please!