Breakfast

The boys, Lavender and Parvati came down to the common room shortly after Ron and Hermione 'hit the showers'. Everyone sighed as they sank down into couches or cushioned armchairs.

"How's Hermione?" Harry asked.

"Drowning herself, last I checked," Parvati said. "And Ron?"

"Pretty much the same," Harry sighed. "Think they'll be okay?"

"Well, we'll find out in a second," Fred said, pointing to the girls' staircase. Hermione came down, her black robes hanging loosely on her back, her hat angled oddly on her wet, unbrushed hair. She looked-oddly-cheerful.

"Morning, everyone!" She said brightly to everyone's amazement. "Fun, last night, don't you agree? Shame it ended so early. Shame." She shook her head gently, then she laughed. "Ron's so funny sometimes, isn't he?"

Silence followed, then Harry found his voice, though it was very small. "Hermione, Ron was serious. Lavender used the Honestiluccia charm, remember?"

Hermione gave a small laugh. "Boy, Harry, you're memory sure is fuzzy. Didn't you notice how, er, tipsy, Lavender was? Her charm was hardly accurate. No offense, Lavender." Hermione said matter-of-factly.

Lavender and Parvati exchanged nervous glances. "Hermione, it wasn't a mistake. Ron really does like... you," Lavender said.

Hermione smiled and shook her head "No he doesn't! It was a mistake."

"Hermione, it wasn't-" Harry began

"A mistake, Harry," Hermione said definatly. She looked harshly around the room and addresses everyone. "A mistake."

Silence followed again. Hermione looked at each face with a very hard look in her eyes. "A mistake," she said a final time. With that, she went to the portrait hole. Looking back, she said in the same tone, "See you at breakfast-with Ron."

·~··~··~·

Everything will be fine, Hermione thought. Surely not everyone is a stupid as those guys to actually take Ron seriously. Right? Right. I mean, it was so obvious that the charm didn't work and Ron just made up the funniest answer that popped into his head. Ron? Like me? Ha! He's so funny sometimes. By lunch, this whole thing will blow over and we'll all have a good laugh. It'll be okay. It was just a mistake. A mistake! It will be okay.

Hermione opened the doors to the Great Hall. Almost everyone at the Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw tables looked up when she came in and started exchanging excited whispers. Had news traveled that fast? Hermione could have laughed out loud. They'll do anything just for a bit of gossip. She made her way to a chair at the Gryffindor table across from Ginny Weasley.

"Umm, good morning, Hermione," Ginny said uncertainly. She was present last night in the comon room; she knew about everything.

"Good morning," Hermione responded. Then she leaned forward and whispered to Ginny, "Can you believe how everyone is acting, just because of Ron's little joke?"

Ginny looked stunned. "What?"

"You know, last night, during Truth or Dare.. when Ron said that thing about me?"

"Yeah, but, Hermione... he was under the Honestiluccia charm. I'm not sure what you're thinking of, but... Ron was telling the truth!"

Hermione just smiled. "So you were a bit tipsy last night, too? Didn't catch the joke? Well," Hermione sat back in her chair and sprinkled cinnemon on her oatmeal. "The charm didn't work. Lavender performed it wrong. Ron knew, of course, that he wasn't under any spell, so he made it all up! Not a word of it was true!"

Several Gryffindors were listening.

"Well then why is Ron taking a 2 hour long shower, if not to drown himself from embarrassment?" Wood said to Hermione. (AUTHOR'S NOTE: I know Wood is not at Hogwarts anymore, but I'm running out of characters. Plus, isn't everything better with Wood? Of course it is...)

Hermione paid no attention, but shook her head. "It's not true, everyone! A mistake was made! Just a simple mistake! I know what I'm talking about!" Hermione pounded her fists on the table and bits of oatmeal flew up and into her hair, but she took no notice. "I wish eveyone would just forget it and get on with their lives! Ron doesn't like me and I don't like him! Now CLEAR OFF!!!" She turned a brilliant pink and shouted as if speaking from opposite sides of a football field. Half of Hogwarts was taking notice of her now. After a few deep breaths, she simply cleared her throat and returned to her oatmeal.

·~··~··~·

Meanwhile, in the Gryffindor common room, an arguement broke out.

"You know, Hermione could be right," Neville pleaded. "I mean, she knows her spells. If she thinks Lavender's charm was off, then she's probably right!"

"You're just saying that because you fancy Hermione and don't want Ron to like her, too!" Dean was saying. "Just accept it!"

"Accept it? ACCEPT IT?" Harry yelled. "Ron just admitted he loved Hermione, and you want us all to just accept it? Are you crazy?"

All present stared at Harry. It was so unlike him to yell at his friends like that.

"Well, we won't have to, because Ron does not like Hermione!" Parvati said. Then she sighed. "I hate to admit it, but perfect Hermione is probably right again. Lavender, I think your spell was off."

"It was not!" Lavender said stubbornly

"Yeah it was! It doesn't make any sense otherwise!" Fred responded.

"Her spell was dead right!"

"No way! It was off..."

"It was the Honestiluccia charm!"

"STOP!" George yelled. "Look, everyone. The only way we know for sure if Ron really likes Hermione is if the spell is performed again, all of us sober and accurate. Then we'll see if Hermione is right or is just in denial."

"No," Harry whispered. "We can't do that. As it stands now, we don't know for sure if Ron was telling the truth. He could be, or not. Who knows. Who cares. We'll just pretend it never happened. But if the spell was done again-correctly- and if Ron really does like Hermione, then things will never be the same. If we let it be, we won't know for sure, but that's better than having it set in stone."

Nobody spoke. They all nodded in a silent agreement not to do the spell again.

·~··~··~·

Back in the showers, Ron was lost in thought, a steady stream pouring down his back. His life was over. Completely. He would stay in here forever-no one could make him come out ever again.

Unfortunatly for Ron, the showers, like so many other things at Hogwarts, were bewitched. The jet of warm water stopped suddenly and an old voice said, "Aren't you clean yet? It's been over an hour! Get out! NOW!!!"

Ron stayed put, but the voice sighed. "Fine. If you won't get out, I'll make you!" A fluffy blue towel dropped from the ceiling onto Ron. The nozzel then slapped him in the back and he stumbled out of the stall, cursing and wrapping the towel around himself.

"Stupid Lavender with her stupid spells and stupid wand and stupid game and everything is just stupid, stupid,stupid."

He looked at himself in the mirror. Red hair dripping. Muttering under his breath. His eyes were red, though not just from the steamy water, but from his crying non-stop since he woke up.

He sighed again. "Well, better get this over with. The sooner I go down, the sooner my life ends and I won't be suffering."

·~··~··~·

Ten minutes later, Ron appeared in the common room, still wet, but with an awfully mismatched outfit on and his black robes sagging.

"Ron, how are you this morning?"

"Get a good nights' sleep?"

"I... er... like your sweater. The blue ink stains really bring out your eyes."

Ron heard none of these comments. He stomped to the portrait hole and took a deep breath. As if a soldier going off to battle, he stepped out. He walked bravely across the halls until he reached the big oak doors. With a final deep breath, and a "Please, God, let me make it through my last meal," he opened the doors and walked to the Gryffindor table, sitting as far away from Hermione as possible. Hermione would have gladly sat next to him, but she was too busy humming "I Can See Clearly Now," in a very dazed sort of way and reading her schedule to notice he was there.

The last people Ron wanted to see now, apart from Hermione, strut up to his side as he poured himself some pumpkin juice.

"Are the rumors true Weasley? Are you and that little mudblood really going to spend the rest of your lives together?" mocked a drawling voice nearby. Two sets of trollish laughter followed. Ron ignored best he could the continuing comments from Malfoy.

"I can see the wedding now. You're too poor to have the ceremony at a church. How about a spot more within your budget? Like, oh, say, the dump?"

Crabbe and Goyle chucked stupidly again, and Ron's face was so red he could have warmed up his eggs on it.

"But I can see you aren't with your true love at the moment! Did she get on your nerves? Or are you just too embarrassed to be seen with that bushy-haired, buck-toothed mud-"

Ron snapped. He spun around and knocked Malfoy to the floor, punching his narrow face, kicking his shins, and yelling in his ears.

Malfoy gasped and caught his breath. "Help me, you idiots!" he shouted at his buddies. Soon Crabbe and Goyle joined the fight, and Ron was so out numbered (Crabbe and Goyle counted as 3 people each, seeing as they were so big), he was soon whimpering on the ground with his hands covering the back of his neck.

"STOP! STOP IT RIGHT NOW!!!" Professor McGonagall roared as she split up the fight. Malfoy had a bloody nose and his hair was a mess. Crabbe and Goyle stood up without a scratch. Ron, however, could hardly sit up, let alone stand. Blood flowed from his nose, his lip was cut, a black eye was blooming, and at least two of his teeth were on the floor.

Everyone was staring at Ron. Hundreds of eyes. Thousands of eyes, peering at him at the lowest point in his life. In the background Hermione had her hands over her mouth, tears running down her cheeks. Ron wanted to disappear. Just to leave and never return. To be forgotten. To have everything be forgotten... forever.

READERS- Whoah! 3 chapters in less than 24 hours! Go me! Go me! It's my birthday! Sorry to dissapoint you, but I'll have to take a break from writing for a while. I have a project to finish and a party to plan (told you it was my birthday :). But I PROMISE to finish the story hopefully before January. Any suggestions how how it should end? Reviews and E-mails welcome, as always. Thanks!

-Quidditch, Anyone?