Author's Notes: Hi everyone, sorry for the slight delay. I have no idea where I'm going with this story, so any suggestions will be greatly appreciated! Anyway, I'm not planning on reading this chapter after I finish typing it, so any inconsistencies will be due to that. Any mistakes will probably be amended in the future. Other than that, reviews are welcome!

Courting Ron- Chapter 4

Hermione studied herself in the mirror. She thought she looked great, but would Ron think so?

She decided to try out her new look on Harry. Quickly she jotted a note and sent a pygmy owl to Harry, asking him to meet her in the Gryffindor common room in twenty minutes, alone. Then she reapplied her lip gloss, curled some brunette ringlets around her fingers, charmed the hem of her scarlet robes to swish to-and-fro when she walked, and practiced swinging her hips gently from side to side. After an approving comment from the mirror, she pranced out her bedroom.

She took her time on her way to the Gryffindor common room, practicing her little walk. Just as she rounded a corner, she spotted Draco Malfoy coming up the hall.

A few seconds later, he noticed Hermione standing in front of him. He started, then did a double-take. After a few minutes of this appraising look, he sneered, "So, dolled yourself up for your little boyfriend, eh? You know, being such a smart witch, you should know how to properly use those makeup spells. And that color makes you look bloated."

Hermione cheeks flushed in a fit of anger, but she managed to keep her cool. "Oh yes, Malfoy, I'm just so ugly that you had to stand in my way, ogling me for two full minutes before you delivered your platitudes. Either I'm not as ugly as you claim, or your wit is getting duller…" With that, Hermione pushed past him and continued toward the Gryffindor tower.

A few minutes later, she breezed into the common room and looked around. It looked deserted except for the mass of bobbing black hair peeking over the high edge of one of the armchairs. Hermione paused, then proceeded to the chair next to Harry's, making sure her hips were smoothly swishing until she sat down.

"Hi Harry," she breathed slightly.

Harry just looked at her like she was from another planet. Hermione faltered a bit, then said, "Well, thanks for meeting me. I just wanted to talk to you for a bit, while I had some free time. Between homework, classes, and Head Girl duties, I hardly have time for my friends. And I kind of miss you, Ron, and Ginny."

At the sound of Ginny's name, Harry snapped out of his trance. "Ginny? Oh… right. Yeah, we miss you too, 'Mione. It feels like it's been ages since we've all been able to just get together, talk, or go to Hogsmeade, you know? What the heck did you do to your face?"

Hermione was stunned, then began blinking rapidly to stop any unwanted tears.

Oh, for Merlin's sake, that's all I need right now is runny mascara. Damn this makeup, I should have known this was a bad idea!

"Erm…. Well, you see, I… I have to go!" With that, Hermione fled from the common room, leaving Harry gaping after her. A few minutes later, Ron ambled in.

"Ron! You just missed Hermione! Something's wrong because I think she had makeup on her face. Not that she looked bad, 'cause she looked great and she had this little swish in her walk and those robes looked fantastic, but that's just not Hermione and…" Harry continued rambling until Ron shook him out of it.

"What are you talking about, Harry? Hermione doesn't wear makeup.. Where'd she go?" Harry could only point in the general direction of the Head dormitory. Ron sighed.

"I'll go see her and get the story straight from her. You seem like you're in shock or something…"

A/N: Sorry all, about the lack of updating… I just haven't felt compelled to write any more. I corrected a few mistakes I found in this chapter (Draco Malfoy is the Head Boy in ANOTHER fic, not this one… ^^;;;) and made some general [in my opinion] improvements. Criticism is welcome, especially in the form of advice.