I don't own Harry and the gang. Everything here belongs to JK Rowling except my highly unoriginal, but never overused, plot. By the way, this is my first story, so be kind. With that said, enjoy the show.
Saturday
We find our heroes in their sixth year on a seemingly uneventful Saturday…
Ron sat at the edge of the lake watching the giant squid dance through the water while he tried to sort out his web of feelings. He couldn't talk to anybody about this; Hermione would probably laugh, and Harry would find him strange. But he must tell someone. He could not control his aching heart any longer! Maybe he could talk to one of his brothers…no! His mother? NO! His father? No, definitely not! Perhaps the squid? YES, the squid cannot talk! He beckoned it towards the shore and asked in a squeaky voice, "Do you have a minute to spare?" The squid nodded knowingly and rested his head on one of his tentacles. What he had been feeling for the past two years came spilling out of his mouth like a huge tidal wave. After a few tears and a few smiles, the squid patted Ron on the back and swam away. At last, part of the burden had been lifted from his heart!
*****
Hermione sat in her little nook of the library pouring over Hogwarts, A History yet again, but her mind was elsewhere. "The love affair between Rowena Ravenclaw and Godric Gryffindor lasted for only a week but resulted in two children…" Ah, a love affair, if only Hermione could be so lucky. Her mind dwelt on Muggle romantic movies and fairy tales as she released an involuntary sigh. Where was her knight in shining armor? But she couldn't talk to Harry or Ron about the kind of thoughts. She needed some chick friends, but they were always jealous of her large chest, which Harry had noticed but Ron had felt… Anyway, back to the story at hand, Hermione felt lonely, as most sixteen year old girls do. Oh no, Neville was staring at her again! She had better make a run for it before he tried to corner her. In her rush to leave the library, she ran smack in to Snape. "Oh, sorry professor! I…I…I need to visit the loo. Terribly sorry." She dash away before Snape could utter a word. How embarrassing, indeed!
*****
Harry sat at the long Gryffindor table in the Great Hall with a plate of half-eaten food lying in front of him. At that moment, Ron and Hermione plopped down on either side of him. "Where have you two been all day?" Harry asked in a rather bored tone, due to his Saturday morning Quidditch practice being moved to the following day. Alas, what is the point of living and breathing if one cannot be riding upon a broomstick everyday?
"I was in the library," Hermione replied. A tinge of pink rushed through her cheeks and to the tips of her ears as she remembered her unfortunate encounter with Snape. Luckily for her, she did not care for his good opinion, but her delicate self-esteem had been wounded. Since Harry rarely looked at Hermione's face and Ron could not see around Harry's big head, Hermione's moment of blush went unnoticed.
"Uh huh," Harry muttered. "What about you Ron? You set out pretty early this morning. Are you meeting some girl in secret because she's too ashamed to be seen in public with your ugly face?" He nudged Ron in the ribs with his elbow and chuckled. Hermione giggled, while Ron kept a straight face and narrowed his eyes at Harry. Before Ron could respond to Harry's accusation, Ginny came running towards them with hot tears running down her face. "What's wrong?" the trio asked in unison.
Between her sobs, Ginny began to relate her tragic story. "I was…was walking through the trophy room when…when I ran in to Dr…Dr…Draco Malfoy, and he…he…" At this point, she was too overcome by emotion to go on. She threw her arms around Harry and started to cry uncontrollably on his shoulder, but he did not seem to mind her behavior.
After Ron had said a few choice words while Hermione told him to hush, he asked in a surprisingly manly growl, "What did the lousy git do?"
Ginny reluctantly pulled herself away from Harry and continued her tale. "He was de…defacing all the Gry…Gryffindor trophies!" Again, she was lost to tears and buried her face in Harry's chest. Ron shot up from his seat like a spring and began storming towards the trophy room with Hermione at his heels. Harry opted to be Ginny's comforter and happily, I mean sadly, missed a chance to catch Malfoy. But who could think of revenge while cradling an angel? He no longer needed a broomstick to fly because his head was so light he felt like he was floating on air. (Corny, huh?)
Hermione and Ron did not notice Harry's absence until they reached the trophy room and took a moment to catch their breathes. But the thing that really caught their attention was the condition of the awards. The Gryffindor trophies and medals looked almost new and glowed majestically in the sunlight, but the Slytherin awards looked horrible due to name changes such as Ira White to Ima Whore. Hermione gasped and put her hand over her mouth. "Oh my God, Ron! Do you think-" However, she was cut off by the entrance of Professor McGonagall and everyone's favorite Slytherin, Draco Malfoy. McGonagall looked disappointed, while Malfoy wore a satisfied smirk on his pale face. Yes, Ron and Hermione had fallen into Draco's trap, that sexy little bastard.
"Mr. Weasley, Miss Granger, please explain yourselves," McGonagall demanded in a strict tone. Hermione turned her worried eyes toward Ron who looked just as clueless as she did.
Before either of the young Gryffindors could think up a descent explanation, Draco interjected his own version of events. He claimed Ron and Hermione had stolen his wand and used to vandalize the Slytherin trophies. "He's a dirty rotten liar!" Ron exclaimed through gritted teeth. However, Draco's plan was unusually good. He slowly walked behind Hermione while he suggested that McGonagall have Ron and Hermione empty their pockets. Of course the little vampire wannabe had transferred his wand into Hermione's pocket. Well, to make a long story short (because no one wants to read about our dear Ron and Hermione getting yelled at), they were unfairly given detentions to be served that night.
*****
Ron, Hermione, and Harry sat in the Gryffindor Common Room deep in conversation. "So, McGonagall actually believed him?" Harry asked in disgust. Hermione and Ron merely nodded since they were too infuriated for words. "That slimeball has sunk to a new low. I'll be sure to really kick his ass the next time we play Slytherin. Haha! It's not like that's hard to do."
"Um, thanks Harry," was all Hermione could squeeze out. She was growing sick of hearing him go on and on about his hatred of Draco and his own superior Quidditch skills. Sometimes she just wanted to slap him, but at the moment, it was Ron who truly wished to deck Harry. Ron had come across his best friend and kid sister in the middle of a passionate embrace when he had finally located them in a broom closet after two hours of searching, so Harry's ranting was due more to fear of Ron's wrath than his over-inflated ego. Harry continued in this same manner for another fifteen minutes under the cold stare of Ron, until Hermione finally found her voice. "Well, look at the time!" she cried as she glanced at her watch. "I should get on to my homework since I won't have any time after dinner. So, I'll see you two in a bit." She practically jumped out of her seat at the end of this speech.
"Honestly Hermione, you were in the library all morning. Take a break from studying for once in your life," Harry half demanded/half pleaded. Hermione slowly regained her seat as her face took on the appearance of disbelief. Harry began running his hand threw his continually untidy hair while he muttered, "I mean…ah…it's just…um…"
But he was saved from sticking his foot farther into his mouth by Ron, who was failing to repress the chuckles building up inside him. Ron's face had turned to a deep crimson, and tears threatened to fall from his eyes. At last, he fell to laughing and quite loudly too. Harry and Hermione exchanged confused looks, each wondering if Ron had lost his mind. Ron was able to regain some control after a few minutes and breathlessly exclaimed, "Harry, you're a bloody idiot!" He again took to laughing uncontrollably, but Hermione joined in this time. Poor Harry could not see the humor in the situation, and an embarrassed blush appeared on his cheeks. Five minutes passed in this fashion, until Hermione and Ron were finally able to successfully curb their laughter. "Oh, come off it Harry," Ron began. "You've going on like a maniac for at least half an hour. You should have heard yourself." Ron adopted a higher pitched voice for his next few sentences. "'Malfoy is such a jerk. It's all because he really, really, really sucks at Quidditch. Ah Quidditch, how I love thee!'" The stiff, thin expression Harry wore on his lips suddenly transformed into an awkward smile.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione were able to get through dinner without any more tense moments of resentment by Ron continually poking fun at Harry, while Harry kept his lips buttoned shut in a light, somewhat strained smile. At last, detention time rolled around, and Ron and Hermione headed off to meet McGonagall. When they came upon the professor she was pouring over a stack of parchments at her desk with a quill in her hand. "Have a seat," she commanded without looking up. Hermione and Ron quickly did as she said while they swapped nervous glances. After a few long minutes in which the only sound in the room was the scratch of McGonagall's quill tip against paper, the professor finally looked with her catlike eyes at the two anxious Gryffindors. "Granger, Weasley, follow me," she again commanded as she rose from her desk. She led them outside to the Herbology greenhouse where Professor Sprout stood waiting for them. Ron and Hermione soon learned what task their detention would consist of. They were to "milk" a set of plants known as Williamus Cosbite, which produce a substance similar to Muggle Jello pudding. Once Professor Sprout was sure they could manage their duty, she left them alone.
"I must admit that I expected worse," Ron said while skillfully directing his plant's pudding into an empty container. "I was worried that we would end up having to polish all those awards. Merlin knows I would hang by my thumbs before I do that again."
"At least you're not coughing up slugs," Hermione replied smilingly. She was not handling her plant as well as Ron, so the floor and walls around her were littered with chocolate flavored splotches. It was only a matter of time before Ron became one of her accidental targets.
"Hermione!" he yelled while wiping pudding from his face. His angry eyes landed upon a giggling girl who was trying to apologize between laughs. "You think that's funny, don't you?" She simply nodded in assent. "Fine," Ron stated as he hit Hermione square on the forehead with a carefully aimed jet of butterscotch. Now it was his turn to laugh. Naturally, this sort of activity led to an all-out pudding war. Ron initially had the advantage because he could manipulate the direction of his plant's pudding, but Hermione soon began picking up pudding laying about the room and flinging it at Ron thus allowing her to get out of the reach of his plant while still being able to attack. Before long both soldiers were cramming pudding in each other's hair and face at close range.
Suddenly, Hermione ran off as if intending to hide, and Ron quickly followed her but slipped on the slick floor and crashed against the wall, landing in one messy heap. "Ron, are you alright!?" Hermione exclaimed as she came rushing towards him, but she too fell victim to the slippery floor and slid across the room on one foot until Ron's outstretched arm stopped her. However, Hermione had gained such speed that she and Ron went rolling across the floor in one big jumble of arms and legs, until they finally came to a halt in a rather interesting position. Ron's face was just centimeters above Hermione's own, and at the same exact moment their eyes met. Almost as if it was completely natural, Ron leaned in, closing the gap between them by pressing his lips to hers. Hermione was caught off-guard by his bold action but was certainly not displeased. She closed her eyes and deepened the kiss, and I must say that it was truly a beautiful moment. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, and Ron, realizing what he was doing, abruptly pulled away from Hermione. "I'm really sorry Hermione. I shouldn't have done that. I wouldn't blame you if you hated me. That was really uncalled for. I'm so sorry." He kept pacing the floor in front of Hermione and apologizing without noticing the amused smirk creeping across her face.
She grabbed him by the shoulders to stop his pacing and turned him to face her. "It's quite alright Ron. Actually, I'm glad you kissed me." She could not help but giggle when she saw the flabbergasted expression that came over his face at her revelation.
"You're…you're glad?" he asked in complete amazement. He was still shocked by what he had done, even though he had been longing to snog her since he was fourteen. However, being utterly oblivious to Hermione's feelings, he assumed the sentiment was not mutual, and the surprise at discovering that she might want to kiss him was indescribable. Maybe the squid had been right after all.
Hermione, being unsure of how to explain why she was "glad," stared down at the floor. "Well, I've sorta, um, that is to say..." She could not think of a way to tell him how she felt and began looking at anything and everything except Ron. "Wow, we've made a huge mess! We should probably start to clean it up."
He seized her arm before she had a chance to walk away from him. "I know why I'm glad," he said as her eyes finally settled on him. "I've liked you for a really long time. I didn't realize it until the Yule Ball, but I didn't think you could ever like me. I mean look at me. I'm a monstrously tall, freckly twit dressed in shabby robes, and you're so brainy and beautiful-"
"I'm not beautiful," Hermione blurted out. A healthy pink was spreading across her cheeks. Her mind was telling her she should said say more, but her mouth could not process the message.
Ron chuckled. "You're gorgeous, especially when you act modest and blush like you're doing right now. I love the way you worry about Harry and me when we sneak out and then you demand to go with us in case we do anything dumb, which we usually do. I also love the way your eyes light up when you figure out the answer to some complex genius-level problem."
He went on to list the numerous qualities he admired about her, while she thought back to her romantic daydreams. Could Ron be her knight in shining armor? "Oh Ron!" she exclaimed while he was explaining why her nose was so perfect. "Do you really mean all that?" Even though she had pondered once or twice whether or not Ron fancied her, she could not comprehend him or anyone liking her that much.
Ron gazed at her earnestly and replied, "Of course I mean all those things." He began to back away from her slightly. "You think I'm a fool, don't you? I should have kept my big mouth shut, but I had to go and ruin everything by-"
"I don't think you understand me," Hermione began as she came a few steps nearer to him. "I just can't believe that you feel that much for me. It's not everyday that a girl hears those kind of words. And I like you a lot too, but I can't seem to verbalize it as well as you can." She moved even closer to him. "Perhaps I had better show you." She stood on her tiptoes and took his face in her hands as she brought her lips to his. He responded by wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her closer to him, thus another lovely scene began.
They did not part from each other until the sound of female laughter broke through the peace of the greenhouse. Ron and Hermione instantly turned their heads in the direction of the noise and discovered a very amused Professor Sprout. "I see you two have made a fine job of things," she chuckled. With a wave of her wand all the pudding on the walls and floor disappeared, but she decided to leave the two teenagers as they were. "Minerva was right. I should not have left you two alone together." Hermione and Ron were frozen in their spots as they stared dumbfounded at Sprout. "Alright, get along. You can't stay in here all night."
As if reality fully hit them, they quickly left while apologizing for the mess they had made. Once they were outside, they began to express their amusement. "Imagine what Sprout must think of us," Ron said between laughs. "Not only did she catch us kissing, but we were covered in pudding. I bet a picture of that would be priceless."
"I can't believe she didn't take away any points from Gryffindor or give us another detention," Hermione admitted.
They arrived in the Common Room hand-in-hand where Harry greeted them. "So, how was it?" he asked without observing the amused looks Ron and Hermione were sharing or the fact that they were still covered in pudding. Sometimes Harry can really miss the obvious, but I blame it on multiple bludger injuries.
"It was great!" Hermione replied merrily. "I'd better be off to bed. Good night." She leaned over and kissed Ron on the cheek before scampering off to her dormitory.
"She's wonderful, isn't she?" Ron asked no one in particular. A dreamy expression came over his facial features as he virtually floated toward the stairs leading to the male dorms. Harry finally perceived that a change had come over his two best friends, but he could not put his finger on it. Maybe it had something to do with the stuff Ron was covered in, which he had only just noticed. Oh well, he would have all day tomorrow to figure it out.