*'Ginny & Harry's Plot'*
Disclaimer: Harry Potter, its characters, and the whole Hogwarts deal isn't mine; it belongs to the wonderfully gifted J.K. Rowling. So, all I've done is this story that I hope you enjoy!
Short Summary: Ginny and Harry create a plot to set up their two stubborn friends, but they realize something else along the way
PG: for possible MILD language (Ron's mouth..though I haven't even figured out whether or not there will be ANY foul language at all in this story. Probably not.)
.::fic by AngelwingS::.
*Chapter 2: Bets*
Chapter Summary: Hermione now needs to discuss things over with Ron, of course, things don't run that smoothly.
*'Ginny & Harry's Plot'*
Ginny was always very happy to receive help from her friend Hermione, whom she thought was the cleverest witch in her year, probably the cleverest of all the young witches at her school. However, when Ron walked through the portrait hole that evening during the pair's quiet study time in the common room, she quickly nudged Hermione and nodded towards her brother. Hermione arched an eyebrow as if asking Ginny "Are you sure about this?" Ginny nodded vigorously and got up at once to ask Harry to join her in a game of Wizard's Chess.
Hermione sighed; Ginny was awfully persistent about the whole situation, and her instinct told her there was more behind the whole idea than what was being told. Ron looked her direction and threw her a quick smile, and she gladly smiled back; Ron's smile was rather nice. Shrugging the thoughts off, Hermione waved her hand for Ron to come over, even though it seemed that the red head was already walking her way.
"What's up?" he asked, choosing a chair particularly close to hers and pulling it closer as he sat down.
Hermione squirmed in her chair; when she was honest with herself, she discovered that she really wasn't all that comfortable with the whole situation period, "Er, I kind of have a favor to ask of you."
Smiling, he leaned closer to her and answered, "Anything." He often felt Hermione rarely asked anything of him, but rather that he a great plenty of her.
She laughed, and tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, the bushy haired girl smartly said, "You shouldn't answer like that, you know. You have absolutely no idea what I'm going to be asking you!"
"I trust you," Ron's smile didn't falter, but something flickered in his eyes, something that Hermione could not be entirely sure of. Though, unless she was mistaken, it seemed a tinge of pink had appeared on the tips of his ears.
Hermione shook off the thought and said, "Yeah, well it was your sister's idea, not mine." He opened his mouth to probably make some sort of statement that wouldn't be in the favor of his only sister, so Hermione instinctively held up a hand in protest, "Well, you already said anything, so now you have to comply and listen."
"I said anything for you, not Ginny, there's a difference," Ron replied pointedly, shaking his head.
"You still have to at least listen," Hermione demanded, her arms crossed.
Ron sighed, and Hermione took it as a form of yielding to her request and said softly, hoping the rest of the common room wouldn't hear, "Do you know who Ginny has her heart set on?"
"She was dating that Creevey boy, wasn't she?"
"Yes, she was."
Ron raised his eyebrows; it was apparent that he had guessed wrong by Hermione's tone of voice, "You don't mean to tell me she still has that childish crush on Harry, do you?" One look from her told Ron that it was precisely what she meant. "Oy, I thought she was over that. Just the other day I saw Harry and her talking; she wasn't even blushing or stammering! Are you sure?"
Hermione rolled her eyes, "Yes, I'm positive. Just because she's grown up doesn't mean she doesn't fancy Harry. Besides, Ginny told me how she felt. That is why I must ask a favor of you."
"Wow, Hermione, I thought you knew better than to play matchmaker," Ron tutted, his voice full of laughter, "Anyhow, must you drag me into this mess as well?"
"I'm only doing this for Ginny, my good friend. And maybe, just maybe, I think that something could come from this," Hermione answered hotly.
Ron gaped, "Wait, you mean to tell me you think Harry fancies Ginny as well? My best friend and little sister? That's -that's ludicrous!"
"Not so much anymore!" Hermione exclaimed, annoyed, "Do you have any idea how much time they have been spending together lately?" Ron didn't look convinced, so Hermione huffed, "I find it extremely unlikely that Harry still sees Ginny just as your kid sister! Ron open your eyes, Ginny isn't just your kid sister anymore, and you mustn't keep pretending she is!"
Ron rolled his eyes and said "You're nutters, Hermione."
"You wouldn't understand affairs of the heart, just a pretty face, I suppose," Hermione grumbled, though slightly befuddled in the back of her mind as to why Ron could so easily strike a nerve.
"That's not true," Ron was torn between anger towards his friend's accusation, and embarrassment because of his own confused feelings. "But before you start a row, you might as well just tell me what it is I have to do."
Hermione's eyes flashed, and Ron almost winced as he realized he had just said the wrong thing, "Before I start a row? Oh, well, excuse me, Mr. Weasley, I'm oh so very sorry for speaking the truth!"
"The truth?" Ron countered, "You have no idea what you're talking about! You have no idea what I feel or what I think, so I suggest you not to assume!"
"Oh really?" Hermione snorted, "So what was Fleur? A kind heart?"
Ron's eyes widened and his ears, not to mention his face, shaded crimson. "That was fourth year," he answered shortly. "And you're one to talk! What about Vicky? Don't tell me he wasn't something else."
"Viktor," Hermione said stiffly, "was very kind, and interesting. And you know what else? HE noticed I was a girl LONG before YOU did even though I wasn't some veela strutting around like a goddess, and guys didn't drool every time I flipped my hair back. Viktor Krum appreciated me."
"I'm SORRY!" Ron bellowed, "I'm sorry I said that, I'm sorry if for some reason you cared about what I thought, though I had been so certain YOU WERE TOO ABOVE ME TO CARE, I'M SORRY I asked you as a last resort, I'M SORRY I accused you of fraternizing with the enemy, and I'M SORRY FOR STILL THINKING THAT KRUM IS A GIT."
"Oh GROW UP, RON!" Hermione demanded, even though she was slightly distressed at the drastic change in the course the conversation had taken, "That was TWO YEARS AGO."
"So then why did you bring it up?" Ron replied, with indignation.
"I did no such thing!"
"So what was Fleur? A kind heart?" Ron mocked, his voice shrill.
Hermione glared to the extent that her eyes had become diminutive slits, "I don't see how Ginny ever convinced me to ask the likes of you to accompany me on a date!" With that said, she quickly stood and ran up the flight of stairs leading to the girls' dormitories, leaving a very stupefied Ron.
*'*'*
Hermione was silent at breakfast the following morning, and Ron likewise was extremely quiet, only saying a few words to Harry and occasionally glancing at Hermione. What had she meant? She was going to ask him out? He couldn't help but smile at the thought, which naturally lead to a blush. He didn't think he should be thinking of his best friend like that; then again, that's what he always told himself every time the random and incredibly annoying thoughts of Hermione as a girl were dwelled upon.
"So, um, what's up?" Harry said, making it the fourth time for him to ask that morning.
"Nothing."
"Nothing."
"Oh," Harry said gloomily, that made it the fourth time for him to receive exactly the same responses.
Hermione continued to read, Ron continued to poke at his food with his fork, seemingly not hungry. "Er, if you'll excuse me.." Harry stood and walked down the Gryffindor table to where Ginny sat.
Ginny and he had heard their fight the night before (the entire common room had), but they had agreed to wait things out. However, with Hermione's hostility and Ron's uneasiness, Harry wasn't feeling as patient as before. "Can I have a word with you?" he asked her, she didn't reply but merely stood up without looking at him. Lightly tugging on her arm, he lead her out of the Great Hall until they found a secluded area, which didn't take very long as they soon found an empty corridor. He stuffed his hands into his pockets and spoke, "Did Hermione tell you anything?"
She looked up, catching his eye for a second, then quickly looked back down, "She just said that he was a great big prat." Harry raised an eyebrow, and Ginny sighed, "And that she didn't see how she ever allowed herself to be convinced to ask Ron to go anywhere with her."
Harry slapped a hand to his forehead in frustration. "Just perfect," He said sarcastically.
"Well, I can't say I'm completely surprised," Ginny said.
Harry looked at her and gave a lop-sided grin, "Yeah, this is Ron and Hermione we're talking about here. When in doubt, fight, it's just what they do."
Ginny laughed, and Harry noticed her eyes were still dancing with hope as she declared, "Exactly, they'll make up eventually, and then we can complete our plan!"
Harry nodded in agreement, and was pleased to discover that Ginny was still amazingly indefatigable because it gave him hope as well, and not to mention, he was beginning to take a liking to her smile
What they two of them didn't know was exactly how quickly their friends would be making up. Back in the Great Hall, Hermione gave up pretending she could ignore Ron's blunt stares and said, "What, might I ask, Ron, are you looking at?"
Despite her most recent grudge against Ron, Hermione had to fight a light smile threatening to show because of Ron's increasingly red face. "Nothing," he mumbled; annoyed, she rolled her eyes and continued to read.
"A-Actually," he stammered, as he ran a hand through his hair, "I wanted to know what you meant in the common room."
She resisted a blush and pretended that she didn't know what he was truly asking about by retorting, "I meant that you're an insufferable prat that desperately needs to stop living in the past!"
"No, what did you mean... about the date," Ron replied, much to Hermione's dismay. Not that she wanted him to ignite another argument, but she had hoped he wouldn't ask about THAT comment.
She cringed and, without meeting his gaze, said flatly, "Ginny asked me to set up a double date between her and Harry and you and me."
Ron stared at her in disbelief as she tried (and failed) to focus on the book she was reading; it was becoming painfully obvious that the inner battle to not look at Hermione in a new light was losing, or, more like being slaughtered. "I'm sorry."
She answered curtly, "You've said that."
He pounded his fist on the table and asked, part angered, part bewildered, "What more do you want from me?"
"What do you think I want from you, Ron?" Hermione inquired hotly,
"I DON'T KNOW! THAT'S WHY I ASKED!" Ron hollered, frustrated. He had just begun to figure out his feelings, and then Hermione had to be intolerably difficult. Hermione also seemed to realize just how hard she was being on her friend because there was a quiet pause in the conversation (quite quiet, actually, for all the students sitting around them had stopped talking and stared at the two. A few, whom had made bets on when Ron and Hermione would finally confess, took out some money). Ron realized he probably wouldn't be getting answer, and he figured maybe she was upset because he hadn't been very willing to help her. He took a breath and said softly, "Well, if you'd still like me to go..." people around them watched intently, "I would." Hermione stared at him open-mouth, very stunned by his offer. "Then again," Ron said, embarrassed that he had apparently guessed wrong, "I suppose you don't..."
She blinked and quickly shook her head. Hermione was still having some difficulty believing him when she said, "No, I still want you to go."
There was no mistakening it, Ron's ears were definitely pink.
A/N: Sorry, I just HAD to post this ONE chapter as R/Hr, but I believe the rest will be posted under H/G. Anyway... what do you think? The next chapter shouldn't be very important, probably just a bit of plot development. Oh, and please review, they're a great motivation!