A/N: All right! Finally updating! Sorry it's taken so long, I've been a bit busy. But I still promise to try and hurry things up. Especially now that we're getting to the juicier parts of the story...

A/A/N: We learned a new term in English- foil. In drama, it means " a character or scene that is set up as a contrast to another, so that each will stand out vividly."
In other words, this chapter really has no point to it. It's just here to keep you occupied while waiting for Hermione to come talk to Harry and Ron.

Quick Re-Cap: Yeah, we all saw it coming. Just before they're about to make a clean get away, Ron blows their cover and Hermione has caught them. Now they're on their way back to the castle to wait until Hermione comes to deal with them. Lights! Camera! Action!

Chapter 10: Waiting In the Common Room

"What do you think Hermione meant?" Ron asked Harry as they half walked, half ran back up to the castle.

"You mean when she said one of us would be talking in a loud voice?"

"Yeah."

"She means she won't be talking to us. She'll be yelling at us," Harry said grimly.

Ron gulped.

Entering through the oak doors, the two boys walked passed the Great Hall, where the rest of the school was currently eating dinner. Harry's mouth watered as the smell of pork chops and mashed potatoes washed over him. But he wasn't about to stop. Not with the image of Hermione's angry face on his mind.
"Why did I do this?" He thought angrily to himself. "Why did I go along with Ron? Why did I let Ron? I should've stopped him. I am such an idiot"
Harry was to busy mentally criticizing himself that he didn't even realize that he was outside Gryffindor tower until Ron reached out and yanked him through the portrait hole.

Walking over to the fire, Ron collapsed into a chair and let out a long, low whistle.

"What?" Asked Harry, sitting across from him on the couch.

"Blimey," said Ron weakly, a sad sort of smile on his face. "We're done for." He looked up at Harry, who nodded in agreement.
"What do you think she'll do to us?"

Harry shrugged. "Besides yell at us? I really don't know."

Ron sighed and looked into the fire.

"I reckon we never should have done this. We should've just stayed here. It would've saved us a whole lot of trouble."

Harry heaved a big sigh. "Told you."

"Yeah. Look Harry," Ron said turning to him, "this whole thing really isn't your fault. You tried to stop me and I was too thick to listen. This was all my idea and I made you go along with it. And I'm going to tell Hermione that too. But I just want you to know I'm sorry for this."

"Hey, don't worry about it. I mean, I guess I should've tried harder to stop you. It was also bad that I did want to do this too. It's as much my fault as it is yours," said Harry. "So, we're in this together."

"So-so no hard feelings?" Ron asked.

"Nah. No hard feelings," Harry said, giving Ron a punch on the arm.

Ron grinned at him. "Thanks, Harry." He said.

Suddenly, the portrait hole burst open and Ron and Harry leapt up.

"Hey Harry! Hey Ron!" It was Seamus Finnigan, followed by Neville Longbottom and Dean Thomas, the other Gryffindor fifth year boys. Harry let out a sigh of relief and glance at Ron, whose pale face was regaining its color. For both of them thought that it was going to be Hermione.

"Where were you guys today? We never saw you in Hogsmeade," said Dean.

"Oh, well, we -uh- had- had a lot of work for, err, Transfiguration that -uh- we wanted to get done. So we just stayed here," Harry said as Ron nodded.

"Oh. Okay, right then. Hey! Guess who we saw in the village?" Neville asked eagerly, casting a meaningful look at Seamus and Dean.

"Who?" Asked Ron and Harry.

"Hermione and Viktor Krum!" The three other boys said as one.

Seeing Ron's fists clench, Harry pretended to be surprised.

"Really?"

"Really!" Said Neville, round face excited.

"Yeah," Dean said, "at first, we weren't sure it was them, but there's no mistaking Krum!"

"They were just walking between shops and talking mostly," added Seamus, "but you know what?"

"What?" Asked Harry, for Ron had his mouth shut tight.

Seamus began to snicker. "I think they were on a daaaaaaate!" He said in a silly, singsong voice as Dean and Neville cracked up. Harry tried to force a laugh, but only managed a weak smile as he grabbed the back of Ron's robes because he looked like he was about to launch himself at Seamus.

"Who was on a date?" Asked a voice from behind the boys. They turned around to find that Lavender Brown and Pavarti Patil had been standing behind them, obviously listening in to what they had been saying.

Dean quit giggling long enough to say "Hermione was out with Viktor Krum."

As both of their eyes widened, Harry groaned inwardly. Both Lavender and Pavarti were really nice girls, but they did have a bit of an ear for gossip.

"Viktor Krum?! The Bulgarian Quidditch seeker?!" Pavarti asked excitedly.

"The Viktor Krum...and Hermione?! They were on a date?! When?!" Lavender squealed.

"Today in Hogsmeade," Seamus said. "We saw them, didn't we guys?" He said turning to Dean and Neville, who nodded enthusiastically, both with idiotic grins on their faces.

"Aww, I missed them." Said Lavender, before turning to Harry, who actually recoiled slightly. "Well, what happened Harry? Weren't you two (she nodded at Ron) with them?"

Harry opened his mouth to speak, but Dean beat him to it.

"They had work to do here so they stayed behind."

"But didn't you know about this?" Lavender pressed on. "I would think that she would've told you."

"W-well, uh-" Harry began nervously before--
"Ron! There you are!"

The group turned to find Fred and George Weasley leading what looked like half of the Gryffindor House into the common room. Harry's eyes widened as he began to hear what the crowd was saying.

"Ron! Harry! Is it true?"

"What happened?"

"Tell us!"

"What did they do?"

"Did you see them?"

"Are they telling the truth?"

"Is it true?"

"What are you people talking about?!" Ron shouted above the noise.

"Oh c'mon! Like you two have no idea what's going on." George said, walking over to the group.

"I guess not," Ron muttered darkly.

"Oh, come off it, Ron," said Fred, pushing through the surrounding Gryffindors. "We all know about Hermione and Krum. So how about you just give us the details on what happened."

"What's going on?"

"Something about a date-"

"Krum-"

"When was this?"

"Who cares really?"

The common room seemed to be growing fuller and fuller, and the crowd around Harry and Ron was beginning to get louder, bigger, and more confusing.

"What happened?"

"Hermione was on a-"

"In Hogsmeade-"

"Viktor Krum was in the village?!"

"Granger?! Really?"

"A DATE?!"

Ron let out a whimper and collapsed onto the couch.

"Harry? What happened?"

"Did you see-?"

"Ron, are you-"

"Were you with-"

"-Bet he's jealous."

"Krum and Granger!"

Harry joined Ron on the couch, head in his hands, trying to shut out the voices around him. This was too much. They hadn't been back in the castle for more than ten minutes and they were already in way more trouble than they should be.

"A date!?"

"Why don't they know?"

"Hermione was with who?

"Maybe she thought-"

"Krum?! The Viktor Krum?!"

"-They'd be mad."

It was crazy. People were only catching parts of the conversation, then piecing the rest together themselves. Lavender and Pavarti were sprinting around the room, making sure everyone knew what was going on. Dean, Seamus, and Neville, weren't much help either. All three of them were telling their own accounts (which kept changing) of what happened. And just when Harry thought it couldn't get worse...

"What's with you Ron? You jealous that Hermione was with Krum and not you?" Fred asked laughing.

...It did.

"WILL YOU ALL JUST SHUT UP?!" Ron yelled across the room.

It was so quiet, that not single person moved, or even seemed to be breathing. Everyone was staring at Ron, who was on his feet, face going red.

"Just shut up! You people are so pathetic. You know anything that is going on, and don't think that Harry or me will tell you! You all just come in here, so eager for gossip that you don't even care about the truth! So just leave us alone!"

"Thank you Ron" said a voice. "Couldn't have said it better myself."

A/N: Dun, dun, duuuuuuuuun! And another cliffhanger for you guys! LOL, I'll try to update soon for you, try not to leave you guys hanging for to long.
And thanks for everyone who has already reviewed! I love reading what you guys have to say (Hi Sarah! ;) ). Keep them coming, and I shall reward you with more chapters!
Stay tuned!