"The Incentive" by Quidditch, Anyone?
Black Eyes and That Stupid Little Voice
Ron's head pounded like a jackhammer. It seemed odd how much ice can seem to burn you when it's so cold against your eye, he thought. He groaned deeply and sat up in his bed, even though it made his head spin, and replayed why he was sitting here in the hospital wing.
For the first few minutes no one could really realize what was happening. Maybe it was because it started right in the middle of Professor Flitwick's demonstration of how to make a roll of toilet paper sing, or maybe because it involved Hermione, who was the very last person in the world to start something like this. One minute she was sitting there next to Terrypuss, the next minute she groaned savagely and was trying to choke him with her bare hands. Literally. Terry, in complete shock, toppled to the floor and tried to pry her surprisingly strong grip from him. By this time the whole class was one their feet- some chanted Hermione on, some covering their mouths in shock, and a few cowering at the yells from Professor Flitwick. Hermione and Terry saw none of this, for now she was punching him and he was screaming "Not the face! Please! Not the face!". When she finally took an instant of a break, he did something horrendous- punched her back. Full-fist, mighty force, right in the face. Immediately Ron did what every good-natured and courteous gentleman would have done.
With no hesitation Ron crossed the classroom, spun Terry around by his shoulder, and smacked him harder than a cannon in the jaw. The two boys then battled brutally alongside desks and students, Hermione safely in a corner.
The rest was just a haze of combat and screams until the Professor effectively put a freezing charm on them. Too bad, seeing as it looked as if Ron was about to hit Terry where it 'really hurt' just before he froze. All three of them were then sent to the hospital wing. Terry got a very private bed to keep peace between him and the Gryffindors for a while.
Up the the moment again, Ron turned himself and let him legs fall over the side of the bed. He swayed them in an innocent sort of way. He didn't know what it meant when Hermione tried to choke Terry. Was she just really stressed, did he upset her, or did maybe... maybe she really liked... no, that's just the concussion talking.
At that moment Hermione walked in the main quarter of the hospital where Ron's bed was. She didn't look too bad; just a split lip where Terry had hit her. But then again, Ron instantly reminded himself, it was were Terry had HIT her.
Timidly, she sat down on a bed next to Ron, facing him. She didn't exactly look him in the eye. "Hi," she said lightly.
"Hi," he said back.
"Umm... is your eye okay?"
"It's all right," he lied as he removed the cold compress. "Not as bad as it looks."
She leaned in closer with loving eyes and gently touched the bruised skin. Her touch was so light it sent chills up Ron's spine.
"Looks awful," she whispered.
"Not as bad as Terry, I'll bet," he admitted and replaced the ice.
She heaved a half-groan, half-sigh and hung her head. "I'm so embarrassed. To do that in Charms! In front of everyone, too! What people must think of me, I don't even want to know," she confessed.
"What did he do, exactly?" Ron couldn't help. He also removed his ice again, for his arm was getting tired of holding it up.
Hermione shifted her feet awkwardly. "Just, I don't know. He gets under your skin, you know?" she finished confidently.
Ron gave a dry laugh. "Yeah, I know." They fell silent for a second before he burst, "I can't believe what he did to you! He- he hit you!"
"I hit him first!" she reminded him, taken aback.
"Still! What bloody decent fellow hits a girl!"
"Well, he wasn't exactly a decent fellow, now, was he?" she said quickly.
"Then why did you like him?"
Hermione swallowed her breath and stiffened. "I-I just... did, I guess."
"I mean, it was so sudden, too!" Ron peered into her with fire-like eyes.
Hermione took a moment or two of silence. "You really should keep that on your eye, Ron,".
He laughed. "Always making sure I'm doing things properly, now, aren't you?" He put it back on.
She smiled. "Of course I am."
The two stayed quiet for a prolonged minute. Hermione finally asked off-handedly, "Why'd you come up and punch him, anyway?"
Ron shrugged and without thought said, "No one should dare to hurt you without getting hit back,". Then he heard what he said and blushed.
Hermione blushed even more, but half with pleasure. "You hit him because he smacked me?"
"Well, yeah. Of course I did." He looked oddly old and brave, almost like a war general with that 'all-in-a-day's-work,-ma'am' persona, at that moment.
She narrowed her eyes at him with consideration. "Umm," she started, but without any more.
"Yeah?" Ron shifted slightly.
"I mean, no one's really did something like that for me. Not like Terry ever would, for one."
"Well..." Ron looked back at her. An odd confession threatened to erupt into words at the tip of his tongue...
Hello?!?! Dung-brain? Are you nuts?
What the hell was that?
She doesn't like you! She just thinks it was nice of you. Nice like that geeky boy who's always 'just the friend' at the end of the story. Nice like it's nice to carry her books or lend her spare parchment. You think she actually likes you? I hope you're just delirious after that fight and don't really believe that.
And once again, Ron's conscience critiques him and thwarts a long-standing confession to come out to greet Hermione.
"I just did what any friend would do. Harry would have, too, I'm sure," he said both loudly and quickly. He even backed away a few inched as if she carried a disease.
She sat perplexed. Her eyes blinked in confusion a few times, too. "Oh."
Since Madame Pomfrey had told her should could go whenever she felt as though she should, Hermione didn't really see the point in staying any longer.
I'm trying to work on a new Ron/Hermione story at the moment, but I need the name of a musical starring a male before I can go any further with it. Don't ask why, please. The faster I get one, the faster I can post it, so I'm willing to do any number of odd tasks to get just a simple title. And a review for this story might not hurt, either. Thanks!!!
Oh, one more thing... I reloaded this chapter after J.A.A. pointed out that I had used the term 'descent' instead of 'decent'. I was so embarrassed I fixed it right away. Thank you so much for pointing this out! Please don't think I'm an idiot; I usually get really good grades in grammar!