Missed that girl

by ferggirl

A nice little Ron and Hermione fluff, based off of a Diamond Rio song - Ron's had one heck of a last week... and Harry's no help.

Cold gray dawn, steel blue day, sunset rust tonight.
It's the same old picture to a love struck man who's suddenly seen the light
And I miss that girl
Yeah, I miss that girl

''''''

It was the last week of their 7th year at Hogwarts. Ronald Weasley and his friend - the ever-famous Harry Potter - were heading purposefully down a darkened corridor in the basement of the castle, heads down - each absorbed by his own thoughts.

"Ron can I talk to you for a minute?" Harry pulled him aside, further detaching them from the crowd of Potions students walking away from them.

"Sure, what's up?" He glanced at his best friend, trying not to let his concern show. Harry had seemed unusually stressed and worried the last month, as their graduation grew closer and closer.  Ron knew part of it was from his reluctance to leave the protection of Hogwarts -- the Boy Who Lived was quite afraid of taking up responsibility for the fate of the wizarding world.

But it seemed that this time, Harry's mind was far from the lurking thoughts of Death Eaters and the Dark Lord's most recent attempts on his life.  He wanted to talk about Hermione.

"It's just... you know, there's the End of the Year Ball... for the fifth years on up?"

Ron nodded cautiously.  Harry was avoiding his eyes, trying very hard to hold himself casually as he spoke. 

"You should ask Hermione."

There was a stunned silence as Ron absorbed Harry's words - spoken in utter calm.

"W-what?!" he finally spat out, incredulous and half unbelieving.  He and Hermione had been at each others' throats for the entire year -- hadn't Harry noticed that at all?  They couldn't even keep a conversation civil for more than a few minutes before they were snapping at each other in fierce competition. 

Ron glared at his friend, wondering if it had been some sad excuse for a joke.  But the look in Harry's eyes told him that his friend was in earnest.  Harry wanted him to spend a night ALONE with that.. that untamable shrew?  Voluntarily??  His insides churned.  The thought had awakened an odd, light feeling in his stomach that he fought to keep down.

"You must be kidding Harry," Ron half laughed, half grimaced.  Harry kept his silence, but his green eyes watched him intently. 

"Just the thought makes me nauseous!"

Well, not exactly, he acknowledged, but it probably makes HER nauseous. Who was he kidding?  Of COURSE it would make her sick. She had never been more of a nuisance to him than she had this entire year.  And INCREDIBLY oversensitive.  Ron was decided.  There was absolutely no reason to open himself up to more ridicule just because Harry thought that he was still stuck on those feelings from fourth year.

He flinched when Harry kicked him, opened his mouth to protest and looked into his eyes... and saw the reflection... but it was too late.  Hermione had heard everything.  He felt his face flush horribly, his own blue eyes staring into her wide, brown ones - full of hurt tears.  Struggling to escape the mortification he had caused, he looked down.   She was clutching something in her hand, so tightly her knuckles were white with strain.

"Harry Potter." She practically hissed at him, making him squirm uncomfortably. "I'll thank you to stay out of my business," she said through clenched teeth.  Then her tears spilled over and she was gone.

THWACK.

"Ow! Harry!" But his best friend just glared at him and muttered something about denial as he left to run after Hermione.  Trying to swallow back the emotional turmoil he felt rising from within, Ron stooped to pick up the piece of parchment she'd dropped.

Ron - wanna give it a try? I'll be nice if you will... Come to the dance with me.  -  Hermione

He felt like he was going to die on the spot.

'''''''

I guess I moved too slow and thought too fast, and lost what might have been
Now I face the pain of a wounded heart, dying to try again.

She was going with Neville.  She had outright asked NEVILLE.  And to make a bad situation worse, Neville had asked him if it was ok. Harry had been so kind as to point that out all of five times already -- and the day was still young.  Ron wondered if Harry thought rubbing it into his face would make the whole situation somehow disappear. 

He'd even tried to talk to her. Twice. The first time she turned away coldly to face Ginny - pale and troubled - and made a very loud remark about feeling sick. The second... he flinched now, just remembering.  The second time... she'd kissed Neville. No one knew about that -- he could barely bring himself to face it, let alone share the story with anyone.  But to his misery, the scene just kept flashing before his eyes, over and over again...

''''''

"Hermione, look, I really need to talk to you." He had said it softly, so no one else could hear.

She hadn't looked at him for more than a second... but in that fraction of time, he'd seen through all her anger, and was confronted for a moment by a girl - hurt, frightened, and.. scared.  He had felt his heart drop into his feet and took a small step toward her, needing to make it better.. but she blinked and turned away.  She walked over to Neville, who looked darn uncomfortable for a guy in such a position, and...

''''''

"RON." He looked up at Harry and realized his friend was shaking him. "Everyone's going outside... come on."

Ron looked around as he got up. He had been sitting at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall for what was probably the final time. Dumbledore had been saying something meaningful and important, but he'd heard nothing but soft murmurs in the background of his thoughts.  She hadn't spoken to him in a week.  It had been that long since he'd screwed everything up; since he'd hurt Hermione Granger more than she seemed able to forgive. Most of the school was already through the doors. Professor Snape was hanging back, glaring at the two of them, as though hoping they'd give him an excuse to take one last point off of Gryffindor before they left.  Hermione...

"She's already outside," Harry said softly, a tone in his voice that Ron didn't understand.  He sighed and shot his friend a look of gratitude.

"I.. I have been trying you know," he muttered, feeling a need to explain himself.  "She won't even look at me."

"That's cause you're the stupidest bloody prat that ever walked the face of this earth," Harry said with a slow grin, "but that's also why she LIKES you... so..."

"She kissed Neville."

"WHAT?" Harry's face reflected shock. "Wow.  That's fairly gross.  Man, you must have really done it..." He trailed off, looking worried. "I... er... have to go see... someone's waving to me. Get outside."

But I missed my chance and now she's gone
Life's too short and the odds too long
To miss that girl
Well, I miss that kiss and I miss that smile
a miss like this is a million miles
and I miss that girl
yeah, I miss that girl

Ron wandered out the front doors, not even noticing Harry dash off. He could see the whole school gathered around the lake across the lawn. He didn't really feel like joining them. So he didn't. Instead, he went around to the edge of the forest and started kicking at the innocent sticks and rocks, trying to send them as far into the Forest as he could.  Some last day he was having.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Hermione and Draco Malfoy make their ways to the front of the gathering. Head Boy and Girl.  Ron grimaced.  Why couldn't she have picked Malfoy to kiss instead?  Then, at least, he could've pummeled the git into next year without a qualm.  But Neville?

Ron ducked behind a tree when he saw Snape look in his direction. Snape would've liked nothing more than to make a spectacle of him in front of the whole damn school if he could help it.  Hermione was going to give a speech.  He knew this because she was heading toward the podium, and because she'd practiced on him and Harry for the last six weeks straight.

Well actually, he thought, a lump forming in his throat, Just five weeks and then she stopped.

He felt like crying and hated himself for it. She'd been mad - even furious - at him before... she'd not talked to him before, but he'd always known that he had time to patch it up.  There had always been the promise of tomorrow, the next week, the next year.

Now there was only today.  And today sucked.

Sometimes I hear that voice and see those eyes
And I remember when those arms were open wide
It's like I missed the phone by half a ring,
I missed the point of this whole dang thing
And I miss that girl

Ron was sitting on the ground now, just waiting for Hermione's magically enhanced voice to wash over the crowd, with her carefully practiced words about success and courage. After a few minutes of waiting with his head buried in his arms, he looked up, confused. She should have started by now.

Harry was standing in her way, talking very quickly and waving something in front of her. Ron peered at it, but from where he was, all it looked like was a fairly common crumpled piece of paper.  Hermione was refusing to look at it.  The crowd began to murmur.

Ron started to get nervous when Neville walked up to join Harry's side. What were they thinking? Hermione had been looking forward to this speech the entire year. How could they ruin this moment for her? His fists clenched and he started over to tell them just that, when the unexpected happened. Hermione, getting frustrated with the two boys grabbed the paper and tossed it behind her.  Harry ran for it, but Malfoy was faster. 

The entire school froze. Harry Potter stood in front of everyone, students and teachers and stared at Draco Malfoy's face as he read whatever was written on the parchment. A few first year Ravenclaws backed up, not wanting to be in the line of fire should something happen. Ron saw both McGonagall and Snape reach for their wands. But then, Harry's face broke into a rather mischievous grin, and he leaned in to say something to Malfoy and went back down to the Gryffindor group.

"What the..." Ron was really nervous now and started pushing his way through the crowd, keeping his eyes on Malfoy, who was now walking over to Hermione with a smirk. He stopped when Harry grabbed his arm.

"Nice to see you could make it."

"Harry, what the hell is going on?"

"Shhh."

"But..."

"Just shut up for a second, Ron."

Harry's grip was unyielding. Ron could've broken it if he wanted to, he'd always been bigger than Harry, but he was too confused. Malfoy had cast the sonorus charm on himself while they'd been talking.

"Well, fellow classmates, as Potter has so kindly reminded me, I am supposed to speak as well. Since your head girl there," he flicked a glance at a very ruffled and unsure Hermione, "won't read the introduction to her own speech, I suppose I shall."

He paused, and Ron blanched when he looked straight at him and said, "I believe it was written for her by Weasley over there."

"Bloody hell..." The poem. The damn stupid sentimental poem that he'd planned on giving her that second time he tried to talk to her. He'd crumpled it, tossed it into a wastebasket. And... Harry?

"Harry, you bastard. I'm going to bloody rip your guts out," he said, panicked, as he tried to get up to the stage. He could've broken Harry's grip, but with a quick motion of his head, Harry managed to recruit the rest of the seventh years to help, and Ron was forced to stand there and listen to Malfoy's sarcastic drawl... with the very solid Neville Longbottom planted in front of him. He should have killed the prat when he'd had the chance.

With no escape, he looked up and found Hermione looking at him accusingly. He groaned. She was going to think he'd set this up to embarrass her. She would hate him more than she already did... she... Malfoy was reading it. Ron wanted to die right then and there, but he couldn't stop himself from looking at her.

Cold gray dawn, steel blue day,
sunset rust tonight.
It's the same old picture
to a love struck man
who's suddenly seen the light
And I miss that girl
Yeah, I miss that girl

Her brown eyes widened, and he knew that she was running through the logical reasons that Ron would've written something like this.

I guess I moved too slow
and thought too fast,
and lost what might have been
Now I face the pain
of a wounded heart
dying to try again.

He wondered if she'd made it to the one she'd probably think of last. That it was about her.

But I missed my chance
and now she's gone
Life's too short and the odds
too long to miss that girl
Well, I miss that kiss
and I miss that smile
a miss like this is a million miles
and I miss that girl
yeah, I miss that girl

Hermione's eyes were wide with tears. Ron was going to kill someone just as soon as they let go of him. They were making her cry in front of the whole school. Why didn't someone make Malfoy stop reading?

Sometimes I hear that voice
and see those eyes
And I remember when those arms
were open wide

Her tears had spilled onto her cheeks.  "Shit, Harry, what are you trying to do to her?" he whispered under his breath.  Neville answered for him, his pale eyes solemn. "You two can't get past your own stupidity. We're fixing that."

It's like I missed the phone
by half a ring,
I missed the point of this
whole dang thing
And I miss that girl

He thought he saw her smile for a moment, and wondered if he'd done the reference to the telephone the right way. She'd taught him how to use one properly last summer, but he was never sure. Still, a smile was a good thing, right?

Yeah, I miss that kiss
and I miss that smile
a miss like this is a million miles
And I miss that girl

Malfoy executed a mocking bow in his direction, and then walked over and handed the sheet to her. "Next time Granger, just take it." Ron tried to pull out of the grip of his friends so he could beat the head boy to a bloody pulp, but Seamus whispered, "Not yet, mate."

Not yet? She was up there sobbing, being humiliated in front of everyone by MALFOY and they wanted him to wait? Wait... she was saying something. Ron quieted for a moment, straining to hear her.

"Thank you." She was thanking him? Ron's eyes widened. Why would she...?

"Oh get the hell over there already." Malfoy shoved her in the direction of the Gryffindors, making Ron see red again. Then all he saw was brown. So much brown. Brown hair, soft brown eyes... He blinked expecting them to disappear. They didn't. Harry and the other seventh years had stepped back, and he thought that some teacher might be talking. But he didn't particularly care, not when she was standing here, looking at him like this.

"Ron..." It was the first time she'd said his name since that awful moment last week. He felt relief wash over him and then a new flood of emotions... his knees were weak.

"Hermione, I... I'm sorry." He heard his voice break and hoped she understood that he wasn't just apologizing for the comment last week. He was trying to apologize for everything...

"I know. Me too." She understood! She was smiling at him. Oh, thank god, she was smiling at him again. He reached out tentatively and wiped a lone tear off her cheek. She must've missed it when... She reached up and stayed his hand.  Ron froze.

"Good grief, Ron..." Harry's voice muttered behind him, and then Ron felt his best friend give him a gentle shove. In an effort not to knock Hermione over, Ron placed his arms around her as he tried to stay upright. Before he could turn around and wallop Harry, though, Hermione had put a hand behind his head and subtly tilted it down. Overwhelmed, Ron met her lips with a soft kiss that expressed every pent up emotion he had held within... his heart thundered and the sound of his own pulse filled his ears.  When the hearty applause finally penetrated their foggy heads, they separated, breathless and red faced.  Still their eyes lingered on each other for a moment before turning their attention to the crowd.

"Very good, very good..." Dumbledore's calm voice effectively quieted the rambunctious crowd. "Miss Granger?" he smiled kindly. "I do believe you had a speech to give?"

Hermione beamed at Ron, then made her way back to the front of the stage.   Ron couldn't believe how happy he was -- the world was perfect and joyous in his eyes... and it was wonderful. 

This had turned out be one hell of a great day.