Disclaimer: Not mine, gtg, I'm in a rush.
A/N: Hope you like this part! And a huge thanks to Jishka for reviewing so much and the suggestions. I really appreciate it! Luv ya! Thanx!
"Oh, come on Ron, it couldn't have been THAT bad. After all, she wasn't intending to be rude or anything," Harry said, attempting to make Ron see reason. Ron, however, wasn't buying it.
He furiously kicked a stone before saying, "You know Hermione, she can be rude without trying. For the brightest witch in our year, she's awfully clueless when it comes to manners." Harry rolled his eyes. He knew this drill; Ron came to him complaining about Hermione every two weeks or so. Truthfully, Harry thought Ron often got mad at Hermione for the stupidest things, but that was just his opinion. It was tedious, but Harry always managed to help them get back on track, even though it often involved doing painful things. Like posing as Ron's punching bag, for instance. At the moment, they were standing by the edge of the lake, and for a May night, it was freezing.
"Hey Ron? Maybe we could continue this conversation inside, where it's a bit WARMER?"
"She might overhear us or something," Ron hissed at Harry, looking seriously annoyed that Harry hadn't been listening to his rant about why he hated Hermione.
"Too late," a familiar voice said. "I already have." Harry and Ron whipped their heads around.
"Hermione!" They both cried with false brightness. She snorted.
"Honestly. Like I don't have ears, or something." Both boys exchanged embarrassed glances, although Ron still managed to look incredibly angry. "But Harry's right, Ron. You two should come inside. Everyone thinks Voldemort kidnapped you or something. Pretty soon on of the Creeveys is going to report you missing." THAT got their attention.
Hermione started walking briskly towards the castle, Harry and Ron hurrying to catch up.
"Can you believe her?" Ron whispered to Harry. "Bossing us about like that, like she's a queen or something!" Harry shook his head.
"Not now," he mouthed. "We'll talk about it later."
They walked the rest of the way in silence, Ron fuming inwardly, Harry feeling rather irritated at the fact his two best friends were fighting again, and Hermione angrily muttering. She hadn't DONE anything, at least not intentionally, and she had come down here ready to apologize, but NO, stupid Ron and his ego were in her way. Well, fine, she thought, he'll just have to deal with it himself. She decided to ignore him.
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Three days later, neither Hermione nor Ron had heard anything about the galleons and who would receive them. They had both avoided each other for the last ninety-six hours, but Hermione was getting sick of it. At breakfast, she sat down right next to Ron and smiled at him.
"Sleep well?" she asked. Ron scowled.
"Bugger off," he said irritably.
"Hello Harry!" Hermione called, waving at the boy approaching. He looked slightly confused. Hermione and Ron were sitting next to each other, and she was smiling. What was going on?
As he got closer, though, Harry realized that it was all Hermione's doing, for Ron was glowering at his plate, determined not to smile or look at Hermione.
"Hi Harry," he said, pointedly ignoring Hermione. "Hogsmeade tomorrow!" Harry nodded enthusiastically. It was a Friday, which had put him in good spirits. If it weren't for Double Divination, Harry would thoroughly enjoy Fridays. Still, it was the best day of the week, in both boys' opinions.
"Can I come?" Hermione asked brightly.
"No," Ron said vehemently, and Harry looked at him, clearly thinking, 'What the hell is your problem?' Ron grinned at Harry, again pretending Hermione wasn't there. "Want to go down to Hagrid's this afternoon after classes?" Harry looked helplessly at Hermione, because though he didn't want to hurt her, he really did want to see Hagrid.
"Oh, go on Harry," she said angrily, losing it somewhat. "Go ahead, I don't care. Not like I expected you to side with me anyway. After all, I'm a GIRL. Have fun at Hogsmeade too, while I think of it." And with that she got up and ran out of the Great Hall.
Ron sighed rather happily. "At last, I can finish my breakfast in peace," he said. Harry let out an angry breath of air.
"Ron, can't you two just make up? Honestly, you two are always fighting, and I'm ALWAYS caught in the middle. It's our last three weeks of school together, ever, and I just want to enjoy them. Who knows where I'll be next time this year, but not here, that's for sure, and probably not with you guys. So can't you just, I dunno, lighten up on her a little?" Ron banged his fork down.
"Fine, fine. I'll be a bit nicer to her, if she approaches me, but I'm not starting anything myself. And now, between you and Hermione, I have completely lost my appetite. I hope you're satisfied." And, with his hands in his pockets, Ron strode out of the Great Hall, leaving Harry alone. He looked around, miffed.
"Was it something I said?"
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Back up in the common room, Hermione buried her nose in "The Life and Achievements of Rowena Ravenclaw". It was three thousand, four hundred and seventy-two pages long, and nice and thick and wordy. It took a book like that to get her mind off Ron when she was angry with him.
"Hullo Hermione," Ginny said, plopping herself down on the chair next to Hermione's. Hermione smiled without looking up.
"Hi Ginny." She went back to reading, not really wanting to be interrupted.
"Hey, Ron!" Hermione heard Ginny call, and she sensed Ron walk into the common room. Hermione glared at her book, squinting in concentration.
'Rowena Ravenclaw enjoyed reading and flying as a young girl, and along with Godric Gryffindor, was the first to introduce the sport to the students of Hogwarts,' Hermione read. How very interesting, she thought. . . .NOT.
'She also founded the Hogwarts library, and was the co-author of "Hogwarts, A History". . . .' Was it possible that Ron wasn't going to say anything to her, Hermione wondered. Cautiously, she allowed herself to look up over the edge of her book. He was setting up a chessboard.
At that moment, Harry walked in through the portrait hole.
"Oi, Ron, can I play?" He called across the room. Ron shrugged.
"Sure." Harry glanced over at Hermione.
"Want to watch? You can play winner," he bribed. Hermione slammed the book shut, seriously considering running upstairs to her dormitory. However, the fact that Ron was objecting or rolling his eyes at Harry stopped her.
"All right, I guess so," she replied, and pulled a chair up to their table, sitting in between them.
It was a short game, especially for Ron, who often took ten to fifteen minutes deciding what to move. He won, of course, and Harry moved aside for Hermione to take his place.
"Good luck," he joked. Neither of them had ever beaten Ron, and didn't expect to.
"I'm black," Ron announced, and shoved the white pieces at Hermione, who looked at him quizzically. She was always black; he knew that. Probably he was still trying to find little ways to irk her.
"You go first," he prodded. She nodded.
"Pawn to E4," she said quietly but clearly. As the game progressed, Hermione found herself equally matched to Ron- a rare occurrence.
About halfway through, Ron whispered to her, "One thousand galleons to the winner of this match." Hermione's eyebrows shot up.
"Fool," she hissed at him. "You haven't got one thousand galleons- at least not yet. Anyway, what a waste that would be." He smirked at her.
"Only if I lose." Hermione shrugged.
"Your loss, then." They continued playing. Soon, Hermione had only her King, a bishop, and a pawn left. Ron sat back and cracked his knuckles.
"Have you got one thousand galleons, Hermione?" he asked softly, smirking again. "Because you better, as you're going to lose." She glared at him, and stared hard at the game board. "You can't beat me at chess- you know that. See? I'll still get my one thousand galleons without you making me look like a fool. The joke's on you Hermione." Think, she told herself, think. You're Rowena Ravenclaw. You're smart. You can do it, you're better than him. Ignore him. Ignore him. Ignore. . . .
Hermione's eyes widened as she noticed the position of his king. If only. . . .Yes!
"Check," she said, grinning at him. He looked at the board and laughed out loud, moving his king to the right, out of the bishop's way. "Nice try," he said, still laughing. Hermione raised one eyebrow.
"Oh?" she asked innocently. "What would you think about that move if I said. . . .checkmate?" She moved her pawn diagonally left, knocking the king down. Ron looked at the board, disbelieving, dismayed.
"But. . . ." he was speechless. Hermione smiled.
"If you owe me one thousand galleons, you've got to accept that award," she said. It was her turn to smirk as Ron's jaw dropped.
"But. . ."
Hermione grinned even more widely. "Joke's on you, Ron."
A/N: you like? Yes no? Well, I had fun writing that chess match. I got to go do homework! Review!
A/N: Hope you like this part! And a huge thanks to Jishka for reviewing so much and the suggestions. I really appreciate it! Luv ya! Thanx!
"Oh, come on Ron, it couldn't have been THAT bad. After all, she wasn't intending to be rude or anything," Harry said, attempting to make Ron see reason. Ron, however, wasn't buying it.
He furiously kicked a stone before saying, "You know Hermione, she can be rude without trying. For the brightest witch in our year, she's awfully clueless when it comes to manners." Harry rolled his eyes. He knew this drill; Ron came to him complaining about Hermione every two weeks or so. Truthfully, Harry thought Ron often got mad at Hermione for the stupidest things, but that was just his opinion. It was tedious, but Harry always managed to help them get back on track, even though it often involved doing painful things. Like posing as Ron's punching bag, for instance. At the moment, they were standing by the edge of the lake, and for a May night, it was freezing.
"Hey Ron? Maybe we could continue this conversation inside, where it's a bit WARMER?"
"She might overhear us or something," Ron hissed at Harry, looking seriously annoyed that Harry hadn't been listening to his rant about why he hated Hermione.
"Too late," a familiar voice said. "I already have." Harry and Ron whipped their heads around.
"Hermione!" They both cried with false brightness. She snorted.
"Honestly. Like I don't have ears, or something." Both boys exchanged embarrassed glances, although Ron still managed to look incredibly angry. "But Harry's right, Ron. You two should come inside. Everyone thinks Voldemort kidnapped you or something. Pretty soon on of the Creeveys is going to report you missing." THAT got their attention.
Hermione started walking briskly towards the castle, Harry and Ron hurrying to catch up.
"Can you believe her?" Ron whispered to Harry. "Bossing us about like that, like she's a queen or something!" Harry shook his head.
"Not now," he mouthed. "We'll talk about it later."
They walked the rest of the way in silence, Ron fuming inwardly, Harry feeling rather irritated at the fact his two best friends were fighting again, and Hermione angrily muttering. She hadn't DONE anything, at least not intentionally, and she had come down here ready to apologize, but NO, stupid Ron and his ego were in her way. Well, fine, she thought, he'll just have to deal with it himself. She decided to ignore him.
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Three days later, neither Hermione nor Ron had heard anything about the galleons and who would receive them. They had both avoided each other for the last ninety-six hours, but Hermione was getting sick of it. At breakfast, she sat down right next to Ron and smiled at him.
"Sleep well?" she asked. Ron scowled.
"Bugger off," he said irritably.
"Hello Harry!" Hermione called, waving at the boy approaching. He looked slightly confused. Hermione and Ron were sitting next to each other, and she was smiling. What was going on?
As he got closer, though, Harry realized that it was all Hermione's doing, for Ron was glowering at his plate, determined not to smile or look at Hermione.
"Hi Harry," he said, pointedly ignoring Hermione. "Hogsmeade tomorrow!" Harry nodded enthusiastically. It was a Friday, which had put him in good spirits. If it weren't for Double Divination, Harry would thoroughly enjoy Fridays. Still, it was the best day of the week, in both boys' opinions.
"Can I come?" Hermione asked brightly.
"No," Ron said vehemently, and Harry looked at him, clearly thinking, 'What the hell is your problem?' Ron grinned at Harry, again pretending Hermione wasn't there. "Want to go down to Hagrid's this afternoon after classes?" Harry looked helplessly at Hermione, because though he didn't want to hurt her, he really did want to see Hagrid.
"Oh, go on Harry," she said angrily, losing it somewhat. "Go ahead, I don't care. Not like I expected you to side with me anyway. After all, I'm a GIRL. Have fun at Hogsmeade too, while I think of it." And with that she got up and ran out of the Great Hall.
Ron sighed rather happily. "At last, I can finish my breakfast in peace," he said. Harry let out an angry breath of air.
"Ron, can't you two just make up? Honestly, you two are always fighting, and I'm ALWAYS caught in the middle. It's our last three weeks of school together, ever, and I just want to enjoy them. Who knows where I'll be next time this year, but not here, that's for sure, and probably not with you guys. So can't you just, I dunno, lighten up on her a little?" Ron banged his fork down.
"Fine, fine. I'll be a bit nicer to her, if she approaches me, but I'm not starting anything myself. And now, between you and Hermione, I have completely lost my appetite. I hope you're satisfied." And, with his hands in his pockets, Ron strode out of the Great Hall, leaving Harry alone. He looked around, miffed.
"Was it something I said?"
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Back up in the common room, Hermione buried her nose in "The Life and Achievements of Rowena Ravenclaw". It was three thousand, four hundred and seventy-two pages long, and nice and thick and wordy. It took a book like that to get her mind off Ron when she was angry with him.
"Hullo Hermione," Ginny said, plopping herself down on the chair next to Hermione's. Hermione smiled without looking up.
"Hi Ginny." She went back to reading, not really wanting to be interrupted.
"Hey, Ron!" Hermione heard Ginny call, and she sensed Ron walk into the common room. Hermione glared at her book, squinting in concentration.
'Rowena Ravenclaw enjoyed reading and flying as a young girl, and along with Godric Gryffindor, was the first to introduce the sport to the students of Hogwarts,' Hermione read. How very interesting, she thought. . . .NOT.
'She also founded the Hogwarts library, and was the co-author of "Hogwarts, A History". . . .' Was it possible that Ron wasn't going to say anything to her, Hermione wondered. Cautiously, she allowed herself to look up over the edge of her book. He was setting up a chessboard.
At that moment, Harry walked in through the portrait hole.
"Oi, Ron, can I play?" He called across the room. Ron shrugged.
"Sure." Harry glanced over at Hermione.
"Want to watch? You can play winner," he bribed. Hermione slammed the book shut, seriously considering running upstairs to her dormitory. However, the fact that Ron was objecting or rolling his eyes at Harry stopped her.
"All right, I guess so," she replied, and pulled a chair up to their table, sitting in between them.
It was a short game, especially for Ron, who often took ten to fifteen minutes deciding what to move. He won, of course, and Harry moved aside for Hermione to take his place.
"Good luck," he joked. Neither of them had ever beaten Ron, and didn't expect to.
"I'm black," Ron announced, and shoved the white pieces at Hermione, who looked at him quizzically. She was always black; he knew that. Probably he was still trying to find little ways to irk her.
"You go first," he prodded. She nodded.
"Pawn to E4," she said quietly but clearly. As the game progressed, Hermione found herself equally matched to Ron- a rare occurrence.
About halfway through, Ron whispered to her, "One thousand galleons to the winner of this match." Hermione's eyebrows shot up.
"Fool," she hissed at him. "You haven't got one thousand galleons- at least not yet. Anyway, what a waste that would be." He smirked at her.
"Only if I lose." Hermione shrugged.
"Your loss, then." They continued playing. Soon, Hermione had only her King, a bishop, and a pawn left. Ron sat back and cracked his knuckles.
"Have you got one thousand galleons, Hermione?" he asked softly, smirking again. "Because you better, as you're going to lose." She glared at him, and stared hard at the game board. "You can't beat me at chess- you know that. See? I'll still get my one thousand galleons without you making me look like a fool. The joke's on you Hermione." Think, she told herself, think. You're Rowena Ravenclaw. You're smart. You can do it, you're better than him. Ignore him. Ignore him. Ignore. . . .
Hermione's eyes widened as she noticed the position of his king. If only. . . .Yes!
"Check," she said, grinning at him. He looked at the board and laughed out loud, moving his king to the right, out of the bishop's way. "Nice try," he said, still laughing. Hermione raised one eyebrow.
"Oh?" she asked innocently. "What would you think about that move if I said. . . .checkmate?" She moved her pawn diagonally left, knocking the king down. Ron looked at the board, disbelieving, dismayed.
"But. . . ." he was speechless. Hermione smiled.
"If you owe me one thousand galleons, you've got to accept that award," she said. It was her turn to smirk as Ron's jaw dropped.
"But. . ."
Hermione grinned even more widely. "Joke's on you, Ron."
A/N: you like? Yes no? Well, I had fun writing that chess match. I got to go do homework! Review!