Chapter 4
Ron toppled out of the fireplace and into Hermione's house. The living room was much like his own. He figured most living rooms looked the same. He looked around and noticed Hermione was asleep on the couch, mouth hanging open slightly. One of her arms was hanging over the side of the couch, a book was in her hand. Her bushy hair was pulled back into a ponytail and she had white dust covered her face and clothes.
As far as Ron was concerned, she looked lovely.
Ron sat next to her and shook her shoulder. "Hey, Hermione-"
"Hey, Hermione! Hand me a roll will you?" Ron shouted over the noise at the
Gryffindor table.
Hermione sighed and handed him the basket of rolls.
"I didn't ask for the whole lot." Ron complained.
"I'm sorry." Hermione said, taking a sip of her punch then wrinkling her nose at the taste. "I didn't think you would want me to touch one. After all I am a girl and I have girl germs."
"Right, forgot about that. Thanks."
"Don't mention it." She said dismissively.
Ron reached for another glass of punch, and drank it like a shot. Hermione looked at her own clear glass of pink juice. How could he drink that stuff?
"How many glasses have you had, Ron?"
Ron thought for a moment. "I dunno. Four? Maybe five." She looked at him like he was mad. "What? It's good!"
"If you say so."
Hermione looked around the great hall. Many students stayed at Hogwarts for Christmas break this year, she noted. Probably because they were all expecting another ball. Harry was over at the Ravenclaw table talking with Luna, Ginny and Neville. Hermione wasn't surprised that she seemed to be the only student who wasn't having a good time. Apparently Ron had noticed.
"What? Not having any fun without Vicky?" He wondered.
Hermione arched an eyebrow at him. "That stopped being funny the first time you said it."
"Okay, but you do look like you'd rather be eating live flobberworms."
"It's boring." She admitted. "And it's not because Viktor's not here, there's just nothing to do."
Ron shrugged. "We could always go back to the common room for a game of chess."
Usually Hermione wouldn't accept a game of chess with Ron. She never liked losing, but this time she accepted, anything to get out of the great hall was fine by her. "All right then."
Ron stood up from his chair, not before drinking one more cup of punch. Hermione forced herself to try one more sip and must have made a face because Ron frowned at her. "Don't you like it?"
"No, it tastes like there's alcohol in it."
"There is." Ron said with a laugh, taking Hermione's cup and finishing the drink for her.
"Then why are you drinking it?" She demanded, though secretly finding it quite endearing. Hermione Granger was allowed to fancy men who were rebellious, even if it was only a little bit.
"What a question." He said linking his arm with hers. "To the common room then?"
They slowly made their way out of the great hall into the quiet castle corridors. Ron seemed to have calmed down a bit now that they were alone. He opened a door for her, causing him to let go of her arm, much to Hermione's dismay. But as soon as she was through he took her hand in his own. She felt a blush creep across her cheeks.
"So, Ron." She said, trying to divert her attention away from the fact that her fingers were intertwined with his. "Have you had a good Christmas?"
Ron smiled. "So far, yes."
So far? She wondered. What did he mean by that?
"What about you?" He asked, interrupting her thoughts. "How has your been."
"It's been all right."
"Just all right?"
"Well, it's been just like every other Christmas. I get a present or two and the next day is a regular day."
"I'm sorry to hear that's how you feel about the holidays." Ron said.
Hermione wanted to argue, but she really couldn't. "It's better than last year and the year before."
"Oh yeah… the ball." Ron observed. "I thought you liked that, you got to dance with a Champion," he blushed. "You looked beautiful. Belle of the ball, if I do say so. Much to pretty to be standing next to Krum, you should have been standing next to someone else."
Hermione felt her face heat up. "Someone like you?"
Ron nodded. "Yes." He said simply.
Well that said it right there: Ron had one too many drinks. "Oh," was all she could say. She hadn't even realized that they had come to the portrait hole.
"Holly." Ron said.
The fat lady shook her head. "The only way for a couple to get in on Christmas day is too kiss under the mistletoe."
Hermione went ridged. A couple? Them?
"We're not a couple." She said, flustered.
"I said the password," Ron said. "You have to let us in."
"I don't have to do anything, I make the rules for entering this room." The fat lady said. "It's a holiday tradition and just saying the password does not get you out of it."
"We're the Prefects, we make the rules."
"Not on Christmas."
"Fine," Ron turned to Hermione. "What do you say, love?"
Hermione went wide-eyed. She was right, Ron was drunk. "Uh, well, I suppose we have to. We can't break school rules."
"Definitely not." Ron teased.
She playfully punched him in the shoulder. Ron took this opportunity to grasp her other hand. She looked up at him, utterly afraid of what she was about to do. She couldn't kiss Ron, as much as she wanted to, she couldn't. He was her best friend. It would ruin the bond they'd already formed. Ron however didn't appear to be thinking that way.
He leaned down, capturing her lips with his own. The sensation was new to Hermione, she had never kissed anyone before, Viktor had never even tried. They must have been kissing each other for a long time because the fat lady cleared her throat. "Not a couple, eh?"
That stopped the two. They pulled away from each other in embarrassment. "Uh, sorry, Hermione."
"Hermione?" She felt a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, Hermione, time to wake up."
Hermione sat up abruptly, her forehead colliding with Ron's.
"Bloody hell!" Ron groaned.
"Ow!" She yelped. "Oh no! Ron, are you okay? I'm sorry! I didn't realize that-"
"Don't worry about it." Ron said, rubbing his forehead. "I've been through worse this week, believe me," he pointed to his eye as if to prove his point.
Hermione gasped. "What happened? That looks awful! Does it hurt?"
"Kind of… it was just an accident that Fred and I had. Trust me I look good compared to him."
Hermione raised an eyebrow at him.
"All right, all right, I look worse. But that must have been having some dream you were having. I couldn't wake you up." Ron said. "Let me guess, you were just getting a five hundred percent on every exam, then you were made Head Girl?"
She sighed and stood up. "I don't only dream about school, Ron. I just didn't get to sleep until five this morning. Then I had to wake up at seven, that's when I wrote the letter." The letter, she remembered. "Oh, Ron! I'm not doing anything right today. I fell asleep again around one! I didn't make lunch!" She slapped her head. "I'm an idiot!"
Ron grabbed her hand, trying to prevent her from getting brain damage. "Idiot is never a word I reserved for you." He said with a laugh. "Why didn't you sleep last night? You were thinking about me weren't you?"
Hermione rolled her eyes, "You're beginning to sound like George and Fred."
"Don't say that name in front of me, please." Ron said, rubbing his temples as if he had a very bad headache.
"Okay, sorry I said anythi-" Hermione was cut off by the sound of a screaming baby. "Oh, that's Faith." Hermione said quickly, standing up and bolting up the stairs.
A/N: They may be a bit OOC but I'm doing the best I can.
Lenny
