A/N: OK, so this chapter takes place the exact same five days as the last, only it's from Ron's POV, and so at the very end you MIGHT find out what he was doing standing in front of Hermione's dorm's door…
Disclaimer: I own the laptop I'm typing this on and that's about it!
*** Thanks to: Triniroo, who was the first to review this chapter! Thank you DazzlinAngel555 for reviewing! I must admit I always feel good after reading your reviews! Poptart is a really cool name and I am so happy to see a new name among the reviewers! Victoria, I'm really glad you liked this chapter and I hope you like this one just as much! Slap me silly, thank you, thank you for your enthusiastic reviews! Hermione Weasley, you reviewed twice! Cool! Thank you so much! AND, thanks for reviewing my other story! Shans, another new reviewer! I love it! Thanks so much! Fiona Goldfeet, thank you so much and yes, I am having a good day! Are you? LilStiffy, yeah! You guys are so cool! Another new reviewer! Thanks so much for reading and reviewing! Angelfire, you've only reviewed up to Chapter 2 as I write this but thank you so much for reading and reviewing! Mela, oops! I was just wrapped up in the date and dance thing…from Ron's POV I'll put in a bit of Lee and the parts with Hermione were only parts of the day…let's pretend they did go to the library but they didn't find anything new…Thanks so much for reviewing! Pinkchicklet thanks so much for thinking I'm talented…more than anything in the world I want to be an author! Alayna, I'm so glad you're tense! You like this chapter…everyone one of you readers will! Thanks! Andie, if you are still confused after this chapter, feel free to email me! I'll clear anything up if you want! Thanks for reading! Swnflakesweety, isn't it a pain when you the internet won't let you do something? Thanks for your review! They make me feel good! Shaunna, I'm so glad you laughed! That was what I was trying to do! Thanks for reviewing! Thank you so much everybody!
Chapter 21: 5 Ways to Ask a Witch Out
Seamus came up to Ron after practice. "So, have you found a date for the ball yet?"
Ron stripped off his practice robes and then the T-shirt he was wearing underneath, despite the chilliness of the evening. He was hot; they had practiced hard that night. Goosebumps appeared across his arms, his chest, his back.
"Cold Ron?" Fred asked as he walked past his brother. His arm was protectively around Angelina.
Ron rolled his eyes.
"Seriously though Ron, if you need help asking her to the ball…Dean gets a Wizards' magazine that has all the best tips for asking a girl out. And you'll need a few tips because Hermione isn't your average witch," Seamus said, as if that was supposed to reassure Ron.
"Thanks Seamus," he muttered under his breath.
They had come to the broom closet and so Ron consented to putting his shirt back on. He was getting rather chilled but it was nice to cool off after a long Quidditch practice.
"You sure you don't want it?" Seamus asked as they came to their dorm room five minutes later.
"What? The magazine?" Ron scoffed. Then his face paled and he looked quickly to Harry and then back at Seamus.
He sighed. "Yeah…hand it over here."
Seamus picked the magazine off of Dean's trunk and tossed it at Ron.
Ron rummaged through the pages until he came to the article "5 Ways to Ask Out a Witch". He scanned the glossy paper and snorted. "This is so stupid; find common interests…Hermione and I don't have common interests! The only thing common between the two of us is Harry!" Ron laughed. "This is ridiculous! Play hard to get! Does that even work? Oh and what about this one: ASK HER!" He chuckled and threw the magazine on his bed. "Did the people who wrote this article ever try to get a date? Everyone knows you don't get a date just by asking a girl!" he protested.
Harry and Seamus rolled their eyes at the same time.
Harry checked the watch he had taken to wearing and saw that it was nearing the time they were supposed to meet Hermione in the library. "Hey Ron, we've got to get to the library now…Hermione wanted to check out those books for the millionth time—
Seamus cut in. "Guys, if-if I tell Lav how I feel, even with her unconscious do you think…do you think she'd wake up?"
The two best friends shrugged. "I don't see how it could hurt."
Seamus nodded. "Alright…go on now and find a cure for Lee!"
5 Days for the Ball: Operation Cut Your Losses and Forget about it; right now
Ron sat across from Hermione in the library. He watched as she intently continued to search through page after page of nothingness. It was odd he knew but he could have sworn that when he looked down she looked up at him.
It was stupid. He should just forget about it. It would be best to forget about asking Hermione to the ball.
On the other hand, the good hand, Harry lent him his newest issue of "Quidditch Weekly" and Ron was looking forward to reading it after they left the library, which hopefully would be soon.
He shook his head and looked to the magazine he was hiding on his lap below the table. He could feel Hermione's eyes on him but quickly felt them disappear. He flipped the page open to the table of contents, not able to resist the pristine pages any longer.
4 Days Before the Ball: Operation Just Screw it
"I'm not doing this," Ron protested. "I am not sending her a singing invitation to ask her to the ball. I will not."
Seamus held up his hands. "Fine. But I think you should."
Harry snorted.
"What?" Seamus asked, confused.
Harry shook his head. "Never mind."
Dean walked into the dorm room then. "Hey, what's up?" he asked casually enough.
Before Seamus had the time to launch into a whole huge drawn out story Ron started. "Nothing is up Dean. So, you find a date to the ball?"
Dean grinned cheekily. "Padma. What about you?"
He shifted uncomfortably. "Never mind," he grumbled.
"Still haven't asked Hermione to the ball, huh?"
"Just screw it guys, just screw it."
3 Days Before the Ball: Refuse to Take Any More Advice from this Stupid Magazine
Ron stared off into space, or actually into the jumping flames of the fireplace thinking of a way to either completely ignore Hermione for the rest of his life or ask her to the dance. The more and more he thought about it though, the more and more he felt the first option would be easier to do than the second option.
The magazine actually suggested playing hard to get! That way, the writer said, the girl would ask him. Well the thing was, the more and more he admitted it to himself, he didn't want Hermione to ask him…he wanted to ask her. He wanted to do this ball the right way.
Ron didn't even hear Hermione until she spoke up. "Um, Ron…" she began, twirling a long curl between her fingers, "I don't suppose you could help me with Potions homework, could you?"
Ron turned around and looked at her. She wanted him to help her with homework? Couldn't she he wasn't in the mood to talk? "You're shitting me right?" So it wasn't the most brilliant thing he could have said at the time but it was out and he could deal with that.
"Ron don't swear," she reprimanded.
He did not feel like dealing with this right now. "Alright Hermione, whatever you say," he said as he tried to get past her.
"Well you aren't doing anything anyway, are you?" she asked. Her tone was accusatory and he didn't appreciate it at all.
"Yes Mum," he said. She had completely managed to ruin his mood.
"Ron! I am not trying to fight with you!" she called furiously up after him but it didn't matter because he was already climbing up the steps to his dorm.
2 Days Before the Ball: Operation Sit and Watch Her Make a Date to the Library with Roommate
Ron sat in his regular seat next to Neville and wondered where Hermione was. She was never this late…and in walked the object of his thoughts. But she didn't take her usual seat next to Harry. She sat by Dean. Parvati sat next to Harry.
It would have been an understatement to say Ron was fuming.
He watched as Hermione leaned in closer to Dean and said something in a quiet voice. It didn't matter what she said though because the wicked smile on Dean's face was enough for him to get the picture.
"So Hermione, what time are we meeting tomorrow night in the library?" Dean asked so loudly some Slytherins, mainly Draco, snickered and looked at Ron for his reaction. Was Dean asking to die?
Ron didn't even realize he'd broke his quill until he attempted to pass a note up to Harry…
1 Day Before the Ball: Operation Suck it Up and Be a Man
Ron hadn't seen Hermione since last night; since he'd been the library watching Dean watch Hermione look up information, probably on that stupid curse again.
Poor Dean (well almost poor Dean, Ron was still going to have to kill him), he looked nearly bored to tears sitting there watching Hermione.
Ron sucked in a deep breath. He really didn't want to see her not at the ball, and he really didn't want to see her with someone else, even Harry…although Harry wasn't a concern since he had admitted to going with Parvati earlier this morning. Ron didn't understand why his friend would do such a thing to himself again, but whatever. He had more important things in mind. Like Hermione, for example.
He took another deep breath and began the long climb to her dorm. OK, so it wasn't such a long climb but to him it felt like a death march.
Even when he did finally come to her door he stood outside of it, mulling around like an idiot for what seemed like an eternity to him. It wasn't until a group of serious third-year girls started giggling upon seeing him that he reigned in his courage and knocked.
He wasn't exactly expecting anyone to open the door, least of all Hermione, and so when she did open the door, wearing a pink bathrobe that brought out the pale coloring of her cheeks, he was surprised. And then he grinned. He gave her the famous Weasley grin.
She looked so pretty, even though her hair was messier than usual and her attire was rumpled. It was almost…dare he think it…sexy.
Hermione stared up at him, confused and open mouthed, giving him all the courage he needed. He took her small, soft hands within both of his and smiled. She was much softer than he'd originally thought. She stared up at him with bewildered, beautiful brown eyes. "Hermione," his voice trembled a tiny bit as he said her name, "would you-would you like to go to the Autumn Ball with me tomorrow night?" he asked in a rush of mumbled words.
It took her a moment before comprehending what he said and then a slight pink crawled up her cheeks. Still looking at him, she never moved her eyes she bit her lip to keep from grinning madly and nodded.
"You will?" He might have worked up the courage to ask her but he never thought she'd actually say yes…
Her smile widened and she reached up to pull him into a tight embrace. "I would love to go with you, Ronald Weasley," she whispered as they pulled apart.
Parvati was grinning from where she was watching inside the dorm.
Yeah! I finally got them on a date-y type thing! I am so happy! I hope you guys liked it too! Other than this, I don't have much to say…oh yeah, the next update probably won't be for a couple of days depending on how my already-too-busy-Wednesday goes! So, I hope you have a wonderful rest of your day. Please review.
*** As a side note, please pray/light a candle/meditate/whatever-it-is-you-do for the Allied forces in light of the war…and not only for the Allied soldiers but also the innocent Iraqi lives that will be lost. Remember, it is not Iraq we are against, but Saddam Hussein. I apologize if this request has offended you.
You can win a battle, and still lose more then you could ever possibly gain.
