Title: Brewing Trouble

Rating: PG-13 (for mild language and slightly immature themes)

Summary: Ron decides a love potion is the only way to make Hermione fall for him, and mayhem ensues when the effects of the potion go awry.

Disclaimer: The plot of this story is mine, but everything else belongs to JK Rowling. Please review - I really appreciate feedback!

With her hair sticking out at all angles and her eyes as wide as saucers, Hermione very much resembled a banshee - and Ron was sure it was only a matter of time before she started screaming like one too.

"WHAT DID YOU DO?" Hermione shrieked, two spots of color appearing on her cheeks. Ron began to back away from her but she grabbed him by the collar of his robes and yanked him into the room, slamming the door behind him. She pushed him onto the nearest bed, where he sat, hands folded, like a small child being scolded.

"How did you know it was something I did?" he asked meekly, wincing when she turned on him.

"I'm a smart girl, Ron!" she cried. "I find myself developing a huge crush on Professor Snape the day after you and Harry are watching me at dinner like I'm a science experiment. And then last night you practically shoved that tomato soup down my throat and it didn't taste right - and I wasn't so obsessed with Snape that I didn't notice how everyone else was behaving. Ginny throwing herself at Harry, Harry falling for me..."

"So...can we have a good laugh about it then?" asked Ron weakly. Hermione swooped at him, placing a hand on either side of the bed where he was sitting and thrusting her face in his so their noses were nearly touching.

"No," said Hermione very carefully, "No. We. Can't. Have. A good. Laugh. About it." With every word, she leaned closer and closer to Ron until he was nearly lying down on the bed. He pushed her off of him and pulled himself up to his full height.

"I don't know why you're so upset," Ron said, "It really was kind of funny."

"KIND OF FUNNY?" Hermione shrieked. "You weren't the one making goo-goo eyes at Snape all through Potions! You weren't the one following him around like a little puppy dog. You weren't the one - "

"No!" Ron shouted back. "I wasn't! But I was the one that had to watch you do all of that!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Hermione demanded, crossing her arms.

"Nothing. Nothing." Ron scowled.

"I don't understand it," Hermione said, "You humiliate me and who knows how many others and now you're sulking and getting mad at me! You're so big-headed, Ron!"

"Big-headed? I came here to check on you, make sure you're okay!" Ron exclaimed. "How is that big-headed?"

"You haven't even asked me how I am!" Hermione cried. "You haven't explained one thing to me - I'm not some silly little girl you can play games with, Ron."

"I think you're just mad because you actually felt something for once instead of just reading about it in a book!" Ron shot back. Hermione turned bright red as he continued, slowly approaching her. "You bury yourself in the library, in books, because it's safe. And now that you've actually felt something for someone - and Vicky-git doesn't count - you're mad at me because I showed you that you have weaknesses and you're not perfect."

Before Ron knew what was happening, Hermione slapped him across the face. She turned on her heel and fled the dormitory, Ron close behind. At the bottom of the stairs she spun around.

"You don't understand, do you?" she wailed. "You never understand, Ron!"

"I understand perfectly!" Ron roared.

"No you don't!" Hermione screamed. "You made a fool of me, and you don't see what's the matter with that! I threw myself at my *teacher*, Ron, my *teacher*! I got into a *physical* fight with your sister! I have a lump the size of an egg on my head because you're too stupid to plan ahead and see how your actions can affect others!"

They were nose and nose again, and Ron was sorely tempted to slap her. His ears felt hot as he shouted, "If I'm so stupid, how did I manage to brew that bloody potion without your help?"

"YOU'RE MISSING THE POINT AGAIN!" Hermione bellowed.

"THEN TELL ME WHAT THE BLOODY POINT IS SO WE CAN GET ON WITH IT!" Ron yelled. "What, are you mad because now Harry won't be interested in you? Is that it? You've wanted him all along, haven't you?"

"If you'd just listen to one word that I'm saying -

"I was listening until you started calling me stupid!" Ron hollered. "You can call me whatever you like, but sometimes you're so unbearable, Hermione! You act like you're better than everyone else when you're not."

Hermione was starting to cry now. "I don't want Harry and I don't think I'm better than you," she sobbed. "Why did you brew that bloody potion in the first place? What was the point?"

"You think it's all about you, don't you?" Ron shouted, aware that it was indeed all about Hermione. "Who's the big-headed one now?"

"Just shut up! If you'd just shut up for one minute - "

"No! I think you need to shut up!" Ron shot back. "You've always thought you were better than me! You think you're so smart and perfect, but you're not! For one in your life you looked like a fool - welcome to my life, Hermione. God. For a clever witch, *you* can be really stupid sometimes."

Hermione had backed against the wall as Ron shouted at her, and now she began to sob harder, staring up at Ron as tears streamed down her cheeks.

"How dare you?" she sobbed. "All I meant was that you need to think about what you're doing before you do it! You need to think about other people's feelings, Ron! You really, really upset me - I thought there was something seriously wrong with me because all of a sudden I couldn't stop thinking about Snape! Do you have any idea how that feels, to be completely obsessed with someone to the point that you'd rather follow them and think about them than eat or sleep or do anything else?"

Ron was silent as Hermione took a ragged breath. He stared down at her almost tenderly as she slumped against the stone and sniffled.

"All I meant," Hermione continued quietly, staring unblinkingly up at Ron, "Is that you need to realize you can't toy with people for your amusement, that you need to be more responsible and think about how other people will react to what you do. You need to anticipate -"

"Anticipate this," said Ron, and he kissed her. As his lips touched hers, he realized that he was living the moment that he'd dreamed about for four long years. After this, there would be no question in Hermione's mind about how he felt about her. Would she confess her own secret romantic feelings for him? Or would she push him away from her and continue her lecture? Ron had no idea, but right now all he could think about was how wonderful it felt to finally be kissing Hermione - and judging by the way she was kissing him back, she'd been keeping a secret similar to his for quite a while.

They parted breathlessly, and Ron realized his arms were wrapped around her waist and she had twined her arms around his neck. They stared at each other, not moving, then simultaneously stepped towards each other, their mouths eagerly meeting again. Ron could feel Hermione trembling in his arms, and he finally broke off the kiss, reaching up to brush a strand of hair out of her eyes.

"I'm so sorry." They both said together. They both laughed.

"Let me go first," Ron said, clasping Hermione's hands tightly in his. "The first night back, I got the stupid idea to make a potion - a diluted love potion - " he hastily added " - just to make you like me a little more. You know, be a little more...receptive to what I was planning on telling you."

"Which is?" Hermione asked, her voice quivering.

"That I've liked you since first year and have been too much of a bloody chicken to tell you," Ron said, "and you have to believe me, Hermione, I never thought that what happened would happen. I gave Dobby the potion to pour into your goblet but instead he poured it in the gravy tureen and everyone was affected." Hermione put her hand over her mouth. "And then I had to rush and find the antidote before things got really out of hand and...I'm really sorry, Hermione, honestly, I am."

Hermione was completely silent for a moment before bursting into laughter and tears at the same time. "You stupid boy," she said affectionately, "I like you too."

Ron was dumbstruck. He'd had an inkling after Hermione kissed him back the way she did but hearing her say those words was still a little surprising. "You do?"

"Of course I do!" Hermione exclaimed. "I got so upset about the potion because I knew you had something to do with it somehow and I couldn't believe you'd act so irresponsibly and then not even care that I - that I didn't seem to like you the way I had before."

"So...really what you're saying is basically that you were mad because my potion made you not like me anymore?" Ron asked in wonder.

"Yes!" cried Hermione. "I knew that a potion or spell had to be responsible for my sudden change in heart, but I couldn't understand why it wouldn't just make me like you more." She flung her arms around him, burying her head against his shoulder. "Ron, I'm so sorry I said those awful things to you. And I'm really sorry I slapped you, really."

"It's all right," Ron said, stroking her hair. "So...you really do like me?"

Hermione laughed and, standing on her tiptoes, kissed him on the lips again. "Yes," she said, "I really do like you. Although," she added, "It was very irresponsible of you to make a potion like that. And especially without following the recipe to the letter. And - "

"Hermione," said Ron, "Don't ruin it." And he silenced her with another kiss.



A quarter of an hour later, Hermione and Ron strolled into the Great Hall arm-in-arm. Hermione had washed her face and combed her hair and performed an anti-bruising charm on Ron to completely erase the evidence of their fight. Unless you counted their new relationship as evidence - Hermione was beaming and Ron, though he thought his ears might be permanently bright red, couldn't remember the last time he felt this happy. They walked up to the Gryffendor table, where Harry and Ginny were sitting very close together, talking animatedly. Ron cleared his throat.

"So you're - oh!" A grin spread across Harry's face. "I take it everything is all right between you two?"

"Better than all right," Hermione said, leaning her head on Ron's shoulder.

"We had an awful row earlier in the Tower but once we calmed down and talked, everything kind of sorted itself out," Ron said, smiling at Hermione.

"So, it's official? You're a couple, then?" Ginny asked, raising an eyebrow.

"We are!" Hermione said joyfully.

"Then we've got a bit of news as well," Ginny said, glancing at Harry.

"After you left, we started talking," Harry began.

"And we started realizing how much we really have in common and how well we get along," Ginny continued.

"And after the potion wore off and I started thinking about everything that happened," said Harry, "I realized that I'd been missing something that was staring in me in the face the whole time."

Hermione's mouth was open in an 'O' of delight, but Ron was still waiting for the great revelation. "So?" he asked, "What have you been missing?"

"Oh Ron!" Hermione squealed. "I knew it! They fancy each other!"

Ron turned to look at Harry and Ginny, both of whom looked rather sheepish but also very happy. "Really?" he said incredulously. "You two?"

"Er, yes." Harry said, and it was then that Ron noticed the two were holding hands under the table.

"You aren't upset, are you?" Ginny asked Ron tentatively.

Ron shook his head dumbly. "I never thought it would actually happen - my best friend and my little sister..."

"I knew it!" Hermione crowed, throwing her arms around Ginny. "I just knew you two would get together someday!"

"And we knew the same about you," Harry said wryly.

"You knew she liked me?" Ron exclaimed indignantly.

"I had a feeling," Harry said modestly.

"I knew she did," Ginny piped up, "She told me. And I was positive you liked her, Ron - I was just waiting for the time when you two would get over your embarrassment and admit it to each other."

"Looks like we have," Hermione said, smiling up at Ron.

"I know fifth year is just beginning," Ron said, "But this seems like the time for a 'happily ever after,' don't you think?"

The end.

A/N: I would just like to again thank everyone who posted reviews and e-mailed me about this story. I'm so, so happy with the overwhelmingly positive feedback it has received, and I'm well on the way to finishing a second fic. Thanks, everyone: you all making writing worth it. :-)