Title: Deadly Love

Written by: oopsiesgrl

Rating: PG - Parental Guidance recommended (some swearing)

Chapter Seven: Proposal of Love

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Harry walked up one flight of stairs after another, feeling much better after talking with Professor Fitz. The stairs at Hogwarts moved whenever they wanted to, so he had to be careful. One minute, they led to the Charms corridor, and the next minute it was to the Ravenclaw common room. The same happened with the people in the paintings. They enjoyed going into each other's frames and chat, mostly gossiping about the students who walked by. However, the worst thing that could happen to a student late for class is bumping into Peeves the Poltergeist. He wasn't one of the Hogwarts ghosts, but for some reason, the annoying brat was allowed to remain. Peeves loved to taunt the students, especially the icky first years. Argus Filch, the bitter caretaker, and the professors all couldn't control him. He only listened to Bloody Baron, the Slytherin ghost, who often floated around with a sinister expression on his face. Speaking of ghosts, it would be dreadful to walk through one, as their bodies were icy cold. It sometimes happened when students rounded a corner and one of the resident ghosts was coming from that direction.

Luckily, Harry didn't bump into one of the usual obstacles. He soon came to the painting of the Fat Lady that hid the entrance to Gryffindor Tower.

"Hello," the Fat Lady said to Harry. "If I were you, I wouldn't go in there just now. Some argument is going on. Very loud, it is."

"Okay. But I still want to go in."

"Are you sure? Okay. What's the password?"

"Pigwidgeon." Somehow, Ginny had coaxed the Fat Lady into making Ron's miniature owl's name the password that morning. She had named the very hyper owl that Sirius had given Ron. Ron preferred calling him "Pig."

The Fat Lady swung open and Harry found out she was very right. It was very loud in there. Two people were shouting, and it sounded like Ron and Hermione's voices. He climbed through the hole and saw them standing in the middle of the circular common room yelling their heads off at each other. The rest of Gryffindor were very quiet, listening to them amusingly. Harry sighed. Something similar had happened after the Yule Ball last year, when Ron had become jealous Hermione had gone to the dance with Viktor Krum, Seeker for the Bulgarian National Quidditch team and the student from Durmstrang who competed with Harry in the Triwizard Tournament.

"What's wrong with Professor Fitz?" Ron was yelling.

"She's your professor and you're drooling all over her!" Hermione shouted back. "Don't you think there's something wrong with that?"

"What about you and Professor Lockhart? You were all over him! You even gave him a Valentine's card!"

"That - that's not the point here!" Hermione was beet red with both fury and embarrassment.

"Yes, it is! You're jealous! Admit it!"

"Ron! Hermione!" Harry came between the two of them and tried to keep them from fighting any longer. He thought this argument had gone quite far enough. But they pushed his hands away and kept quarreling.

"I thought you said Professor Fitz would be like Lockhart on the train," pointed out Hermione. "You said she might be a fake. But now you're saying how great she is. Isn't that kind of ironic?"

"I didn't know her when I said that and now I do know her. I think she's great. Do you have a problem with that?"

Hermione looked at Ron angrily, her hair in disarray. Her curls looked even wilder than usual. Ron's red hair was standing at odd ends too, and his fists were clenched tightly.

"Why don't you get out of my business and go have fun with Viktor Krum?" Ron yelled heatedly.

"Oh! And what about you and Fleur Delacour, the beautiful Triwizard Tournament champion from Beauxbatons? Oh wait! I forgot! She doesn't want you!"

"Shut up, Hermione! At least I didn't go to the Yule Ball with Harry's rival!"

"It's okay!" Harry broke in again. "I didn't mind."

"So you're still jealous about the Yule Ball? I thought we settled this before summer! Didn't you love Viktor Krum and his Quidditch skills before the Yule Ball? You didn't care then about making friends with one of Harry's rivals!"

"Because - because...because I didn't know he was going to ask you out then!" Ron stuttered. "You're mine!"

Suddenly, he pulled Hermoine into his arms and held her tightly. He kissed her lightly on the cheek. The whole common room was stunned, including Harry.

"Go, Ron!" Fred yelled, laughing.

Hermione suddenly burst into tears and broke away from Ron's embrace. She ran out of the common room with her face buried in her hands. Harry and Ginny looked after her worriedly.

"Ginny, follow her," said Harry.

"Okay," Ginny agreed and left in search of Hermione.

Harry didn't think Hermoine would as readily confide in him than another girl. Meanwhile, maybe he could comfort Ron, who was standing rooted to the spot with a strange expression on his face.

The rest of the common room was still staring at Ron in surprise. Harry dragged him upstairs into their room and shut the door behind them. Ron had already had enough embarrassment. Although he and Hermione had created it for themselves, the others shouldn't have just sat there and listened to it all. The two of them sat down on Harry's bed. Ron was staring blankly at the wall and didn't speak for a long time. Harry had never seen him like this.

"Ron," he finally broke the silence, "are you alright?"

"She doesn't...l-like me as more than a friend, does she?" Ron's voice was shaking.

"Not necessarily. She could have just been surprised."

"Harry, she left the common room crying! That doesn't sound like surprise to me."

"That might have just been a first reaction," Harry comforted. "Maybe she was crying because she was too happy or something. Hermione must have been too embarrassed to stay in the common room. I mean, the entire Gryffindor House heard what you were talking about and saw what you did. If it was me, I would have wished to disappear. So don't be too depressed. She has to like you at least a little. She got jealous of Professor Fitz, didn't she?"

"What about Krum?" Ron was still pessimistic. "She went to the Yule Ball with him."

"You never asked her to go with you. And you kept saying how there weren't even any decent-looking girls left when she had never told you she already had a date."

"Krum is a hundred times better than me. The Seeker of a national Quidditch team and one of the worthy competitors for the Triwizard Tournament. What am I? A poor trash living in poverty."

"No, you're not, Ron! You're just as worthy as Viktor Krum!"

"That might not be what she thinks..."

"Ron... That's not true. Really."

Ron sighed. "I never knew I thought of her this way until summer. I kept wondering if Hermione had taken up on his invitation to visiting him in Bulgaria. She came over to my house though the last week before school. I didn't dare ask her if she had seen Krum because I didn't want her to know I cared that much. That's why I faked so much interest in Professor Fitz too, so she wouldn't guess how I really felt about her."

"You're a good actor."

"Not good enough. I lost it down there."

"Ron... Don't worry about it. Don't feel so bad."

"I can't help it, damn it! The stuff with Percy and Dad at home and now Hermione. I just don't know... With Voldemort back, who knows what else will happen? Harry...the carriage thing...how did they get so near Hogwarts? My dad told me Dumbledore had done a spell so Voldemort couldn't come near. They shouldn't be able to come within ten miles of Hogwarts."

"That's strange. Maybe...they found some way to get past it, or maybe Voldemort -" Ron cringed at the name "- is so powerful he can penetrate through the spell."

"Yeah, maybe." Ron shook his head. "Here I am worrying about my petty problems while You-Know-Who is out there somewhere, probably planning to..." His voice trailed off.

"To kill me?" Harry laughed coldly. "Then we just won't let him kill me."

"Harry... Why did he have to come back?" Ron said miserably.

"I don't know... Let's talk about something else. This topic is too depressing."

"Okay. Then let's just go down to dinner now. It's starting soon anyway."

"Sure. Are you going to be okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine," Ron assured.

"Let's go."

They walked back down the stairs to the common room. Only a few people remained in there, and they left Harry and Ron alone about what happened. Harry and Ron made their way to the Great Hall.

Today, the enchanted ceiling was pink mixed with orange, revealing the romantic feeling of a sundown. Ron looked towards the Gryffindor table hopefully, in search of Hermione's curly mass of brown hair. She and Ginny weren't here yet. Disappointed, Ron took a seat by his brothers and Harry followed.

"Sorry, Ron," Fred apologized. He felt guilty about the remark he made. "I shouldn't have been so insensitive."

"It's okay. She would probably have reacted the same way if you hadn't said that."

"You okay, Ron?" asked George.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He was relieved the twins weren't making fun of him like they usually would.

Nearby, though, Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil were pointing at Ron and giggling, as were many other girls, even those not in Gryffindor. The word about Ron and Hermione had spread like wildfire. "I wish I was that Granger girl," some of the girls said. "How romantic!" Malfoy and several Slytherins were smirking and looking at Ron, clearly making fun of him. Harry glared at them. George said angrily, "Ignore those bastards!" but it wasn't necessary, because Ron seemed to have too much on his mind to care.

"You know, you're a dunderhead," said Fred, trying to start some humor, "but you're still my little bro. I'm here if you need to talk."

"Thanks, Fred," said Ron.

"Don't worry too much," said George. "We've been dumped tons of times and we turned out okay, didn't we?" Ron grinned. It was difficult not to smile with the Weasley twins around. "Besides, you don't know yet if she is rejecting you. So cheer up."

Food suddenly appeared on the tables and everybody dug in. Ron was talking to Fred and George, so Harry let his attention wander. His eyes landed on the Ravenclaw table. Cho Chang looked as beautiful as usual. Her dark hair was pulled back in a ponytail and soft bangs fell to her eyes. What was missing was the friendly smile Harry usually saw on her face last year, before Cedric's death.

'I wonder if she would smile for me,' thought Harry. 'Is she still thinking about Cedric Diggory?'

"Harry," George broke his thoughts.

"Huh?"

"We need to start planning for our Quidditch team. With Wood gone, we need a new Captain and Keeper."

George was referring to Oliver Wood, the former Gryffindor Quidditch Captain who also played the position of Keeper. He graduated two years ago. Last year, with the Triwizard Tournament, Quidditch games were cancelled, so Gryffindor hadn't found a replacement yet.

Quidditch is a very popular sport played on broomsticks. There are three hoops on each side of a Quidditch field, all of them fifty feet in the air. The three Chasers from each team uses a red ball called a Quaffle to score by shooting them through the opposing team's hoops, ten points for each goal. Two smaller black balls, the Bludgers, are used to disable the other team's players. The two Beaters from each team use bats slightly shorter than baseball bats to hit the Bludgers. The smallest ball is the Golden Snitch, which is about the same size as a golf ball. It has small white wings and can disappear in a flash. It's the Seeker's job to find and catch the snitch. The team that catches the Snitch first is awarded fifty points and so most likely wins. The game only ends after the Snitch is caught. Some games, although not at Hogwarts, have been known to last months.

The Gryffindor team currently consists of Alicia Spinnet, Katie Bell, and Angelina Johnson as the Chasers. The Weasley twins are the two Beaters. Harry is the Seeker, and a very talented one at that, just like his father.

"Do you guys have anybody in mind for the Keeper?" Harry asked.

"Not yet," answered Fred. "We need to hold tryouts some time soon. Let's have a meeting to discuss things with the girls."

"How about Friday afternoon next week?" suggested Harry. "I think Gryffindor has a free afternoon that day."

"Sure. Somewhere quiet in the common room. We'll vote for the new Captain that day too."

"I think we need to find possible Chasers and Beaters for next year too," George pointed out. "Fred, Alicia, Angelina, Katie, and me are all graduating this year. We wouldn't want for you to find five players all by yourself."

Harry nodded. George was right. He, and maybe their future Keeper, is the only one left on the Gryffindor team next year.

"They're here," Ron nudged Harry and whispered.

Harry looked up and saw Ginny and Hermione coming toward them. Hermione looked as if she didn't want to be here, but being dragged by Ginny, she had no choice.

"Ron," Ginny said, "Hermione has something to say to you." She pulled Ron out of his seat by his collar. "Remember what we rehearsed?" Ginny whispered to Hermione, and ushered the two of them out of the Great Hall. As soon as they were out of the door, she came back to the table and sat down to eat.

"So?" Harry asked curiously.

"What did you and Hermione talk about?" said Fred. "Come on! Tell!"

Ginny just smiled broadly, but they took her hint.

"Alright!" said George. "So Ronniekins worried for nothing?"

"Yup," answered Ginny. "Hermione told me she 'thinks' she likes Ron, and she's going to tell him. Am I brilliant or what?"

"You're the greatest, Ginny!" said Harry.

Ginny blushed furiously. 'And so are you, Harry,' she was thinking.

Ten minutes later, Ron and Hermione came back. Hermione looked relieved, and Ron sat back down with a fake smile plastered on his face.

"Ron..." said Harry. "Are you okay?"

"Of course!" he answered far too brightly.

"So...what's going on with you two?"

"Hermione," Ginny said sternly, "you did tell him, didn't you?"

"Of course." Hermione smiled weakly. "We're just friends. And that's what I told you, right, Ginny?"

"Hermione!" Ginny said in frustration.

"Yeah, we're just friends," said Ron.

"Hermione?" Harry turned to her.

"We're just friends. Best friends. All three of us. Always..."

"Yeah, we're friends," Harry said slowly. 'What's wrong with Hermione? Why is she saying this?' he wondered.

The next day, everything went back to normal, or as normal as it could be with what had happened. Ron and Hermione seemed to have forgotten everything that happened in the common room and during their talk outside the Great Hall. But others hadn't forgotten. Every time a Slytherin saw one of them in the hallway, they were teased. Malfoy pretended to make kissing noises as he passed Hermione in the hallway while Crabbe and Goyle guffawed stupidly. Ron and Hermione acted very bravely, and pretended not to hear or see them. They didn't seem to be affected by it at all. So after a week, everything passed, like many other embarrassing things. Many grew tired of making the jokes without getting any reaction from the two of them and went on to some other gossip.

One night, Harry, Ron and Hermione were the only ones left in the common room. Everybody else were in bed, but Ron and Harry still had things left to finish. It was still only the second week of school, but already the homework was piling up.

Professor Snape was still acting abnormal, but his class continued to be difficult. Harry was poring over his Potions book to memorize the ingredients and process of making the Veritaserum. Snape was testing them tomorrow and threatened that whoever who didn't succeed in making an effective potion would have fifty points taken off from their house and receive a bad mark. Not only would they be shunned by the rest of the house, but it would also be hard to get their grade back up. Snape had given this warning to everybody, even the Slytherins. His mind seemed clearer than during the first class, but he was still very different than before, sometimes dazier than at other times. Many have begun to accept this as a nice change, but Harry was still wondering about the reason.

Ron was finishing the ten-foot long report for Professor Binns' class, History of Magic. This banal class was the only one taught by a ghost. His "passion," if he had any at all, for teaching led Professor Binns to remain at Hogwarts after his death. So, with more interesting things on his mind, Ron had left the report of the 1132 goblin rebellion to the last minute, with much scolding from Hermione, who had finished hers the day it was assigned. ("You know we're taking our O.W.L.'s this year," she had said disapprovingly. "You should worker harder to prepare for it.")

Hermione was sitting on a couch with her squashed-faced cat, Crookshanks, on her lap. The other two were still not done with their work, so she decided to stay up, giving them help any time they needed it.

"Done!" Ron said happily, blowing the ink dry. "How are you doing, Harry?"

"Almost finished... Finished!" Harry slammed his book shut. "Hermione, can you quiz me?" She had already memorized everything days ago, naturally.

"Sure. What is the main ingredient for the Veritaserum?"

"Unicorn hair."

"Right. How long do you have to brew the potion after the initial dose of pumpkin juice?"

"Uh...fifteen minutes?"

"Correct."

With Hermione being very thorough and diligent, the questions droned on and on and on until Ron finally interrupted her. "Alright already, Hermione. My ears are starting to buzz with rat-tails and unicorn hair. You're making me nervous about Snape's class!"

Hermione frowned, but said to Harry, "Okay, that's good enough. You'll do fine tomorrow." Then, she turned to Ron. "But you, I'm not so sure about!"

"Don't worry! I know the stuff already! Let's just change the subject. I've had enough of work for tonight."

"Then what should we talk about?" asked Hermione.

"Oh, Harry!" said Ron. "Do you guys have anybody in mind for Keeper yet?"

"Not yet. We're going to discuss it on Friday and probably hold tryouts."

"Can I play on the team?" asked Ron hopefully.

"Ha! You?" laughed Hermione.

"What about me?" said Ron, sounding slightly offended.

"Oh, nothing. I just can't imagine you being the Keeper and Gryffindor still winning." Hermione tried to suppress a second burst of laughter.

Harry watched them amusingly. Hermione and Ron had been like this ever since they met, pretending to argue and with a few real arguments now and then. Harry could tell that they were hiding their true feelings behind the jokes and teasings.

'Maybe I should help them along,' thought Harry. Then, he remembered the expression on Hermione's face several days ago in the Great Hall when she spoke of their friendship. 'Or maybe I should just butt out and mind my own business. They probably have their reasons'

"Hey, guys! You can stop now!" Harry said over their voices. "You're going to wake up the whole house. Besides, I have something to tell you two."

Ron and Hermione calmed down.

"What is it?" asked Hermione.

"Remember our first Defense class and the memoria?"

"Yeah."

"Which memory did you go to anyway, Harry?" asked Ron, remembering Harry hadn't told them yet.

"I went to Diagon Alley and fought Death Eaters."

Hermione gasped.

"It was a memory from the first time Voldemort was in power. And.I saw my parents again. And Sirius and Remus."

"You did?" Ron's jaw dropped to the floor.

"Yeah. Professor Fitz knew my parents. They were friends."

"And is that what she talked to you about after class?" asked Hermione.

"Yeah."

"No wonder she seemed closer to you than anybody else," she said.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, she called you 'Harry' and addressed the rest of us with Mr. or Miss."

"Are you jealous, Hermione?" teased Ron. As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he realized he shouldn't have said it. His face turned bright red, and so did Hermione's. Obviously, what had happened between them wasn't as far from their minds as they pretended.