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Chapter 13- The Only Successful Trick
Hermione woke prepared for the first of April. A note hung above her bed, much as Ron's Valentine's Day wake-up note. She could read it from where she lay. Under a grotesquely taunting face was scrawled the simple phrase, "We'll get you!"
Unbelievable. They really thought they could do it. "Reversi Incantato," she said lazily, turning the spell back on its original speaker. Approximately twenty minutes later, she was rewarded with a cry of protest and disgust from the boys' dormitory.
For that entire day, Ron and Harry tried to fool her, sometimes with the aid of Fred and George's well-selling Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes. But she had contemplated this day as intensely as they had, and she was ready for anything they could dish out. Anything, except for the one she would never expect.
After all their classes were over, with many interruptions from Peeves's pranks causing them to fly by, they had quite a laughter filled dinner in the Great Hall. Gilnny embarrassed Harry with intimate facts. When he tried to embarrass her in turn, she only grinned seductively at him. As a result, the two of them left the table quickly, long before the end of the meal.
Hermione had gone to the library, to do a special assignment for Professor McGonagall. She reached the common room and felt suddenly alert and bright-eyed. She realized it was later than it should have been- almost ten o'clock. The stars twinkled brightly out the window, which stood open.
Ron waved her over. He took her hand as she set down her pack. "I want to talk to you," he said quietly. He led her to the window, standing quiet for a moment as they looked out. Then he turned to her solemnly. "I don't think we should see each other any more."
He was still talking, but she didn't hear him. Her mind reeled, her vision was obscured. By tears, she realized. After all they had done, all they had shared, he wanted to leave her now, like this? This was not happening, this was not…It was not happening. She was just barely registering the satisfied grin plastered onto Ron's face as he said, "Gotcha."
Angrier than she could remember being for a long time, she burst out, "You *bastard*!" and pushed him as hard as she could manage. Ignoring the fact that he almost fell out the window, and that most of the occupants of the room were now staring at her, she ran up to her room.
She could not believe he would use their relationship as a joke. He always seemed to understand how she felt. How could he not have seen the effect something like that would have on her?
She heard him behind her but did not turn around. Not only was she furious, she wanted to hide the freely flowing tears. But when he spoke her name she turned. The look of horror on his face at her tears drove her into his arms, and she sobbed against his chest for a while.
"Don't ever do that again," she managed to say. "Don't play with my emotions. Please, don't. It scares me."
"Hermione, I am so sorry. I should have realized- I didn't- you…I'm sorry. I would never leave you. I won't use your feelings for anything like that, ever again. Please forgive me?"
She nodded helplessly. "I love you, Ron," she breathed. "God, I love you so much." He kissed her forehead tenderly, and they stood locked in embrace. Hermione knew how late it was. It seemed that Parvati and Lavender were purposely avoiding the room.
"When did you know?" Ron asked suddenly.
"Well, I didn't really *know* until you told me you loved me, but I loved you long before that. I think…remember the first time we caught Ginny and Harry together?"
"Oh, yeah, I remember." Ron scowled a bit. Hermione bit her lip to keep back her giggle. "I almost killed Harry."
"Well, I tried to stop you, and you just kind of set me out of the way, as though I weighed no more than a pillow. I guess…I fell in love with your strength and protectiveness, even though Ginny didn't *need* any protecting.""
"And I'm glad you did stop me, or there might not have been much left of Harry."
Hermione laughed at this. She did not doubt Ron would have assaulted Harry, but she doubted the result would have been quite so drastic.
"Well, I guess I'm glad I did as well, then," she teased.
Ron smiled and kissed her. "Listen, why don't we go down to the common room?"
Hermione inwardly rolled her eyes as she remembered the looks everyone was giving her. "Give me half an hour. I'll meet you down there." She wanted to get ready for bed, in case she fell asleep on the couch again. Sleeping in her school uniform was, to say the least, uncomfortable.
Later that night, while everyone else was sleeping, Hermione lay content in Ron's arms, in his bed. She was almost too exhausted to sleep, which sounded odd, but made sense to her at that moment. She simply lay there, completely still, aware of Ron enfolding her.
After a while she realized why she felt so cold; it was the absence of Ron's warmth. He had left the bed. Too comfortable to move, Hermione listened to the voices a few feet away.
"Where have you been?" Ron hissed. His voice was muffled through the curtain. "Were yo with Ginny that whole time?"
"Don't worry, Ron. Nothing happened that hasn't already." Harry's clothes were dropped carelessly on the floor, and he rummaged in his trunk for pajamas.
"Why is that not entirely comforting," Ron's mutter came. She suppressed a laugh. From what Ginny had told her, Ron had reason to worry.
"So?" Harry's tone was suddenly urgent. "Did it work?"
She heard Ron sigh with disappointment. "Nope. She saw right through it. I told you it was a bad idea to begin with."
Hermione had to press her face to the pillow to keep herself silent. Nevertheless, she could feel the gargantuan grin spreading on her face. This was better than any present Ron had ever given her.
Ron's pure integrity had never been so blatant.
When she heard and felt him climb back into bed, she turned to him. "I love you," she whispered. And then she settled back into his arms, feeling completely and in all ways safer than she had ever felt in her life.
And then the one mystery she had left returned to her. The necklace.
End Chapter 13
Only two more chapters left. Are you sad? Don't be. Just read.
Teaser:
"Run, Ginny!" Being closer to the door, Ginny managed to reach it and escape before it slammed shut of its own accord. She tugged at it futilely. It would only open by magic.
Oh, yeah, and review too. :)))))) (I don't know what that is. Lots of double chins?)
Chapter 13- The Only Successful Trick
Hermione woke prepared for the first of April. A note hung above her bed, much as Ron's Valentine's Day wake-up note. She could read it from where she lay. Under a grotesquely taunting face was scrawled the simple phrase, "We'll get you!"
Unbelievable. They really thought they could do it. "Reversi Incantato," she said lazily, turning the spell back on its original speaker. Approximately twenty minutes later, she was rewarded with a cry of protest and disgust from the boys' dormitory.
For that entire day, Ron and Harry tried to fool her, sometimes with the aid of Fred and George's well-selling Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes. But she had contemplated this day as intensely as they had, and she was ready for anything they could dish out. Anything, except for the one she would never expect.
After all their classes were over, with many interruptions from Peeves's pranks causing them to fly by, they had quite a laughter filled dinner in the Great Hall. Gilnny embarrassed Harry with intimate facts. When he tried to embarrass her in turn, she only grinned seductively at him. As a result, the two of them left the table quickly, long before the end of the meal.
Hermione had gone to the library, to do a special assignment for Professor McGonagall. She reached the common room and felt suddenly alert and bright-eyed. She realized it was later than it should have been- almost ten o'clock. The stars twinkled brightly out the window, which stood open.
Ron waved her over. He took her hand as she set down her pack. "I want to talk to you," he said quietly. He led her to the window, standing quiet for a moment as they looked out. Then he turned to her solemnly. "I don't think we should see each other any more."
He was still talking, but she didn't hear him. Her mind reeled, her vision was obscured. By tears, she realized. After all they had done, all they had shared, he wanted to leave her now, like this? This was not happening, this was not…It was not happening. She was just barely registering the satisfied grin plastered onto Ron's face as he said, "Gotcha."
Angrier than she could remember being for a long time, she burst out, "You *bastard*!" and pushed him as hard as she could manage. Ignoring the fact that he almost fell out the window, and that most of the occupants of the room were now staring at her, she ran up to her room.
She could not believe he would use their relationship as a joke. He always seemed to understand how she felt. How could he not have seen the effect something like that would have on her?
She heard him behind her but did not turn around. Not only was she furious, she wanted to hide the freely flowing tears. But when he spoke her name she turned. The look of horror on his face at her tears drove her into his arms, and she sobbed against his chest for a while.
"Don't ever do that again," she managed to say. "Don't play with my emotions. Please, don't. It scares me."
"Hermione, I am so sorry. I should have realized- I didn't- you…I'm sorry. I would never leave you. I won't use your feelings for anything like that, ever again. Please forgive me?"
She nodded helplessly. "I love you, Ron," she breathed. "God, I love you so much." He kissed her forehead tenderly, and they stood locked in embrace. Hermione knew how late it was. It seemed that Parvati and Lavender were purposely avoiding the room.
"When did you know?" Ron asked suddenly.
"Well, I didn't really *know* until you told me you loved me, but I loved you long before that. I think…remember the first time we caught Ginny and Harry together?"
"Oh, yeah, I remember." Ron scowled a bit. Hermione bit her lip to keep back her giggle. "I almost killed Harry."
"Well, I tried to stop you, and you just kind of set me out of the way, as though I weighed no more than a pillow. I guess…I fell in love with your strength and protectiveness, even though Ginny didn't *need* any protecting.""
"And I'm glad you did stop me, or there might not have been much left of Harry."
Hermione laughed at this. She did not doubt Ron would have assaulted Harry, but she doubted the result would have been quite so drastic.
"Well, I guess I'm glad I did as well, then," she teased.
Ron smiled and kissed her. "Listen, why don't we go down to the common room?"
Hermione inwardly rolled her eyes as she remembered the looks everyone was giving her. "Give me half an hour. I'll meet you down there." She wanted to get ready for bed, in case she fell asleep on the couch again. Sleeping in her school uniform was, to say the least, uncomfortable.
Later that night, while everyone else was sleeping, Hermione lay content in Ron's arms, in his bed. She was almost too exhausted to sleep, which sounded odd, but made sense to her at that moment. She simply lay there, completely still, aware of Ron enfolding her.
After a while she realized why she felt so cold; it was the absence of Ron's warmth. He had left the bed. Too comfortable to move, Hermione listened to the voices a few feet away.
"Where have you been?" Ron hissed. His voice was muffled through the curtain. "Were yo with Ginny that whole time?"
"Don't worry, Ron. Nothing happened that hasn't already." Harry's clothes were dropped carelessly on the floor, and he rummaged in his trunk for pajamas.
"Why is that not entirely comforting," Ron's mutter came. She suppressed a laugh. From what Ginny had told her, Ron had reason to worry.
"So?" Harry's tone was suddenly urgent. "Did it work?"
She heard Ron sigh with disappointment. "Nope. She saw right through it. I told you it was a bad idea to begin with."
Hermione had to press her face to the pillow to keep herself silent. Nevertheless, she could feel the gargantuan grin spreading on her face. This was better than any present Ron had ever given her.
Ron's pure integrity had never been so blatant.
When she heard and felt him climb back into bed, she turned to him. "I love you," she whispered. And then she settled back into his arms, feeling completely and in all ways safer than she had ever felt in her life.
And then the one mystery she had left returned to her. The necklace.
End Chapter 13
Only two more chapters left. Are you sad? Don't be. Just read.
Teaser:
"Run, Ginny!" Being closer to the door, Ginny managed to reach it and escape before it slammed shut of its own accord. She tugged at it futilely. It would only open by magic.
Oh, yeah, and review too. :)))))) (I don't know what that is. Lots of double chins?)
