Blood of Enemies, Blood of Friends
Chapter 12 - Muggle Studies
Hermione caught up with Ron as they were leaving their Research Skills class on Monday morning. "Ron, do you have any plans for Saturday night?" she asked.
Ron's face lit up. 'Is she asking me out on a date?' he thought. "Um, no, Mione. Why?"
"I was thinking that we could spend the evening going over some things for your Muggle Studies class," she replied. "If you want to that is?"
Ron was disappointed. 'Like she would ever ask you our,' he chastised himself. "Sounds good. What do you have planned?"
"It is kind of a surprise. Can you meet me in the Room of Requirements at 6:00pm on Saturday?"
"Sure, Mione."
"Oh, and don't eat anything beforehand. We'll have food there," Hermione added before walking off with Dawn and Shannon. "He said, 'yes,'" she whispered to her friends.
"Well, duh," said Dawn.
"I think he would say yes to anything you ask," added Shannon.
****************
Dawn and Shannon spent their Saturday afternoon getting Hermione ready for her not-date with Ron. Dawn used a round brush and charmed hairdryer to straighten Hermione's hair, while Shannon pulled out most of her clothing and laid out several possible outfits on Hermione's bed.
Lavender and Parvati were hanging around the room. They were both thrilled at the prospect of making over Hermione, even if it was in muggle fashions. Actually, Lavender and Parvati were very interested in the muggle clothes that Shannon was laying out. In fact they had decided to make it a personal mission to convince Dumbledore to have a school dance with a muggle theme.
Hermione tried to ignore her two giggling roommates as she tried on each of the outfits that Shannon had picked. After getting everyone else's opinions, Hermione settled on a short black skirt and a light blue v-neck sweater.
Shannon was deep in thought as she looked at Hermione. "I think you are a little bigger than me, but try this," she said, throwing a push-up bra at Hermione.
"I don't know," said Hermione.
"It can't hurt to try it," said Dawn.
Hermione blushed deeply, as she turned her back to her friends, removed her sweater and exchanged her bra for the one that Shannon had given her. She put her sweater back on and turned to face her four roommates. "Well," she said.
"Perfect," said Shannon, surveying her friend happily.
"Ron won't be able to take his eyes off of you," added Dawn.
Lavender and Parvati were still giggling. "Where did you get that bra, Shannon?" Parvati asked.
"Yes, because I definitely need to buy one of those," added Lavender.
****************
"Explain to me again why I am dressed like this," said Ron, as he looked at himself in the mirror. He was wearing a pair of muggle jeans and a rugby shirt.
"Because I promised Shannon that you would be dressed like a muggle for your lesson with Hermione," replied Harry. He had put an enormous emphasis on the word 'lesson.'
"Mione is just helping me learn more about the muggle world. I will have to associate with muggles all the time as a Watcher," Ron explained.
"Sure, we all believe you," said Harry sarcastically.
"No we don't," added Andrew. "We all know that you have a thing for Hermione, and we all know that she likes you too."
"Even if I liked her as more than a friend, which I am not saying that I do," said Ron, "she does not like me in that way."
"Right, because she is going to all this trouble for just a friend," said Harry, as he rolled his eyes.
"She would help you too, if you asked," retorted Ron.
"Yes, but she would make me sit in the library and take notes from my textbook. She would not be having dinner with me," Harry replied.
"He's right, you know," added Andrew.
"She didn't actually say we were having dinner," mumbled Ron.
"She told you not to eat. At this hour of the evening, that means dinner," replied Harry.
"Do you really think she could like me?" Ron asked.
"Yes," replied Harry and Andrew in unison
****************
At exactly 6:00pm, Ron entered the Room of Requirements. At the back of the room was a full muggle kitchen, separated from the rest of the room by a long counter. The rest of the room looked like a muggle living room. It contained a sofa and a coffee table. Along the wall opposite the sofa Hermione had charmed the laptop to look like a large television.
Ron's eyes came to rest on Hermione who was unpacking several bags in the kitchen area. When she saw him, she stepped around the counter, feeling self-conscious about her appearance.
Ron swallowed hard. He had never seen her looking so sexy. He briefly wondered, when he started thinking of Hermione as sexy. Ron could barely speak, and his voice came out slightly strangled. "Mione, you look great."
Hermione blushed deeply. "Thank you. You look very nice in muggle clothing as well."
The two teens stood in awkward silence for several minutes. Ron broke the silence. "So, um, what do you have planned for our, um, lesson?" he asked.
"I thought that I could teach you how to make a muggle meal. I got everything for lasagna and a salad. I actually already started boiling some water for the noodles. Then, um, I got us an old movie to watch. It is one of my favorites." Hermione was speaking quickly. She could not seem to slow down.
"That sounds like fun," said Ron.
Hermione led him into the kitchen area. She explained about how to use the stove and oven. The water was beginning to boil; so, she added the noodles, before turning her attention to the vegetables that were on the table. "We need to cut these for a salad," she explained. She handed a knife to Ron and showed him how to chop several of the vegetables. The two teens worked together to cut the vegetables and put them into the large salad bowl.
When the noodles were finished cooking, Hermione showed Ron how to strain them. She then took out a pan and explained to him how to layer the noodles, sauce, cheese, and precooked sausage. Hermione stepped back and watched Ron prepare the lasagna. When he had finished, she placed it in the oven. They returned to cutting the remaining vegetables for the salad.
Hermione indicated for Ron to bring the salad out into the living room, while she retrieved some dressing and a bottle of wine from the refrigerator. They sat comfortably on the sofa, while Hermione poured them each a glass of wine.
"Where did you get that?" Ron asked.
"I got Andrew to pick it up for me, when we were in Hogsmeade. Remember he is nineteen," she explained.
Ron drank his first glass of wine fairly quickly. Hermione poured him a second glass and then served the salad. "Normally, muggles would have dinner at a table just like wizards do, but this just seemed more comfortable," she explained.
"This is nice," Ron agreed. "I never knew you could cook."
"I used to help my mum in the kitchen all the time, when I was little," Hermione explained. "I haven't actually cooked anything in a long time, which is why I chose something fairly simple for dinner tonight. Have you ever had lasagna before?"
"No, but it smells good. How long will it take to cook?"
"Not too long," Hermione explained. "All of the ingredients are already cooked; so, the whole thing just needs to heat up."
"So, tell me about the things you used to cook with your mum," Ron suggested.
Hermione explained several of her favorite dishes and how to make them. Ron seemed amazed by the amount of work that went into muggle cooking. Though he did comment that a lot of the dishes Hermione described sounded really good. Ron was really enjoying just listening to Hermione talk about her life at home. It was a side of her that he rarely got to see.
When the oven timer dinged, Hermione got up to take out the lasagna. She cut large pieces for each of them and brought the plated out to the living room. Ron took a large bite. He was surprised at how good it was. "Mione, this is bloody fantastic," he exclaimed.
'The way to a man's heart is through his stomach,' she thought. "Thank you and don't curse," she replied with a smile, as she poured them each another glass of wine.
When they finished eating, Hermione cleared the dishes and started the DVD of Casa Blanca. She poured them each another glass of wine and sat back on the couch close to Ron. As the movie started, Ron asked, "So, um, Mione, is this, um, something that, um, muggles would do on an, um, date?"
"Yes," Hermione replied. "But, um, friends would have dinner and watch a movie too," she added quickly.
"So, um, if this were a, um, muggle date, um, what would the guy, um, do now?" Ron asked.
"Well, um, I guess he would put his arm, um, around the girl's shoulders," replied Hermione.
They watched the movie for a while. 'It's now or never,' thought Ron. 'Harry and Andrew better be right.' Ron was incredibly nervous, as he placed his arm around Hermione's shoulders. She was pleasantly surprised and snuggled against him. Neither of their eyes ever left the television, but they both smiled broadly as they watched the movie.
When the credits began to roll, Ron looked at Hermione and spoke. "So what would a muggle do at the end of a, um, date?" he asked.
"The same thing that a wizard would," she replied softly, as Ron leaned in closer to her. She closed her eyes and felt his lips softly brush across hers.
Ron pulled back and looked at Hermione, who was smiling broadly. She put her arms around his neck and pulled him toward her. They kissed again, a little longer and a little deeper than before. Ron lightly ran his tongue over Hermione's bottom lip. She opened her mouth to him. They kissed for a few more minutes, until they were interrupted by the constant replaying of the menu music on the DVD.
"Wow," said Ron. "That was just, wow."
"It is getting late," said Hermione, who could not stop smiling. "We should probably get back."
Ron helped her clean up and pack away their things. As they walked back to Gryffindor tower, he took her hand in his.
****************
"So how was your not-date?" asked Shannon, as Hermione entered their dormitory.
"Somewhere along the line, it went from a not-date to a real date," said Hermione, blushing deeply.
"You have to tell us everything," said Lavender.
Hermione frowned at her. "I am not one to kiss and tell," she said seriously.
"So he kissed you?" squealed her four roommates at once.
Hermione's blush darkened. "I'm going to take a shower before bed," she said, grabbing her robe and a towel and quickly exiting the room.
****************
"How did it go?" Harry asked, as Ron entered their dormitory.
Ron was smiling broadly.
"That well?" questioned Andrew.
"I kissed her," said Ron in a dreamy voice.
"It's about time," said Harry. "It's about time."
Chapter 12 - Muggle Studies
Hermione caught up with Ron as they were leaving their Research Skills class on Monday morning. "Ron, do you have any plans for Saturday night?" she asked.
Ron's face lit up. 'Is she asking me out on a date?' he thought. "Um, no, Mione. Why?"
"I was thinking that we could spend the evening going over some things for your Muggle Studies class," she replied. "If you want to that is?"
Ron was disappointed. 'Like she would ever ask you our,' he chastised himself. "Sounds good. What do you have planned?"
"It is kind of a surprise. Can you meet me in the Room of Requirements at 6:00pm on Saturday?"
"Sure, Mione."
"Oh, and don't eat anything beforehand. We'll have food there," Hermione added before walking off with Dawn and Shannon. "He said, 'yes,'" she whispered to her friends.
"Well, duh," said Dawn.
"I think he would say yes to anything you ask," added Shannon.
****************
Dawn and Shannon spent their Saturday afternoon getting Hermione ready for her not-date with Ron. Dawn used a round brush and charmed hairdryer to straighten Hermione's hair, while Shannon pulled out most of her clothing and laid out several possible outfits on Hermione's bed.
Lavender and Parvati were hanging around the room. They were both thrilled at the prospect of making over Hermione, even if it was in muggle fashions. Actually, Lavender and Parvati were very interested in the muggle clothes that Shannon was laying out. In fact they had decided to make it a personal mission to convince Dumbledore to have a school dance with a muggle theme.
Hermione tried to ignore her two giggling roommates as she tried on each of the outfits that Shannon had picked. After getting everyone else's opinions, Hermione settled on a short black skirt and a light blue v-neck sweater.
Shannon was deep in thought as she looked at Hermione. "I think you are a little bigger than me, but try this," she said, throwing a push-up bra at Hermione.
"I don't know," said Hermione.
"It can't hurt to try it," said Dawn.
Hermione blushed deeply, as she turned her back to her friends, removed her sweater and exchanged her bra for the one that Shannon had given her. She put her sweater back on and turned to face her four roommates. "Well," she said.
"Perfect," said Shannon, surveying her friend happily.
"Ron won't be able to take his eyes off of you," added Dawn.
Lavender and Parvati were still giggling. "Where did you get that bra, Shannon?" Parvati asked.
"Yes, because I definitely need to buy one of those," added Lavender.
****************
"Explain to me again why I am dressed like this," said Ron, as he looked at himself in the mirror. He was wearing a pair of muggle jeans and a rugby shirt.
"Because I promised Shannon that you would be dressed like a muggle for your lesson with Hermione," replied Harry. He had put an enormous emphasis on the word 'lesson.'
"Mione is just helping me learn more about the muggle world. I will have to associate with muggles all the time as a Watcher," Ron explained.
"Sure, we all believe you," said Harry sarcastically.
"No we don't," added Andrew. "We all know that you have a thing for Hermione, and we all know that she likes you too."
"Even if I liked her as more than a friend, which I am not saying that I do," said Ron, "she does not like me in that way."
"Right, because she is going to all this trouble for just a friend," said Harry, as he rolled his eyes.
"She would help you too, if you asked," retorted Ron.
"Yes, but she would make me sit in the library and take notes from my textbook. She would not be having dinner with me," Harry replied.
"He's right, you know," added Andrew.
"She didn't actually say we were having dinner," mumbled Ron.
"She told you not to eat. At this hour of the evening, that means dinner," replied Harry.
"Do you really think she could like me?" Ron asked.
"Yes," replied Harry and Andrew in unison
****************
At exactly 6:00pm, Ron entered the Room of Requirements. At the back of the room was a full muggle kitchen, separated from the rest of the room by a long counter. The rest of the room looked like a muggle living room. It contained a sofa and a coffee table. Along the wall opposite the sofa Hermione had charmed the laptop to look like a large television.
Ron's eyes came to rest on Hermione who was unpacking several bags in the kitchen area. When she saw him, she stepped around the counter, feeling self-conscious about her appearance.
Ron swallowed hard. He had never seen her looking so sexy. He briefly wondered, when he started thinking of Hermione as sexy. Ron could barely speak, and his voice came out slightly strangled. "Mione, you look great."
Hermione blushed deeply. "Thank you. You look very nice in muggle clothing as well."
The two teens stood in awkward silence for several minutes. Ron broke the silence. "So, um, what do you have planned for our, um, lesson?" he asked.
"I thought that I could teach you how to make a muggle meal. I got everything for lasagna and a salad. I actually already started boiling some water for the noodles. Then, um, I got us an old movie to watch. It is one of my favorites." Hermione was speaking quickly. She could not seem to slow down.
"That sounds like fun," said Ron.
Hermione led him into the kitchen area. She explained about how to use the stove and oven. The water was beginning to boil; so, she added the noodles, before turning her attention to the vegetables that were on the table. "We need to cut these for a salad," she explained. She handed a knife to Ron and showed him how to chop several of the vegetables. The two teens worked together to cut the vegetables and put them into the large salad bowl.
When the noodles were finished cooking, Hermione showed Ron how to strain them. She then took out a pan and explained to him how to layer the noodles, sauce, cheese, and precooked sausage. Hermione stepped back and watched Ron prepare the lasagna. When he had finished, she placed it in the oven. They returned to cutting the remaining vegetables for the salad.
Hermione indicated for Ron to bring the salad out into the living room, while she retrieved some dressing and a bottle of wine from the refrigerator. They sat comfortably on the sofa, while Hermione poured them each a glass of wine.
"Where did you get that?" Ron asked.
"I got Andrew to pick it up for me, when we were in Hogsmeade. Remember he is nineteen," she explained.
Ron drank his first glass of wine fairly quickly. Hermione poured him a second glass and then served the salad. "Normally, muggles would have dinner at a table just like wizards do, but this just seemed more comfortable," she explained.
"This is nice," Ron agreed. "I never knew you could cook."
"I used to help my mum in the kitchen all the time, when I was little," Hermione explained. "I haven't actually cooked anything in a long time, which is why I chose something fairly simple for dinner tonight. Have you ever had lasagna before?"
"No, but it smells good. How long will it take to cook?"
"Not too long," Hermione explained. "All of the ingredients are already cooked; so, the whole thing just needs to heat up."
"So, tell me about the things you used to cook with your mum," Ron suggested.
Hermione explained several of her favorite dishes and how to make them. Ron seemed amazed by the amount of work that went into muggle cooking. Though he did comment that a lot of the dishes Hermione described sounded really good. Ron was really enjoying just listening to Hermione talk about her life at home. It was a side of her that he rarely got to see.
When the oven timer dinged, Hermione got up to take out the lasagna. She cut large pieces for each of them and brought the plated out to the living room. Ron took a large bite. He was surprised at how good it was. "Mione, this is bloody fantastic," he exclaimed.
'The way to a man's heart is through his stomach,' she thought. "Thank you and don't curse," she replied with a smile, as she poured them each another glass of wine.
When they finished eating, Hermione cleared the dishes and started the DVD of Casa Blanca. She poured them each another glass of wine and sat back on the couch close to Ron. As the movie started, Ron asked, "So, um, Mione, is this, um, something that, um, muggles would do on an, um, date?"
"Yes," Hermione replied. "But, um, friends would have dinner and watch a movie too," she added quickly.
"So, um, if this were a, um, muggle date, um, what would the guy, um, do now?" Ron asked.
"Well, um, I guess he would put his arm, um, around the girl's shoulders," replied Hermione.
They watched the movie for a while. 'It's now or never,' thought Ron. 'Harry and Andrew better be right.' Ron was incredibly nervous, as he placed his arm around Hermione's shoulders. She was pleasantly surprised and snuggled against him. Neither of their eyes ever left the television, but they both smiled broadly as they watched the movie.
When the credits began to roll, Ron looked at Hermione and spoke. "So what would a muggle do at the end of a, um, date?" he asked.
"The same thing that a wizard would," she replied softly, as Ron leaned in closer to her. She closed her eyes and felt his lips softly brush across hers.
Ron pulled back and looked at Hermione, who was smiling broadly. She put her arms around his neck and pulled him toward her. They kissed again, a little longer and a little deeper than before. Ron lightly ran his tongue over Hermione's bottom lip. She opened her mouth to him. They kissed for a few more minutes, until they were interrupted by the constant replaying of the menu music on the DVD.
"Wow," said Ron. "That was just, wow."
"It is getting late," said Hermione, who could not stop smiling. "We should probably get back."
Ron helped her clean up and pack away their things. As they walked back to Gryffindor tower, he took her hand in his.
****************
"So how was your not-date?" asked Shannon, as Hermione entered their dormitory.
"Somewhere along the line, it went from a not-date to a real date," said Hermione, blushing deeply.
"You have to tell us everything," said Lavender.
Hermione frowned at her. "I am not one to kiss and tell," she said seriously.
"So he kissed you?" squealed her four roommates at once.
Hermione's blush darkened. "I'm going to take a shower before bed," she said, grabbing her robe and a towel and quickly exiting the room.
****************
"How did it go?" Harry asked, as Ron entered their dormitory.
Ron was smiling broadly.
"That well?" questioned Andrew.
"I kissed her," said Ron in a dreamy voice.
"It's about time," said Harry. "It's about time."