Here is chapter Four! No author's notes, except to say review please! We
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Juliette and dvlsdngrousrbl
~Hermione's POV~ After Ron rushed off to the common room the other night, I had wondered what he was up to. I know he was kind of insecure. I mean let's face it; he is over-shadowed by everyone in his family, and Harry and I too. He doesn't think he is the most handsome guy in the world, although he is, and sometimes I think he thinks he's stupid too. I hope he doesn't think having a girlfriend will solve all of those problems.
Harry and I talked to Fred and George for a little longer, then we came up to the common room too. Ron was nowhere in sight. I read a little, and then went to bed, ready for a fresh new day at my favorite place.
This morning, when I woke up, I got up and opened my trunk to get my clothes out when I spotted the bottle of perfume that Ron had given me for Christmas last year. I'd never used it. I had never had an occasion too; it smelled so beautiful. Sometimes I just like to take the lid of, take a whiff then put the lid back on. It smells like flowers, and ocean breeze, and vanilla, and honeysuckle, and so many other good things. It smelled like the print of new books, it smelled like pine trees. In fact it seemed to change every time I smelled it, yet at the same time seemed to stay the same. It was the most unique perfume I had ever smelled. I decided to wear a little bit to breakfast today.
I put some of the perfume on, and then got dressed. I grabbed my bag and made my way downstairs too the common room. I waited a bit, until Harry came downstairs. "Where's Ron?" I asked him. He shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. When I woke up, he was gone, I thought maybe he got dressed up early and came down here, but I guess not." I frowned. Why would Ron leave without us?
We went down to the great hall, and I spotted Ron sitting beside Lavender Brown. "Why did you leave without us Ron?" He didn't have time to say anything, Before Lavender answered. "Because he was walking me to breakfast." She said. Harry looked up. "A-are you two a-a couple?" He asked uncertainly. Ron grinned. "Yeah." I felt my stomach drop. He was kidding. He had to be. Ron, and Lavender? No! That was wrong! It wasn't right at all! They don't fit together! Ron needs someone who will love him, not herself. I sank down beside Harry. Ron shot a look at Harry. That's when I realized something. Ron needed our support. I licked my lips. "Well, Ron, I think you two make a great couple." I tried very hard to smile at him, but I'm not sure it worked. My voice cracked when it came out. What was wrong with me? Harry looked at me. I have never seen such a look of pity on his face. Ron smiled at me, but he looked for some reason, hurt. "You really think so?" He asked. I couldn't say anything, so I just nodded. Ron stood up. "I'm going to go owl Fred and George." Then he bent down and kissed Lavender on the cheek, very close to her mouth. He turned bright red. My stomach twisted. I wish Ron could see how wrong Lavender was for him. She was just going to hurt him. Even now she was looking around the Great hall, probably looking for another guy. Ron left to get Pigwidgeon, I guess.
He came back after a while and sat down beside Lavender again. She smiled at him and leaned her head on his shoulder. He tilted her head up and kissed her again, this time on the lips. I lifted my lip in disgust. I watched Ron's lips work against Lavender's and all of a sudden I wished that those could have been my lips that he was kissing. I shook my head and looked away from Ron and Lavender. I didn't exactly want to watch them snogging. Harry looked at me, and he laid a hand on my arm. "It's ok, Hermione." He said. I stared at him. "What's ok?" He gestured towards Ron and Lavender. "Them." I shook my head and gave what sounded to me like a very fake laugh. "Of course it's ok, Harry, why wouldn't it be?" He shrugged. "Never mind." He said, a queer look on his face. He looked over at Luna, who had propped a book up against the sugar jar, reading. I leaned down close to Harry. "Harry, you should go for it." He gave me a very dirty look. I grinned. "I'm going to the library real quick, see you in Potions!" I bent down and hugged him. I looked over at Ron. He wasn't kissing Lavender anymore, so I said, "I'm going to the library, Ron, see you later!" I couldn't exactly hug him in front of Lavender, so I just waved. "Well, bye." He said, looking at me expectantly. "Bye!" I walked away.
~Harry~ I want to hit myself on the head. No, I want to bash Ron and Hermione's heads together. Hermione might not have realized she liked Ron, but now that she saw him with someone else, you would think she would come to her senses. And Ron! What was his bloody problem? Lavender? Lavender? We'd always made fun of Lavender for liking Professor Trelawney. It was so obvious that Ron liked Hermione. Ron thought I was obvious. Well, it was nothing compared to himself. The night before, when Fred and George had told Ron he needed a girlfriend, they had quietly asked me if I thought their brother would take the hint. I had shaken my head. "I hope so," was my reply. Ron was being so stupid!
~Ron~ There had been a little silence after Harry said Lavender and I going out was nice, and then Hermione said, "Well, Ron, I think you two make a great couple." For some reason that really hurt. I guess what I really wanted her to say was that she loved me or something. What am I saying!? I think I am certifiable. I asked her if she really thought so and she nodded. I got up a minute later and said I was going to go owl Fred and George. Then on impulse, I bent down and kissed Lavender on the cheek. I don't know why. I don't even like Lavender that much. I kissed her real close to the mouth, which was kind of embarrassing. I could feel my cheeks turn red; they got all hot. I left and sent a letter to Fred and George and told them that I was going out with Lavender, and then I went and sat back down. Lavender smiled at me, and leaned her head on my shoulder, and all of a sudden, I don't know what made me do it-I think I just wanted to know what it was like to kiss someone-I tilted Lavender's chin up and kissed her right on the lips. I didn't even realize the embarrassment. I just felt that kissing isn't all it's cracked up to be. It doesn't feel that great at all. Just lips moving against lips. That's all. All of a sudden I wished I were kissing Hermione. Then to get rid of that thought, I just kissed Lavender a little harder. But the whole time I was thinking about Hermione. Geez. I am such a prat! Using a girl just to, to make Hermione jealous! There. I've said it. I wanted to make Hermione jealous. I admit it. I admit that I like her. Unfortunately there's nothing I can do about it, since she apparently fancies Harry. That's right, because after I broke the kiss with Lavender, I saw Hermione hug Harry and say she would see him in Potions later. Then she turned to me. She said she would see me later too. Then she left. She left. She hugged Harry, but not me. She fancies him I tell you. I'd better tell Harry.
I decided I would tell Harry as we walked to Potions. Lavender had Astronomy first. Harry was looking at me. "Why'd you do it, Ron?" I looked at him. "What do you mean? Do what?" He rolled his eyes. "Ask Lavender out." He wrinkled his nose, as if something smelled funny. "Well, Fred and George said-" "I know what they said," he interrupted. "But why Lavender?" I shrugged. "There's no one else, really." Harry looked disgusted. "You asked her out because there's no one else?" I hung my head. "Yeah. I know I'm a prat." Harry slapped his forehead. "Ron, what about Hermione?" I stared at him. "What about Hermione?" He closed his eyes briefly before saying, "Well, you could have asked her out." My mouth dropped open. "What!? Why would I want to ask Hermione out, I don't like her that way!" I couldn't help but tell a lie. "You don't like Lavender that way either." Harry pointed out. He had a point there. But I decided now was my chance to tell Harry. "Besides, she fancies you, Harry." Harry's mouth dropped open. "What? What are you talking about?" I shrugged. "Well, she's been sitting beside you when we eat, and she keeps hugging you and stuff." Harry folded his arms. "You're serious, aren't you?" I nodded. Harry shook his head. "Ron, she's only been sitting with me because she thinks I'm lonely-" "Well what about me?" I asked. "Do you ever think that I might be lonely? I don't like Lavender Harry; as a matter of fact I'm breaking up with her. And you can have Hermione; I don't care. There's no way she could like me. I'm poor, and stupid, and ugly, and I'm not talented at anything. Meanwhile, here you are, a hero, you're handsome, you're smart, you're talented, you're rich, you're famous, what more could she want? Not me, that's for sure." Harry just looked at me with an amused look on his face. "I knew you liked her, Ron." My mouth opened, but I wasn't able to say anything. "Ron listen," Harry said. There is nothing between Hermione and me. We're just friends. Hermione likes you. I don't know why, don't ask me, I'm just another guy, but maybe you should ask her. It was only one time she didn't hug you, and that was because you were with Lavender. Just calm down, ok? Ask her out." He turned and walked away down the hallway.
~Hermione~ Tonight I sat down to dinner, long before Harry or Ron arrived. I sat next to where I knew Harry would be sitting. Harry came and sat down. He grabbed a plate and started gulping down his food. "I'm starving!" He exclaimed. I smiled. "I can tell." Ron walked up, a sad look on his face. "What's wrong?" I asked him. He sat down across from me and stared glumly at the biscuits. "I broke up with Lavender." He said. I rolled my eyes. "And why is that so sad?" He looked at me. "Oh, I'm sorry Ron, I didn't mean it badly. Then I saw that he had a smile lingering on the corners of his mouth. "That's not what I'm sad about." "Oh." I grinned. "What's wrong then?" He slouched down into his seat. "McGonagall got after me in Transfiguration today." I looked at him curiously. "Why? What'd you do?" "It's what I didn't do that was the problem." He rubbed his head. "I wasn't listening, and she gave me detention when I ignored her yelling at me. I wasn't ignoring her; I just didn't hear her. She only took away 5 points from Gryffindor though, thank goodness." He sniffed the air. "Hermione, are you wearing some new perfume or something?" I looked at my plate. "Actually I'm wearing the perfume you gave me for Christmas last year." "Oh." He frowned. "How come you've never worn it before?" I looked at him in surprise. He noticed what perfume I wore all the time enough to notice when I wasn't wearing what he gave me? That was really surprising. I stuffed a green bean in my mouth. "It's so nice, I don't know where to wear it." He looked pleased. "You like it then?" I nodded. "Of course I do. I think it smells beautiful." Then, for some reason, I couldn't help but tell him: "Sometimes I just open up the bottle and smell it." I confided. He looked surprised. Just then the evening owl post came in and a large black hoot owl dropped a letter in front of Ron. He frowned and looked at the owl. "I wonder who this is from, I don't recognize the owl." "It could be the twins." I said. "You did owl them earlier, didn't you?" Ron grinned. "Oh yeah." He ripped open the letter. "It is from them." He said. His eyes ran down the page then they stopped, widened, and he turned pale. His hand started shaking and he dropped the letter. "What's wrong, Ron?" I asked, concerned. "Pig!" He said. I frowned. "Pig?" He shoved the letter across the table to me. Harry leaned over my shoulder to read with me. It went like this:
Dear Ron,
How are you? We (Fred and I) were glad to receive your letter. We are also glad to hear that you found yourself a girlfriend. Unfortunately, we both think you chose the wrong girl. Lavender Brown is not right for you, Ron. You need someone a little more serious, but with a little bit of humor. Besides, how can you stand kissing her? She's probably kissed every boy her age in the school by now, and maybe even older than her. She isn't the most intellectual person in the world. Not like say, Hermione. I think you really need to think about the girl that's right for you, I mean really. Maybe you should go to Harry and ask his advice. He'll be able to help you. Uh oh, a customer I must go.
George Weasley
P.S.: I forgot to tell you, that when Pig dropped off his letter earlier today, he was acting all funny. We put him in Lemming's cage but he didn't eat or drink anything. He died about an hour ago. I'm really sorry. Oh, and in case you didn't know, Lemming is our hoot owl. Ciao little bro!
I put down the letter and covered my mouth. "Oh Ron, I'm sorry." "Yeah, sorry Mate." Harry said. Ron sighed and resting his elbows on the table, put his chin in his hands. Then to my great shock I saw that tears were rolling down his cheeks. "Ron, you're crying!" I said. He wiped away his tears. "I was so mean to him," He said sadly. "Aw, Ron, it's ok." I got up and sat down next to him, putting my arm around his shoulders. He sniffed. "I don't know what's wrong with me," He said apologetically. "Ron, it's ok to cry." He sighed heavily. "I know. But I'm not just crying about Pig." I frowned. "What then?" "Ok, I lied, it's Pig." I almost laughed until I saw more tears fall down his face. "You really liked the little guy, didn't you?" He nodded and put his head in his arms on the table, his shoulders shaking. My heart nearly broke. If he was this upset over Pig what would he do if it was human he was close to? His reaction surprised me. I thought he would be upset, but not crying! Plus I would have thought he would've been embarrassed to cry. Most guys are. But then again, I have to say, that Ron isn't like most guys. I pulled him up straight and gave him a big hug. Then to my surprise, he hugged me back. Not like he usually did, just an uncomfortable pat on the back, but a full-blown-squeeze-tight hug. When he finally loosened his grip on me, he seemed like he was better. "Thanks Hermione." He said.
The next morning I got up late, because my alarm didn't go off, and I told Parvati to just tell Harry and Ron I would meet them in the great hall. After I got dressed I made my way down to the great hall, where I could see the owl post had already arrived. As I neared the Gryffindor table, I could hear Ron say, "-Blubbering all over Hermione!" I sat down next to him. "What's up?" I asked. Ron just shook his head. He was red in the face and he looked mad. I looked at Harry. Harry sighed. "Ron got a letter today. From Fred and George." "Bloody gits." Ron muttered. Harry continued. "It was delivered by Pig." "What?!" I exclaimed. "How could it have been delivered by Pig? Pig's dead! No offense," I said quickly to Ron. Harry just shook his head. "Pig's not dead at all. It was Fred and George's idea of a joke." My mouth dropped open. "Those, those prats!" I covered my mouth. I'd never called anyone a prat before. Ron looked up in surprise. "Well they are!" I said to cover up. "No one's arguing with you," Harry said with a grin. "I'm sorry." I said to Ron. I knew he was embarrassed. "I oughta give Fred and George a piece of my mind!" I said angrily. "Don't." Ron said. "Knowing them they'd say I was getting a girl to stick up for me. Not that I mind or anything." He said quickly when he saw me glaring at him. His brow furrowed. "Are you wearing the perfume I gave you again?" He asked. I nodded. He grinned somewhat shyly. "Smells nice on you." Then he proceeded to stuff his face. I had to laugh. "Where'd you buy this perfume anyways, Ron?" I asked. He blushed. "I didn't buy it." He mumbled. I frowned. "What?" I asked, confused. "I didn't buy it." He said again, more clearly. "How'd you get it then?" I asked. He sighed. "I made it."
~Ron~ Ever since Harry and I had our little talk in the hallway earlier, I've had a really bad day. All of my teachers were yelling at me, and finally, I got a detention from McGonagall. Plus I can't stop thinking about what Harry said: "I knew you liked her Ron.ask her out." That same thought kept running through my head all day long, and personally, I was fed up with it. I broke up with Lavender. I told her I couldn't lead her on, that I liked someone else and that I was sorry. She said that was ok. So that went well.
When I sat down to dinner, I was tired. Hermione was already sitting down. "What's wrong?" She asked. I sat down and sighed. "I broke up with Lavender." I said. "And why is that so sad?" She asked. "I looked at her. I would have thought she would feel bad for me, not happy. She then apologized but I told her that that wasn't the reason why I was sad. I told her how McGonagall yelled at me, and I got detention. Then I smelled something. It smelled really good. Usually Hermione didn't wear any really distinct perfume, but this smelled, well, good. I asked her if she was wearing a new perfume. "Actually," She said. "I'm wearing the perfume you gave me for Christmas last year." I frowned. I didn't recognize it. I had spent about a year making that perfume; I studied Potions long and hard to make it. I bewitched it to change scents to match the wearer's feelings and moods, or just whatever they wanted it to smell like. I had to find out though why she hadn't worn it before. So I asked her. She looked up at me, surprised. "It's so nice, I don't know where to wear it." I was pleased that she considered it so nice, but wondered if I should have made something that she could wear more often. "You like it then?" I asked. She nodded. "Of course I do." She said. "It smells beautiful. Sometimes I just open up the bottle and smell it." That was surprising! I thought girls only did that kinda stuff with things that they really liked.
Just then I got an owl that I didn't recognize. It was from Fred and George. Pig was dead! Died! Gone! My poor Pig. I know I didn't act like it, but I really liked Pig. Not only was he useful, but also he really was kind of cute. He was my only pet friend. And I've been really touchy around animals ever since I found out about Scabbers. Now I hate all rats. Sometimes, Pig just sat on my shoulder, like when I was reading and stuff, and chirp every so often in my ear. He would nuzzle me, and then jump onto my head, ruffling my hair. I talked to him all of the time, telling him everything. Like a diary. I don't keep a diary, but instead use Pig. Pig won't give away my secrets. Pig was the one thing that loved me. That I knew for sure, loved me. Mum is always mad at me, Ginny is always mad at me; Dad really spends all of his time with Charlie and Bill, and Fred and George, when he sees them. Harry's famous, and kind of over-shadows me, and Hermione liked her books more than anything else. Pig loved me though. He wouldn't let anyone else feed him. Sometimes I liked to think he gave me advice when I told him my feelings. The letter was full of all sorts of other stuff about how they didn't approve of Lavender how she wasn't as smart as Hermione, and how I should go to Harry for advice, but I didn't pay any attention to that. Pig just died for heavens sakes! Then, I couldn't help it. I started crying. I don't think I've ever been so embarrassed in my whole life, crying over a pet. "Ron, you're crying!" Hermione said. I wiped at my eyes. "I was so mean to him. " I said. "Aw, Ron, it's ok." She got up and sat down next to me, putting her arm around my shoulders. I sniffed. "I don't know what's wrong with me," I said apologetically, hoping they would think I wasn't feeling well or something. "Ron, it's ok to cry." Hermione said. I sighed heavily. "I know. But I'm not just crying about Pig." "What then?" Hermione asked quizzically. I was hoping that she would think I was crying about something else, but then I knew she was gonna say that and I didn't know what to tell her so I just said, "Ok, I lied, it's Pig." "You really liked the little guy, didn't you?" I nodded and put my head in my arms on the table. I broke into sobs, unable to control myself. What was wrong with me? She pulled my arm, until I was sitting up straight, and gave me a big hug. Here was my chance! I squeezed her tightly back. I didn't want to let go. I didn't think hugging someone could feel this good. I almost felt my worries drain out of me. I felt myself relaxing, and I thought to myself about how I loved Pig, but I didn't need to go crazy all about it. Finally I realized that I had been hugging Hermione for a long time and I had better let go. I let go of her slowly. "Thanks Hermione." I said. She smiled at me, and sat down beside me, to eat.
The next morning, I got up and went down to the breakfast table, and had just sat down when I heard a high-pitched twittering near my ear. My head shot up. Pig? No, it couldn't be, Pig was dead. I sighed and reached for the maple syrup when Pig flew right in front of me and landed on my plate, chattering happily, holding a letter in his beak. "Harry!" I shrieked. Harry, who had been sitting next to Luna, looked up. "What?" Hermione hadn't come down yet, so I just pointed my finger at Pig. "Pig!" I said. Harry's mouth dropped open. "Pig?" He asked incredulously I nodded. I grabbed the letter out of Pig's beak and lifted him onto my shoulder, nuzzling him. "Hey Pig!" I said, gently stroking his back. I ripped open the letter, and read it. It went like this:
Dear Ron,
That wasn't George that wrote the last letter, it was I, Fred. I was playing a joke on you when I said that Pig had died. As you can see, he's well and fine. When George found out what I'd done, he made me write this letter and send it with Pig. Hope you're not too mad.
George Sorry, sorry, Signed, FRED. I was so mad. I was steaming. My hand was shaking so badly, I crumpled the letter, nearly ripping it in half. Pig flew off my shoulder and out the window with the other owls. I threw the letter across the table at Harry. "Read it." I said through clenched teeth. He read it and his mouth fell open in shock. "Well!" He said. I ran my fingers through my hair. "Oh great." I said. He's not even dead, and there I was, blubbering all over Hermione!" Just then, Hermione sat down beside me. "What's up?" She asked. Harry sighed. "Ron got a letter today. From Fred and George." "Bloody gits." I muttered. Harry continued. "It was delivered by Pig." "What?!" Hermione exclaimed. "How could it have been delivered by Pig? Pig's dead! No offense," She said quickly. Harry just shook his head. "Pig's not dead at all. It was Fred and George's idea of a joke." Hermione's mouth dropped open. "Those, those prats!" She covered her mouth. I looked up in surprise. Hermione had never called anyone a prat before. "Well they are!" She said. "No one's arguing with you," Harry said with a grin. "I'm sorry." She said to me. "I oughta give Fred and George a piece of my mind!" "Don't." I told her. "Knowing them they'd say I was getting a girl to stick up for me. Not that I mind or anything." I said quickly. "Are you wearing the perfume I gave you again?" I added. Hermione nodded. "Smells nice on you." I blurted out. I shoveled some food in my mouth, my face turning red. "Where'd you buy this perfume anyways, Ron?" She asked. "I didn't buy it." I mumbled. I hadn't planned on her knowing that I made it. I was hoping that she would've thought that I bought it somewhere, at an expensive price, not homemade. I had worked long and hard in potions class, taking extra lessons, (With Dumbledore, not Snape.) and researching long and hard into the night trying to figure out how to make the perfume just perfect. But Hermione wouldn't know that. She would just see it as homemade, not anything good. I considered telling her that I did buy, it, but that would only cause a fight, since I'd already said that I didn't buy it. Harry knew how hard I worked on that perfume, but he was the only one. I didn't look at Hermione, as I picked at my eggs. "What?" She asked; sounding confused. "I didn't buy it." I said again, more clearly. "How'd you get it then?" I sighed. "I made it."
Juliette and dvlsdngrousrbl
~Hermione's POV~ After Ron rushed off to the common room the other night, I had wondered what he was up to. I know he was kind of insecure. I mean let's face it; he is over-shadowed by everyone in his family, and Harry and I too. He doesn't think he is the most handsome guy in the world, although he is, and sometimes I think he thinks he's stupid too. I hope he doesn't think having a girlfriend will solve all of those problems.
Harry and I talked to Fred and George for a little longer, then we came up to the common room too. Ron was nowhere in sight. I read a little, and then went to bed, ready for a fresh new day at my favorite place.
This morning, when I woke up, I got up and opened my trunk to get my clothes out when I spotted the bottle of perfume that Ron had given me for Christmas last year. I'd never used it. I had never had an occasion too; it smelled so beautiful. Sometimes I just like to take the lid of, take a whiff then put the lid back on. It smells like flowers, and ocean breeze, and vanilla, and honeysuckle, and so many other good things. It smelled like the print of new books, it smelled like pine trees. In fact it seemed to change every time I smelled it, yet at the same time seemed to stay the same. It was the most unique perfume I had ever smelled. I decided to wear a little bit to breakfast today.
I put some of the perfume on, and then got dressed. I grabbed my bag and made my way downstairs too the common room. I waited a bit, until Harry came downstairs. "Where's Ron?" I asked him. He shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. When I woke up, he was gone, I thought maybe he got dressed up early and came down here, but I guess not." I frowned. Why would Ron leave without us?
We went down to the great hall, and I spotted Ron sitting beside Lavender Brown. "Why did you leave without us Ron?" He didn't have time to say anything, Before Lavender answered. "Because he was walking me to breakfast." She said. Harry looked up. "A-are you two a-a couple?" He asked uncertainly. Ron grinned. "Yeah." I felt my stomach drop. He was kidding. He had to be. Ron, and Lavender? No! That was wrong! It wasn't right at all! They don't fit together! Ron needs someone who will love him, not herself. I sank down beside Harry. Ron shot a look at Harry. That's when I realized something. Ron needed our support. I licked my lips. "Well, Ron, I think you two make a great couple." I tried very hard to smile at him, but I'm not sure it worked. My voice cracked when it came out. What was wrong with me? Harry looked at me. I have never seen such a look of pity on his face. Ron smiled at me, but he looked for some reason, hurt. "You really think so?" He asked. I couldn't say anything, so I just nodded. Ron stood up. "I'm going to go owl Fred and George." Then he bent down and kissed Lavender on the cheek, very close to her mouth. He turned bright red. My stomach twisted. I wish Ron could see how wrong Lavender was for him. She was just going to hurt him. Even now she was looking around the Great hall, probably looking for another guy. Ron left to get Pigwidgeon, I guess.
He came back after a while and sat down beside Lavender again. She smiled at him and leaned her head on his shoulder. He tilted her head up and kissed her again, this time on the lips. I lifted my lip in disgust. I watched Ron's lips work against Lavender's and all of a sudden I wished that those could have been my lips that he was kissing. I shook my head and looked away from Ron and Lavender. I didn't exactly want to watch them snogging. Harry looked at me, and he laid a hand on my arm. "It's ok, Hermione." He said. I stared at him. "What's ok?" He gestured towards Ron and Lavender. "Them." I shook my head and gave what sounded to me like a very fake laugh. "Of course it's ok, Harry, why wouldn't it be?" He shrugged. "Never mind." He said, a queer look on his face. He looked over at Luna, who had propped a book up against the sugar jar, reading. I leaned down close to Harry. "Harry, you should go for it." He gave me a very dirty look. I grinned. "I'm going to the library real quick, see you in Potions!" I bent down and hugged him. I looked over at Ron. He wasn't kissing Lavender anymore, so I said, "I'm going to the library, Ron, see you later!" I couldn't exactly hug him in front of Lavender, so I just waved. "Well, bye." He said, looking at me expectantly. "Bye!" I walked away.
~Harry~ I want to hit myself on the head. No, I want to bash Ron and Hermione's heads together. Hermione might not have realized she liked Ron, but now that she saw him with someone else, you would think she would come to her senses. And Ron! What was his bloody problem? Lavender? Lavender? We'd always made fun of Lavender for liking Professor Trelawney. It was so obvious that Ron liked Hermione. Ron thought I was obvious. Well, it was nothing compared to himself. The night before, when Fred and George had told Ron he needed a girlfriend, they had quietly asked me if I thought their brother would take the hint. I had shaken my head. "I hope so," was my reply. Ron was being so stupid!
~Ron~ There had been a little silence after Harry said Lavender and I going out was nice, and then Hermione said, "Well, Ron, I think you two make a great couple." For some reason that really hurt. I guess what I really wanted her to say was that she loved me or something. What am I saying!? I think I am certifiable. I asked her if she really thought so and she nodded. I got up a minute later and said I was going to go owl Fred and George. Then on impulse, I bent down and kissed Lavender on the cheek. I don't know why. I don't even like Lavender that much. I kissed her real close to the mouth, which was kind of embarrassing. I could feel my cheeks turn red; they got all hot. I left and sent a letter to Fred and George and told them that I was going out with Lavender, and then I went and sat back down. Lavender smiled at me, and leaned her head on my shoulder, and all of a sudden, I don't know what made me do it-I think I just wanted to know what it was like to kiss someone-I tilted Lavender's chin up and kissed her right on the lips. I didn't even realize the embarrassment. I just felt that kissing isn't all it's cracked up to be. It doesn't feel that great at all. Just lips moving against lips. That's all. All of a sudden I wished I were kissing Hermione. Then to get rid of that thought, I just kissed Lavender a little harder. But the whole time I was thinking about Hermione. Geez. I am such a prat! Using a girl just to, to make Hermione jealous! There. I've said it. I wanted to make Hermione jealous. I admit it. I admit that I like her. Unfortunately there's nothing I can do about it, since she apparently fancies Harry. That's right, because after I broke the kiss with Lavender, I saw Hermione hug Harry and say she would see him in Potions later. Then she turned to me. She said she would see me later too. Then she left. She left. She hugged Harry, but not me. She fancies him I tell you. I'd better tell Harry.
I decided I would tell Harry as we walked to Potions. Lavender had Astronomy first. Harry was looking at me. "Why'd you do it, Ron?" I looked at him. "What do you mean? Do what?" He rolled his eyes. "Ask Lavender out." He wrinkled his nose, as if something smelled funny. "Well, Fred and George said-" "I know what they said," he interrupted. "But why Lavender?" I shrugged. "There's no one else, really." Harry looked disgusted. "You asked her out because there's no one else?" I hung my head. "Yeah. I know I'm a prat." Harry slapped his forehead. "Ron, what about Hermione?" I stared at him. "What about Hermione?" He closed his eyes briefly before saying, "Well, you could have asked her out." My mouth dropped open. "What!? Why would I want to ask Hermione out, I don't like her that way!" I couldn't help but tell a lie. "You don't like Lavender that way either." Harry pointed out. He had a point there. But I decided now was my chance to tell Harry. "Besides, she fancies you, Harry." Harry's mouth dropped open. "What? What are you talking about?" I shrugged. "Well, she's been sitting beside you when we eat, and she keeps hugging you and stuff." Harry folded his arms. "You're serious, aren't you?" I nodded. Harry shook his head. "Ron, she's only been sitting with me because she thinks I'm lonely-" "Well what about me?" I asked. "Do you ever think that I might be lonely? I don't like Lavender Harry; as a matter of fact I'm breaking up with her. And you can have Hermione; I don't care. There's no way she could like me. I'm poor, and stupid, and ugly, and I'm not talented at anything. Meanwhile, here you are, a hero, you're handsome, you're smart, you're talented, you're rich, you're famous, what more could she want? Not me, that's for sure." Harry just looked at me with an amused look on his face. "I knew you liked her, Ron." My mouth opened, but I wasn't able to say anything. "Ron listen," Harry said. There is nothing between Hermione and me. We're just friends. Hermione likes you. I don't know why, don't ask me, I'm just another guy, but maybe you should ask her. It was only one time she didn't hug you, and that was because you were with Lavender. Just calm down, ok? Ask her out." He turned and walked away down the hallway.
~Hermione~ Tonight I sat down to dinner, long before Harry or Ron arrived. I sat next to where I knew Harry would be sitting. Harry came and sat down. He grabbed a plate and started gulping down his food. "I'm starving!" He exclaimed. I smiled. "I can tell." Ron walked up, a sad look on his face. "What's wrong?" I asked him. He sat down across from me and stared glumly at the biscuits. "I broke up with Lavender." He said. I rolled my eyes. "And why is that so sad?" He looked at me. "Oh, I'm sorry Ron, I didn't mean it badly. Then I saw that he had a smile lingering on the corners of his mouth. "That's not what I'm sad about." "Oh." I grinned. "What's wrong then?" He slouched down into his seat. "McGonagall got after me in Transfiguration today." I looked at him curiously. "Why? What'd you do?" "It's what I didn't do that was the problem." He rubbed his head. "I wasn't listening, and she gave me detention when I ignored her yelling at me. I wasn't ignoring her; I just didn't hear her. She only took away 5 points from Gryffindor though, thank goodness." He sniffed the air. "Hermione, are you wearing some new perfume or something?" I looked at my plate. "Actually I'm wearing the perfume you gave me for Christmas last year." "Oh." He frowned. "How come you've never worn it before?" I looked at him in surprise. He noticed what perfume I wore all the time enough to notice when I wasn't wearing what he gave me? That was really surprising. I stuffed a green bean in my mouth. "It's so nice, I don't know where to wear it." He looked pleased. "You like it then?" I nodded. "Of course I do. I think it smells beautiful." Then, for some reason, I couldn't help but tell him: "Sometimes I just open up the bottle and smell it." I confided. He looked surprised. Just then the evening owl post came in and a large black hoot owl dropped a letter in front of Ron. He frowned and looked at the owl. "I wonder who this is from, I don't recognize the owl." "It could be the twins." I said. "You did owl them earlier, didn't you?" Ron grinned. "Oh yeah." He ripped open the letter. "It is from them." He said. His eyes ran down the page then they stopped, widened, and he turned pale. His hand started shaking and he dropped the letter. "What's wrong, Ron?" I asked, concerned. "Pig!" He said. I frowned. "Pig?" He shoved the letter across the table to me. Harry leaned over my shoulder to read with me. It went like this:
Dear Ron,
How are you? We (Fred and I) were glad to receive your letter. We are also glad to hear that you found yourself a girlfriend. Unfortunately, we both think you chose the wrong girl. Lavender Brown is not right for you, Ron. You need someone a little more serious, but with a little bit of humor. Besides, how can you stand kissing her? She's probably kissed every boy her age in the school by now, and maybe even older than her. She isn't the most intellectual person in the world. Not like say, Hermione. I think you really need to think about the girl that's right for you, I mean really. Maybe you should go to Harry and ask his advice. He'll be able to help you. Uh oh, a customer I must go.
George Weasley
P.S.: I forgot to tell you, that when Pig dropped off his letter earlier today, he was acting all funny. We put him in Lemming's cage but he didn't eat or drink anything. He died about an hour ago. I'm really sorry. Oh, and in case you didn't know, Lemming is our hoot owl. Ciao little bro!
I put down the letter and covered my mouth. "Oh Ron, I'm sorry." "Yeah, sorry Mate." Harry said. Ron sighed and resting his elbows on the table, put his chin in his hands. Then to my great shock I saw that tears were rolling down his cheeks. "Ron, you're crying!" I said. He wiped away his tears. "I was so mean to him," He said sadly. "Aw, Ron, it's ok." I got up and sat down next to him, putting my arm around his shoulders. He sniffed. "I don't know what's wrong with me," He said apologetically. "Ron, it's ok to cry." He sighed heavily. "I know. But I'm not just crying about Pig." I frowned. "What then?" "Ok, I lied, it's Pig." I almost laughed until I saw more tears fall down his face. "You really liked the little guy, didn't you?" He nodded and put his head in his arms on the table, his shoulders shaking. My heart nearly broke. If he was this upset over Pig what would he do if it was human he was close to? His reaction surprised me. I thought he would be upset, but not crying! Plus I would have thought he would've been embarrassed to cry. Most guys are. But then again, I have to say, that Ron isn't like most guys. I pulled him up straight and gave him a big hug. Then to my surprise, he hugged me back. Not like he usually did, just an uncomfortable pat on the back, but a full-blown-squeeze-tight hug. When he finally loosened his grip on me, he seemed like he was better. "Thanks Hermione." He said.
The next morning I got up late, because my alarm didn't go off, and I told Parvati to just tell Harry and Ron I would meet them in the great hall. After I got dressed I made my way down to the great hall, where I could see the owl post had already arrived. As I neared the Gryffindor table, I could hear Ron say, "-Blubbering all over Hermione!" I sat down next to him. "What's up?" I asked. Ron just shook his head. He was red in the face and he looked mad. I looked at Harry. Harry sighed. "Ron got a letter today. From Fred and George." "Bloody gits." Ron muttered. Harry continued. "It was delivered by Pig." "What?!" I exclaimed. "How could it have been delivered by Pig? Pig's dead! No offense," I said quickly to Ron. Harry just shook his head. "Pig's not dead at all. It was Fred and George's idea of a joke." My mouth dropped open. "Those, those prats!" I covered my mouth. I'd never called anyone a prat before. Ron looked up in surprise. "Well they are!" I said to cover up. "No one's arguing with you," Harry said with a grin. "I'm sorry." I said to Ron. I knew he was embarrassed. "I oughta give Fred and George a piece of my mind!" I said angrily. "Don't." Ron said. "Knowing them they'd say I was getting a girl to stick up for me. Not that I mind or anything." He said quickly when he saw me glaring at him. His brow furrowed. "Are you wearing the perfume I gave you again?" He asked. I nodded. He grinned somewhat shyly. "Smells nice on you." Then he proceeded to stuff his face. I had to laugh. "Where'd you buy this perfume anyways, Ron?" I asked. He blushed. "I didn't buy it." He mumbled. I frowned. "What?" I asked, confused. "I didn't buy it." He said again, more clearly. "How'd you get it then?" I asked. He sighed. "I made it."
~Ron~ Ever since Harry and I had our little talk in the hallway earlier, I've had a really bad day. All of my teachers were yelling at me, and finally, I got a detention from McGonagall. Plus I can't stop thinking about what Harry said: "I knew you liked her Ron.ask her out." That same thought kept running through my head all day long, and personally, I was fed up with it. I broke up with Lavender. I told her I couldn't lead her on, that I liked someone else and that I was sorry. She said that was ok. So that went well.
When I sat down to dinner, I was tired. Hermione was already sitting down. "What's wrong?" She asked. I sat down and sighed. "I broke up with Lavender." I said. "And why is that so sad?" She asked. "I looked at her. I would have thought she would feel bad for me, not happy. She then apologized but I told her that that wasn't the reason why I was sad. I told her how McGonagall yelled at me, and I got detention. Then I smelled something. It smelled really good. Usually Hermione didn't wear any really distinct perfume, but this smelled, well, good. I asked her if she was wearing a new perfume. "Actually," She said. "I'm wearing the perfume you gave me for Christmas last year." I frowned. I didn't recognize it. I had spent about a year making that perfume; I studied Potions long and hard to make it. I bewitched it to change scents to match the wearer's feelings and moods, or just whatever they wanted it to smell like. I had to find out though why she hadn't worn it before. So I asked her. She looked up at me, surprised. "It's so nice, I don't know where to wear it." I was pleased that she considered it so nice, but wondered if I should have made something that she could wear more often. "You like it then?" I asked. She nodded. "Of course I do." She said. "It smells beautiful. Sometimes I just open up the bottle and smell it." That was surprising! I thought girls only did that kinda stuff with things that they really liked.
Just then I got an owl that I didn't recognize. It was from Fred and George. Pig was dead! Died! Gone! My poor Pig. I know I didn't act like it, but I really liked Pig. Not only was he useful, but also he really was kind of cute. He was my only pet friend. And I've been really touchy around animals ever since I found out about Scabbers. Now I hate all rats. Sometimes, Pig just sat on my shoulder, like when I was reading and stuff, and chirp every so often in my ear. He would nuzzle me, and then jump onto my head, ruffling my hair. I talked to him all of the time, telling him everything. Like a diary. I don't keep a diary, but instead use Pig. Pig won't give away my secrets. Pig was the one thing that loved me. That I knew for sure, loved me. Mum is always mad at me, Ginny is always mad at me; Dad really spends all of his time with Charlie and Bill, and Fred and George, when he sees them. Harry's famous, and kind of over-shadows me, and Hermione liked her books more than anything else. Pig loved me though. He wouldn't let anyone else feed him. Sometimes I liked to think he gave me advice when I told him my feelings. The letter was full of all sorts of other stuff about how they didn't approve of Lavender how she wasn't as smart as Hermione, and how I should go to Harry for advice, but I didn't pay any attention to that. Pig just died for heavens sakes! Then, I couldn't help it. I started crying. I don't think I've ever been so embarrassed in my whole life, crying over a pet. "Ron, you're crying!" Hermione said. I wiped at my eyes. "I was so mean to him. " I said. "Aw, Ron, it's ok." She got up and sat down next to me, putting her arm around my shoulders. I sniffed. "I don't know what's wrong with me," I said apologetically, hoping they would think I wasn't feeling well or something. "Ron, it's ok to cry." Hermione said. I sighed heavily. "I know. But I'm not just crying about Pig." "What then?" Hermione asked quizzically. I was hoping that she would think I was crying about something else, but then I knew she was gonna say that and I didn't know what to tell her so I just said, "Ok, I lied, it's Pig." "You really liked the little guy, didn't you?" I nodded and put my head in my arms on the table. I broke into sobs, unable to control myself. What was wrong with me? She pulled my arm, until I was sitting up straight, and gave me a big hug. Here was my chance! I squeezed her tightly back. I didn't want to let go. I didn't think hugging someone could feel this good. I almost felt my worries drain out of me. I felt myself relaxing, and I thought to myself about how I loved Pig, but I didn't need to go crazy all about it. Finally I realized that I had been hugging Hermione for a long time and I had better let go. I let go of her slowly. "Thanks Hermione." I said. She smiled at me, and sat down beside me, to eat.
The next morning, I got up and went down to the breakfast table, and had just sat down when I heard a high-pitched twittering near my ear. My head shot up. Pig? No, it couldn't be, Pig was dead. I sighed and reached for the maple syrup when Pig flew right in front of me and landed on my plate, chattering happily, holding a letter in his beak. "Harry!" I shrieked. Harry, who had been sitting next to Luna, looked up. "What?" Hermione hadn't come down yet, so I just pointed my finger at Pig. "Pig!" I said. Harry's mouth dropped open. "Pig?" He asked incredulously I nodded. I grabbed the letter out of Pig's beak and lifted him onto my shoulder, nuzzling him. "Hey Pig!" I said, gently stroking his back. I ripped open the letter, and read it. It went like this:
Dear Ron,
That wasn't George that wrote the last letter, it was I, Fred. I was playing a joke on you when I said that Pig had died. As you can see, he's well and fine. When George found out what I'd done, he made me write this letter and send it with Pig. Hope you're not too mad.
George Sorry, sorry, Signed, FRED. I was so mad. I was steaming. My hand was shaking so badly, I crumpled the letter, nearly ripping it in half. Pig flew off my shoulder and out the window with the other owls. I threw the letter across the table at Harry. "Read it." I said through clenched teeth. He read it and his mouth fell open in shock. "Well!" He said. I ran my fingers through my hair. "Oh great." I said. He's not even dead, and there I was, blubbering all over Hermione!" Just then, Hermione sat down beside me. "What's up?" She asked. Harry sighed. "Ron got a letter today. From Fred and George." "Bloody gits." I muttered. Harry continued. "It was delivered by Pig." "What?!" Hermione exclaimed. "How could it have been delivered by Pig? Pig's dead! No offense," She said quickly. Harry just shook his head. "Pig's not dead at all. It was Fred and George's idea of a joke." Hermione's mouth dropped open. "Those, those prats!" She covered her mouth. I looked up in surprise. Hermione had never called anyone a prat before. "Well they are!" She said. "No one's arguing with you," Harry said with a grin. "I'm sorry." She said to me. "I oughta give Fred and George a piece of my mind!" "Don't." I told her. "Knowing them they'd say I was getting a girl to stick up for me. Not that I mind or anything." I said quickly. "Are you wearing the perfume I gave you again?" I added. Hermione nodded. "Smells nice on you." I blurted out. I shoveled some food in my mouth, my face turning red. "Where'd you buy this perfume anyways, Ron?" She asked. "I didn't buy it." I mumbled. I hadn't planned on her knowing that I made it. I was hoping that she would've thought that I bought it somewhere, at an expensive price, not homemade. I had worked long and hard in potions class, taking extra lessons, (With Dumbledore, not Snape.) and researching long and hard into the night trying to figure out how to make the perfume just perfect. But Hermione wouldn't know that. She would just see it as homemade, not anything good. I considered telling her that I did buy, it, but that would only cause a fight, since I'd already said that I didn't buy it. Harry knew how hard I worked on that perfume, but he was the only one. I didn't look at Hermione, as I picked at my eggs. "What?" She asked; sounding confused. "I didn't buy it." I said again, more clearly. "How'd you get it then?" I sighed. "I made it."