A/N: I'm so OVERJOYED!! I got reviews! Yay! I luff you people. Thank you very much!
Mythistica - Here, I updated. Yesss, it feels good to make a guy suffer through womanhood.
ShadowCrawler - Thank you! Oooh, good idea, in a strange way. Except they can't take a potion with another hair in it.. They altered the potion while making it so they couldn't switch partners. Guess I didn't make that too clear, but it's there.. Good idea though!
Voldie On Varsity Track - Okay, number one, I like your pen name. Thank you, here's a nice long chapter, and I'll check out your stuff.
Stars - OKAY!
Elderberry - Sorry your head hurts. Mine does too, a lot-- the pain, the pain!-- but anyway. Cruel but hilarious, that's what I was aiming for, yeah. I was going to name this chapter Ron's Revenge, actually, but thought of something else.
weasleychick15 - Thank you, here's some more!
TheSilverLady - Wow. You're good.
ENJOY!
*****
Alternate Identity: A Polyjuice Potion Story
Chapter Six: Making Up, Two Ways
When the Gryffindor boys' dorm woke up the next morning, most of them were curious as to what Ron had planned to annoy Hermione with, especially Harry. They all took their Polyjuice potions and changed into their robes. Ron did not speak a word of what he was planning to get Hermione back with before or after he used the potion, but after he used the potion he grabbed something from under his bed, then got into the bathroom earlier than usual, before anyone else had to.
"What're you doing?" Ginny's voice called through the door after a few minutes.
"Treating Hermione's body--" Hermione's voice began.
"Like most girls treat themselves, yes, I know that bit, but what are you doing?" Ginny's voice interrupted impatiently.
"You'll see. I'll be out in a minute."
Harry in Ginny's body and everyone else in everyone else's bodies got themselves prepared to get down to the Great Hall, but still Ron remained in the bathroom.
"We've got to get in there too, Ron," Dean's irritated voice called.
"I'm just about out!"
A few minutes later, Harry checked his watch on Ginny's wrist. Ron was going to make them all late if he didn't let them in soon. He stood up, and knocked one of Ginny's fists against the door loudly several times. "Ron, we need to get in there!"
"All right, all right, I'm coming out."
There was a great sigh from the others.
The doorknob turned and the door opened, and Harry couldn't hold back a laugh.
Harry didn't know how, but Ron had managed to get a hold of some Muggle makeup, which he very inexperiencedly managed to apply liberally to Hermione's face. Her lips were gloppy and reddish-pink, which led Harry to believe Ron used more than one color of whatever it was that he used on her lips. Her cheeks looked rather sunburned. Her eyelids were a variety of colors and her eyes themselves were bloodshot, which meant they probably stood a few pokes each by accident from Ron's clumsy handling. Ron made Hermione's face look fairly disastrous.
The other boys came and had a look, and they laughed as well, Ron making Hermione's face crack a grin at the reaction he got.
A whistle came from Seamus. "Looking good, Hermione," he said in mock amazement.
The boys crammed themselves into the bathroom to brush their teeth and wash except for Harry.
"Where did you get all that?" Harry asked curiously, Ginny's eyebrows lowering.
"Snuck into the girls' dorms yesterday," Ron said, holding up two handfuls of little Muggle makeup things. "Took all the Muggle stuff I saw. Didn't want to risk charming myself. Er, herself."
"Hermione's going to kill you. So are the other girls who couldn't primp themselves this morning since you stole their makeup," Harry said in Ginny's voice.
Ron shrugged.
"And Hermione's going to write your mum," Harry said.
"Why? She told me to treat her like most girls treat themselves, all that, and this is what most girls do! Just because I don't have as much experience doesn't mean I didn't do what most girls do, right?"
"Er, right.. But why are you doing this?"
"She blackmailed me!" Hermione's voice exclaimed. "I can't let her blackmail me!"
"It's your choice," Ginny's voice said, her head shaking. Harry thought this was definitely a stupid idea. "But again, just for the record, I was against this."
"Right, right."
Ron in Hermione's made-over self waited for Harry in Ginny's normal self to get his chance in the bathroom before they headed down to breakfast together, a few minutes late.
"I think I'll-- er-- I think I'll go ahead," Ginny told Ron in Hermione's body quickly. Being caught walking in with Ron in Hermione's embarrassingly made-over face might get slightly, well, embarassing, and wouldn't help the real Hermione to think he hadn't been in on it the whole time.
Ron controlled Hermione to smile. "Right."
Ginny's body hurried to Harry's normal seat at the table while Hermione's body took its time strutting over, people whispering and giggling as Hermione's body walked past. Ginny's body took a seat diagonally from Hermione in the body of Ron, who was staring, outraged, when she caught a glimpse of what students were watching cross the Great Hall. Harry's body, next to Ron's and across from Ginny's, glared at Hermione's face as well, and his and Ron's faces glaring combined with the glares of Parvati, Lavender, and anyone else in Hermione's dorm who was upset at not being able to put on makeup that morning, well, that earned Ron a lot of glares. He ignored them defiantly as he sat down bravely across from Hermione.
"What do you mean by this?" Ron's voice asked in a way that showed a lot of rage being held in.
"You told me to--" Hermione's voice began before Ginny's voice joined in with a bored monotone.
"Treat your body the way most girls treat themselves," Ron and Harry as Hermione and Ginny explained through Hermione's voice, getting sick of saying that over and over.
"Most girls," Ron's voice said, shaking in anger, "don't make a monster out of themselves." Ron's head turned quickly to Ginny's body. "Did you know about this?" Ron's voice snapped.
"N-- Well, yes, as of a few minutes ago I did, but I told him not to do it," Ginny's voice said quickly.
"Harry's telling the truth," Hermione's voice said, putting some toast and bacon on her plate as food appeared on the table.
"Why did you embarrass me like this?" Ron's voice hissed.
"Relax, Hermione. People know it's me, the nametag says so," Hermione's voice came coolly, gesturing toward the nametag on Hermione's robes that read Ron's name.
The body of Ron let out a sigh in frustration. "Then why did you do it at all? I didn't mean to ask you to do this, I just wanted you to re--"
"Respect your body, yeah, but you've got to admit, you blackmailed me. And you can't write to my mum because I did do what most girls do to themselves, I'm just a bit, er.." In his deep thinking, he took a bite of toast, then frowned at the marks of lipstick left behind around his bite on the piece of toast.
"Inexperienced," Ginny's voice suggested, elbowing Ron and reminding him he was still stuck in mid-sentence.
"Inexperienced, yeah," Hermione's voice said, looking up abruptly, swallowing and nodding.
"Clumsy, more like," Harry's voice huffed, Ginny inside being silent up until now.
"Well, could you please wash it off so we can just forget about this?" Ron's voice asked.
"Well could you please trust me being in your body for a month?" Hermione's voice shot back.
Ron's voice silenced. "I do trust you," it came out quietly.
"You sure don't act like it!" Hermione's voice replied. "You don't have to threaten me that you'll write to my mum at the drop of a hat--"
"I just don't want you to do anything stupid!" Ron's voice said irritably.
"I didn't!"
"Shaving?" Ron's dry voice reminded him.
"Well, there was that," Hermione's voice said thoughtfully. "But that was all! Can't you just trust me?"
Ron's lips pursed. "Fine, then. Now for heaven's sake, Ron, get that stuff off your face."
"Mm.. Maybe later." Hermione took a drink of pumpkin juice.
Ron's face looked thoroughly annoyed. "How am I supposed to trust you if you're willing to make me look ridiculous?"
"It's not too bad," Hermione's voice said hastily, wiping her mouth after her gulp of juice, smudging the lipstick even more. "I happen to think I made you look very attractive," he joked, yet he was oblivious to the fact he smeared the lipstick to cover a portion of Hermione's face. Harry and Ginny didn't laugh at the irony, not wanting to trigger more of Hermione's anger.
Ron's voice was silent for a moment, Hermione inside thinking. Ron's face then lightened up. "I meant to talk to you earlier. D'you think we could step out?"
"Sure," Hermione's voice said unsurely.
The pair stepped out of the Great Hall.
"So.. What did you want to say?" Ron asked through Hermione's voice.
"Er," Ron's voice said. Hermione really hadn't thought of a reason to get him out here, she just wanted to clean that nasty makeup off.
"It wouldn't have anything to do with Rita Skeeter's interview.. Would it?" Hermione's voice guessed knowingly.
There was a pause, then a slight smile played on Ron's lips for a moment, and his eyes flicked upward toward the ceiling. Thank you, Ron, she thought. "Perhaps," Ron's voice said matter-of-factly.
"Oh really," Hermione's voice said, smiling slightly. "Well, do tell, Hermione," it continued amusedly, Ron's ego inflating at an alarming rate, remembering the bit of the interview when Hermione mentioned him.
Ron's hand slipped into his pocket and his eyes settled back on Hermione's. His voice dropped, and had a strange tone to it. "I've got something to say to you.. But promise you won't tell."
"I promise," Hermione's voice said, Ron's ego skyrocketing even higher yet. It was scary watching his own body move closer and closer..
Hermione controlled Ron's body to bend over slightly.
Okay.. This is weird.. What is she doing? Ron thought, staying stationary.
Ron's voice whispered into Hermione's ear. "Scourgify."
"What?" Hermione's voice, perplexed, asked.
"Scourgify!" Ron's voice cried, drawing out of his pocket his wand.
In an instant, Hermione's face filled up with bubbles. Ron's mind inside was shocked and surprised, and her body was rooted to the spot as Hermione's mind inside Ron's body quickly muttered a series of spells that made water flow from his wand, taking out a handkerchief from one of his pockets and aggressively scrubbing Hermione's face clean. Scrubbing hard, she felt, was a way to rid her of some of her anger towards Ron. After another fast spell to dry off everything, she was finished.
Quickly wringing out her handkerchief, pointing her wand at the floor to dry it off, and patting Hermione's shoulder as a thanks for cooperation, Ron's voice said, "Let's let bygones be bygones." Hermione then gestured one of Ron's lanky arms towards the Great Hall entrance. "Shall we?"
Everything came along all right during the day. There was no real point in Ron being angry at Hermione for Scourgify-ing him, because it was all over in a few seconds. Hermione could tell Ron was embarrassed about it, though-- but Ron was not necessarily embarrassed about the part where Hermione Scourgified him, but in the moments before that.
Besides, in Charms class, he was now really quite the, well, charmer. Hermione's wand hand had gotten used to performing a flawless swish-and-flick technique, which Ron couldn't really thank Hermione enough for, as he had never really perfected his Charms work.
"Why did Mum yell at me for being in Hermione's body? She didn't yell at Ginny for being in Harry's body," Hermione's voice asked angrily that night in the Common Room over Potions homework.
"That's because Mum trusts me," Harry's voice replied simply, scrawling Ginny's name at the top of her finished Charms homework. "And because she knows you."
"Oh, shut up, Gin," Hermione's voice said angrily.
"Well, I'm off to bed," Ron's voice said. He shut all of his books and yawned. "'Night."
"'Night," everyone halfheartedly replied. Soon after Ron left, everyone else was finished with homework and very tired, dragging their books off to their dorms.
Hermione's body stepped into the bathroom in the dorm, very worn out, still contemplating the fiasco involving the makeup. Parvati, Lavender, and most of the other girls that were in the dorm he stole the makeup from still hadn't forgiven him. He found his toothbrush, applied toothpaste, and began scrubbing her teeth with it.
That stupid interview.. How could he think Hermione was going to talk to him about that right after he refused to wash off the makeup right away? He watched himself as Hermione grow angry at himself and embarrassed in the mirror before him. He remembered Rita Skeeter's article too clearly.. About that stupid Yule Ball.. An event that happened over a year ago!
"I'd actually be pretty flattered if he asked."
That's what Hermione had said about Ron and the Yule Ball. Why did I have to bring it up to her that day? What had I expected her to say? What did I want her to say? He restrained himself from banging Hermione's head on the wall. It doesn't matter! She was only kidding, she knows that.. I was just being a jerk.. Hermione wins, again..
"Just because it's taken you three years to notice, Ron, doesn't mean nobody else hasn't realized I'm a girl!"
Ron washed the head of the toothbrush, rinsed her mouth out and spat. He raised his head and met her eyes in the mirror. Yes. She was most definitely a girl. But he hadn't meant to insult her when he was trying to find a date to the Yule Ball.
At least, now that he had been through her "special monthly event", she could never, ever accuse him of not knowing she's a girl ever again. Ever.
A sharp knock came to the door and Ginny's voice crept in through the cracks in the door. "Ron, you're taking too long in the bathroom again and it's worrying me," Harry said through Ginny's voice jokingly.
"I'll be right out." He caught a glance at Hermione's reflection again before leaving.
In the girls' dorm, Hermione in Ron's body had sat around organizing her things as she was first to arrive. When other girls began to arrive, she hurried into the bathroom to get her turn first.
She washed Ron's freckled face and dried it with a nearby towel. She hadn't understood Ron's odd behavior in the morning-- and not just the part about the makeup. She was glad Ron brought up Rita Skeeter's article only because it dropped his guard and allowed her to Scourgify him. But she hadn't found out why he had brought it up.
She remembered clearly what had come pouring out of her mouth during the interview, thanks to the Veritaserum. She couldn't say it wasn't true. She was still kicking herself for falling into that awful woman's trap. But why had Ron mentioned it?
Well, if he mentioned it, he must have remembered it, and might have wanted.. Details? No, that wasn't the right word.. He might have wanted... Clarification. Yes.
He was probably confused at why I'd want to go with him after she got angry when he pointed out she was a girl. Why would she want to go with someone who just noticed her? But it was true, she did want to go with Ron, if he asked her first.
Veritaserum just doesn't lie.
She found her toothbrush and proceeded to brush Ron's teeth, still deep in thought.
It was all too confusing. Did he like it when she had admitted she would go with him? If he didn't, why would he have said anything about it?
So they both wanted to go with eachother.. Yet they didn't.
Her head was beginning to spin. So many changes.. She figured she'd better sleep on it, a strange decision for someone like Hermione to make.
She rinsed out Ron's mouth and took in another glimpse of Ron in the mirror before going to bed.
*****
A/N: I like this chapter, sort of. Writing it was fun. Review please! They're what is keeping me writing.
Mythistica - Here, I updated. Yesss, it feels good to make a guy suffer through womanhood.
ShadowCrawler - Thank you! Oooh, good idea, in a strange way. Except they can't take a potion with another hair in it.. They altered the potion while making it so they couldn't switch partners. Guess I didn't make that too clear, but it's there.. Good idea though!
Voldie On Varsity Track - Okay, number one, I like your pen name. Thank you, here's a nice long chapter, and I'll check out your stuff.
Stars - OKAY!
Elderberry - Sorry your head hurts. Mine does too, a lot-- the pain, the pain!-- but anyway. Cruel but hilarious, that's what I was aiming for, yeah. I was going to name this chapter Ron's Revenge, actually, but thought of something else.
weasleychick15 - Thank you, here's some more!
TheSilverLady - Wow. You're good.
ENJOY!
*****
Alternate Identity: A Polyjuice Potion Story
Chapter Six: Making Up, Two Ways
When the Gryffindor boys' dorm woke up the next morning, most of them were curious as to what Ron had planned to annoy Hermione with, especially Harry. They all took their Polyjuice potions and changed into their robes. Ron did not speak a word of what he was planning to get Hermione back with before or after he used the potion, but after he used the potion he grabbed something from under his bed, then got into the bathroom earlier than usual, before anyone else had to.
"What're you doing?" Ginny's voice called through the door after a few minutes.
"Treating Hermione's body--" Hermione's voice began.
"Like most girls treat themselves, yes, I know that bit, but what are you doing?" Ginny's voice interrupted impatiently.
"You'll see. I'll be out in a minute."
Harry in Ginny's body and everyone else in everyone else's bodies got themselves prepared to get down to the Great Hall, but still Ron remained in the bathroom.
"We've got to get in there too, Ron," Dean's irritated voice called.
"I'm just about out!"
A few minutes later, Harry checked his watch on Ginny's wrist. Ron was going to make them all late if he didn't let them in soon. He stood up, and knocked one of Ginny's fists against the door loudly several times. "Ron, we need to get in there!"
"All right, all right, I'm coming out."
There was a great sigh from the others.
The doorknob turned and the door opened, and Harry couldn't hold back a laugh.
Harry didn't know how, but Ron had managed to get a hold of some Muggle makeup, which he very inexperiencedly managed to apply liberally to Hermione's face. Her lips were gloppy and reddish-pink, which led Harry to believe Ron used more than one color of whatever it was that he used on her lips. Her cheeks looked rather sunburned. Her eyelids were a variety of colors and her eyes themselves were bloodshot, which meant they probably stood a few pokes each by accident from Ron's clumsy handling. Ron made Hermione's face look fairly disastrous.
The other boys came and had a look, and they laughed as well, Ron making Hermione's face crack a grin at the reaction he got.
A whistle came from Seamus. "Looking good, Hermione," he said in mock amazement.
The boys crammed themselves into the bathroom to brush their teeth and wash except for Harry.
"Where did you get all that?" Harry asked curiously, Ginny's eyebrows lowering.
"Snuck into the girls' dorms yesterday," Ron said, holding up two handfuls of little Muggle makeup things. "Took all the Muggle stuff I saw. Didn't want to risk charming myself. Er, herself."
"Hermione's going to kill you. So are the other girls who couldn't primp themselves this morning since you stole their makeup," Harry said in Ginny's voice.
Ron shrugged.
"And Hermione's going to write your mum," Harry said.
"Why? She told me to treat her like most girls treat themselves, all that, and this is what most girls do! Just because I don't have as much experience doesn't mean I didn't do what most girls do, right?"
"Er, right.. But why are you doing this?"
"She blackmailed me!" Hermione's voice exclaimed. "I can't let her blackmail me!"
"It's your choice," Ginny's voice said, her head shaking. Harry thought this was definitely a stupid idea. "But again, just for the record, I was against this."
"Right, right."
Ron in Hermione's made-over self waited for Harry in Ginny's normal self to get his chance in the bathroom before they headed down to breakfast together, a few minutes late.
"I think I'll-- er-- I think I'll go ahead," Ginny told Ron in Hermione's body quickly. Being caught walking in with Ron in Hermione's embarrassingly made-over face might get slightly, well, embarassing, and wouldn't help the real Hermione to think he hadn't been in on it the whole time.
Ron controlled Hermione to smile. "Right."
Ginny's body hurried to Harry's normal seat at the table while Hermione's body took its time strutting over, people whispering and giggling as Hermione's body walked past. Ginny's body took a seat diagonally from Hermione in the body of Ron, who was staring, outraged, when she caught a glimpse of what students were watching cross the Great Hall. Harry's body, next to Ron's and across from Ginny's, glared at Hermione's face as well, and his and Ron's faces glaring combined with the glares of Parvati, Lavender, and anyone else in Hermione's dorm who was upset at not being able to put on makeup that morning, well, that earned Ron a lot of glares. He ignored them defiantly as he sat down bravely across from Hermione.
"What do you mean by this?" Ron's voice asked in a way that showed a lot of rage being held in.
"You told me to--" Hermione's voice began before Ginny's voice joined in with a bored monotone.
"Treat your body the way most girls treat themselves," Ron and Harry as Hermione and Ginny explained through Hermione's voice, getting sick of saying that over and over.
"Most girls," Ron's voice said, shaking in anger, "don't make a monster out of themselves." Ron's head turned quickly to Ginny's body. "Did you know about this?" Ron's voice snapped.
"N-- Well, yes, as of a few minutes ago I did, but I told him not to do it," Ginny's voice said quickly.
"Harry's telling the truth," Hermione's voice said, putting some toast and bacon on her plate as food appeared on the table.
"Why did you embarrass me like this?" Ron's voice hissed.
"Relax, Hermione. People know it's me, the nametag says so," Hermione's voice came coolly, gesturing toward the nametag on Hermione's robes that read Ron's name.
The body of Ron let out a sigh in frustration. "Then why did you do it at all? I didn't mean to ask you to do this, I just wanted you to re--"
"Respect your body, yeah, but you've got to admit, you blackmailed me. And you can't write to my mum because I did do what most girls do to themselves, I'm just a bit, er.." In his deep thinking, he took a bite of toast, then frowned at the marks of lipstick left behind around his bite on the piece of toast.
"Inexperienced," Ginny's voice suggested, elbowing Ron and reminding him he was still stuck in mid-sentence.
"Inexperienced, yeah," Hermione's voice said, looking up abruptly, swallowing and nodding.
"Clumsy, more like," Harry's voice huffed, Ginny inside being silent up until now.
"Well, could you please wash it off so we can just forget about this?" Ron's voice asked.
"Well could you please trust me being in your body for a month?" Hermione's voice shot back.
Ron's voice silenced. "I do trust you," it came out quietly.
"You sure don't act like it!" Hermione's voice replied. "You don't have to threaten me that you'll write to my mum at the drop of a hat--"
"I just don't want you to do anything stupid!" Ron's voice said irritably.
"I didn't!"
"Shaving?" Ron's dry voice reminded him.
"Well, there was that," Hermione's voice said thoughtfully. "But that was all! Can't you just trust me?"
Ron's lips pursed. "Fine, then. Now for heaven's sake, Ron, get that stuff off your face."
"Mm.. Maybe later." Hermione took a drink of pumpkin juice.
Ron's face looked thoroughly annoyed. "How am I supposed to trust you if you're willing to make me look ridiculous?"
"It's not too bad," Hermione's voice said hastily, wiping her mouth after her gulp of juice, smudging the lipstick even more. "I happen to think I made you look very attractive," he joked, yet he was oblivious to the fact he smeared the lipstick to cover a portion of Hermione's face. Harry and Ginny didn't laugh at the irony, not wanting to trigger more of Hermione's anger.
Ron's voice was silent for a moment, Hermione inside thinking. Ron's face then lightened up. "I meant to talk to you earlier. D'you think we could step out?"
"Sure," Hermione's voice said unsurely.
The pair stepped out of the Great Hall.
"So.. What did you want to say?" Ron asked through Hermione's voice.
"Er," Ron's voice said. Hermione really hadn't thought of a reason to get him out here, she just wanted to clean that nasty makeup off.
"It wouldn't have anything to do with Rita Skeeter's interview.. Would it?" Hermione's voice guessed knowingly.
There was a pause, then a slight smile played on Ron's lips for a moment, and his eyes flicked upward toward the ceiling. Thank you, Ron, she thought. "Perhaps," Ron's voice said matter-of-factly.
"Oh really," Hermione's voice said, smiling slightly. "Well, do tell, Hermione," it continued amusedly, Ron's ego inflating at an alarming rate, remembering the bit of the interview when Hermione mentioned him.
Ron's hand slipped into his pocket and his eyes settled back on Hermione's. His voice dropped, and had a strange tone to it. "I've got something to say to you.. But promise you won't tell."
"I promise," Hermione's voice said, Ron's ego skyrocketing even higher yet. It was scary watching his own body move closer and closer..
Hermione controlled Ron's body to bend over slightly.
Okay.. This is weird.. What is she doing? Ron thought, staying stationary.
Ron's voice whispered into Hermione's ear. "Scourgify."
"What?" Hermione's voice, perplexed, asked.
"Scourgify!" Ron's voice cried, drawing out of his pocket his wand.
In an instant, Hermione's face filled up with bubbles. Ron's mind inside was shocked and surprised, and her body was rooted to the spot as Hermione's mind inside Ron's body quickly muttered a series of spells that made water flow from his wand, taking out a handkerchief from one of his pockets and aggressively scrubbing Hermione's face clean. Scrubbing hard, she felt, was a way to rid her of some of her anger towards Ron. After another fast spell to dry off everything, she was finished.
Quickly wringing out her handkerchief, pointing her wand at the floor to dry it off, and patting Hermione's shoulder as a thanks for cooperation, Ron's voice said, "Let's let bygones be bygones." Hermione then gestured one of Ron's lanky arms towards the Great Hall entrance. "Shall we?"
Everything came along all right during the day. There was no real point in Ron being angry at Hermione for Scourgify-ing him, because it was all over in a few seconds. Hermione could tell Ron was embarrassed about it, though-- but Ron was not necessarily embarrassed about the part where Hermione Scourgified him, but in the moments before that.
Besides, in Charms class, he was now really quite the, well, charmer. Hermione's wand hand had gotten used to performing a flawless swish-and-flick technique, which Ron couldn't really thank Hermione enough for, as he had never really perfected his Charms work.
"Why did Mum yell at me for being in Hermione's body? She didn't yell at Ginny for being in Harry's body," Hermione's voice asked angrily that night in the Common Room over Potions homework.
"That's because Mum trusts me," Harry's voice replied simply, scrawling Ginny's name at the top of her finished Charms homework. "And because she knows you."
"Oh, shut up, Gin," Hermione's voice said angrily.
"Well, I'm off to bed," Ron's voice said. He shut all of his books and yawned. "'Night."
"'Night," everyone halfheartedly replied. Soon after Ron left, everyone else was finished with homework and very tired, dragging their books off to their dorms.
Hermione's body stepped into the bathroom in the dorm, very worn out, still contemplating the fiasco involving the makeup. Parvati, Lavender, and most of the other girls that were in the dorm he stole the makeup from still hadn't forgiven him. He found his toothbrush, applied toothpaste, and began scrubbing her teeth with it.
That stupid interview.. How could he think Hermione was going to talk to him about that right after he refused to wash off the makeup right away? He watched himself as Hermione grow angry at himself and embarrassed in the mirror before him. He remembered Rita Skeeter's article too clearly.. About that stupid Yule Ball.. An event that happened over a year ago!
"I'd actually be pretty flattered if he asked."
That's what Hermione had said about Ron and the Yule Ball. Why did I have to bring it up to her that day? What had I expected her to say? What did I want her to say? He restrained himself from banging Hermione's head on the wall. It doesn't matter! She was only kidding, she knows that.. I was just being a jerk.. Hermione wins, again..
"Just because it's taken you three years to notice, Ron, doesn't mean nobody else hasn't realized I'm a girl!"
Ron washed the head of the toothbrush, rinsed her mouth out and spat. He raised his head and met her eyes in the mirror. Yes. She was most definitely a girl. But he hadn't meant to insult her when he was trying to find a date to the Yule Ball.
At least, now that he had been through her "special monthly event", she could never, ever accuse him of not knowing she's a girl ever again. Ever.
A sharp knock came to the door and Ginny's voice crept in through the cracks in the door. "Ron, you're taking too long in the bathroom again and it's worrying me," Harry said through Ginny's voice jokingly.
"I'll be right out." He caught a glance at Hermione's reflection again before leaving.
In the girls' dorm, Hermione in Ron's body had sat around organizing her things as she was first to arrive. When other girls began to arrive, she hurried into the bathroom to get her turn first.
She washed Ron's freckled face and dried it with a nearby towel. She hadn't understood Ron's odd behavior in the morning-- and not just the part about the makeup. She was glad Ron brought up Rita Skeeter's article only because it dropped his guard and allowed her to Scourgify him. But she hadn't found out why he had brought it up.
She remembered clearly what had come pouring out of her mouth during the interview, thanks to the Veritaserum. She couldn't say it wasn't true. She was still kicking herself for falling into that awful woman's trap. But why had Ron mentioned it?
Well, if he mentioned it, he must have remembered it, and might have wanted.. Details? No, that wasn't the right word.. He might have wanted... Clarification. Yes.
He was probably confused at why I'd want to go with him after she got angry when he pointed out she was a girl. Why would she want to go with someone who just noticed her? But it was true, she did want to go with Ron, if he asked her first.
Veritaserum just doesn't lie.
She found her toothbrush and proceeded to brush Ron's teeth, still deep in thought.
It was all too confusing. Did he like it when she had admitted she would go with him? If he didn't, why would he have said anything about it?
So they both wanted to go with eachother.. Yet they didn't.
Her head was beginning to spin. So many changes.. She figured she'd better sleep on it, a strange decision for someone like Hermione to make.
She rinsed out Ron's mouth and took in another glimpse of Ron in the mirror before going to bed.
*****
A/N: I like this chapter, sort of. Writing it was fun. Review please! They're what is keeping me writing.