Disclaimer- None of these characters etcetera belong to me, only the plot.

Chapter Three- Time Is Not On Your Side

Ron ran through the portrait hole, the common room and then raced up the stairs to the fifth year boys' dormitory all the while blinking back the tears which threatened to flow down his tormented face. Upon reaching his destination he threw himself onto his bed and began to cry. He knew that it was neither the more mature nor the most "manly" thing to do, but he could not help it.

His heart ached with loneliness and loss. He wrapped his arms around himself in the hopes that it might relieve some of his pain. There he sat, his knees to his chest with his arms wrapped about them. He lay his head down on his knees as he heard the sound of someone running quickly up the steps.

"Ron! You have quite a bit of explaining to do! Starting with why Hermione is in the hallway with Draco, willingly none the less? Why are you in here instead of inflicting bodily harm upon him? Why is she smiling and laughing? Why is the fat lady moaning about reckless teenage boys and complaining of a headache? Why are you sitting here alone in your room…." Fred and George interrogated as the sat down on the end of the bed facing their little brother.

Ron raised his head slowly and met their annoyed glances.

Their jaws dropped, they had not seen Ron cry since….they the time when they had turned his teddy bear into a giant, hairy spider. "Bloody Hell Ron! What's wrong?" Fred asked as he laid a hand on Ron's shoulder.

Tears began to stream down his face as he told his older brothers what had gone on in the past half hour. "You two were right. I waited too long."

"You don't mean that….She wouldn't…"George gasped his face filled with pure shock.

"She would, I mean she did. I left dinner early looking for her. I was worried because she never misses dinner entirely….I mean she will run in late because she lost track of time while studying." He paused remembering one such instance. He had been sitting with Harry, the two of them were eating everything they could get their hands on, when through the doorway ran Hermione. She was beautiful, her cheeks flushed due to embarrassment and exhaustion, her wild hair floating along behind her as she jogged towards their table. She smiled apologetically and quickly hugged Ron and Harry before sitting down between the two of them. Man, did he love her! He sighed and squeezed his eyes shut remembering what had just happened.

"Ron…earth to Ron." George said calling Ron back to reality.

"Sorry guys….uh….where was I?"

"You left early to look for Hermione." Fred reminded, voice filling with sympathy.

"Oh yeah." He breathed deeply before continuing. "I was walking towards the Gryffindor tower when I turned this corner to see Draco having a little bit of fun with some girl. I decided to torment him and his "little friend" . I spouted insults at him until I realized who he was 'snogging' with was….Hermione. Well I confronted her about it and Draco went to protect her….from me. Oh hell what have I done?!" His voice then broke and the tears rained down from his deep blue eyes. " And then asked her to the dance in hopes that she would leave Draco. But she only told me, quite proudly, that she was already going with Draco. It was then that I lost it completely and ran up here." He squeezed his eyes shut tightly as tears silently cascaded down onto his lap. "First Krum and now…..Malfoy? I could not even handle Yule Ball last year when she went with a halfway decent guy. Oh I just want to curl up and die, right now!" He mumbled before collapsing on the bed in tremendous pain, it was a though his heart had been ripped from his chest and trampled by a Hippogriff.

"Oh gosh Ron! We are SO sorry." Fred said voice filled with sympathy as he remembered how he felt every time he saw Angelica with other guys, even her friends. He figured that if he multiplied this by like a hundred he might be close to seeing how his little brother felt.

"I wish that we hadn't been right about this. You cannot expect Hermione not to be asked to the ball by other lads though. She is a pretty girl, funny, practically a genius, brave, and she can tolerate you and Harry…..what a miracle." As soon as the last part had left his mouth he realized that it was quite the wrong thing to say.

Fred scowled at his twin as if to say 'nice one you twit make it worse!'. He quickly tried to repair the harm George had done and he pointed the door out to him. George immediately left to prevent him from saying anything else that was counterproductive. "I think what George meant to say was that Hermione is a wonderful girl who anyone with even half a brain would love to go with. It is that whole….the early worm gets eaten fast…no that's not it. The bird gets the early worm? No, no that ain't it either. AHA! The early bird gets the worm thing!"

Ron raised an eyebrow questioningly at Fred.

"Ok….hmmm…maybe a better illustration would be 'speak now or forever shut your trap.' That isn't the correct wording but you get the point. Hermione did not know that you like her as more than a friend so why would she wait for you to ask her?"

Ron shrugged and wiped the tears from his face and said, "Fred I know you are trying to help me and all but I would much rather be alone right now."

"Okay if that is what you want. Just holler if you need anything I will either be in my dorm or in the common room." He said hesitantly before hugging his brother about the shoulders and leaving them room and closing the door quietly.

It was an empty noise that resonated throughout the room. Ron laid his head down upon the bed and continued to weep.

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George waited for Fred in the hall a blank look upon his face.

"How is he doing?"

"He will live and recover eventually. It was his fault that she did not go with him to the Yule Ball last year, that whole Fleur thing. I also remember him sayin' something 'bout not wanting to end up with a "troll" ." He chuckled slightly at his brother's behavior the previous year before solemnly adding. "But after the ball Hermione practically TOLD him to ask her to the next ball. I think that since she said that she should have waited at least a little bit longer for him to ask." Anger was boiling up inside of him, this girl kept hurting his brother. Accidentally or not he was going to confront her about it. Tonight.

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After a few more minutes of talking with Draco she returned to the common room with Harry and Ginny, who were walking by with faces filled with shock.

"Belladonna Surprise!" Harry exclaimed to the Fat Lady

"Why Hermione fraternizing with the enemy are we?" She asked before swinging open to grant them entrance.

Hermione scowled but said nothing. She was not in the mood to argue with a painting tonight. Many of the Gryffindors had already returned from dinner and were about their own business now. Seamus, Dean, Neville, Parvati, and Lavender were sitting at a table at the far side of the room playing a game of Exploding Snap. Many of the younger Gryffindors were doing any homework that had not been finished yet while sitting on a rug in the middle of the room.

"Were are Fred and George?" Ginny wondered aloud before shrugging.

"They will turn up. They always do. Usually when they are least wanted." Harry stated with a smirk on his face which was quickly wiped from his face by Ginny.

The trio went and sat down by the fireplace and began to talk happily. This was short lived, as Fred and George came stomping down the stairs disrupting all of the activities.

"Well if it isn't Herm-own-ninny!" George spat as he entered the room.

"Excuse me?" Hermione asked rather surprised she was not able to remember doing anything to offend the twins. She knew that it must have been something BIG because she had never seen this kind of anger displayed on their faces before.

"Congratulations Herm-own-ninny you are living up the what Rita Skeeter wrote about you during your fourth year!" Fred's face was crimson and fists were clenched at his sides.

"What on earth are you two idiots talking about?!" Ginny exclaimed looking rather confused and annoyed.

"Oh thanks to Herm-own-ninny here our dear brother has shut himself in his room!" Fred yelled before he lowered his voice to a whisper so that only those about the fire could hear what he was to say next. "Crying."

"What is this all about Hermione?" Harry asked as he turned to her.

"Well…" She began

"Herm-own-ninny was out in the hall 'snogging' with Draco Malfoy when Ron came across them. He was quite upset and angry and they argued a bit before he asked Herm-own-ninny to the Valentine's Ball!" Fred said tersely.

"Snogging with Draco Malfoy!" Harry cried out in surprise.

"We were most certainly NOT snogging, we were…talking!" Hermione replied defensively.

"Oh Hermione! Ron finally asked you to the ball, I am so happy for you guys!" Ginny gushed having completely missing the whole Draco part of the story.

"I…." Hermione began only to be interrupted again by Fred.

"Oh don't congratulate the two of them so fast Ginny. After Ron asked her to the ball she haughtily informed him that she already had a date…again."

"Oh Hermione who are you going to the Valentine's Ball with?" Ginny asked curiously.

Hermione said nothing she figured that Fred or George were going to say it and she did not want to be interrupted again.

"Well tell us Hermione who are you going with?" Harry questioned calmly.

"Oh yes do tell Herm-own-ninny!" Mocked George.

She whispered something, her face going rather red with embarrassment and anger.

"You will have to speak louder dear Herm-own-ninny." Fred said as he crossed his arms across his chest.

"Draco Malfoy. I am going with Draco Malfoy! Okay are you happy now?" She cried as tears began to well up in her spice-colored eyes.

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