CHAPTER II:  Ron's being too obvious, he's dum!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter nor does anyone in this freakin' world except J.K Rowling… Aight?

Nothing happens here people, no action or anything! (It's boring, Kendra…)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

After a swirl of color, soot and fireplaces, Ron landed smoothly in the platform. He dusted his clothes off, and waited for his companions. When everyone was out in the open, they made their way to Gringotts, the wizard's bank. After the wild cart ride, in which Mr. and Mrs. Weasley went slightly sick, they each made their way to buy their school things. "Now be careful, and you're to meet us in Flourish and Blotts in 3 hours!" Mrs. Weasley reminded her children, "And don't talk to strangers, Ginny!" she called. "YES, Mum!" chanted Ginny impatiently, as she ran off to buy her things.

Harry was just buying the Ron and himself a big ice cream cone in Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor when a familiar voice behind them made Ron's stomach do a somersault making him choke on his ice cream. "Well, there you two are! I've been looking all over for you!" Hermione Granger said, "How're you?" "Fine," Ron answered quickly. "What he said," Harry added. "Blueberry and vanilla please, with white chocolate bits," (A/N: I like that ice cream. Yum!!) she asked the man behind the bar politely, she took out some silver Sickles and bronze Knuts and put it on the counter. Her ice cream was given and she sat down with her friends, eating their ice cream in silence. Once they finished, Ron asked her, "So, how's your holiday?"

"Oh, it was okay,"

"Where were you? You never told us in your letters," Harry asked anxiously.

"We went in various places, alright? One day I'll be at home, then the next in Germany, Paris, blah, blah..," Hermione's voice trailed off.

"That must be fun," Ron said enviously

"Oh, honestly, it wasn't all fun, you know. You have to wake up early every morning to catch flights, then the whole day you'll be sitting in an airplane, having your legs cramped up, then when you arrive, you sit some more on a cab, then you have to take a bath even if you're dead tired and then, if dad has another dentistry meeting in another place, you get up in the morning and do it all over again," she explained, her voice sort of exasperated and impatient. "There's almost no time for homework and sightseeing,"

"Well, at least you got to travel to different places," Harry argued.

"Yes, I supposed so," Hermione said, and then added brightly, "I was able to research more on that essay Professor Snape asked us to do. But now, it's 5 feet more than he asked! I do hope it's alright,"

"He'd probably take points off," said Harry darkly, "He'd love an excuse to take points off us,"

Hermione looked slightly crestfallen.

"Well, how about you two? How was your holiday?"

Harry talked about their vacation in the Burrow but Ron wasn't entirely listening. He was staring at her with a glazed look, observing her face, her hazel brown eyes, which to him, always shined brightly, her bushy brown that always flew behind her when she walked, her-

"Ron? RON?!" Hermione yelled, waving a hand in front of him. Ron snapped out of it. He shook his head, and ran a hand over his red hair. "What?!" he snapped back. Hermione rolled her eyes. "I was asking you if you'd already done your homework," "Um, yeah, I'm done… I mean, er, not yet, but, I'm, um, almost done," he answered clumsily. Harry and Hermione raised eyebrows.

"Oh, will you look at the time?" Ron changed the subject nervously, "Better buy our things now, the earlier, the better!" Ron knew he was behaving strangely today. Harry and Hermione exchanged dark looks and followed him to the Apothecary to replenish their set of potion ingredients which were running quite low.

"What's up with him?" Hermione asked Harry, "I dunno," Harry answered. Harry walked forward to ask the man for 3 sets of 7th year potion ingredients. "Funny guy, your friend," the man observed, eyeing Ron weirdly. "Asked me for parchment and quill," he wrapped their purchases, shaking his head. Harry just shrugged. They went about in Diagon Alley, shopping for their school things, and looking longingly at the handsome items laden in cushions or highly polished glass showcases inside the windows in the cobbled street in Diagon Alley.

They went to Flourish and Blotts 3 hours later, to buy their books and meet Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.

"There you are! Oh, hello Hermione!" greeted Mrs. Weasley warmly, giving Hermione a hug. "Where's Ginny?" Just then, Virginia Weasley entered the store, with her own set of shopping bags. Molly Weasley ushered her in an asked in a stern voice, "Ginny, what are all those bags?" "Ermm, school stuff?" she replied with a duh-what-do –you-think-i-bought-fucking-bombs voice. "Where're the twins? They're just with us to buy joke shop junk!" "Here they come,"

"Hello, everyone!" greeted Fred & George jovially. "Hermione, good ta see you!" they said patting Hermione in the shoulders.

"All right you two, what've you got there?!" demanded Mrs. Weasley, pointing to two green shopping bags.

"Nothing, just a few firecrackers, candies, stuff like that, the usual joke shop junk." George answered, sarcastically.

"For goodness sake you two are eighteen! Can't you grow up?" Mrs. Weasley scolded. "Mum, they may take the youth out of us, but they can't take the jokers in us." Fred said, a twinkle in his eye. Mrs. Weasley rolled her eyes, gave them one last patronizing look, marched to the counter, then asked for the books they needed. They paid several gold Galleons, collected some change. As they were walking towards the exit, "Well, I'll see you two on September first…" Hermione said. Suddenly-

Thud.

Fred, George and Ginny snickered. It was Ron. He was beside Harry and closest to the glass door. He was gazing at Hermione again and he didn't see he was about to be hit. He bumped his head in Flourish and Blotts' glass door. He shook his head and rubbed a patch on his forehead which was slightly pink. "Ron, you okay?" asked Harry.

"Yeah, It's just that- I didn't see it..."

"What is wrong with you today?!?" asked Hermione

"Nothing- just a hangover, maybe,"

It was a good thing Mrs. Weasley see him, else he'd be the cause of her ranting.

All too soon, it was time to go home. It would be a whole week before he could see Hermione Granger's face again.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Hermione waved goodbye to her friends on their way to the fireplace that would bring them back to Burrow. She made her way alone to the Leaky Cauldron and sat down in one of the brass chairs. She thought sadly, "He's thinking of someone, who?" Hermione glanced at her watch then at the dusty window for any sign of their car.  She rested her chin on her hand and thought about everything that happened today. "He's so… clumsy and jumpy today," Ron was indeed well, clumsy. But the babble inside the dark pub didn't drown down Hermione Granger's thoughts of Ron Weasley.

A red car finally stopped outside, and Mr. Granger waved by the door and Hermione was virtually reading her own poems inside her head and in a daze through out the trip back home.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

R: I'm telling ya, it's boring!!!

K: I know it is!

R: Put some action on the next!

K: Why're you telling me to write romance again?

R: Coz you're a girl, you're my AE, and you will pay me P1000 if you don't!

K: Aw fuck, why am I stuck with an ego like you?!?!?

Yeah, and just wait for the next chap, aight?

Thanks again!!! J !!