Friends...I Guess
Chapter 10
~Ron's Point Of View~
"Graduation. I can't believe it." Dean lay sprawled across his mattress, muttering to himself, not bothering to think of the other people in the room.
"I know. Completely strange." Seamus stood in the bathroom, failing to knot his tie.
"Not really." Harry said from his bed, tying his shoelaces. "I mean, even though it has gone kind of quickly, it still feels like we've been here for seven years."
I had been trying to listen to their conversation calmly, but my nervousness and 'bad-hair day', as I had heard Hermione refer to it, was taking over me. I let out a frustrated yell, roughly running my fingers through my hair.
"Merlin! What the hell was that?" Harry asked jokingly, stepping up beside me and staring at my reflection in the mirror in search of a problem.
"God, I can't do this! There's no way."
"Ron, in case you haven't noticed, all the work is over with. All we have to do is step up on a platform, shake a hand, and take a piece of parchment. What's so hard in that?"
I faltered hopelessly. "Well...my whole family is watching...and...everything."
Harry frowned slightly and I kicked myself inwardly for bringing up family when Harry lacks in that department. But he brightened quickly. "Yeah, they're watching me too, and they're practically my family as well. Do you see me panicking?" He slapped my back and turned back to his bed.
"Harry! Harry, I can't find it! My Honors Herbology badge, it's gone! I left it in the Common Room last night, but I can't seem-" Neville cried, running frantically into the dorm.
"Oh God, not again." I heard Harry mutter as he took Neville's arm and led him back toward the stairs to help him on his search.
I laughed, forgetting my nerves for a split second.
Dean and Seamus finished their preparations and headed toward the stairs as well. As Seamus went down, Dean hesitated and glanced at me in my reflection. "Just between you and me," he said gruffly, obviously somewhat embarrassed. "I'm scared out of my mind. But, I'm going through this with Gryffindor, my best friends, so...we'll get through it. Right?"
I tried to take a deep breath. "Yeah, you're right."
"Exactly. So don't be so nervous!" He smiled broadly, happy with his admittance and headed toward the stairs again.
When I was left alone, I felt the blood drain from my face again. I slid my hand into the pocket of my new graduation robes and fingered the tiny velvet box. "Yeah. Don't be so nervous."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
~Hermione's Point of View~
Standing in the crowded Common Room, full of students in maroon and gold robes (each house has a separate graduation), I stood on my tiptoes, searching for a certain redhead.
"Hey."
I smiled and turned, finding Harry. My friendly expression fell.
"Don't look so excited." He said, smiling faintly.
I laughed and hugged him lightly. "Sorry, I thought you were Ron for a minute. So, are you excited to finally graduate?"
His grin came back full force. "Excited? I don't know if that's the correct term. I'll be sad to leave Hogwarts. All my friends are here. Hell, they're not really my friends, but my family."
"Merlin, Harry, you make it sound like we're dying. We're going to be seeing each other all the time. I'm sure we'll all be working closely...maybe even living next door or something! Besides-"
But Harry cut me off, pointing above my left shoulder. "Here comes Ron. But, beware; he was a nervous wreck upstairs. He might bite your head off."
I laughed, hurrying toward the staircase. We met halfway on the small platform. For a moment, we stood in silence, mesmerized. Finally, I took a step closer, a shy smile finding its way to my lips, and I calmly began to smooth out the wrinkles in his robes.
"Nervous?" I asked casually, not meeting his eye.
He nodded vigorously, and I looked up at him, laughing quietly. "Don't be. I'll sit right next to you the whole time and hold your hand. Will that make it all better?" I batted my eyelashes jokingly, but he nodded as if I were serious.
I have to say now that this disturbed me a little. I frowned as he bent down and wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me closer and holding on for dear life. I slid my arms around his neck, stroking his hair softly, and I felt him shaking. "Ron, it's just graduation..." I whispered.
He didn't acknowledge I had said anything, but just kept holding onto me.
I pulled back urgently, cupping his face on either side with both of my hands. "Ron, it's okay. Do you hear me?"
Finally a very Ron-like smile lit up his face. "Yeah. I know. Let's go, okay? Get this thing over with."
I hit him playfully on the arm, relieved that the bizarre stair incident was over.
~*~*~*~
For the first half hour, students were permitted to wander through the crowds, welcoming family and friends and making last minute preparations (Of course this is mostly referring to Lavender and Parvati as they kept applying coat after coat of colorful makeup).
While my parents had grabbed me and pelted me with "Oh, honey"s and "Graduation, she's really growing up"s, Harry had been snagged by Mrs. Weasley as she attempted to tame his hair. We exchanged sympathetic glances until I noticed a huddle in a dark corner. I squinted my eyes, trying to focus on something I could identify, when I caught a glimpse of red hair. Not just one head of it though...many. I could see that Fred and George were in the core of it, with Percy, Bill, Charlie, and a few random uncles I had met once or twice creating the outer rim.
I caught Harry's eye, and motioned toward the group of Weasleys. He studied them for a while, shrugged, and turned back to what he was doing. I, however, was not so easily distracted. What were they doing?
The group stayed in a constant position for the best part of twenty minutes. Finally, Dumbledore appeared on the small stage, and he calmly clapped his hands twice.
I was amazed at how quiet the room became with just two claps.
"Good morning ladies, gentlemen...students." He added, a twinkle in his eye. "I want to thank you all for coming. This is, of course, is a momentous occasion in the lives of these students, who, in a matter of hours, will no longer be students. I'm sure they are grateful, as am I, that you have come to show your support. Now, if the students would kindly come to the front, and the families take a seat, we may begin."
As the families whispered excitedly to one another, filling the room with an odd hissing sound, the students soundlessly headed toward the stairs leading to the stage, some excited, some nervous, and some bored.
I looked around for Ron, fully intending to take up my promise to him, when my gaze fell on the Weasley huddle. It was finally breaking up, and...Ron? A very disheveled looking Ron emerged from the center, pale and shaken.
I quickly found us seats before they filled up. I found two next to Harry and Neville, who was looking very much relieved with an Honors Herbology badge on his robe. A few moments later, Ron sat down with a thump next to me, staring into nothingness.
"What was that about?" I asked, looping my arm loosely in his, my hand on his knee.
"What was what about?" he asked dully, still staring.
I rolled my eyes. "That family huddle over there! It looked as if some rather important male bonding was going on." I smiled jokingly and he laughed quietly.
"I guess you could say that."
Before I could ask what that meant, McGonagall began. The speech was long, loving, and teary, and when she finished, many of the students had tears in their own eyes. My eyes were definitely misty, but Ron seemed as though he had slept through the entire thing.
Afterwards, Dumbledore stood once more. "And may I introduce to you, the class of 2006, at last."
The audience screamed their approval as Dumbledore began to announce names, beginning with "Abbot" and working his way down the alphabet. I was watching with interest, excited to finally graduate. Ron was really distracting me though, as he seemed to get more nervous with each passing name. By the time Dumbledore had reached the "C"s, Ron grasped my hand and held it tightly. When the end of the "D"s came, his breathing quickened. I was beginning to worry, but told myself it was just nerves. "F" finally came around though, and I couldn't believe my time was almost here.
I was beginning to smooth out my robes again, when Ron turned to me abruptly, leaning out his chair slightly. "Hermione," he whispered urgently.
"Hmm?" I asked, very distracted.
"I love you."
I smiled and tilted my face to see his. "I love you, too, Ron." I then turned back to my robes.
"Always?" He whispered, more quietly.
I turned to him again, arching an eyebrow. "Of course."
He looked as if he were going to say something else but thought better of it, and he bit his bottom lip.
The names began to enter the "G"s, and I tried to take deep breaths, but Ron snatched my hand again. "Hermione, listen to me. Leaving Hogwarts is a big thing for us. Huge."
I turned to him for the third time, rather annoyed, until I saw the desperate, urgent, nervous look in his eyes.
"We've been together practically every day for the past seven years." he went on. "You're such a huge part of my life...you can't even imagine, and I don't know what I would do without you."
I shook my head. "You don't have to be without me, Ron. We'll see each other a lot...all the time...don't worry about that." I made a quick mental note that they were just a couple names before mine.
He shook his head, too, but much more frustrated. "No, you don't understand. We were the best of the friends, but when...this..." he squeezed my hand. "When this happened, I loved it more than anything. Hermione...my point...my point is..."
"Miss Hermione Granger," Dumbledore's voice rang out across the Great Hall and I stood slowly, letting my gaze go to my diploma.
But Ron grabbed my arm quickly. "Hermione, just wait a second."
I widened my eyes and turned to him, trying to pry his fingers from my arm. "Ron. Graduation. Diploma. Remember?" I hissed at him.
Suddenly Ron seemed to calm down completely, staring at me as if he had seen me for the first time. He slid forward on his chair a bit more, and I heard whoops coming from the audience. I turned my head slightly to see Fred and George standing up and clapping loudly, and Dumbledore's curious glances.
"Ron, what-" I asked, turning back to him.
Ron, however, as if in slow motion, was getting off of his chair and onto one knee. He took one of my hands, and glanced up at my face.
I stared at him, thinking him mad, when my eyes began to widen.
"Hermione Granger," he said, his voice low and husky. "Will you marry me?"
I watched him reach into his robe pocket and pull out a tiny velvet box, open it, and reveal a slim gold band with a single sparkling diamond in the center. So simple, yet so perfect.
I gasped, bringing a hand to my mouth, completely, utterly, breath-takingly surprised.
As if on cue, the audience burst into a torrent of conversation, pointing at the two of us, obviously just as surprised as me. I was vaguely aware of my own parents' expressions of pleased surprise, and Mrs. Weasley who had tears streaming down her face.
I turned back to Ron, who hadn't taken his eyes of me, looking scared stiff of my response.
My response. Right. I had to have an answer. Marry him? After graduation?! I had promised myself I would get a job and be well off before I ever thought of marrying anyone. Of course, that promise came before I met Ron. But still!
Of course I love Ron. With my entire being. But I still felt as though we were much too young.
Snapping back to reality, I looked at Ron. I loved him. I didn't want to disappoint him. But I wouldn't be saying no, I'd be saying not right now. There's a difference.
Suddenly, the noise from the audience seemed to magnify, and I felt extremely claustraphobic. How could I say no in front of all these people? I glanced back at Ron, then back at the audience, then back again.
"SILENCE!" Dumbledore's voice rang out, loud and clear.
The whole place went dead. Even Fred and George shut up and sat down, which probably surprised even Dumbledore himself. "Can you all please quiet down and let Miss Granger make her decision?" he said calmly.
Finally I turned back to Ron, and our eyes locked. He didn't look scared anymore. Staring up at me from that uncomfortable position on the floor, he just looked very much...in love with me. I licked my lips and glanced down at our hands, which were still intertwined. I felt as if it were just Ron and I again, back in my dorm, sharing my bed for the first time. I loved him. And I knew. I didn't want to give this up.
Looking up to meet Ron's eyes once more, I smiled broadly and slowly nodded my head.
He looked at me blankly for a moment, as if he didn't believe I was accepting, then sprang from the floor and wrapped his arms around me. My arms went around his neck for the second time that day and I felt as if the smile would never come off of my face.
The audience went wild, cheering and clapping, some even crying. I vaguely heard Fred and George yelling happily to each other. "He did it! That blockhead actually did it!"
After what seemed like hours, Ron pulled away just enough to look me in the eye. "Really?" he whispered.
"I've never been more sure of anything in my life." I whispered back.
He smiled so broadly that I felt myself melt. And he kissed me.
Right there in front of my parents, his parents, Dumbledore, and everyone else. But amazingly, I didn't care.
~*~*~*~*~
Months later, as we said our vows, I couldn't believe that just a year ago, we were only friends. Well, not only friends. The best of friends. But friends nonetheless. Yes, over all of our fighting, silent treatments, name-calling, and what our friends called 'flirting', we remained the best of friends.
I laughed quietly as I thought about this. "Yeah," I said to myself. "Friends...I guess."
~*~*~*~*~
Fin
~*~*~*~*~
AN: Thanks to all my readers. You mean a lot to me. Happy Holidays. :)
Chapter 10
~Ron's Point Of View~
"Graduation. I can't believe it." Dean lay sprawled across his mattress, muttering to himself, not bothering to think of the other people in the room.
"I know. Completely strange." Seamus stood in the bathroom, failing to knot his tie.
"Not really." Harry said from his bed, tying his shoelaces. "I mean, even though it has gone kind of quickly, it still feels like we've been here for seven years."
I had been trying to listen to their conversation calmly, but my nervousness and 'bad-hair day', as I had heard Hermione refer to it, was taking over me. I let out a frustrated yell, roughly running my fingers through my hair.
"Merlin! What the hell was that?" Harry asked jokingly, stepping up beside me and staring at my reflection in the mirror in search of a problem.
"God, I can't do this! There's no way."
"Ron, in case you haven't noticed, all the work is over with. All we have to do is step up on a platform, shake a hand, and take a piece of parchment. What's so hard in that?"
I faltered hopelessly. "Well...my whole family is watching...and...everything."
Harry frowned slightly and I kicked myself inwardly for bringing up family when Harry lacks in that department. But he brightened quickly. "Yeah, they're watching me too, and they're practically my family as well. Do you see me panicking?" He slapped my back and turned back to his bed.
"Harry! Harry, I can't find it! My Honors Herbology badge, it's gone! I left it in the Common Room last night, but I can't seem-" Neville cried, running frantically into the dorm.
"Oh God, not again." I heard Harry mutter as he took Neville's arm and led him back toward the stairs to help him on his search.
I laughed, forgetting my nerves for a split second.
Dean and Seamus finished their preparations and headed toward the stairs as well. As Seamus went down, Dean hesitated and glanced at me in my reflection. "Just between you and me," he said gruffly, obviously somewhat embarrassed. "I'm scared out of my mind. But, I'm going through this with Gryffindor, my best friends, so...we'll get through it. Right?"
I tried to take a deep breath. "Yeah, you're right."
"Exactly. So don't be so nervous!" He smiled broadly, happy with his admittance and headed toward the stairs again.
When I was left alone, I felt the blood drain from my face again. I slid my hand into the pocket of my new graduation robes and fingered the tiny velvet box. "Yeah. Don't be so nervous."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
~Hermione's Point of View~
Standing in the crowded Common Room, full of students in maroon and gold robes (each house has a separate graduation), I stood on my tiptoes, searching for a certain redhead.
"Hey."
I smiled and turned, finding Harry. My friendly expression fell.
"Don't look so excited." He said, smiling faintly.
I laughed and hugged him lightly. "Sorry, I thought you were Ron for a minute. So, are you excited to finally graduate?"
His grin came back full force. "Excited? I don't know if that's the correct term. I'll be sad to leave Hogwarts. All my friends are here. Hell, they're not really my friends, but my family."
"Merlin, Harry, you make it sound like we're dying. We're going to be seeing each other all the time. I'm sure we'll all be working closely...maybe even living next door or something! Besides-"
But Harry cut me off, pointing above my left shoulder. "Here comes Ron. But, beware; he was a nervous wreck upstairs. He might bite your head off."
I laughed, hurrying toward the staircase. We met halfway on the small platform. For a moment, we stood in silence, mesmerized. Finally, I took a step closer, a shy smile finding its way to my lips, and I calmly began to smooth out the wrinkles in his robes.
"Nervous?" I asked casually, not meeting his eye.
He nodded vigorously, and I looked up at him, laughing quietly. "Don't be. I'll sit right next to you the whole time and hold your hand. Will that make it all better?" I batted my eyelashes jokingly, but he nodded as if I were serious.
I have to say now that this disturbed me a little. I frowned as he bent down and wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me closer and holding on for dear life. I slid my arms around his neck, stroking his hair softly, and I felt him shaking. "Ron, it's just graduation..." I whispered.
He didn't acknowledge I had said anything, but just kept holding onto me.
I pulled back urgently, cupping his face on either side with both of my hands. "Ron, it's okay. Do you hear me?"
Finally a very Ron-like smile lit up his face. "Yeah. I know. Let's go, okay? Get this thing over with."
I hit him playfully on the arm, relieved that the bizarre stair incident was over.
~*~*~*~
For the first half hour, students were permitted to wander through the crowds, welcoming family and friends and making last minute preparations (Of course this is mostly referring to Lavender and Parvati as they kept applying coat after coat of colorful makeup).
While my parents had grabbed me and pelted me with "Oh, honey"s and "Graduation, she's really growing up"s, Harry had been snagged by Mrs. Weasley as she attempted to tame his hair. We exchanged sympathetic glances until I noticed a huddle in a dark corner. I squinted my eyes, trying to focus on something I could identify, when I caught a glimpse of red hair. Not just one head of it though...many. I could see that Fred and George were in the core of it, with Percy, Bill, Charlie, and a few random uncles I had met once or twice creating the outer rim.
I caught Harry's eye, and motioned toward the group of Weasleys. He studied them for a while, shrugged, and turned back to what he was doing. I, however, was not so easily distracted. What were they doing?
The group stayed in a constant position for the best part of twenty minutes. Finally, Dumbledore appeared on the small stage, and he calmly clapped his hands twice.
I was amazed at how quiet the room became with just two claps.
"Good morning ladies, gentlemen...students." He added, a twinkle in his eye. "I want to thank you all for coming. This is, of course, is a momentous occasion in the lives of these students, who, in a matter of hours, will no longer be students. I'm sure they are grateful, as am I, that you have come to show your support. Now, if the students would kindly come to the front, and the families take a seat, we may begin."
As the families whispered excitedly to one another, filling the room with an odd hissing sound, the students soundlessly headed toward the stairs leading to the stage, some excited, some nervous, and some bored.
I looked around for Ron, fully intending to take up my promise to him, when my gaze fell on the Weasley huddle. It was finally breaking up, and...Ron? A very disheveled looking Ron emerged from the center, pale and shaken.
I quickly found us seats before they filled up. I found two next to Harry and Neville, who was looking very much relieved with an Honors Herbology badge on his robe. A few moments later, Ron sat down with a thump next to me, staring into nothingness.
"What was that about?" I asked, looping my arm loosely in his, my hand on his knee.
"What was what about?" he asked dully, still staring.
I rolled my eyes. "That family huddle over there! It looked as if some rather important male bonding was going on." I smiled jokingly and he laughed quietly.
"I guess you could say that."
Before I could ask what that meant, McGonagall began. The speech was long, loving, and teary, and when she finished, many of the students had tears in their own eyes. My eyes were definitely misty, but Ron seemed as though he had slept through the entire thing.
Afterwards, Dumbledore stood once more. "And may I introduce to you, the class of 2006, at last."
The audience screamed their approval as Dumbledore began to announce names, beginning with "Abbot" and working his way down the alphabet. I was watching with interest, excited to finally graduate. Ron was really distracting me though, as he seemed to get more nervous with each passing name. By the time Dumbledore had reached the "C"s, Ron grasped my hand and held it tightly. When the end of the "D"s came, his breathing quickened. I was beginning to worry, but told myself it was just nerves. "F" finally came around though, and I couldn't believe my time was almost here.
I was beginning to smooth out my robes again, when Ron turned to me abruptly, leaning out his chair slightly. "Hermione," he whispered urgently.
"Hmm?" I asked, very distracted.
"I love you."
I smiled and tilted my face to see his. "I love you, too, Ron." I then turned back to my robes.
"Always?" He whispered, more quietly.
I turned to him again, arching an eyebrow. "Of course."
He looked as if he were going to say something else but thought better of it, and he bit his bottom lip.
The names began to enter the "G"s, and I tried to take deep breaths, but Ron snatched my hand again. "Hermione, listen to me. Leaving Hogwarts is a big thing for us. Huge."
I turned to him for the third time, rather annoyed, until I saw the desperate, urgent, nervous look in his eyes.
"We've been together practically every day for the past seven years." he went on. "You're such a huge part of my life...you can't even imagine, and I don't know what I would do without you."
I shook my head. "You don't have to be without me, Ron. We'll see each other a lot...all the time...don't worry about that." I made a quick mental note that they were just a couple names before mine.
He shook his head, too, but much more frustrated. "No, you don't understand. We were the best of the friends, but when...this..." he squeezed my hand. "When this happened, I loved it more than anything. Hermione...my point...my point is..."
"Miss Hermione Granger," Dumbledore's voice rang out across the Great Hall and I stood slowly, letting my gaze go to my diploma.
But Ron grabbed my arm quickly. "Hermione, just wait a second."
I widened my eyes and turned to him, trying to pry his fingers from my arm. "Ron. Graduation. Diploma. Remember?" I hissed at him.
Suddenly Ron seemed to calm down completely, staring at me as if he had seen me for the first time. He slid forward on his chair a bit more, and I heard whoops coming from the audience. I turned my head slightly to see Fred and George standing up and clapping loudly, and Dumbledore's curious glances.
"Ron, what-" I asked, turning back to him.
Ron, however, as if in slow motion, was getting off of his chair and onto one knee. He took one of my hands, and glanced up at my face.
I stared at him, thinking him mad, when my eyes began to widen.
"Hermione Granger," he said, his voice low and husky. "Will you marry me?"
I watched him reach into his robe pocket and pull out a tiny velvet box, open it, and reveal a slim gold band with a single sparkling diamond in the center. So simple, yet so perfect.
I gasped, bringing a hand to my mouth, completely, utterly, breath-takingly surprised.
As if on cue, the audience burst into a torrent of conversation, pointing at the two of us, obviously just as surprised as me. I was vaguely aware of my own parents' expressions of pleased surprise, and Mrs. Weasley who had tears streaming down her face.
I turned back to Ron, who hadn't taken his eyes of me, looking scared stiff of my response.
My response. Right. I had to have an answer. Marry him? After graduation?! I had promised myself I would get a job and be well off before I ever thought of marrying anyone. Of course, that promise came before I met Ron. But still!
Of course I love Ron. With my entire being. But I still felt as though we were much too young.
Snapping back to reality, I looked at Ron. I loved him. I didn't want to disappoint him. But I wouldn't be saying no, I'd be saying not right now. There's a difference.
Suddenly, the noise from the audience seemed to magnify, and I felt extremely claustraphobic. How could I say no in front of all these people? I glanced back at Ron, then back at the audience, then back again.
"SILENCE!" Dumbledore's voice rang out, loud and clear.
The whole place went dead. Even Fred and George shut up and sat down, which probably surprised even Dumbledore himself. "Can you all please quiet down and let Miss Granger make her decision?" he said calmly.
Finally I turned back to Ron, and our eyes locked. He didn't look scared anymore. Staring up at me from that uncomfortable position on the floor, he just looked very much...in love with me. I licked my lips and glanced down at our hands, which were still intertwined. I felt as if it were just Ron and I again, back in my dorm, sharing my bed for the first time. I loved him. And I knew. I didn't want to give this up.
Looking up to meet Ron's eyes once more, I smiled broadly and slowly nodded my head.
He looked at me blankly for a moment, as if he didn't believe I was accepting, then sprang from the floor and wrapped his arms around me. My arms went around his neck for the second time that day and I felt as if the smile would never come off of my face.
The audience went wild, cheering and clapping, some even crying. I vaguely heard Fred and George yelling happily to each other. "He did it! That blockhead actually did it!"
After what seemed like hours, Ron pulled away just enough to look me in the eye. "Really?" he whispered.
"I've never been more sure of anything in my life." I whispered back.
He smiled so broadly that I felt myself melt. And he kissed me.
Right there in front of my parents, his parents, Dumbledore, and everyone else. But amazingly, I didn't care.
~*~*~*~*~
Months later, as we said our vows, I couldn't believe that just a year ago, we were only friends. Well, not only friends. The best of friends. But friends nonetheless. Yes, over all of our fighting, silent treatments, name-calling, and what our friends called 'flirting', we remained the best of friends.
I laughed quietly as I thought about this. "Yeah," I said to myself. "Friends...I guess."
~*~*~*~*~
Fin
~*~*~*~*~
AN: Thanks to all my readers. You mean a lot to me. Happy Holidays. :)