Chapter Six
Outside of Hogwarts the sun was just beginning to rise, painting the sky in shades of pink and orange. A light breeze caused the few leaves left on the trees to rustle slightly before falling to the ground, rejoining their fellow leaves. It truly was a beautiful scene for any who were awake to witness it, though considering the early hour it was not likely that many would be witnessing the scene of beauty.
However, a young Slytherin girl was awake to witness the beautiful scene. She sat on the ledge of the window near her bed and smiled calmly watching as the sun slowly rose into the sky. 'It really is beautiful,' she thought to herself. 'It looks as though it will be a wonderful Halloween. Now all I have to do is keep my spirits up and not become discouraged.'
Paige smiled to herself as she stood up and walked away from the window and towards her closet. She slowly slid out of her green and silver pajamas and wrapped herself in the warmth of her white bathrobe. Since no one else was awake yet she had this time alone to take a shower without the unpleasant noise of the other Slytherin girls complaining about each other taking too long. With her towel draped over her arm she walked over to the showers and shut the door behind her Sliding off her robe and hanging it on the hook she stepped into the shower and shut the sliding glass doors which kept water from splashing onto the floor.
Grasping the handle with her slender fingers she turned it and warmth suddenly rushed through her as the water came down on her. She sighed to herself and leaned her head against the wall, allowing the drops of water to run down her face. "I want to tell Ron how I feel…even dad thinks I should, but…I can't shake off this horrible vibe from Hermione.' As she thought of Ron's best girl friend she unconsciously squeezed some shampoo into her hand and massaged it into her hair. A few seconds later she let it be rinsed from her hair.
Meanwhile, as Paige was pondering in the shower Hermione was surprisingly doing the same thing, or was about to. Wrapped in a red bathrobe she gathered her things and headed into the shower room, lightly shutting the door behind her. Turning on the water, she stepped in and sighed softly as the warm water hit her. Easing up her muscles she took a bottle of shampoo and began to wash her hair.
Suddenly she felt her mind wandering into a place she did not wish it to go. A frown plagued her as another sorrowful sigh escaped her lips. 'I still cannot believe I let my emotions get the best of me last night. I had no right to do that to them…to Ron. I'm supposed to be his friend after all I should be supportive of his decision…' Then, as she rinsed the conditioner out of her hair, her thoughts turned to Paige.
Rinsing the conditioner out of her hair Paige pictured the brown haired, brown eyed girl who obviously seemed to disliked her. ' I feel horribly about the bad vibes between us…I even know what it's about. Unlike Ron, I'm not completely oblivious to other people's feelings.' For a minute her thoughts on Hermione paused and she smiled at the thought of Ron. The adorable look he got when everyone around him could see what he didn't Shaking her head slightly she turned back to Hermione. 'She seems like a truly nice person. I want to tell Ron how I feel…but I don't want to hurt Hermione either, even if she hates me. So what do I do? Well…I suppose the only thing I can do. Confront her.'
With the idea fresh in her mind she stepped out of the shower and dried off before heading back into her room to get dressed for the day.
Hermione frowned again at the thought of the young Slytherin girl with long black hair and emerald green eyes. 'I don't mean to act so harshly towards her…I just can't help it. I mean, I've known Ron for 5 years now…and he's only known her a couple of months. It just doesn't seem fair. Then again…I want him to be happy, and if that means leaving him for Paige then…so be it. I suppose I should talk to him though. Then, all I have to do is confront Her.'
Paige now stood in front of her full length mirror and stared at her reflection. She lightly brushed her hands over her skirt to straighten it out and then moved upwards to her tie to ensure that it wasn't crooked. Sitting down at the edge of her bed she picked up her brush and began to pull the bristles through the strands of black hair. Deciding to let it fall to her waste she put away the pink elastic she had on her wrist and then grabbed her robes and left the room.
It was soon coming on 8:00am and the school was slowly coming to life. In the Gryffindor boys dormitory Harry was trying to wake up a reluctant Ron. "Ron come on! Get up already," he said trying to hide the slightest hint of amusement from his voice in order to appear more serious. Finally, he simply yanked the boys sheets from the bed exposing him to the slight chill that filled the room. Harry simply smiled innocently as Ron glared at him in annoyance.
"Geez Harry, I only wanted a few more minutes," Ron whined as he quickly grasped his pillow and hit his friend over the head with it. Harry's surprised expression caused the red head to smile and finally get out of bed. "Alright, alright I'm up already." With his eyes still half closed Ron walked over to his chest and pulled out his uniform. Then he turned around and half heartedly glared at Harry. "Go on, I've got to change you know. I'll meet you in the common room in a few minutes."
Once Harry was out of sight Ron slid out of his pajamas and into his school uniform. Taking a came in his hand he rushed to comb out his unruly red hair and make himself appear somewhat decent. Finally satisfied with himself he took one last glance in the mirror and then made his way down to the common room to meet Harry. To his utter most appreciation today was Saturday, meaning no classes to make him think. However, it also left him with plenty of time to think about Paige and how Harry was intent on making him tell her how he felt.
Making his way down the stairs, his shoes clicking light against the stone, he remembered what Harry had told him about Hermione. 'I don't want her to dislike me…and I don't want to mess up our friendship either…but I really like Paige.' He sighed as he reached the common room. Noticing his best friend's dismay Harry grabbed his arm suddenly and pulled him out of the room.
However, the pair stopped short when they realized who now stood in front of them, who was none other than Hermione. Her hair was half up and her eyes gave away no signs of emotion. Thinking that she was about to go off at him again Ron slowly began to inch back and behind Harry. But, she did not yell at him, and what she did next surprised both boys.
Hermione smiled gently at them and walked towards Ron, flashing him a look of kindness. Before he could utter a word Hermione held up her hand and shook her head. "I owe you an apology Ron. I was completely out of line last night and let my emotions get the best of me," she said. After taking a deep breathe she continued, still maintaining a smile. "I know…that you really like Paige. It's pretty obvious actually. And I just want you to know that I want you to be happy, and that I'm behind you 100%!"
Ron just stood there for a moment in complete shock. Shaking his head he walked over to her and gave her a hug. "Thanks Hermione…" he said with a tone that still showed how surprised he was. Hermione laughed and grabbed both his and Harry's hand and motioned to the Great Hall.
As they entered from one direction Paige had been coming from the other. The raven haired girl smiled at them happily and bid them a good morning. As they were about to split up though Paige lightly tapped Hermione's shoulder. "Umm….I don't' mean to bother you, not at all, but I was wondering if I could talk to you for a minute.." Hermione happily agreed and the pair stood just outside of the Great Hall.
Looking a bit nervous the younger of the two girls stood in silence for a moment, biting her lip as she was unsure of what to say. Sighing to herself she decided to just start talking and let her mind take over. "I'm not sure how to say any of this, so I'm just gonna start talking and then see what happens. I know…I know that you don't like me very much, you never really have. Until recently I had no idea why, but this morning…I figured it out, and I wanted to talk to you. I like Ron…I'm pretty you knew that though, since I'm told it's pretty darn obvious by my father, who would have been the one person I DIDN'T want to know. Anyway…I want to tell Ron…but I don't want to ruin anything for you guys either…"
Taking the long pause as her cue, Hermione spoke up. "You know…it's funny in a way. I wanted to talk to you about this too. I know I haven't been very nice to you, which is actually very unusual for me. I guess I let jealousy get the best of me. It's true that I like Ron…more than just a friend I mean. But I want him to be happy…and I really believe that he likes you just as much as you like him. So, I think you should tell him. I won't be upset or angry, well, maybe just a little," she said laughing softly at the end.
The girls talked a minute longer and then went their separate ways, each knowing that they had a new friend. Now all that was left was for Harry to let Hermione in on his scheme, Operation Confession.
Authors Note: Sorry it took so long to get this chapter up…I had a huge case of writers block. I was gonna make this the confession chapter, but then, I felt bad for making Hermione act all mean and stuff so I figured I'd patch things up between her and Paige first. Stay tuned for Chapter Seven, coming soon, I hope. Oh yeah, and sorry I kept switching from Paige to Hermione . it just kind of happened.