Chapter 3: The Inoppertune Moment
Waking up the next morning, all Hermione could think about was her task that she knew she must complete that day. To let the hiccuping go on any longer would not only be cruel to Ron, but she'd have more time to think about it, therefore being more apt to chicken out. Kissing Ron. It was an interesting prospect. Not that she hadn't thought about it before; she'd actually been thinking about it more and more lately. However, thinking about it and really doing it were two completely different things altogether. It didn't help Hermione that she hadn't even kissed anyone before, so she wouldn't exactly know if she were doing it "right" or not. But Ron hadn't kissed anyone, either, to her knowledge. Hermione still wasn't fazed too much by this new thought. Her relationship with her friends was about to change; for the better or worse, she didn't know. And then there was yet another terrifying thought- what if she kissed Ron in mid-hiccup?
Hermione didn't really have a good plan to speak of. It was more that she'd just pick an inoppertune moment to plant one on him. Another question popped into her mind at this realization- What if an inoppertune moment never arose? Then what? Hermione continued to put up with these constant questions bombarding her head, as she made her way downstairs to the common room for a Sunday she knew would be some adventure. Sitting in her usual chair in the common room, she sat reading an enormous textbook (light reading, of course) and waited for Harry and Ron to come down their staircase. Soon enough, they traipsed down to join her, Ron still hiccuping away.
"Did you both sleep alright?" Hermione asked, a bit sarcasticly, but kindly all the same.
"Oh wonderfully," said Ron, incredibly sarcasticly. "I laid there for- *hic *- hours on end just hiccuping my life away! I think I got a little sleep, but I didn't- *hic *- really notice." Ron sighed loudly and sat down next to Hermione, throwing out another hiccup in the process.
"You're telling me," said Harry, falling down next to Ron. "I didn't sleep a whole lot either. All that hiccuping was getting to me, I reckon."
"Oh, it- *hic *- was getting to you!"
"Well, I'm sorry but it is the truth!"
"Will you two stop it!" Hermione interjected. "I'm sorry I even asked." Wait a minute, thought Hermione, that was definitely an inopportune moment! Why hadn't she done something?! But really, it would be a little awkward to try it out sitting down, standing up would be ideal, so maybe it was good she hadn't acted at that moment. Oh my gosh, she thought, I'm thinking way too much about this.
As the trio made its way down to breakfast in the Great Hall, however, Hermione continued to have random thoughts and questions shot in and out of her head. It just wouldn't stop, and all she wanted was to get it over with. But how could she do that without feeling like an idiot and being completely embarassed? Well, that was obviously still a kink to be worked out.
Ron attempting to eat his meal was really something to behold. Every other bite he would nearly choke on his food, and picking up his drink was difficult to do without spilling some. This seemed to bring back a smirk to Harry's face, who just couldn't contain himself.
"What are you- *hic *- laughing at?!" Ron hicked.
"Nothing," said a histerical Harry, glancing sideways at his best friend, "I was just thinking how ridiculous you look with your juice spilled down your shirt." At this, Harry continued to chuckle on even harder until Ron gave him a furious, hiccup-free look.
"Um.I think I'm going to go to the library now," said Hermione, who was being unusually quiet through all of this. Harry and Ron watched her leave in a hurry.
"I wonder why she's going to the library already today," Harry commented.
"Harry, it's Hermione. She- *hic *- probably has been waiting to go there since- *hic *- she woke up," Ron pointed out, rising from his seat.
"True," Harry realized, getting up to head back up to the common room.
******
The truth was that Hermione couldn't take it. All the questions flinging around in her mind, waiting for that inopportune moment, thinking about the reactions of everyone involved, it was just too much. So she had taken refuge in the library. It always relaxed her to be there, amongst rows and rows of wonderful books. But today, it didn't seem to be doing the trick at all. They just seemed to make her feel less sure of herself. The books were full of such knowledge, so unlike herself at the moment.
So soon enough, her plan to escape from it all seemed to foil, and she went back up to the common room to find Harry and Ron in a game of wizard chess. It was Hermione's turn to be unable to contain herself when she saw Ron's chess set pieces were laughing at him and his hiccups. Apparently, Harry was actually winning for a change due to Ron's pieces not hearing his directions clearly enough. When Hermione showed her humor at all of this, Ron couldn't go unheard.
"Will you- *hic *- quit it?! This isn't funny- *hic *- at all!" But Hermione just had to laugh harder at this pronouncement, Harry joining in with her and Ron sulking.
"Ron, just face facts: it's funny for other people even if it isn't funny for you," Hermione chortled.
"Oh, really?" Ron asked, threateningly as he could with a hiccup.
"Yeah, Ron."
"Well, you could at least be a little- *hic *- sympathetic!" Ron began to rise from his seat.
"I have been sympathetic! Couldn't you tell?!" Hermione got up from her chair as well to face Ron. This was her chance!
"No, you know, I- *hic *- really couldn't! Maybe you tried to- *hic *- help me yesterday, but- *hic *- that doesn't mean you really cared! You love- *hic *- the library anyway!"
"I can't believe you! You wouldn't know compassion if you fell over it!"
"Oh, I- *hic *- wouldn't, now would-"
But Ron didn't get to finish his sentence as Hermione had reached up and pulled him down to kiss him- a kiss that was, thankfully, hiccup-free.
Waking up the next morning, all Hermione could think about was her task that she knew she must complete that day. To let the hiccuping go on any longer would not only be cruel to Ron, but she'd have more time to think about it, therefore being more apt to chicken out. Kissing Ron. It was an interesting prospect. Not that she hadn't thought about it before; she'd actually been thinking about it more and more lately. However, thinking about it and really doing it were two completely different things altogether. It didn't help Hermione that she hadn't even kissed anyone before, so she wouldn't exactly know if she were doing it "right" or not. But Ron hadn't kissed anyone, either, to her knowledge. Hermione still wasn't fazed too much by this new thought. Her relationship with her friends was about to change; for the better or worse, she didn't know. And then there was yet another terrifying thought- what if she kissed Ron in mid-hiccup?
Hermione didn't really have a good plan to speak of. It was more that she'd just pick an inoppertune moment to plant one on him. Another question popped into her mind at this realization- What if an inoppertune moment never arose? Then what? Hermione continued to put up with these constant questions bombarding her head, as she made her way downstairs to the common room for a Sunday she knew would be some adventure. Sitting in her usual chair in the common room, she sat reading an enormous textbook (light reading, of course) and waited for Harry and Ron to come down their staircase. Soon enough, they traipsed down to join her, Ron still hiccuping away.
"Did you both sleep alright?" Hermione asked, a bit sarcasticly, but kindly all the same.
"Oh wonderfully," said Ron, incredibly sarcasticly. "I laid there for- *hic *- hours on end just hiccuping my life away! I think I got a little sleep, but I didn't- *hic *- really notice." Ron sighed loudly and sat down next to Hermione, throwing out another hiccup in the process.
"You're telling me," said Harry, falling down next to Ron. "I didn't sleep a whole lot either. All that hiccuping was getting to me, I reckon."
"Oh, it- *hic *- was getting to you!"
"Well, I'm sorry but it is the truth!"
"Will you two stop it!" Hermione interjected. "I'm sorry I even asked." Wait a minute, thought Hermione, that was definitely an inopportune moment! Why hadn't she done something?! But really, it would be a little awkward to try it out sitting down, standing up would be ideal, so maybe it was good she hadn't acted at that moment. Oh my gosh, she thought, I'm thinking way too much about this.
As the trio made its way down to breakfast in the Great Hall, however, Hermione continued to have random thoughts and questions shot in and out of her head. It just wouldn't stop, and all she wanted was to get it over with. But how could she do that without feeling like an idiot and being completely embarassed? Well, that was obviously still a kink to be worked out.
Ron attempting to eat his meal was really something to behold. Every other bite he would nearly choke on his food, and picking up his drink was difficult to do without spilling some. This seemed to bring back a smirk to Harry's face, who just couldn't contain himself.
"What are you- *hic *- laughing at?!" Ron hicked.
"Nothing," said a histerical Harry, glancing sideways at his best friend, "I was just thinking how ridiculous you look with your juice spilled down your shirt." At this, Harry continued to chuckle on even harder until Ron gave him a furious, hiccup-free look.
"Um.I think I'm going to go to the library now," said Hermione, who was being unusually quiet through all of this. Harry and Ron watched her leave in a hurry.
"I wonder why she's going to the library already today," Harry commented.
"Harry, it's Hermione. She- *hic *- probably has been waiting to go there since- *hic *- she woke up," Ron pointed out, rising from his seat.
"True," Harry realized, getting up to head back up to the common room.
******
The truth was that Hermione couldn't take it. All the questions flinging around in her mind, waiting for that inopportune moment, thinking about the reactions of everyone involved, it was just too much. So she had taken refuge in the library. It always relaxed her to be there, amongst rows and rows of wonderful books. But today, it didn't seem to be doing the trick at all. They just seemed to make her feel less sure of herself. The books were full of such knowledge, so unlike herself at the moment.
So soon enough, her plan to escape from it all seemed to foil, and she went back up to the common room to find Harry and Ron in a game of wizard chess. It was Hermione's turn to be unable to contain herself when she saw Ron's chess set pieces were laughing at him and his hiccups. Apparently, Harry was actually winning for a change due to Ron's pieces not hearing his directions clearly enough. When Hermione showed her humor at all of this, Ron couldn't go unheard.
"Will you- *hic *- quit it?! This isn't funny- *hic *- at all!" But Hermione just had to laugh harder at this pronouncement, Harry joining in with her and Ron sulking.
"Ron, just face facts: it's funny for other people even if it isn't funny for you," Hermione chortled.
"Oh, really?" Ron asked, threateningly as he could with a hiccup.
"Yeah, Ron."
"Well, you could at least be a little- *hic *- sympathetic!" Ron began to rise from his seat.
"I have been sympathetic! Couldn't you tell?!" Hermione got up from her chair as well to face Ron. This was her chance!
"No, you know, I- *hic *- really couldn't! Maybe you tried to- *hic *- help me yesterday, but- *hic *- that doesn't mean you really cared! You love- *hic *- the library anyway!"
"I can't believe you! You wouldn't know compassion if you fell over it!"
"Oh, I- *hic *- wouldn't, now would-"
But Ron didn't get to finish his sentence as Hermione had reached up and pulled him down to kiss him- a kiss that was, thankfully, hiccup-free.