A/N: Wow, thanks for the reviews! As promised, I got this chapter out a little sooner through all your encouragements. Only one more chapter left. Remember, everyone is OOC in this story! Enjoy.

Chapter Twelve: For His Own Good

Hermione had been completely silent throughout the ride back from the lodge. She seemed distant and distraught. It was Harry's face Hermione was seeing whenever she looked at Ron during the dinner and it was Harry's voice she was hearing as she tried to keep her attention on what Ron was saying.

"I thought it was a very nice dinner, didn't you?" Ron tried again at making conversation.

Hermione smiled politely, "I wasn't very hungry."

Ron had been understanding kindness itself since the scene this afternoon, and she had promised to marry him any time he wanted. She had heard herself say the words, while she was still shaken with humiliated fury at her own emotional reaction to Harry's supposed illness.

"I hope he has the decency to leave tonight," she said vehemently.

"Who, Harry? He won't stay around when he's not wanted," Ron assured her, "I bet he would be gone by the time we get back."

Hermione sulked inwardly, "You know the real reason he keeps chasing me? He's still so much in love with me. He can't bare the idea of letting anybody else kiss me. He just won't believe I'm going to marry you."

"Really?" Ron gave a light chuckle, "He'll have to after we're married."

"You know, I'm worried about him." Hermione reasoned, "He may have been putting on an act today, but he'll really take to drinking from now on."

If Ron had been more astute, he would have recognized the unconscious satisfaction, a well as concern in her voice. "Oh, I don't think so," he said, "He'll probably find someone else. Harry's the type that always gets married again."

"Still, I'm so afraid he'll ruin his life on account of me," she continued, "Spoil his brilliant future. He is brilliant you know. If I could somehow disillusion him about me-make him hate me-do something. Yes if he would hate me! That would be the solution!"

The plan was born in her mind in that moment, and it seemed to her then to be utter inspiration. But she would have to work fast. It was after nine now and Harry would be gone by ten.

"Listen, listen! It would work too! Those walls are paper thin, and you can hear everything!" she exclaimed excitedly.

"Why, Mione, what are you suggesting?" Ron asked.

Urging the driver to speed up, she unfolded her idea to him.

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Silently, like conspirators, they tiptoed into the cabin.

"Goodnight, Ron," she said.

Ron leaned in and kissed Hermione on the cheek, "Goodnight Mione. It's a wonderful thing you're doing."

"He'd be on my conscience otherwise," she said emphatically.

Noiselessly, she went alone into her suite through her own entrance, while Ron, leaving her at the door, went into his. Then, taking a deep breath for courage, she stood so close to the thin wall closest towards the direction of Harry's cabin so that he could not help but hear every word she said.

"Come on in Ron," Hermione called loudly as though he were in reality at her door, instead of his own room, "It's early yet." Waiting a second, she opened the door, and closed it again, as though Ron had just come in. Then after a pause that would sound to Harry as though she and Ron were kissing long and silently, she reached for two glasses on the table and clanked them together for sound effects. She cried out: "Now, Ron I've had enough to drink, and so have you!"

The plan had worked. Harry, alerted, puts his ear against the wall closest towards Hermione's cabin.

Desperately searching for more dialogue, she pushed a chair over on its side, making a loud thud. "Oh Ron! You hurt! Don't talk please! Please let me help you up." Giggling loudly, she criedout, "My, you're so strong!"

At the seemingly no response from Harry, Hermione looked around for something else she could use. She picked up her copy of Hogwarts: A History from her nightstand and threw it down hard on the floor. Then, going even closer to the wall, she cried, in terror, "Ron! No! Ron-what are you doing! Ron! Unless you stop, I'm going to have to ask you to leave! Behave yourself!"

Then, suddenly, she was no longer alone in the room. For her door had been flung open with such violence that it reverberated and Harry strode across the threshold. In one hand, he brandished his wand and glared menacingly around the room.

At the expression on his face when he realized her trick, Hermione cried, with attempted bravado, "I only did this for you, so you could realize it's all over between us!"

Harry looked at her as thought he would like to strike her. "There's only one way to handle you," he told her, grimly. As quick as a cat, he strode over to her, scooping her up effortlessly and started out of the room with her.

"PUT ME DOWN! PUT ME DOWN!" Hermione screamed out, "RON! HELP! I'M NOT ACTING! THIS IS REAL! COME OUT RON!"

Slowly, Harry put her down and reached for his wand. Holding it, he wheeled around on Ron, who came out of his room, and advanced menacingly.

Ron stared at him, making no move to defend himself.

"You take your wand too Ron!" Hermione cried upon seeing the dangerous look on Harry's face.

"I don't need my wand," Ron told her, unruffled.

"Do you want to make anything out of it?" Harry threatened, his grip tightening around the wooden stick.

Ron looked straight into Harry's eye. "I forgive you," he said, in his calm unhurried voice.

Hermione could not believe her affronted ears. "You mean you're not going to hex him?" she demanded incredulously.

Ron only answered calmly as he move passed Harry towards her, "You're so attractive, Hermione that I take it for granted that other men less disciplined will always take liberties with you. Violence shows a lack of character."

"You mean you're not going to do anything to him?" Hermione's voice squeaked out.

"Well would you respect me more if I knocked him down?" Ron asked.

Harry grinned as he watched a cyclone of pure temper tore through Hermione, "WOULD I? WHAT KIND OF A MAN ARE YOU?" she challenged furiously, "How could you be in love with a woman and let someone else paw her?"

"Now Hermione, lets not say anything in anger that we'll be sorry for," Ron said coolly.

"HAVEN'T YOU GOT ANY SELF RESPECT?"

It was at that exact moment that Mr. and Mrs. Weasley decided to stop by for a visit. Completely misinterpreting the turgid silence in the room, they advanced, beaming fondly.

"Surprise!" Mr. Weasley called out generally, "Isn't it wonderful out here?"

"Are you children having a nice time together?" Mrs. Weasley asked indulgently.

But Hermione's temper, mounting like hot lava inside of her, had gone too far for her to be halted by social amenities. Never taking her smoldering eyes off of Ron, she went on in lashing fury. "You and your fancy ideals! You're nothing but a coward!"

"Hermione," Ron said in pained reproof, "Do you realize you're raising your voice? I thought you were a gentle type of girl."

"Very gentle," Harry chimed in with relish. He pointed to a small white scar near his hairline, "How do you think I got this?"

Mrs. Weasley's face was stark, and her eyes almost glassy with horror. "Ronald!" she roared, "I forbid you to marry this—this—woman!"

The words were only fuel to the fire of Hermione's temper, "You forbid him to marry me!" She hurled the words at them, then turned her blazing gaze back again to Ron.

"Listen to me you stuffed shirt!" she said contemptuously, "Even a mouse has enough backbone to fight sometime. Taking your hat off in an elevator doesn't make you a man. You can teach a monkey to do that! And I'll take a mouse or a monkey any day--rather than a lump of –lump of jelly like you!"

But at Harry's ill-timed grin of delight, she focused her anger, like a hot floodlight onto him. "But I'm not taking you!" she assured him violently. She took a deep breath, "Now let me out of here before I forget I'm a lady." Then with her head up, she marched into her own room and slammed the door.

"That which you have just witnessed," Harry commented to the Weasley's as she went back inside, "was one of her quieter moments."

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