At first, Ron gaped at Hermione.
"You're not serious."
"I am, too," she said, in a whisper.
"How long." He said it as a statement, but Hermione could not tell his reaction.
"I don't know." Her head was still down.
It was then Ron exploded.
"YOU DON'T KNOW?!? YOU FANCY HARRY FOR GOD SAKE'S! HARRY!!!!! HARRY!!!! AS IN POTTER!!!!!!"
"I know his last name, Ron."
"HOW COULD YOU NOT TELL ANYBODY? NO, HOW COULD YOU? FANCY HARRY, OF ALL PEOPLE? KRUM, HE WAS ALRIGHT, GRUMPY IF YOU WILL, BUT HARRY!"
"I hoped you wouldn't take it like this."
"Well-well-- I am!" Ron sputtered.
He had calmed down just enough to stop yelling, though it took him a good minute or two of deep breathing. He didn't want the whole world to hear him. And after all, he had a loud voice. He turned toward the dormitory stairs, muttering to himself how he'd never be able to get back to sleep without telling Harry. Hermione grabbed his arm and he whipped around.
"You won't tell Harry, will you?" she said quietly, a pleading look in her big, brown eyes.
"No, I'm not that stupid, Hermione, no matter how bad I am at Potions. Telling Harry would make it a whole lot worse."
"Alright. But Ron-"
"Hmm?"
"Don't tell anybody. No one at all. You're the first and last to know. Even if you tell one person, they could tell one person, and it could leak to Malfoy or something, Ron, I'm really hoping it will pass, it ruins everything, I've not been able to concentrate on my homework, and-"
"Devastating, it must be, not being able to concentrate on your homework." "Yes, it has been! And look, it's really nothing big I swear!"
"Course it isn't."
"It really isn't!"
"You know, it all makes sense now. Why you hate Cho so much, why you think that Harry's really better off concentrating on his studies, how you always want to knit with him, and how when he came to Grimmauld Place you practically killed him, and Parvati and Lavender have been saying it for ages-"
"They have?" She turned at Ron, who was now sitting back on the couch, contemplating. He had abandoned his attempt to go back up the stairs, seeing as there really was no was no way to get back into a dream about chocolate sundaes and the extinction of spiders.
"Well, I think they've been joking, but once in a while they make a crack about you and him. Maybe they've still got clippings of those Skeeter articles from last year or something."
"What have they been saying?"
"I don't know, wasn't really paying any attention. If I had known--, well then I would have actually listened."
"Oh, Ron, this isn't good."
"You're a quick one, Hermione."
"No, it really isn't, I thought I was good at hiding it," She got up and paced again. Ron wondered how pacing actually helped calm her nerves, it did nothing for him, especially the fact that he would knock into things if he were to pace.
"You were, Hermione, you really were. It'll probably seem a lot more obvious now that you've told me." It had just occurred to him how awkward it was going to be between the three of them, especially since Harry would be in total oblivion.
"Look, I'm going to the library-"
"I won't even ask. You know, one day, I'm going to tell you that Harry's in mortal peril, and I bet you'd still go to the library."
"Don't joke about Harry being in mortal peril, Ron," Hermione cast him a Mrs. Weasley-esque look.
"Alright, alright, shutting up." [A/N: yeah, yeah I know, little happens in this chapter, but that's ok. R&R please, only my first...and ty to all the people who have reviewed, and so soon too]
"You're not serious."
"I am, too," she said, in a whisper.
"How long." He said it as a statement, but Hermione could not tell his reaction.
"I don't know." Her head was still down.
It was then Ron exploded.
"YOU DON'T KNOW?!? YOU FANCY HARRY FOR GOD SAKE'S! HARRY!!!!! HARRY!!!! AS IN POTTER!!!!!!"
"I know his last name, Ron."
"HOW COULD YOU NOT TELL ANYBODY? NO, HOW COULD YOU? FANCY HARRY, OF ALL PEOPLE? KRUM, HE WAS ALRIGHT, GRUMPY IF YOU WILL, BUT HARRY!"
"I hoped you wouldn't take it like this."
"Well-well-- I am!" Ron sputtered.
He had calmed down just enough to stop yelling, though it took him a good minute or two of deep breathing. He didn't want the whole world to hear him. And after all, he had a loud voice. He turned toward the dormitory stairs, muttering to himself how he'd never be able to get back to sleep without telling Harry. Hermione grabbed his arm and he whipped around.
"You won't tell Harry, will you?" she said quietly, a pleading look in her big, brown eyes.
"No, I'm not that stupid, Hermione, no matter how bad I am at Potions. Telling Harry would make it a whole lot worse."
"Alright. But Ron-"
"Hmm?"
"Don't tell anybody. No one at all. You're the first and last to know. Even if you tell one person, they could tell one person, and it could leak to Malfoy or something, Ron, I'm really hoping it will pass, it ruins everything, I've not been able to concentrate on my homework, and-"
"Devastating, it must be, not being able to concentrate on your homework." "Yes, it has been! And look, it's really nothing big I swear!"
"Course it isn't."
"It really isn't!"
"You know, it all makes sense now. Why you hate Cho so much, why you think that Harry's really better off concentrating on his studies, how you always want to knit with him, and how when he came to Grimmauld Place you practically killed him, and Parvati and Lavender have been saying it for ages-"
"They have?" She turned at Ron, who was now sitting back on the couch, contemplating. He had abandoned his attempt to go back up the stairs, seeing as there really was no was no way to get back into a dream about chocolate sundaes and the extinction of spiders.
"Well, I think they've been joking, but once in a while they make a crack about you and him. Maybe they've still got clippings of those Skeeter articles from last year or something."
"What have they been saying?"
"I don't know, wasn't really paying any attention. If I had known--, well then I would have actually listened."
"Oh, Ron, this isn't good."
"You're a quick one, Hermione."
"No, it really isn't, I thought I was good at hiding it," She got up and paced again. Ron wondered how pacing actually helped calm her nerves, it did nothing for him, especially the fact that he would knock into things if he were to pace.
"You were, Hermione, you really were. It'll probably seem a lot more obvious now that you've told me." It had just occurred to him how awkward it was going to be between the three of them, especially since Harry would be in total oblivion.
"Look, I'm going to the library-"
"I won't even ask. You know, one day, I'm going to tell you that Harry's in mortal peril, and I bet you'd still go to the library."
"Don't joke about Harry being in mortal peril, Ron," Hermione cast him a Mrs. Weasley-esque look.
"Alright, alright, shutting up." [A/N: yeah, yeah I know, little happens in this chapter, but that's ok. R&R please, only my first...and ty to all the people who have reviewed, and so soon too]