Disclaimer: I am not J. K. Rowling, therefore I do not own any of the
characters, places or situations from the Harry Potter books.
A/N: I realize these chapters are shorter than the chapters in my other fics. Sorry. On the bright side, I think there may be more chapters in this fic than my usual five or six. Usually before I start writing, I have the whole story pretty well written in my head. Not this time. I just have a bare outline in my head this time around. So stick with me--I'll try not to disappoint. Thanks.
~~~~~~~~~
Harry stared at Ron for a moment, dumbfounded. "What?! You and Hermione have been together for...what...more than a year?" he finished, his voice rising.
Ron still didn't meet Harry's eyes. "Well, not really together...things just started, I don't know...progressing...last summer," he answered sheepishly. He turned to Harry and looked at him appraisingly. "You're not mad because you like her, are you?"
"No, I'm mad because my two best friends are running around snogging each other senseless, they've apparently become a couple right under my nose, and they DIDN'T BOTHER TELLING ME!"
"Shhh...you'll wake everybody." Ron looked nervously back at the door, expecting his mother to come barging in, demanding to know what was going on. After a moment, he turned back to Harry. "That's not how it is at all. And we weren't trying to keep it from you, not really. It's just, with everything going on...we reckoned it would be better for you if our friendship stayed the same as always. We wanted to be there for you, we didn't want you to feel...weird...around us." He sighed. "Hermione could explain this much better than I'm doing. The point is, we were going to tell you eventually."
Harry looked at Ron's worried face and realized that he hadn't made it easy for anyone to tell him anything. He had been so wrapped up in all the things that had happened to him: the fight in the Department of Mysteries, Sirius' death, the revelation of the prophecy (which he had finally shared with Ron and Hermione a few weeks earlier). "So...how did you two finally decide you wanted to be together?" he asked more calmly.
"Sure you want to hear?" Ron asked doubtfully.
"Yeah...once I get over wanting to wring your necks, I'm sure I'll be happy for you," Harry said, attempting a joke.
Ron looked relieved. "Well, you know that Hermione and I were together at Grimmauld Place for a while before you joined us last summer. What you don't know is that she was here, at the Burrow, for a few days before we went to London." Seeing the look on Harry's face, he hurried on, "look, mate, I tried to get them to let you come, too, but Dumbledore insisted that you had to stay with those Muggles for a while longer. I don't know what that was about, but..."
"I do, I'll tell you later. Go on."
"Okay. Remember we told you that Bill is dating Fleur Delacour? They came here for dinner one night while Hermione was here. And Hermione acted...I don't know..."
"Jealous?" Harry said helpfully, remembering how Hermione had seemed whenever Fleur was around during their fourth year.
"Kinda...she just wasn't overly friendly to her. And me..." he said, looking embarrassed, "...you know she's part Veela, and you know how they affect me."
"You acted like a lovesick puppy dog, in other words."
"Yeah. I'm glad Bill realized what was happening to me--otherwise, I'd be dead. As soon as she was out of the room, I couldn't imagine why I had been acting like that, then she'd come back...and the whole time, Hermione was shooting daggers at me with her eyes. Not that I noticed all that much, with Fleur around..."
"So what happened?"
"After they left, Hermione would barely speak to me. She sat down and started writing a letter to her mother, but I thought she was writing to that bloody Viktor Krum. I don't know if you knew it, Harry, but I was pretty steamed about her going to the ball with that git--and not just because he was competing against you in the Tri-Wizard Tournament, I can admit that now."
"I kinda suspected that."
"Was I that obvious? Yeah, well..." he ran his hand through his hair, somewhat embarrassed. "Anyway, we got into a huge row. She was sitting at the table, writing..."
~~~~~~~~~
Bill and Fleur had left, and the rest of the family had gone into the yard to enjoy the evening. Only Hermione remained in the house, sitting at the table, her quill moving across the parchment angrily. Ron came in and sat down across from her. He watched her for a moment, turning his head as he tried to see what she was writing, but she hid the words with her free arm.
"Doing homework already, Hermione? Summer holidays have barely started! What's the matter, can't wait to start cranking out 100-page essays?"
"I'm not doing homework, Ron. Not that it's any of your business, but I'm writing a letter."
"A letter? You're not writing a letter to 'Vicky', are you?" he asked, instantly angry.
"Don't call him that! And I'll write a letter to whomever I please! Why don't you go change your shirt, I'm sure there's drool all over the front of that one!"
He looked down at his shirt, confused. "What? Drool on my shirt? What does that have to do with your writing a letter to bloody Krum?"
"It has nothing to do with Viktor and everything to do with the idiotic way you act whenever that...that...part-Veela is around!"
"What difference does it make to you how I act? And why are you even still in contact with that prat?"
"What difference does it make to me? I...I hate to see one of my friends making a fool out of himself, goggling at a girl who doesn't even notice he's alive! You don't look at those of us who DO know you're alive that way!" Hermione looked stricken, realizing she had said too much, and hid her face in her hands.
Ron was taken aback. "What? Those of you who do know...what?"
Hermione dropped her hands and looked at him disgustedly. "Oh, Ron, you're so thick!" She stood up, gathering her things together. She started toward the stairs to go to Ginny's room.
Ron hurried around the table and stopped her. "What did you mean by that?"
Hermione looked at him, tears in her eyes. "Nothing, Ron...nothing. I'm going to bed. Good night." She trotted up the stairs, leaving a very confused Ron standing in the kitchen.
~~~~~~~~~
"A few days later, Bill and Fleur came back to the house for lunch," Ron told Harry. "I had been thinking about what Hermione had said, and I still didn't understand it."
"You really were thick."
Ron laughed. "Yeah. Anyway, Fleur came in, and I felt that...feeling...come over me again. I almost started acting like an idiot, hanging on her every word, staring at her, then I looked over at Hermione. She was watching me, and she looked angry, but she looked...sad too. Sad but, I don't know...resigned. I couldn't stand the fact that she thought I was an idiot. I still didn't understand that I was hurting her feelings, but I didn't want her to think of me as a fool. So I fought that feeling, and I sat there and acted like a normal wizard...and let Fred and George make fools of themselves," he laughed.
Harry laughed, too, imagining Fred and George drooling over Fleur.
"After they left, I was standing out in the yard, still thinking about what Hermione had said. She came up and said, 'just for your information, that letter was to my mother'. Then she pointed at my shirt and said, 'you didn't drool this time. There may be hope for you, yet.' Then she smiled, this beautiful smile, and ran off to find Ginny."
"And you still didn't understand what she had said."
"No."
"You're thick."
"Yep. A lot more happened, later at Grimmauld Place, then at Hogwarts. Do you still want to hear it?"
"Sure."
~~~~~~~~~
Next chapter: Ron's story continues...
A/N: I realize these chapters are shorter than the chapters in my other fics. Sorry. On the bright side, I think there may be more chapters in this fic than my usual five or six. Usually before I start writing, I have the whole story pretty well written in my head. Not this time. I just have a bare outline in my head this time around. So stick with me--I'll try not to disappoint. Thanks.
~~~~~~~~~
Harry stared at Ron for a moment, dumbfounded. "What?! You and Hermione have been together for...what...more than a year?" he finished, his voice rising.
Ron still didn't meet Harry's eyes. "Well, not really together...things just started, I don't know...progressing...last summer," he answered sheepishly. He turned to Harry and looked at him appraisingly. "You're not mad because you like her, are you?"
"No, I'm mad because my two best friends are running around snogging each other senseless, they've apparently become a couple right under my nose, and they DIDN'T BOTHER TELLING ME!"
"Shhh...you'll wake everybody." Ron looked nervously back at the door, expecting his mother to come barging in, demanding to know what was going on. After a moment, he turned back to Harry. "That's not how it is at all. And we weren't trying to keep it from you, not really. It's just, with everything going on...we reckoned it would be better for you if our friendship stayed the same as always. We wanted to be there for you, we didn't want you to feel...weird...around us." He sighed. "Hermione could explain this much better than I'm doing. The point is, we were going to tell you eventually."
Harry looked at Ron's worried face and realized that he hadn't made it easy for anyone to tell him anything. He had been so wrapped up in all the things that had happened to him: the fight in the Department of Mysteries, Sirius' death, the revelation of the prophecy (which he had finally shared with Ron and Hermione a few weeks earlier). "So...how did you two finally decide you wanted to be together?" he asked more calmly.
"Sure you want to hear?" Ron asked doubtfully.
"Yeah...once I get over wanting to wring your necks, I'm sure I'll be happy for you," Harry said, attempting a joke.
Ron looked relieved. "Well, you know that Hermione and I were together at Grimmauld Place for a while before you joined us last summer. What you don't know is that she was here, at the Burrow, for a few days before we went to London." Seeing the look on Harry's face, he hurried on, "look, mate, I tried to get them to let you come, too, but Dumbledore insisted that you had to stay with those Muggles for a while longer. I don't know what that was about, but..."
"I do, I'll tell you later. Go on."
"Okay. Remember we told you that Bill is dating Fleur Delacour? They came here for dinner one night while Hermione was here. And Hermione acted...I don't know..."
"Jealous?" Harry said helpfully, remembering how Hermione had seemed whenever Fleur was around during their fourth year.
"Kinda...she just wasn't overly friendly to her. And me..." he said, looking embarrassed, "...you know she's part Veela, and you know how they affect me."
"You acted like a lovesick puppy dog, in other words."
"Yeah. I'm glad Bill realized what was happening to me--otherwise, I'd be dead. As soon as she was out of the room, I couldn't imagine why I had been acting like that, then she'd come back...and the whole time, Hermione was shooting daggers at me with her eyes. Not that I noticed all that much, with Fleur around..."
"So what happened?"
"After they left, Hermione would barely speak to me. She sat down and started writing a letter to her mother, but I thought she was writing to that bloody Viktor Krum. I don't know if you knew it, Harry, but I was pretty steamed about her going to the ball with that git--and not just because he was competing against you in the Tri-Wizard Tournament, I can admit that now."
"I kinda suspected that."
"Was I that obvious? Yeah, well..." he ran his hand through his hair, somewhat embarrassed. "Anyway, we got into a huge row. She was sitting at the table, writing..."
~~~~~~~~~
Bill and Fleur had left, and the rest of the family had gone into the yard to enjoy the evening. Only Hermione remained in the house, sitting at the table, her quill moving across the parchment angrily. Ron came in and sat down across from her. He watched her for a moment, turning his head as he tried to see what she was writing, but she hid the words with her free arm.
"Doing homework already, Hermione? Summer holidays have barely started! What's the matter, can't wait to start cranking out 100-page essays?"
"I'm not doing homework, Ron. Not that it's any of your business, but I'm writing a letter."
"A letter? You're not writing a letter to 'Vicky', are you?" he asked, instantly angry.
"Don't call him that! And I'll write a letter to whomever I please! Why don't you go change your shirt, I'm sure there's drool all over the front of that one!"
He looked down at his shirt, confused. "What? Drool on my shirt? What does that have to do with your writing a letter to bloody Krum?"
"It has nothing to do with Viktor and everything to do with the idiotic way you act whenever that...that...part-Veela is around!"
"What difference does it make to you how I act? And why are you even still in contact with that prat?"
"What difference does it make to me? I...I hate to see one of my friends making a fool out of himself, goggling at a girl who doesn't even notice he's alive! You don't look at those of us who DO know you're alive that way!" Hermione looked stricken, realizing she had said too much, and hid her face in her hands.
Ron was taken aback. "What? Those of you who do know...what?"
Hermione dropped her hands and looked at him disgustedly. "Oh, Ron, you're so thick!" She stood up, gathering her things together. She started toward the stairs to go to Ginny's room.
Ron hurried around the table and stopped her. "What did you mean by that?"
Hermione looked at him, tears in her eyes. "Nothing, Ron...nothing. I'm going to bed. Good night." She trotted up the stairs, leaving a very confused Ron standing in the kitchen.
~~~~~~~~~
"A few days later, Bill and Fleur came back to the house for lunch," Ron told Harry. "I had been thinking about what Hermione had said, and I still didn't understand it."
"You really were thick."
Ron laughed. "Yeah. Anyway, Fleur came in, and I felt that...feeling...come over me again. I almost started acting like an idiot, hanging on her every word, staring at her, then I looked over at Hermione. She was watching me, and she looked angry, but she looked...sad too. Sad but, I don't know...resigned. I couldn't stand the fact that she thought I was an idiot. I still didn't understand that I was hurting her feelings, but I didn't want her to think of me as a fool. So I fought that feeling, and I sat there and acted like a normal wizard...and let Fred and George make fools of themselves," he laughed.
Harry laughed, too, imagining Fred and George drooling over Fleur.
"After they left, I was standing out in the yard, still thinking about what Hermione had said. She came up and said, 'just for your information, that letter was to my mother'. Then she pointed at my shirt and said, 'you didn't drool this time. There may be hope for you, yet.' Then she smiled, this beautiful smile, and ran off to find Ginny."
"And you still didn't understand what she had said."
"No."
"You're thick."
"Yep. A lot more happened, later at Grimmauld Place, then at Hogwarts. Do you still want to hear it?"
"Sure."
~~~~~~~~~
Next chapter: Ron's story continues...