Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to the Harry Potter books or
the characters, settings, or situations therein. So there.
Ron leaned back on his elbows, watching Harry yawn, then yawning again himself. "D'you think you can stay awake long enough for me to finish? There's not much more to tell."
Harry rubbed his eyes and leaned back on his elbows, too. "Sure. Who would have thought that the cure for my sleeplessness was listening to stories of your love life?" he said, grinning.
"Very funny, Harry. Okay. Hermione and I never talked about what almost happened at Christmas. Things were pretty normal for the next month or so. We were still spending a lot of time together on prefect duty and late at night doing homework. We were still arguing once or twice a week..."
"Once or twice a day is more like it."
"Yeah, probably. I think we'll always argue. Hermione says we're both too stubborn and set in our ways to stop now. Anyway, Valentine's Day was coming up. I was trying to get up the courage to ask her to go to Hogsmeade with me, then Angelina decided that the Quidditch team would use that day to get extra practice. I wasn't even able to get her a card or anything, and I was sure that bloody Krum would send her something. I couldn't help it--I asked her about him when we came back from prefect duty that night...
Coming through the portrait hole, Ron and Hermione found the common room empty. Hermione crossed to the sofa in front of the fire and plopped down, rubbing her eyes and yawning. Following her, Ron slumped down beside her and rested his head against the back of the couch.
"I'm beat," he groaned. "A full day of Quidditch practice, then patrolling the school making sure nobody's celebrating Valentine's Day by snogging in the classrooms. Don't even mention homework, Hermione. Tomorrow's Sunday, and it can wait 'til then."
To his surprise, Hermione nodded in agreement and rested her own head on the back of the couch. "At least you didn't have the pleasure of dealing with Rita Skeeter today."
"Yeah, but you got her to agree to help Harry."
Hermione nodded again, then closed her eyes. Ron watched her for a moment, then he nervously looked away, reaching a decision.
"Er...Hermione...I had kinda wanted to ask you to, er...to go to Hogsmeade with me today." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her raise her head and look at him, surprised. He hurried on, "But then Angelina called a practice, and I couldn't, and well...I just wanted you to know." He looked down at his hands which were twisting anxiously in his lap.
"Thank you, Ron," she said quietly.
"No problem," he choked out, still not looking at her. They sat quietly for a moment, then he reached another decision. "So...I'm sure that Vick...Viktor sent you something." When she didn't answer, he looked over at her. "Did he?"
"As a matter of fact, he did." Ron felt his stomach drop before Hermione continued. "He sent me a letter. Would you like to read it?"
"Yeah!" Realizing how that had sounded, he tried to affect a casual attitude. "I mean...yeah, sure. If you want me to."
"It's in my room. I'll be right back." Getting up, she hurried up the stairs to the girls' dormitories, reappearing a few minutes later carrying her book bag. Sitting back down, she dug through the bag, bringing out a piece of parchment, which she handed to Ron.
Trying to appear nonchalant, Ron unrolled the parchment and began to read:
Dear Hermioninny: (The git can't even spell her name right, Ron thought disgustedly.)
Happy Valentine's Day! I hope that you are well and enjoying your studies. I am sorry for the long delay between letters, but I have been very busy with my Quidditch training. How was your Christmas with your family? Did you enjoy the skiing?
I want to thank you for all the advice you have given me, and I have good news! I did as you suggested, and now Sonia and I have been going out together for the past month! You were very right in the ways you told me to get her to notice me, and I owe you much gratitude.
This must be a short letter as I must leave for the Quidditch pitch in a few moments. Sonia will be going with me--she watches me practice nearly every day. I have told her all about my wonderful friend Hermioninny who goes to Hogwarts. Perhaps someday you two can meet.
With many thanks, your friend,
Viktor Krum
Ron looked up at Hermione, who was watching him with a curious look on her face. "Sonia? Vick...I mean, Viktor has a girlfriend in Bulgaria? Does this mean you aren't...?"
"This means I'm not his girlfriend, right."
"And you've been writing to him..."
"As a friend. He needed advice about Sonia. I gave it to him. Fortunately, he listens to me a bit better than Harry...and you."
Ron looked back down at the letter, unable to fathom that he no longer had to worry about Viktor Krum. He almost wanted to shake the guy's hand, hard as that was to believe. Realizing that Hermione was watching him curiously, he handed the letter back to her.
"I'm glad...er, I mean, for Viktor, of course," he stammered.
Hermione said nothing as she rolled the parchment up and slipped it back into her bag. After rummaging around for a bit, she brought out a thick book. She held it out to Ron.
"I saw this today in Hogsmeade, and...well...I thought of you. I remembered that you told Harry that you thought being an auror would be wonderful, so I thought you might like it."
Surprised, Ron took the book and looked down at the title: Success Strategies for the Aspiring Auror. Even more surprised, he looked back up at Hermione, who was blushing slightly . "Thank you, Hermione," he said, genuinely meaning it. "But I'm not sure I could ever be something so great as an auror."
"I do," Hermione said quietly. "I believe in you, Ron, even if you don't believe in yourself. There's greatness in you, you just don't see it." Suddenly very embarrassed, she looked down at her hands, her face turning a deep red. "I'll always believe in you," she whispered.
Ron felt his own face turning red, and he looked down at the book, unable to look at Hermione any longer. "Thank you," he said softly. She nodded, still looking at her hands. They sat quietly for a moment. Finally, Ron raised his head and looked at her. Taking a deep breath, he reached out and laid his hand on top of hers. "Really...that means a lot to me, Hermione."
She nodded again and looked up at him. Their eyes meeting, they sat and contemplated each other for several minutes. I could kiss her...right now. The minutes stretched out. "Why aren't you kissing her?!" an annoying little voice inside Ron's head demanded. While Ron was trying to figure out the answer to that, the moment passed as Hermione looked away.
"Well...it's late. I think I'll go to bed." Standing up, she picked up her bag and started toward the stairs.
"Yeah, me too," Ron said as he followed her across the common room. As she began to climb the steps, he realized he didn't want her to go, not yet. "Hermione." She stopped and turned back to him.
"Er...I wish we could have gone to Hogsmeade together. And I wish I had gotten you something for Valentine's Day."
She smiled. "That's all right, Ron. You gave me that nice perfume for Christmas. And I gave you a homework planner," she said with a grin.
"That was nice, too. And I use it." She looked at him with raised eyebrows. "Well...sometimes I use it." When she continued to look at him, he finally gave in. "All right, all right--it's under my bed."
She laughed and came toward him. "That's what I thought." She hugged him tightly, and for once he had enough presence of mind to hug her back. "Happy Valentine's Day," she said as she stepped back.
"Happy Valentine's Day, Hermione." He watched her quickly climb the stairs to her dormitory, then turned and started up his own stairs.
Harry opened his eyes and looked sleepily at Ron. "Okay. You two had still not admitted your feelings for each other on Valentine's Day. When exactly did it happen?"
"Believe it or not, it happened on the night after the battle in the Department of Mysteries, while we were in the infirmary together. We just finally told each other how we felt. And that was that."
"And that was that. In other words, you're not going to tell me everything," Harry said, grinning.
Ron looked at him sheepishly. "What can I say, Harry? I love her. And for some reason, she loves me."
Harry yawned and took off his glasses, putting them on the night stand. "Well, I really am happy for you two. But you could have told me." He lay back on his pillow.
"I know, we should have. I'm sorry. But we really..." Ron trailed off as he heard Harry begin to snore. "Cure for sleeplessness, huh?" he laughed.
Ron lay back in his bed, his arms folded behind his head. He hadn't told Harry everything that had happened in the infirmary. Some things were just private, not to be shared with others, not even your best friend. He smiled, remembering how he and Hermione had finally admitted their feelings for each other...
Next chapter: What Ron didn't tell Harry.
Ron leaned back on his elbows, watching Harry yawn, then yawning again himself. "D'you think you can stay awake long enough for me to finish? There's not much more to tell."
Harry rubbed his eyes and leaned back on his elbows, too. "Sure. Who would have thought that the cure for my sleeplessness was listening to stories of your love life?" he said, grinning.
"Very funny, Harry. Okay. Hermione and I never talked about what almost happened at Christmas. Things were pretty normal for the next month or so. We were still spending a lot of time together on prefect duty and late at night doing homework. We were still arguing once or twice a week..."
"Once or twice a day is more like it."
"Yeah, probably. I think we'll always argue. Hermione says we're both too stubborn and set in our ways to stop now. Anyway, Valentine's Day was coming up. I was trying to get up the courage to ask her to go to Hogsmeade with me, then Angelina decided that the Quidditch team would use that day to get extra practice. I wasn't even able to get her a card or anything, and I was sure that bloody Krum would send her something. I couldn't help it--I asked her about him when we came back from prefect duty that night...
Coming through the portrait hole, Ron and Hermione found the common room empty. Hermione crossed to the sofa in front of the fire and plopped down, rubbing her eyes and yawning. Following her, Ron slumped down beside her and rested his head against the back of the couch.
"I'm beat," he groaned. "A full day of Quidditch practice, then patrolling the school making sure nobody's celebrating Valentine's Day by snogging in the classrooms. Don't even mention homework, Hermione. Tomorrow's Sunday, and it can wait 'til then."
To his surprise, Hermione nodded in agreement and rested her own head on the back of the couch. "At least you didn't have the pleasure of dealing with Rita Skeeter today."
"Yeah, but you got her to agree to help Harry."
Hermione nodded again, then closed her eyes. Ron watched her for a moment, then he nervously looked away, reaching a decision.
"Er...Hermione...I had kinda wanted to ask you to, er...to go to Hogsmeade with me today." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her raise her head and look at him, surprised. He hurried on, "But then Angelina called a practice, and I couldn't, and well...I just wanted you to know." He looked down at his hands which were twisting anxiously in his lap.
"Thank you, Ron," she said quietly.
"No problem," he choked out, still not looking at her. They sat quietly for a moment, then he reached another decision. "So...I'm sure that Vick...Viktor sent you something." When she didn't answer, he looked over at her. "Did he?"
"As a matter of fact, he did." Ron felt his stomach drop before Hermione continued. "He sent me a letter. Would you like to read it?"
"Yeah!" Realizing how that had sounded, he tried to affect a casual attitude. "I mean...yeah, sure. If you want me to."
"It's in my room. I'll be right back." Getting up, she hurried up the stairs to the girls' dormitories, reappearing a few minutes later carrying her book bag. Sitting back down, she dug through the bag, bringing out a piece of parchment, which she handed to Ron.
Trying to appear nonchalant, Ron unrolled the parchment and began to read:
Dear Hermioninny: (The git can't even spell her name right, Ron thought disgustedly.)
Happy Valentine's Day! I hope that you are well and enjoying your studies. I am sorry for the long delay between letters, but I have been very busy with my Quidditch training. How was your Christmas with your family? Did you enjoy the skiing?
I want to thank you for all the advice you have given me, and I have good news! I did as you suggested, and now Sonia and I have been going out together for the past month! You were very right in the ways you told me to get her to notice me, and I owe you much gratitude.
This must be a short letter as I must leave for the Quidditch pitch in a few moments. Sonia will be going with me--she watches me practice nearly every day. I have told her all about my wonderful friend Hermioninny who goes to Hogwarts. Perhaps someday you two can meet.
With many thanks, your friend,
Viktor Krum
Ron looked up at Hermione, who was watching him with a curious look on her face. "Sonia? Vick...I mean, Viktor has a girlfriend in Bulgaria? Does this mean you aren't...?"
"This means I'm not his girlfriend, right."
"And you've been writing to him..."
"As a friend. He needed advice about Sonia. I gave it to him. Fortunately, he listens to me a bit better than Harry...and you."
Ron looked back down at the letter, unable to fathom that he no longer had to worry about Viktor Krum. He almost wanted to shake the guy's hand, hard as that was to believe. Realizing that Hermione was watching him curiously, he handed the letter back to her.
"I'm glad...er, I mean, for Viktor, of course," he stammered.
Hermione said nothing as she rolled the parchment up and slipped it back into her bag. After rummaging around for a bit, she brought out a thick book. She held it out to Ron.
"I saw this today in Hogsmeade, and...well...I thought of you. I remembered that you told Harry that you thought being an auror would be wonderful, so I thought you might like it."
Surprised, Ron took the book and looked down at the title: Success Strategies for the Aspiring Auror. Even more surprised, he looked back up at Hermione, who was blushing slightly . "Thank you, Hermione," he said, genuinely meaning it. "But I'm not sure I could ever be something so great as an auror."
"I do," Hermione said quietly. "I believe in you, Ron, even if you don't believe in yourself. There's greatness in you, you just don't see it." Suddenly very embarrassed, she looked down at her hands, her face turning a deep red. "I'll always believe in you," she whispered.
Ron felt his own face turning red, and he looked down at the book, unable to look at Hermione any longer. "Thank you," he said softly. She nodded, still looking at her hands. They sat quietly for a moment. Finally, Ron raised his head and looked at her. Taking a deep breath, he reached out and laid his hand on top of hers. "Really...that means a lot to me, Hermione."
She nodded again and looked up at him. Their eyes meeting, they sat and contemplated each other for several minutes. I could kiss her...right now. The minutes stretched out. "Why aren't you kissing her?!" an annoying little voice inside Ron's head demanded. While Ron was trying to figure out the answer to that, the moment passed as Hermione looked away.
"Well...it's late. I think I'll go to bed." Standing up, she picked up her bag and started toward the stairs.
"Yeah, me too," Ron said as he followed her across the common room. As she began to climb the steps, he realized he didn't want her to go, not yet. "Hermione." She stopped and turned back to him.
"Er...I wish we could have gone to Hogsmeade together. And I wish I had gotten you something for Valentine's Day."
She smiled. "That's all right, Ron. You gave me that nice perfume for Christmas. And I gave you a homework planner," she said with a grin.
"That was nice, too. And I use it." She looked at him with raised eyebrows. "Well...sometimes I use it." When she continued to look at him, he finally gave in. "All right, all right--it's under my bed."
She laughed and came toward him. "That's what I thought." She hugged him tightly, and for once he had enough presence of mind to hug her back. "Happy Valentine's Day," she said as she stepped back.
"Happy Valentine's Day, Hermione." He watched her quickly climb the stairs to her dormitory, then turned and started up his own stairs.
Harry opened his eyes and looked sleepily at Ron. "Okay. You two had still not admitted your feelings for each other on Valentine's Day. When exactly did it happen?"
"Believe it or not, it happened on the night after the battle in the Department of Mysteries, while we were in the infirmary together. We just finally told each other how we felt. And that was that."
"And that was that. In other words, you're not going to tell me everything," Harry said, grinning.
Ron looked at him sheepishly. "What can I say, Harry? I love her. And for some reason, she loves me."
Harry yawned and took off his glasses, putting them on the night stand. "Well, I really am happy for you two. But you could have told me." He lay back on his pillow.
"I know, we should have. I'm sorry. But we really..." Ron trailed off as he heard Harry begin to snore. "Cure for sleeplessness, huh?" he laughed.
Ron lay back in his bed, his arms folded behind his head. He hadn't told Harry everything that had happened in the infirmary. Some things were just private, not to be shared with others, not even your best friend. He smiled, remembering how he and Hermione had finally admitted their feelings for each other...
Next chapter: What Ron didn't tell Harry.