Hi Everybody! I'm really sorry my first chappie was so short, so maybe this one will make up for it.
Disclaimer: I know I don't own them, you know I don't own them, my cat knows I don't own them, so what's the point of writing it?
Everyone was crammed into a small room in St. Mungos; Mrs. Weasley was sitting right next to Ron's bed, silently weeping. Ginny was trying to console Mr. Weasley, for whom tears were not enough. He just stood by Ron's bed, his eyes focused on a large cut on Ron's upper for-arm. Percy, Bill, and Charlie were sitting together in a small circle they made with their chairs. Fred and George stood quietly at the edge of their youngest brothers bed. Both of their eyes had welled up with tears, but not a single drop was spilled. Hermoine and Harry were sitting in chairs on opposite sides of the rooms. Hermoine was crying into her hands and Harry watched the Weasley clan mourn.
Both met each others gaze, and then quickly dropped their heads. Both Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were guided out of the room by Ginny, who was holding her tears back only for her parents confidence, followed by the rest of the Weasley clan. Hermoine and Harry lingered by Ron's bed. Hermoine was the first to speak. "I'm so sorry Ron, I'll never forgive myself if... what happened... is permanent. I know it. It's my fault. I'm sure of it." in an inaudible whisper. Hermoine dropped her head into a bow.
Harry looked directly at Ron's face and spoke. "Come on mate, you can get through this. You've gotten through tougher stuff before. Remember the huge chess set, the Womping Willow, the dementors; you've through it all with me. I don't want to go through anything like that alone. Stay here. We need you here, now. I need you here. I couldn't imagine going through any faze of my life without you right there with me."
Harry stepped back away from the bed and Hermoine moved towards it again and again she spoke in a whisper. "Ron," she said as a single, solitary tear dropped from her face, "I love you."
A/n: this flashback is REALLY long because I have to explain what happened before this, so it might be a couple chapters.
Flashback
"Ron, hey Ron! Wait up!" Harry called out.
"Come on Harry, you're gonna make us late for Transfiguration, again!" Hermoine was walking quickly and was already at the Transfiguration door talking to Prof. Mcgonagall when she cried out.
"I don't believe it!"
"Miss Granger! Keep your voice down. Prof. Dumbledore and the House teachers have all agreed on this. And no matter how many temper tantrums the students may throw, you are going to work harmoniously with your peers. Now please, Miss Granger, read the board and sit where I have assigned you," said Prof Mcgonagall curtly. "Oh, and Mr. Finnegan, do not do that to the cat, I'm sure it does not appreciate it," she added.
"Oi, Hermoine, what was that all about?" Ron asked.
"Why don't you go see for yourself?" Hermoine snapped. Ron and Harry soon found out why Hermoine was angry. In Prof. Mcgonagall's perfect cursive, the Board read:
In order to bring House relations closer together, the faculty, including myself, has agreed on pushing the matter. We feel we must do this, and we know, you may not like others from different houses, but you will respect them. To do this we will have new seating charts in all classrooms, you will sit next to someone of a different House. For the rest of the year
you will sit beside the person next to you on the seating chart.
Ernie Mcmillian; Ronald Weasley
Lisa Turpin; Dean Thomas
Blaise Zambini; Terry Boot
Lavender Brown; Millicent Bulstrode
Hannah Abbott; Neville Longbottum
Vincent Crabbe; Parvarti Patil
Pansy Parkinson; Harry Potter
Gregory Goyle; Seamus Finnigan
Mandy Brocklehurst; Justin FinchFletchley
Draco Malfoy; Hermoine Granger
"I don't believe it! Hermoine you have to sit by... Malfoy! That little scumbag! Just tell us, Hermoine if he does anything out of line we'll pound him to a pulp!" said an enraged Ron. Harry stood by and nodded in anger.
"Well thank you Ron, but know very well that I can stand my own ground around Malfoy. Remember that slap in third year?" Hermoine said confidently.
"How could I forget? It's still the best day in history, besides maybe the ferret incident." Ron smiled fondly. "Ugg! Harry you have to sit by Pansy Parkinson, I think she's the girl that hangs out with Malfoy all the time."
"That cow! She's a complete cow. You know one time I'd like to get her alone and then I'd..."
"Hey guys," Neville said, "I have to sit by Hannah, but that's ok, she's smart maybe she can help me with my Transfiguration. Oh, yea, Hermoine sorry you have to sit by Malfoy."
"Yea, whatever." Said Hermoine, still fuming. Before Neville could ask what was wrong with her, Ron said,
"She's just a little angry right now, it would be a very good idea not to go near her right now." Then he added in a whisper, "I think it may that 'time of the month' for her." Hermoine heard that.
"Ronald Weasley, don't you dare assume anything like that, just because I'm not 'in love' with this seating arrangement, does not mean, on any level, that I'm going through my menstrual cycle!"
Inquisitive Ron asked, "Well, are you?"
"Y-yes, but, my anger is NOT being caused by P.M.S. This is just me, angry." Hermoine said uneasily.
"Then I'd hate to see what you'd look like pissed off with P.M.S." Ron retorted.
"I'm not sure, but if I was, you'd be lucky if you got through the day with both of you're balls still intact." Said Hermoine very heatedly. At that moment, Ron knew it was time to back off. As he went he mumbled quickly.
"I-ii'm j-just gon-na go ove-over there now." Hermoine laughed, but anger swept over her face, when she met eyes with her new seat partner. Both threw each other the deepest looks of revulsion.
Pretty much everyone in the room looked p.o.'ed, and if would have been very difficult for Prof. Mcgonagall not to notice. So she spoke. "Well, welcome to Transfiguration, as you must have notice there is a...slight change in seating..." There was a loud, obvious scoff from the back of the room.
Hermoine nudged Malfoy and whispered, "Shut it Malfoy."
Then Mcgonagall continued, "Aah, yes, right, well, because of this... err... situation... we will have 10 min. each day where we'll converse with someone of a different house, and today, you will talk to the person sitting next to you."
Pansy Parkinson blurted, "Do we have to talk to them for the whole 10 minutes?"
A sigh came from Prof. Mcgonagall and she said, "Yes, the WHOLE 10 minutes. Now let's get started."
For the first several minutes nothing was said by Hermoine or Malfoy until he finally said, "I can't believe I have to sit by this mudblood, probably the worst of all of them, you aren't fit to wipe my shoes Granger."
"Malfoy, I'm sick of it, every time you see me or Harry or Ron you try to find something about us to insult. I mean it's like you try to be around us all the time. But do you know what I love?" All of a sudden Hermoine leaned toward Malfoy. Malfoy got nervous. "I love when you screw up. Every time that happens, it takes you down off your pedestal and puts you at the same height as every other human. I think you're jealous, every time you jeer at us, it's because you're jealous, you wish you actually had friends, unlike your stupid cronies and Pansy. You just try to make me as miserable as you are, so no one will be able to say that that little 'mudblood' has a better life that rich, popular Draco Malfoy."
Draco kept his mouth shut the rest of Transfiguration. After Transfiguration Harry walked up to Hermoine and asked, "What did you do to Malfoy, he got out of here quick, he looked like he was scared or something." Hermoine had the pleasure of telling Harry and Ron what she said to him.
Ron the first to speak, Harry was still stunned, "Go Hermoine."
"Yea, come on guys, we'll be late for lunch, some people are really getting into S.P.E.W. and I think I can get her to join before next class hour. Ron secretly whispered an 'oh my god' to Harry.
"Look Ron, come on, both you and me know you like Hermoine, hell I wouldn't be surprised if she did too. Why don't you just up to her and tell her how you feel? It would make me feel a whole lot better, and you would stop feeling sorry for yourself." Harry said.
Ron, surprised by the so sudden change in topic spoke, "Harry, I know you're right, but what if she doesn't feel the same way?"
"But what if she does?"
"Good Point."
Later by the Forbidden Forest
"Hermoine, hey what are doing over here?" Ron asked
"Oh, just a bit of reading."
"Oh." Ron said as if had been obvious. It was silent between them for a minute or two.
"Umm... Ron, did you want to talk to me about something?"
"Wha...? Oh yea! I guess I forgot. Hermoine what do you think of me?"
"Well, I know you can be smart, at times, you're a great keeper, even though you don't have much confidence, you temper is sometimes higher than it should..."
"No, not like that, I mean what do you think of ME?"
"I... guess I don't know what you mean Ron."
"I... would you like to hang out with me ever?"
"Yea, I love to. You and Harry are really funny."
"No I mean just you and me, not Harry."
"Oh, OH, oh. Well, yea, I guess that would be fun." A warm smile spread over her face, and then Ron's lit up too.
"So, would it be ok it we went to the Three Broomsticks together on Saturday?" said Ron hopefully.
Hermoine smiled again and then said, "You know what Ron? I think I would really like that."
Umm... you can review if you want to. I don't care as long as you've read it.