Back up in the dormitory, Ron was sitting on his four-poster bed with his face in his hands.
His voice was muffled when he spoke. "I can't believe it. I must be the biggest git. This is too hard. Harry, what am I going to do? If I can't even look at her without going all... red and-"
Harry knew exactly how he was feeling. "Don't worry, it's normal to be nervous. Remember how I was in our fifth year with Cho? I didn't have a clue what to do, and Hermione helped me out a bit. She'll understand if you don't do everything right, only because she knows you so well. "
"That's just the problem," Ron said, "We're such good... friends. If something goes wrong, it could ruin all that. I can't let that happen. I'll never forgive myself if it does. She's too important to me."
"That's why you have to think of a perfect plan. You need to think of somewhere she will never expect to find a letter from you, but it also has to be somewhere that she looks everyday, and defiantly a place where she will be the only one to find it," said Harry, thinking hard. "It has to be real good.."
They sat thinking for a good 10 minutes, sometimes throwing ideas around, but Ron didn't like any of them. Harry was about to give up and suggest that they go down to breakfast to meet Hermione when Ron suddenly sat up, "I have an idea. But... wait. I can summon it, and... when she's not looking... Yeah! I think I have the perfect plan! Harry... you could come and distract her... yes.. it should work! Come here let me show you."
Harry sat down beside and Ron started explaining what they had to do.
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When Harry and Ron finally got down to breakfast, Hermione was sitting at the table, munching on a piece of toast, and reading her Arithmancy book. "It took you long enough. What were you doing up there?" she said, glancing up from her book.
"Nothing.... Why are you reading, Hermione? It's Saturday." Ron asked.
Harry noticed that he must have convinced himself to act normal, because his face wasn't red as he spoke, but his voice was a bit shaky.
"Well, I'm doing some Arithmancy N.E.W.T. practice exams, just to see how I'd do. I mean, if I don't what I'd do if I failed them. The class is hard enough itself, and what if they put something in them that we haven't learned, just to see if we knew, or maybe deliberately not taught us something to see if we were smart enough to figure it out on our own. Or maybe they'll-" She said worriedly. She looked frightened at just the thought.
"Don't worry. You'll do fine... you always do," Ron said, reassuringly, "Besides, the exams aren't until next June..."
Hermione looked annoyed. "Yes, I know, but it's always good to have a head start. You know, you two should really start trying harder with your homework. I'm not going to be there to help in your exams for Divination, and I can't believe you didn't give that up because it's just a load of-"
"Hermione, will you stop worrying? It's bad enough that we have to listen to the teachers telling us this, we don't need it from you," Ron retorted.
They went at it for two whole minutes before Harry spoke, seeing Ron open his mouth to snap something back at Hermione. "Just drop it, Ron. So... what should we do today?"
The rest on the weekend passed in a flash. They spent the hours on the grounds, having snowball fights, and up in the common room playing chess, and gobstones, while Hermione sat curled up watching them and reading her school books.
His voice was muffled when he spoke. "I can't believe it. I must be the biggest git. This is too hard. Harry, what am I going to do? If I can't even look at her without going all... red and-"
Harry knew exactly how he was feeling. "Don't worry, it's normal to be nervous. Remember how I was in our fifth year with Cho? I didn't have a clue what to do, and Hermione helped me out a bit. She'll understand if you don't do everything right, only because she knows you so well. "
"That's just the problem," Ron said, "We're such good... friends. If something goes wrong, it could ruin all that. I can't let that happen. I'll never forgive myself if it does. She's too important to me."
"That's why you have to think of a perfect plan. You need to think of somewhere she will never expect to find a letter from you, but it also has to be somewhere that she looks everyday, and defiantly a place where she will be the only one to find it," said Harry, thinking hard. "It has to be real good.."
They sat thinking for a good 10 minutes, sometimes throwing ideas around, but Ron didn't like any of them. Harry was about to give up and suggest that they go down to breakfast to meet Hermione when Ron suddenly sat up, "I have an idea. But... wait. I can summon it, and... when she's not looking... Yeah! I think I have the perfect plan! Harry... you could come and distract her... yes.. it should work! Come here let me show you."
Harry sat down beside and Ron started explaining what they had to do.
----------------------
When Harry and Ron finally got down to breakfast, Hermione was sitting at the table, munching on a piece of toast, and reading her Arithmancy book. "It took you long enough. What were you doing up there?" she said, glancing up from her book.
"Nothing.... Why are you reading, Hermione? It's Saturday." Ron asked.
Harry noticed that he must have convinced himself to act normal, because his face wasn't red as he spoke, but his voice was a bit shaky.
"Well, I'm doing some Arithmancy N.E.W.T. practice exams, just to see how I'd do. I mean, if I don't what I'd do if I failed them. The class is hard enough itself, and what if they put something in them that we haven't learned, just to see if we knew, or maybe deliberately not taught us something to see if we were smart enough to figure it out on our own. Or maybe they'll-" She said worriedly. She looked frightened at just the thought.
"Don't worry. You'll do fine... you always do," Ron said, reassuringly, "Besides, the exams aren't until next June..."
Hermione looked annoyed. "Yes, I know, but it's always good to have a head start. You know, you two should really start trying harder with your homework. I'm not going to be there to help in your exams for Divination, and I can't believe you didn't give that up because it's just a load of-"
"Hermione, will you stop worrying? It's bad enough that we have to listen to the teachers telling us this, we don't need it from you," Ron retorted.
They went at it for two whole minutes before Harry spoke, seeing Ron open his mouth to snap something back at Hermione. "Just drop it, Ron. So... what should we do today?"
The rest on the weekend passed in a flash. They spent the hours on the grounds, having snowball fights, and up in the common room playing chess, and gobstones, while Hermione sat curled up watching them and reading her school books.