Chapter Five- Just a Simple Question

They sat there staring for a few moments, while an awkward silence hung over them. The only sound came from Buckbeak, who snorted to get the attention riveted on him instead.

"Ron," Hermione started, looking at him in awe. "Why did you do that?"

Ron stared at Hermione, a look of satisfaction on his face that countered Hermione's confusion. He shrugged his shoulders. Hermione's brain snapped back into gear as best it could. She felt like she had swallowed butterflies.

"Let me give you a few options to choose from. You either one; like me. Two; wanted to make me shut up. Three; you have no idea. Or four; you just felt like it. Any of them sound correct?"

Pick number one, she silently pleaded with him.

Ron sighed. He had won an argument, and Hermione would most definitely get him back for this. He looked toward Buckbeak for consolation, but the hippogriff snorted loudly as if he were laughing, and trotted across the room to sit in the shadows.

Hermione was trying to maintain eye contact with Ron, but he kept looking away. She was beginning to regret she had even asked.

"Never mind." Hermione sighed. She pushed herself up off the bed and out of Ron's arms.

"Where are you going?" Ron asked, his eyes downcast.

"I have to go now. There's cleaning to be done." Hermione replied flatly.

Hermione left the room as quickly as she could, her eyes filling with tears. Why didn't he answer me? Why didn't he even look at me? I thought we were going to be more mature about things... answering a simple question seems mature. Maybe there's something wrong with me...

Hermione knew very well that Mrs. Weasley and Sirius had handled all of the cleaning last year, but she would have said her grandmother was dying if it would have gotten her out of that room. She made her way back down to her room, the tears falling down her face for the second time today.

Ron didn't know what to say to Hermione. He knew the answer to the question, but he just couldn't bring himself to say it. If he said the answer out loud, it would mean his brother's were right. It would mean things would get harder than they already were. It would mean he was ready to move things up a notch.

He chose answer number one.

But if he said it out loud, would things ever be able to go back to the way they were when they were 'just friends'? He couldn't take back the two unplanned kisses, or the things they had talked about. He couldn't take back his feelings for her, or what she felt for him. In his opinion, this relationship was a bomb that was about to explode.

He was too scared to get into a relationship with someone he really cared about. What if he screwed up somehow? It seemed possible. He screwed things up between them almost everyday, and they were only friends right now. Would his screw-ups be far worse if he told her his answer?

What if he hurt her, or she hurt him? Couples at Hogwarts rarely lasted long. Cheating was a common thing these days. What if something happened? Ron would never be able to take those things back either if they happened.

What if they went too far with their relationship? From what his brother's had told him, lust over-ruled common sense. After things got started there was no going back. You couldn't help but go on. He couldn't handle it if either one of them got hurt because of one lustful night.

So many things could go wrong in this relationship. So many things could go wrong in any relationship. Maybe he should wait and get some experience in this field with someone else before Hermione? She meant too much to him for him to screw this up.

"Never mind."

Hermione's voice cut sharply through his thoughts. He felt her body move away from his, and his heart felt like it had fallen through his toes. Maybe it would be best for him just to let things go, and pretend it never happened.

Like that's gonna work, he thought sullenly.

"Where are you going?" he asked. It was all he could manage to say. He averted his eyes from her to Buckbeak, who stared at him like he was stupid.

"I have to go now. There's cleaning to be done."

Ron chanced a quick glance at her before she left the room, and saw tears in her eyes, and suddenly felt ashamed.

It's better this way, he told himself. She's better off with someone else.

He had never felt this confused and yet certain.

But I'm better off with her.

After giving Buckbeak one last pat on the head and a promise to visit him again soon, Ron left to go find his brother's and for once ask for their advice.

"Oh Ginny it was terrible!" Hermione could be heard crying an hour later with Ginny in their shared bedroom. "He didn't answer me. He didn't look at me. He didn't show any emotion!"

"You threw him a tough one Hermione." Ginny tried to explain for at least the tenth time this afternoon. "Ron has never been one to tell what he's feeling, or show what he's feeling either. He hides things very well for the most part. Even asking him a simple question with simple answers is a task. But I must say... you did not ask that simple of a question."

"What do you mean Gin? It was extremely simple. All he had to do was say a number!" Hermione whined, stuffing her face into her pillow and screaming.

"I would have trouble even answering that one, especially if I had just kissed someone everyone else knew I liked. How is there a simple answer to that question 'Mione? He was probably battling his pride and his emotions for you at the same time. For all he knew he could have gotten shot down by you, and that would have killed him.

Hermione stared at her only true girl friend and thought this over. She still thought it was a simple question. He either liked her, he didn't, or he wasn't sure. It's not that hard to say a number, Hermione stubbornly thought. I could count a million possible answers if asked. All he had to count to was four. Four for God's sake!

"I still don't think it's that difficult." Hermione repeated.

"Fine. You sit and think about how it isn't difficult while I go find Harry and get the scoop on Ron." Ginny said before slamming the bedroom door. She was obviously getting frustrated with Hermione.

"I was so hoping he would have said one." Hermione said sadly to herself.

She laid her head down on her pillow and was fast asleep within seconds, dreaming of what would have happened if Ron had only said one...

"Am I right or and I wrong about this?" Ron asked his brothers after explaining to them for the past half an hour what was going through his head when Hermione had asked him such a simple question.

"Not to say we told you so, but she did end up liking you just like we told you she would." Fred said with a smirk.

Ron, Harry, and the twins were all sitting in the twin's bedroom. Ron was fiddling with a string that was unraveling from the bed cover. He wasn't maintaining eye contact with any of the other three boys either, just like he hadn't done with Hermione.

"You were right, ok? You were right. I was wrong. I need your help now. Just stop being complete prats, all right?" Ron snapped angrily.

Harry stared absently at the wall, trying to think of ways to help Ron, but finding his mind wandering back to the time he and Ginny had spent together this morning. George was eating different Wizard Wheezes to test them out, amusing himself when he turned into a giant slug and started oozing putrid green slime. Fred was trying to turn his twin back into a wizard.

"None of you seem to be taking this seriously. I didn't know what to do, so I came to you guys for advice." Ron said evenly, keeping his temper in control. "I guess that was stupid of me."

He walked swiftly out of the room, slamming the door just as he heard one upstairs slam. Mrs. Black started to howl, but oddly enough, quieted down almost immediately.

Ron sat down in the hallway, his mind a jumble of thoughts and emotions.

Harry came out of the bedroom, leaving Ron's now slug-brother oozing all over Fred, who was starting to grow tentacles. Ron couldn't help but laugh at them. Harry smiled weakly and slid down the wall to squat next to him.

"Listen mate," Harry began, rubbing his forehead. "I think you should talk to Hermione about this. I'm sure she understands more than anyone what's going on right now. She's feeling the same things you are Ron. Maybe you could work this out together?"

Ron thought it over quickly and nodded. It seemed like a good idea. Maybe Hermione did understand.

"Harry! I've been looking everywhere for you!" Ginny exclaimed merrily as she came skipping around the corner. She gave Harry a hug before spotting Ron.

"Where've you been all day?" Ron asked her moodily.

"In the house, same as you. You best go talk to Hermione. And tell her I won't talk to either one of you until you figure this out."

Ron stared at her for a moment, and then focused on the grinning Harry who nodded in agreement, his arm still around her waist.

"Fine then. I'm going." Ron sighed heavily.

"Good luck mate. Ginny and I are off to save what's left of your brothers." Harry said as Ron turned and made his way upstairs. Ginny was laughing hysterically by the time Ron had made it to the next floor. Harry could be heard yelling for her to get back. Ron merely laughed, remembering what his brothers had looked like from the hall.

Well, he thought as he reached the girls bedroom door and knocked softly. I guess this is it.