FOUR

"HERMIONE"

Hermione reached her new room nearly a half hour after Ron. She had wanted to slip into the library after taking the first years to the Gryffindor tower. Ron had offered his usual eye rolling, but she had gone regardless and picked up a few books for her bedside table. She slipped into the Head Boy and Girl's quarters after giving the password, "Lemon Meringue." There was a general common room that she and Ron would share, much like the Gryffindor one except smaller, then two separate staircases that led to either of their rooms.

She made her way up her staircase and pushed open the heavy oak door that led to her room and stepped inside cautiously, looking around. Her trunk was at the base of her bed, the neat stacks of clothes that had inhabited it had already been put away. She scowled, thinking of the house elves, and put her new library books on the side table. Hermione drew her curtains shut out of habit, appreciating the warm glow that the fireplace sent out around her room. Her bed was like her old one in the Gryffindor tower, canopied with thick fabric, though this was a deep red and gold with fine stitching. She spun, taking it all in, her new personal room. As she was about to go peer into a rather large wardrobe, she heard Ron's voice calling her from the common room.

She let herself out of her room and peered down the staircase.

"Ron? Are you calling me?" she asked down the stairs.

She saw his head appear from behind a column as he waved up at her. "Hey, Hermione! Back from your adventures at the library?" he asked. "I really don't see why you're there already, classes haven't even begun yet!"

Hermione sighed and began down the stairs, then sank into a stuffed armchair that sat beside a large table for doing work. Ron took her cue and sat in a chair opposite her, resting his elbows against the wood.

"What's this? Do the house elves bring us our meals here or something?"

Hermione scowled at him. "No. They do not. It's for doing work, Ron."

"Oh, right," he chuckled, looking away from her.

Hermione rested her head back into the chair, closing her eyes for a beat. "It's nice here, don't you think? All this quiet and no one throwing wizard crackers about the room?"

Ron shrugged, looking over his shoulder to glance at the fireplace. "It's alright."

"What? What don't you like about it? It's so... peaceful!"

"That's just it, though!" he said. "I miss the noise and the people."

"How can you miss that?" Hermione asked, making a face.

"I guess we're just opposites. But I know it's going to be hard not being with all the guys in one room like all the other years."

Hermione nodded, making a noncommittal noise.

"Well aren't you going to miss...oh."

"'Aren't I going to miss all the lovely girls in my dorm whom I never speak to?' Is that what you were going to ask me?"

"I guess it's not the same, then."

"No, it's not. You have Harry to miss. Well, so do I, but you shared a room with him. I didn't."

"Hah. Don't expect me to be missing Harry so quickly." Ron snorted.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You didn't see him making eyes at my sister during the Sorting Ceremony? Or was it just me who noticed?"

"Ronald, you're completely over reacting. They're not doing anything."

"Oh, you're real brilliant, Hermione. Real observant and all. Maybe I was the only one who noticed them practically drooling at each other the whole meal."

Hermione sighed, rolling her eyes. "Please."

Ron stood up from his chair, pushing off the table. Moving a little too quickly, he nearly toppled the chair and himself, but caught himself against the table. He stormed halfway up the staircase before turning around, and called back down the stairs towards Hermione.

"I just don't need this happening right now, that's all."

He ran the way up the stairs and his door slammed behind him, making the lights in the room flicker. Hermione winced, placing a hand to her forehead. Ron was acting like a complete and utter child, and it was so unlike him to be like this. She turned to look into the fire, her mind drifting off into other places. She thought of what Ron had said, her not missing anyone from the room she shared with the girls. It was true, though. Despite living in the same room for so many years she hardly knew any of them. Every year she was either off with Ron or Harry or both, studying in the library or the common room or wandering Hogwarts on her own.
'It's not my fault, though,' Hermione thought bitterly, the flames dancing round the room.

And then there was Ron, acting so childishly, which as she thought before, was so unlike him. He was usually levelheaded when it came to things besides spiders or his mother. And Ginny liking Harry wasn't some new marvel to him, either. Her crush was a long, drawn out crush that hadn't gone unnoticed by nearly anyone at Hogwarts.