The End of Summer Chap. 3
The remainder of the summer holiday quickly sped by. Eventually the day came when their Hogwarts school lists arrived. Ron ripped open his letter and stared down at the shiny badge that said Head Boy. Ron looked up at Harry and Hermione, who were also opening their letters. Hermione had the same badge in her hand, and was staring down at it intently.Harry, who honestly did not expect to be Head Boy, gave Ron a hard clap on the back.
"Well done Ron!" he congratulated.
Ron stared at his badge as if it was a golden egg. He could hardly believe it. He was Head Boy. Something stirred inside of him at the thought. He distinctly remembered back to when he was 11 and was staring into the mirror of Erised, seeing himself as Head Boy.
"Wow," he said plainly.
Hermione looked up, grinning widely, "That's wonderful Ron! I'm so happy for you."
Ron looked up at her, "Thanks. I'm happy for you too," he was talking with a hollow sound in his voice; obviously, he was still in shock.
Ginny walked into the room and immediately noticed the badges.
"Wow! You're Head Boy and Girl!?" she said to Ron and Hermione.
They both nodded.
"Have you told mum yet? She'll be really happy," Ginny said, looking at Ron. She herself was a Prefect.
"No, haven't told mum yet," he said, still staring at his badge, this time with a grin from ear to ear.
"Told me what?" asked Mrs. Weasley as she walked into the room.
Instantly, she saw Ron holding the badge. Much like in their fifth year, when she had discovered he was a Prefect, she hugged him and kissed him on the cheek multiple times.
"MUM! Please!"
"Alright, alright dear!" she said, still smiling. "We have to celebrate!" she announced.
That night was like a recreation of the fifth year celebration. This time the banner above the kitchen table said, "Congrats, Ron and Hermione--New Head Boy and Girl" Music was blaring from a radio, and everyone in the house was either eating or dancing. Arthur grabbed Molly's hand and swung her around him. Giggling, they danced, out of tune, to the song on the radio.
Ginny walked up to Harry, "Fancy a dance, Harry?" she asked.
Honestly, Harry wasn't much into dancing. His only experience had been at the Yule Ball in his fourth year, and it hadn't been a good one. But the bright look on Ginny's face made it hard for Harry to say no. He reluctantly took the hand she held out to him, and they made their way to the center of the living room.
Fred and George cornered Ron.
"So Head Boy, huh?"-
"--You've turned out to be quite a disappointment"-
"--Don't go turning into another Percy--," they warned, smiling,
"--Or we'll have to start calling you 'Humongous Bighead'."
They laughed heartily, before walking away to grab some food. The twins were older, but apparently, had not matured very much. Ron turned around and Hermione stood in front of him.
"Hello Ron, Fred and George bothering you about being made Head Boy?" she asked, knowingly.
It always amazed Ron at how intelligent and perceptive she was.
"Erm, just a bit. No big deal," he said.
"Oh," said Hermione.
Ron had the feeling she wanted to say something else, and he stared intently at her.
She cleared her throat, "Um, would you like to...dance?" she said, awkwardly.
Ron, like Harry, hated dancing. But the prospect of holding Hermione in his arms was worth the embarrassment.
"Sure," he said nervously.
Slipping her hand into his, Hermione led the way to an empty spot in the living room, now converted into a dance floor. The song on the radio suddenly turned to a slow one. Arthur and Molly cuddled, swaying from side to side. Harry, who was wearing an expression a bit pinker than usual, had Ginny's head resting on his shoulder. He looked a bit mortified, but swayed with Ginny, in tune to the music. George and Fred, each holding a chicken leg, were also swaying side to side, and holding each other, clearly mocking everyone. They did this for about 30 seconds, before erupting into uproarious laughter.
"SHH!" said Mrs. Weasley.
They continued to giggle, but left the dance floor in search of more chicken.
Ron stood in front of Hermione. He was much taller than she was, and she had to look up at him. He looked uncertain, and more mortified than Harry did. She grabbed his hand and stepped towards him. Instinctively, he placed his other hand on her waist. She smiled up at him reassuringly, to show that he was putting his hand in the right place. Ron swallowed loudly and the heat in his face began to show clearly. Hermione began to lead, and Ron followed along. She gently placed her head onto his shoulder, more like his chest because of his height. They slowly moved from side to side. 'This wasn't so hard' he thought, 'a bit nerve-wracking, but not hard.' He looked down at the bushy brown-haired girl in front of him. He felt his heart beating loudly in his chest, and wondered, terrified, if Hermione could hear it. If she could, she made no sign that she did. She remained, with her head on his chest, swaying from side to side. He felt the desperate need to take her chin in his hands, and pull her face up for a kiss. But he couldn't. It would change everything. Worse, what if she pulled away in horror at the thought of his lips on hers. No, it was better to fight his desire, and not chance being scarred for life.
Abruptly, the song ended. Strangely, it took Hermione a second to pull away from Ron. The warm spot on Ron's chest now felt oddly bare without Hermione's head there.
Hermione looked up at him and smiled sincerely, "Not as bad as the Yule Ball, huh?"
Again, she amazed him, always knowing what was going on.
"No," he rushed out, in almost a whisper.
The rest of the night passed with fun and laughter. Things were going great. Ron had never been so happy in his life. He was Head Boy, Keeper on the Quidditch team, and he had his last year at Hogwarts to look forward to. Lying on his bed, he smiled to himself, thinking what a great year this would be. Hermione entered his mind, and he felt his heartstrings being tugged. 'Even if she never feels the same way about you, you've got to realize how lucky you are to have her in your life', Ron nodded, agreeing with himself silently. 'Still, it'd be better if she did feel the same', thought Ron decidedly.
