Chapter Eight- First Night Hogsmeade

A week had passed since Christmas and now New Years Eve was upon them. By the afternoon, they had gathered in the common room, waiting to go to the town of Hogsmeade. Few had showed up as dark clouds had surrounded the castle, and it looked to be a thunderous evening. Hermione however, was sunny as she flounced down the stairs looking unusually kempt and flustered. Her normally bushy hair had been tamed into soft curls, and to the surprise of Harry and Ron, she even had applied a light smattering of make-up. Ron, not knowing how to react to her change in appearance, ignored it, which seemed to disappoint her. 'At least I won't have to worry about Malfoy.' Ron thought.

Upon departure to the gates, Hermione seemed upset when she learned that Harry was coming with them, but quickly recovered. If Ron thought this was bizarre, he was befuddled at Hermione's request for dinner with him at Madam Puddifoot's. Harry took off with Dean and Seamus to look as quidditch supplies, so Ron wearily complied.

Madam Puddifoot's was a small frilly teashop that tended to cater mostly to couples. It was this that was making Ron extremely nervous, this and the change that had grabbed hold of Hermione. She walked through the door with the air of something monumental happening, and beamed at him from across the table when they sat down.

"Hermione, what's up with you?" He asked after they had ordered two coffees and some crumpets. "You've been acting strange all week."

"Well, last week was quite special," she stated, unfazed by his question. She fingered the Protamour charm that she now wore around her neck. Ron hadn't told her what it really was. She lovingly pressed the necklace into her skin and gave a little sigh. "You know, it took you long enough." She said nostalgically.

"Long enough to do what?" Ron was growing more confused by the minute.

"Well, you know...when you gave me this, it really showed me your feelings. I'd been waiting so long, I was starting to think that I had simply imagined a lot of things."

"Like what?"

"Well," she thought, her brown eyes twinkling. "Trying to make Malfoy eat slugs on my behalf in our second year...then you told off Snape in front of the whole defense against the dark arts class because he called me a know-it-all, third year. Need I even mention the Yule Ball?" She smiled despite the blatant look of confusionon Ron's freckled face.

"But Hermione, I..."

"I tried to show my feelings back to you, of course. Remember when I kissed you on the cheek before the quidditch match last year? It did take some nerve on that one. Oh, I'm so happy that we're here tonight, Ron. We've finally progressed beyond teasing and bickering with each other. I'm so happy we came to be..."

"Why did you want to come here any way?" He cut in roughly. "This is a couple's café." Deep down, he knew it was wrong, but he had to do it. Things were moving way too fast. Did she think that they were a couple? Because he gave her a necklace? Judging by the stormy look on her face, the answer was probably yes.

Hermione felt like she had just been slapped. Surely he was joking. For six years, they had defended each other, protected and tortured each other, teased and nurtured and secretly loved each other and this year, finally they had a breakthrough. He had held her hand, he had put his arm around her, he had held her! He gave her a heart shaped necklace! What was it supposed to mean? Rage flamed inside her, igniting doubt.

"I thought we were." She shuttered. She took off the Protamour charm and quickly left the teashop. Tears of rejection streamed down her face as she ran down the street. Ron dashed out of the shop and shouted her name. He tried to look for her, but the heavy rain that had started to fall and the dark of the night shrouded his view. He swore under his breath, knowing he had made the biggest mistake of his young life.

After a good amount of brooding and aimless wandering through Hogsmeade, full of loud, exited crowds of people anticipating the stroke of midnight, Ron found himself in the Three Broomsticks. He spotted his sister Ginny sitting at a table with some friends. He whispered his predicament to her, and she excused herself from her celebrating group to sit down and consol her brother. She looked at him darkly.

"You acted like a right git, you know."

"I know." He said miserably, his head in his hands. "She scared me a little bit."

"Well I'm not saying Madam Puddifoot's was a good idea, but still. Honestly, Ron what did you think would happen? Didn't you intent her to take it that way?"

Ron just hung his head, and stared down at the gold, heart shaped necklace in his hand.

In different part of Hogsmeade, another soul was seeking solace. Hermione had broken into the shrieking shack, feeling similar to what she had felt when Ron called her a nightmare in their first year. Only now it was more complicated, and much more painful. Then, she had shut herself up in a bathroom. The shrieking shack seemed the best place for some privacy.

She had felt like such a fool. Such a damn fool. He never asked her if she wanted to be together. She had just assumed they were. And now he knew. What must he think of her? She looked down and caught her reflection in the shard of a broken mirror on the floor. Her softly formed curls were now rain soaked, and her well-done make-up had been ruined by tears. Remnants of her high hopes for today. Her and Ron's first visit to Hogsmeade as a couple. She burst into tears once more, sinking onto the ground, head in her hands.

Back at the Three Broomsticks, Ginny continued her counsel on Ron. He reluctantly went into detail on exactly what had lead up to tonight. She sat back and listened with empathy. When he was done she shook her head.

"I think this had gotten a little out of hand. It really boils down to just one thing, doesn't it?"

"What?"

"Do you love her?"

Ron's eyes could have burned a hole through the table, but he closed them. "Suppose that doesn't matter anymore. Look at the charm. It's turned black. Probably means she hates me now." He said sullenly.

Ginny gasped alarmingly. "Ron! Didn't you read the whole chapter on Protamour charms? If it turns black, it means she's in danger!" He looked up, suddenly alert.

At this moment, a quarter to midnight, someone was sneaking into Hogsmeade. Someone who didn't know about the path behind the statute of the one eyed witch. Someone who did know about the knot at the trunk of the whomping willow.

AN- Ha ha ha, another sort of cliffhanger. Who is sneaking into Hogsmeade? Well, it ain't Luna Lovegood. What was it Moody used to say? Something like constant vigilance?