"Love Chronicles"
By Fistful of Moondust
Disclaimer: The characters mentioned in this story belong to J.K. Rowling. The song, my inspiration for these two chapters, belongs to Avril Lavigne.
Part I:
Chapter 1: Fall to Pieces
I looked away
Then I looked back at you
Ron grabbed Hermione by the hand and pulled her into a darkened corridor, leading her finally to an empty classroom.
Hermione, befuddled, could feel her face burning bright. What was Ron doing? Why was he leading her to an empty classroom late in the evening? More importantly, she thought shyly, why aren't I protesting?
The door seemed to bang and crash as it slammed shut. Hermione held her breath, thinking that the whole castle must have felt, if not heard, the noise.
"What are you doing Ron?" she asked in a hushed whisper, silently thrilled that she had managed to find her voice at all.
He stood in front of her, acting nervous, full of energy like he did before Quidditch matches. His hand scratched his red hair, making it stick up wildly in some places and lay flat in others. Hermione thought it rather endearing.
"What kind of things do girls like?" he finally said.
Hermione blinked at him only a couple times, her heart telling her this was it. He was finally going to admit it. Everything.
"The same things as guys, I guess."
He gaped at her and she had to laugh. "No…I mean…well, I don't know. What are you asking about specifically?" she asked.
He shuffled his feet around, something on the tile of stone suddenly becoming very interesting. "Romantically, I mean," he muttered just loud enough that only the painting nearest to them snorted.
She shot the painting a dirty look. The castle paintings really did need to learn their manners.
"Well," she began, turning her full attention back to Ron, "it depends on the girl, I suppose. Poetry is nice. Flowers. Chocolate."
He sighed. "I was afraid of that," he replied wearily. He walked away from her, leaving her in the darkened entryway of the classroom. When he stepped into the moonlight, shining in through one of the slit windows, his hair was a silvery gold color. "What kind of things do you suppose Susan likes?"
You tried to say
Things that you can't undo
Hermione choked on her anticipation. Susan? As in Susan Bones? Where was this coming from?
Ron must have sensed her confusion and began backpedaling fiercely. "Just as an example, you know Hermione. I mean, Susan, she's just an average witch, right? I'd ask you what you like but you're not average Hermione, you're brilliant—
She held up her hand so that he could stop talking. She didn't want to hear about how un-average she was. About how smart she was…not that Susan Bones was all that pretty, but she probably was better looking to a bloke like Ron than she was.
If I had my way
I'd never get over you
Today's the day
I pray that we make it through
Make it through the fall
Make it through it all
"I must confess that I don't really know Susan, Ron. I mean, she's in Hufflepuff and well, in case you've forgotten…I'm not. I suppose she likes flowers and chocolates and poetry like an 'average' witch because like you said, she is rather average," Hermione stated. Even to her she sounded a little vindictive and humiliated.
And don't I have a right to be? He led me on…led me on to ask me what Susan would like!
She was beginning to get a headache. This was all too much thinking for her. She should never have befriended him their first year. The only reason she did was because (and it took her until Fourth Year to admit this) she had been smitten with him after the troll incident (although she was probably smitten by him even before that).
I don't want to fall to pieces
I just want to sit and stare at you
I don't want to talk about it
I don't want a conversation
"Are you alright, Hermione?" he asked quietly. Ron sensed that something had gone terribly wrong. He had a sneaking suspicion that it was all his fault too. But what was Hermione expecting? Why should she be upset or hurt by him?
He had given up on her long ago. She'd never shown that she felt the same as he and he was tired of waiting. And Susan was nice enough. Not Hermione, but nice enough.
She was finding it hard to muster the strength to continue holding in the tears. They tasted so bitter.
When she turned away, Ron grabbed her elbow, spinning her toward him. "What's wrong?" he asked, peering into her face as best he could in the shadows.
She shook her head. "Never mind Ron, it's nothing important." He wasn't going to understand the hurt his words and feelings for Susan were putting her through.
I just want to cry in front of you
I don't want to talk about it
'Cause I'm in love with you
He took her chin between his thumb and forefinger. "Everything you say is important Hermione," he told her fiercely, believing his words too. Nothing she said was unimportant. In some way, her words always changed him. For the better, too.
She couldn't stop the sniffling and choking sobs that came when he said that. "Why do you always do this to me, Ron? Why?" she asked, tears falling freely of their own accord, splashing onto his thumbnail and dripping down the front of her jumper.
"Do what?"
She sniffled again. "Say such nice things after pissing me off," she answered.
Ron's eyes grew to the size of muggle quarter.
"Don't patronize me, Ronald," she warned him. "And as for Susan," she added angrily, her pride wounded and bruised by her betraying tears, "try poetry." She's probably a sucker for that, she added irritably. Susan would never appreciate Ron the way she did.
She was almost to the door when she heard Ron's voice calling her back; his tone challenged her to step out the classroom. She never backed away from a challenge.
"It's not that hard to woo a witch, Ronald. In fact, no matter what a girl likes, she'd be happy to receive something," Hermione let him know. The hurt in her voice had been replaced by irritation that he was keeping her.
"Ron, let me go, I'm tired. I want to go to bed." She heard an annoyed snort. "And apparently you're keeping the portraits awake, Ron."
"Well, you aren't helping matters either!" one of the portraits closest to her huffed. She heard fabric rustling together and could only assume he was turning around, away from the on-the-brink-of-arguing friends.
Ron looked smug.
"Ron, it's late," she repeated. "I'm tired. I was planning on being in bed long ago. Don't you ever sleep?"
She wanted to know this about him. Wanted to know everything, really.
You're the only one
I'd be with 'til the end
When I come undone
You bring me back again
Back under the stars
Back in your arms
When he didn't answer she sighed weakly and turned away. She had had enough of this. She wouldn't admit it to herself, least of all Ron, but if he hadn't brought her here to declare his undying love for her, then she didn't want to be here alone with him. Not much, anyway.
She heard the classroom door slam shut once and then creak open only to be slammed closed again. Ron's footsteps were loud in comparison with hers. Portraits were shushing him.
She felt breathless and weak and tired but at the same time energized to the point of feeling like she'd just slept for a week.
"Fairie dust," she said to the Fat Lady, who obliged and the portal swung open.
In the Gryffindor Common Room people were still awake, milling about. Parvati and Lavender were (in a rare occurrence) seriously studying, though Hermione suspected it was Divination which was not a serious focus of study, no matter what her flighty roommates might argue.
Dean and Harry were playing chess. It looked as if Harry was winning but truthfully Hermione didn't know much about chess and so Dean could have been winning.
Ginny and Luna were studying for a Potions exam tomorrow. Hermione empathized with their worried looks. She knew how they felt.
She smiled upon seeing Neville, sitting across the common room from Ginny and Luna, obviously staring and Luna, mooning over her actually.
"Can we talk Hermione?"
Blast Ron for sneaking up on her. She had completely forgotten about him for that moment in time.
Want to know who you are
Want to know where to start
I want to know what this means
Want to know how to feel
Want to know what is real
I want to know everything, everything
She shook her head. "I really don't feel like talking Ron." Unless, of course, you want to take back what you said before about Susan and tell me you love only me. Then we can talk.
"Please Hermione?" he asked again, giving her the horribly sappy puppy dog look.
She rolled her eyes. "I despise you for giving me that look, Ronald," she said in a firm tone. She hoped it would get him to leave her alone.
"I don't really like Susan, Hermione," he said suddenly.
Hermione gave him a shocked expression.
He shrugged. "Well, I don't. I just figured she was a good example. There, there's someone else, actually—
I'm in love with you
'Cause I'm in love with you
I'm in love with you
I'm in love with you
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