He looks so adorable when he grins like that.
…
Ron? Ron? Good Godric, Hermione Jane Granger, don't think things like that! This is Ron. You know, insufferable prat? It's just hormones, I guess I'll get it over it. And I wouldn't want to ruin our friendship over hormones. It'll wear off. If only he'd stop looking at me that way. I wonder if he realizes he's looking at me that way. I don't think he does, or his ears would be turning red.
He looks so cute when his ears turn red.
No! No! He's insensitive. That's right. He doesn't support S.P.E.W., he procrastinates, he's always fighting with Malfoy...to defend me. I love it when he stands up for me. Not that I'd ever tell him that. It is kind of nice, though. No! Stop it, Hermione! Why couldn't you have just fancied Harry?
Harry's so much easier to fancy. He's the hero, after all. People love a hero, and he gets the girl. As the main girl in his life, you really should be his match. It's practically a law. But now there's Ginny and Luna with him a lot, so it's not really just you anymore. But still! Harry's great. Fancy Harry.
Hermione looked at her friend with the messy black hair, concentrating as hard as she could on recalling those tingly feelings she got whenever she looked at Ron.
"Hermione, are you alright?" Harry said. "You look like you're going to be sick."
Nope. Nothing.
"I'm fine," Hermione said, her cheeks flushing red. Ron was looking at her closely, as if the power of his gaze would cause her to spill her thoughts to them.
"Are you sure?" Ron asked. "Harry's right. You look a bit off."
"She's having girl troubles," Ginny said in a stage whisper, waggling her eyebrows at her brother.
Ron turned red.
He looks so cute when he does that.
No he doesn't. For the last time, I do not fancy Ron. Do not. Will not. Cannot. Because it wouldn't work. We fight all the time. We're such opposites. But even if it would work, I wouldn't fancy him. Because it's Ron. And Ron's so…Ron. And that's not what I'm looking for.
Upon reflection, she found that she didn't want to do that to Ginny, anyway. Or Harry. To have both of his closest female friends fancy him would make him decidedly uncomfortable should he ever find out. Just having Ginny fancy him was enough, although Ginny herself did a lot better job of hiding it than she used to.
In fact, if I'm not mistaken, Harry seems to return the feeling. Harry and Ginny together? Well, isn't that an interesting thought. I wonder what Ron would say. Probably something along the lines of, "ARRRGH!" right before he murders Harry in cold blood.
Stupid prat.
Stupid, adorable, loyal, kind, funny prat.
No! No! No!
"Hermione, you really do look sick," Ron said worriedly. "Maybe you should go to the Hospital Wing."
"No, I'm fine."
She really does look sick. Not sick, actually, more like…anxious. I wonder what she has to be anxious about. She's got all her homework done, no one's trying to kill us, and neither Harry or I are in any kind of trouble. She worries too much. I love that about her. What am I saying? I love everything about her.
…
Did I just think that? Did that just come out of my head? I do not love anything about Hermione. She nags. She mothers. She gets on me for not doing homework. I wish she'd get on me to…
Not going there. Definitely not. This is Hermione. You know, your best friend of six years? You are not allowed to have dirty thoughts about her. I am such an idiot. It's a good thing Hermione can't read minds. Unless she's been studying Leglimency on the side, which I wouldn't doubt.
Ron looked at Hermione, who certainly didn't look like she was reading his thoughts. He decided to experiment.
Hermione, spew is dumb. Dumb, dumb, dumb. You should stop annoying the house-elves, they don't like it. They've started hiding when you come about.
Nope. No blushing, no beating Ron over the head, no nothing. Apparently Hermione couldn't read minds.
Oh well. Give her a few years, she'll know everything. Really. Sometimes she scares the piss out of me. And sometimes she does something so wonderful it makes me want to hug her. Like when she slapped Malfoy. That was the best moment of my life, bar none. Godric, I love Hermione.
Do not. I lied. I don't love Hermione. Don't even particularly like her. I mean, she is my best friend, but that's all. I don't fancy my best friend. Besides, I think she fancies Harry.
Ron's looking at me strangely. I wonder if he can tell I fancy him. What am I saying? I don't fancy him. Never have, never will. Although there was that brief period first year when I fancied Harry. I wish I could bring that back. I mean, Harry's so easy to fancy.
Ron, on the other hand, is a git. Not easy to fancy at all. I mean, he's obsessed with Quidditch, he calls unfortunately ugly girls 'trolls,' and I think he picks his nose when no one's looking.
So why am I all tingly all of a sudden?
"You both look ill," Ginny said. "Maybe you caught whatever Hermione has, Ron."
"In the last five minutes?" Harry wanted to know.
"It's possible," Ginny said. "Magical illnesses work funny."
"I didn't think about that," Harry said. "But she's right, you know," he added in the general direction of Ron and Hermione. "You both look like you're going to pass out. You should go up to the Hospital Wing."
"I'm not sick!" Ron and Hermione said in unison.