A Fight with Ron
The rest of the week passed by in a blur. It seemed to Harry that no time
had passed since that Monday night when he came in on Hermione taking a
bath. It was Saturday morning before he knew it, and it was then he
realized that he didn't have a date for Hogsmede. I just won't go, he
thought. But that would be social suicide. Everyone goes on the first
Hogsmede outing. But it would be worse to go without a date than to not go
at all. I guess I need a date, Harry decided. But who? Hermione's going
with Ron and everyone else probably already has a date. Maybe I'll see if
Cho is still free.
After breakfast he found Cho at the Ravenclaw table. "Cho, do you have a date for Hogsmede?" he asked.
"You, silly!" she answered.
"I hate to ask, but since when?"
"Since just now! You did ask me didn't you?"
"Right," Harry said irritated by the situation. He hated it when girls made him look stupid as a flirting technique.
"So, why don't I meet you at your room for... let's see... how about nine?
"Why so late?" Harry asked. "Don't you want to get a full day of Hogsmede in? This way there'll only be two hours before we have to go back. And besides, everywhere will be crowded because it'll be so late."
"That's ok, we'll just go places where there won't be so many people," Cho said with a weird glint in her eye. "I know a few."
"No thanks. I'd prefer to stick it out where it's crowded," Harry said knowing which kind of places she was talking about; Xander's Bar, for example. It was practically famous for serving alcohol without checking ID, also for having rooms available at a good price, and condoms free for frequent visitors (if you weren't one they were 3 sickles each, but almost everyone in Harry's year at Hogwarts was). Cho wasn't supposed to be in his year, though. She had failed her NEWTs the year before and had come back to do them over. Nobody cared about that, though. She was as popular with Harry's year as she was in her own. She fit right in with the popular girls like Pavarti. They even looked up to her as she was a year older, and had more experience in certain issues.
"Ok, Harry. I guess I'll just have to suffer through the crowd," Cho said trying to get Harry to change his mind.
"I guess you will," Harry murmured under his breath.
"Did you say something, Harry?" Cho asked all concerned sounding.
"No. Nothing at all," he answered in a sarcastic voice.
"If you're sure-" Cho began to say.
Harry cut her off. "I am."
Harry smiled as sincerely as he could under the circumstances and waved. He was thoroughly annoyed with the situation and was already regretting his decision to go to Hogsmede with Cho. She was annoying him out of his mind and they hadn't even left Hogwarts yet.
Harry headed up to the Gryffindor common room. He needed to talk to someone about the situation. Ron was the only person he could trust with anything and decided to talk to him.
As he got to the fat lady and she asked for the password, he realized that he didn't know the password for this year. Fortunately, Neville came up the stairs just then and he said the password for both of them.
"Thanks, Neville," Harry said as they went through the portrait.
"No problem. The number of times I've forgotten it and you've helped me, I owe you," Neville said remembering the days when he forgot everything.
As soon as they got inside, Harry felt better. It felt like he was home, as he hadn't really gotten used to having his own room yet.
His happiness was spoiled, though, when Ginny ran up to him and said, "So, Harry, you're finally going to ask me to Hogsmede aren't you? I knew you would! You like me don't you? I knew you did from the beginning!"
She giggled with joy and Harry hardly had the heart to say, "Not today, Ginny. Right now I'm here to see Ron."
"Oh," she said with a sigh. "He's up in his dormitory."
She walked up the stairs to the girls' dormitory, trying to hold in her disappointment. As the door closed, Harry heard her crying. He felt bad, but he didn't want her to get any false impressions. That would probably be worse for her when she found out, though, Harry thought.
He went up the stairs to the boys' dormitory. He found Ron furiously going through his closet and throwing clothes on the bed.
"Hi Ron," Harry said cautiously, not sure whether he was upset that Harry was going to Hogsmede with Hermione the next weekend.
"What do you want?!" Ron yelled. He then looked over at who was talking to him and saw Harry standing there, a little startled looking. "Oh, sorry, Harry," Ron apologized. He turned back to his closet and continued throwing clothes on the bed. "I'm just looking for the perfect outfit for Hogsmede. I really want to impress Hermione." He looked over at Harry again. "Who are you going with?" he asked.
"Cho," Harry answered.
"Bloody awesome, man!" Ron congratulated, "Did she ask you or did you finally get up the guts to ask her?"
"She asked me first," Harry answered, "But I don't-"
Ron cut him off. "Great!" Ron said, ecstatic for his best friend.
"I don't really want to go with her though, I've realized I don't like her anymore," Harry said quickly before Ron could cut him off again.
"What in bloody hell happened?" Ron asked shocked.
"I don't really know. I just fell out of love with her and fell in love with someone else," Harry explained.
"Oooooh, who's the lucky girl to win the famous Harry Potter's heart?" Ron said.
"Someone," Harry said not wanting to admit that he liked Ron's girlfriend.
"You can tell me Harry," Ron encouraged.
"Promise me you won't be weird about it ok?" Harry asked.
"I won't. Now spill!"
Harry took a deep breath. "It's Hermione."
Ron stood there in shock. His look of shock quickly changed to one of anger. "What have you and my girl been bloody doing?! And to think I thought you were my best bloody friend! Look Harry, you bloody always get the girls! Now it's my turn! Hermione is my girl! MINE! And I won't let bloody you take her away from me!"
Harry was shocked. He knew Ron was going to be mad, but he didn't know just how much. He decided to try and calm him down.
"Ron, Hermione and I haven't done anything! I knew you would be upset and that's why I decided to be upfront with you. Ron, I'm not planning to make a move on Hermione. Look, she's your girl and if you think that I'm getting to close to her then tell me and I'll back off. You're my best friend Ron, and I wouldn't want anything to mess that up."
Ron looked more okay with the situation once Harry had said that. "I guess you're right," Ron said. "I kind off overreacted a bit, but I just really like Hermione. Besides, you always get girls, so I was upset when I thought you were going to take mine."
"It's ok, Ron," Harry said. Then he realized that he had forgotten to tell Ron something. "Now that you're ok with that, there's something else I have to tell you..."
After breakfast he found Cho at the Ravenclaw table. "Cho, do you have a date for Hogsmede?" he asked.
"You, silly!" she answered.
"I hate to ask, but since when?"
"Since just now! You did ask me didn't you?"
"Right," Harry said irritated by the situation. He hated it when girls made him look stupid as a flirting technique.
"So, why don't I meet you at your room for... let's see... how about nine?
"Why so late?" Harry asked. "Don't you want to get a full day of Hogsmede in? This way there'll only be two hours before we have to go back. And besides, everywhere will be crowded because it'll be so late."
"That's ok, we'll just go places where there won't be so many people," Cho said with a weird glint in her eye. "I know a few."
"No thanks. I'd prefer to stick it out where it's crowded," Harry said knowing which kind of places she was talking about; Xander's Bar, for example. It was practically famous for serving alcohol without checking ID, also for having rooms available at a good price, and condoms free for frequent visitors (if you weren't one they were 3 sickles each, but almost everyone in Harry's year at Hogwarts was). Cho wasn't supposed to be in his year, though. She had failed her NEWTs the year before and had come back to do them over. Nobody cared about that, though. She was as popular with Harry's year as she was in her own. She fit right in with the popular girls like Pavarti. They even looked up to her as she was a year older, and had more experience in certain issues.
"Ok, Harry. I guess I'll just have to suffer through the crowd," Cho said trying to get Harry to change his mind.
"I guess you will," Harry murmured under his breath.
"Did you say something, Harry?" Cho asked all concerned sounding.
"No. Nothing at all," he answered in a sarcastic voice.
"If you're sure-" Cho began to say.
Harry cut her off. "I am."
Harry smiled as sincerely as he could under the circumstances and waved. He was thoroughly annoyed with the situation and was already regretting his decision to go to Hogsmede with Cho. She was annoying him out of his mind and they hadn't even left Hogwarts yet.
Harry headed up to the Gryffindor common room. He needed to talk to someone about the situation. Ron was the only person he could trust with anything and decided to talk to him.
As he got to the fat lady and she asked for the password, he realized that he didn't know the password for this year. Fortunately, Neville came up the stairs just then and he said the password for both of them.
"Thanks, Neville," Harry said as they went through the portrait.
"No problem. The number of times I've forgotten it and you've helped me, I owe you," Neville said remembering the days when he forgot everything.
As soon as they got inside, Harry felt better. It felt like he was home, as he hadn't really gotten used to having his own room yet.
His happiness was spoiled, though, when Ginny ran up to him and said, "So, Harry, you're finally going to ask me to Hogsmede aren't you? I knew you would! You like me don't you? I knew you did from the beginning!"
She giggled with joy and Harry hardly had the heart to say, "Not today, Ginny. Right now I'm here to see Ron."
"Oh," she said with a sigh. "He's up in his dormitory."
She walked up the stairs to the girls' dormitory, trying to hold in her disappointment. As the door closed, Harry heard her crying. He felt bad, but he didn't want her to get any false impressions. That would probably be worse for her when she found out, though, Harry thought.
He went up the stairs to the boys' dormitory. He found Ron furiously going through his closet and throwing clothes on the bed.
"Hi Ron," Harry said cautiously, not sure whether he was upset that Harry was going to Hogsmede with Hermione the next weekend.
"What do you want?!" Ron yelled. He then looked over at who was talking to him and saw Harry standing there, a little startled looking. "Oh, sorry, Harry," Ron apologized. He turned back to his closet and continued throwing clothes on the bed. "I'm just looking for the perfect outfit for Hogsmede. I really want to impress Hermione." He looked over at Harry again. "Who are you going with?" he asked.
"Cho," Harry answered.
"Bloody awesome, man!" Ron congratulated, "Did she ask you or did you finally get up the guts to ask her?"
"She asked me first," Harry answered, "But I don't-"
Ron cut him off. "Great!" Ron said, ecstatic for his best friend.
"I don't really want to go with her though, I've realized I don't like her anymore," Harry said quickly before Ron could cut him off again.
"What in bloody hell happened?" Ron asked shocked.
"I don't really know. I just fell out of love with her and fell in love with someone else," Harry explained.
"Oooooh, who's the lucky girl to win the famous Harry Potter's heart?" Ron said.
"Someone," Harry said not wanting to admit that he liked Ron's girlfriend.
"You can tell me Harry," Ron encouraged.
"Promise me you won't be weird about it ok?" Harry asked.
"I won't. Now spill!"
Harry took a deep breath. "It's Hermione."
Ron stood there in shock. His look of shock quickly changed to one of anger. "What have you and my girl been bloody doing?! And to think I thought you were my best bloody friend! Look Harry, you bloody always get the girls! Now it's my turn! Hermione is my girl! MINE! And I won't let bloody you take her away from me!"
Harry was shocked. He knew Ron was going to be mad, but he didn't know just how much. He decided to try and calm him down.
"Ron, Hermione and I haven't done anything! I knew you would be upset and that's why I decided to be upfront with you. Ron, I'm not planning to make a move on Hermione. Look, she's your girl and if you think that I'm getting to close to her then tell me and I'll back off. You're my best friend Ron, and I wouldn't want anything to mess that up."
Ron looked more okay with the situation once Harry had said that. "I guess you're right," Ron said. "I kind off overreacted a bit, but I just really like Hermione. Besides, you always get girls, so I was upset when I thought you were going to take mine."
"It's ok, Ron," Harry said. Then he realized that he had forgotten to tell Ron something. "Now that you're ok with that, there's something else I have to tell you..."