A/N: The point of view for the first part of this chapter is changed to Harry's. I'll say when it switches back to Ron's.
Harry and Hermione were sitting in the library, studying Transfiguration. Harry had been trying for days, but he still couldn't turn a chair into a dog and back. Hermione's hair was even frizzier than usual for how many times she had run her fingers through it in frustration.
"Look, let's rest for a bit and see if it'll be better after that," She suggested.
Harry immediately grabbed a chair and flopped down into it. He looked over at Hermione, who looked extremely tired from their relentless practice. He leaned forward and cleared his throat.
"So.. I heard about what Ron said the other night," He said, trying to sound offhand.
Hermione's eyes flickered upwards, but her head didn't move from its position facing downwards. "Yeah..what about it?"
"Do you really think he was fooling you?" He asked.
"Of course. He does all the time," Hermione said, still not looking up.
"Hermione, I really don't think he was.." Harry said, hoping he sounded convincing.
"Oh so he's got you in on it too? The joke gets a little old after I've already figured it out Harry, so let it go," She said, glancing up finally.
"You've got to believe me, he wasn't lying. He really does love you. You know I wouldn't keep going on with something like this for this long if it was a prank," Harry said, his eyes locking into hers.
Hermione seemed to crumple under his gaze and tore her eyes away from him. Her fingers found a quill lying on the table and began to fiddle with it. "Oh, you're right Harry. But, well, I just don't know if I like him back."
"Well it sure seems you like Malfoy a whole lot. You flirt with him all the time. It's disgusting," Harry said, wrinkling his nose.
"Draco's charming. Ron..well..Ron's just kind of blunt and tells it like it is," Hermione argued.
"You're calling him Draco now? Oh my gosh.." Harry said incredulously, putting his head in his hands. "Hermione, Malfoy also thinks you're worthless and second class to him. So he thinks you're pretty, that's all he cares about. He's shallow, slimy, and a sad excuse for a wizard," Harry vented. "Well, talk about the good things about Ron."
"Erm, well he makes me laugh. He's protective of me, even more than you. That can get kind of annoying sometimes but it does make me feel special. And we can get in a fight and half an hour later everything between us will be the exact same. He knows everything about me, he can tell when I'm hiding something, or if I'm sad or angry.." Hermione dropped off. Harry could almost hear her mind working furiously.
"And what about Malfoy?" Harry asked quietly.
"He's-he's charming. And he's handsome. And..er..well he's, er.." Hermione looked at Harry guiltily.
"See what I mean? Ron would treat you so much better. He loves you for you, not for your body," Harry explained.
(A/N: POV is back to Ron's now)
The next day at the breakfast table, Harry whispered to Ron that he had spoken with Hermione and made her see reason.
Malfoy swaggered over, sat next to Hermione, and tried to take a piece of her bacon. She slapped his hand sharply and glared at him.
"Who said you could come over here, sit next to me, and take my food? No one, that's right, so please leave," She said sharply and pushed him away. Malfoy, in a daze, slowly stood up and hobbled away, his face a slight pink.
"Nice job Hermione, he doesn't deserve you anyways," Ron said, flashing her a smile. She grinned back, her eyes sparkling as they never had when she looked at him before.
"Well, we should get going, Defense Against the Dark Arts is next," she said, standing up. Ron couldn't help but notice her cheeks were slightly pink.
"She smiled at me Harry, did you see that?" Ron murmured excitedly.
"Yeah, I reckon you've got this in the bag," Harry whispered back.
"All right, quiet you lot. We've got a lot of work ahead of us. We're going to start Patronus's this week, and we may be on them for a while," Professor Amante said after the bell rang for the start of class. There was a lot of excited muttering at this statement and people kept shooting glances at Harry.
"So, does anyone know exactly what a Patronus is?" Amante asked. Hermione's hand automatically shot up. "Yes, Ms. Granger."
"A Patronus is a focused source of good energy that has no human emotions," she said promptly.
"Excellent. Five points to Gryffindor. Now the incantation...." Ron began to zone out; he was simply staring at Hermione. Her eyes were so bright when they were focused upon school; it lit up her entire face.
"Mr. Weasley?" Amante said sharply. Ron jerked himself out of his daze and noticed the entire class was staring at him. "Perhaps you could concentrate upon the lesson, and not the attractive girls in the class," she said. Though her voice was accusing, the corners of her mouth were tugged upward in a knowing smile.
"Yeah, so what was the question again?" Ron asked, trying to focus.
"I was just asking what you would use the Patronus against," Amante replied, still smiling her smile.
"Dementors," Ron said automatically, remembering Harry's struggle with them in third year.
"Quite right, but it can also be used against other things, such as Lethifolds. But we'll get into that later," she then turned around and began to write on the blackboard.
"She knows about you and Hermione," Harry whispered quickly.
"Thanks for the information, because I couldn't tell you myself," Ron muttered back.