A/N: Sorry this took a while, and I should say the plan for this fan fic isn't to take place for the span of one day. It just happenes to be a long day for Ron. Enjoy!!
Also my thanks to the reviewers, and they are as follows: RHalltheway, Latanya Kassidy, OneOfHeavensAngels, Eiraugcam Suruaseht, ILiv inParis, Cori, tabitoo. My apologies for not giving you all the proper thanks for your kind reviews. Keep reading and I'll keep writing. Cheers!!
Chapter Five: Throbbing and Stinging
"This is BRILLIANT!! Better than anything I could've imagined. In my imagination Hermione's bushy locks don't tickle my cheeks. It's a tiny distraction but I like it. It makes it more real. Wait a tick! What am I thinking!?! THIS IS REAL!!! I'm kissing 'Mione! She's kissing me back! Her hands feel so great running through my hair I'm glad I mananged to aviod mum all summer, another year and it might be as long as Bill's...... Damn it!! My mind keeps wandering!!! Must concentrate on her!!! Her lips are so soft, the softest I've ever kissed... She moans when she kisses I've never heard a girl do that while snogging.... Oh listen to me sounding like Gilderoy Lockheart... I've on kissed one girl aside from Hermione, and those snogging sessions were almost unbearable, well maybe not unbearable bu- STOP THINKING ABOUT THAT!!!! The girl of your dreams has her tongue almost down your throat and you're recall- OUCH!!! She pulled my hair!!! I liked that. Who knew that the proper Miss Hermione Granger could be so passionate and aggressive?...... Well I guess Harry wou- OH SHIT!!! WHAT ABOUT HARRY!?!?"
As Ron's mind asked the question his tomato red ears heared the door to the potions class opening. As the lone figure walked in, Hermione and Ron broke the snog session and looked to the doorway. Seamus stood in there embarassed and shocked at the same time. "Um ......uh........ ah, he he sorry to, uh, interupt. I... er, was looking for Weasley. So.... I'll just... wait out here then." Quicker than he entered the classroom, did he leave it closing the door behind him. Ron started to feel pain in his right hand, even though, it hadn't bothered him all morning. Now that the bandage is off, the bruise is sore, and the gash is stinging from contact with air. Still, this wasn't enough to distract him from one of the biggest blunders ever made in Ronald Weasley's sixteen years.
"Oh Merlin!! Great way to protect the friendship Weasley!!! You've proper fucked the entire situation!! What happened to not ruining this for Hermione? What happened to Harry deserves her? What happened to being the GOOD FRIEND!?" Ron looked back to Hermione who hadn't moved to get up.
Ron was frozen, Hermione is still on top of him, still very close. They countinued looked at each other, faces flushed red, their lips swollen, hair tussled. Hermione shook out of her revere and started to rise off of Ron slowly, then she stopped and looked down eyes widening in shock. He looked at what she was staring at and his own eyes widened. In the midst of the heavy snogging, Ron's left hand had mananged to find a comfortable resting place on Hermione's left bosom. He immediately withdrew his hand, while she moved off of him so fast you would've thought Ron had the plague. She sat by his feet leaning against a leg from one of the tables. Ron sat up leaning against the table opposite to hers. There they sat in the middle walkway that divided the classroom in half. Staring at one another like two chess pieces locked in a stalemate.
Ron could feel the heat on the hand that groped Hermione. "I can't believe I did that. It's not like I meant to...... well I didn't mean for any of that to happen. I touched her...there....... It did seem to fit perfectly in my hand. nice roundness, firm yet so- STOP THINKING LIKE THAT YOU PERVERTED SOD!!!... OH SHIT!!.. I just violated Hermione." Guilt overwhelmed Ron, who broke their stare out of shame. Keeping his gaze to the floor he spoke softly "Hermione I'm so sor-"
"SHUT UP!!! I need to think!" She snapped and Ron's guilt increased. "What have we done!?! What have I done to Harry!? I cannot believe we just...... Why did you kiss me Ron!? WHY!? I....... You-" She interupted herself with a frustrated growl, and then seemed to drift off in her thoughts. Ron could see her muttering incoherently to herself.
Of course, Ron knew the reason he kissed her, however telling Hermione that reason seemed like a very bad idea. "She hates me now. She hates me and I deserve it. I wouldn't blame her if she never wants to speak, let alone see me again." Hermione came out of her own thoughts. "I have to go. I need to...... study, YES!! Study!! Studying is a great way to clear my mind right now. There's a test in Hisory of Magic next week. Then I could practice some charms. Plus, I've got loads of Ancient Runes wor- Look at me Ron!!! I'm a rambling mess!!!!"
He leaned forward and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Hermione calm down. Getting hysterical is just going to cause you more stress." Unfortunatly Ron tends to have a habit of saying the wrong thing. It was also unfortunate that the hand he used to comfort Hermione, along with his words, was his right.
She looked at Ron incredulously, then scowled. Hermione then violently swatted his hand away sending it gash first into the parrallel table leg. Ron yelped in pain, but Hermione didn't seem to care as she shoved him back. She stood up fuming towering over Ron's lying form. With the fiery stare Hermione was giving him, Ron thought she was going to kick in his ribs. "Calm down!? CALM DOWN!?!? Don't tell me to keep calm you.... you.. DEMORALIZED WANKER!!!!...... We betrayed Harry!? What kind of friend are you!?... What kind of girlfriend am I?..... We- you know what? I can't do this now. I have to get out of here." She step over Ron and headed for the door.
"Hermione! Stop!" Ron belted as he got up too fast causing his head to throb. "We need to talk about this, at least give me a chance to-"
"We will, like you said earlier, we'll talk tonight while on patrols. Right now you and I..... need some space." Her back was to him, but Ron could sense she was on the verge of tears. "And once again I caused it." "I'm sorry I can't take you to the Hospital Wing. I'm serious about you going though, I don't want you to suffer long term effects. Do you think Seamus will help you get there?"
"Yeah, he'll help me." Ron decided not to argue about going to see Pomfrey.
"See you later, then." she quipped, then proceeded out the door.
"Yeah, later." Ron muttered glumly
"Merlin, would you look at The Right Fucking Idiot now?" he grabbed his bag and slung it over his shoulder, just as Seamus walked in. "Hey Weasley."
"Hey." Ron grunted, his facial expression a mixture of self loathing and guilt.
"Listen man, don't worry. I won't tell anyone what I saw." He said trying to ease Ron's mood.
Yeah, um.. thanks." Ron said distractedly. What or however much Seamus saw was the least of his concerns. "How do I fix this? First I force her to kiss me and then find I grope her. Think. Think. Think. I guess I can blame it all on the black out. She'll think that as acceptable, right? I wasn't myself ? I can only hope that's a good enough reason, and she'll still want to be friends."
"Hermione told me to make sure you get to the Hospital Wing. So, I figure we go do that and then head back to the Room of Requirement. Get a little more toasty before lunch, what do ye say?"
"Yeah . Sure. Whatever."
"You don't have to if you don't really want to, you know."
"I said I did, didn't I." Ron looked up getting impatient.
"Yeah, but, you don't sound too.... you know, enthused." Seamus said warily.
Ron sighed, trying very hard to keep his anger in check. "Look I'm sorry, but I'm a little bit worried right now. You see I'm on the brink of losing my best friends, and it's all thanks to my stupidity. Not to mention that my head is pounding," he holds up his right hand in front of Seamus. "And this hand is stinging and sore. These injuries can be credited to my stupidity once again. So if you will please.... EXCUSE THE FUCK OUT OF ME IF I DON'T FUCKING FEEL A LITTLE FUCKING ENTHUSED!!!!!"
"um.... sorry. Look man, I don't mean to pry, your business is your business. I'm just trying to help ye relax, unwind ye know." Seamus felt calm now that Ron looked as if he had too. "I guess what I'm trying to say is, I didn't want you to think I'm trying to pressure you in to doing something ye don't want. Alot of times people can mistake an offer with peer pressure, and misunderstandings happen. So, I'm tellin ye now, I'm not pushing this on you."
"Are we talking about smoking weed, or are you trying to get me to sleep with you after the school dance?" Ron asked, his voice serious, his face dead pan.
Seamus' eyes widened."Fuck no! I'm talking about smo-", he then noticed a hint of amusement in Ron's eyes. Ron seeing Seamus recognize the charade, bursted out laughing. Seamus who was about ready to tear the walls down to get out of there, was now mocking anger. "Sod off!! Weasley!!"
"Sorry, I couldn't help it." Ron said as his laughter died down.
"Well at least you're in a better mood."
"Sorry I flew off the handle. Also I'm sorry I dragged you into this the first time, thanks for helping." Seamus nodded.Ron reverted back to a solem mood. "I'm just trying to figure out what to do about Hermione. I really messed things up enough to where she won't have anything to do with me."
"Well, from the look of things when I walked in, she didn't seem to mind you kissing her. In fact she looked to be enjoying it." Seamus said assuringly, and Ron looked hopeful. "But hey, I'm not going to pretend that I know what goes on in her mind. No offence but she can get a little mental."
Ron scowled.
"Just a little." Seamus said quickly, before Ron got angry again. "Now let's get out of here, go see Pomfrey, then head to the Room of Requirement. We have an hour before lunch, so that's plenty of time to get a good buzz. Sound like plan?"
"Lead the way."
"Well Mr. Weasley, you're very fortunate you do not have a concussion, and will only need a simple potion for the headache. Here you go." said Madame Pomfrey, hand a vial of redish brown liquid. Ron opened the small container and downed the contents. His faced grimiced with disgust. "I can see why this is good for headaches, the taste takes your mind of the pain." Pomfrey then came back with her wand in hand. "Although your head will be fine , I'm afraid I cannot do anything about the scar this gash will leave. You really should have come to me sooner, then I would have been able to do something. But no, you young people think you know all there is. Honestly, doing something so unpractical, as making a bandage.... You didn't even try to heal it before you wrapped it in a bandage!!"
Once the lecture was through she sent Ron out of the Hospital Wing. Outside Seamus was waiting for him, however he wasn't alone, standing next to Finnigan was the Gryffindor Quiddich captain. "Hey Katie, how's it going?" Ron said, cautioning a look to Seamus. "Finnigan, I hope you kept your mouth shut. The last thing I need right now is for Katie to kick me off the team because I started smoking that muggle plant..... Wait a minute, the guy isn't stupid, he'd be in more trouble. Damn my paranoia!"
"I'm fine Ron, but I should be asking you." Said Katie, her face etched with concern. She also looked anxious to leave now that Ron was there.
"I'm alright, why wouldn't I be?", said Ron, trying to sound as casual as possible.
"Well you just came out of the Hospital Wing." She said with a smile, yet still casting nervous glances at Seamus.
"Oh.... yeah, I'm good. Pomfrey gave me a potion for my headache is all."
"Oh, good. Glad it's nothing serious." and then a noticeable and uncomfortable silence enveloped them. Finnegan was looking at them with amusement. He shook his head at both of them.
"OK!!! Enough of this, I know you both are worried that the other will find out that they are going with me to the Room of Requirement." Seamus continued regardless of the wide eyed stares he was recieving. "So, let me break the tension here. Weasley, Ms. Bell here is going with us, for a little smoke session. Katie, Ron here has already smoked with me so not to worry, he's cool. So are we ready to go?"
Both Katie and Ron looked dumbfounded but nodded nonetheless.